Yorknew City

Chapter 1

Kurapika has just delivered the scarlet eyes to Neon Nostrade. She has awakened and is feeling much better now. Kurapika is devastated. He was not the one who took down the Phantom Troupe's leader, Chrollo. This was not the plan. Kurapika was supposed to avenge his fellow Kurta.

After leaving Neon's hospital room, he was given advice from Melody to get some rest.
"Yes, you're right." Kurapika says with his head down.
"Thanks, I think I will." He gets up to leave.

Kurapika goes up to the roof of the hospital and calls Gon to give him the news about what has happened to the Troupe.
"I will call you tomorrow. I must rest now." says Kurapika on the phone.

Kurapika leaves the hospital in a dismal state. As he approaches the exit, he notices a young girl crying in the lobby. He is too depressed about what has just happened to feel sorry for anybody else.

The taxi takes him to his hotel. Kurapika does not go up to his room right away. Instead, he sits outside to collect his thoughts.
"I should have been the one to take down the Spiders! How could this have happened?" he says and suddenly feels nauseous.

He goes back inside and heads towards the elevators. The elevator is empty. As he pressed the button for his floor, a girl stumbled in. She appeared out of nowhere. Kurapika was not in the mood to smile or to be friendly so he hoped the elevator would reach the 41st floor quickly. The girl pressed the same number.
"It's just a coincidence." Kurapika thought to himself.

On the way up, the lights flicker on and off. The girl looks scared. Kurapika notices it is the same girl he saw in the hospital lobby.
"It's still just a coincidence." He continued to think.

The elevator continues to go up and suddenly stops.
A voice is heard through the elevator's speaker. "We apologize for the delay, however it seems like we are experiencing technical difficulties. We assure you help is on the way."

The girl is frightened, but she does not want to show her fear. She looks up at Kurapika and smiles uncomfortably.
"This can't be happening! Not today! I am stuck in a Yorknew elevator with a strange guy who looks like he has been through a disaster. What if he rapes and kills me in this damn elevator!" The girl says to herself.
Kurapika gently smiles back at her. He can sense her fear and does not want to worsen the situation.

They stand in silence for five minutes. They both have their heads down. Kurapika decides it is going to take a while before someone fixes the elevator.

"It will be alright. They said help is on the way." Kurapika tells the girl with a smile.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes, you need not be afraid," he replied.
The girl smiles and she suddenly feels at ease. The aura in the elevator changed.
"I received some terrible news and just wanted to go to bed." She tells Kurapika.
"Yes, I have also received some terrible news and was hoping to do the same," he explains.

Kurapika's mood changes. He no longer feels depressed like he was just minutes ago. Instead, he feels empathetic. It was obvious this girl had a horrible day. He still senses her uneasiness.

"You do not need to tell me anything. We are just two strangers who happen to be stuck in a Yorknew elevator together. You do not have any obligation to share your terrible news with me." Kurapika says to her.
"No, it's fine. Hey, were you at the hospital?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. He was surprised she noticed.
"Oh, I thought so. Is your loved one okay?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You were leaving the hospital looking sad. Is everything okay with who you were there to see?"
"Oh, yes. The patient I was visiting is actually doing better and will be discharged." he answered.
"That's good. I wish that was the case with my father. He has been in the hospital for a month now with no hope to get out anytime soon."
"I am sorry to hear that. Like I said, you have no obligation to share anything with me."
"No, it's okay. It feels good actually. I'm not scared of you anymore. I mean, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!" she tells Kurapika.
"It's fine. It is natural to feel afraid. You know nothing about who I am or my intentions. I assure you, I am not going to harm you." Kurapika explains.
"Right, I know that. I'm Akemi."

Kurapika just smiles back. He starts to notice her. Akemi is a petite girl with long, dark blue, almost black hair cascading down her back. Her eyes are brown and filled with sadness. She was wearing a pink kimono style dress.

"My family was murdered a few years ago. Some thieves broke into our home. They killed my grandmother, mother, and my two younger brothers. My father and myself were the only survivors. He was left in critical condition and has been in and out of the hospital since. Things are looking worse for him now. They can not seem to wean him off the vent. That is why I was so sad at the hospital." Akemi explains to Kurapika with tears filling her eyes.
"I'm so sorry." Kurapika replies.
"They never even caught the scum who did this!" Akemi responds, now angry.

Kurapika is overwhelmed by her story. He is also wondering why she is sharing it with a stranger.

They stand there in silence for the next ten minutes. Kurapika looked her way and thought to himself, "She is a very pretty girl."

Kurapika decides to break the silence and shares some of his story.
"I also lost my family to thieves. I am the only one left."
"Oh my goodness! Did this just happen? Is that why you looked so sad?" Akemi asks.
"No. It happened close to 6 years ago. I just received news that the thieves who murdered my clan have been killed." Kurapika explains.
"Isn't that good news?" she asked.
"Yes, however I can't help but feel guilty about the fact that I wasn't the one to avenge my clan."
"Why would you be the one to do something like that?" Akemi is confused.
"I am a pro hunter. It is the sole reason why I became one."
"You're a pro hunter? She looks up at Kurapika with excitement in her eyes.
"Yes," he answers.
"My father is also a pro hunter." she confesses.
"Really?" Kurapika asked excitedly.
"Yes, however it wasn't enough to save us all. Even with his nen." she continues to explain.
"Nen?" Kurapika asked.
"Yes, you do know about nen, right?" Akemi asked while noticing his right hand. "Oh, I see. Are you a manipulator?"
Akemi points to his chains.
"Oh, no." Kurapika answers.
"Oh. Just wondering." She can tell Kurapika didn't want to explain it all to her.
"It is nice to talk to someone who actually knows how it feels," says Kurapika.
"Yes, you are right. I am actually glad we ran into each other. It is strange, but I feel a connection with you. Oh, I'm sorry! Is that weird?" She asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
"No, not at all." Kurapika smiles. "I also feel like there is a connection."

At first, Kurapika thought it was just a coincidence that this girl ended up stuck in an elevator with him. He now feels different. Maybe it was fate?

The lights flicker on and off again and the elevator begins to shake. Akemi falls, but before she hits the floor, Kurapika catches her. She stares into his eyes as he picks her up.

"Thank you." she says to him.
"No thanks necessary," he responds.

The elevator finally starts to function and the door opens to their floor. They both continue to stand in the elevator for another minute.

"We better get off before the elevator decides to break down again." says Kurapika.
"Yes, you are right. I really want to go to my room." Akemi tells him.

They step out slowly and stand in the hallway.

"I really hope we meet again." says Akemi.
"Yes, I would really like that," he replies.

Akemi starts to walk to her room and looks back at Kurapika.

"Hey, I didn't catch your name." Akemi says to Kurapika.
"Kurapika. My name is Kurapika." he answers.
"Have a good night, Kurapika." Akemi says.
"Yes, you as well." Kurapika replies.

They both give each other another smile and walk away to their rooms.