The Moving Castle (Kurapika x Reader AU)

Chapter 1: The beginning

(song recommendation) --->

            The soft light of the sun lightly stroked Kurapika's face as it began to rise. He let out a soft groan before rising and sitting up trying to focus his consciousness on his surroundings. His room was almost barren with just a vanity, a dresser, and a closet to keep his clothes in. He wasn't very materialistic, that was his peoples' beliefs after all. Kurapika's gaze landed on the ceiling, it was plain and white with slight cracks appearing in random bouts. It almost reminded him of his own life currently.
            Four years had passed since he lost everything dear to him. The blonde's eyes crinkled in sadness at remembering that terrible night. It was almost unbearable to think about, but with time he had managed to not break down at the mere thought of it. He shook his head to regain his thoughts, he couldn't spend the day in bed sulking after all. Kurapika arose from his bed, his feet landing on the floor with a soft thud. He stretched his arms and let out a gentle yawn. Going through his closet, he picked a plain, blue top that had loose sleeves, and a pair of baggy white pants to change into. He ran a brush in his hair to make himself more presentable and sprayed a bit of tango perfume on before going to the kitchen to cook himself some breakfast.
            Breakfast had always been troublesome for him, even as a kid. Kurapika never could make up his mind on what to eat, and it was worse to make up your mind when you have just woken up. After what felt like an eternity of searching for something to eat, he decided that pancakes would sustain his hunger until his next meal. Kurapika poured coffee into his mug while waiting for the toaster to complete its job. Once finished with his food, he wrapped a darker blue vest over his torso and slipped his shoes on. Today was the day for his job interview at the Nostrade Cooperation and he couldn't afford to be late.
           Kurapika always loved to walk to the train station, mostly because it gave him time to take in the beautiful scenery around him. He took a deep breath and smiled at the little red and bluebirds flying around. The animals were very beautiful, and for the most part, they were also very docile creatures that paid very little attention to humans. The animals made life a little less lonely for him, however, it didn't feel the void he felt. The little stream of water he walked by was very soothing. Occasionally a frog would leap by but hurriedly hopped away not wanting to be stepped on.
            It wasn't very long before he arrived at the train station, his face remained neutral, but on the inside, he was a little nervous. Quite a bit of time had passed between his last job and he wasn't sure that he was ready to do another one. There was little he could do though, if he wanted the electricity to keep running then it was important for him that this job went well. He didn't receive much information about what he would be required to do, other than collecting a bird of some sort. It didn't make sense to him, but it was paying a lot, enough to where he wouldn't need to work for another six months given that he saves the majority of the time.
           The train had finally came, allowing him to step inside and find a place to sit. Once the other passengers settled in, he had started to space out while staring outside one of the windows. The train's whistle let out a whiny squeal before the wheels started spinning and pushing the train forward. The train started chugging, and the long ride had begun. Outside the window, everything was moving at such a fast pace that the colors seemed to blend and mix. Kurapika's head rested on the window and stayed that way until he felt a kick hit the back of his seat. 'It could have been an accident," he thought. Without much thought, he had gone back to rest against the window. He had almost fallen asleep until another Thud...Thud...Thud.
          Whoever was behind him kept kicking his seat, and a bit of irritation was bubbling inside his stomach. He quickly turned around, about to give someone a piece of his mind until he noticed it was a small kid. The kid's apparel was quite flamboyant. His outfit was mostly an obnoxious green that made him stand out from the usual gray tones that most bystanders wore. His hair was inexplicable too. It was a blackish-green that was spiked up, much like those punk bands that played in underground concerts that Kurapika had heard of. Though, this kid didn't seem like a delinquent in any way. He just seemed to feel comfortable in his own clothing, something Kurapika could relate to.
            "Could you please quit kicking my seat?" Kurapika asked as kindly as he could. "Oh, I'm so sorry mister! I didn't realize I was kicking your seat! I was too busy watching the buildings pass by. There's just so much to see and I'm so excited to explore the city!" The young boy exclaimed with a very bright smile. Kurapika couldn't help but give the boy a small smile in return. He clearly had his heads in the clouds and he couldn't help but think back to his own childhood best friend. He grimaced at that thought and tried to put an end to them as he turned forward and let out a small sigh. It just really hurts to think about those things at times.
           "Hey mister, my name is Gon, Gon Freeces. What's your name?" the boy popped up again his head slightly tilted in curiosity. Kurapika hesitated for a second, he wasn't very use to conversating with strangers, but it couldn't hurt to tell the kid his name. "My name is Kurapika," he responded in a very calm demeanor. "That's a very interesting name, I've never heard of it before. Did you perhaps come from another country?" Gon inquired. "I, uh" Kurapika stammered over his words a bit. He couldn't really tell this kid what had happened to his clan in the woods, he still couldn't really trust strangers after what had happened, but it would also appear strange to the kid if he avoided the question too much. Maybe he could try to question the kid more so he didn't have to answer questions himself. He cleared his throat and fixed his posture to imitate having confidence. "I did come from another country, but I lived in such a small city that I doubt that you would know of it," he half-lied. "Oh, that's very interesting! Can you tell me about it?" Gon asked.
          "Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Kurapika paused, "What are you doing out here by yourself? You don't seem to have any guardian around, and that's abnormal for kids," Kurapika continued. "Well, I'm here for a job that'll hopefully help me find my dad. I had to catch a big fish named, 'The Master of The Swamp' before Aunt Mito allowed me to travel. That's also why I'm by myself. I've also have never been to a huge city before, so this will be a new experience! I just hope I don't get lost," Gon rambled on. Kurapika checked his watch, he would arrive at the city two hours beforehand, which would allow him plenty of time to help Gon find his way to his destination. "Well, I have some spare time on my hands, I could help you navigate the city," Kurapika replied. "Really? That would be very helpful Kurapika!" Gon exclaimed clearly happy.
           "Could you tone it down a bit! You're being very loud!" an unfamiliar voice rang out beside them. They both turned their heads in the direction of the voice, only to find an older-looking businessman sitting there with an irritated look on his face. Kurapika squinted his eyes at the man, clearly not happy with the tone he had used. "You know, you don't have to be rude about it," Kurapika snapped back, "He's just an excited kid, he's going to be loud." "Well, he should take it down a notch, there are other passengers just trying to enjoy a peaceful ride." The man said, the irritation having left his voice. "I'll try to be quieter," Gon spoke, covering his mouth with his hands as to make sure that the man knew he meant it. " Anyways, what's your name mister? Mines Gon Freecss," He introduced himself. The man looked at him before responding, "My name is Leorio Paradinight." "It's nice to meet you Leorio!" Gon said. "It's MISTER Leorio," Leorio responded. Kurapika was quite fed up with this man's unwavering attitude. He decided to not instigate anything and instead stayed quiet.
          "What about you blondie, what's your name?" Leorio asked. Kurapika felt a spike of anger at the nickname, and all the irrational anger he felt just snapped inside him, "It's Kurapika, not blondie you old man," he sharply replied. "Hey, I'm not old! I'm just a teenager you know!" he replied. At that statement, both Gon and Kurapika became very shocked. Both looked at each other and then back to Leorio. Gon being naive to social situations blurted out, "Wait, you are?" with shock written all over his face. Leorio clearly became embarrassed as his face lit up red and he started stammering."O-of course I am! Don't I look like one?" he exclaimed defensively. Both Gon and Kurapika went silent, not sure what to say.
             As if on cue, one of the train attendance came from another compartment of the train. "Attention everyone! The train is due to stop in about ten minutes! Please make sure to have all your things gathered with you when you leave the train," the attendant said in a very sweet yet high-pitched voice. With that she left, leaving the trio to themselves. "So what are you two planning on doing once we get off the train?" Leorio asked. Before Kurapika could respond he was cut off by Gon, "I plan on traveling to this place called the Hunter's Treasury to find a job to find my dad!" "Well, that sounds very interesting, what about you Kurapika?" Leorio asked. Kurapika stayed silent for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'm here on a job. I plan on completing it soon as possible so that I can return home," Kurapika said. It was a lie though, Kurapika didn't have a home to go to. He had lost it a long time ago. "So what brings you to this city?" Gon asked. "I'm here to make a lot of money!" he spoke in a rambunctious voice. Kurapika could feel the little respect he had for the man go down the drain.
           "That's very selfish of you," Kurapika responded. "Oh yeah! Then what's a noble person like you doing here then?" Leorio exaggerating as he said the word noble. "To make enough income to get by, that's all anyone needs in life anyway," Kurapika snapped back. "Guys, you should really-" Gon tried to break up the argument but both the men had started throwing insults towards one another. The train screeched to a halt before things could get out of control, breaking up the fight before it could get any worst. Gon let out a sigh of relief, just glad that the two of them didn't break out into a physical fight. The trio exited the train after gathering all the stuff they had.
            "Well, Gon, I promised that I would help you find your way around, so stay here and I'll get a map of the city," Kurapika said, making his way to a wooden sign that had the city printed on top of it. He picked up a small map in the little pouch of the wooden pockets and walked back to him. "The Hunter's Treasury is about a thirty-minute walk from here if we just follow the map, we should make it before five o'clock," Kurapika stated. "I'll go with you two!" Leorio stated. "Why is that?" Kurapika integrated. "Because that's where I am heading anyways, and it's better to stick together!" he exclaimed. "Well, Gon, what do you think?" Kurapika asked. "The more the merrier!" Gon said. "I guess that settles it then," Kurapika agreed. He may have found Leorio a bit unbearing, but being with those two made him feel a bit warm inside. This feeling of warmness was something that he thought he could never feel again, but after just hanging out with Gon and Leorio again, it appeared.
             Kurapika had seemed to be in a daze because Gon had to snap his fingers to get him to come back to reality. "Are you okay Kurapika?" Leorio asked. "I'm just fine, I just spaced out a bit," he gently replied. "Well, let's get a move on! We don't have all day," Leorio practically shouted, and with that, the group headed out on their way.