Within Death {Kurapika}

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(picture credit from Twitter handle @ /huangdanlan)

At first, there was darkness.

Dreams came and went, and it was normal to not remember them, but he received a sign. One that was hard to ignore even in his waking moments.

It was not a nightmare, and it wasn't a pleasant dream, either. Instead, this dream made him feel dizzy, and sick to his stomach. His head rang with a high pitch ringing in his ears, and it felt as if he had vertigo. His stomach turned at the terrible sensations, begging for the release of his stomach contents in any attempts to feel better. His body denied the urge to vomit, and instead, the nausea went on.

The grass was low under his feet, and each step he took felt like he was walking over needles, but his body continued, because he had to be somewhere. He didn't know his destination, but he had to be there before he woke up. For miles on end, it was an empty terrain of low cut grass and a dull sky. No one was there, and nothing remained. He felt alone here. 

It was after what felt like hours of walking and searching, that he found someone to approach. One person that felt familiar, but didn't look like anyone he had seen before.

"Excuse me..."

He tried to get their attention, but they didn't turn to face him. As he approached the figure, he began to take in more detail. It was a boy. He looked younger than Kurapika, his brown hair was neatly cut, but long enough to cover his face. The familiarity of this stranger began to unnerve Kurapika. Just who was he?  

"Excuse me? Can you hear me?"

The boy began to turn slowly, not fully facing Kurapika, but enough to hint that he was acknowledging his presence.

"Who are you?"

"... You don't remember me?"

His voice fully immersed him into his dream, and his senses fired off with such ferocity at the familiar voice in front of him that belonged to one such person. As if registering that Kurapika knew who it was, the boy began to regress in age, back to an all too familiar boy that Kurapika had known all those years ago.

"Pairo?"

He smiled and nodded. It was almost too much to handle for him. Everything in that dream felt so real, and that nausea he had felt before had disappeared, and was replaced by overwhelming grief and happiness at seeing his best friend again. He couldn't help but sink to his knees and embrace Pairo's shoulders, letting out soft sobs at the fact that his friend was here for him.

"Kurapika. It's been a long time since we've talked..." Pairo lifted Kurapika's head gently to lock eyes with him, and smiled tenderly. "You seem to be troubled over something... and so I'm here to help."

"Help? You mean, you know what happened?"  

Pairo nodded assuredly, that smile never leaving his face. He sat down in front of Kurapika and looked off into the empty field,  giving Kurapika the chance to settle as well before he spoke.

"Kurapika. You have been on your own for so long... and then you met some friends that have kept you company when you were feeling alone..." Pairo spoke softly, easing into his points as he went so Kurapika would understand his next words with no hesitation.

"... That man has given you a chance to revive some of us... and I can't tell you what I think may be right, but I know that you shouldn't worry about your decision. "

"What do you mean? Pairo... there's no way I can just choose who gets to live again when all of you deserve that chance..."

Before Kurapika continued, Pairo shook his head and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, effectively stopping him from talking and returning him to his quiet state.