Kurapika stood there in the traditional dress of the Kurta clan, a small boy with soft golden hair, nervous and half a step behind Kuraging.
He was clearly—
a younger Kurapika than in canon.
It was now Hunter Calendar 1987, the year Gon and Killua had just been born. Sarasa was still alive, the Spiders hadn't fallen into darkness yet, and there were still two years left before the Kurta clan would be wiped out. Kurapika was only six or seven.
The fact that he'd managed to leave his secluded village alone, ride public transport, board an airship, and safely make it all the way here showed just how cautious and clever he already was at such a young age.
After all, the Hunter world was full of monsters wearing human skin—twisted, greedy, inhuman people everywhere.
Not even counting Meteor City, just look at Yorknew. What kind of orderly, civilized world could this possibly be, when dozens of mafia families could openly control resources and hire Nen users to butcher each other?
A gaze quietly pierced through the wooden door and landed on Kurapika…
Perhaps because the aftereffects of suppressing the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan still hadn't completely faded…
Kurapika suddenly felt a chill on his face. He reached out at once and grabbed Kuraging's hand, his knuckles going pale from how tightly he was holding on.
"It's okay, Pika."
"The young master is easy to talk to."
Kuraging smiled warmly at him, her lovely eyes curving into bright little crescents. With her brother finally here, she was visibly livelier than before, and much happier too…
Kurapika, sensitive as he was, could feel all of that very clearly.
It was just that… ever since entering the Zoldyck estate, being led all the way through this towering ancient mansion by his sister, he'd heard her mention the young master over and over and over…
Kurapika glanced sideways at her.
It had been a long time since he'd seen her care this much about any one person.
Not even their dead parents.
The little boy took a deep breath and said nothing.
Keeping his head lowered, his thoughts turned again to everything he had just seen and heard.
After Zebro had kindly rescued him from Netero's teasing, Kurapika had thanked him and spent the walk making cautious small talk, probing for information. By chance, he'd heard the kind old gatekeeper mention that the massive gate at the foot of the mountain had seven doors, and that opening even one of them required four tons of force.
At that, Kurapika had started counting on his fingers in shock. That was the weight of a small car.
Then… "What about all seven?" he had asked, dumbfounded.
"Heh heh… all seven together weigh over two hundred tons. Several times heavier than the airship you rode here on."
That was the answer Zebro had given him with a smile.
And that answer had shaken him badly.
Several times heavier than an airship—what kind of concept was that? That was an enormous flying fortress that could carry hundreds of passengers and a full range of onboard facilities.
Kurapika couldn't even imagine it.
He had stood there with his mouth open for a long, long moment before finally coming back to himself. Then he looked back at the ancient stone gate behind him and blurted out, "That heavy… can anyone actually lift it?"
It was a gate, not a mountain.
Kurapika never doubted his own hearing. He'd confirmed it again and again. It really was a gate.
Then he turned back, looked up at Zebro, and watched as the older man blinked and raised one finger, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"Of course. Not long ago, the young master lifted the whole thing with one hand."
Kurapika's pupils shook.
His steps stopped.
He froze on the spot.
For all his maturity beyond his age, for all his caution and sensitivity, when faced with something that utterly shattered his common sense and worldview, he simply couldn't keep his composure anymore.
"That's impossible. No human being can do that!"
His whole understanding of the world rebelled against the idea that someone could lift the equivalent of five or six airships with one hand.
So he rejected it outright.
But Zebro only smiled kindly and didn't bother explaining further. He just kept leading him up the moss-covered stone steps toward the butler villa halfway up the mountain.
However, the two of them hadn't gone very far before a roar exploded in Kurapika's ears like thunder, so violent it made his scalp go numb and all the hairs on his body stand on end as he looked over in terror.
"ROAR!"
Out of the deep, silent forest, something enormous burst forth.
It had savage eyes, a body as huge as a mountain, powerful limbs, and well-developed muscles. Its deep brown fur moved in the wind like a cloak of steel needles.
The moment it came lunging out of the forest near the stairs, it cast a vast shadow that swallowed the sunlight, forcing Kurapika to crane his neck upward until he couldn't even see the sun anymore.
His legs nearly gave out under him.
By all rights, he should have collapsed on the spot.
But maybe he was too terrified to react, or maybe his soul had momentarily left his body—whatever the reason, he somehow stayed standing.
That made Zebro glance at him in surprise, then quickly catch him by the arm and explain to Mike, who had suddenly appeared after mistaking the boy for an intruder.
"This is an honored guest personally invited by the young master."
And strangely enough—
the moment Mike heard the words "young master"—
while Kurapika was still being held upright by Zebro's warm, steady arm, struggling to suppress both his terror and the sudden urge to pee—
the giant beast, even larger and more terrifying than the gate at the foot of the mountain, a creature that looked exactly like some hellhound from the underworld, suddenly reined in all of its killing intent.
Then it laid down docilely.
And even… wagged its tail like it was trying to please them.
"This…"
Kurapika had just stood there, frozen stupid, unable to say a single word.
"Heh heh…" Zebro patted the boy gently on the back, helping him settle down. "Its name is Mike. You can call it Three-Hair too. It's actually very gentle. Normally it just handles the idiots who overestimate themselves and try to break into the Zoldyck estate. No need to be afraid."
Mike let out a couple of barks, as if agreeing.
Kurapika swallowed hard.
Even though Zebro said it so casually, the boy could only think of the beast—despite it being big enough to rival a hill even while lying down—as the family guard dog.
A guard dog from hell.
"Heh… Mike, go on and play. I'm taking him to see little Ging…"
Seeing that the boy still looked dazed and hadn't really recovered, Zebro dismissed Mike and simply kept a hand on Kurapika's arm, practically dragging him along like a dangling ornament as they continued up toward the butler villa.
Tap… tap…
Their footsteps echoed through the silent forest.
A line of large and small footprints was left on the moss-covered stone steps.
After who knew how long, Kurapika finally seemed to recover enough to walk on his own. He stayed silent for a long while, then cautiously glanced at Zebro and asked, "Mister… what kind of person is the young master?"
That hellhound larger than a hill had gone soft and obedient just from hearing the words "young master."
Kurapika was smart—canonically, he showed his intelligence again and again—and he was already starting to believe that Roy really could lift the Testing Gate with one hand.
The moment the question left his mouth, though, it actually stumped Zebro.
What kind of person was the young master?
In the Zoldyck household, there was only one person who could be referred to without a name, simply as "the young master."
Roy Zoldyck.
The eldest son and eldest grandson of the Zoldycks.
Zebro stopped walking.
For the first time in his life, he began seriously thinking about that question.
At once, his mind filled with all the astonishing things Roy had done in the past: dragging down a meteor with a single slash, pushing open all seven Testing Gates in under two years, and Gotoh, who was still lying in the butler villa with an aura that grew stronger by the day…
He thought and thought, for a very long time.
And for a while, he said nothing.
Is this really that hard a question?
Or did I ask something I shouldn't have?
Kurapika immediately grew uneasy. It was his first day in the Zoldyck estate, and here he was already asking questions about everything. Would people think he was rude? Would it bring trouble to his sister?
Once his sensitive imagination got started, it spread like weeds.
Silence settled over the mountain path.
The big man and the small boy stood there on the weathered steps, wrapped in an awkward stillness.
Then, after a long while, a bitter laugh finally escaped Zebro.
"You really did ask a good question, kid."
Now middle-aged, balding, and heavier around the middle, though the muscles he'd built in his youth still hadn't left him, Zebro rubbed his shiny scalp and smiled at Kurapika.
"Strictly speaking, as a servant, I'm not supposed to comment on the master of the house. But with the young master's temperament, he's always been gentle. Even if I had opinions or wanted to say something, he definitely wouldn't mind."
"Mister, that was my fault," Kurapika said uneasily. "You don't have to answer. Just pretend I never asked."
Zebro waved a hand. "It's okay. Because… I don't know what kind of person the young master is either."
Kurapika: "...…"
"What, you don't believe me?" Zebro lowered his head and met the boy's suspicious gaze, privately thinking that the child really had inherited a pair of beautiful eyes, just like little Ging. Then he smacked Kurapika lightly on the back of the head.
"There's a difference between mortals and gods, kid."
"In my eyes, the young master, the master, the elder master, even the ancestor himself—they're all figures like gods."
"How could a washed-up gatekeeper like me ever be qualified to judge them?"
Kurapika's head buzzed.
Whether it was from being smacked by Zebro or from hearing the gatekeeper's solemn conclusion, he couldn't tell. Either way, he stood there stunned for a long while.
God…
Maybe it really would take a god to lift that gate.
And make that hellhound roll over and submit.
Whoosh—
A gust of hot wind blew over them, thick with summer heat.
After saying his piece, Zebro shaded his eyes with one hand, glanced at the sun, then patted Kurapika on the back.
"All right, let's go. Your sister's waiting."
Kurapika lowered his eyes and quietly murmured an "Mm," then followed Zebro forward again.
Before long, at last, they arrived in front of a luxurious villa.
So big!
The butler villa was enormous, grand, and expensive-looking.
It didn't look any less imposing than the great buildings Kurapika had seen in Torqu or Dentora.
With his soft golden hair moving in the breeze, the boy stole a glance at Zebro and seriously wondered if the man had just brought him straight to meet that young master.
And just as that thought crossed his mind—
creak—
the villa doors flew open, and a girl came rushing out.
"Pika!"
She threw herself in front of Kurapika and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Big sis…"
The corners of Kurapika's eyes immediately grew damp, and his eyes reddened in spite of him.
Hearing Kuraging's familiar voice and seeing that familiar face, he hugged her back just like he used to back in the village.
The problem was—
Kurapika froze.
He realized that even with both arms around her, he couldn't quite reach the middle of her back anymore.
And also—
why was his sister so hard?
Hard as a rock.
So hard it hurt.
He managed to yank his neck free from her arms and started smacking her on the back.
"Big sis—cough, cough—you're squeezing the life out of me!"
At the side, Zebro chuckled.
"Little Ging, easy there. Don't strangle him to death. You're not the same as before anymore."
Only then did Kuraging realize that, in her excitement, she'd used way too much force.
Her face flushed at once, and she hurriedly loosened her hold, repeating, "Sorry, sorry!"
"Heh heh… you two talk. I've still got guests waiting at the gate, so I'll be off…"
"Thank you, mister!"
"Don't mention it." Zebro waved and turned to leave.
Kuraging bowed to him, then looked back at Kurapika and gently rubbed his back.
"Feeling better, Pika?"
Kurapika coughed a few more times, tipped his head back, and gulped down big breaths of fresh mountain air before finally recovering.
Then he looked at his sister again.
She was still the same sister he knew.
And yet… after not seeing her for a while, she also felt strangely unfamiliar.
She'd gotten taller.
And stronger.
The fitted tailcoat she wore looked sharp and elegant, but it was also being stretched so tightly over her body that…
Was that muscle?
And his sister—the one who used to love reading, the one who always looked so refined and delicate, the one who used to seem like she couldn't even truss up a chicken—
how had she suddenly gotten this strong?
Back when they used to play-fight, she'd always pinned him down, sure, but never like today. Today she'd only hugged him, and he'd nearly blacked out.
"So, big sis… were you actually trying to kill me?"
His mind racing, Kurapika finally let down a little of the guard he'd been carrying all day and shot her a resentful look.
Kuraging pushed her glasses up awkwardly and very wisely chose not to continue that topic. Instead, she just took hold of Kurapika and started guiding him up toward the summit.
"Pika."
"We'll talk later."
"First, you need to come see the young master."
Kurapika lowered his eyes and didn't say anything.
He just let her push him onward.
From where they were, he could already vaguely see that there was an even larger ancient castle at the summit, bigger than the butler villa, weathered and heavy with the weight of years.
The little boy's heart started pounding.
At last, they reached the summit.
Then a warm voice drifted out from a bedroom inside.
"So you're here?"
"Come in."
~~~
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