Screams pierced the cold night air in the Lukso Province and the home of the Kurta Clan. Kurapika, a young member of the Kurta clan awoke to the smell of smoke and blood and the sight of his mother waking him frantically."

"Kurapika! Wake up now! Someone is attacking us! You have to go!" She whispered to him in a panic. Her clothing was smudged with soot and blood, a look of pure terror spread across her face and her eyes the brilliant red color that was specific to their clan and often the reason for their distance from the rest of the world. "Kurapika! You have to go, now!" She hissed fearfully looking about hurriedly before yanking him to his feet and handing him a bag. "Head in the direction of the cave that you found with Pairo and don't stop! Keep away from towns and don't talk to anyone, find a man called Ging, he's a hunter and owns me a favor! But no one else!"

"But where is father?! and Pairo?!" He asked her fearfully, her silence and inability to look at him properly said everything.

"GO!" She finally screamed, shoving him out one of the huts' back windows just as the door to their home was smashed in. Kurapika wanted to run back but he couldn't just ignore what his mother had all but begged of him. So he picked himself up and started running as fast as he could, doing his best to not look at the blazes of what was once the homes of his people, or smell the coppery stench of the blood, blood of his friends, his family, his clan…

"Where do you think your going kid, huh?" A huge man spoke lifting Kurapika right off the ground by his throat with one cruelty and malice he saw in the man's eyes was terrifying and the small blonde Kurta began to shake. "Aw it the little rabbit scared?" The man taunted, loosing his hold ever so slightly. Kurapika moved so fast he even surprised himself, slashing out with a small dagger that he had managed to pull from the bag his mother had given him, his eyes their bright crimson color of rage. He made a direct hit, slashing one of the larger man's eyes causing him to screech in pain and release Kurapika.

"You little Monster!" The man snarled holding his injured eye with one hand and drawing his sword with the other and Kurapika had no time to react. The blade moved with incredible speed slashing cleanly across both of his eyes and it was Kurapika's turn to cry out in agony. He pressed his hands against his injured eyes doing his best to staunch the bleeding and pain that was washing over. "HAHA serves you right brat!" The man laughed manically and carelessly. Kurapika realized his opening through the haze of pain and jabbed his dagger as hard as he could into the man's foot and deep into the ground and ran as fast and as far as he could.

-x-

Kurapika was not sure how far or for how long he ran before he crumpled to the ground but when he awoke all he saw a world of black, no shapes, no other colors, just a endless black darkness. He tried to sit up but quickly found that his arms would no longer support him and he fell back to the ground once more.

"Oh good, your awake. You sure took your time." A voice said suddenly. Kurapika spun and pulled away from the unknown voice frantically.

"Who are you?!" He snarled defensively, painfully aware that he could not see a thing and was completely unarmed.

"Well your defiantly Mifka's kid… The name's Ging." Kurapika's jaw dropped in shock, how could he be so lucky?!

"You knew my mother?" He tentatively questioned the stranger who had called himself Ging.

"Just in passing, sweet woman, helped me out when I was in a really tight pinch. Sorry I was too late to help out more." His words intent had been a kind one but they only brought forward all the horrible memories of what had transpired. "Hey! Don't start crying!" Ging exclaimed and Kurapika realized he was indeed crying.

"Not crying." He argued, trying to wipe away the falling tears and instead touched a tight rap of bandages across his eyes.

"Well your defiantly one tough kid, you ran pretty damn far with injury like that. Not much I could do about your sight though, your just gonna have to learn how to do without." Kurapika simply nodded his head deftly not saying a word.

"Most kids would start screaming that it's a mistake or start to blame someone but you're pretty calm about the fact that your now totally blind.

"Well there's no point in denying reality and as for blaming someone, I hardly think you're the right person." He stated with a expression of dead seriousness.

"Haha! Wow kid your pretty interesting!" The man laughed and patted the blonde Kurta on the head, still snickering. Kurapika frowned at the childish gesture but otherwise did nothing in response.

"Teach me how to fight without my eyes."

"What? Why would I do that?" Ging asked with genuine confusion. Kurapika just sighed and shook his head but he quickly regretted the movement as it gave him a sudden splitting headache. Once the pain began to recede Kurapika gave his response.

"I can't avenge my clansmen's murder without knowing how to fight without my eyes. And I also don't want to be any burden so I want you to teach me how to fight blind." He stated without a shred of doubt in his words. He felt the Hunter hesitating, muttering absently to himself, before he finally spoke.

"Not saying you should stick to that revenge idea of yours, but you got a deal kid. But on one condition, you come with me to Hunter Association."

"Hunter Association?"

"Your the last Kurta alive. Technically speaking your people are considered a extinct race now so you qualify for Hunter Protection and are probably going to need it for now. And I can't have ya following me around like a lost puppy so we're going to Hunter Association to let them figure out the details."

"I can't say I like it... But I realize I don't really have any other options. Very well, I agree to your terms Ging-san."

Author's Note- I am not technically sure if Kurapica would actually be able to qualify for a 'Hunter Association but I liked the idea so I'm going with it. This a AU after all. But please read and review, I hope to update this story fairly regularly. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed my story so far. :)