My poor, poor, adorable little Spiders, I've missed you. Have you missed me?
I just want to say that there is a 'Phantom Troupe/Genei Ryodan' character thingy, so it would be great if people could use it. I'm pretty sure there are more than two fics (which are mine) whose stories are Spider-centric.
I think for this type of writing style, present tense is best. So, for the first time, I try it, and I think it works it rather well. If I accidently switch back to past tense, please tell me.
This is for KekiAiKohi-chan, for being my longest PM buddy, for being so nice and wonderful and cute, and for loving the Ryodan as much as me (or Feitan in general). It is high time I dedicated something to you.
The Genei Ryodan are deceitful, cunning, and sly. They are skilled at fighting, murdering and stealing. They are, essentially, spiders.
They are thieves. They kill. They are no different from other bandits. So what is it that makes them so different?
Maybe it is their bond. Or lack thereof. Or… what? Nobody is quite sure what makes this gang run.
The Ryodan is a strange group. Always claiming and proving and insisting that they are nothing to one another, that they will never risk their lives for each other, and yet always doing contradictory actions, always going against what they say.
Uvogin says he wants to fight alone. He always demands that Kuroro never pair him with someone during a fight, that he is better by himself. His strength is enormous and he is commanding in the combat zone, a man half-crazed with joy at the sight of blood and broken bones. He is so strong and does not need to get any stronger, or so he says. So how come, when Nobunaga joins the fray, his power increases? His punches are harder, his kicks faster, and a feral smile lights up his face. Surely, surely it isn't because there is someone there, right? Surely it isn't because he is stronger when there is someone to protect… But of course not; he is a Spider, and he has no use for weaknesses.
Nobunaga is usually content with lolling about lazily at the side while his partner plays on the battlefield. He is never worried about Uvo; the giant can take care of himself. And he is never worried because Uvogin means nothing to him. Uvogin is merely a comrade who is disposable and easily replaced. Never mind the fact that they grew up together; Uvogin is not a friend–how dare people accuse him of having friends!–and Nobunaga will certainly not mourn the loss of him if he dies. He will seek revenge (only if Uvo dies) and that will only be because he must pay his respects to the man; his samurai training tells him so.
Franklin only lets Shizuku hang around him because she is nice to talk to. Nothing more, nothing less. He has always been sneered at and scorned at and left alone because of his monstrous appearance, so when Kuroro approaches him and asks him to join this Genei Ryodan (Phantom Troupe, Spiders, a not-quite family) Franklin cannot stop the short burst of happiness that erupts inside his heart. And as this gang grows, Shizuku kills one and becomes a part of this odd assortment of people. Franklin has not forgotten the day she arrived. Short and petite and seemingly innocent, she walks up to him and says in a soft, mild voice, "May I sit next to you?" Never before has Franklin ever had someone ask him something as mundane as this in such a polite, civil way. He does not regret his nod of confirmation that day. He never has.
Shizuku comes late into the Troupe. Even though Kuroro says that they do not really have bonds with each other, Shizuku looks into the eyes of some members and knows it is a lie. Some begrudge her for the death of their colleague, but they hide it well. Eventually, though, she somehow sneaks into their tight little circle, earning a place with each of them. She is glad for Franklin's company, because he accepts her bookish ways and quiet words. Her knack for cleaning up the crime scenes has even gotten Kuroro's approval, something that she values highly, for he is the one who has allowed her into this world, even if it is only for the sake of making the Spiders tougher.
Pakunoda is perhaps the most human out of them all. She does not cover her whispers of affection for the members, acting as an older sister for Machi and Shizuku, and unobtrusively worrying over the more reckless, male counterparts. Her love for Kuroro, her Danchou, is the primary driving force behind her actions, but that is only half of the truth. Secretly, she strives to protect everyone here, in this warehouse, sitting together on old cardboard boxes with a dripping roof. Because they are like family to her, and God forbid, if any one of them dares to die on her because of a stupid, useless enemy, she will use everything at her disposal, even her own life, to prevent that.
Bonolenov is always at the side of things, never in the spotlight, and never drawing attention to himself. He likes it that way. Being one of the major obscurities of the Ryodan is fine by him, and besides, he does not want people poking their noses into his business. But even so, he is the rock, the anchor, the weight, of this organisation. He is always around, and though he fades into the shadow in the wake of other, more boisterous members, everyone counts on him to just be there. His presence is, though no one actually admits it, comforting and so, so reassuring, because they know that even if the sky is set on fire, Bonolenov will always be there, and he will never leave, just resting casually at his usual place in the corner, watching with hooded eyes the coming-and-goings of the Troupe.
Kortopi is the weirdo, the enigma, the short little fellow shrouded in mystery. No one knows where he comes from, and really, no one cares. All that they ask is that he turns up to the meetings and never betrays them. That is expected of them all. But what makes Kortopi a real member is the fact that he does not fight. He does not participate in the battles, and thus everyone else must defend him. He is the master copier, and that is all. Giving the Ryodan a goal makes them go all out for it, but what if, at the current time, the Ryodan has no goal? What then? Well, then everything is shifted to Kortopi. They all need Kortopi, and finding a replacement for him will be troublesome, so why not just shield him from harm? No one will ever say out loud that the only reason they protect him is because he is precious to them.
Shalnark. Goofy, happy-go-lucky Shalnark. He is just a teenager, still young, still has his whole life ahead of him. So why did he choose this path, the path of a crook and an eradicator? Shalnark is the brains behind the brawn. He goes to school–briefly, unlike his fellow Spiders–and graduates with top marks even though he only attends about half the time. When Shalnark joins, Kuroro asks him, "Why?" and Shalnark replies with a prompt, "Why not?" and the boss leaves it at that. But Shalnark has a true reason: Because, when the boy first sees them (this strange, Spider gang), they look together. They look complete and whole and solid, so unlike his life at that time. And from the moment his eyes are set on them, he wants in. But oh, he knows he cannot enter with his less-than-impressive skills, so he trains. He finds a Nen teacher and trains and trains and trains until he thinks he is finally good enough and goes out to defeat a member of this notorious group, and he succeeds. But the reason why the others tolerate his cheerfulness is because it is exactly what they need. Formerly dark, heavy, and suffocating, the appearance of Shalnark gives them all a little bit of sunlight into their dreary, night time domains, and though they truly are creatures of the darkness, they welcome this exuberance, because it is warm and pleasant and familiar.
Phinks is strong, and to outsiders, that is his only redeeming quality. But then again, they sometimes find him stupid and dumb and not as good as Shalnark or Kuroro or Pakunoda. But Phinks does not care; if people think that, then he can use this misconception against them, because he is not an idiot and he does know how to use his brain. Just because he does not know anything further than basic maths and physics and chemistry, it does not mean he is idiotic, because he has the instincts of a wild animal, and he knows when someone has killed, knows when there is danger about, knows when to back off or fight. He may not be academically smart, but to him, real-life experience is better than that. And real-life experience teaches him that he must never let anyone know of his weaknesses. He must not show his attachments to others, or it will drag him down. He must not express concern for others, because people will use it to their advantage. So every time Feitan fights, Phinks must always laugh it off and pretend not to worry, pretend that Feitan will be fine, pretend that Feitan will beat his opponent easily. And truth be told, sometimes, he really doesn't have worry, because he knows Feitan will emerge the victor and knows that Feitan will survive and knows that Feitan will never leave him, because they work well together (they are the best of friends) and it will be annoying (painful) if he lost him.
Feitan is small. Little. Short. Tiny. And many other diminutive words that really rub him the wrong way. He is also an assassin and a sadist, finding pleasure in the pain of others. His ties to the Ryodan is vague, and when asked, he says that he admires Kuroro, and then shuts his mouth. When in battle, Feitan prefers to be alone, and Phinks, his partner, knows that. They fight separately, everyone knows that too. And so, when Phinks, who is fighting a rather strong Nen user, receives an almost-fatal stab to the chest and appears to die, Feitan shocks all the other members by staring at the body for a few seconds, before his Nen flares bright and furious, and he leaps towards the enemy with teeth bared and fingers outstretched and tears through his throat, the action spurred on by his rage and–dare they say it?–grief. Later, when Phinks recovers and Feitan is questioned about this episode, the man denies the claims that he was angry and says that, since Phinks had 'died', someone else must take out the opponent, right? He is quite a convincing liar, and yet this time, no one believes him.
Machi is called the Ice Queen. Her Nen Threads are stronger than steel, her intuition is heavily relied upon by Kuroro, and she is one of the more intellectual of the members. Before the Ryodan, she really had nothing. But Kuroro picks her up, takes her in, and consequently earns her deepest respect and love. Because he saves not just a castaway from Meteor City, but a girl who has seen too much for someone of her age and almost breaks because of it. She struggles to learn her Nen ability; Kuroro helps her every step of the journey. She becomes deadlier, colder, and Kuroro is always there, encouraging her in his silent way. Though she holds him above everyone else, Machi still bears some level of affection for the rest of the Spiders. Because the Spiders make Kuroro happy, and if he is happy, then she is as well.
Kuroro is the biggest unknown of them all, but he is the one who keeps everything together. He is powerful, with an ability to steal the Nen of others. He is a genius, concocting plan after plan after plan of stolen goods and deaths and control. The others are not really sure why they follow him or admire him so much. Some will say that it is because he is strong, that the weak dogs will always follow the alpha, but the members know that it is more than that. Maybe it is because he brings them a little closer and allows them to make bonds with each other, no matter how hard they try not to. And maybe it is because Kuroro does not condemn them for it that the Troupe respect him so. He is certainly not kind, oh no, but it is because he permits this kind of relationship–friends but not friends, enemies but not enemies–that it is what really makes him unlike others. Special.
Everyone says that the members of the Genei Ryodan are not human and that they do not care. The Ryodan themselves agree with this. But the fact of the matter is… well, they are human and they do care, no matter how much they try to cover it up.
Uvogin defends the Spiders till his dying breath. ("I didn't tell the Kuruta information because I liked the Troupe! I did it 'cause… well, I just wanted to! Plus, Danchou will be pissed if I do.")
Nobunaga cries for his partner… friend. ("Well, of course I was upset! I don't want to go on a quest to find another companion! And hey, Danchou cried too!")
Franklin fights so hard for the Ryodan, protecting Shizuku from stray bullets with his enormous, hardened body. ("Danchou likes Shizuku, so I can't just let them kill her.")
Shizuku is not physically strong like Uvo or Phinks, but she will try her best for this organisation, because right now, they are everything to her. ("It's fun and Danchou lets me do whatever I want.")
Pakunoda decides to use her life to give the Troupe information, thereby protecting Kuroro until the very end. ("I did it for Danchou.")
Bonolenov is like the weather. He is predictable, but not predictable. He is tame, but ferocious. He will always be there. ("I won't leave. Danchou will be disappointed.")
Kortopi is defenceless, but the Troupe will have a hard time looking for another as good as he is at copying. He follows orders, word by word. ("Danchou has too many wild cards, so I should at least be nice to him and stay obedient, right?)
Shalnark always has a smile on his face, even on the toughest of days. ("What? Make everyone happy? As if! I smile and act airheaded because it makes my opponents think I'm naïve and easy to kill. Danchou thinks it's a good idea too!")
Phinks upholds Kuroro's motto: The Spider always comes first, even at the cost of the Head. ("I am a Spider, thus I follow the rules that Danchou has laid out.")
Feitan is diligent and reliable when it comes to Ryodan missions, and strong and rough and lethal. ("Danchou say, I do. Simple.")
Machi is ready to defy even her own comrades to help Kuroro, and understands but doesn't understand how they can just let him get sacrificed like that. ("Danchou helped me that time, so now I'm returning the favour.")
And as for Kuroro? Well, he constructs a bloody requiem in honour of Uvogin. He instructs the Spiders to never fight each other. He wants them to stay together. He is manipulative, even towards the Ryodan themselves. But then… why did he build the Genei Ryodan in the first place? Perhaps he wants to wreak havoc. Perhaps he wants power. Or does he just want somewhere to belong to and others who understand what he has been through? Unlikely, but there is always that sliver of kindness that manages to worm its way through the workings and mechanics of the Troupe. Everything revolves around Kuroro. He is the first person the Ryodan think of, and they are his whole world.
They are misleading. They mislead outsiders into thinking they do not care. They mislead themselves into thinking they do not care. But they do. At least, this is what some people believe.
Nonetheless, this is all just idle speculation. It is no use discussing the humanity of the Spiders, for they are sinful and are better off in hell. They do not waste their time in concern for one another, and that is the way it has and always will be.
Right?
I don't really count Hisoka as a true Ryodan member, thus why he is not included in this fic.
Now I know that there may be major confusion regarding the lineup of Ryodan members. Honestly speaking, I've researched quite a lot, and I've found too much conflicting information to truly say who were the original members, who joined later, how they joined, why they joined, and so on. Two people have told my so far that Uvo joined later, and it's probably true, but when I wrote it, I didn't know. I've decided not to change it (it's too troublesome) but this is here just to let you now that I'm aware of it.
Feitan's "Danchou say, I do" is purposefully wrong, grammar-wise, because he cannot speak Japanese (or whatever language Hunterworld speaks in) very well.
Thank you for reading!