Coin's eyes widened at the horrendous sight of the unharmed king.
She ran towards him, the aura around her growing more and more.
Everything around her was covered in flames as she passed through.
Drowning in rage, Coin screamed towards the king with all her might.
"You damn bastard! What did you do to Netero?!"
The three looked at her.
"Who is she?" The King asked.
"She must be one of those humans who attacked us.. we shall finish her off!"
"No. I have a feeling we had something to finish, you two go back to the palace, I'll catch up immediately."
"Heeeeh? No more weird talking? What's wrong, feeling weaker?"
Coin couldn't keep her mouth shout even in dire situations.
"But Meruem-sama! What if you die ag-"
An immense hostile aura made Pouf stop mid sentence.
"Are you claiming that I could be defeated by such a little human?"
"N-no. My deepest apologies."
"Very well then, we shall be off."
Youpi pulled Pouf back towards the palace.
"You clearly have no idea who I am."
Coin's voice was cracking from anger.
Meruem approached her.
"I have a feeling we know each other. Tell me everything you know. The man who killed me told me of my name, but not of the child who isn't a child."
"Damn well we do, bastard! I almost ended up part of your goddamn ant mother!"
Meruem's eyes widened.
"How so?"
"Tch. You might as well know why you're dying tonight."
Coin wiped away the sweat on her front, calming down.
"Uhhhh, twenty years ago, your mother was born in a chimera ant nest. Those ants had already discovered how tasty humans were, so they kidnapped and ate people from my town."
Meruem was listening quietly.
"And… I died trying to sneak in the nest."
"But you're still alive."
Coin frowned.
"I'm not finished. My nen managed to save my body, and using almost all of the remaining life energy and my body, I revived in sixteen years. Then I trained for this moment four more."
Her nen grew wider.
"It doesn't matter anymore! You're dying now, by my hand. I will avenge myself right now!"
Meruem laughed.
"Go ahead!"
Bad choice.
Coin stepped back, channeling her nen.
Meruem didn't budge. It would seem that her aura appeared insignificant to him.
"What do insects hate most?"
'Insecticide.
Ugh.
Coin, shut up.'
"Fire, of course."
Tremendous flames rose up from the ground in front of her as she screamed her heart out.
Meruem definitely did not expect that.
He was once again burning to death, because of humans.
Coin's skin became paler and paler. Her body seemed to narrow, her small muscles disappearing. Her hair color faded.
Her scream was also lowering, to the point where she was struggling to make any sounds.
'It's the end.' She thought.
Despite dying, Coin was smiling, with tears in her eyes.
'Looks like I finally get to rest in peace.'
She was happy that she could finally die properly. She hated the idea of being killed and eaten by some disgusting beings. Now she was dying for the entire humanity's sake. She had no regrets. None, besides not being able to find out more about the two brats. Killua, especially.
'I guess I'll never see him again..'
She closed her eyes as she felt her consciousness fading.
'Is…he dying..?'
The flames slightly burned her skin, hair and clothes, revealing her stomach.
In the middle of her chest, right above her tummy was a gray spider tattoo with a black 0 in its centre.
The spider had 8 legs.
'Thank you, Genei Ryodan.'
Holding her old hunter license, although Coin decided she'd stick to the plan, giving the situation a second thought after first setting a destination, she found something better.
"Actually, Netero, could you drop me in York Shin for a few days first?"
"York Shin? What kind of business do you have in that city?"
"There's going to be an important auction, right?"
"Yes, it's in two to three days, if I'm not wrong..."
"Excellent."
Even Coin knew of the greatest bandits of all time. They were definitely going to be present at that auction.
She searched for the spiders throughout the entire city, all day, and night. She managed to find them, in some ruins outside the city, after searching throughout York Shin for almost 30 hours straight.
When they noticed such a young girl barely breathing and walking, they didn't immediately execute her, as they would have with an adult.
Shizuku approached her, while the others glared at the stranger, ready to attack if she did anything wrong.
"Are you lost, little girl?"
Suddenly, Coin fell down to her knees, hands on the ground, head down. Mainly because she was tired, but also because she was ready to beg them.
She was scared, and hesitated for a moment, but she managed to gather up enough courage to address them.
"I need your help! I'm begging you, help me become strong!" Coin screamed, gasping for air between words, exhausted from the search.
"Scram before we kill you." Machi calmly said, getting up from the boulder she was sitting on.
Coin kept kneeling, shaking while struggling to hold her position, still gasping for air.
"Please!"
"Didn't you hear me?!"
"Why do you need strength?" Chrollo asked, approaching the fool who barely held.
"I.. I need to avenge myself."
Everyone laughed.
"What drama could've struck a child like you to ask the Genei Ryodan for help?"
"If I tell you, will you help me?"
"Don't get too cocky, little brat!" Machi yelled. "Boss, she's a waste of time!"
"Depends on whether I like your story or not." Chrollo answered.
Coin lifted her head towards him.
"You probably won't believe it."
"I'm calling bullshit on that!" Machi yelled, waving her hand.
"Interesting.. So you revived a few weeks ago, yes?" Shalnark asked the shivering little girl.
"Yes." Coin answered, with a nervous tone.
"What are you planning on doing now?"
Coin's eyes stared at Chrollo, whom she regarded as her biggest hope.
"I need a power that will kill the next king, even if it costs my life."
"You don't seem to have developed nen again."
"Can you help me remaster it, and obtain power strong enough to defeat the king?"
"It's not only up to me to decide. What's everyone's opinion?"
Some shook their head in disapproval, others didn't seem to care.
Machi seemed interested.
"First, I would like some proof about this entire story. It doesn't seem right, somehow."
"Proof? Yes! I can take you to the ant nest!"
"No. We're not leaving York Shin."
"Then... then I'll call Netero. I'll ask him to confirm part of what happened. Would that be enough?"
"Maybe."
Nobody believed she really had Netero's contact information.
Coin immediately took out her phone, and dialed the old man.
She turned the speaker on her phone on, so everyone could hear.
"Old man? This is Coin."
"Ah, yes, Coin! Have you finished your business in York Shin? Should I take you to East Gorteau now?"
"Not yet, I have something to ask you, actually. Do you remember what I said before you left the ant nest, back then?"
"I think so, why?"
"Please tell me what happened, my memory of that moment isn't clear."
"You said that there will most likely be another ant invasion one day, and that you'd revive when that happens. I asked you if you could kill the king if I would fail, remember?"
Everyone's eyes widened. The one talking was indeed chairman Netero. And what he said was also what Coin told them.
There was no doubt.
"Oh, that's right! It bugged me, not being able to remember like that, thank you!"
Coin hung up. She grinned at Machi.
"Well?"
"As I said, don't get too cocky. Fine. It's good proof."
Shalnark clapped his hands.
"Well, I'll be damned! She's the real deal!"
Coin's eyes widened, relieved to hear everyone finally believed her.
"But we won't help you for free."
"I suppose not. What can I do to pay for it?"
"Machi, there is no way for her to help us." Chrollo interrupted. "After all, she will die."
"So we're going to help her out of pity?"
"We're not really helping her by killing her!" Pakunoda laughed. "What is your name, kid?"
"Coin."
She slightly frowned.
'Dammit. I'm your age, yet you call me a kid.'
"Well then, Coin. Let's make a deal."
Coin turned back towards Chrollo.
"Huh?"
"How about this? You shall lend us a hand with our objectives in York Shin. We will help you earn enough power to defeat that ant king of yours. Know that you're definitely dying if you use such power to its full extent. However, if you were not to die in the process, you shall die by our hands, as it means you have betrayed your resolve, and our trust. We will have our own means of finding you, even if you don't come by yourself."
Coin gulped, then nodded.
"Very well. In how long do you think the ant invasion would begin?"
"I honestly don't know when, but I know where."
"East Gorteau, huh?"
Coin nodded once again.
"Very well, you shall head there once we're done. Shalnark, can you use your abilities to keep an eye on her?"
Shalnark shrugged.
"No, sorry.."
"Then I have no choice. Coin, could you please lift your shirt up a bit?"
Coin was unsure, and hesitated, but proceeded. After all, she had nothing to lose. She lifted her little vest, revealing her stomach.
Chrollo placed his hand on it, then opened his book. He smiled as he seemed to have opened it at the wanted page. Suddenly, his nen aura surrounded his hand, somehow forming a gray spider on Coin's center of the chest.
"When you use your nen, I'll know immediately how much you use, and whether you die of it or not."
It was similar to the group's tattoo, besides the color and the lack of a number.
"Very well. Shall we begin today?"
Coin couldn't be happier.
"Yes!"
Coin stood in the busy streets of York Shin, her head covered with a large hoodie protecting her from the pouring rain, holding her phone.
"Coin, we're counting on you."
"Yes." Coin's tone was calm, almost lifeless.
She put her phone in her pocket after hanging up, and headed towards the skyscraper across the street. It was a matter of time before her target would eventually come out.
An important writer whose philosophic ideas were opposite to Chrollo's. Tired of hearing him as he grew more and more popular, he was planning on killing him himself, but decided to give Coin the job instead, focusing on the auction.
So, while the Genei Ryodan were at the auction today, Coin was taking care of it.
After eliminating her target, she would leave York Shin immediately, and go to East Gorteau.
When the writer left the hotel, he was accompanied by many security guards. It didn't surprise Coin.
She used her appearance to fool the guards as she ran through them.
Before they could grab her, she jumped in front of the writer, grabbing his face with her right hand, then cut his throat using a small knife with her left.
She ran away immediately, dialing Netero.
"It's time! Where shall we meet?"
"I will take a few hours, so feel free to roam around York Shin some more!"
"Gee."
The bodyguards were right at her tail, close to catching her. But she was quick enough to lose them in the crowds. She then hid in a narrow dark street.
"The ultimate way to strengthen your nen skill, besides very long training, is indeed to add restrictions. Have you thought of any?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure whether they are strong enough or not.. The first one would be not being able to use the ability on anything besides ants. The price to pay would be, of course, death. Second is that each time I use it, it will drain huge amounts of my life force, to the point of killing me if I use it to it's full extent."
Chrollo nodded.
"Those are perfect. Apply them."
"Coin!"
A very loud shout startled her, but she no longer had enough strength to budge.
'Who..is it..?'
Then, two hands pushed her, causing her to stop her power as she fell on the ground.
The flames around the king disappeared, however he was hurt, very badly, and had even fainted.
"I knew something was wrong with your powers. Coin! You idiot!"
He grabbed the almost lifeless body, shaking it, hoping for an answer.
"You've had enough luck to revive when life was taken unfairly from you, yet you waste this chance to live on revenge? If it's to die again, why did you revive? Huh?"
'That voice is..Killua?'
No answer came from Coin, who was barely breathing.
"Dammit! Coin, answer!"
'Idiot.. I can barely even hear you. I can't answer like this.'
"I know why you only cut one side of your hair!"
'Huh?'
"Cutting your hair in the same way was to remember who you were, but you only cut half.
Half of you wants to try living once again as a new person!
This is why you didn't cut both sides! You truly want to live again, even if it won't be the same!"
'It's.. true! Back then I wanted..'
'It's a new life, so I might as well try new stuff! Long hair is a nice change!'
'I really want to stay alive. I want to travel around the world, like I've always wished to! I don't want to die.. I don't want to die!'
Coin couldn't answer, but the tears that streamed down her face were enough of an answer to Killua.
"Meruem-sama!" Pouf shouted, although from very far.
The royal guards were coming back.
Killua grabbed Coin, and, using godspeed, managed to get away without being seen.
"I was on my way towards Gon. He went to Peijing with Pitou but something was wrong. Palm couldn't track you anymore because we needed her ability to look after the royal guards. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer, so I tracked your phone, like I said I would. I'll make Pitou heal you, somehow! Geez, stupid suicidal old woman."
With her remaining life force, Coin was almost in a vegetative state. She couldn't move, talk, or open her eyes, but she was still conscious.
Having reached the forest where Gon and Pitou were, Killua gently leaned Coin on a big tree.
"Stay here, I'll go see what's going on."
'Dammit.. What was I thinking? It's too late now.. He should've let me die.'
She couldn't think of anything that could help her regain strength. At this rate, it would take her years of hospitalization to recover.
UH OH. Coin wants to live, but dies again? And what? She was helped by the Phantom Troupe?
Am I an idiot? Yeah.
But what do you think? Was it a good plot twist or was it dumb? I hope it's good.. :c
Well anyways.
Thanks for reading! ^^
