"How've you been?" She put a blue strand of hair behind her ear and twirled the cig in her mouth.
Jun gave her a flat look and blinked. By all means, she wanted to turn away from the woman, but in her mind Chinatsu couldn't be trusted, especially given how calm she was.
The smoker rolled her head around in exasperation, "Like ignoring me is gonna get us anywhere."
"Fine, I've been alright." Jun grumbled. Though she relented on her silence, she only held the knife tighter, waiting and wanting for an opportunity to strike.
This'll be easy, Jun thought.
A half-cocked grin spread across Chinatsu's face, "That's wonderful to hear, lil' sis. Ooh, also! Shinji's doing much better… dad got him a specialist to come work on him. Took a lot of time for him to remember how to… get around, though."
"I don't care."
The corner of Chinatsu's mouth twitched, her aura flaring and becoming a deep blue, causing Jun to become anchored in her spot. Motionless not out of defiance or ego, but out of fear. She attempted to activate her own Nen, but was reminded bitterly that it wasn't available to her; the vulnerability too much too clear. The knife in her hand felt useless as Chinatsu's aura engulfed her, shaking the trees and destabilizing the young girl. Jun didn't have any regrets, but she was sure her words would lead to a situation that would become one.
Shit, I can't do this right now, Jun thought, I should run… if I could move. I've always been faster than her, at least.
As quickly as Chinatsu went on the offensive, she backed off and looked Jun over. "What? Not in the mood? I thought you'd hit me, or something."
"You were always the idiot." Jun shot back.
I've gotta go… but if I go back to camp, Chrollo would get involved, Jun thought, he doesn't have his Nen either. I can't do that. I'll run away if I have to… and find him later.
The elder laughed it off, surveying the wear in her sister's eyes, "You have been through it," her sight falling to her younger sister's feet, "all the wringers imaginable. I mean shit, you look terrible." Jun kept quiet, unsure of what to say; Chinatsu wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of hearing her say that.
Then, the elder traipsed over to Jun and slipped a hand underneath her necklace, "This is what you joined the Phantom Troupe for? To steal shitty little jewels like this?"
"Don't touch it," Jun brushed her hands away, tucking the jewelry back into her shirt.
Chinatsu sucked on her cig, "I didn't mean to offend." She blew the smoke in the younger sibling's face, "Only agitate."
"Well you've done that pretty fuckin' well. Goodbye." The girl turned to leave, but found Chinatsu was instantly and directly in front of her.
"Scared? After what you did to Shinji, I'd think you'd wanna stick around and fight."
Jun stepped back, "Not at all. Goodby—"
Her speech was cut off due to a blow to her stomach; it felt like a brick had been launched at her abdomen. The girl was sent to the ground, heaving on all fours and her knife gone. Without her Nen, she wasn't useless, but she wasn't as strong. Especially when pitted against her Enhancer older sister.
The cocky girl tried to crawl away to the right and out onto the path, the knife yards to the left. Chinatsu kissed her teeth, "Not yet," cracking her on the back. Jun fell flat to the ground, breathless and agonized from her sister's assault. The opportunity to fight back would never present itself, hiding away in Jun's lack of power.
The first time I see her and I can't even defend myself., she thought.
"Fight back!" Chinatsu shouted, bewildered at Jun's behavior.
The girl was completely still, finally able to breathe somewhat stably.
Chinatsu crouched down, her fingers holding the chain of the necklace, "If you're not going to give a fair fight, I'll just take this."
She reached up, grabbing Chinatsu's wrist weakly, "Stop."
The elder paused, then spoke, "Forfeit."
"Fuck Shinji and fuck you," Jun spat. She didn't want to risk damaging the necklace, so she let Chinatsu's hand stay in it's place.
The elder's head tilted, "What's so special about this thing? It's worthless."
"Both questions easily apply to you," Jun shot back.
"Alright, get up." Yanking Jun by the arm, she forced her to stand and threw her forward to create distance. "I'm done playing with you! Shinji had to learn how to walk again, because of you. His face… he wasn't recognizable, because of you. Nothing he could've done warranted violence to that extent."
"You won't find any sympathy in me," Jun replied, looking for an escape in her peripheral. "If I could do it ag—"
Chinatsu shook her head, the cig now snug in between her fingers, "Do you hear yourself?! You sound… like an animal! Why dad took you in is beyond me." Chinatsu shook her head, "All his time wasted on you. He should've left you there, your clients would've gotten more use out of you."
This is my chance, she thought, I've gotta take it.
"You're right," Jun openly looked over at the knife, Chinatsu's eyes following. "You're absolutely right."
Chinatsu grinned, "You wouldn't dare."
"What's to lose?"
Jun broke into a sprint, seemingly heading for the knife. Chinatsu braced herself and left her spot, heading for where she predicted Jun would be. After Jun saw her position, she feinted and headed in an opposite option, diving into greenery. Her legs only picked up speed, her arms moving to protect her face from branches instinctively. Not having time to look over her shoulder, or anywhere else, she missed the large root that jutted out of the ground and tripped, narrowly missing the knife Chinatsu had thrown after her.
"Shit," Jun grumbled, getting back on her feet. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she was off again, her aching sides and dry throat not enough to stop her from forfeiting a match that she'd surely lose.
Before long, she realized she'd been traveling quite a distance; enough to discover a forest filled with a different species of tree. The new forest she'd happened upon was thicker with trees that seemed to reach towards the heavens, an environment Jun could be thankful for. She stood still, her chest rising and falling rapidly and attempted to listen out for any odd sounds. When she found none, she sat down up against a trunk.
I'll just wait here… and when I wake up… find Chrollo in a few hours, or something, she yawned, thinking of a plan.
Her eyelids fell first, then her head.
"Such a shame I had to go this alone, some company would've been preferred… but I can talk to you." A singular raindrop pierced the water's surface, disrupting the reflection. Letting out a sigh, he lied back on the grass, "Or not." The sun-tinged clouds opened up to rain, drenching the young man just as surely as they'd soak the ground.
It feels so strange to be alone now, considering I'd traveled with her for some time, he thought. That's over though… at least I'm sure it is. It is tricky, I've never seen someone put in so much effort. I'm not sure if that's to her chagrin or her delight...
He stood up and walked over to a tree, sitting up against it's trunk to avoid the coming downpour. Rain still snuck through the branches and slid off the leaves, plopping onto his crown and straightening out his hair.
There's no need to think of the past anymore, he thought, both her and it are irrelevant. Except if that were true I wouldn't be thinking about either…
"What am I to do?" He chimed, twirling a card on his finger.