[A/N: I'll be switching to a different tense from now on, i.e. present continuous. I hope it's not too much of a bother]

Chapter 32: Disagreement x And x Reunion

January 22, 1999

Levi sits sulking in the backseat of the latest car stolen by Shalnark. The memories of their latest argument clouds his head so much that he ignores the beautiful landscape outside.

The Spiders cherish the silence, none bothering to make up to him. Levi, too aware of this fact, buries his head in his lap.

"How long will it take?" He mumurs, his impatience getting the best of his pride.

No one replies which only fuels Levi's bad mood. The frowning Phinks in the driving seat frowns further, the Feitan in the front seat closes his eyes in annoyance, the Shalnark sitting beside him spares him a pitiful glance but keeps his mouth shut, while the scowling Nobunaga in the other window seat only rolls his eyes.

Levi lifts his head and glares at Phinks. "Why won't you reply?"

Another concerned glance from Shalnark but the rest remain quiet.

"Stop the car." Levi growls.

It's the middle of a lonely road in the countryside. Still, the driver keeps driving.

Levi rolls the window down. There is enough space for two Levis to jump out at the same time. Phinks predicts Levi's next moves and rolls the window back up.

Murderous aura engulfs Levi. He wards it off with his own. A 'tsk' from Feitan and both the auras retract.

The rest of the car ride remains uneventful.

January 23, 1999

After a whole day of endless travelling with only a few gas station stops, they reach their destination.

Located to the North of the last phase's hotel and South-West to Kukuro mountain, it's one of the largest cities in the world-- Ostania.

Levi exits the car along with the others and gasps. In front of him are enormous buildings that he previously missed due to his bad mood.

A rough hand grabs his right wrist and leads him forward. Levi looks up, annoyed. It's Nobunaga. He tries to wrench away from him but to no avail-- The enhancer's grip is simply too strong.

Frowning, he focuses his eyes on the ground. He refuses to look at his dazzling surroundings lest a smile manages to creep up on his face. Besides, his black and white sneakers look pretty nice too.

Soon, the rocky pavement is replaced by a polished marble floor so clean that Levi can see his wet eyes in them. He squeezes them shut.

His mind dances around and lulled by the soft jazz playing in the background, his consciousness fades away.

January 24, 1999

Levi rubs his eyes and yawns. He finds Franklin beside him, reading a book.

"Good morning." He looks up and smiles at him.

Levi frowns and buries himself deeper in the blanket. He's not sure whether the others told him about the argument or not.

Franklin notices Levi's hesitance and puts his book down.

"How are you feeling?" He asks the blue tuft of hair sticking out of the blanket.

"Fine." A muffled voice answers.

"Danchou wants to see you." Franklin sighs as the little blue also disappears within the blanket. "His room number is 13213. Go there as soon as possible, okay?"

". . ."

Franklin sighs again. "At least say yes or no."

"Mhm."

"Yes or no?" His voice gets more stern.

"Can I say no?"

"No."

"Then, why did you even bother asking me!" Levi's muffled voice yells at him.

Franklin is about scold him further when he hears a sniff followed by some more. Having never consoled a child, he sits there, unsure of what to do.

Finally, he stands up and heads for the door, taking his book with him. Before leaving, he glances at the small sobbing mound on the bed and sighs again. He'll have to talk to Danchou about him.

January 25, 1999

Levi shifts around in his blanket. He pops his head out of the soft cloth for the first time since his conversation with Franklin. The lights are off but the afternoon sun shines through the curtains, giving enough light to illuminate the main features of the room.

The room is simple but pretty. It has a medieval aesthetic that appeals to Levi. His eyes reach the brown clock. It's 3 o' clock.

For whatever reason, Levi feels awful. Every joint in his body is aching for seemingly no reason. Not to mention, he feels a weird cold.

He rubs his eyes and yawns. His stomach's empty. Maybe that's why he feels so weak.

He recalls his conversation with Franklin and groans. He has to face Danchou now.

He kicks the blanket away and slouches over to the bathroom. He's about to take a shower when he realises he has no spare clothes. In the end, he just washes his hands and face, and brushes his teeth and hair.

Outside his bedroom, there is a pretty big hall with chocolate brown couches surrounding a cream coffee table. There are a few decorations here and there to spice up the aesthetic but overall, it's pretty simple but really nice.

Levi, however, feels too grumpy to appreciate the beauty and drags himself outside. Locking the door behind him, he looks around for Danchou's room number-- 13213. It's the one right in front of him.

Sighing, he braces himself and softly knocks on the door. Loud voices emanate from the room and Levi immediately recognises the owners-- Phinks, Uvogin, and Nobunaga.

"Come in." Chrollo's serene voice calls from within.

Levi reluctantly opens the door and enters. The hall is a lot bigger than his and has the Spiders scattered around the room.

Shalnark types away on his phone in a corner, his speed close to inhuman. Hisoka is building a tower of cards in a corner. Machi, Pakunoda, and Kortopi are engrossed in a deep conversation in the kitchen. Franklin is reading a book in another corner.

The rest of the Spiders, save for Chrollo, are settled around the coffee table. Playing cards are strewn all over the place and the three enhancers are in a heated argument over the latest game, while the others around the table frown and sigh.

Levi ignores them all and heads towards Chrollo who's sitting on a cosy armchair before an unlighted fireplace. He has his usual enchanting smile on his face, as he gestures to an armchair next to him.

Levi awkwardly sits down on it. Chrollo puts his book ton the table beside the armchair. He examines Levi for a second before slowly extending his right arm towards him.

Levi's hand twitches but Chrollo only puts a soft hand on his forehead.

"You're too warm. You have a fever." He frowns but his voice remains soft.

A loud crash sounds from behind them. Levi jumps in his seat and whips his head around. It seems like Uvogin threw the table at Nobunaga. Of course, he had dodged it and it now lies, broken into pieces, on the floor, thanks to its collision with the wall.

Chrollo sighs. "That's enough."

His voice barely rises but after some muttering, the room calms down as much as possible, with the Spiders starting another game on the floor.

Levi blinks and turns back to Chrollo. His gaze is more intense now. Levi looks down to his hands, unable to look him in the eye any longer.

"Are you upset?"

A weight drops in Levi's chest. Chrollo sounds apologetic, like he's the one who has done something wrong, when it's in fact Levi. He was the one who started the argument. He was the one who tried to disobey the leader's orders. He was the one who forgot that the Spider always comes before Gon and Killua, or anyone else. He was the one who forgot Chrollo's generosity by letting him in his special group. Yet, despite all this, Chrollo is the one who sounds apologetic, while he has just been a brat these past few days.

A thumb slides under his eyes, wiping away his tears one-by-one.

"I'm sorry, Danchou."

His voice shakes, his lips tremble, he keeps his eyes on his fidgeting hands. But Levi can tell. He can tell that Chrollo forgave him, long before he entered the room. He's too nice...

"No," His voice gets even more gentle. "I am sorry. I should have asked more about the situation."

Levi shakes his head. "No matter what, there's no way it's your fault. Phinks-san was the one who stopped me from calling and telling you about Killus's... situation. If anything, it's his fault."

Chrollo chuckles. "He can be like that sometimes."

A certain someone clears his throat. Levi turns around. It's Phinks.

"Someone's calling you, little idiot." He growls and throws Levi's phone at him.

He catches it with ease and sticks his tongue out in retaliation.

He checks his phone. There's no name, only a series of numbers. He raises an eye brow and accepts the call.

"Uhm... hello?"

"Hey Levi!" Gon's cheerful voice answers him.

Levi's mood instantly lightens. "Hey Gon!"

"No shout." Feitan snarls from the other side of the room.

Levi put the call on hold and sticks his tongue out at him.

Feitan narrows his eyes. "Want me cut tongue?"

Levi tucks his tongue back in his mouth and puffs his cheeks in indignation instead.

"I can still get tongue." His eyes crinkle at the sides. Levi realises that he's smirking under his collar.

Chrollo sighs and gives both of them a disappointed look. Feitan shuffles a deck of cards for their next match while Levi turns his attention back to the call.

"ARE YOU STILL THERE?!" Gon yells as he turns on the speakers.

Levi flinches. "Yes, I'm still here. Something came up. Don't worry about it."

"Hmm... ok. Well, are you doing well?"

"Uh... mostly. You?"

"I'm doing great!"

"So... what did you call me for?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't see you after the exam. I wanted to find Killua as soon as possible and was sure you would be fine."

Levi perks up. "Did you find him?"

"Uh... well, I'm at Kukuro mountain. I'm currently training to open the front doors."

Levi tilts his head to the side. "Front... doors?"

"Yeah... it kinda sounds funny but Killua's front door is super heavy and if we don't enter through it, there's a pretty mean guard dog who would kill us."

"Oh! So, you mean the testing gates?"

"Huh? Yeah! That's what Mr. Zebro called them."

"Oh and the dog is named Mikey. He's actually really sweet."

"Uh... sweet?"

"Mhm. He knows some neat tricks too!"

"His eyes are scary though..."

"He's trained to kill, that's why."

"Hmm... ok... well... what are you up to?"

One look from Chrollo and he knows he can't tell him about the Spiders.

"I wanted to help get Killua back too but a job came up."

"... job? What kind of job do you have?"

Levi purses his lips and racks his brains.

"Relieving people of their souls."

Gon laughs. "Are you an assassin like Killua?"

"Hmm... yea."

Gon laughs again. "That's a strange way to put it then. You could just say that you kill people for money."

"I kill people for other reasons but I do take money some times."

"Cool." Gon gasps. "Don't tell me though... do you have a brother like Killua too?"

"Huh? No."

Gon sighs. "Phew! Good then. So, who are you killing this time?"

"Hmm... not sure about the details yet."

"Oh ok. Well, Leorio's calling me for something now. I think he's having trouble with the bathroom door. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Alright, goodbye!"

"Have a nice day!"

With the dull noise of a freshly-ended call, Levi puts down the phone. He realises that everyone's staring at him.

"Uhm..."

Uvogin starts with a grin that quickly turns into a loud laugh. The rest of the Spiders smirk while Levi stays in the dark.

Finally, Nobunaga speaks. "I didn't expect that kid to take killing so lightly. He seemed like a goody-two-shoes to me!"

Levi's about to reply when he remembers that he's supposed to be upset with him and turns back to Chrollo.

"Danchou, you still haven't told me about the job." Levi pouts.

Chrollo chuckles softly. "Ah! Right. You'll be going with Shalnark, Franklin, Feitan, and Phinks."

Levi narrows his eyes at the last two names. "Is it possible to switch?"

"Hm?"

"I'm okay with everyone else but I don't want to be with Phinks-san-"

"For the record, brat, I don't fancy going out with you either! But it's Danchou's order, so you better-"

Levi glares at Phinks. "I don't remember asking you about anything."

A dark shadow falls on Phinks' face. He certainly doesn't take that snark very well, and is about to open his mouth when-

"That's enough." The ghost of a frown on his face, he turns back to Levi and continues. "No, you won't be able to switch teammates. I designed the team for this mission, and unfortunately for you, it has to stay this way."

Levi whines. "As you say, Danchou."

The enchanting smile returns on his face. "I've already informed the others about the mission. It's just a simple transaction."

"Transaction?" Levi repeats, sceptical. "No killing?"

"No killing." Chrollo confirms. "You'll only be selling our recently acquired treasure-" He points his finger above the fireplace. A stuffed black bird sits on the ledge, its eyes glittering with a pair of blood-red rubies, "- an Omen Bird."

"... Omen bird?" Levi stares at the perfectly smooth feathers on the bird. If not for its unusual stillness and its eye replacement, Levi would have took it for something alive.

"Yes," Chrollo sounds proud as he continues, "there are five of it in the world. It's an extinct species that used to be worshipped by the Quasier tribe. They were smart enough to sense their close extinction and started breeding them intensively.

Unfortunately, their efforts went to waste. No matter what, the birds refused to breed-- perhaps because they weren't able to provide them with a suitable environment-- and their numbers kept dropping at an alarming rate.

In the end, a poacher, who heard about their glossy feathers and rich black color, killed them and stuffed them, forever preserving their beauty."

Levi frowns. "And their eyes? If the bird's so pretty, why would the poacher replace their eyes?"

"I asked him the same question. He claimed that he didn't like the eyes, and that he replaced them with rubies to complement the black and add some color."

The room is quiet for a moment, save for Shalnark whining about losing another match, as Levi takes the information in.

"So... where are the other birds?"

"One of them got destroyed during our fight with the poacher, and another had already been sold by the poacher. Out of the remaining three, we have already sold two. This is the only one in our possession... for now, at least."

Levi nods.

"That's the most of it. Your teammates can fill you in about the the other stuff. Lastly," Chrollo turns to Shalnark and calls him, instantly earning his attention. "check and give Levi some medicine. He has a fever."

"Consider it done, Danchou!" Shalnark's cheerful voice replies as Levi groans.

[A/N: Yay! Levi's first mission in the next chapter. I'm excited to write it and I hope you enjoy it.

Reviews appreciated.

Stay safe!

Ps. I'm currently looking for a beta-reader for this story. Please comment if you're interested (Dms are too glitchy and more often than not, just don't send the messages)]