Chapter Twenty-Five
Are You Evil?
"You must be desperate to come to me." The seventh queen saunters into the humid brig, leading her bodyguards, led by Swinko-Swinko, and reeking of her own desperation.
Oito has never not seen Sevanti frowning. After all, Sevanti didn't care that her rank rose with Oito's addition to Nasubi's harem. Sevanti cared that Nasubi was no longer satisfied with her alone. And Sevanti has never forgiven her.
"More for your child than you," Oito says honestly, brushing back a thick curl.
"Marayam always had more potential than Momoze anyway." Sevanti sniffs. "That's why I had the guards focus on him."
Oito's face twists.
"Are you evil?" Leorio bursts out.
Sevanti's guards step forward, and Leorio takes a deep breath.
Biscuit Krueger and Hanzo, the young ninja from the Hunter Exam. It feels like so long ago.
But he can tell from Hanzo's burning eyes that he hasn't changed much. Still self-righteous. Still going to defend Sevanti's kids no matter what she decrees.
And Leorio doesn't know Biscuit well, but Gon and Killua trust her. That's enough for him to reassure himself.
"I'm loyal to my husband's wishes, unlike others," Sevanti says.
"Oito is loyal to her child," Phinks tosses back. His palms itch. He'd like to break this passive-aggressive bitch's long, slender neck. Like a twig.
"I didn't ask you here to fight. I asked you here because I'm serious about the threat on Marayam's life," Oito says.
"You don't seriously believe your child has a chance," Melody says tentatively. She wrings her hands with despair. "You asked your guards to stay with him because you like him best. And want to spend more time with him before his brothers or sisters kill him."
"What if we changed it? What if we stopped all of this? We have the Phantom Troupe to help us. We can use nen, all of us. Even you, Sevanti. We're not powerless." Oito grips the bars to their cell.
"And rebel?" Swinko-swinko asks sharply.
"If it keeps our children alive," Oito says. Tears fill her eyes. "I'd gladly be executed for treason if it meant Woble could live."
Where is Woble now? Has she been devoured by a mysterious jungle creature? Has she helped rescue Alluka? Is she lying somewhere, helpless and crying and wondering where her mother is?
"How can you say that from behind a jail cell?" Swinko-swinko fumes.
"She might not be for long," says a voice from the door.
The jail turns to see Unma, First Queen of Kakin. Her face is red with fury and, given her reputation, probably wine. "Tserriednich and Benjamin will …"
She breaks off. "I am not about to watch my two sons destroy each other. And once Duazal sees past her grief and anxiety spell, she will join us."
"Oito." Unma turns to the speechless young queen. "Should I send my guards to retrieve the key to your cell from Tserriednich?"
Oito fumbles for words. She? She is not meant to lead. She is not a leader. She is not. She is a silly, vapid woman paying for her choices with her daughter's life. Wasn't tragedy her only suitable end?
"We'll follow you," Franklin says. Bonolenov and Shizuku nod in agreement.
"Get us out of this damn Zetsu state already," gripes Nobunaga.
"Oito." Phinks wishes he could touch her shoulder, but he doesn't quite feel comfortable touching a queen as marvelous as Oito.
She turns to him.
"I haven't known you for longer than a few days, but I'm already willing to support you. You can do this," he says, awkwardly avoiding her eyes.
Oito nods slowly. "Yes…yes, Unma, free us."
"Pff." Swinko-swinko sniffs. "Never thought I'd be a traitor before now."
"You're joining too?" demands Sevanti.
"Your heart wants to, too," Melody tells her.
Sevanti scowls. "Don't tell me what I want."
"We will protect you and Marayam," Biscuit assures her.
"Fine," Sevanti snaps. "Are you happy?"
"Yes?" Phinks says, and Oito laughs a little.
First, they want to know about the big bearded man and his sick friend.
"Do you mean Beyond?" Cheadle inquires, struggling to maintain her grip on Woble through the gaseous bonds.
Ai.
A cluster of Ai begin babbling at the mere mention of his name.
"I'll suspect yes," Kurapika says slowly.
"Can you untie us, Nanika, at least?" Killua asks. "Machi's pregnant, and Cheadle's been holding Woble for a long time."
Nanika looks confused.
"Machi is having a baby," Machi interprets crisply. Beside her, Feitan still shivers at the words. Chrollo, however, smiles.
"Ooh, I like babies." Nanika slips towards her, chattering in Ai-speak with her fellow creatures. Some look at Machi with sympathy; others look infuriated.
Illumi senses their bloodlust and tries to control his own. No one will hurt Machi on his watch.
For now, at least, the sympathetic faction seems to have won out. Their bonds are released.
Illumi grabs Woble before Kurapika, because he misses babies, and because if his siblings aren't going to love him, he can at least hold a baby.
And the baby isn't old enough to hate him. Woble snuggles up against his chest, and Hisoka is stunned at how serene Illumi looks, if only for just a second.
"The Ai aren't recorded to have met Beyond. He encountered Zobae, not the Ai," Chrollo says.
Nanika smiles and, instead of answering, waves for them to follow her.
Killua trots on her heels as the Ai escort the interlopers into a pink cloud that drifts at the center of their vaporous city. A fireplace glows in the center, and the evening sun sparkles around them. What looks to be delicate, floating crystals form a circle surrounding the fire. Circles of leaves and sharpened, twisted twigs seem a form plates and silverware.
Gon groans at the smell of berries, spices, and savory plants he's never seen before that wafts before them.
Chrollo's stomach growls, and Kurapika smirks at him. He's not sure why, but he treasures every little human thing Chrollo does.
Even Machi, with all her nausea, seems invigorated by the scents.
"We have soup and roast roots and all kinds of sweet fruits." Nanika beams at Killua, because she knows he loves sweets.
"Are they poisoned?" Feitan asks.
The Ai turn their black eyes upon him.
"My girlfriend is pregnant. Of course I ask," Feitan says quickly.
"They should be okay," Nanika says.
"Are you the only one who can speak human speech?" Kurapika looks around the room.
"Learning," says a deeper, screechier Ai voice.
"I had to learn from Alluka! She's teaching them." Nanika claps her hands. "Let's sit."
Kurapika wrestles a sleepy Woble out of Illumi's arms and takes a quick sip of the soup first. When he doesn't drop dead, he begins to spoon it into her lips. He is relieved to see a smile on the little prince's face again as she smacks her lips.
"The Ai are in war," Nanika says as she draws a spoon of soup to her lips.
"With who?" Gon asks.
"What?" Hisoka chokes. He gives the kid credit for dropping this news as they eat. It's something he would do.
"We call it Ai," Nanika says. Chrollo is sure there must be a slight change in intonation, or perhaps tone, but he can't discern it. Every word these creatures speak sounds like Ai.
"It makes everyone and everything its slave. They want nothing more than to be happy and serve it," Nanika relates.
"Pap," Cheadle infers. "One of our five calamities."
Ai. Ai. Ai.
Nanika waits for her companions to quiet. "That's why we have serpents guarding our territory. Their venom is powerful enough to destroy the pleasure of any of its servants."
"Well, it nearly destroyed Kalluto," Hisoka says with a laugh. Illumi shivers, nearly imperceptibly, at the mention.
Kalluto glowers at him. "I'm fine now."
"And I'm glad, brother-in-law." Hisoka smiles impishly as Kalluto sticks out his tongue.
The tallest Ai speaks quickly, and Nanika translates.
"But last time, the bearded man came to scout. To colonize our land like all materialists want. We can't deal with two wars. So we inflicted them with a deadly disease: if they want to establish empires to live forever, we will grant them their wish."
"Zobae," Chrollo says.
Nanika nods, as bubbly as ever, though the humans seem to be losing their appetites quickly.
"Are you sad?" Nanika asks suddenly.
"No, not at all," Gon says, shoveling more berries into his mouth.
"We just feel bad for them. They just wanted Metallion," Killua says.
"The cure." Nanika chews on a strand of hair. "We needed it, too."
"It cures illnesses?" Chrollo is fascinated by the irony of an expedition devastated by illness, yet never using the plant they came to collect.
"Yes, but one plant can only cure one person." Nanika looks perturbed. "He must have been saving it for someone." She looks sad. "And now you are back."
"We're not here to colonize!" Gon gasps. "We just want Alluka back."
"And Nanika," Killua adds, smiling at her.
She squeals with delight.
Chrollo thinks it best if he doesn't speak or defend humanity. Since he once resorted to slaughter to take a clan's eyes, he's not precisely one to speak against colonization.
I don't colonize. I kill. If the Ai knew who he, Machi, and Feitan were, and what they had done, the Ai would surely end them. And Chrollo would understand that preemptive choice. Because his actions suggest he is the monster they think all humans are, regardless of accuracy.
To his relief, Kurapika opens his mouth. "Gon…we aren't here to colonize. But – to be honest – Kakin, the Empire leading the voyage, is."
The Ai speak rapidly. Somehow, they've figured out what Kurapika meant before Nanika even translated.
Feitan swears.
"Why am I not surprised," Machi says dryly.
"But Oito is not. It depends on who wins the succession war – with Nasubi's death anything could happen," Kurapika speaks as quickly as he can. "Suppose we allied with you? Could you help us stop the people who wish to colonize, and let us leave in peace?"
"More than that," Chrollo adds, trying to shake the guilt for Scarlet Eyes once more. "I…am sure they could try to help you against your enemy. Pap. Whatever you call it."
"They don't like materialists," says Nanika slowly.
"But you do." Hisoka's eyes narrow.
Illumi looks at him with interest. What has his husband noticed?
She nods. "They don't like me."
Nanika looks at Killua. Don't you see? I'm different, just like you. Big Brother, please still be my Big Brother. But in her flummoxed state, all that comes out is "Ai."
Killua smiles at her. "Well, I do like you. Alluka does. Kalluto and Gon and Kurapika do, too."
"I'm in awe of you," Chrollo says.
Nanika blushes. Mr. Chrollo is so handsome and so powerful, and he likes her!
Another Ai drifts forward. It speaks firmly.
"He says they need to discuss tonight. Since you can't make alliance decisions exactly." Nanika hesitates. "In the meantime, they have sleeping quarters for all of you."
"We together." Feitan puts an arm around Machi's waist.
"So are we." Hisoka yanks Illumi to his side.
"Kalluto can stay with us," adds Killua, glancing towards Gon, who nods in approval. "But, Nanika, I want to talk to you more. And Alluka."
Nanika looks sad. "Okay."
"Do you want to do that later?" Chrollo asks. He's not sure how their nen works, but right now he's unsure if Nanika, or any Ai, has the power to deny a request.
Nanika nods eagerly.
"Okay," Killua says slowly. He looks hurt.
Cheadle turns to Kurapika and Chrollo. "Do you want me to watch Woble tonight?"
Kurapika hesitates.
"Nothing will happen to her, I swear it," Cheadle says.
"If Machi's instincts say we're okay to sleep, we probably are," Chrollo says.
"Okay." Kurapika hands Woble back to Cheadle. The baby giggles, immediately smudging Cheadle's glasses with her grubby hands.
"Are you two in the same room?" Nanika asks Kurapika and Chrollo.
Chrollo wants to shout yes, but he'll let Kurapika make that choice.
"Together," Kurapika says impulsively, tightening his hand around Chrollo's.
Chrollo's mouth dries. He feels as though he's ascended to the clouds, like he always dreamt as a kid.
An Ai leads them to a square room. The roof is nothing, and the walls are mist that shimmer in the moonlight. And yet it feels private, as every sparkle distracts passerbies from its occupants' actions.
"Thank you," Chrollo says to the Ai.
"Ai." It drifts away.
"You scared me today," Chrollo says, as soon as the door is shut. It's easier to talk about what Kurapika has done wrong than to have Kura praise him. "Promise me you won't use those chains except on the Spiders."
"I already lost my family. I can't lose you too. Are you daft?" Kurapika crosses his arms as he sinks onto their bed, which is composed of leaves as soft and springy as a royal mattress.
"When will you forgive yourself for surviving?" Chrollo sits on the edge of their bed. "You left to save your friend. You're not at fault."
"I led you to our clan." Kurapika looks up at the stars, as if he'll find an answer swirling in space.
"You'd blame yourself anyways," Chrollo counters.
"If I forgive you, who else do I have to blame? Where else can I direct my rage?" Kurapika blinks back tears.
Chrollo plays with the Kurta's lone earring. "Me."
"I – I told you already, I don't want to be angry with you." Kurapika's tears spill over his cheeks. They glitter in the night haze.
Chrollo stills. He can't quite believe it anymore. "I – I murdered your family. Your entire people."
Kurapika turns around. His eyes are red. "That's the first time I've heard you say those precise words."
Chrollo smiles sadly. "They're true. And I can't even regret it, because I met you. But I can regret the killing, the pain, Uvogin and Paku."
Kurapika leans over. His face is inches from Chrollo's. He can feel the Kurta's breath on his.
"Is it okay if I say what I want? Even if I take it back later because I'm scared?"
Chrollo nods.
"I am through living for my dead family. I want to live for my living family now. Gon. Killua. Leorio. Alluka. They're all people I love. And you." A tear falls from Kurapika's scarlet eyes into Chrollo's grey eyes.
"Nothing you've done can compare you what I've done," Chrollo reminds him.
"I saw what you did. You offered yourself for your enemies. You helped save Alluka and Kalluto - and you sacrificed yourself for me. You've changed." Kurapika sighs. "And so have I. It's foolish to force ourselves to be the same we were then."
A ghost of a smile plays with Chrollo's lips. "You really were a dashing rescuer on the boat."
"I forgive you, Chrollo Lucilfer." Kurapika holds out his chainless hand.
Chrollo takes it. He doesn't feel clean, not yet, maybe not ever, but he feels hope. And, to his surprise, tears on his own face. "Thank you."
Kurapika drops his head as his hands brush aside Chrollo's tears. "By the way, I truly do like the nickname 'Kura.'"
Chrollo brightens. He dares to drag Kura's face towards his own, to dig his hands in the Kurta's hair, to envelop Kura's lips in his. "Are you sure you want this?"
Kurapika nods as he traces Chrollo's tattoo with his fingers.
"Your clan will be extinct if you stay," Chrollo reminds him. One last log of guilt to throw in the fire.
"Not as long as I'm here." Kurapika nestles besides him. "And I hope we're both here for a long time."
"Me too," says Chrollo, and for the first time he imagines a long life, a beautiful life with Kurapika by his side. "So why don't you make me yours?"
"I thought you already were." Kurapika slips atop Chrollo, who wears a dreamy smile.
Chrollo grins. He adores how eager Kura is. He wants to be wanted. To be treasured. To feel valued in more than legacy – he never has before.
It's like a new world. Well, he supposes they are on a new continent.
"I love you," Kurapika pants as he quakes inside Chrollo, inside the intellectual thief writhing and moaning with passion for him.
Chrollo throws his arms around Kurapika in exultation. He digs his fingernails into the base of Kurapika's back. His heart accelerates, and he smiles again, but a smile that displays his teeth, an abandoned smile few have ever seen. "I love you too, Kura the Chain Bastard."
