Disclaimer: I do not own HxH.
The Origin of Spiders
Chapter Five: Machi
Machi has always been a survivor.
Being a survivor means you adapt to changes quickly, you preserve through the toughest condition and ultimately emerge as the sole one remains.
Being a survivor also means you will always be alone.
Machi knows this because she is being one.
She was only an infant when she survived the fire that killed the rest of her family. Her parents had given up their lives in order to protect her.
She has survived growing up as an orphan under the harsh living condition in Meteor City. She didn't die from starvation or disease, wasn't sold to a brothel or places worse than hell. She lived alone and preferred it that way. She even managed to make a living by collecting pieces of fabric, sewn them into blankets and sold them in the market.
Sometimes, when times were bad, she had to resort to stealing. But she wasn't always lucky.
Machi ran as fast as her feet could carry her like her life depended on it. She could hear her own heartbeat drumming in her ears. In her hurry, she tripped over something and fell. But she picked herself up just as quickly and started running again for she knew her angry pursuer was following closely behind her. For the first time in her life, she was afraid for her life.
To her horror, in her next turn, she had bumped into a dead end. She searched frantically for an exit to no avail. Just when she was about to turn around and run, it was too late - her pursuer already caught up with her.
"Where're ya gonna run this time, little rat?"
Her back was pressed to the wall and she could only stare in fear as her pursuer blocked her only exit.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Machi uttered profusely.
Then she took out the bread from her pocket and handed it over to the man.
"I'll give you back your bread, sir."
But it did little to subdue the man's anger. The stout man marched forward and shook her thin frame like a rag doll.
"Oh, now you're sorry. Not so easy!"
The man raised his fist, ready to strike. Machi instinctively shut her eyes and braced herself for what was coming. But it never did.
"No need for such violence. She's only a little girl."
Machi opened her eyes and saw a blond man holding the other guy's fist firmly. He was wearing a strange blue robe. Machi could tell that the stranger wasn't from Meteor City as a well off gentleman like him who cared enough to stand up for a brat like her was unheard off.
"Who the hell are you? Get the fuck off me!"
When the man failed to wrench his fist off the grip, he threw a punch towards the stranger with his other fist. It missed. He growled in frustration and attempted to grab the blond's hand instead to throw him off balance. This time the blond had let go.
"My, how rude."
The blond stranger frowned and continued to dodge attacks from the other man with ease and grace. Apparently, he wasn't only kind. He was also strong despite his deceptive lanky frame. But it had only provoked the other man further.
"I don't like to fight but it seems like I have no other choice."
In a blink of eye, the blond stranger suddenly appeared behind his opponent's back. It happened so fast that all Machi saw next was that the bulky man was tumbling forward, his face pitching down towards the dirt.
After it was over, the blond man picked up the bread and dusted off the dirt before he handed it to her.
"Here, take it. You're safe now."
His face was kind and warm. And his green eyes were as clear as the blue sky. Machi took the bread shyly and looked down to her feet. She couldn't help but felt self conscious of her humble self in front of him. He looked like a royalty that didn't belong to that slump.
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcomed."
And then he was gone before she could ask for his name.
Machi had secretly sworn on that day that if she ever met him again, she would duly repay his kindness.
Years passed. Machi is much stronger now and she can take down any guys if she really wants to. If surviving means killing, she will do it in a heartbeat.
That was why when their leader ordered them to massacre the whole Kuruta clan and robbed every single pair of their infamous eyes, she gave it no thought and obeyed without questioning.
The Kuruta clan had proved to be resilient opponents but they were better. Even Ubogin who had no sense of aesthetic had to admit that it was quite a sight to behold when there were so many pair of red eyes glowing in the dark simultaneously.
Later when they searched for the remaining survivors, Machi had stumbled upon two mangled bodies that were hugging each other even in death. Despite the hollow eye sockets, she had recognized one of the faces painfully. She froze as if lightning bolt had struck her heart. It was none other than the stranger who had shown her unconditional kindness years ago.
Underneath them was a boy whose features resembled the older man. Machi bent down and quickly checked his pulse. The boy was wounded and unconscious but he would live another day.
"Hey, Machi. Did you find something there?" Nobunaga called out to her from a distance ahead.
Machi straighten her back and tossed a ragged cloth over the bodies casually.
"No, nothing here."
That was the only time she had left a survivor.
A/N: I'm really interested as in how Kurapika escaped death in that massacre. And I thought it would be nice if it was somehow linked to one of the Genei Ryodan members. We'll never know how far a simple gesture of kindness can take us.