A/N: Hi. I enjoyed writing this chapter much because Pakunoda was such a great character. I really wondered what went on behind that cool and confident facade of hers when I read YN arc. I hope my attempt to explore her inner turmoil was appropriate. Please lemme know what you think, guys.
CHAPTER 21: PRECIOUS ONES
By the time Pakunoda arrived at Ringo airport, there was already a dirigible quietly waiting for her on its landing strip. As soon as she entered the cabin, the airship took off into the night sky. Her expression was solemn. This might be the most uncertain trip in her life.
She did not have to wait long before the people she had come to see gradually showed themselves.
First, a blonde in his late teens.
The chains in his hand were pumped with a fiery red aura that reflected hauntingly into her eyes. She quietly went through the words of her prophecy in her mind.
Pride and treachery are the only two answers you will find until the God of death comes to visit you!
Is this guy what it meant by the God of death?
Would this deal get her anywhere?
Or was this it? Her time had come?
Then her eyes fell on the man beside the blonde. Chains tightly wrapped around his body, all the way up to his mouth.
Danchou! She couldn't help but avert her eyes to escape his penetrating gaze. Throughout her life, Pakunoda never knew shame but now it was the closest thing to what she felt at this moment.
Treachery. She was the perfect example of treachery. To have chosen Danchou's life over the Troupe's code of conduct. She could imagine how disappointed he was seeing her here all alone to bargain for his life. To betray all the other members of the Troupe. To have failed the Spider in more than one way.
But she was content. Content with taking all the blame. Content to feel this deep shame nevertheless. She would do the same all over again if needed. She was not perfectly confident about their coming fates but she knew this was her only chance and she gladly took it.
"Just making sure, are you Pakunoda from the Spider?" The blonde asked.
"Of course." She confirmed.
The blond Kuruta promptly cast a glance at the tiny woman beside him.
"It's true, Kurapika." The short woman nodded.
Pakunoda instantly recognized who the shorty was: the pro-hunter with unfathomable hearing, Melody.
"I will assign to each of you two conditions." Kurapika came straight to the point.
"If you comply without fail, I'll release your boss." He said. With a flick of his fingers, two chains attached with shuriken-like blades materialized from thin air.
Judgment chains. Pakunoda got a fleeting sense of foreboding seeing the chain blade pointing at her.
"First, I FORBID any use of Nen." Kurapika grunted every word at the man being chained up beside him.
Without Nen. The condition would effectively render Chrollo useless.
"Secondly…" The blond Kurta continued but instantly hesitated. A million thoughts ran through his mind.
He clenched his fists, thinking back on what the Troupe leader said earlier.
"As a hostage, I hold no value!" –was what the bastard declared.
Depriving the Spider of its brain should make it dissolve. That was what Kurapika initially thought.
But he couldn't be more wrong. Even if he cut off its head, the spider still moved. Their boss wasn't indispensable. This was a group that survived without its leader. Even if he deprived the boss, he wouldn't be sure that the organization would collapse. Or worse, it might end with no result.
The young Kurta racked his brain to find a solution. He needed a miracle to solve this riddle. A possible condition to effectively destroy the Spider.
But he found none!
He was loath to admit it but that despicable Spider leader was right. Much to his chagrin and frustration.
There's no way to escape this deadlock! His handsome face twisted.
Suddenly an image of a young brown-haired boy in maroon Kurta tribal clothes fleetingly flashed through his mind. Pairo.
Yes, it might be fine this way, he thought. The deep crease on his forehead relaxed by a hair. Suddenly it occurred to him that he had the answer all along.
That's right. He had to get Killua and Clandestia back. That had to be his priority!
I refuse to lose my comrades once more. Never again! He made a mental vow as his scarlet eyes shone with a new determination.
"Second condition… You must cut all ties with the Spider's members!" The blond Kurta finally declared, pointing one chain blade at the Troupe's leader.
"Pakunoda, you decide whether or not you agree?" He asked the tall woman in front of him.
"I agree." She answered without hesitation.
Kurapika promptly released his chain. The sharp blade tore through Chrollo's chest, tightly wrapped around the man's beating heart.
"Now, your turn…" Kurapika pointed the second blade at Pakunoda.
"First, I want Killua and Clandestia to be released before midnight." He said with added stress on the deadline. "I'll explain how the exchange will be conducted."
"Second, by any means, you're forbidden from revealing any information about me!" The young Kurta added gravely.
"If you have no objection, I'll use my chain on you now." He stated, closely scrutinizing Pakunoda's reaction.
"Okay." To his utter surprise, she accepted without a fight. As agreed, another blade promptly penetrated into Pakunoda's heart.
Kurapika turned to his music hunter friend with a whisper, just enough for the both of them to hear. "Melody, if someone controlled Killua and Clandestia, can you tell?" He asked.
"Yes, I can. I'm familiar with both of their heart beats." Melody nodded.
Feeling relieved, he proceeded to further instruct Pakunoda.
Throughout the negotiation, Melody secretly watched her blond colleague with a baffled expression on her face. Kurapika. You don't realize how contradictory the sound of your heartbeat is. No, all the paradoxes I perceive in your heart are only a repercussion of the confusion in your mind! Melody silently thought to herself. She did not know what these people had done in the past. All the hatred within Kurapika had turned any doubts he had into certainties. But Pakunoda came here alone, trying to contain all of his anger.
This woman came here for the same reason as you have! Melody secretly pondered. I'm sure you do see that, Kurapika!
As the negotiation ended or rather it was just Kurapika one-sidedly giving commands, Pakunoda wasted no time getting off of the airship.
"Why?" The Kurta lone survivor involuntarily uttered to his sworn enemy's back before she disappeared at the airship's entrance. "Why aren't you asking anything?"
"You know who I am right? Don't you feel any fear or uncertainty at all?" He asked. His blood-red eyes were brimming with confusion and an inappropriate heaviness.
Pakunoda promptly halted in her steps but she did not turn back.
"Don't you think these negotiations might get us nowhere?" He gritted his teeth, tormented by a much-loathed feeling of doubt.
"Do you really believe I'll free your boss?" He asked. It was meant to be a threat to her but strangely, it came out like an inquiry to himself.
"You will. You wouldn't be asking that if you really intended to trick us." This time, she looked at him through her shoulder and calmly said.
A metallic scream of thunder tore through the night sky of Yorknew.
Heavy rainfall plunked mercilessly onto the rusty roof of the dilapidated building where the Spider occupied.
"Who the hell does he think he is? With those conditions?!" Phinx roared, making all the thunders feel far away.
"Pakunoda! Tell us where he is now!" He demanded. Of course, he got no answer from Pakunoda which angered him even more.
"I'll tell you what!" He pointed at the pair of hostages beside him. "We'll kill this boy along with his girlfriend here!"
"And we'll go take care of the chain bastard!" He gritted his teeth in frustration. He had enough of all this.
Machi impatiently stepped in front of Pakunoda, shielding the woman from Phinx.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" The petite woman inquired in a dangerous tone.
"Yes! So? Where is he?" Phinx grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, giving no sign of backing down.
"First, I won't answer that." Pakunoda calmly said. "Second, I'm taking these kids with me and I'm going alone. Don't bother me!"
"Don't bother you? You took the words right out of my mouth!" Phinx snarled.
It was Machi who stepped out between him and Pakunoda again.
"You go, Paku. I'll take care of them!" Machi said, eyes never leaving Phinx and Feitan.
As if on cue, Kortopi stepped up to join Machi and Pakunoda.
The two opposing sides flared their auras up, ready to challenge each other.
"Are you for real? I don't understand you. What are you thinking?" Phinx asked as if his three comrades had grown their second heads.
"I think they're tricked by the chain guy. They're being manipulated!" Feitan was quick to come to his conclusion. If any, he couldn't think of any other way to explain Machi and Pakunoda's behaviors.
"We're wasting our time. Phinx, I'll make them spill the beans!" He added. His face was mostly covered but blood lust radiated through his half-lidded eyes.
"Well, how about... they just wanted to save your boss?" A young girl's voice suddenly interrupted their heated verbal battle.
They all snapped their heads down. It was the ghostly pale girl in a tattered waitress uniform kneeling at their feet with both hands now tied up behind her back. Even the silver-haired boy tied up next to her was in shock. He shot an accusing look at her, damning her for running her mouth.
As her gaze briefly wandered among her captors, the girl's eyes abruptly gained a peculiar shine in the dimly lit place. So it's Pakunoda, Machi and properly that little guy Kortopi then, she mentally noted.
As the initial shock ceased, Phinx expression gradually turned hostile.
"Hold your tongue, girl. You only talk when you're asked." Phinx hissed, looming over the pale girl with a sinister smile.
This time, Clandestia was efficiently convinced to hold her tongue.
"And you brat…" He turned to glare at the silver-haired boy beside her. "Keep that girlfriend of yours shut up. Or I can promise that her next word will be her last!"
The teenage girl promptly raised a quizzical eyebrow. Girlfriend? He said that twice. Where did he get the idea from? She wondered but did not feel the need to correct that.
Clandestia secretly glanced at her so-called "boyfriend" and as soon as their eyes met, he immediately flinched. Killua, I have an idea but…You're not gonna like it! She told him via telepathy as she proceeded to explain her new plan.
What's the rate of you not passing out halfway again? Killua snorted internally after hearing the last bit of it.
Well... you don't wanna know! She admitted. As long as the grim reapers are not involved, she could endure a little bit more. Then again, in her current physical state, trying anything would still be a huge challenge. But she still needed to gamble again. Not that she was into this kind of sadistic game. They just didn't have many options left.
Splendid! Killua's eyelids twitched. If this failed, they would both be dead meat. Then again, they didn't have any choice but to take the risk so he was not complaining. He was not keen on passively waiting for the Spider to toss their funny little coin and decide their fate like last time.
While Phinx and Feitan were busy interrogating them, Pakunoda, Machi, and Kortopi heard a voice creeping into their heads out of nowhere.
Pakunoda. Machi. Kortopi. If you hear me, let's make a deal.
I'll use a quick illusion to keep those two friends of yours out of the way. And I wanna be honest. With my current state, once we leave with Pakunoda, it will soon wear off. When it does, Machi and Kortopi, please buy us some time!
Knowing Kurapika, he wouldn't give Pakunoda much time to further delay the exchange as agreed. And he would have done something to ensure it wouldn't be dragged on. So if you want to free your boss, let's do this now!
Machi and Kortopi secretly darted their eyes towards Pakunoda. As expected, the graveness on the woman's face confirmed Clandestia's words.
That's right, the deadline is midnight, Pakunoda secretly clenched her fists as she felt the judgment chain tightening around her heart like a timed bomb.