Chapter III
It is an unspoken rule to never question the leader's actions.
The members of the Phantom Troupe had shot each other questioning looks when their leader returned with the wounded Kurta in his arms. Their leader never explained himself, not even glanced once or acknowledged their dumbfounded faces. Instead, he had wrapped the unconscious girl in his coat and loaded her into the truck's trunk like a parcel, surrounded by the numerous crates that contained her kinsmen's severed eyes.
When Pakunoda and Shalnark joined their ranks, the Spiders swarmed them with questions, but the two were just as in the dark as they were. As always, the way their leader's mind worked is beyond them.
That was one week ago.
Now, Chrollo Lucilfer indulges himself by reading a hardbound book he has found under the rubble. Burnt at the edges, he deems it one of his best finds after the massacre. He has a steaming cup of coffee at arm's length away, his leg crossed over the other, as he leans back on his chair.
He could sense the confusion and hostility of the other members from outside the cottage, and so he glances up from his book, only to find his treasure still sleeping.
The Kurta girl has slept the entire week. Chrollo did not want to expose her to too much attention from the Spiders, and so only asked Machi to fix her up and Pakunoda to keep checking for the girl's memories. Every time the girl moves in her sleep, Pakunoda is there to check−to see if she has nightmares to share. Every time she checks, she gets no answer.
Chrollo leans closer to the bed and swipes the girl's bangs off her forehead. Her breathing is faint, her lips slightly parted in her sleep. He wants to be patient, but the nagging anticipation of seeing her Scarlet Eyes again drives him to the edge of his patience. It has been an entire week, and the Troupe is restless from the lack of action, already exhausting their resources down the drain.
"Danchou?" Shalnark appears at the doorway, reluctant to step inside the small room to invade his leader's privacy. His green eyes flutter to where the girl lies in her bed. "Um, the others are asking if we should move on to the next town. Uvo's finished the last stock of food."
"Has he now?" Chrollo muses, dark eyes back on his book. The words are foreign to him, possibly what the Kurta Clan used amongst themselves. He flips to the next page. "We are not moving yet," he answers after a while. "Send Uvo and Nobunaga to steal more supplies in the next town."
"Right, Danchou." The younger Spider leaves.
Despite the uneasiness in Shalnark's voice, Chrollo chooses to ignore it. The Spiders may think their mission is complete, but to him, it is only halfway finished. He has plans for the Kurta girl, if his theories would prove correct. He wants to experiment, to delve further in the mind of a human being−and what is a better specimen than a young woman, the last of her kind?
A few more page-flipping. Then, Uvogin enters the room.
Tallest and physically strongest of them all, Uvogin has to check himself and duck under the doorway. He tiptoes into the room, somewhat cautious that his large bulk would make the bamboo floor creak. They are only staying in one of the Kurta outposts at the edge of their forest, after all.
Chrollo never takes his eyes off his book. "Anything wrong outside, Uvo?"
Like Shalnark, Uvogin takes his time to stare at the Kurta. Not many Spiders have had a good look at her face, except for Shalnark, Pakunoda, and Machi. "Uhh−" He scratches his head−"we are just about to go downtown. Need anything, Danchou? Or for her?"
"No, we are all right."
We. Uvogin doesn't like the sound of that. Moving carefully, he sits on the floor and tries his hardest not to make a sound. He succeeds and stretches his long legs before him. "You know, the others are really confused, Danchou. What do we do with this Kurta? Are we going to kill her?"
There are times that Chrollo really admires his friend for his brutal honesty. He closes his book and sets it on his lap, so that he could look straight into Uvo's hazel eyes. "Are you annoyed, Uvo?"
Uvogin snorts. "Hell, yeah. We've been doing nothing for a week, Danchou!"
"And so we have."
"So what now?"
"We stay here."
"Why?"
Chrollo gives his friend a long, thoughtful look. Why, indeed? He could go on for hours about what is running in his mind, on how he wants to start experimenting once the girl awakens. But that would only take too long, and he has no habits of explaining his plans when they are not yet solid. It is too soon for an explanation. He needs the girl awake first, and then he could talk to the others.
Nobunaga then enters, wearing an annoyed face. "What the heck, Uvo?! What're you doing in here? We're supposed to go to town five minutes ago!"
"So loud," Uvogin complains, covering his ears.
"Let's just go!" Nobunaga demands, stomping his feet on the floor.
At this rate, Chrollo wonders if the girl would wake. A small part of him wishes she would.
Glowering, Nobunaga turns his heels and leaves the room, though he takes a brief second to snatch a glimpse on the sleeping girl, still huddled under a blanket and breathing faintly. He feels annoyed to the core, but with their leader's thoughtful presence, he decides to stomp away. Uvogin yawns and follows him outside the cottage.
The girl moves to her side, muttering something under her breath. Chrollo narrows his eyes and waits, but his waiting comes to naught. She remains sleeping.
Somewhat already tired of waiting and watching, he gets up from his chair and goes out of the room. The outpost could only hold a few people, forcing the Spiders to camp outside. The crates of the Scarlet Eyes are stocked in the living room. He would not want to open them in such a dreary place. Such beautiful treasures must have a proper shrine.
Outside, the Spiders turn around to meet his face. They all nod to him, and he nods back. He puts both hands in his pockets and observes the surrounding forest. They are too deep in the mountains to be discovered. There is a cliff not too far, allowing them a bird's-eye view of the province.
"Status, Shal?"
"Unchanged, Danchou," Shalnark reports. "Though there are some strange happenings two hours ago."
"Happenings?"
"The birds are flying away, must be some kind of commotion."
Chrollo nods. Travellers, reporters, or even gossiping people. One week after the forest fire and massacre, someone is bound to find the rotting, eyeless bodies they left behind. "Phinks, Feitan."
The two Spiders step forward: one a tall, blond man wearing a tracksuit, the other a short dark-haired man. If there is someone proficient in murder, it would be these two−the ruthless pair.
"Learn what you can about these happenings," the Spider head commands, his voice ever quiet and gentle. The other members flinch in anticipation, hoping for a battle. Yet Chrollo does not want to take risks. "Kill anyone who dares go near the site. We cannot have swarms of police and Hunters on our trail."
"Aww. Why not, Danchou?" Phinks whines.
Chrollo smiles as he walks back towards the cottage. "We cannot risk too much attention. Not yet."
With a defeated sigh, Phinks nudges Feitan on the shoulder and races him down the mountainside. The others left behind also sigh and stretch, finding the absence of the loudest members peaceful. Shalnark sits cross-legged on the ground and plays with his phone; Franklin trudges to his post on the other side of the cottage; and Machi and Pakunoda, expecting their leader to ask them to check on the Kurta girl, give each other questioning looks.
As he approaches the room, Chrollo feels an unwanted presence inside. He stops by the doorway, one hand on the frame, and feels a flicker of possessiveness when he finds Omokage leaning over the bed, with his face merely inches away from the Kurta girl. To Chrollo, they look like one of those fairytale stories, where the prince kisses his princess.
He keeps the coolness in his voice. "Omokage," he says, "what brings you here?"
The master puppeteer barely moves. He rolls a lock of platinum blonde hair between his thumb and forefinger. "She's a beautiful sight, isn't she?"
"Yes." Chrollo steps closer to the bed. "She is."
"Mind if I check her?" Omokage's wild black eyes gaze up at him.
"I don't think so." One of the many things Chrollo dislikes is someone touching his property. Not his books, his clothes, his treasures. There is a part of him that wants his properties in the best conditions possible, especially a breathing Kurta. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Omokage chuckles to himself and finally draws back, straightens himself, and grins at Chrollo. "I was hoping you'd let me touch her for a while. Not really touch, but observe her, more like."
Chrollo sits on his chair, one possessive hand on the bed's edge. "For your puppets?"
"Yes!" The other man grins wider, maniacal even. "I already know what the other Spiders are thinking. I have slipped deep within their hearts and know for sure that they hate this Kurta for living. So, I want to propose something to you, Danchou."
"Really?" Chrollo rests both elbows on his knees and leans forward. "What can you have in mind?"
"I will make a doll out of her," Omokage says, pointing a finger to the sleeping figure. The crazed look in his face deepens with enthusiasm. "With your permission, of course. Once I do, all I need is her Scarlet Eyes to make the doll complete. She will be as sentient as dolls can get. She will be more powerful than this one. And… she will be eternal."
The Spider leader keeps silent for a few moments, but only to put on a show that he is considering Omokage's proposal. However, deep inside him, he has already decided what to do with his possession. He would not let anyone sway him from this course. He has a deep thirst for knowledge to quench, and that can only be successful once he has everything about the Kurta under control.
Chrollo meets the puppeteer's frenzy with calmness. "I appreciate your intentions, Omokage, but I already have plans for her. I want her as alive as possible."
The puppeteer's determined grin slowly tugs into a frown. The face he gives the leader is one out of confusion. He looks back and forth at Chrollo and the Kurta girl, who still remains unnamed. He swallows the lump in his throat and shakes his head.
"If you say so, Danchou."
"Thank you, Omokage."
At the doorway, the puppeteer pauses and turns back. "One more thing, Danchou. Can I choose her name?"
The Spider leader shakes his head. "I already have."
Before Omokage's shadow could truly leave the room, Shalnark comes rushing through the door, bumping onto the puppeteer in his haste. His green eyes are glazed with threat and urgency, something that makes their leader narrow his eyes in response. Omokage himself lingers by the door, eavesdropping.
"Danchou!" Shalnark all but shouts. "Blacklist and Treasure Hunters! They're closing in on us!"
"What?" Chrollo sighs, finding it more of an inconvenience rather than a threat. He has mountains of crates filled with Scarlet Eyes to relocate. What is more: he has an unconscious specimen, too. He would need the strength of the whole Troupe to protect the items. "How did they find us?"
"Probably Nen users," Machi chimes in, with Pakunoda at her back. "They must have received reports from the townspeople about the forest fire."
"What should we do, Danchou?" Shalnark asks.
Chrollo stands and rolls back his shoulder. If Uvogin is here, he would have jumped out of joy from the ensuing action. "Shalnark, you take Franklin and Machi to prepare for the relocation of the crates. Omokage will prepare the trucks. And Paku, you will help me with the load."
Pakunoda nods. She anticipates that the boss would take the Kurta's wellbeing into account.
"Well, then−"
An explosion. It rattles the cottage and everyone inside. Machi and Shalnark leave the room just in time to steady the crates. Pakunoda and Omokage rush outdoors and spot a thick, black smoke not too far from their hiding place.
Franklin whistles. "Looks like we've got company."
Pakunoda prepares her guns. "Hunters?"
He makes an annoyed face. "Idiots."
Whipping her head towards the forest road, Pakunoda sees Phinks and Feitan running back towards their camp. The two appear haggard, but both are grinning like the idiots they are.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hisses at them.
"I? It not my fault," Feitan says in his defense. He jabs a thumb at Phinks's direction. "Ask genius over here. Showed himself before Hunters because he thought they robbers."
"Because they are robbers!" Phinks shouts back. "They were looting for treasures and other stuff!"
"What that does make us?" Feitan counters.
"We're professionals!"
Pakunoda feels her head starting to ache from all the shouting and bickering. She hears the sound of motors and cars heading their way, climbing up the steep curve of the mountain. She turns about and sees Shalnark and Machi almost finished loading the Scarlet Eyes in the two trucks they stole from town.
Chrollo steps out of the cottage, and Phinks and Feitan stop their arguing. "We should get moving," he commands in a quiet voice. "The safety of the Scarlet Eyes is our priority. Phinks, Feitan−draw out the Hunters and keep the fighting here, while others escape out to the forest. And Shal−call Uvogin and Nobunaga. Tell them the situation has changed."
"Aye aye, Danchou!"
There is a loud whistling sound coming straight to their outpost. Every Spider lunges out of the way of the rocket, and it explodes a few meters behind the cottage. The thatched roof catches fire, the bamboo walls collapse from the impact, and the very stilted legs in which the cottage stands upon threatens to give way. The Spiders look back at the sorry little house without much care, though their leader rushes back inside to retrieve his most precious treasure yet.
Chrollo shields his nose from the black smoke and easily finds his way back to the room. Two walls have collapsed, revealing the forest scenery from behind. What catches his attention the most is the person on the bed.
She's awake, he notes with satisfaction. His Kurta is awake and he can finally move on to his exploration. He is careful when he walks towards her, his dark eyes trained on her golden ones.
She sits on the edge, two bare feet flat on the floor. Her orange robes are askew, unveiling one creamy shoulder. Her pale blonde hair is over her other shoulder and covers the bandages of her gunshot wounds. She peers around her as if trying to discern what is happening, and then notices Chrollo's careful approach. She blinks at him.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, kneeling on the floor in front of her. Behind him, he hears Franklin's gunshots ringing and exploding, accompanied by shouts of men falling dead. He puts his arms around her torso, carrying her off the bed.
"Danchou!" Shalnark's voice somewhere. "Time to go!"
"Never mind," Chrollo tells the girl and carries her in bridal style. "We have to leave now."
She says nothing. She only lets him carry her out of the cottage and drop her into one of the trucks.
The Spiders disperse. Machi drives the first truck and leads it out of the forest. Shalnark sits on the passenger seat, with Chrollo and his Kurta at the back. The second truck goes to the other direction, with Pakunoda driver's seat, Omokage and Franklin at the back. Phinks and Feitan decide to stay and keep entertaining their pursuers.
Chrollo sits back and relaxes. He knows well enough that those two can escape unscathed. Instead, he turns his attention to the young woman next to him, who is predictably quiet and confused with the raucous gunfire and screams. He watches her squirm in her seat and try to peer outside the window. As she turns, he notices the dark shade of red spreading on her right shoulder.
He reaches out to her, his touch gentle and calculated. "You're bleeding," he murmurs.
Machi glances up to the rearview mirror. "Shall I stitch her up, Danchou?"
Without permission, he proceeds to strip the Kurta of her robes, pulling it off her shoulder so he could see the extent of the blood. The girl does not protest at all. He believes she does not even comprehend the grave situation she is in.
"Yes, please do." Chrollo withdraws his hands and lets the Kurta observe her own blood.
"Shal−" Machi swerves the truck and it jerks violently upwards. The blond Spider hits his head on the roof and groans. "Take the wheel."
"Fine, fine," Shalnark sighs as they struggle to switch places.
Now on the passenger seat, Machi guides the Kurta to face her. She gathers the unkempt mass of hair away from the wound, and then proceeds to use her ability. The threads glow in the dimness of the vehicle as she works her wonders, knitting flesh, muscles, and skin together and attempting not to leave a scar.
Once finished, the girl stares at her closed wound in wonder. Chrollo nods his thanks to Machi.
"Where to, Danchou?" Shalnark asks.
"Have you called Uvogin?"
"Yes."
"Call him again. Tell him to find a place for us to stay in town."
Machi starts up. She seems concerned. "Downtown, Danchou? What if these Hunters find us there?"
Chrollo's eyes are once again trained on his Kurta, who now yawns and leans against the window frame. He allows her to sleep again, only because they are still in such a compromising position. When they are settled, he would also settle his score with her−once and for all.
"They won't," he answers Machi. "And if they do, we will kill them."
Author's Notes: Keeping the update streak strong and steady here, fellas! I love writing the Phantom Troupe anytime, anywhere—so here's my chance! Thank you very much for reading this! As for the latest HXH chapter, rest in peace, Kacho!
*xenocanaan - Hi, thank you! I imagine little Kurapika heartbroken because of the massacre. Poor baby :(
*MissEkat597 - Thank you! Hoped you liked this one!