Chapter XVIII

In the coldness of the night, three orphan children ran for their lives.

Two young boys, dark-haired and scrawny, dressed in all black to better blend in the shadows. One a young girl, blonde and fair, with bottle-green eyes and quick feet. They ran underneath the heavy downpour of the rain. In their hands, food−sacks of extra rations, bread, and grains. Water clouded their vision as they ran in one file, keeping half of their attention to the bodyguards rummaging the city.

A Mafia don arrived earlier that evening to negotiate with Elder Ryence. There had been a breach of contract and a misunderstanding between Meteor City and the Mafia community that forced the Ten Mafia Dons to send some of them. They brought food and clothes for the citizens, a sign of their peaceful intentions, but the citizens needed more food and clothes. The children always needed more.

The three orphans ducked under awnings and hid behind piles of garbage. They ran as fast as their little feet could. At the end of the street was their exit−a hole in a truck's wall.

"Everyone all right?" Chrollo asked his friends, both panting behind him.

"We have to hurry." Feitan's damp hair fell across dark eyes. "If we're found out−"

"I know what happens if we're found out," Rhanion snapped at the both of them. She hoisted a grain sack over her shoulder. "So maybe we should be quiet and quick. We don't have it all night."

They stopped arguing and glanced at a corner. A pair of bodyguards was making rounds in the area. Chrollo motioned for his friends to wait, and when the guards were out of sight, he nodded back to them. Together they dashed across the damp field and prepared to enter through the hole, almost at their shoulder-level.

Feitan and Chrollo dropped their sacks and helped Rhanion enter. Then followed the rations and bread.

"You're next," Chrollo told Feitan, preparing to give him a boost.

"No," Feitan growled.

"Go with Rhanion! Now!"

They heard quick footsteps and Chrollo immediately clutched Feitan around the waist and shoved him into the exit. Rhanion's hands made quick work pulling him inside, settling him beside her. They fell quiet as the pair of bodyguards returned and found Chrollo standing by the truck, hands behind his back like a boy caught red-handed.

One guard snarled at him. "What are you doing? Don't move!"

The second one grabbed him by his dark hair and slammed the side of his face on the truck's wall. The metallic clang echoed around, and Feitan almost lunged himself out again if not for Rhanion's hand on his.

"Smuggling out food, eh?" The second guard forced Chrollo's face against the wall.

"Where are your friends? We saw someone with you," growled the first.

"It's just me…" Chrollo answered through gritted teeth.

"Liar!" The second guard slammed the end of his gun to the boy's face, and Chrollo fell to the damp earth, clutching his bleeding mouth. The guard crouched and pointed the barrel to the boy's ear. "Answer us, punk. You wanna die in the rain, kid? Leave your body out here to rot?"

"I told you," Chrollo hissed, the blood bubbling in his mouth. "I am alone…"

The interrogation was cut short when an imposing scarred man walked towards them. He had a large group of bodyguards surrounding and carrying black umbrellas for him. A black car's headlights were shining down on the exchange. It blinded Chrollo for a moment, before the figures stood before him and blocked the light. They looked down on him as if he was trash, a nobody who could die without someone feeling remorse.

The Mafia Don raised an eyebrow at the bodyguards. "What is happening here?"

"Caught this boy smuggling out food with his friends, Lord Viper," the first guard answered.

"He won't tell us where his friends are," said the second one.

"What's your name, boy?" Lord Viper turned black eyes on him.

Chrollo glared at them and said nothing.

Lord Viper took a step closer to inspect the boy's disheveled hair and tattered black shirt. He offered a hand to him, and Chrollo warily accepted. "Were you indeed stealing food from the Mafia?"

Again, no answer.

"If you tell me your name," Lord Viper said as he gestured a hand to his men, "I will let you and your friends go with the food you have taken. No tricks or traps, whatsoever. Just tell me your name, and then go home to your parents, if you still have them. This is bad weather for a child like you."

"My name is Chrollo," he answered after a while. He kept his teeth from chattering in the cold, as he was subjected under closer stares of men in black suits and guns. "I stole the food on my own. I came to the tent alone and grabbed what I can."

"Quick and smart," the don said, amused. "Tell me, Chrollo: do you like living here?"

"I am exactly where I should be," young Chrollo said.

Another bodyguard came up to them and whispered to the Mafia Don.

Lord Viper nodded and smiled at the boy. "It seemed we found your friends," he said as four more bodyguards rounded from behind the truck and dragged Feitan and Rhanion out with them. "They were on their way back to the church, to seek refuge I presume, but were caught en route." He clicked his tongue, as if disappointed to see young children stealing under his nose. "Shame you lied for their sake, boy."

Chrollo's eyes were wide with fear.

Two guards held Feitan by the neck and forced him on his knees. Another one had his hand weaved through Rhanion's rich blonde hair and kicked her to the earth, forcing her face first onto the mud next to Feitan. Feitan snarled like a trapped animal and struggled against his guard, but the man pointed a gun at the back of his head.

The Mafia Don produced his own gun and pointed it at Chrollo. "Your life or theirs?"

Without second thoughts, he blurted, "Mine."

Viper's lips spread into a wide, amused smile. Slowly, his outstretched arm turned into a semi-circle and pointed at Rhanion. He cocked the gun as he crossed the distance and pressed the barrel on her forehead. He turned back again to Chrollo. "Your life or theirs?"

Feitan's angry voice snapped. "How about your life, asshole!"

"M-Mine." Chrollo's voice started to shake. Under the rain, the tears and the water mingled. His eyes were only on Rhanion's face, mirroring the same nervous, horrified expression. "My life," he repeated, desperate and scared. "Please. I am sorry. Take me, my life−"

"Wrong answer." Viper turned back to Rhanion−

"No, no, please, don't−"

−and fired his gun.

It happened both so fast and slow that Chrollo could not believe his eyes.

Fast, because it only took less than a second for the bullet to go through Rhanion's skull.

Slow, because despite the distance, he could see the fragments of her skull and the pallid grey matter of her brain, streaked with pale blood, burst from her head. The gooey mixture of brain, flesh, and tufts of blonde hair stained Viper's polished shoes. A large part of her cranium, still cradling some brain matter, was crushed under Viper's boot.

Chrollo did not remember what happened next. All he could remember was the broken fingers Feitan received as punishment and the broken lip Chrollo suffered from the gun.

It was a lifetime much better than Rhanion's fate.

"Danchou?" A quiet, sleepy voice calls out to him.

As Chrollo opens his eyes, he realizes that he has been dreaming. Something hot and damp rolls down his cheeks. In the darkness of the infirmary, with him seated on a chair, he covers his face with a hand and wipes his tears away. He manages to choke back a sob, against the idea of him crying for something sentimental in the shadows. How strange for him to dream that particular nightmare. He thought he suppressed that nightmare over the years. Feitan surely had.

He composes himself and grunts, his left shoulder still mangled and numb. It hangs loosely on his side, too useless for anything as of the moment. Then he prepares a smile and rounds towards the bed. His breath hitches in his throat then, too shocked to think of anything else−not even the nightmare−but her.

Valtiel sits up on the bed, wearing a loose white robe that slips over one shoulder. Her hair is naturally a thick mess over her back. But Chrollo does not see her: he sees her eyes, only her eyes. In the darkness of the room with only the silver moonlight spilling through a small round window, he sees only her eyes.

Scarlet Eyes.

For the first time since the Kurta massacre.

Vivid and mesmerizing under the moonlight.

Wide, round, and enticing.

When Valtiel closes her eyes and yawns, she looks back at him with slightly glassy eyes, the scarlet dancing and overwhelming the golden of her irises. The color is bright and full of hope, of promises and secret pleasures. When she tips her head to the side, the moonlight catches her left eye, glinting the reddish glow more than the right eye.

"Danchou?" she tries again, her voice soft and tired.

"Ah−yes." He clears his throat and leans forward on his chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel strange," she sighs. "And a little feverish. How long have I been sleeping?"

"Two days. Healer Atara told me you might recover sooner than expected."

"Why is that?" She tips her head to the other side, and now the moonlight catches her right eye while the left is in the dark. She blinks and wonders why the Danchou keeps staring at her like a predator ready to seize a prey. She shifts under the blanket. "Danchou?"

"Hm?" Chrollo pauses to think for a while. He could think of a hundred reasons why he's staring at her. But explaining the circumstances of her learning Nen at the wee hours in the morning is certainly not one of them. "We can ask Healer Atara later if you want."

She nods, too tired to press the issue. Her concern lands on his shoulder and she jerks on the bed, crawling on all fours to get to him. Reluctant fingers touch where his shoulder meets neck. The flesh there is hard and swollen, and it makes her wonder how he could endure such an injury for two days.

He shakes his head. "It's fine. I'm waiting for Machi to arrive and fix it."

At once, her face brightens. Her eyes dance redder and more beautiful. "She's coming here?"

"Yes, along with some others."

"Who?"

"You can find out in the morning when they come."

Valtiel keeps observing his appearance, until her brows furrow. Once more, she reaches out to cup his cheek. Strangely, she feels something damp. Using her thumb, she wipes away the rest of his tears as her gaze searches for his eyes, only to find them melancholy. "What's wrong, Danchou?"

He chuckles and paws at his eyes. "I had a dream, that's all," he says evasively. He starts fussing over her pillows and blankets, avoiding her Scarlet Eyes. "You should go back to rest. It is still too early for you."

She yawns in agreement. As she slips back under the covers, she tugs at his good hand and pulls him towards her, to the bed. "Sleeping on a chair is uncomfortable. Stay with me," she mumbles.

"Is this an order?"

"Think whatever you like. I'm sleepy."

Chuckling, Chrollo eases himself into the bed, careful not to put pressure on his wounds. He sighs as his body falls on the mattress, having suffered sitting on that chair for two days since the attack happened. Valtiel pulls the blanket on both of them while Chrollo's right arm snakes around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. She nestles close to him, her head on his good shoulder, while his nose is on her hair.

Holding her like this, he feels the warmth of the aura that is shrouding her body. It almost feels laying beside a human heater that he keeps smelling her hair until he shifts again.

"Look at me, Val."

She does, raising sleepy eyes to his smiling face. She gives him a rather questioning look.

"You have beautiful eyes," he whispers. "The most beautiful color I have ever seen."

"You're making me blush," she chides teasingly.

"Oh, really? I would love to see you blush. Perchance I should compliment you more often?"

"It won't work." She rolls her eyes at him, and he laughs deep in his chest.

"Maybe." His gaze lingers on her eyes, on her face, on her pale lips curled into a playful smirk. He could tell that she is fighting sleep only to entertain him−or perhaps distract him from his previous nightmare−that she is willing to stay up longer for his pillow talks. But Chrollo knows better; he knows that he has to sacrifice what little amount of time he has of the Scarlet Eyes, before letting them go.

He shifts once more, pulling her closer to his chest. "Let's go to sleep."

She buries her nose on the fabric of his white shirt. He smells like coffee as he always does. "Good night."

"Good night, Val," he murmurs against her hair and closes his eyes.

It has been a long time since Chrollo dreamed of something. Tonight, instead of rain and blood, he wishes to dream of Scarlet Eyes−and the horrified screams of the Kurta Clan as they died one rainy night.

Franklin and Bonolenov are waiting by the city entrance when Machi's group arrives.

Machi leads her group, which consists of Kortopi, Uvogin and Shalnark. The other Spider members are too far across continents already when their leader asked them to come home. Apart from Machi, the three other Spiders are the only ones available and decided to tag along with her to hear the news.

At the city entrance, the Troupe members exchange a few bits of information of what happened, before Elder Meinerth comes along to deliver the group to the church's infirmary.

Inside, the group pauses, rather unprepared to see their Danchou sharing a bed with the Kurta girl.

"I need to capture this," Shalnark mumbles as he hurriedly reaches for his phone. Then, with a quick flash, the photo shows up in the screen of his cellphone and shows it to Uvogin. They both snigger like children.

"He looks so cute when he sleeps, doesn't he?" Uvogin coos.

"I am not sleeping." Suddenly, Chrollo rises from the bed with his black hair tousled and jutting in every directions possible. The bags under his eyes look darker and sharper, and his pale face shows that he is nowhere the range of amused. "And I am not cute."

Uvogin scratches the back of his head, sheepish. "Cute? Who said anything about cute? I-I meant the little kiddo! Val looks cute in her sleep." He nudges Shalnark with an elbow. "R-Right, Shal?"

Shalnark shrugs his shoulder. "I don't know, Uvo. I did hear something about Danchou being cute−"

His dark eyes on Shalnark, Chrollo feels the familiar guilt tugging at his heart. He falls silent even as Shalnark and Uvogin tease each other. All he could hear is himself pleading for his friend's life, pleading for Lord Viper to take his own. It happened almost ten years ago, but the pain and the guilt still feel so fresh that he could not bear to look at Shalnark without remembering Rhanion's same blonde hair and cheerful green eyes.

"Enough," Machi snaps, glaring bright blue eyes at them. She folds her arms over her chest. "This is an infirmary and injured people are resting. If you're going to brawl, do it outside."

"Yeah." Kortopi bobs his head and points to the bed. "You woke her up."

Valtiel rises from behind Chrollo and rubs her eyes. Instead of the livid scarlet earlier that morning, the golden of her eyes have returned, teary as she yawns and blinks at the sudden new faces. She stares at them as if discerning who they are, but when her mind finally registers them as the Spiders, she leaps on the mattress like an excited child, with Chrollo bouncing along with her.

"Machi-san!" She beams at the pink-haired woman, and then smiles wider. "And everyone else!"

"Morning, Val," Kortopi greets.

"Good to see you again!" Shalnark beams back at her.

"How are ya, little kiddo?" Uvogin sits on his haunches beside the bed, and pats her head and pinches her cheeks. He grins as her cheeks turn red from his constant pulling, and only stops when he receives a scolding smack on the arm from Machi.

"We heard about what happened," Machi interrupts, speaking to both their leader and the Kurta. Her eyes linger on their leader's shoulder. "Shall I stitch it up now, Danchou?"

"Oh, wait−" Uvogin tugs at the dark purple sash around Machi's waist and points at Valtiel. "Can you see that? Is that what I think it is? Is it even possible?"

Kortopi nods thoughtfully. "I see it. Not half-bad."

Shalnark turns to their leader. "Since when?"

"When we were attacked," Chrollo says. He stands from the bed and looks at the white aura steaming from Valtiel's entire body. She could see it as well as everyone else. "A transmuted lightning. It was not entirely hostile, but the malice was still there. Made her unconscious for two days but her aura nodes open. She has been using Ten since then."

"Since what?" Valtiel blinks at them. She raises her hands to her face and notices the thin white veil that shrouds her body. Every inch where she looks, it is there. She shoots them a confused look. "What is this?"

"That is your aura, your life force," Chrollo explains, accepting the inevitable. "That is Nen."

"This?" She gestures with her hands and admires the flow of aura that follows.

"And what you're doing right now is Ten," Shalnark adds, smiling at her achievement. "We were told you suffered an attack that would have killed an ordinary person; but since your aura was already leaking by that time, it saved you from receiving further damage. You saved yourself."

"Oh," she murmurs, unable what to think about it.

"Also, you can use Ten for defensive purposes in a fight," Kortopi adds.

"Oh."

Shalnark and Kortopi blink at her. "Oh?"

Valtiel tears her attention away from the aura and asks, "Does that mean I can summon carnivorous fish to fight, too? Or I can now turn my body into iron?"

Chrollo shakes his head. "That is far too advanced for you," he says. "For now, keep using Ten and maintain it for at least another hour. Then you would have to learn something else to stop the aura from completely leaking−"

He clamps his mouth shut then, sensing the excitement in the air. More explanation means pouring more oil into the fire. "Stay here as you are. Machi and Shalnark, you come with me upstairs."

"Sure, Danchou. What about Uvo and Kortopi?" Shal asks.

"We'll stay with little kiddo here," Uvogin says. "Teach her more about Nen and stuff."

"Only Ten," Chrollo reiterates. "No more, no less."

"Gotcha!" Uvogin winks as the three leave the infirmary.

Chrollo leads his Spiders to the bedroom, left untouched for two days straight when he refused to leave her side. He has not changed clothes or been into the shower since then. He is aware that he must be nothing but filthy and unsightly by now, but neither Machi nor Shalnark seem to care. He sits on the edge of the bed as Machi sits in front of him, preparing her needles.

With a low grunt, he removes his white shirt. Machi's careful fingers trace the curve of the swelling, feeling for the pressure points and the blood and flesh in between.

"I will have to make an incision in your shoulder, Danchou," she says as a warning. "I need to create a pressure and release the swelling blood, and then prevent more blood flow by sealing the open wound."

"Of course." He nods. "Whatever you think is best."

"May I ask something, Danchou?" She takes out a special needle and surrounds herself with aura. "Why did you wait for two days to have something as severe as this to be treated? It's very dangerous, even if you can endure the pain. I thought Healer Atara is capable."

"She is," he confirms, "but she specializes in herbal balms and healing oils. She helped treating the blisters on Valtiel's skin, but she is helpless in surgery. I would rather wait for you than settle on anything less. You are the best surgeon I know."

"Then I will start cutting the skin first," she says, retrieving a blade. "Please remove your aura."

While Machi cuts deep and long over the swelling skin, Chrollo ignores the sharp pain and turns his attention to Shalnark. "Shal, I need you to search something for me. Something about a Kiyobu Family."

"Let me see what I can find, Danchou." Shalnark bends over the wooden desk and notices a thick manuscript of poems. He puts it aside and starts typing away in his laptop. "You know the only thing I hate the most about Meteor City is the sole fact that Wi-Fi is practically nonexistent here." He lets out a whine as he complains. "We should really do something about internet connection here, Danchou. Something for the kids to enjoy−social media websites, video-sharing-websites, stuff like those..."

Then he pulls something from his pocket and happily shows it to them. "But look! I stole this pocket Wi-Fi from biggest telecommunications company in the last country I've been! Pretty decent, huh?"

Chrollo smiles in agreement. "Yes, it is."

Machi grumbles under her breath. "He's been nagging about that thing since we got on the airship."

"−This one is the latest they have," Shalnark continues in his monologue, "and the fastest one there is!"

"See? I told you," Machi grumbles again and Chrollo chuckles.

"And see this port right here? You can also charge your electronic device here. It is also solar-powered, so there is no need to worry about−"

"Shal," Chrollo interrupts, his voice gentle yet firm. "I asked you to search about the Kiyobu Family?"

"Oh, yes, right, of course!" Shalnark laughs aloud at his own monologue and continues with his task. With his Hunter License, it only takes him a moment to find what he is searching for. "Kiyobu Family, right? The one with a black butterfly symbol on it?"

"Yes, that one." Chrollo stiffens as Machi puts pressure on the gaping wound, hoping to relieve the swelling that has been for days. He grits his teeth as blood pours into a small bucket on the floor. "I want to hear everything about them."

"For one thing, they are not a really big organization," Shalnark says. "The Kiyobu Family works for the underworld of the Kakin Empire."

Chrollo's jaw tightens and Machi feels the weight of his quiet fury.

"Since they are not too big, only with twenty-three members, there is not much information the Hunter Website can give us. They are at the very bottom of Kakin's underworld, too insignificant and without that much influence−for that I am sure. It is like a predator at the very bottom of the food chain." Shalnark swivels on his chair and turns to them. "So these guys attacked us the other day? They have guts."

"Do you have any information of their base of operations?"

"Umm, nope, but I can hack to a server and find out if they made transactions in minor businesses," Shal explains as he types again, eyes glued to the screen. "Credit cards, convenience stores, hospitals−that sort of thing. But I would need a name or two to lessen the range."

"Try Zaire or Makali'i."

"Strange names, but okay."

Machi finishes relieving the pressure and proceeds to sew Chrollo's severed flesh and skin back together in mere seconds. She pulls the threads together and makes a fine cut over his skin. "There," she says, satisfied by how their leader's arm looks good. "The threads could only do much, so I suggest that you don't overwork yourself, especially that arm. If you need to do anything physical, you can ask any of us."

"Thank you. I feel better now." Chrollo pats Machi's forearm with his left hand and stands up. He winds his arm to test its flexibility. To his relief, he could feel no extreme pain, but a sting still lingers inside.

"Here. I found someone named Zaire in a department store," Shalnark announces. Both Chrollo and Machi take his side, bending over his shoulders. He clicks on a picture and it shows the same hulking man with dark hair and thick brows.

"This was in Larkinge City one week ago. And the second name," he continues, switching to a new window, "Makali'i is more of a spender. He spent half a hundred million for clothes and shoes. This was in Caister City. Now the thing is−both Larkinge and Caister are on the same country in Yorbia. Which means−while it is obvious that they have a base of operations in Kakin in the eastern continent, they also have a base of operations in Yorbia in the west."

"They are not very discreet people, are they?" Machi muses, glaring at the sight of a youth with ridiculous blue hair and leather jacket. "This one looks rather young."

"Some of them are," Chrollo agrees.

"So why did they even attack us? Bono says they wanted Val."

"I believe they do. Valtiel had an encounter with one of the Kakin princes during our transactions for the Scarlet Eyes," Chrollo says. The very memory of it annoys him. "The prince learned of her Scarlet Eyes and promised to bring her back to Kakin with him. Now he is honoring his promise."

"Are we going to hunt them down, Danchou?" Machi asks.

Chrollo shakes his head. "No need for that. They are not much of a threat," he says, confident in his abilities and in his friends. "Though I might have to do something if they persist."

Machi goes to the window and stares boredly at the horizon. "Like that?"

The two Spiders flank her sides as the familiar sight of something big and heavy, thus creating a sandstorm, approaches Meteor City. At the city's entrance, they could see Franklin and Bonolenov preparing for another round of battle. Chrollo sighs in relief. This time, they are better prepared.

They all proceed downstairs to the infirmary. At the room's threshold, they recoil at the sight of Valtiel surrounded by multitudes pink paper cranes. Kortopi makes more copies and throws them into the air. Uvogin, seated cross-legged on the marble floor, releases short bursts of aura at the cranes, making them appear as if flying and gliding. Amidst of it all, Valtiel laughs and admires the paper cranes with wonder.

Chrollo is unfazed. "I thought I asked you to teach her Ten," he says.

"We did, but Ten is boring," Uvogin whines. "So we breezed through Ten, Zetsu, and−" He ticks them off his fingers but pauses and turns to Kortopi−"What's the other one again?"

"Ren," Kortopi answers and looks at their leader. "And we explained a bit of Hatsu, but focused on Gyo."

"Yeah, and since I can't demonstrate my Hatsu indoors, we thought we could show Kortopi's, so ta-da! Home-made paper cranes!" Uvogin grins from ear-to-ear, childlike and enthusiastic. "And you know what's the awesomest thing we did? My own version of the Water Divination! Hey, Danchou, did you know that she's a−"

"Enough of that," Chrollo scolds Uvogin, not only for his disobedience, but also for his irresponsibility. He wants to take the reins of her Nen lessons and teach her nice and slow−but no, Uvogin has to be all enthusiastic and breeze through the four major principles in less than an hour.

He sighs and caresses the numb pain ebbing in his temple. "We can worry about that later. Right now, there's another group headed out way. It must be one of those groups of mobsters again."

"OH!" Uvogin jumps to his feet, all fired up. "My time to shine! Hey, kiddo, you wanna see my Hatsu?"

"Of course," Valtiel answers in an instant. "I would love to−"

"No, you will not," Chrollo rules, standing on a firm ground and watching both Uvogin and Valtiel deflate at his disapproval. Times like these he does not feel like the leader of the Phantom Troupe, but a parent with twelve rambunctious children and one pet puppy.

Shalnark laughs at the exchange. "Uvo! Why don't you join Franklin and Bono outside?"

Chrollo nods. "You and Franklin are our first line of defense. Let no one inside the city. Machi, take Bono with you and watch out for the misses. Shalnark and Kortopi will guard the entrance to the church." He allows himself a small devious smirk. "Make show for the enemies. Machi, tie the mutilated corpses across the entrance. That should give the next group a fair warning."

"We're on it, Danchou." The four Spiders rush outside the room.

Valtiel watches the paper cranes fall limp on the floor without Uvogin's aura boosting them. She folds her hands in her lap as Chrollo sits on the bed's edge, giving her a soft yet tired expression. She then notices the good condition of his arm and sighs in relief.

"Are you angry with me?" she mutters.

His face contorts into one of confused. "Angry? Why?"

She shrugs. "You sounded angry when Uvo-san told you about them teaching me about Nen."

"No, I was far from angry." He settles himself against the headboard and stretches his legs. His gaze lingers on her face as he decides on his next words. Sure enough, Uvogin spoiled the chances of her learning Nen properly, but that does not mean Chrollo could not make amends. "What did you learn from them?"

"Only the basics," she says. "We practiced Ten like you said, but Uvo-san got impatient and started lecturing about the other principles. Then he fetched a glass with water, and we found out that I'm−"

"You have more to focus than the outcome of your Water Divination. Instead, you should concern yourself with mastering Ten, shrouding your body with aura for hours, without feeling taxed. It should defend you from any sort of Nen attacks at the least."

"Ten, of course." She nods and closes her eyes as she concentrates on the warmth that envelops her. It makes her feel a bit feverish, yet the longer she concentrates on the feeling, the more she feels more comfortable. Instead of a fever, she feels bathed in sunlight.

Chrollo studies the steady flow of her aura, like sand inside an hourglass. Already he starts thinking of the ways he could tap into her potential as a Nen user, the training exercises he could do to ensure she would learn the quickest and most effective way possible. There are so many possibilities, deciding on the nature of training and challenges, when and where they could begin−and that is all just the basic principles. His skin crawls at the thought of her Water Divination, learning her category, and inventing an ability that suits her−and suits his purposes.

There is a sudden explosion outside. The entire church rattles and Valtiel becomes distracted from her concentration. The aura leaks from her body and aims upwards, like smoke.

Watching her distracted like this, Chrollo ponders if Meteor City is a safe place at all. He could not keep her here while a prince sends his mobsters to assault them. Teaching and protecting her at the same time would be extremely tedious. More than that, he could not keep bothering his Spiders to defend the city for them. To keep Valtiel in Meteor City is a risk he would not take.

Another explosion follows. Valtiel gives him a worried look, but he smiles and says, "It's nothing."

As it sometimes happens, his lies go over her head. He knows that look when she is unconvinced. Either she would roll her eyes or wrinkle her nose. This time, she wrinkles her nose at his lie. He laughs.

When Uvogin and the others return half an hour later, they are all drenched in blood. Uvogin has torn flesh caught in the brown fur of his bearskin clothes. Franklin has a splatter of blood and guts across his torso; while Machi's pink leg warmers are dark with dried red blood. Even Bono's white bandages, despite his known grace in battle, are slashed with red.

Their unruly appearances, paired with the fact that Chrollo and Valtiel have not touched a shower in two days, makes Shalnark grab his phone and capture a group photo of them. He and Kortopi laugh at the tired, forlorn faces in the picture.

"Damn, guys." Shalnark snickers at everyone. "You need to bathe so badly."

Author's Notes: Thus, I return with a regular update! Whee! I should pat myself on the back for being on time. Haha! And Happy International Women's Day to all of us hardworking women!

Finally, finally, finally... Chrollo has his Scarlet Eyes now! This dude has been waiting for this to happen since Day 1! Now that he has gotten what he's originally aimed for, he won't throw Valtiel away. Some people just have that mentality. They have what they want, then they're no longer interested. Is it even possible for him to leave her now that he's satisfied with her?

We have half of the Spiders back together again. It feels so long since their last appearance. Which are the lucky ones to train Val in Nen, however? Uvo got all excited about knowing her Nen type and that she's a−

And what do you guys think of the little flashback at the beginning? Any wild guesses, allusions, foreshadowing?

*xenocanaan - Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear you don't feel well! Hope you're doing better now!

*HuangShaotian0005 - "Whoever dare to hurt Val will have to answer to Chrollo." That already sounds like Phantom Troupe Rule #1313! Lmao

*ChroVal - Oh, yay! Valtiel fighting for schools! Next thing you know, after she learns Nen, she'll start fighting people. XD

*Amy - Sorry it took so long for me to update the last time. Angry Danchou is not a good Danchou. ●︿● I'm just glad he has his share of Scarlet Eyes now to make him calm...

*Dontcha - "Boundaries rip" So true! Our homeboy gotta start moving fast or else someone will sweep her off her feet. Literally, speaking. I can imagine Tserriednich or Hisoka doing just that! Chrollo gonna be so pissed, haha!

*Random Person - Thank you very much! And don't worry about it! Your English is very natural!

That's it for this week, folks! See you all next time! Please do leave reviews and let me know what you think!