{Secrets}

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A reason for living.

It was an abrupt question Chrollo had never thought about. It rarely occured that someone asked him this with such a sincerity. No one really cared enough to ask him. The people that did, without a doubt, wished for his demise. Asking this was the only way, they could rationalize the cruelty of his actions.

Maybe like this, the pain they endured could find some meaning.

But Chrollo never asked himself that. Not even once.

He glanced down at the calm voice next to him. Her voice was neither low nor high. It was soothing and flowed like clear fountain water on a summer's day. Her lilac-blue eyes looked at him wide open. There was a cat like curiosity and intensity in them.

The stage light that was placed at the other end of the room, reflected a marbel shimmer in her eyes. It was just enough for him to see the soft pink sparkles in them.

Chrollo's mouth parted.

"I see... I never thought about it before... That's..." He said. "An interesting question."

Taken aback at his remark, the gears in Aurora's head turned, and slowly clicked into place - like a clockwork.

A content chuckle escaped her lips.

"What's funny?" Chrollo asked.

"Hahaha, guess." she said.

"Then... I shall pass." He refuted with a blink.

"Hey-" she said with a huff, "here's where you're supposed to say: «Sure, you are such a charming young lady. I can't help thinking 'bout you girl~»"

"..."

"It's a joke!" Aurora jumped up. A tad bit embarrassed at the deadpan look he gave her.

After Aurora rose, she winced. Staring down at her immobile right arm she dreaded the memory that came with it.

The curtain flicked open and Pakunoda entered, a silver cart in front of her.

Aurora glanced through the open curtain. The brilliant stage opened up widely in front of them. It was but a short moment of glamour. Soon the curtains fell back into place, casting a long, depressed silence backtage.

"How many items left?" Pakunoda asked.

Aurora unintentionally flinched and craddled her broken arm and bandaged neck reflexively.

He eyes locked with the mature blond woman in front of her. Pakunoda refuted her blatant stare with another one of her own.

Slowly, ever so slowly Aurora forced the muscles on the corner of her lips to move. She hoped a genuine smile appeared on her face rigt now.

Now it was Pakunoda's turn to freeze. Her gaze wandered for a bit before she replied with a small, stoic nod.

Beneath her friendly facade, Aurora huffed a sigh of relief. For a walking pool of information like her, Pakunoda was seriously bad news. Her natural nemesis so to speak.

Once she assured a safe distance from Pakunoda, she sunk back into her status as an observer and scuffled closer to her little, secure corner. She should have been elated, but the memory of that still haunted her.

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Flashback

After Aurora reunited with the Phantom Troupe

"Paku. Check her." Chrollo commanded, seemingly out of nowhere

Aurora didn't have time to understand the meaning behind his words. Too soon did she feel push from behind. She stumbled a few steps forward and turned around, giving her offender, Chrollo, a nasty glare.

Chrollo's gaze remained as impassive as always. It reminded her that there was something more important for her to address.

'Check?'

From the Troupe a woman with short bob-length blonde hair approached. She wore a suit with a cleavage, making Aurora wonder how that attire was even able to cover... those boo- 'I mean bazookas.' Bazookas, indeed. She nodded to herself with a dry chuckle, until she remembered that it was rude to stare and threw Chrollo a wary glance.

'What's the meaning of this?' Her gaze demanded.

Chrollo didn't move an inch. He just...

stood there, watching her throw arrows at him with her subtle, not so subtle glare.. She was really too intense.

'Idiot!' He could the unspoken words crawl up his skin.

She was amusing. He could give her that.

Aurora turned away with a frown, when she realized that he had no intention of helping her. Her senses however were tickling and ringing like a high end fire alarm. This was just her instinct speaking... but as far as she was concerned that woman in front of her was dangerous - a lot.

'Remember Aurora -' She heard Solomon's voice. A scenery from not so long ago played in her mind.

To be exact, it was an event that happened shortly after she had mastered her Nen abilities well enough, for her to be sent on solo missions. Solomon wasn't fickle, unlike Ney, and thus, once he approached her with a serious voice, she had actually paid attention for once.

'...It is better to be the hunter and not the hunted...'

Aurora tilted her head down with a smile. This was something she obviously knew. Wasn't this just common sense?

'Out there, you'll meet many people who desire something from you. Sometimes it's what you have, sometimes it's what you have to acquire... But just like how you are willing to risk your live to attain information, others will do everything in order to protect theirs...'

She tilted her head in confusion. She wasn't sure where this was going.

'I'll be frank... What's the price you'd pay to keep your secret-...?'

The current her, didn't remember her answer anymore.

This well-ingrained memory had become a part of her already.

That's why, when Pakunoda stretched out her hand to touch her, Aurora moved like a well-tuned machine, led by nothing more but simple muscle memory.

Summoning a knife from the strap hidden under her skirt, Aurora pinpointed it towards her target at extraordinary speed.

It was too fast. Or rather too unexpected for Pakunoda to interrupt, and she quickly stepped back to fend of the attack...

But...

"!" Pakunoda gasped.

The knife wasn't directed at her.

'If she touches me, I die. If she touches me, I die. If I spill anything, I die. Crap! This woman is dangerous! Far too dangerous. I... - This is too dangerous... - I have to...-'

'You are a treasure. My most precious piece of art. Only you are not allowed to fall into prey. Live and survive. Live, even as piles of bodies gather beneath your feet. Live, even as your world is dyed in red...' A voice from somewhere afar interrupted her train of thought.

'Where- did it come from? Who is... the one speaking to her?' She didn't remember. Although she didn't remember it felt so familiar and comforting to her...

But none of that mattered. 'If I can't escape... At least I have to make sure to keep my secrets.'

She took a deep hesitant breath and jammed the knife into her throat. She involuntarily shivered from the impact. The sharp metal tore through the last little piece of protection - her skin - , and dived deep enough to tear through the vessels beneath it.

Immediately the taste of blood filled her mouth. The sharp pain hit her like a raging torrent

almost instantly, and with it blood spurted out of her mouth like the fresh hot lava of an errupting volcano.

'Urgh- Shit! This. hurts.'

Her eyes filled with an incredible pain just by staying open. The knife between her fingers trembled.

'I- can't move it...' Aurora flinced. The metal stuck to her flesh started to heat up from the red liquid spilling on it.

Her world turned and came to a sudden halt when she fell against something hard.

"Paku!" Someone screamed. But Aurora wasn't aware of anything else. The mantra repeated in her mind over and over again.

I have to die. I have to kill myself.

Whatever it is, under no circumstances was she allowed to let this woman touch her. The risk was just too huge.

'The price of my secret, huh?' Aurora thought in her haze.

'A pity-...' she thought.

'I was this close...'

She was ready to face death. She had faced it many times. No, she already died once. She was convinced of that.

Still, she was this close from achieving one of her top placed goals.

She had lived her life freely, playing a high risk game, with a high a return. She bargained and nearly succeeded.

It annoyed her that she had missed that goal by only a slight margin, but...

'Ney, Solomon. I'm sorry.' Bidding her mental goodbyes, Aurora faced the imminent darkness with a smile.

'I'll be taking these secrets to my grave.'

A/N

My friend cried reading this...

- Author (DawnAsterism)

"Does boss plans to let her join?"

"Saa, it's possible."

"I'm still against it! Having those brats join is a better idea."

"Brats?"

"Ah boss! That's right you don't know. There's a young boy who's an enhancer like Uvogin..."

- A Talk Amongst The Troupe Members

Thank you for reading!

Please continue to love & support Lycoris, Yoshihiro Togashi and HxH for a long time!

There will be a continuation coming in a few hours. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned until then!