{Sleeping Beauty}
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When the time to relocate had arrived, the Troupe did not expect to find the lycorice-head slumped against one of the boxes next to the wall. Her long, wavy hair covered half of her face and did a proper job, acting as a tiny cushioner and pillow for her to rest in. Her chest heaved up and down slightly, resembling a subtle wave and with it, a strand of hair that had lost its way from the rest, fell from its hold. It trickled down, flickering like a trail of water. This was a strangely endearing sight, so serene, even the Troupe was moved... without even knowing why.
So when Phinks had passed her by, on one of the many occasions while he was looking for the last few auction items, he was baffled to see Chrollo, his leader, turning a page from his book after giving a few directions, as if there wasn't a stranger sleeping next to him.
"Is something bothering you, Phinks?"
"Uh... Boss..."
Chrollo looked up wordlessly.
"W-Well..." He glanced at Aurora and fell silent. "Oh- Shalnark found some clues about the chain user."
"Sharlnark did? Great job as always. What is it?"
"..."
"Phinks?"
"I can't do this after all. Boss, do you plan to let her join?"
Chrollo closed his book and glanced at the girl sleeping next to her.
"It is a possibility. We just lost Uvo and she doesn't seem to be leaving either."
- 'Not until she gets that goddamn interview.' He added. -
"But Nobunaga seems to have taken a liking to those kids, you let escape... I don't need to make any rash decisions. We still have time."
"Well, whatever your decision is, we will follow you, Boss..."
"Is there something you aren't saying, Phinks?" Chrollo pointed out.
"U-uh... it's just... I don't think she belongs to us Spiders. She's... too much of a nice person."
"It's unlike you to think about what's good and bad. Don't you think it's too late now...?" Chrollo said, lowering his head with a light chortle and teasing smirk.
Phinks rubbed his neck swallowing a blush.
Silence fell around the, as heavy as mist. This silenve carried the weight of hundred words. It weighted just as heavy as what was on Chrollo's mind.
"...Technically, no... it shouldn't be possible... However Phinks, maybe you can tell me. Does she remind you of someone we know?"
"Huh?" Phinks pondered for a moment.
"Sorry, boss. Never saw her. And never met a person like that either."
Chrollo couldn't help but notice the use of pronouns.
"That's fine." Chrollo said. "Your answer is enough."
Seeing his boss returning to his book, Phinks went back to his tasks.
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Shortly after Phinks left, Shalnark passed by carrying a pair of red glowing eyes in his arm.
"Yo, Boss! This is the last Auction item according to Kortopi, shall we gather the rest-" He paused with his mouth agape.
"OOOHH-! What's that!" Shalnark asked and leaned in as if he had just found the newest game console on the market. Only that this time, his gaze wasn't focused onto a game or anything else, like that but a living - and sleeping - person instead.
"So she's still alive, I guess! Must have passed out because of the pain. I don't blame her, Feitan can be pretty nasty with his pranks." He said offhandedly, with a shrug that feigned innocent, but also showing that he did not care.
"Still... That's interesting... She's sleeping quite peacefully for someone who just had a near death experience... But I guess, I should at least expect this much for someone who wants to interview us, hahaha." Shalnark said with a laugh.
"So, Boss? What do we do now. Can we take her with us?" He added.
Chrollo smiled ever so coldly. "Is this your sign of approval, Shal?"
"No way!" Shalnark defended. "You are keeping her alive, that's why everyone is assuming this. But... it sure is nice huh? To have a cool ability like that. Some people sure have it nice~!"
He said playfully as he put a hand on his hip, the remote controller in his hand.
Chrollo nodded.
"You are useful for our Troupe too, Shal. As the Head of the Spider's, I have chosen each and everyone of you for a purpose."
"Hahaha! Thanks, Boss! I'm glad to hear that. Although this is just a run-of-the-mill ability, that you can easily replace..." Shalnark finished with a shrug, his playful voice growing more serious towards the end.
"I have no intention of conceding my seat voluntarily ever."
Chrollo allowed another burst of air to escape through his lips. "Yes, thank you."
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"Good work, Paku." Chrollo greeted the blonde lady that had just returned to the backstage again after selling off the last of the Auction Items.
Pakunoda looked at him. She didn't want to admit but things had gotten a little awkward between them. For one thing, whenever she looked at the man, there was a tiny pang of pain in her chest. An unreasonable, insensible, dulling pain that should have been buried and long forgotten by the passage of time.
Remembering, when they were just children, so blissfully innocent and pure. Despite growing up in the infamous region known as Meteor City, their days were bright. There was a sun blazing in the hopelessness that lay there. A light that came from no one, but Chrollo himself. His smile that was as radiant as the sun, his light that shone with kindness and brought joy to all those watching him...
Back then, all that they wanted was to perform... eternally! It was a wish and yearning never granted to them. The bright stage they were standing on now, was far too dark, for it to hold any resemblance of the little peace of haven they had in the past.
Their dreams of becoming notorious and infamous as a Troupe had been granted. They fulfilled their wishes and lingering regrets with Chrollo as their leader... but at what cost?
A bud of love that was never meant to bloom. - In the end, that was all that they were.
Pakunoda always found answers by searching the memories of others, and yet, no matter how much she searched her own ones... She never found the answer, that lurked in the depths of her own ocean.
"...Thanks, Boss..."
'That smile is lost now.' Pakunoda thought as she looked at the raven-head.
And now, Chrollo was no longer Chrollo. At some point along the line, he had become just 'Boss' for the majority of them.
A trusted figure, a loved being, a respected entity...
And while, none of them would claim that their love nor respect for him had changed in anyway. That they, in the end, still loved and cared for him as much as they did for their own...
As Pakunoda watched the space beside her empty, a shallow whispering thought echoed from within the dried well of her heart...
'When did we change?'
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A ceiling of bricks and stars spread across the darksea watered colored night sky above them. The slightest shimmer of light flickered from the corner of her eyes. Aurora jolted awake.
"Finally up?" The voice soft and light like feathers falling from a pillow's bursting.
"Urgh..." She winced at the pain in her arm. "...Where am I?"
Her eyes flickered across the room. Stone and bricks lay scattered above each other. The floor she was in, was slightly elevated and it took her a moment to realize that most likely, she was resting on the remains of a second floor of whatever discarded ruined building the Troupe had decided to stay in.
'So this is their hideout?'
It was a reasonable assumption, which Aurora did not bother to rectify.
She looked at the familiar raven-head next to her. Only the faint light of a candle flickered in front of him. He was - as usual - holding a book, His Nen Conjured Book, in his hand. Suddenly, Aurora had a very, very bad feeling about this.
She slid her feet of the stone block she had been resting on like a lamb brought to slaughter on an altar.
"Hold on. Who brought me here?"
Chrollo snapped his book shut and stood up following her actions.
"... I want to at least say thank you to whoever carried me here before I die..."
She took a hesitant step backwards as Chrollo approached her, leaving her to topple over an stray piece of rock and toppling over clumsily. "Urgh-"
Really, could her day get any worse?
"There are two choices for you... Amaranth-san."
She flinched at the polite form, he was using. Biting down on her lower lip, she realized the severity of the situation, stood up and offered him a glare after tidying herself up.
He threw her a few pieces of paper, neatly lined up.
"This is... an oracle? I didn't know you were into occult..., on the other hand... nevermind - it does fit."
"So? What about it?" She asked, genuinely curious now.
"Use your ability."
"What?" She asked genuinely confused.
"Feitan-"
"Wait a minute-! Just wait. A minute. I said "What", not that I wouldn't do it. People can get confuse, you know?" She immediately cut him off.
She swore she heard someone sigh with disappointment below.
Her eyes shot up at Chrollo with fury flaming through them. She took the pile of papers from his hands, and...
«Scoop (Sensational News)»
Chrollo's eery gaze that lingered on her, allowed for a tiny droplet of sweat to roll down her back.
But she ignored it and chose to focus on enhancing her collection of associations.
The number of oracles, the words, and phrasing, from its structure and metaphors mentioned, she fell into a strang of words. Little fragments of heavens appeared on by one. Colors interweaved into a playful mosaic, creating the image of a world built upon stardust. Of the universe built upon fragments and cosmos.
This space was something, they'd later refer to as the "collective consciousness" but for now, this was just the world Aurora saw whenever she delved into "Scoop."
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On the outside, unbeknownst to her, a red-pinkish hued aura had begun to wrap itself around her like a blanket. It wasn't smooth liked the way most seasoned Nen-User, who knew how to control their Nen, controlled it. Nor was it spiking as when they used Hatsu. No, contrary to everything Chrollo saw before, her Nen was bubbling. These nen bubbles separated into the tiniest of fragments, splitting, falling and turning to dust like stars did.
These dust - looking like particles surrounded her body, making her figure glow in a hazy, close to transparent, amaranth-colored light.
As Chrollo quietly admired this cosmic display of Nen, Aurora's eyes suddenly flashed open.
The pink sparkles in her eyes, moved around like a lost beehive before coming to a calm and finally setting in and disappearing back into their usual dullness.
Her solemn, startled gaze flashed through the crowd below them, before they settle onto Chrollo.
"You guys are in some pretty dang deep shit."
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A/N
"Hanging out with Chrollo sure messes with your perception."
- Aurora in "Journal XIV"
Have been very busy this week (and month) but I'll take my time going through the reviews slowly! Can't wait to see your amazing thoughts and opinions!
Special Thanks to ScarletEyedChainUser! Your comments make my day.
Update: Lycoris upload date will change from Friday to Sunday!
Thinking about Chrollo and Paku makes me so sad. I was a little emotional when proofreading their little very brief moment. The most I managed to do was scratch the surface of their story and relationship BUT I NEED SOME PROLONGED BONDING OF THEIRS! Of course Chrollo x Aurora will always be my OTP though T-T
Thank you for reading!
Please continue to love & support Lycoris, Yoshihiro Togashi and HxH for a long time!