As Machi entered the flat the Troupe had barged into and stolen from some defenceless person, as it was nearer to Yorkshin than their current hideout, she recognized a scarily familiar child running around, trying to avoid getting caught by Phinks.
'Did you kidnap a kid?' she asked Shalnark warily.
'It's more complicated than that.'
'Was this why you called? What kind of emergency is this?'
'You see, remember we were going scouting to the port to see if there were any new interesting shipments, right? Chrollo wanted to catch some fresh air and all?' Shalnark tried to explain.
'Yes. I do.' Machi crossed her arms. Chrollo wasn't going to like having a brat interrupting their plans.
'So, something hap-'
'CAUGHT YOU' Phinks shouted from the living room.
Machi didn't wait for a justification and ran to where the scream had come from. The voice was definitely nostalgic and she feared what she'd see. As she entered the room, she saw Phinks grabbing a squirming young boy. Pale skin, skinny body, black hair falling down naturally and partially covering a cross on his forehead.
'Is...How did this...' she muttered staring at the kid and then at Shalnark, who was just behind her, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
'Who's that?' the kid stopped squirming and looked over at Phinks.
'Her name's Machi.'
'Machi?' he took the chance to free himself and stood up, staring at her. He was only wearing an over-sized shirt and the confused expression on his face did not match him, Chrollo, the leader of a deadly gang - now, a 7-year old. 'I have friend whose name's Machi, too. You two are actually kinda alike although she's smaller than me and has shorter hair.'
'Your name's Chrollo, right?' Machi knelt down to his height and he nodded.
'They told you?'
'No, I already knew it.' She smiled forcefully.
'That's weird.' he muttered. 'Phinks, let's try again, this time I'll definitely not get caught!'
'No, stay quie- danc- Chrollo!' Phinks sighed.
'Shalnark, what happened?' Machi sat down, watching how carefree Chrollo looked, much different from always.
'Well, it was all very fast. I'm still not sure what happened but after we scouted for a while and had a general idea of what had been transported, some old hag crying stopped us as we were leaving and started screaming about how we destroyed everything that was important to her or something like that.' Shalnark tried to recall exactly what she had said.
'She may have recognized you from your pictures the time we attacked the Yorkshin auction. Though, we checked they weren't online anymore right?' she questioned.
'Yes, and the only ones who accessed them for that very short time were Hunters.' he confirmed. 'We tried to ignore her. Danchou didn’t allow us to attack her so we just brushed her off but then, as we walked past her, she rushed to the front of Danchou, started chanting something and then left running. I didn’t have time to use Gyo but I think she may have casted a Nen Spell and it may be the cause of all this.'
‘Danchou passed out after a few minutes so we carried him back here and left him to rest while trying to decide to do, but after a while, when we checked on him, he was like this, completely unaware of who we were and where he was. He had forgotten everything so I called you for help and we tried to entertain him or see if we could turn him back.’
'I don't understand how a Nen Spell could transform Chrollo back to his child self.'
'Neither did I. Until I noticed this. Chrollo, come here!' The kid stopped in his tracks frowning and ran to the couch. 'Check this out.' He lifted the sleeve on Chrollo's shirt to show the Phantom Troupe's tattoo still marking his skin.
‘What is this is?' Chrollo frowned even more.
'I'll explain it to you if you can avoid getting caught in the next 10 minutes.' Chrollo sighed and nodded. Shalnark smiled back. 'One more thing, could you show us your Ren too?'
'Sure.' Chrollo agreed, focusing as all the white misty power gathered around his body.
'Thanks, buddy.' Sharlnak said as Chrollo ran back. 'You see what's happening? His Nen is still the same as before and the tattoo is still on his body, meaning this is probably a temporary condition which will be broken as soon as the spell is broken.'
'Chrollo also didn't have the cross on his forehead when he was a child, I remember that.' Machi commented. 'And what do we need to do to break it?'
'I'm not sure. I think only the spellcaster knows and probably, subconsciously, Chrollo, too. So we should try and see if we can get anything from him.'
'We should probably get some decent clothes for him to wear and then go for a walk with him, maybe something on the streets will give us a hint.' Machi smiled again, looking at how Chrollo was attentively trying to outsmart Phinks.
'That seems like a good idea.'
‘Just one more thing.’ Machi asked, getting Shalnark’s attention back. ‘Do you have any idea what the woman chanted?’
Shalnark hummed. ‘I’m not sure. I think something along the lines of ‘Feel what the world felt’ or ‘Remember your roots’.’
All of a sudden Chrollo stopped, looked down and ran to the window, opening it. Phinks grabbed him before he jumped off.
'What do you think you're doing?'
'Let go of me.' he said as he tried to free himself. 'I'm hungry, I'm going to get something to eat.'
'You can't just run away like that, we're taking care of you.'
'Well, thank you, it was nice meeting you, I gotta go.'
'And where are you getting that food, exactly?'
'I'm hungry, I'll just take it from someone or something, I'll plan on the way there.' he shrugged. 'If you want, I'll bring you guys something too.' he smiled, turning his back to go out. 'I know this city better than any-' he stopped talking when he looked outside. The sunset painted the Yorkshin skyline a beautiful shade of red. Chrollo felt his heart stop for a second, fear coursing through his veins and his expression emptying himself of any emotion.
'This isn't Meteor City.' Chrollo claimed, turning back to the trio. 'Where am I? Why am I not home?'
-X-
'I still think he doesn't buy it.' Machi sighed as they walked back from the store with fitting clothes for the boy.
'Well, if you were a kid that stayed in one place your whole life and suddenly, you're on a completely different city, with people who claim to be your friends, but twenty years older than you, I think I'd be pretty confused too.' Shalnark chuckled. 'I think that if he sees the rest of the Troupe then he'll start believing us.'
'Hopefully.' they walked quietly for a while, checking if there weren't anyone following them.
'I didn't expect him to be so fussy and restless, I was hoping for a quiet, polite kid.'
'Not at all. He was always like this when he was younger, at least it’s what I remember; always running around alone, always messing up and laughing about it. Sometimes he'd hang around Nobunaga and Uvo; I always remember him tuttoring Paku on Hatsu; other times he'd disappear for an entire day, only to come back with a stupid plan to steal something.' She found herself smiling. 'He was very bossy and cheery. At the time, his plans weren't very meticulous - he always tried to convince everyone to join in but, little by little, less people started agreeing to do what he suggested - and many of his plans failed so he started going alone just to avoid having to take so much responsibility.' Shalnark didn't restrain himself from smiling at those memories.
"Until one day." she frowned. "He calmed down: started running less and reading more. He'd always be at his hideout reading all kinds of books, sometimes rereading them until he knew them by heart. He changed. Sometimes he'd be the normal Chrollo we were used to but he started growing into this new persona, calm, collected, someone who'd always plan ahead and wouldn't allow himself to fail." she looked over at Shalnark but saw no reaction. "When you met him, the old Chrollo didn't exist anymore. Not that I miss him but it is curious to see him again as a child. I guess he just matured quickly."
-X-
'I don't wanna read, I suck at reading. I'm hungry. Let me go outside!' Chrollo protested for the hundredth time. Phinks clenched his fists, greeting his teeth and holding back the urge to punch his boss on his tiny currently-childish face. As soon as the door opened, he ran to the entrance and Phinks groaned in relief. 'I'm hungry.' he said as both Machi and Shalnark entered the flat.
'Well, change clothes and we'll grab something to eat.' Machi said and gave Chrollo the newly-acquired clothes. The boy didn't wait, just taking the only piece covering his body and replacing it with the fresh t-shirt and shorts. He was also given a pair of shoes and afterwards, was ready to go.
'Let's go!' Chrollo claimed, walking out. The trio sighed.
-X-
'So, where do you wanna eat?' Shalnark asked, looking over to the wary young boy, who seemed ready to run away at any second.
'I don't know. I want to eat chocolate.'
‘You can’t feed off sweets, choose a restaurant and hurry up, we have to get back.' Machi exclaimed and Chrollo pouted. ‘It’s probably going to rain.’
'Oh, that one seems nice.' he said, pointing to some random restaurant.
'Wait, which one?' Phinks asked looking over to the options. None of them really seemed appealing. 'I don't th- Where did you get that chocolate bar?'
'Oh, a kid gave it to me.' Phinks scoffed at the comment, smirking at him.
'So, you stole it.'
'It's not stealing if it was yours to begin with.'
'I think I hear someone saying they also have something for you across the street, inside that restaurant, should we go get it?' Chrollo grinned back and nodded.
-X-
The walk around the city turned out to be pointless. Nothing seemed to trigger any memory of hint of how to break the spell. They had passed through the hotel where he’d been captured by the chain user and he didn’t even spare a look; he only stopped for a second to stare at a television that showed a national mourning of a country representative.
Soon enough they decided to return to the hideout.
'What took you so long? Where's Danchou?' asked Nobunaga, as Shalnark went ahead. He could hear the high-pitched voice coming upstairs, slightly muffled by the heavy rain outside, and still didn't know what to expect from the situation.
They'd chosen again an abandoned building on the outskirts of Yorkshin. A part of the Troupe had gathered along and whilst the three had gone scouting, Machi, Franklin, Feitan and Nobunaga were ordered to wait in the hideout.
'We have a bit of a situation here.'
They were only confused until the child entered the room.
Silence lingered in the room as the Troupe exchanged stares with Chrollo, who was slowly putting up a fighting stance, preparing for a supposedly upcoming fight - or so he felt, by the stares that were being given to him. Nobunaga barked a laugh and then sent a deadly stare at Shalnark.
'How did you do this?'
'We're not sure, we think it's a Nen Spell.'
'What are you talking about?' Chrollo asked, confusedly. 'Who are these people?'
Nobunaga jumped from where he was sitting and stood in front of Chrollo.
'Don't you recognize me?' Chrollo shook his head. 'Are you sure, Danchou?'
'Danchou?' Chrollo looked at Shalnark and Machi for any hint of what he was talking about. 'Who are you?'
'My name's Nobunaga. I'm part of the gang you created, Chrollo-'
'How do you know my name?'
'-, the Phantom Troupe.' Chrollo could feel his heart beating faster. He didn't know what they were talking about and was getting nervous. He felt like he should know all of this and who all these people were, he could feel their stares burning his skin as they all expected something from him but the more he tried, the foreigner everything looked.
'Wait, your name is...Nobunaga.' Chrollo grabbed his head, his body shaking.
'I'm Franklin, Danchou. And that's Feitan.' he pointed at the silenced individual, the one who was sending a piercing glare at Chrollo. 'I hope you remember us.'
'I...I-I really don't but...your names...' Chrollo was starting to look panicked now. 'I know...I have a friend with the same name as Machi and know people with the same names as you and they all look familiar to you...' he then looked at Shalnark who nodded.
'We weren't lying to you, Chrollo.' Shalnark interrupted him. 'We are those people.'
'But, how can it be? Where am I?'
'You're under a spell that turned you back into a child and, apparently, it erased all your memories of your future.'
'How...So, I'm in the future?' Chrollo asked, having sat down to try and process all the information being given to him.
'No, well, it's hard to explain. You still are the twenty-eight year old Chrollo we know-'
'I'm twenty-eight...?!' Chrollo looked more bewildered with that piece of information than with the rest.
'-yes, and your memories are probably still in your head, they've only been suppressed with Nen.'
'So, all those people that I know, they...they exist, they're just older?' Shalnark nodded and after a while, Chrollo managed a smile, looking at everyone with a new light in his eyes. 'So, I would later meet you, right? And Phinx too, and, hm, Feitan, was it?'
'You "wouldn't", you did.' Shalnark smiled, having finally reached the kid. 'And we all gathered because of you and formed a Troupe, led by you.' Chrollo seemed a bit taken back by that bit.
'If that's so...' Chrollo started, breathing in excitedly. 'Then where's Pakunoda? You know her, too, right? She's my friend.' He turned to Nobunaga. 'And Uvogin wasn't your friend? Where is he? I heard a lot of rumours in Meteor City about how strong you two were together. Or was that Nobunaga not you?'
Everyone remained quiet and Chrollo looked around for any reaction. Shalnark sent a look at Phinx and at Franklin who were probably thinking the same: saying the truth could bring unknown consequences which could maybe never turn their boss back into his original form. Perhaps lying could save him from the pain.
'They're dead.' Chrollo stopped, his eyes widening and his heart stopping as he heard Feitan's voice. He didn't dare to turn to him only staring at the ground. 'They died for the spider.'
Chrollo wasn't exactly sure what that meant but, whilst Feitan received glares from his companions, he couldn't even budge. He only felt a sharp pain at the end of his fingers, his heart hurting with every tug, and anxiety filling his veins. That paranoia, the one he felt every time he went to sleep, that fear of losing everything in a second, had come to life. His legs had turned into stone as he processed the information.
They were dead.
Chrollo remembered every second he was teaching Pakunoda Ren and exactly the sound of her laugh. He admired her talent and what she would be able to achieve. He longed to see her grow. He saw flashes of memories that looked completely unfamiliar to him yet hurt him in unimaginable ways.
They were dead
He hadn't even been able to meet Uvo but all his will was stolen as he knew he'd died for something he had created. He had killed him. He had been the cause of his death and he did not enjoy the idea of being the cause of someone's death.
They were dead.
As tears gathered up in his eyes, he finally was able to move and rushed to the door to escape that place. He was held by Machi and, quite unable to compete with her strength, sent her a glare.
'Chrollo-'
'Why?! You were his friend, right?! Why did you let him die?!' he spoke directly to Nobunaga, then aiming his stare at everyone else. 'Did you just stare as they died for something stupid?!'
Something I created, he thought.
'Danchou-' Nobunaga was about to start, sadness and rage mixed up in his expression.
'Don't bother, that's not our leader.' Feitan cut him.
'No, what am I saying?' Chrollo said, chuckling as tears streamed down his face. 'It was my fault.' He used nen to free himself and slowly went outside the room.
'Where are you going, Danchou?' Franklin shouted.
'I'm finding another future to be alive in. I don't like this one.' he answered, nonchalantly.
'Chrollo!'
'What?' he questioned, his voice quiet and raspy. The guilt filing his heart made it hard to even breathe, let alone talk.
'You can't-'
'I will! I'm going away!' he replied, panting afterwards. 'I don't want to live in a future...where my friends are dead.' He leaned against a wall and let himself fall until he sat down, hiding his face on his knees, quietly sobbing. 'I thought I'd grow to be strong and able to avoid pointless deaths.' he said, his voice dead serious.
What do I do now?
‘There's nothing I can do.’
'But there is.' Nobunaga sat down next to him but Chrollo refused to move. 'You can pray for their souls and make their wishes come true. It's a way to keep them alive.'
'How do you know that?' Chrollo asked, raising his head slightly.
'You taught me that.' Nobunaga claimed, his face expressionless. 'Their wishes were to keep the spider, our Troupe, alive. You’re our leader, Chrollo. You need to stay here for them.'
Chrollo pondered over what he'd just been told and then nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes.
'How do I pray?' he asked.
'You hold your hands together, close your eyes, relive all the memories you've had with them, and wish the best for them, wherever they are now.'
They decided to call it a day, and after letting Chrollo learn how to pray and grief, listening to his quiet tired sobs, they decided it would be better to return to the stolen flat and let him rest properly there.
'Is it okay to leave him in the room alone?' Phinks asked.
'I think it's for the best. Tomorrow we'll think about what to do, we may need to find a Nen Exorcist again.' Machi sighed.
-X-
Chrollo did not enjoy sleep. Although always being tired, he was unable to sleep with so many ideas running through his head, only taking sleep breaks whenever truly necessary. However, whenever he did, he was never one to be haunted by dreams and memories, not even as a traumatized child.
He didn't know why he was naked when he woke up, lying in between torn fabric and under a thin blanket. He could sense a headache coming as he tried to stand up so he decided to lie down again on the foreign bed, recalling the unusual dream that had played on his head while he slept.
He was standing in front of a corpse, head down and tears streaming down his face when he felt the familiar touch of an elders hand on his shoulder.
'What do I do now?' Chrollo asked, failing as he tried to brush off the tears. The familiar look on his friends face was replaced by a blank one, the pool of his blood soaking Chrollo's bare feet.
'Do you want him to disappear?'
'No.'
'Then honour his soul and become stronger for him.' the elder responded. 'The best way to honour the dead is by staying alive. He'll live through you if you fulfil his wish and keep him alive inside you.'
'I...I don't know how to do that.' Chrollo replied, sobbing. 'I don't know how to get stronger.'
'Look at me, Chrollo.' the young child raised his head. 'Read. Learn what you need. Get wiser. Fight and walk out alive every time. Steal their heart, their power and their lives. By stealing from other people, you'll empower yourself. Then, you'll get stronger.'
As the headache wasn't getting any better, he decided that perhaps he should walk around and catch some air. As he was about to stand up, someone knocked on the door.
'Chrollo? I'm coming in.' Machi opened the door and was surprised to see the full-grown Chrollo sitting on the bed. 'Oh, sorry, Danchou.' she closed the door again, sighing.
Chrollo could hear the voice of the Troupe outside his room, as Machi informed them that he, apparently, was “normal” again. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant but he couldn’t focus on that. There was an annoying tug in his heart and all he could feel was that someone had just stolen something from him.
He clung into that feeling of emptiness and shoved it away.
That was it. I hadn’t written in english for quite some time so this felt nice. Hope you enjoyed it.
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