The Ninth || Chrollo x Reader

IV. The Last

    My chest heaves with every breath I take, and across the roof, so does Machi's. I'm fatigued, my right side burns with every step I take. My right hand brushes my lips, and I wipe blood off my lips, leaving a smear of scarlet on my hand.

    Machi's left shoulder is stiff, her movements wary of mine, and though her actions are slowed due to a slight limp, I am in a worse physical condition than her.

    I have drawn blood from her, but resorted to brute forces rather than exposure- due to her Transmutation ability in which she is able to heal herself. Shattering bones and weakening muscles are outside of her abilities, and the actions that I have forced upon her.

    Again, she rushes towards me, and I counter to the left, the shoulder which she cannot use. I tense, pulling my right arm back, and surrounding my Ren onto my fist, as I uppercut her. Her jaw is snapped to the left, however the damage is not serious, as she was able to slightly dodge.

    While my arm is still extended, she aims for my weakened side, and her Nen thread tears into my wound, pressing into my flesh, as blood begins to spill out.

    The pain is blinding, however I lift my right leg, and using my Hatsu, I swing it into her stomach. Machi is pushed back to the opposite edge of the roof, bother her legs sliding on the concrete.

    She stops beside Nobunaga, who still has not been involved. I feel his gaze rest on me, but I don't acknowledge him. However, his voice is heard, due to the lack of wind that has ceased while our battle has continued.

    "Rather impressive, right Machi?" He asks her, though he continues to look at me.

    Machi doesn't respond, but launches herself from her position. She propels her right arm, to which I block with my forearm. The force meets the bruises on that arm, that had already been used so many times to counter her attacks.

    I feel my stamina begin to tear away, ebbing bit by bit with each move I use. Victory seems so far away.

    Her fist suddenly collides into my gut, and I wheeze as I'm pushed back. Black spots begin to limit my vision, though I vaguely see her figure approach through the fraying darkness.

    Nen threads sparkle in my vision, stretching and lengthening. Machi's threads have incredible strength, and are able to be lengthened despite their original size. Complementing her abilities are her physical ones. Her agility allows her to land swiftly, and attack at untraceable speeds. Injuring her was difficult, despite my former training.

    As her needle is thrown towards me, I activate one of my Hatsu abilities, Snake's Scales, where the aura around my skin is hardened to that of a snake's. This ability shatters or rebounds weapons that are forced upon me, however, there are slivers of skin on it, a contract that made up for the power.

    Machi's needles bounce off my aura, and land on the rough concrete. They fly immediately back into her hand, and I begin to rise from the ground.

    My vision is spinning, but I continue to fight. I feel as though I'm dying.

    When I stumble on my leg, Nobunaga snickers, and says, "Again? Really, (y/n), I'm surprised you haven't died yet."

The little girl sits in her mother's lap, eagerly awaiting their nightly stories. She grins as her mother begins to tell the tale, the tale in which she fights villains and foes, and always wins.

    "How do you do that, Mother?" The girl asks, her eyes full of wondrous awe.

    Her mother smiles softly, and replies, laughing, "To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't died yet."

    And the stories began to cease.

    Nobunaga rises from the roof, propping himself up from his sitting position. The sun has began to set, as his skin is cast with a glowing light. He whispers unintelligible words to Machi, and she sharply turns to him. She shakes her head, but he smiles, and reveals a gold coin in his hand.

    Again, a glittering coin is tossed into the air, and spins many times before landing inside his cupped palm. They both say a few words, before he reveals the results to Machi, who glares at him while he grins.

    He promptly turns around again, and plops down onto the roof, as he continues to watch the fight.

    This time, I decide to move first, as my heels are pushed off the roof, propelling each step I take. Machi and I exchange a never ending seam of blows, as we both take injuries and exchange them to one another.

    Abruptly, Nobunaga stands up, and says, "It's been ten minutes, Machi. A deal's a deal."

    She sighs, and rolls her eyes, as she stands up straight. Her stance is not positioned to attack, and so I relax, and straighten as well.

    Nobunaga approaches me, and I begin to prepare for an attack. However, he stops about five feet away from me when he says,

    "(y/n), you should join the Spiders."

***
    I'm both appalled and disgusted, and I don't find the words to respond. The Spiders don't show mercy, and yet here they stand, offering me an option other than death by their hands. They are murderers, thieves, they kill, they reap, and now they give me mercy.

    Nobunaga studies me, and Machi looks at him, a brow raised. She seems to disagree with his ideas, though they are able to act as one, most likely due to their flipping of the coin.

Her eyes look at the girl's, full of an indescribable emptiness, a void of darkness that will never end. This is the work of the Spiders, the girl thinks as she sobs. And her already broken heart began to break in new ways that were unimaginable.

    My Hatsu begins to course into my hands, and the force of the aura explodes on the roof. Bits of concrete fly into the air, and cracks form onto the building. Nobunaga and Machi are knocked down by the explosion, and quickly stand up.

    Sighing, Nobunaga says, "I guess that's her response." He shakes his head and heads back to an edge of the roof, where he sits down again.

    Machi doesn't react, and we continue to spar, however, Nobunaga's words continue to ring in my ears.

    (y/n), you should join the Spiders.

    I clench my jaw, and punch Machi square in the jaw, my anger blazes through each attack I make. Her eyes widen, as I kick her in the stomach, while her arms are up to defend her face.

    Her eyes widen as she retreats briefly, before running towards me. I activate my Ken, and stand still, as her attacks rebound. Again, she tries, however her attacks don't have any effects.

    However, this attack came from nowhere. Her needles and thread lash out from everywhere, and though my Ken continues to flow around me, her Nen threads begin to surround it. They sear through my aura, and begin to tie around me, restricting me from any movements.

    Machi approaches me slowly, her feet light against the concrete of the roof. With her Nen, she creates a string of thread, that catches the rays of the sunset before her. It stretches and shortens between her fingers, and she wraps it around my neck.

    The thread is cool to the touch, yet thick as steel. It begins to tighten around me, as I realize what she plans to do.

    I would die of suffocation, most likely in less than a minute. I gasp for breath, but oxygen doesn't flow into my lungs. My eyes widen in panic, and Machi's expression doesn't change, her eyes trained on me intently.

    My eyes flicker behind her, where I see Nobunaga frown slightly, however he doesn't stop her.

    And through my overwhelming panic, the words slip through my mouth,

    "I want to join the Phantom Troupe."

Author's note: Hope you liked the chapter, I'm open for requests and feedback! Remember to vote if you liked the chapter! P.S. We're going to see Chrollo next time ;)
~Amorevolous