The Ninth || Chrollo x Reader

XXVII. The Requiem

Two steps from the building, Chrollo stops walking. The other Spiders glance at him, and look at the skyline of Swardani. The glow of night shines on the rooftops and fountains that are placed along the city.

"Burn it all," he commands. And without hesitation, the Spiders walk into the city, and begin to destroy. Within minutes, the sounds of ambulances and screams can be heard from the corners of the earth. Microphones scream around, warning,

"The Phantom Troupe, enemy of the government, are present in Swardani City. Please evacuate to the nearest helicopter positioned at the end of the central streets. Again, the Phantom Troupe, enemy of the government, are present in Swardani City. Please evacuate to the nearest-"

I hear a choke from the microphone, and the message cuts off. As I walk along the sidewalks, a few people scream, as they look over their shoulders. Up above, there is a building, in which Phinks is holding a person by their neck, and dangles them from the top floor. They are bloodied from being shoved through the glass, and their legs kick, as they struggle to breathe.

I feel a body shove into me, and I take a step back to see a staggering woman with her child. The woman cries out in surprise and falls down backwards. As she looks up, her eyes widen and her daughter, a young girl, clutches her mother's shirt tightly. The brunette woman, cries,

"You're going the wrong way! The helicopter is that way! You should hurry before they make their way halfway to the city! They've only cleared about two streets!" She points down the street behind me, where the scenery greatly contrasts that of the buildings that surround us.

As she struggles up, the child she is with holds her hand, and they dash behind me, before I cut them off with an arm. A strong sense of deja vu washes over me, yet I continue to hold my arm up. The woman angrily turns towards me and shouts,

"What the hell! Let us out of here! Just because you wanna die, doesn't mean we want to too!" Her eyes are wide in a fearful frenzy, as she spits with each word she screams.

Wiping the saliva from my face, I glare at her, and feel my Ken glow around my fist. With a single punch, the woman body flies down the street, at a distance to where he most likely couldn't hear her daughter's scream.

Without a thought, the girl runs away from me, down the street, before I punch the ground. A split appears in the concrete, and she falls into the gap. Struggling, she attempts to push herself out, only to see that she wouldn't fit.

As I approach her, I hear her mother cry out for her daughter to run, for me to spare her, or to take her instead. Without a glance, I throw a Ben's blade into her chest and she ceases to scream. Her daughter shudders in fear as I approach, and kneel down beside her.

The girl's eyes are wide, fearful upon seeing her mother's death. And though there are many similarities between us, there is one major difference that I wish to conduct. Mercy, for the tragedy that may occur later in her life. Mercy, that I wished to have received.

And so I smile warmly, before taking the last of the child's breath, and wishing her the best in her eternity. I felt a strange sense of longing, that the world was able to grant me the same kindness that I had granted her.
                          ***
It has been one hour since the beginning. Swardani has been engulfed in flames and destruction, screams and cries, and the death of many. Each step into this damned city is one more corpse that lies on the ground. My clothes are stained in blood, and I sigh, wondering if I will be able to wash it out.

Sheathing my blades into my coat with a smooth flick of my wrist, I take another random turn into the city. The entirety of the area is not navigate-able. Rubble and pieces of buildings litter the streets, and signs have been torn off from their signs.

Painted buildings are now seared black from fire, or splattered red from blood. However, I'm able to recognize this one area. It's grass is lit on fire, but the field is still recognizable. It is located on the outskirts of the streets, and was able to avoid total destruction.

I smile wistfully, remembering the memories that this place had. But, I know what I must do. Lifting my eyes towards the skyline that stretches broadly past the grass, I keep my gaze trained on it, as I throw a lit match into the grass.

The flames rise from the plant, and before long, the skyline is no longer visible.

                              ***
My arms are crossed over my chest, and my mind lazes in boredom. Machi approaches me, equally idle, as we look at Phinks and Feitan who laugh loudly as they throw rocks around into buildings. Cracks form from the force of the rocks, and glass shatters from the impact of the collisions.

"(y/n)," she starts. "We should just get going." Machi nods off to her right, where the last street of Swardani stood. As we walk, remains of helicopters lie, smoldered, beneath rubble. Corpses remain inside the helicopters, and beneath the rubble.

As we continue past the helicopters, I see him. He does not face us, rather he faces the buildings that have been lit on fire. His blond hair flies in the wind, and his eyes are as red as the fire. When he turns towards us, he does not move, rather his eyes stay wide.

Machi stops walking, and glances at me as I approach him. She opens her mouth, but does not say anything. Rather, she folds her arms, and stands there as I continue.

Kurapika looks at me, though it feels as though he cannot see me. He does not say anything, rather stands there, and the silence between us is suffocating.

I open my mouth to apologize, but quickly close it, knowing that I was not sorry. Instead, I say,

"Kurapika." Nothing more, just his name, and his eyes raise towards me again. His eyes are fearful, and tears begin to spill from his eyes. A teardrop slides down his left cheek, and his eyes are a faded red.

With nothing left to say, I turn around on my left heel, and walk back to Machi. Each step I take is one closer to freedom. I've made my amends. I've done what was needed. This is goodbye.

And so, as we walk from the blazing city of Swardani, I raise my eyes up to the moon, and hope that my mother heard my requiem for her.

This is for you.

This city, lit ablaze, is the fire that I wish sustained your heart.

Author's note: If you liked this chapter, please remember to vote! I hope you enjoyed it :)) Also, thank you so much for the recent support! 3k reads is beyond my goal for this story!!
~Amorevolous