His Flower

10 - The Troupe's Auction

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Juryoku heard footsteps approaching them. It must be the rest of the Troupe. Yoku stopped leaning on Chrollo and instead grabbed his hand. Pakuonda, Franklin, Phinks, and Bonolenov walked towards them avoiding the scattered rocks. Chrollo opened his eyes as the group stopped in place. " Looks like you had fun boss. " Franklin commented. " You doing okay? " He asked. Yoku used a gravitational pull to have Chrollo in a sitting position. 

" Yeah. Just a little tired, that's all. " Chrollo said. " You did go up against the Zoldyck family. " Shalnark said while walking into the room. Shizuku and Kortopi following behind him. " I wish I'd been there to see watching how those two fought you would've been very informative. " Shizuku stated. " Fight would be more... fun than watching. " Feitan said. " Kortopi, are we all ready to do the next step? " Chrollo asked. 

" Of course. " Kortopi said. " I can't make living copies, just ones that don't move. " He stated. Juryoku pulled Chrollo up to his feet with a stronger force of gravity. " Good enough. We'll stick to the plan. Also... " Chrollo said. He took the bandana that covered the cross on his forehead off. " Don't touch the ambulance that's carrying the girl. " He commanded. 

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The Troupe members slowly took care of the people behind the scenes during the auction. Chrollo took Juryoku towards the curtain and helped her find the handle to the card she would pull. Pakuonda was going to help her by pushing it and steering her. " Flower. All you have to do is pull the cart until you feel Pakuonda stop. " Chrollo instructed. Yoku nodded. She did just as he said, waiting until she heard the auctioneer. 

" Coming up next! Another splendid item for you! " The auctioneer announced as Paku and Yoku brought the cart on stage. " A solid gold executioner's sword direct from the Yulu national treasury. " The auctioneer informed. Yoku let go of the handle and faced the crowd. " Bidding starts at 20 million! " He exclaimed. " Forty million! " " Fifty! " " I hear 50 million. " The auctioneer implied. Shalnark pressed on buttons behind the curtains. 

Juryoku went behind stage with Pakunoda. She smiled since it was a nice experience to be up there in front of so many people. Yoku left the rest to Paku while she went to find Chrollo. Juryoku exited from behind the stage, there was a stairwell to her left. She ran her hands along the walls until she found them, walking carefully she reached the rooftop. " Flower? " She heard Chrollo's voice call out to her. Juryoku turned her head. 

She opened her arms then ran towards him and gave him a hug. The veil fell off her head. Chrollo put a hand on top of her head, hugging her back. " Was walking on stage fun? " He asked. She nodded rapidly. Chrollo chuckled. " I thought so. " He said. " You always seem to be happy, no matter what I ask of you. " He stated. Chrollo let go of Juryoku as she grabbed his hand. She lifted it to her cheek and rubbed her face against it. 

Juryoku walked towards the edge of the rooftop, she sat on the edge looking up where she assumed the sky would be. Chrollo accompanied her. " We have a crescent moon tonight. " He said. Yoku tilted her head to the side. She put the palm of her hand near his line of sight. He grabbed it gently and traced the shape of the crescent moon. " It is the same color as your hair, a pure white with a glow, the same glow your gold eyes give. " He stated. 

Yoku stood up still on the edge. Chrollo looked up at her. A gust of wind passed them, Yoku's hair danced freely just as her kimono swayed. Juryoku had a smile on her face. She was happy to hear from Chrollo. How he was kind enough to give her a feel of how the moon was shaped. He had always been gentle with her, always trying to avoid giving her any jobs. The other Troupe members knew, of course, she was his treasure.

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Juryoku rose her kimono sleeves to feel the wind. The air was lovely tonight, she enjoyed times like these. The joy she felt while gazing at nothing in particular. She sat back down while taking a deep breath, it was out of the ordinary since she had always been cramped up in that abandoned building. There was always a molding or rotten scent, she knew it wasn't the fault of the building. It was abandoned for a reason, the wallpaper was torn off the walls. 

Chrollo turned over to look at Yoku. He looked into her eyes with the same pity he held 3 years ago. " Flower. I apologize... " He said in an uncertain tone. She turned to him not exactly knowing where to focus her eyes. She slightly tilted her head to the side, then pointed at her eyes. " Yes. " He said. Juryoku only smiled and shook her head. She didn't exactly seem to care that she lost her sight, it was something she learned to deal with. 

" The others must be finishing up the auction. Come. " Chrollo said while standing up. Juryoku grabbed onto his arm pointing down. It was more than several stories high. She stood on the edge spreading her arms out letting herself fall. Chrollo quickly hurried to the edge and that's when he got grabbed and pulled down by her. The only sound in the air while they fell was her laughter. She kept laughing and giggling until they reached the bottom. 

She focused her nen on herself and Chrollo, landing safely on the ground. " Hm. " He let out. Chrollo pulled out "Bandit's Secret" flipping through a few pages then stopping. It was a teleporting ability. He grabbed Juryoku by the hand and began imaging the inside of the abandoned building. It was almost instant as they found themselves standing right on the platform where Chrollo always sat. Juryoku's nose scrunched up at the smell of rotten materials.

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