❛ Look After You. Chrollo Lucilfer

xviii. waltz

The two then found themselves back in Chrollo's car, a comfortable silence settling between them as the sound of the car running and the soft hum of the music played in the backround.

Chrollo continued to take glances at the vampire who couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Barcelona's streets. It was a trip down memory lane, the memories from the past passing her mind the same way they passed every street.

"Tell me about it," He started, catching Keiko's attention. She turned to face him — making him unknowingly smile since her attention was on him now— with a brow raised, "about?"

"Your life here. I could almost hear your thoughts, it's deafening. Might as well spill." He suggested as Keiko smiled.

"How I wish I could tell you; but it simply is far more complicated than that." She mumbled, sighing a second later. "These streets hold both dangerous and valuable memories, those that cannot be simply spilled in a light conversation. But I suppose, I could tell you a few."

Chrollo's curiosity deepened, noticing the shift in Keiko's demeanor as she spoke. "Barcelona," she began again, her voice carrying an edge that hadn't been there before, "wasn't just an escape. It was a hunting ground."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious. "A hunting ground?"

Keiko nodded, her eyes darkening as they reflected the city's lights. "I was different back then, as I've told you before. Less controlled, more.. primal. I didn't just survive— I hunted. And in this city, I was known as a ripper. I tore through the nights with a hunger that scared even me sometimes."

Chrollo kept his gaze on the road, but his attention was fully on her. "You were feared."

"And with good reason," she replied, her voice chilling in its calmness. "I was ruthless. There were no boundaries, no lines I wouldn't cross. The humans who crossed my path were just prey, and the other creatures— well, let's just say all I needed were Gerard and Mei at that time."

Chrollo felt a cold shiver run down his spine, not out of fear, but from the realization of how dangerous she had once been. "And yet, you walked away from it."

"Eventually," Keiko said, her tone softening just a bit. "It took a long time, and a lot of blood. But I did. The streets of Barcelona taught me about power, about what it meant to be a monster. But they also taught me that there was more to existence than just being the predator."

Chrollo nodded slowly, understanding her better now. "You found your way out."

"Yes," she said, her voice distant as she recalled those nights. "But not before leaving a trail of bodies in my wake. The memories of those nights are not ones I cherish. They're reminders of what I was and what I could still become if I'm not careful."

Chrollo's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, "And now? Do you ever miss that part of you?"

Keiko hesitated, her eyes locked on the passing scenery. "Sometimes," she admitted. "There was a freedom in it, a release. But I know that path only leads to destruction. So, no, I don't miss it. But I remember it, always."

The silence between them was no longer comfortable, but it was filled with understanding. Chrollo glanced at her, a new layer of their complicated relationship unfolding. "I'm glad you told me," he said quietly.