Runaway (Chrollo X Reader)

Chapter Four: Answers

A/N: This chapter does delve into Y/N's past. There are some references to rape and abuse, but nothing graphic. However, I am including this trigger warning because I don't want to cause any of my readers any sort of flashback or pain while reading this.

They all stare at me, no malice in their expressions, but nothing all that friendly either. I take a step back, but find my path blocked by something rock hard. I slowly turn around and come face-to-face with Chrollo.

He places his hands on my shoulders and addresses the troupe. "As I told you after she woke up, where she comes from the name Phantom Troupe has no meaning or power. We all knew that one day she would ask and we all agreed that if her reaction to the truth is not a good one then we will kill her."

My life has been put on the line more times in the past three weeks then it has been any other time in my twenty-two years of existence.

The others all nod as Chrollo steers me over to the loveseat that sits under the television. He sits next to me with one hand firmly on my thigh.

"So you want to know what the Phantom Troupe does?" He muses, his grey eyes staring deep into my E/C ones. "Well, to put it in the most simple of terms we are a group of thieves with Class-A bounties on our heads. We steal that which attracts us and if necessary we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty. All of us have killed, whether it be as a part of the job or for pleasure."

"Wow," Machi sighs. "You spared no time ripping the bandage off."

Murderers? Thieves? I thought Feitan and Phinks were joking when they said that to Shalnark. I mean sure they've all reminded me at one point or another that if I didn't meet Chrollo's standards by the end of the month then I'd be killed, but....

"Well?" Feitan asks, his eyes narrow.

I struggle to find my words. "I'm not surprised, I guess. I've heard you all joke about it. I guess there is that shock factor that it's not all just jokes." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "What I guess I'm trying to say is that I'm not afraid of you. You guys took me in and have helped me recover and indirectly helped me escape a life I never wanted. Nothing you guys say or do will change the fact that in my eyes, you're good people."

Nobunaga and a few others giggle. "Good people? Whatever you say princess."

"Now we've answered your question," Chrollo says, bringing all the other members focus back to the situation. "What made you leave the Kingdom of Ash?"

Oh, boy. I knew I would have to answer that question one day. I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. "How much do you know about the way the Kingdom of Ash operates?"

"The only thing we know is that it's as isolated as the NGL," Nobunaga answers.

"You showed us that much," Shalnark says, his perma-smile still in place. "I remember when you finally had enough strength to walk down the stairs and how you questioned just about everything in this room and the appliances in the kitchen. Trying to explain internet to you was harder than explaining it to an old person."

I can't help but smile. No matter how many questions I had Shalnark never got angry with me, as a matter of fact he seemed over the moon that he was able to share all his knowledge. "So, the Kingdom of Ash has no technology. It's very primitive compared to the rest of the world. There are no guns or electricity. We use candles and fires. Those who can afford it have wagons and carriages that are pulled by a horse or two." They all nod.

I stand up and run my fingers over my scalp to the ends of my H/C hair. "We have a king and ten noble families. The male heads of the noble families form the counsel known as parliament where the king, my father sits as the head. That's neither here nor there."

I begin to pace a ten foot section of carpet back and forth. "In the royal family you don't matter unless you are born a male. I have three older brothers. I'm the youngest and only daughter my father has. My brothers have the lay of the land at their fingertips. They have their choice of any woman in the kingdom, no matter her station. For me, well, I could only be taken by a member of the noble families." I pause. I feel the familiar sting of tears behind my eyes and my fists clench, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. "The men in the noble families would each get a week where they would come and stay at the palace and spend time with me. The activities they wanted to do with me were not limited in the slightest." My throat tightens and I choke on my words. Hot tears of anger begin streaming down my face. "They hardly ever wanted to leave the bedroom and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't even complain to my servants, otherwise they would report back to my father and I would be beaten or locked in a cell as punishment." My knees give out and I crash to the floor. "I couldn't rely on anyone, not my brothers or my guards. My mother was killed after giving birth to me. My father never wanted a daughter. I wasn't even allowed to go to school or make friends. I had a tutor who would strike me if I got an answer wrong. My brothers would let their friends do whatever they wanted to do to me all while watching and laughing. When I learned to read I thought I could find solace in stories, but they were all lies. There would never be a prince to come and sweep me off my feet and take me away from the unfortunate hell I was born into."

I find my way back to my feet. "I left because I had come to realization that I needed to be my own savior." Suddenly laughter erupts from chest, bitter laughter. "I couldn't even do that right. I had come to terms that I was going to die in that desert." My manic episode stops. "Then I woke up here with people who didn't seem all that thrilled to host me. My life was threatened over and over, but soon I had something to fight for. Being surrounded by all of you and getting to know everyone here gave me a reason to fight for my life. For the first time in my life I had an actual reason to want to live."

I sit back down next to Chrollo. "So that's why I left and this—" I look each member of the troupe in the face— "is the reason I can't go back."

Looking around the room again I notice a few of the troupe members have tears in their eyes. They might talk about themselves as a ruthless band of murderers and thieves, but I don't see them that way. Since they started helping me recover and train they've shown me that they are more human than even they think themselves to be.

Machi walks over to me and pulls me into a wordless hug. Shalnark follows and soon I'm in the center of a giant group hug.

The hug breaks and those with tears in their eyes are drying them as Chrollo takes my hand in his. We both sit back down.

"Y/N," he says. "Now that you've told us your story, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we want to help you."

My face twists in confusion. "Help me?"

His mouth forms a malicious smile. "I don't think I'm alone in saying that we would like to enact revenge against those who've wronged you. So I suppose I'm asking if you would like to be a part of that."

Revenge? Against those who wronged me? He's talking about my father, my brothers, the servants, the guards and the nobles. An image of all those who took advantage of me flashes through my head. I'm angry once again. "Yes." I pause before my own malicious smile paints my lips. "There are some nice treasures there that I'm certain would pique your interest as well."