Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 42.

An eerie silence wraps the Phantom Troupe hideout, the faint sound of approaching footsteps bounces off the crumbling walls; a woman in a mauve two-piece suit and heels enters the room with a yellow backpack in her hands, behind her are two twelve-year-old children and trailing after them was Phinks, Machi and Nobunaga. "Welcome to our hideout," the older woman welcomes the guests, a hand gesturing to the main loft where the remaining troupe members – aside from their leader and Web – sat, waiting for their arrival. The Spiders eyed the hostages, indifferently staring as the children glanced at each member – recognising a familiar face. Hisoka turns his eyes on his latest obsession, pretending not to know the pair of friends which Killua reciprocates; Gon turns his head and spots the magician perched on a pile of rocks, releasing a sound of realisation that makes Nobunaga question him.

"What is it? You know someone here?" the swordsman asks.

"Ah! No..," Killua nervously lets out, ruffling his hair before turning his attention to Shizuku who sits a level below Hisoka with a magazine in her lap. "Oh! It's that girl!" he points out.

"Oh? You know them, Shizuku?" Phinks asks the short-black-haired woman.

Shizuku lowers the magazine, looking up at the duo. "Nope, never seen them before," she answered the brute blonde.

"Oh, I remember now...It's the kid who arm wrestles," Feitan points out.

"Who was that?" Shizuku asks him.

Franklin turns to the petite woman, pointing at Gon. "Two days ago, you lost to that kid at arm wrestling," he reminds the woman who denies the information. "Well, you were using your right hand..," he attempts but the glasses-wearing female refutes his statements.

"Don't bother. Once Shizuku's forgotten something, she'll never remember," Feitan tells his heftier troupe member.

Franklin turns back around, hanging his head. "Never mind...I was mistaken."

"Thought so," Shizuku sasses, returning to her magazine.

Killua deadpans at the trio while Nobunaga turns to look at the spiky-haired child. "Oh? You actually beat Shizuku?" he asks, putting down his sword to tie his long hair back. "Okay, I'll challenge you."

•••

"It won't be a difficult job," she says, an arm crossed over her chest, eyes peering down on the townspeople as they drift past her hotel window – bright, innocent smiles attached to their faces. "Don't tell me you can't handle it," she teases, the ends of her rose-tinted lips curling up in a smirk. She turns away from the view, walking over to the singular couch seat and picking up her champagne glass – bringing it to her lips.

"I'm not," the receiver responds, their voice holding no emotion and in the same tone. "Are you calling this in as a job or a favour?" they asked, their footsteps filling the space.

The woman rolls her eyes, annoyance slowly bubbling within her; she grips her phone tightly, gritting through her teeth. "A job. The money will be wired when it's done," she snaps.

"Alright. I'll call when it's done."

•••

Illuki retreats to the hideout after making some necessary phone calls, a grin plastered on her pale face as she silently skips into the abandoned building, halting in her path when she feels two unknown presences; her eyes dart around the hallway, her fingers locking together behind her – hiding behind the long, split colours of her hair. 'They must have brought some people back from their trip' she thought, activating her Zetsu and resuming her path to the main loft.

She lingers around the edge of the open space, her silhouette flicking past the pillars as she elegantly moves around the troupe; her blue eyes observing the situation before her. The troupe members aside from Bonolenov surround Nobunaga and a small figure, upon closer inspection, she notices the hostages the quartet that had sent out brought back were her younger brother and his first-ever friend. The female tilts her back, staring up at the ceiling and notices an overhang that connects the pillars; she climbs one of the pillars, settling on the overhang with her legs elegantly crossed over each other – her elbow resting on her knee and her chin in the palm of her hand. She peers down at the troupe, monitoring Gon and Nobunaga's one-sided arm wrestle matches.

'This is pitiful,' she thinks, staring down at the group with bored eyes.

"Hey...How do I rank in arm wrestling within the Spiders?" Nobunaga asks his companions, engaging in an arm wrestle with Gon whose hand had begun bruising and bleeding from the impact of being slammed on a rock slab.

"7th or 8th?" Franklin responds from behind Killua.

"You're not weak, but you're not the strongest either," Machi answers, her hair was left down from its usual ponytail from her trip into town with the swordsman.

"And the strongest was this guy called Uvogin. The chain user probably killed him," the swordsman says to no one in particular.

"We already said we don't know who that is!" Killua argues, eyes narrowing at the man.

"Hey, kid!" Nobunaga slams Gon's hand onto the rock slab, indicating his win. "If you speak without permission again, I'll kill you. One more time. Ready...Go," he warns the white-haired boy before turning back to the child in front of him, gripping his hand hard for yet another round.

"He was an enhancer. Simple-minded and straightforward, he loved a good, all-out fight. But he was a stickler about time. He'd get into fights with Franklin and me when we were late. He'd beat the crap out of me in a fistfight. I've known him since before the troupe was founded. I knew him better than anyone. He would never...Uvo would never lose in a fight! He must've been caught in some dirty trap! I will make his killer pay," the swordsman's reminisce of his late friend slowly becomes heavier, anger bubbling within him as he rants his vendetta to his friend's killer. "I'll find him, no matter how many I have to kill. The chain user bears a strong grudge against us. The Mafia's Nostrade Family hired him recently."

Illuki's eye divert from Gon and Nobunaga to her brother, the ends of her mouth curling into a smirk as she witnesses the look of realisation appear on the young assassin's face. 'They don't know about Kurapika, but I do. Let's see how far that Kurta will go to avenge his clan,' she turns her attention back to the ranting swordsman.

"You might not know him personally, but you may have heard rumours...Think hard...If you have any guesses, spill them!" his grip tightened.

"I don't know anything. But even if I did, I would never tell you!" Gon responds, glaring down at his hands that were connected with the Spider's. "I thought you were a bunch of heartless monsters...but I see you shed tears for your friends," the boy says, activating his aura that glows white around him. "Why couldn't you share just a little of that empathy with all the people you've killed?" he lets out a battle cry, slamming Nobunaga's hand down with all his strength – surprising them.

Feitan acts quickly, taking the child's other arm and twisting it back to hold him down against the rock slab, narrowing his eyes at him. "You're getting too arrogant," he says.

As Killua tries to run over to his friend, Hisoka extends an arm and presses one of his sharp playing cards against the boy's neck; the white-haired boy freezes, eyes shaking as he feels the edge of the card. "Another move and I'll cut you," the magician threatens.

"Another question. Do you know who the chain user is?" Feitan interrogated the boy he held down.

"I already said I have nothing to tell you!" Gon yells at him.