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"NO, Chrollo don't!" A dirt nosed, scrawny Indigo stood before the teenager, blocking his path. Her tattered clothes rustled in the summer breeze. Her violet hair, tangled and uneven framed her doll-like face, slightly covering her glistening eyes. Scraped knees trembled and turned inward in fear.
The dog whimpered behind her.
The small animal had been run over by a truck a few moments before, and now lay battered and broken on the dirty pavement.
Chrollo Lucilfer drew his knife from his back pocket. It was a small pocketknife, that fit perfectly in his slim fingers and glinted in the setting sun. He narrowed his raven eyes, looking at the girl in irritation.
"Move."
The girl scrunched her nose, balling her small hands. Her sneakers, which were falling apart in all ways, grounded into the gravel. "No. I wont let you hurt him!"
Chrollo couldn't understand. The stupid mutt was already hurt, he thought to himself. Why was Indigo trying so desperately to protect a creature she didn't even know? How could she attach herself to it so easily? How could she care and show empathy so freely? For all they knew, that dog could have bitten kids or pissed on babies. But Indigo didn't seem to care. He advanced towards her. "Just get out of the way."
Indigo felt her heart beat quicken, panic rising in her chest. "Chrollo no, please, don't. W-we can fix it! I'm begging-"
"Don't beg." The teenager told her sharply, causing her to tremble even more. He brushed past her, now only inches away from the whimpering animal.
The dog looked terrible. It was pitiful. It's hazel coat was mangled, sticky with blood, ribs clearly broken. Two of its legs were bent completely the wrong way.
"I'm putting it out of its misery." Chrollo told Indigo, kneeling to the pavement. He placed the tip of the blade to the neck of the creature in agony, feeling it's breathing become more and more irregular.
"No!" Indigo screamed, falling to her knees. She grabbed his shoulders in a futile attempt to pull him away.
It was over in an instant.
Chrollo had sank in the knife, and the whimpering ceased.
There was a moment of stiffness. The sun dipped below the horizon. A breeze picked up broken bottles and cans. And the girl cried.
Chrollo hated when Indigo cried. She was so loud and snotty and shaky and only stopped when she got tired and passed out. He could not only hear, but feel her pain with every sob. Pain that he caused.
"It had to be done," he said after a moment.
"No, you didn't have to! You're so...mean! You...y-you...you" Indigo threw sloppy punches at his back, which Chrollo received silently. "I hate you..."she slurred. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you....I hate you...I ...hate you....I hate you."
"I know."
"I'll never speak to you again!"
"I'll never speak to you again."
Chrollo Lucilfer drew in a breath, and opened his eyes to the present. He felt the dust clinging in the air and the dampness of the building once again. Judging by the height of the candle burning beside him, he assumed that it was close to dusk.
She would be here soon.
He had sent Pakunoda a little over an hour ago to find her. The other members lounged around the base respectively. Shallnark, Machi, Shizuku, and Franklin played cards in a corner. Phinks ans Feitan talked quietly to each other. Nobunaga and Kortopi sat in the shadows, and Hisoka was alone by the window. The place felt so much bigger without Uvogin.
But Chrollo's mind couldn't help but wander back to her.
Indigo Coelo.
She had chosen her own name, without parents to give her one. She was so small, smaller than most kids growing up in Meteor City. Chrollo always made sure she ate more than he did. Her knees were always bruised, her arms were always scraped, and her hair was never clean. But her face remained...childlike. She had a button nose, plump lips, and a splash of freckles across her cheeks. But her eyes were her most noticeable feature. They were brown and doe-like, adorned with thick lashes. Chrollo had seen those eyes light up with happiness, cry in pain, burn in anger, and turn honey-colored in the setting sun.
It amazed Chrollo how much older she had looked last night. She was tall, well-dressed, and with a new demeanor about her. Her aura was confident. But her face was the same to him.
Chrollo wondered what she had been doing all this time apart from him. He had talked to her three years ago, and only on the phone. She would be 23 by now. 23. He creased his brows in thought. Did she go to school? How many jobs has she had? Did she become a hunter? Did she learn nen? How could she afford such glamorous things she had on? Where did she live? Did she have any friends? Did she have....a lover? Chrollo felt his chest tighten.
"Hey boss," Feitan said, pulling the leader out of thought.
"She's here."
author's note aug 2020. how do y'all like it so far?
