Chapter 38: York X Yield
York New City, September 1st
Sinbad, Killua, and Pokkle leaned over the wooden hull of their ship, their beaming eyes locked onto the land climbing over the horizon. Machi remained in the cabin with Rain, she raised on her tippy toes to look out the porthole to see the approaching land. After successfully capturing the Golden Sun, they reached York New City.
Within the next hour, they disembarked off the ship smoothly and joined the chaotic mess that was York New's bustling harbor. Merchants, vendors, and travelers moved about the limited space, barking of orders and the prominent smells of spices, foods, and sea salt constipated the air.
The group shifted through the tangled mass of people. Rain sat comfortably on Pokkle's head and Killua carried the void black box with flashes of yellow brilliance from the trapped Golden Sun inside. Sinbad wielded his Abyss to fill the box to keep the Golden Sun from blinding their eyes but similarly to the intense fight with the beast, the blinding light shone through the eternal darkness.
A mythical and ancient treasure truly worthy of its name, Golden Sun.
They reached a place where it wasn't crowded and loud enough so they could speak with each other.
Sinbad paused, looking at Killua and Pokkle. "Machi and I have some business to attend to so I will leave the transferring of goods to the auction to you two."
Pokkle rolled his eyes at Sinbad's word of choice, calling it business.
"You guys finally want some alone time, huh?" Killua teased.
"No, you brat," Machi responded, in a cold but not hostile way. She had grown accustomed to his teasing and alluding of their developing relationship. "He doesn't even know where I am taking him."
Sinbad nodded, truly not knowing of this important matter he must attend.
Pokkle chuckled, walking away. "Even better."
This finally got an exaggerated response out of Machi, who when in the presence of other people will keep her calm and calculating appearance, showed emotion. "I'll strangle you!"
"Let's go, before she kills us," advised Killua, laughing and then started running. Pokkle sped up his pace and chased after Killua who had no idea where he was running to.
Sinbad smiled, watching his two friends leave him and then faced Machi. "So, where to?"
"Right," Machi answered, she dug into her pocket and retrieved a phone. After pressing a few buttons she arrived at a message she received from one another member of the Phantom Troupe, Shalnark. The location of their rendezvous point for all of the Spiders. "Follow me."
"Lead the way," said Sinbad.
Sinbad followed Machi as the two remained in silence for the first twenty minutes of their journey. During the period of silence, Sinbad familiarized himself with his surroundings. Entering a new location, he absorbed his environment, getting a feel for the types of people and culture.
He kept a record of the main selling items in the vendors, the clothes that were in style, and the type of food and sweets people enjoyed as they walked by him.
After walking for another twenty minutes, they reached a point that bordered the main city and habitat, venturing further out into the outskirts. Here, Machi decided to reveal the truth and where exactly they were heading.
"Do you remember our conversation before I joined the three of you to capture the Golden Sun?" Machi asked in a low and sentimental tone. She continued her pace as her feet stepped on sand and gravel, and her focus remained forward on the landscape in front of them. Hundreds of abandoned buildings, the windows were mostly shattered or covered in graffiti.
Sinbad chuckled. "I've remembered every word."
"I warned you that I had a serious secret?" Machi asked. This time, she couldn't help rolling her eyes to the side to try and catch a glimpse of his facial expression. He was completely calm and almost eager to hear more from her.
"And I said, it didn't matter and I wouldn't care because I know your heart," recalled Sinbad. He even mentioned it as he said back then, determined and resolved.
"Right," Machi mumbled, feeling reassured by Sinbad's words. Although it still took a lot out of her to reveal the truth of the matter. After hesitating and contemplating for ten seconds, she nearly fabricated a lie to ease her analytical mind. However at the last second, she betrayed her brain and led with the heart. "I am a part of the Phantom Troupe."
The words blurred from her mouth as if she was running out of breath, this was the only way she would have said the truth. Machi desired for a better lead up than just straight up omission but she wanted to tell the man she was falling for, her truth.
She wanted to take the next step and reveal herself to him as he had done the same back when he gave her his insignia. In a tiny compartment in her purple jacket, right by her left breast, the purple insignia was there.
"The Phantom Troupe…" Sinbad repeated to calm his nerves and give himself time. Luckily, Machi was preoccupied with her own feelings to see the man's utter shock from this confession. As someone as perceptive as her, she would have caught the change in his facial expression even though he was a master at keeping his face calm and collected under any circumstance.
But this went above and beyond because he connected the pieces and understood where he was being taken, Phantom Troupe's hang out. This was the Thread of Fate he witnessed from their first interaction and seeing it play out in front of him like this brought immense satisfaction and eagerness to see it through.
Unable to handle Sinbad's hesitation, Machi stopped moving. Her eyes scanned each and every muscle on him but he had long already composed himself. She noticed nothing as he slowed his pace, taking an extra step ahead of her. A subtle inclination that he wasn't afraid of where he was being lured into.
"A band of thieves?" Sinbad asked, tilting his body toward her. "I don't know too much about them other than that."
"We are much more than that." Machi answered, glaring at Sinbad, cold and calculated. "Whatever it is that we want, the Spider will do whatever it takes to get it."
"I'm not a saint, Machi," Sinbad said, throwing up his hands. "I've gotten my hands dirty to satisfy my own desires before."
Sinbad wasn't at all a saint but he was fair to his friends, especially to those he had known longer. Before he would make any drastic decisions, he wanted to see what the Toupe was like, to get a peak at their lives within closed doors.
Machi nodded. "How many people?"
"How many?" Sinbad repeated the question to give it some thought. The corner of his lip lifted into a grin. "Isn't it common to forget the number?"
"For normal people, sure," Machi answered as began walking again. Sinbad waited for her to pass before following again. "But you're not normal. You were the type to label each and every kill."
"Mhm, I guess you are right," Sinbad lied about her classification. He embellished his craziness to fit in. "Twelve people for various different reasons. Most of the time, I wasn't the one who specifically killed them nor did they understand why they were about to be killed. Sometimes, I did it because I knew I could get away with it, not because I was a prince but because nobody would figure it out."
He played the part as a murderer that remembered each kill, the kind of killer that had a sense of pride in the count or the different methods of killing, but that wasn't the case. In all honesty, Sinbad didn't have a clue of what the number was because he didn't care for the result of the person he manipulated.
Sinbad had the most fun in the act of manipulating than actually getting his desired results.
Machi restrained herself from laughing. "You would fit right in with the rest of us."
"Fit in?" Sinbad asked, feigning ignorance.
"Theres actually a more pressing reason of why I am taking you to see the members and boss of the Phantom Troupe," Machi revealed as they continued to walk. They entered the abandoned city, stepping through the empty streets except for the trash and rats. Her attention landed on Sinbad. "Hisoka was a member of the Troupe and since you killed him, if you would wish to join, you can take his spot."
"Wouldn't the other members…like hate me for that?" Sinbad asked, pretending to be scared. Theatrically, he unsheathed his blade, thrusting it into the air. "Wouldn't they vow for vengeance for their fallen friend?"
"No, we don't work that way," Machi said, smiling. "Plus, I don't think anyone would mind that Hisoka is dead. Some of them might actually thank you for it."
Sinbad laughed. "My type of people."
"They are good caring people," Machi said, taking them into a dark alley. Five paces into the alley, a part of the wall was broken. The hole was big enough for the both of them to walk through it side by side. To their right, light bounced off the walls. "When there isn't anyone or anything reaching out to care for you, shelter you, bath you, feed you. There are only two options left, die or steal. We decided to steal and do it together, as a Spider."
As Machi's words ended, they exited the hall and Sinbad's En picked up the members of the Phantom Troupe. They entered a large spacious room of boxes scattered all over the place, at the center dozens of boxes were stacked on top of each other making a hill of boxes and on these random boxes, were the members of the Phantom Troupe.
None of these people were in demand of Sinbad's attention except for one, the lone member sitting on the second floor with two glowing candles next to him and a book in his hands. Instantly, Sinbad knew that this person was the boss. On his forehead was a strange looking cross, round heavy looking earrings hung on his earlops, he wore a large black coat and on the inside was fur.
Machi's eyes bounced from Sinbad and her boss, Chrollo Lucifer, noticing them staring at each other.
"And who is this?" A voice sitting closest to them asked. A blonde haired innocent looking man, holding a pink phone pointed at Sinbad. He looked at Machi, waiting for an answer. Standing next to him was a blonde woman with a prominent nose in a black and pink women's suit. The male, Shalnark and the woman, Pakunoda.
Machi held up her hand as if she were offering them a dish. "This is Sinbad, the one who killed Hisoka."
"Ha wa ha, damn you!" A large extremely muscular man roared in a laugh, he leapt down from the top of the mountain of boxes, landing directly in front of them. The impact knocked Sinbad's long purple hair around. "You beat me to him! How did such a small cute looking fella kill Hisoka?"
"I'm guessing with that blade of his," said a voice from the far left, a small man drenched in all black. A finger pointed at Sinbad's sword.
"Well, let me explain the story," Sinbad said. He looked back up at the boss, Chrollo. "Can I borrow one of your candles?"
Chrollo properly placed his bookmark to save his spot and set it onto a box next to him. He replaced it with one of the burning candles next to him. "This?"
Sinbad exploded to the second floor, vanishing from his spot and reappearing in front of Chrollo. Only a few members of the Troupe actually managed to track him all the way. The short man in all black reacted and landed next to Sinbad two complete seconds later.
Chrollo, however, didn't bat an eye and offered the candle with a relaxed smile. "Here you go."
Sinbad smiled and accepted the candle. Casually, he dropped down to the first floor sensing the hostile glares but he ignored them. There was a sharp tension in the room and subtle glances were shared between the members as they all acknowledged Sinbad's skill.
The samurai, Nobununga's hand hovered over his blade's handle. Previously he trusted Machi's approval of bringing an outsider into their hideout and the collect strength of the Spider so he didn't feel it necessary to be wary but from Sinbad's speed, he went on guard. His eyes would never leave the man.
The same thoughts and actions were mimicked from every member of the Troupe as they watched Sinbad carefully carry the burning candle toward the center of the room. He hiked over a few wooden boxes and found a seat.
The rest of the Troupe circled around him, the blonde punk looking dude–who was always sitting high on the boxes–stood behind Sinbad to his right. A bald mummy person wrapped in bandages stood behind Sinbad, he came down from the windowsill of the second floor, now on the very top of the boxes.
A pretty black haired woman in a black cotton long sleeve shirt and blue jeans stood to Sinbad's left.
He hovered the flame in front of his face, prepared to tell the Phantom Troupe of his two conflicts with Hisoka as if it were a campfire story. Dramatically, Sinbad looked at each and every member in the eyes to captivate their attention as he was about to begin his narration. Lastly, he landed on Machi who glared daggers at Sinbad.
For the first time, she looked as if she were going to kill him. In his hands, light blue Nen Stitches stretched from her hands. "Move or I will strangle you to death, Sinbad."
A/N--
I will be releasing one chapter a week for now on. I am working on something else on the side that may or may not be published.