Ill-Fated (Phantom Troupe x Reader) [Soulmate AU]

5.

You shifted uncomfortably on the cold stone that you had been sitting on. After the giant, who you later learned was named Uvogin, had released you from his bone-crushing embrace, you were set down onto a pile of rubble. The biting cold of the stone was uncomfortable, and that discomfort was doubled by the digging rope that encircled your wrists and ankles, cutting into your skin and restricting your circulation. Phinks, who had stuck close by you the entire time, promptly took the spot next to you, with Uvogin occupying the spot on the other side, presumably to prevent you from even considering another escape attempt. 

Now Uvogin was conversing with Nobunaga, who had approached your group soon after you were situated on top of the rock pile. You assumed they were talking about something illegal but didn't bother listening in. In this brief moment of reprieve from the chaos that seemed to have haunted you since you set out on your ill-fated journey this morning, you realized just how tired you were. Intently, you looked down at your hands, picking at the cuticles around your fingernails as if they were the most entertaining thing in the world to you. Your brain has finally begun processing all that has occurred. It finally began processing that you were here, in the place you spent your entire adult life trying to avoid. You were here with the people you had feared since you turned sixteen. You were literally living your nightmare.

Where would you have been by now if you left the small apartment just a few hours earlier? If luck was on your side for once? If you and Phinks had passed each other on the street, would you have been able to board that plane without any complications?  

Who would you be if you weren't fated to carry this terrible burden? If you were fated to fall in love with some regular guy who had a day job? If the worst of your relationship troubles was fighting over taking out the trash?

Questions like these have long taunted you, but now they seemed all the more mocking. You could almost taste the idyllic life of normalcy you have always craved. A small house, a kind and funny soulmate, a dog. Kitchen table bills, and sipping lemonade on a sunny Sunday. You would have gone to college. You would have returned to live in the rural village you were raised in. You would have been able to be at your grandmother's ninetieth birthday. You wouldn't live in fear for yourself and your loved ones every day of your life. You would be normal, and you would be happy.

Your state of melancholy was interrupted by the slamming open of the old church doors. A man of lean build and average stature stood in the doorway, illuminated by the dying light of the day. Aside from his strange lavender outfit, nothing about him screamed 'criminal.' This couldn't be said for your other two soulmates, who were walking red flags. His blond hair was cut like a bob, and his green eyes were on you as soon as he entered the room. He shone you a bright and polite smile, showing off two rows of perfect white teeth. If you didn't know any better, you would have believed he was just some regular, polite guy who wandered into this hideout by complete accident.

"Where's boss?" Asked Phinks from your left side.

"He won't return until tomorrow; he still has loose ends to tie up in York New." Replied the newcomer as he walked toward you. 

"Phinks, Uvo, your Nen is incredible! It's exciting to see that the tip about finding her was true!" He spoke with a smile. 

"Hell yeah, Shal! Now you try!" You heard Uvogin say from your right side. Dully, you noted he spoke about meeting you and trying out a new gaming console or something. This fact didn't strike you as surprising, but it only confirmed your original theory: this wasn't a love thing for them but an ownership thing. It only confirmed that you needed to escape if you wanted to retain your freedom in any capacity. At this point, you had lowered your gaze again, silently looking down at your hands. 

"Why is she tied up?" Came the blond's voice, now from somewhere above your head. He sounded so normal and casual; it was like he was talking about the weather, not a woman sitting between his two criminal friends with her arms and legs tied up.

"Tried to escape out of the car." Said Phinks, also sounding far too used to talking about kidnapping someone. 

'Maybe if you were normal, I wouldn't need to escape.' You thought but chose to stay quiet because pissing off a bunch of criminals seemed like the worst addition to the day. Shalnark chuckled as if something was amusing about your desperate attempt to save your freedom. 

"I don't think she's dumb enough to pull anything like that with all of us here." He said, still with an air of pleasantness around him. Leaning down into a squat, his face appeared in your field of vision, his green eyes looking up into your (e/c) ones.

"Would you like me to untie your arms and legs?" 

The question caught you off guard. It was the first time any of your soulmates addressed you directly in a way that wasn't condescending, angry, or completely self-absorbed. It was almost nice. 

"Uh yeah... That's be nice." You replied after a short moment of silence. Shalnark's smile stretched even wider.

"Great! But you have to promise that you'll be a good girl and stay put. Not that it matters, of course. If you try to escape, you will fail. So make your own life easier and behave." 

Never mind, no matter how polite this guy looked, he was just as crazy as the other Phantom Troupe members. Maybe his innocent appearance made him even scarier. For a second, his smile and pleasant voice almost lulled you into a false sense of security. The other members didn't protest his plans, Phinks only shrugging in a 'do whatever you want,' and Uvogin thoughtfully itching his head.

"Now then..." His hand, enveloped in Nen, easily sliced through your bindings. the heavy ropes fell away from your wrists and ankles, leaving angry, red markings in their wake. Wounds from the incessant rubbing of the rope stung coming in contact with the air, and you caught your hands reaching involuntarily to use your Nen to patch them up. However, as you became cognizant of several pairs of eyes watching every movement you made intently, you slowly lowered your hands. Activating your Nen right now would be a really bad idea, as it could trigger the thieves that surrounded you to react.

Shalnark, seemingly proud of his work, grinned once more. 

"Now that's much better! Now I believe it's time for us to officially meet (y/n)."