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Chapter 36: Aftermath

With wide eyes and shaking hands, nine pairs of eyes stared at Rei's unconscious body on the ground. The rest shared a look of disbelief except Flame who had no emotion in her face. She was the first one to move, kneeling down beside Rei but stopped herself to touch her, afraid to hurt her even more.

"W-What should we do?" Ichi stuttered, her whole body trembling with such a foreign sight in front of them.

They had seen her with multiple bruises and wounds before but her state right now is even more horrific. It seems like she didn't put up a fight.

"Don't worry." Yon said, kneeling beside Flame. His eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for a certain thing until he spotted it. "Roku, can you pass me that sword?" He asked, pointing behind Roku and Roku immediately obeyed him.

Once the sword was placed in his hand, it immediately dissipated into Nen and returned to his body. One thing he noticed in Rei is that her stomach remained unscathed while other parts of her body were beaten up badly. He smiled bitterly.

"She didn't let him get hurt badly. Even the certain memento that he left." He shook his head, clenching his jaw. The others can feel the anger radiating from Yon who had a calm look on his face. He faced his palms towards her, letting his Nen flow. He was healing her because they are one. He's returning the energy that she spent on him so that she'd be able to heal herself.

His priority was the major injuries she had, leaving a few scratches and bruises on her body. The others watched in silence, letting him do all the work.

Flame stood up and turned around, meeting Juu's gaze who motioned her to come closer. She did as what she was told and Juu talked to her in a hushed voice to distract her from the scene. He can read her. A little. And he knows that she's raging inside despite the emotionless face she had.

After a while, Yon was finished. He dissipated and returned into her body since he probably used up all of his energy to stay outside. San sighed, crouching down before carrying Rei.

"Where should we go?" He asked his siblings, looking at them one by one.

"I know a place." Flame volunteered, causing everyone to look at her. "It's my old home. No one lives there now, I'm positive of that."

"What if it was sold?" Go asked, making her shake her head.

"They wouldn't." She answered briefly.

"Come on, Flame. Lead the way." Ichi said, walking towards the girl and placing a hand on her head. She nodded before she started walking, the others following her.

A few hours later, it was once again afternoon. The dark and light colors were battling for dominance in the skies and city lights are seen everywhere. Hisoka sat at the railings of a rooftop. It was the building where he first met Hisashi–Rei. He didn't know why he's there or why he wanted to go there, but he just found himself already there. So he stayed.

He was playing with his cards, performing magic tricks out of the blue with a poker face on. The feeling of being alone somewhat bothers him. It was like he wasn't used to it anymore. He was looking for someone's presence. He was looking for a certain someone's company.

"Oh, Hisoka? I didn't expect you to be here." His eyes darted to the edge of the rooftop hearing a voice, his eyes meeting with wide, black, and empty orbs. It was Illumi who was standing at the edge of the rooftop, his hair flowing with the wind.

"I didn't peg you for the type who would visit rooftops occasionally, too." Hisoka answered, his voice lacking the usual smugness in it. It was weird. Definitely weird.

"I'm here because of the final task given to me." Illumi said, walking towards him with no sound coming from his steps.

"Final task? You mean.." Hisoka trailed, letting Illumi confirm his words.

"That's right. Them." He pointed at the taller building in front of them, specifically at the rooftop. Hisoka's eyes darted towards what Illumi was pointing and he could only widen his eyes at what he saw.

Ten figures, eight of them wearing a familiar cloak. One of the people who wasn't wearing cloaks was a girl he knows very well. Flame. Flame was glaring at him with such spite that sent shivers down his spine. His eyes darted to the other one who wasn't wearing a cloak, and his heart immediately started beating erratically and painfully, making him hitch his breath.

What's this? He asked, feeling such discomfort in his chest. It was Rei. He was looking at Rei. Rei's On eyes were focused down below and she had a dagger in her hand. Hisoka couldn't move. He can't take his eyes off her.

His eyes followed her hand that she slowly raised. She held her hair, placing it against the blade. He knows what she is going to do. She cut her own hair using her dagger.

What is she.. doing? He asked himself, his wide eyes not leaving the hair that was cut.

"You loved her hair, didn't you?" Illumi asked, making him scoff. "So now you know the reason why she is doing that."

Illumi was right. If there was one part of her body that he loved the most, it would be her hair. He just loved playing with it and sniffing it. And it was also because Rei said she haven't cut it ever since she was a kid which meant that if there would be one thing that stayed with her all throughout those years that she suffered and until now that she is almost free, it would be her hair. Weird, but it's the truth.

Now, she cut it. She cut the part that he loved the most, and that also meant that she was cutting her past away.

Her hair which once reached her knees are now just hanging above her shoulder, and she had a small smile on her face. She slowly let go of the remaining hair in her hand, letting it fall below.

It danced in the air, turning into ashes as the wind blew it away.

Hisoka could only look at one of the cloaked people aiming his arrow at her. Before he realized it, the arrow grazed Rei's cheek as blood dripped from it. He felt a strong surge of Nen as his eyes met hers for the last time. She turned her back away from him and started walking away, the others following after her. No one dared to look back anymore.

"And off they go. I'm finally done here." Illumi said, turning his back before disappearing in thin air. Hisoka was left there alone, staring at particularly nowhere as the darkness erupted in the skies.

"Is this what you felt when I walked away from you?" He asked himself, lowering his head before scoffing. "Damn it." He cursed, his eyes suddenly darting towards a crumpled paper on the ground. He crouched down, taking it before opening the paper.

It was a blood test result. It was named after...

"Rei Quixote?" He immediately crumpled it again, not bothering to read it.

"I know you'd do that." Illumi's voice was suddenly heard in front of him. He didn't bother looking at him and just stared at the floor. "Keep it. You'll need that soon." And Illumi disappeared once again.

A few days later at Yorknew City, specifically at the Spider's base, Chrollo Lucilfer suddenly announced an alliance with a certain group of people. The group was willing to let two of them join the Phantom Troupe at the right time. He wasn't able to know who the group was since it was discovered that he was a fake member, and then their boss disappeared. He was suddenly involved in Greed Island and he looked for an exorcist, and then the next thing he was involved in was the chase after Alluka and Killua. He could only go with the flow, do what he usually does, and live his life like he wanted it to. And then without him realizing it, seven years had already passed.

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