Hunter X Hunter: Grounded

Chapter 76



Title: Future...




….
"Oh, you mean Uvogin? Then no need to look anymore, he is dead." Sub says as if talking about the weather. "He was killed yesterday night, pretty gruesomely too."


Immediately veins pop on Nobunaga's head. An angry look on his face and his Nen is released erratically from his body.


Machi looks at Sub calmly and takes a sip of her drink. "Stop playing around."


Sub malicious look turns into a gentle smile and he scratches the back of his head, now giving a whole different vibe. "Sorry~ I just couldn't help myself."


*sigh* Nobunaga calms down at this, while Machi still keeps at looking him in the eyes. She wasn't able to read him at all, but she felt like Sub knows more than he is letting on. Normally, due to their relationship, if she asked him, then he would give her the information, but she considers this as "work" so, in the end, she won't bother him about it.


Sub's smile widens at this. 


*brrrring* 


Suddenly Nobunaga's phone rings and he picks it up. Suddenly, he looks towards an abandoned building, and Sub's smile widens even more to almost impossible proportions as Nobunaga charges towards the building.


Machi slightly flickers him in the forehead. "Oy, calm down will ya?"


Sub comes out of his trace and his face turns back to normal with a calm look. "Sorry about that."


*sigh* "You and Karla are made for each other." Complains Machi. "I wouldn't consider you the most mentally stable either."


"Hahahaha," Sub only laughs. "Is anyone sane in this world? Nope, no strong person can be called sane Machi, do you know why? Because in the road to power, sane people become by definition abnormal."


"As always, you talk too much about philosophical stuff." She gets up and starts going towards the building too, but is stopped as Sub engulfs her from behind. His big and muscular body makes her seem small in comparison as she only barely reaches up to his chest.



 "Ah~ c'mon now Machi. You should know better what insanity is about." Sub teases her.


Suddenly veins morph into her face and she looks at Sub with an angry look on her face. "Fuck off!"


"Ara~" He immediately let's go. "I like this side of you more. It's more exciting."


'He is so annoying.' Machi tries to calm herself down. "You are too troublesome."


"Hahahaha, and that is why you love me!" Devleares Sub loudly, making the people around them look at him strangely. 


"Tch, don't say such scandalous things." Mutters Machi. "Our relationship isn't that complicated."


Though she says that, her true thoughts on the matter are way more complicated than that. Machi loves Sub, but more in a brotherly way… but they still have done the deed countless times together. So that puts another perspective into the whole sibling thing. She looks at him and for a split second a blush appears on her face, but it disappears so fast that not even Sub notices as he is in his own world, creating chaos and misunderstandings around himself. 


This is his way of entertainment, he loves seeing people react to his strange actions and has already implied that Machi is his lover and sister at the same time without giving any real context behind it.


'He has developed a bad habit.' Complains Machi internally. 'As an older sister figure should I reprimand him somehow?'


Though Machi was thinking of different things, she too didn't know how to act in this situation. Their relationship was just too strange.



….
At the same time, Neon slips away from her guards hired by her father. She goes towards one of the restaurants that she and Greed (Sub) frequently visit. 


But on the way there she meets on the elevator a black-suited man with black hair and eyes. He also wears a green bandana on his forehead, he is Chrollo. Having taken an interest in the rumors about Neon's ability.


'Ah, he is so cool looking.' Thinks Neon. Though she has feelings for Sub, at such a young age it is only a crush and she only likes him because he is "cool" in her eyes, while not knowing anything about him. These are just the flying feelings of a teenage girl, changing with the flip of a coin.


Chrollo smiles at her gently and Neon is instantly drawn to him. 'I wonder if he would accept me on a date?'


As she wonders this, she doesn't notice a shadow appear behind her. It is Karla covered in bandages and staring at Chrollo with a dangerous look in her eyes. Her hair floating upwards as her Nen flows out gently but with stern maliciousness. 


This was a clear warning against Chrollo that Neon belonged to someone else and it would be better if he didn't touch her.




But the Phantom Troupe leader only smiles at her and calls over to Neon. "Hey there…"


She instantly blushes. "N -No, my heart belongs to another!"


Her sudden declaration confused Chrollo but he still has a charming smile on his face. "Oh well-"



Fwish! Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!...



Instantly, countless bandages swarm towards Chrollo like a wave.


Bam!!


He breaks through the elevator wall and gets out of the enclosed space who is now filled with bandages in an instant.


'Fighting her in an enclosed space will give her an advantage.' Thinks Chrollo as he summons his Hatsu <Bandit's Secret> with the book instantly appearing in his hand and flipping through the pages until he comes into an ability perfect for the enclosed environment.


<Indoor Fish>


Two giant fishes made out of bones appear. They fill the hallway and charge towards Karla who now has knocked out Neon and has her floating as she is held by her bandages.


Baam!


She smashes into the wall, entering another room, unwilling to fight the two strange creatures head-on.


Karla calculates the situation that she is in, and currently, she isn't only protecting herself, but also Neon.


Though she is strong, her chances of winning against Chrollo are slim to none while she is fighting alone and protecting Neon. Because while he knows her Hatsu ability, she also knows his, but the fight will be reliant if she can get caught off guard by one of Chrollo's abilities then she is done. The man can't exactly afford to go easy on her either.


Karla closes her eyes for a split second and smiles. 'I just need to hold him back for a while, and then he will be crushed.'


The Indoor Fish eat through the concrete and come towards her. But Karla jumps back and dodges them, she uses her bandages for maneuverability as she doesn't want to make contact with the fish as she also doesn't know its abilities.



'Damn, this is gonna be a shitty game of cat and mouse for me.' Thinks Karla, but suddenly, a dozen men in black suits surround her.


"Miss Karla, we are here to protect you!" They announced loudly. 


While Neon had lost the bodyguards that her father gave her, she hadn't been able to shake off the ones that Sub had left on her.



Once Chrollo comes to the room he is slightly surprised at the men being there since he had made sure to not have Neon followed by anyone as she ran off. While not sensing Karla wasn't a big deal for him, but he couldn't even sense these men in suits too.

…