Chapter Text
It was time to go, but Pakunoda still didn’t feel ready; it would be the first time since Yamiko was born that they would embark on such a long and risky mission, that she and Chrollo would be away from their daughter for so long, and with the real risk of neither of them returning home.
She played with the Nen bullet that she had materialized in one of her hands, the other one holding a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant, which could be opened to hold small keepsakes. The woman placed the bullet inside the locket and closed it delicately, leaving the necklace in a jewelry box in the room of her beloved daughter, who was still just a baby.
“Are you ready?” Paku turned to look at Chrollo, who was carrying their daughter.
“Yes,” she knew they both needed to be firm; despite everything, their lives still belonged to the Spider, they were still brutal thieves and murderers with a duty to fulfill.
“Renko-san will take good care of her,” Chrollo assured, placing Yamiko in the crib.
“I know,” Paku smiled, kissing her husband.
“Our mission is very important and complex; we will need all the skills we have at our disposal,” he added, now as the leader of the Phantom Troupe. “It will be risky, but we have all the odds in our favor.”
Pakunoda nodded. She understood that stealing the treasures of Kakin Empire’s Succession Contest was a task whose importance transcended mere trivial materialism.
“Say goodbye to her,” whispered the woman, taking her daughter in her arms and kissing her chubby little face and her tiny hands.
Chrollo kissed Yamiko’s cheek, who giggled and babbled with joy at her parents’ attention.
“We have to go now,” the man said after Paku put the baby back in the crib. “I’ll give you back your ability once we’re on the ship, if that’s alright with you.”
“No problem,” Pakunoda intertwined her hand with Chrollo’s.
Paku knew her skills would be essential if they wanted to infiltrate the game of secrets and betrayals that would be the Succession Contest, so not leaving wasn’t an option. For the first time since they swore their lives to the Spider, she was afraid of dying. There were still so many moments she wanted to experience with her daughter, so many things she needed to teach her… if neither of them returned, Pakunoda hoped that, at least, the bullet she had conjured could serve to help Yamiko understand them in the future.
Chrollo and Pakunoda gazed fondly at their daughter, who seemed about to fall asleep, one last time before they both reluctantly left the room.