บท 18: Chapter 18: Phantom Fakes?

(A/N: Doing much better, but still sick. I feel that the upcoming chapters will be quite interesting, and don't expect spoilers and don't try guessing because you might give others the wrong ideas)

After being dismissed from the meeting, all of the Troupe members left to do their own thing, while Machi had decided to stay with Soren, as she had something important to tell him. Over the last two days, Machi had talked with Pakunoda about her situation, and while Pakunoda is usually cold and uncaring, she was actually surprised to hear that Machi was pregnant.

"Does he know?": pakunoda

"Not yet, I don't want to worry him or keep him from fulfilling his dreams just so he can take care of me and the baby": machi

"You're stupid if you think he won't find out eventually… I think you should tell him, that way he knows what will happen": pakunoda

After talking with Pakunoda, Machi still felt like her worries were still unanswered, as Pakunoda didn't give her the answer she wanted to hear, and instead told her that it was best to come out and tell Soren the truth.

"I guess you're right": machi

Machi left Pakunoda and went back to her room where she saw Soren getting dressed, as he was wearing a white dress shirt as he was pulling up his maroon dress pants over his butt as he tucked the end of the shirt into the waistband of the pants.

"Soren!... I didn't know you were getting dressed, I'm sorry": machi

Soren turned around to face Machi as he finished buttoning the pants as he then tightened the black leather belt to finish off the ensemble.

"It's not like you haven't seen my ass before… And I find no problem with walking in on your partner getting dressed, it's just a shame you hadn't come in 2 minutes ago before I was dressed, hehe…": soren

Machi's face gained a tinge of red as Soren teased her, but the embarrassment soon disappeared as she felt resolute in her choice, and then she spoke.

"I'm pregnant…": machi

"Hehe…. Wait… What?": soren

Upon hearing Machi's statement, Soren's chuckle came to a halt as everything in his body began screaming at him to question what he just heard.

'The MILK!... We're out of MILK!!!': soren (A/N: I'm joking, I wouldn't add a baby just to have Soren spend 18 years looking for milk… Or would I?)

"Sorry, but could you repeat that?... I think I misheard you": soren

Seeing Soren's skepticism, Machi felt a foreboding feeling begin to swell up inside her heart, but she still came out and said it.

"I'm pregnant… We're going to have a baby": machi

Soren's brain had seemed to short circuit as he thought about what this meant, and thinking that this was a bad sign, Machi tried speaking with him.

"Soren?... Are you okay?": machi

"I'm going to be a dad?... Hehe, I'm going to be a dad": soren

Soren's mumbles were two quiet for Machi to pick up on, and as curiosity was killing her to know what he thought, Machi asked him to repeat what he was saying.

"Soren, can you speak up?... I want to know how you feel about this, so talk with me": machi

Seeing as he was being called, Soren looked towards Machi with a big smile as he shouted.

"I'M GONNA BE A DAD!... Haha!": soren

Soren quickly ran out of the room as he began shouting down the halls of the hideout, causing everyone who heard him to come out in confusion as they wanted to know what he was shouting about, while Machi herself seemed to have peace of mind, as she watched the man she loved shout in excitement.

'I was worried about nothing… Hehe, he will make a great father': machi

After calming down, Soren decided to gather everyone and tell them the good news, and when they heard that Machi and Soren were going to be parents, they began thinking about the concept of what a parent was, but seeing as they would be adding a member to their family, everyone was happy as they threw a party to celebrate. The next morning, everyone was gathered together again, but this time it was for a goodbye.

"I'll be leaving for a few months to try and find some clues on who is behind this group of fakes who use our name, and once I find out who they are, I'll get rid of them as well": soren

Just as Soren finished his words, Machi was a bit upset as she spoke up.

"Do we really have to leave just yet?... We've only been here for a few days": machi

"No, Machi… You'll be staying here… I don't want you to get yourself hurt in the case that this group of fakes actually have some power behind them… Just take this time to relax, and enjoy the comforts of being a 'soon-to-be-mother' while I go take out the trash": soren

Soren denied the idea of Machi going with him, as he didn't want her harming herself or the baby by following him. After saying his goodbye's, Soren began searching the internet for any news regarding recent sightings or possible whereabouts of the Phantom Troupe members.

"Nothing… Seems I'll be making a trip to the Lukso Province": soren

Soren had no prior knowledge of where exactly the Lukso Province was located, but doing some research using the news as a source, Soren was able to locate the destroyed clan in the lower parts of Yorbia, but traveling there would require quite a few days if not weeks before he would arrive. Soren then booked an airship to a city close to his destination, the city was known as Viper City, it was a quiet city with a population of around 60 thousand, and just barely qualified to have an airport. The trip took a total of 3 hours as Soren got off the airship and made his way towards a local bar.

'It usually works in movies… Maybe I can get some information form a loose lipped drunk': soren

Soren found a local bar that seemed to be quite popular and entered while taking a quick observation of the room, and upon doing so, Soren noticed a few shady people as he decided that these people would be his targets. Soren sat down only a few tables away from them as he focused his Nen into his ears as he began listening for any conversation that might provide information.

"Do you got the stuff?": ??? 1

"Yeah, you got the jenny?": ??? 2

"Yeah, yeah… Just hand it to me already!": ??? 1

Soren then noticed that the suspicious guys only happened to be making a drug deal, and seeing as there was nothing left, he was prepared to leave, but a final sentence caught his attention.

"Twelve's gonna love this!... The heart of a Golden Tiger… This is such a rare item": ??? 1

When Soren heard the name, along with the knowledge that an endangered species worth hundreds of millions had been killed for its heart.

'Seems like this wasn't a drug deal… But who is this "Twelve" and why does he want the heart of a Golden Tiger?': soren

Soren decided that this was the closest he would get to a lead as he waited for the suspicious man to leave the bar with the tiger heart before he began following him. Using Zetsu and keeping his distance the entire time, Soren was able to follow the man back towards a dilapidated factory. The factory was covered in rust and corrosion as visible holes were apparent on the exterior of the building, making it possible for the sunlight to enter the building.

'Totally not a suspicious hideout for a group of criminals… You would be stupid if you thought criminals had done business here… Hehe': soren

Soren continued following the man as he scaled the building and entered through a skylight that had all of its glass shattered, and upon entering through the skylight, Soren nimbly maneuvered his body to land on a catwalk as he saw the man from the bar start talking with a cloaked figure.

"Twelve, I got it!... I got the heart you were looking for!": ??? 1

"Good work, Zeak, now where is the jenny?": twelve

"The jenny?... What jenny?": zeak

Seeing that Zeak was playing stupid, Twelve seemed to get angry as he shouted, while his black cloak seemed to sway from an invisible force.

"The jenny that we gave you for the heart!... Where is it!?": twelve

"W-what do you mean?... We used it to buy the heart off of the dealer": zeak

"So you didn't kill the dealer after confirming that the heart was real?... What a fucking waste!": twelve

Twelve's anger began causing the wind to pick up as the trash and small debris began to rise and swirl around the room, while Zeak felt a suffocating force begin to pressure him. Soren just watched all of this from the catwalk as he was still suppressing his aura with Zetsu, but upon using Gyo in his eyes, Soren could see a massive shroud of Nen surrounding the cloaked man known as Twelve, as this same Nen began wrapping around Zeak's neck as it began constricting.

'This Nen looks like a snake… Perhaps this Twelve is a conjure who likes snakes?': soren

"P-please!... F-forgive- me!.... Aaahhaggk!": zeak

Soren watched as Zeak's neck was snapped, as a crisp cracking sound rang throughout the room before Zeak's body fell to the floor lifelessly as Twelve turned around and spoke.

"Clean up this mess, Asmodeus": twelve

Just as Twelve spoke, a gigantic 50 meter snake with a diameter of 5 meters began slithering out from a dark corner as it began wrapping itself around Zeak's dead body before it began swallowing him whole.

"Hais… Zero won't be pleased when he hears that we lost the jenny to incompetence": twelve

Soren was quite interested in who this person named Zero could be, as it seemed that he had found his group of fakes quite easily, but they weren't as simple as he thought.

'Seems like I should begin following him now': soren

Seeing that the snake had finished feeding, Twelve began preparing the tiger heart for transport as Soren soon realized that he wouldn't be able to keep up, seeing as his target was getting into an SUV while his snake Asmodeus disappeared into a shroud of light.

'I need to think of a way to track him back to a base without making it obvious': soren

Just as the SUV started up, Soren could hear the rev of the engine as the only thought that popped into his head was to leave a trace of his Nen on the vehicle that he could trace back, but the problem with that was the range, as there was a limit to how far he could sense his separated aura.

'Screw it, what's the worst that could happen?': soren

Soren had taken a small needle he kept in his shirt before imbuing it with a strong string of his Nen before throwing the small needle into the side of the SUV as it punctured the metal setting itself in place. Soren then watched as the SUV took off at high speed leaving Soren alone in the factory yard looking down at his finger where a thin string of red Nen seemed to endlessly be extending as a trail was made.

"Time to hunt some fakes": soren

Seeing that the SUV was out of sight, Soren quickly began chasing after his string of Nen to keep it from snapping and losing his trail. While Soren was chasing from a distance, Twelve was completely unaware of the person who was following him, as he removed the hood of his cloak as he looked into the mirror to admire his strong facial features. He had a pale complexion with long white hair and a pair of scarlet eyes that could be said to be one of the most beautiful colors in the world. Twelve had an appearance similar to that of Omokage, but he acted nothing like Omokage, and his powers were different as well. After driving for a few hours, Twelve pulled up to a mansion deep in the woodlands and got out while holding a black box before heading inside.

"Lord Zero, I have returned with what you asked for!": twelve

"Oh?... So you have obtained the Golden Tiger's heart so quickly?... Great!": zero

Twelve was facing a man who sat on a luxurious chair that seemed to take the shape of a throne as his face was being hidden by the shadows of the room, but what stood out most was the scarlet red eyes that glowed a beautiful color.

"Finally!... Just 3 more to go, and then I will be complete!": zero

Zero took the box from Twelve as he seemed to feel something encroaching within his En, and at a fast pace.

"You were followed!?... You fool!": zero

Seeing that they were going to have a visitor within minutes, Zero decided to use his failsafe as he quickly set fire to the mansion and escaped while gritting his teeth as he had to find a new base.