Alluka flinches, hearing a sudden thumping sound near her room. She immediately shot her eyes open, bolting up from bed and looking around.

The room is empty, and sunlight just started seeping through the cracks around the door.

Thump. It was that sound again. It was quieter than she thought, but she wasn't sure what it was. It couldn't have been Illumi, since he never checks on her this early.

'Could it be Onee-chan...?' She narrows her eyes, scanning the room vigilantly.

Thump. Alluka looks up at the ceiling around the center of the room... it looks like it was coming from above.

As she cautiously kept watch, it didn't take long for a small crack to form on the ceiling. Dust and debris fell to the ground, almost making Alluka yelp in surprise.

'What's... happening?!' Thoughts were racing through her mind as she got into a defensive stance.

More particles of dust and debris settled on the ground little by little, causing a hole to form on the ceiling big enough for a person to fit through.

...and sure enough, a person did go through the newly-formed hole in the ceiling. They landed on the ground with a soft thud, careful not to garner too much attention from the people outside.

The mysterious person immediately faced Alluka, holding a finger to their lips.

Alluka's eyes widened in recognition. "You...!"

"Shhh..." they whispered. "Hi, Alluka...! Let's get you out of here before they notice, okay?" they smiled as they winked.

Alluka wasn't sure if the clanking sound of her shackle would remain unnoticed by Illumi. She wasn't even sure how this person got in. It was dawn and extremely quiet around the warehouse.

...at least that's what she thought.

As the person tried to unlock the shackle, Alluka slowly turned her head towards the door. Much more light was seeping in through the cracks now, but she heard something that definitely wasn't there before.

It was the sound of fighting.

_____________________

--The previous night--

You looked out one of the warehouse's windows, scanning your eyes around the forest. For some reason, your brother refused to let you leave the building today, insisting that it was 'unsafe' and such.

But you knew. You knew that he was starting to doubt you, just like how you were starting to doubt him.

"This isn't right," you mumbled.

You leaned closer to the window until your forehead was touching the dusty glass. It was suffocating staying in this old warehouse all day, and although the forest was dark, it was way better than staying in a place like this–

"What are you doing, (Y/N)?" a familiar voice called from behind.

You immediately turned to face your brother, stepping away from the window. "H-Hi Nii-chan... I was just–"

He subtly narrowed his eyes at you, walking closer and grabbing your hand. "It's getting late. You should sleep," he states, pulling you along to another part of the warehouse.

'Ow!!' You bit your lip, stopping yourself from crying out in pain. "U-Uh... Nii-chan?"

Sanguis looked at you through the corner of his eye, waiting for you to speak.

"C-Can I... see Killua? Will you let me... see him?" you stammered, but you held your ground.

Sanguis stopped in his tracks, while you looked at him in anticipation.

"Why?" His grip tightened around your hand again.

Your eyes widened. "I just... well–"

"We've been separated for years, (Y/N). Don't you wanna stay with me?" his tone sounded pleading, but his expression was almost cold.

"I–"

"Why would you wanna stay with someone like him?"

Somehow, the way Sanguis referred to Killua did not sit well with you.

"Killua's a good person!" you blurted out. "He's been so good to me, even though I can be stubborn sometimes!"

He frowns. "What are you implying? Haven't I been good to you, (Y/N)? I took care of you all those years ago."

You fell silent. It was true. You weren't sure if you would have even survived in that lonely household without him. But now... it's different.

"A-At least..." you averted your eyes. "At least Killua never lied to me... at least he never forced me to do anything I didn't want."

Now it was Sanguis' turn to fall silent. His grip on your hand almost loosened, before it tightened even more than before.

"Oww!" you yelped out loud.

"You clearly don't understand." He merely said, continuing to walk and drag you ahead.

You stumbled forward, trying to keep up with him as he dragged you to the place where you normally slept.

"...I feared you would say something like that." Sanguis mumbles, craning his head back to look at you as he narrowed his eyes.

"Wh-What?"

You finally reached your 'bedroom', which was really just some pillows and blankets in an empty room... but what you saw in there left you in utter horror.

"Wa-Wait... what are you gonna do, Nii-chan?! Let me go!" You immediately tried to free yourself from Sanguis' grip...to no avail.

There were shackles, just like the one keeping Alluka trapped in her room. Except Sanguis planned to bind your wrists too, not just your ankles. After all, he couldn't risk you forcefully unlocking it through your Nen.

Without a word, Sanguis forcefully kept you in place as he started binding the shackles to your wrists and ankles, which were attached to a wall on the opposite end of the room's entrance.

"N-No... STOP–"

Sanguis slaps a hand over your mouth. "Shhh... You wouldn't want that Alluka girl to hear you now, would you?"

Your eyes widened, and you stopped struggling.

"She'd be worried sick with no possible way to help. Would you really want her feeling any more helpless at this point?" He says, smirking.

You gasp, and as Sanguis removed his hand from your mouth, you managed to stay silent. Instead, you looked down in defeat as Sanguis finished chaining you down.

"With this, you won't leave." His lips tugged upwards into a twisted smile. "Sleep well, (Y/N)." He says before leaving you to yourself and slamming the door shut.

It was only when he left that you felt hot tears streaming down your cheeks. You looked down to yourself, listening to the chains clang against each other.

"Why... are you doing this?"

_ _ _

By the time you woke up from a restless sleep, it was nearly dawn.

You touched your eyes, they were still puffy and swollen from last night. They were most probably red, too. Of course, you couldn't forget the ice-cold shackles around your wrists and ankles, which were starting to bruise from all your failed attempts to unlock them.

You grit your teeth, forcing yourself to stand. As you did, the chains let out a resounding clang as if to warn you.

You whipped your head to face the door. Some faint noises were coming from outside this warehouse. It almost sounded like a scuffle between two people.

'What?!'

You were about to rush to the door had you not remembered the state you were in.

You stared down at your shackles once more, trying to free yourself from them for the millionth time. "Come... on!" you grumbled, hearing the sounds of fighting outside get louder and louder.

The wall holding the chains was starting to crack from all the force you exerted on it. Little dents were forming on the shackle itself, too.

Sweat rolled down your face as you kept pulling and struggling, trying to get your hands on the door. 'Just a little more!'

With one final pull, the wall holding the chains crumbled, and the force of your pull was enough to throw yourself to the door.

'I can reach it!' Though your wrists and ankles were still bound, at least you were pretty much free.

You immediately put your hands on the doorknob, only to find that it was locked as well.

"Dammit!" you cursed under your breath, looking behind you to check on the broken wall. It formed a hole that was too small for a person to fit through. But maybe you could if you really tried.

You turned back to the locked door. You could try smashing it down as well.

Furrowing your brows, you shrouded yourself in Ren just in case. "Whatever it is, I need to get out of here and save Alluka, then I should find Killua!"

But just before you made your move, you suddenly heard a loud bang on your door. "(Y/N)?!"