"B-But... fighting Nii-chan..." You tensed up at the thought.

Killua glances back at you with worry. "(Y/N)..."

Sanguis smirks, taking this chance to strike first. He lunges forward, preparing a Nen attack with his fist.

Thankfully, Killua blocked his attack just in time. "You really are a slimy snake, aren't you?" he seethes.

Sanguis frowns for the tiniest bit, before turning to you with a smile. "(Y/N), my little sister."

You gulped. It was scary how quickly he changed his demeanor.

"I know you don't want to fight, and I don't either," Sanguis says, sparing Killua a quick side glance. "So how about this? If you tell Killua and his friends to leave, and if you agree to stay here with me. I won't lay another hand on him. What do you think?"

You fell silent for a few seconds.

Killua grits his teeth. "(Y/N)! Are you seriously gonna–"

"What if you're lying again?" you ask Sanguis, looking him in the eye. "What if you're gonna hurt me again..." you instinctively reach for your bruised wrists. "...like last time?"

Killua widens his eyes, before turning to glare daggers at Sanguis.

"Come on, don't say that. You're the only family I have left, (Y/N)," He goes on. "After that night when Mom and Dad were killed, I wasn't even sure if you survived. I was lonely, you know? All those years..."

Killua narrows his eyes. "You say that, but you didn't even recognize her when you met in Heavens Arena? Learn to lie better. You're not fooling anyone here." He frowns, engulfing himself with even more of his electricity.

"(Y/N)." Killua turns to you. "I know who killed your parents."

Your eyes widened, and time seemed to stop for a moment.

"I wouldn't have found out without Ryu's intel." He frowns, preparing to strike. "I planned to tell you much later, but Sanguis' disgusting speech made me change my mind."

You stare at Killua in anticipation.

"The person who killed your parents–" He points at Sanguis. "–Is him."

With that, Killua seemed to disappear into thin air. Before you knew it, he had already punched Sanguis in the face.

"H...Huh?!" You stare with widened eyes as you watch Sanguis grit his teeth and stagger backward from the punch. He is clearly not amused with what Killua had just revealed.

"So, you don't have to hesitate anymore." Killua continues, before launching another quick attack at Sanguis.

Your hands were trembling, as flashes of crimson red from all those years ago occupied your mind. "Nii-chan... was the one who did it?"

____________

Your eyes shot open. It was rare for you to wake up in the middle of the night.

But you did, and you didn't know why. You sat up from bed, looking around your unusually quiet surroundings. There was no wind, not even a breeze, that usually ruffled the leaves of the numerous trees outside.

You sink back into the bed, deciding to ignore how eerily quiet it was.

But you couldn't go back to sleep, either.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, you roll out of bed. Maybe you just needed a glass of water or something.

You shuffle your way to the kitchen, though you tried to keep your steps as quiet as possible since everyone was still sleeping. Keeping your eyes on the path ahead, you let the waning moon softly light up your way there.

Maybe the deafening silence wasn't so bad, you thought. Your steps became lighter as you stopped dragging your feet along the floor, and you started to feel more awake now.

Letting out one long yawn, you finally made your way to the kitchen. But what you saw was enough to make you stop completely in your tracks.

It was a sea of red, gleaming eerily in the moonlight.

There were puddles and splatters all over the floors. It was messy, and you swore you saw a trail of blood leading outside, but you were too shocked to even follow it.

After all, this wasn't something a six-year-old should be seeing.

You looked around. The house seemed completely empty. "Where is everyone? Mom... Dad... Nii-chan?" You stepped forward, letting your bare feet touch the liquid. It was still warm, and its metallic scent wafted through your nose.

You looked down, eyes completely wide as you stared at the bloody mess beneath you. This wasn't like that time your brother's arm bled from that incident with mom. This was so much more.

You dropped to your knees, staring at your reflection on the puddles. Strangely enough, you weren't... horrified, but almost... fascinated. The crimson liquid seemed to stare back at you, presenting you with your dazed reflection.

It was strange, you were supposed to be looking for your family, making sure all this blood wasn't theirs, but your mind was completely occupied. You didn't move from your spot.

That was until you felt a sudden burst of intense pressure from behind you. It was incredibly hostile, and you couldn't bring it in yourself to look back.

"Who...?" You were rooted to the spot.

The hostile aura only seemed to get worse. Your instincts were telling you to run, or risk getting killed just by the malicious presence.

"N-Nii-chan...?" you tried calling for help, but as soon as you did, you felt chills run up your spine.

You spotted the open window and managed to make a run for it, stepping on the windowsill and jumping off the house. Thankfully, your days of playing and climbing forest trees gave you enough strength to remain unhurt.

Feeling the presence get closer and closer, you ran even farther away until you reached the deepest parts of the forest.

Until finally, that presence was gone.

You stared at your bloody hands and knees, muddy feet, and bruised legs. You wanted to go back, see what really happened to your family, find out why there was so much blood.

But your gut feeling said otherwise. If you went back... you would be killed.

So you stayed, relying on those very instincts to survive in the deep forest.

It wasn't until a week later when the nearest village heard of the news. Hunters and other authorities went to check on the place. Though there were no bodies found, the absence of your parents and brother along with the sheer amount of blood on the kitchen floor was enough to tell the whole story. Your whole family had been killed... except you.

Then it finally sank in... that you no longer had a family. You sometimes wondered that maybe if you just looked back that night, you might have been able to see the face of the killer.

____________

"So... it was Nii-chan... all along?"

Sanguis chuckles. "Stop acting so shocked, (Y/N)," he says, regaining his balance, only to be struck down again by Killua. "You would have done the same thing, right? After how they treated us–"

"Don't lump (Y/N) in with you," Killua mumbles as he gets close enough to Sanguis, only to kick him on the head.

Meanwhile, you could only stare at both of them, trying to calm down your chaotic mind.

Sanguis manages to block it, keeping his attention on you. "After all, you're just like me, (Y/N). After our little fights in Heavens Arena and the forest, you're bloodthirsty just like m–"

A punch to the gut cut Sanguis off. He was thrown backward into the wall as blood started dripping down his lips.

"(Y/N)!" Killua took this time to run over and check on you.

You glanced at him, though you couldn't maintain eye contact. "...Would I... really have killed Mom and Dad too...?"

Killua widened his eyes. He clenches his jaw, trying to suppress the urge to kill Sanguis right then and there. "What are you talking about?!" He grabs your shoulders, looking you in the eye. "You never killed anyone, and you never will. That's the most important thing."

"B-But... he's right. Even in Heavens Arena, I–"

"No, he's not, you idiot. As long as you're with me, I'll make sure of it." Killua leans closer, his forehead almost touching yours. "You're nothing like him, (Y/N)."

Your eyes widen as you stare back at Killua. Even through the electricity that surrounds him, the look in his eyes made everything clear. Slowly, you could feel the confusion and chaos of your mind start to fade.

Killua leans back and holds out a hand, smiling softly at you despite the ongoing battle. "So, wanna help me kick Sanguis' ass and get out of here?"

You find yourself nodding on instinct as you take his hand. It seems like the burden you've been carrying on your back has started to feel lighter as well.

___________________