Disclaimer: I don't own HXH, only my OC's and any plots that happen to fill in the blanks of the original story.

My first HXH story. Please be gentle. Oh, and I really like my characters being bloodied up. Hope you don't mind~

WARNING: For blood and gore. o3o

Chapter 1: I Am Sai x And x Abandonment

"Ne Saki, no I mean...Sai, you remember what I told you, right?" The woman turned around. She kneeled down on one leg and faced the little girl. She placed both of her hands on her tiny shoulders and unconsciously squeezed. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes gleamed with worry.

"Hai, okaa-san!" chirped Sai. She looked at her mother with a pair of confident teal colored eyes, trying to reassure her. She had no idea what was bothering her mother. All they were doing was visiting her relatives at night.

Her mother sighed and brushed her knee as she stood up. She took Sai's left hand and began to walk again, tension still written on her face. Her grip was unusually strong.

Sai looked straight ahead while walking in silence. Maybe they're mean relatives. She looked at her new pair of shiny black dress shoes with a matching black suit. Men's suit. Tailored for a six year old body. A breeze tickled her ears, now sensitive from her newly cut hair. Just a few hours ago, her mother hastily chopped off her medium length white hair into a length just above her shoulders. Her now short hair framed around her face and it was parted on the right side, causing a frequent curtain of hair covering her left eye.

She didn't mind dressing up as a boy. After all, she did it quite frequently whenever she would run errands outside with her mother. She knew it was for protection purposes.

Her mother's sudden stop broke her out of her thoughts. They were in front of a pair of large golden gates. The gate was probably several meters high, lined with pointed metal bars. A plaque of gold caught her eyes next to the gate.

NOSTRADE. The name was engraved in elegant letters. As Sai looked at her mother, the gates automatically swung inwards.

Her mother had a paled face now. Stiffening again, she walked forward towards the source of the bright light, the mansion. They passed a intricately designed water fountain. Loud splashes of water filled the air with noise. The smiling cherub statues almost look like they were grinning with malice from the shadows casted on their faces. Sai shivered as she held her breath, trying to brave through her fears.

The mansion had four guards at the entrance. All of them pointed their rifles at the approaching sound of footsteps. Spotlights were suddenly aimed on top of them.

Sai squinted at the sudden exposure to light, covering the back of her hand to her eyes.

"Follow me." One of the guards said curtly, and turned to head into the mansion. The other guards didn't lower their rifles as they followed the mother daughter pair inside.

Now beginning to understand her mother's nervousness, Sai swallowed hard and found it hard to breathe. She felt her mother's clammy hand against her own sweaty palm.

They were walking on a seemingly never ending red carpet, trimmed with gold tassels. Sai could feel how plush the carpet was as her shoes slightly sunk into it with every step. It seemed like it was ages before they were finally brought to a pair of double doors. The guard knocked.

"Come in," spoke a muffled male voice from inside the room. The double doors opened.

The crystal chandelier in the middle of the room was as big as a bathtub, as Sai compared it to the biggest thing they owned, shining brilliantly as if it was showing off its own grandeur. The room was probably as big as their house. A soft melody of a viola sung in the background and the cozy aroma of coffee calmed her nerves. She suddenly noticed a man sitting on the couch when she heard the clink of the teacup as he placed it on the table.

"Well, well...I didn't expect to see you so soon," the man said with a small smile. He had a moustache and his blackish grey hair was neatly combed back. Sai crinkled her nose from the pungent smell of his aftershave as they walked closer to the man. The deep wrinkle lines on his forehead made Sai sure that he was way older than her mother.

"Are you here to pay me back?" he slowly asks.

Sai quickly looked at her mother. Surely they weren't in that much of a predicament that she had to borrow money!

"Light…I come with an offer," her mother began hesitantly.

"Oh? Surely you don't think you're in a position to offer anything, do you?" Light replied, slightly chuckling. "But please continue, I would like to hear what you have to offer."

Before her mother could continue, the doors were burst open. A young looking girl, maybe just a few years older than Sai, marched in. She was wearing a formfitting black lace dress with a square neckline. She wore a pair of black laced gloves and had on black laced tights that emphasized her dainty legs. She looked upset.

"Papa! How come only Neon got a present from the auction!" she exclaimed, not caring that there were unfamiliar faces in the room.

"Mio! Where are your manners!" Light said, glaring at her.

Mio glanced at the guests and huffed with frustration. Not looking at them, she quickly curtsied.

"Ah, Mio ojou-chan...long time no see," Sai's mother said smiling weakly, slightly surprised by Mio's sudden outburst.

"Obachan? Is that you? Why are you wearing tatters? You dressed better before," Mio said carelessly glancing at her, sticking up her nose in disgust.

"Mio!" Light started angrily.

"Ah it's alright, it's alright...Say Mio ojou-chan, could you go play with Sai outside? I have some important things to talk to your Papa."

Mio placed her hands on her hips.

"But Papa-"

"Mio...Now!," Light said, cutting her off.

Mio stomped her feet and stormed out of the room. Sai glanced at her mother. And only did she receive a nod from her mother did she follow Mio out of the room. The doors closed behind them.

"That stupid Papa! Always gives Neon what she wants because she has her stupid ability!" Mio screamed, knocking down a vase of flowers that was displayed in the hallway. Her waist length black hair swung wildly behind her. She slammed opened the door to another room down the hall and Sai followed suit.

"Ano...Mio...ojou-sama… don't you have an ability too?" Sai said, trying to be nice.

Mio plops down on the sofa and kicked her legs on the table.

"Only my stupid sister does. That's why I think my mom and I are outcasts in this family," Mio stated matter-of-factly. She starts picking at her nails.

"But your mom is your sister's too-"

"Her mother died. My mother's her stepmother."

"Oh…"

Mio suddenly stared at Sai. She looked from her face to her clothes and grinned.

"What's your name... and how old are you?" Mio asks, approaching Sai and touching a strand of Sai's hair that was covering her left eye.

"I'm Sai and I'm six years old...," Sai replies, slightly blushing from the sudden contact.

"You're so cute Sai… But I'm ten years old so I'm older than you. So you have to do what I say."

As Sai nods, her mother enters the room. Light enters behind her.

"Sai...I want you to hold onto this. Okaa-san's going to find someone for a few days and I want you to stay here with Uncle Light, okay?" she said.

Sai felt something smooth and cold being shoved in her hands. It was a small box with metal strips around it. There were strange symbols on the metal that she found really strange. She shook the box but no sound came out of it. It seemed like an empty box.

"I'll be back soon, Sai…" her mother said smiling, placing her hand on Sai's head for awhile. Then she quickly walked out of the room. Unbeknownst to Sai, it would be the last time she would see her mother again.

"Okay Sai, your mother has asked me to take care of you while she's gone, so you're going to live with us for a while, okay?" Light explained. "You need some kind of identity in our household...Hmm. let's see, why don't you become an apprentice butler for now? Then we'll figure something out that's better later."

Sai nodded. It didn't matter what she was. Boy or girl. Her mother's going to come back soon anyways.

"Ne~ Papa. Can I have Sai? We just became friends just now!" Mio said.

"Just be nice, Mio."

"Arigatou Papa!" Mio ran to hug Light. Mio turned her head and smiled at Sai, but this time, Sai caught a glimpse of unfriendliness in her eyes.

"You guys have fun with each other. I'll be in my study upstairs doing some work," Light said to both of them and exited himself. When the door closed, Mio took Sai by the hand and sat down on the sofa.

"Say Sai... you know what I wanted from the auction?" Mio asks, suddenly dropping her smile into a more serious one.

Sai shook her head.

"I saw it on the catalog. It's name is Dancer of the Dark. It had bright blue and purple eyes, and long golden hair. They say that if you see its full dance, you'll be so lucky that your wishes would come true!" Mio sighed breathlessly, full of excitement. "I really want it to be in my collection...Neon collects stupid dead things, but that's just useless. It's only the alive ones that matter, so I only collect the ones that are alive."

Sai couldn't say anything from shocking facts that she revealed about herself. The auction sold people? Mio collects people?

"Ne Sai~ I would love to add you to my collection too," Mio said, leaning closer to Sai with an evil grin. "Just your looks are enough for me."

Sai started to back up. As Mio reaches for her, Sai accidentally pushed Mio a little too hard out of shock. Mio ends up falling on the floor with a gasp. She felt a trickle of warm liquid down her right cheek. She shakily touches her wet cheek and widens her eyes to see a smear of blood. Mio's cheek had been punctured by the sharp corner of the glass coffee table when she fell. Sai had her eyes widen with shock as well, but Mio started screaming her head off before she could say anything.

"GUARDS! THROW HIM IN THE BASEMENT RIGHT NOW!" Mio screamed.

The guards burst through the door and roughly pushed Sai out. Her arms were painfully pinned to her back as her head was suddenly bagged up. The sudden loss of sight scared her and her steps became slower. She tripped several times on her way down, only to be gruffly dragged upright again.

Okaa-san...where are you? Why aren't you back yet? Sai desperately thought.

Sai noticed that they were probably arrived at the basement. The plush carpet floor was no longer present, only to be replaced with a cobblestone floor. The damp, cold air rushed at her body. She felt herself being lifted by her wrists. She heard chains being wrapped around each of her wrists and took off the bag off her head. She was being hung several feet off the ground by the chains on her wrists. The cold metal was painfully digging into her skin, due to the weight of her body pulling her downwards. Sai quickly darted her eyes around her surrounding. It was a dark room made of stone, lit up by a few candles. There was a shelf near the door that displayed a variety of weapons, such as tongs, whips and a couple of sharp objects. There was also a fireplace, a shoddy looking table, and a barrel full of murky water. This was no ordinary basement; this was a torture room.

As she saw Mio enter the room, she knew what was going to happen. Mio had a gauze on her right cheek now, but her expression was full of rage. She took the nearest weapon off the shelf: a whip. She closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself for the pain that's to come.

4 Hours Later~

Mio was panting hard. She kept whipping Sai for the past four hours but Sai didn't make a sound. Sai was stripped of her blazer and shoes, only wearing the white dress shirt and black dress pants, or at least what was left of it. The whip had slashed countless holes in her clothes, revealing red stains on her shirt at the opening of each wound. Her skin was covered in dark red lines that oozed with blood. Her chest was obviously fully exposed as well, but for a six year old body, it looked no different compared to a boy's. After the first hour of Sai's silence, Mio had ordered the guards to dump a bag of salt into the barrel of water. Her head hung from being unconscious every so often, but every time Sai fell unconscious, she would be only awakened again from impact of the cold water and feel the immense burning sensation of pain all over her body.

Sai was determined not to make a sound, as she thought it would bring her mother more trouble if she did. After all, this was a punishment. Her expression was blank and she tried to control it as so. Her damp hair clung to her face and conveniently covered her eyes from revealing the immense pain she was currently feeling. Sai could feel and taste the sticky metallic liquid in her mouth. She had bit the insides of her cheek to avoid screaming in pain several times.

Mio lowered her whip from fatigue and threw it at Sai's face. The whip wrapped around her neck once, but the tip of the whip continued to flick around wildly until it made impact on her right eyelid, breaking the skin and letting more red liquid drip down her face. Mio uttered some curse words at Sai before finally opening the basement door to leave. Sai sighed in relief, now numb with pain. Her white hair was matted with water and blood. She glanced at the small puddle of blood beneath her. She heard drops of blood continuing to drop into it from her toes, possibly gathered from the multiple wounds on her body. Exhaustion filled her mind more than anything, as she let her eyes droop and fell into a deep slumber.

It only seemed to be moments when Sai's eyes shot back open. She had a heard a shuffle of movement. Her heart started pounding hard when she thought Mio was going to resume her whipping session again. She listened hard for the source of the movement in the dim lighting, but to her surprised, it didn't come from the door. It came from a small barred window that she never noticed before. Moonlight casted a shadow on the figure outside the window.

"Eh~ You noticed me?" the figure said, nonchalantly.

"H-help," Sai barely whispered. Her throat felt raw even though she didn't even scream.

"It doesn't seem like you know Nen either. Well either way, since you know I'm here, I'll have to kill you," he said simply, a pin appearing between his fingers.

Sai widened her eyes in fear. She could sense it somehow. He would actually kill her.

"W-wait. I-I can help you." Sai said weakly, racking her brain to say whatever would keep her alive. She looked up and squinted to see the figure better. From his voice, it seemed like a male, although his long black hair could've made her think otherwise. His movements hardly made any noise as he slipped through the bars of the window and landed on the stone floor next to her. Burglar? Thief? Murderer? He's definitely a pro.

Illumi hesitated. He wasn't sure why he did. He never hesitates when he's about to kill. But this boy wasn't his target. The boy's tortured condition...short white hair...hanging from chains… It was a striking image of Killua back at home.

"How old are you?" Illumi asks suddenly.

"S-six years old," Sai answered weakly, inadvertently coughing up some blood.

Illumi put a thoughtful hand to his chin. Same age too. Would you call this a coincidence?

"Killua has more muscle mass than you...my younger brother. He's the same age as you. And these torture sessions are nothing. You're just weak," Illumi stated in his bored, monotone voice.

He's probably not normal then… Sai thought. She stayed quiet though, unsure of his intentions for telling her this.

"You don't need help my help. If your alive after this, you can probably get out of it yourself," Illumi said, before soundlessly leaving the room through the door.

Maybe I should've killed him. Illumi thought as he walked in the darkness of the hallway in the mansion. Target first.

Few Moments Later~

"It's me. I got the job done," Illumi stated over the phone. "Mm. Everything went smoothly. Okay, I got it." Click.

Now...I should go kill that boy, he might be problem later if I don't get rid of him now. Illumi thought, as he silently leaped down from the third floor balcony.

I have to get out of here. Mother could be back already. Sai thought as she tried to move her wrists. The slight movement reminded her of the pain that shot throughout her body. She winced and looked up at the chains. The skin that touched the chains were now raw and green blotches were visible from bruising. Her hands were numb and puffy because the chains cut off her circulation for an extended period of time. Sai tried moving the chains again, hoping there were signs of any loosening. Suddenly, she felt herself slip a bit from the chains. The blood from her hands were acting as a temporary lubricant. Her eye lit up from her discovery.

Illumi slowly crouched next to the small barred window of the basement again. With needle between in index and middle finger ready, he peered through the window. The dangling white haired boy didn't notice him this time, only because Sai was making so much ruckus with the chains. Illumi continued to watch, wondering what the boy was trying to do.

Sai wiggled some more in the chains, hoping to slip out some more. Suddenly, the chain slipped a bit, only to dig into one of her large salt-water-doused gaping wound right above her right wrist. The pain sent her brain paralyzed, seeing only whiteness from shock. Her whole body stiffened from the pain. It took a few seconds for Sai to take control of her brain again and took a raggedy breath. A look of rage flashed on her face. She was getting frustrated from the feeling of pain getting in her way. She attempted to contract her left bicep, pulling her up slightly on the left arm, in order to relieve some tension from her right hand. Her left arm started shaking from the additional weight it was suddenly burdened with. Relieved that her right hand wasn't hurting as bad now, her eyes now landed on the whip that hung around her neck. An idea popped in her head as she clumsily raised both of her bare feet to grab the handle of the whip that was dangling in front of her chest. She was careful not to let the whip slip from her bloody feet as she intertwined her phalanges around it. As she tugged the whip with her feet, she felt the whip tighten around her neck. Knowing she could die from asphyxiation if she prolonged this, she tugged as hard as she could in order release the whip off her neck. She felt her oxygen being cut off for a brief second, to only be replaced with a burning sensation around her neck. The whip now hung freely from her feet.

Illumi continued to watch Sai's futile struggle. "Eh~"Illumi said, slightly interested when he saw what she was trying to do next.

Sai was trying to use the whip to grab something off the shelf. She failed many times, as the length of the whip wasn't long enough to reach it. She started swinging her body back and forth on the chains, hoping to get a closer reach. As she swung forward to the maximum point the chains would let her, she flicked the whip with her feet and the whip snapped up one of the daggers on the shelf. With the dagger now attached to the end of the whip, Sai then used what little abdominal muscle she had to swing her legs in order to make the dagger fly upwards, slicing near her head.

Maybe wants he to kill himself now. Illumi thought, still crouched and watching.

Sai tried the second time and the dagger sliced off some of her hair near her ears. Her heart was thumping hard as she knew any mistake she made would cause her own death. Trying to gauge her aim from her past two attempts, she held her breath and aimed again, adjusted her swinging angle. This time, the dagger sliced through her left palm and Sai made a small, wincing smile.

Oh? Is he trying to cut her arms off to free himself? Illumi thought.

She continued to slash at both her left and right hands, until multiple trails of blood covered her arms as the glistening red liquid flowed down. Tears were now flowing from the pain as she self inflicted the wounds on her hands. She stopped and began to wiggle in the chains again. She pulled back her right arm as hard as she could from the chains, her face contorting in pain. She felt the chains slip past her thumb. She applied more pulling force and felt the chains rub painfully against her knuckles. Then her right hand slipped free, dangling by her side and still throbbing with pain. Her face was coated with a layer of sweat as she gingerly raised her right hand to blow on it. She felt a sticky tightness sensation on her blood soaked hand and panic surged through her head. The blood was starting to dry. Quickly, she used her right thumb and index finger to grab onto the chain above her left wrist. She tried pulling back again, this time with her left arm. Once again, the blood help her left thumb slip through but only to stop before her knuckles. With a surge of desperation, she pulled back with all her strength and no later was the sound of two sicking, popping noise was heard.

The next thing she knew was laying on her left side on the cold stone floor. She tried pushing herself up with her left hand, only to immediately land back down on the floor. Her left arm collapsed from the shock of the pain. She lifted her pained arm to see the damage. Her left index and pinky finger were dislocated.

Sai's lips flattened into a line and her expression was grim. She wondered how she could fix her painful fingers. She propped her body upward to stand with her elbows and attempted to walk towards the basement door. Her muscles screamed in pain for every step she took. She struggled for the longest time to open the door. She was surprised yet grateful for the door to be unlocked as the door creaked open. I guess they never thought we would escape. She thought bitterly.

Illumi, who was still quietly watching Sai, never moved from his spot. He couldn't remember why dislocating his fingers was a seemingly painful process. He watched as this boy, who strangely reminded him of is precious little brother, slowly walked out of the room all beaten and bloody. Without a doubt, he knew Killua would easily be able to escape in seconds if he was in the same predicament. Although this boy's strength nor ability can be compared to his dear brother, he was still curious how a regular boy of his age with no training could manage to escape this way.

Sai walked unsteadily in the hallway; she could feel her consciousness slipping as her head was feeling too light on her shoulders to be normal. She turned the knob of a nearby door and was greeted with complete darkness. With the vague shapes around her, she was barely able to make out in the room, guessing it was a storage room of some sort. With relief, she let the dizziness overtake her as felt her body fall forward before she lost consciousness.

Standing in the hallway dimly lit hallway, Illumi saw Sai's body fall forward and face plant on the floor as the door closed behind her.

"I guess I'll be seeing you again..." Illumi said to himself, devoid of any emotion as he checks his phone; his new client's name, Light Nostrade, flashes as an incoming call.

A/N: The dark side of the Nostrade family! o3o I added another family member just to help with the story. I'm really picky about limiting my OC's...so don't worry too much! :D Next chapter will have the rest of the HXH gang make their appearance! Please rate and review!