Hunter X Hunter world isn't so bad.

Chapter 1: The Prison of Home

Reinhart lay on his bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. He knew every one of them by heart. They had been there for as long as he could remember, a silent reminder of how much time he had spent trapped inside this house. His room, once a place of safety, had become his prison.

Outside, he could hear the sounds of the neighborhood: children playing, dogs barking, the distant hum of cars. It was a world he wasn't allowed to be part of. No school, no friends, no freedom. Just the house, and her.

The door to his room creaked open, pulling him out of his thoughts. His mom stood in the doorway, her shadow falling long across the room. Reinhart's body tensed. He didn't need to see her face to know what was coming. The air always felt heavier when she was in one of her moods.

"Reinhart," she called, her voice low but sharp. "Come here."

He didn't move at first. His mind screamed at him to stay where he was, to ignore her. But he knew better than to disobey. Slowly, he got up from the bed, each step feeling like it was taking him closer to danger. His mom's eyes followed him, cold and unfeeling, like she was looking at an object instead of her son.

When he reached her, she grabbed his arm roughly. Reinhart winced but said nothing. She dragged him out of the room and down the hallway, her grip tightening as they passed through the narrow corridor that led to the kitchen.

His heart pounded in his chest. There was no telling what she was going to do this time. Sometimes it was the belt, sometimes her fists. But lately, it had been something else—something worse.

She stopped in front of the kitchen table, her fingers digging into his arm as she shoved him down into a chair. "Sit."

Reinhart obeyed, his pulse quickening. His eyes darted around the room, looking for anything to distract himself from what was coming next. But there was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

His mom stood in front of him, studying him with an unsettling gaze. "You know why I'm upset, don't you?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm.

Reinhart didn't respond. He had learned that saying the wrong thing could set her off. Instead, he focused on a stain on the table, his mind racing to guess what he had done wrong this time.

Her hand shot out suddenly, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her. "I asked you a question."

"I—I don't know," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

She frowned, her grip tightening painfully. "Of course, you don't. You never know anything. You're useless."

She released him, pacing back and forth for a moment before stopping directly in front of him again. Then, without warning, she reached for his shirt, pulling at the fabric. Reinhart's stomach dropped. This wasn't the first time she had done this, but it didn't make it any easier.

His mind flashed back to the last time she had tried. She had slapped him, as usual, but then her hands had lingered on his body, pulling at his clothes, her touch turning from angry to something else—something that made his skin crawl. He hadn't understood it at first. He thought she was checking to see if she had hurt him too much. But when she started kissing him, he realized something was very wrong.

Now, as her fingers tugged at his shirt again, Reinhart felt the same wave of confusion and fear wash over him. He didn't know why she was doing this, but it terrified him.

He wanted to run, to scream, but he couldn't. His body felt frozen, paralyzed by fear.

"You think you can just sit here and be useless?" she muttered, her hands now at his waistband. Reinhart's heart pounded so loudly in his ears he thought it might burst. "You're mine, Reinhart. Don't you forget that."

The sound of her voice sent chills down his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that if he didn't see her, it would all go away. But it didn't.

Just when he thought she would do more, there was a knock at the door.

Reinhart's eyes flew open. For a moment, everything stopped. His mom froze, her hand hovering near his waist. The knock came again, louder this time, and she cursed under her breath, pulling away from him. Her face twisted in anger, but she stormed out of the room without another word, slamming the door behind her.

Reinhart's body collapsed into the chair, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. He had escaped again. But how many more times would he get lucky?

---

Days passed, and Reinhart remained on edge. The memory of what his mom had tried to do haunted him, replaying in his mind over and over. Each time she came near him, his chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. He tried to avoid her as much as possible, but there was no escaping her completely.

One night, the tension reached its peak.

It was late, and the house was dark. Reinhart lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as he always did. But this time, he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. His heart raced in his chest, his body tensing at every creak of the house.

Suddenly, the door to his room creaked open.

His mom stood in the doorway, her silhouette outlined by the dim light of the hallway. Reinhart's stomach churned with dread. She didn't say anything as she entered the room, but the way she moved—the quiet, deliberate steps—made his skin crawl.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, her hand reaching out to stroke his hair. Reinhart flinched, but he didn't move away. He was too afraid. Her touch was gentle at first, but there was something behind it, something dark and wrong.

"You're a good boy, Reinhart," she whispered, her voice low and sickeningly sweet. "You know that, right?"

Reinhart didn't answer. He didn't trust his voice.

Her hand slid down to his chest, her fingers tracing the fabric of his shirt. "You know I love you, don't you?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to disappear. He wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere but under her control.

But there was no escape. Not yet.

---

End of Chapter 1.

Hello everyone I know this is a very dark topic and a very dark first chapter, but trust me here... for now at least.