The corridor was immersed in an almost unreal silence, broken only by the soft rustle of his shoes against the worn wooden floor. Chrollo stood there, just beyond the door, a shadow among shadows ready to melt into a world that nobody knew better than him. Without even glancing back, he seemed prepared to leave his brigade behind, vanishing into thin air… only to reappear weeks or even months later, as if nothing had happened.

But this time was different.

This time, you were waiting. You stood firmly before the door, arms crossed, a silent barricade against his escape.

“I have to do it alone”.

he said quietly, his voice calm but edged with a tension that belied his composed exterior.

“It’s safer this way.”

You never knew what he planned to do when he disappeared, what dangers he was going to get himself into, or what enemies he would face. And yet, none of that mattered. You weren’t going to let him go, not this time. Not again. The bond between you had always been more than mere alliance; it was a connection that even he had never openly acknowledged, but you felt it in every glance, every pause, every subtle shift in his posture.

“Don’t make it harder than it has to be…”.

he said in his soft, whispered tone, but there was no doubt, no misunderstanding about the keen edge beneath that. Always calm, measured, impassive … tonight, the slight tremble in his voice revealed a very rare uncertainty.

Your resolve did not waver. You would not step aside. You would not let him leave without you; you would fight to remain by his side. either he would stay, or he would take you with him.

The hallway seemed to hold its breath. Outside, the city whispered through distant cracks of light and sound, a stark contrast to the tension frozen in that small, dim corridor.

“You really don’t understand, do you?”.

Chrollo asked, a faint, almost rueful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.