Hey, minna! Long time no see! Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. Even School's been stressful. I really hope you guys will enjoy this chapter. I'll admit, it was kind of difficult for me to write it, but here it is! This chapter is dedicated to @Violet--Eyes. I hope you'll love this, girl. Check out her HxH fanfic if ya'll are interested. Thank you so much for the comments and follow! It's really late right now, so I'm gonna hit the hey. As always, let me know what you guys think in the comments, and the next chapter will be on its way;) Stay awesome! Good night!

(Killua's POV)

"M-m-my brother... My brother's been kidnapped," Yuki croaked with tears I've never seen before.

"What?!" My hands unconsciously tightened their grip. I relaxed a little of my natural strength in hopes of not crushing her shoulders. "Did the person say who he was?"

She shook her head. "No. He didn't give me his name, but..." Yuki hesitated to finish her sentence for some reason.

"Yuki, try to remain calm and focus. What did the kidnapper say?" I said more calmly.

"H-he said that if I ever want to see Rin again, I... I have to bring Alluka to him." Those words struck me like cold daggers deep in my chest. I let go of her shoulders as I took a step back, resting my hand on my forehead.

Only one person came into mind who would say that. Illumi. So he finally found us, or rather, decided to take action. He could've just confronted us in person, but no. He wanted to make things interesting, even to this extent, involving the innocent into this. Had he intentionally waited for me to get close to Yuki just for this sort of plan? No matter how much I didn't want to believe that, it was a possibility. He has gone too far this time. I clenched my fists in anger. Trying to hurt Alluka was one thing, but threatening Yuki's family was crossing the line.

Yuki dropped down, squatting close to the ground, covering her face. "I'm sorry, Killua," she sobbed. "I'm sorry..."

Why was she apologizing? It was my fault for roping her into this mess. Illumi is trying to use Rin just to get to me and Alluka. I was the one who brought her into this. This would've never happened if I had kept my distance. I should've told her who I was when I had the chance.

I bent down in front of her crouched form and gently stroke my hand on her shoulder. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry," I said calmly. I then pulled her in my arms to give her my condolence. "This is about me, not you. We'll get your brother back. I promise."

(Yuki's POV)

Everything in the world was suddenly crashing down before me. One minute everything was normal. I was having a wonderful time with my friends and everyone was safe. The next thing I knew, Rin slipped away from me.

I was lost in the hazy storm of my own mind, conflicted between choices. What am I going to do? How am I going to tell mom? I can't betray Alluka, but I can't put Rin's life in jeopardy either. I couldn't stop panicking until someone pulled me in a warm embrace. He patted me softly on the back of my head. His comforting touch helped me manage to subside the waterworks as I continued to drain out the last of my tears.

How could I let this happen to my baby brother? This would have never happened if I had just stayed with him instead of letting him out of my sight. All I thought about was hanging out with my friends alone and not Rin. I saw him as an annoyance, but now that this happened, I might never see him again. "What kind of older sister am I?"

"It's not your fault," Killua hushed as he petted my head.

After kneeling in that position for a while, I remembered that there was no time to cry tears yet. Rin's life was at a time limit. I was the first to break away from us, wiping my eyes dry.

"Have you settled down, now?" Killua asked with concern.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Okay," Killua had a hold on both of my arms and helped me stand up. "Do you remember what other information the guy said?"

"He said that he would be at the Astronomy Symphony Theatre at midnight," I answered, remembering the instructions of that ominous voice.

"Midnight... That's about three hours from now."

"Oh man oh man oh man, what are we going to do?" I began pacing in a circle. "What are we going to do? We can't just give Alluka to him, can we?" As much as I was willing to do anything to save my brother, I wasn't just going to betray Alluka and turn her in like our new friendship meant nothing. She's a sweat girl who didn't deserve this.

"Of course not!" Killua snapped, staring at me angrily now. His response almost made me want to cry again. "As if I would let anything happen to Alluka."

"And I don't want anything to happen to Rin either!" I snapped back.

"And nothing won't! I'll save your brother with my own power," he said this with conviction as he pressed his hand flat against his chest.

After seeing the fire in his eyes, I was reminded that I wasn't talking to any ordinary teenage boy. He was a Hunter, with high leveled skills I have yet to witness. Whatever he might come up with, he might be able to pull it off. This made me glad that he was pro Hunter.

"Then we better-" I grabbed his hand about to move, but then stopped momentarily due to a certain idea. My hand began to loosen its grip doubtfully.

"What is it?" Killua asked.

"What if he wants me to bring Alluka alone? If he finds out I brought company, what if... he..."

Before I could finish that unbearable sentence, Killua's squeezed my hand tighter and pulled my closer, making our eyes inches apart. "Don't go there," he said in a calmer voice. "You said that you trust me, remember? So trust me when I say this; we will get your brother back. No matter what."

"Killua..." He was being so honest and selfless right now. Our faces were so close. I felt the need to stand on my toes and lean up closer. As my lips got closer to his, Killua set back his head and turned away. I was stunned. Didn't he like me just a minute ago? No, what he was doing was appropriate. This was not the right circumstances to make any moves tonight.

"C'mon. Let's go." He began pulling my hand as we started sprinting. My yukata shoes were slowing me down, so I had no choice but to kick them off as I ran, abandoning them in the darkness behind us.

As we drew closer to the festival grounds, Killia already had his phone magically in his hand, calling someone. "Gon," he spoke urgently. "Is Alluka with you?" He waited only one second for his answer, then continued without another second to waste. "Where are you guys?" He then stopped and changed direction, darting the other way. "I'll explain when we see you." By the looks of it, Gon must be really worried on the other side with the others. It made me feel relieved that nothing happened to them, especially Aluka. Which got me thinking, why did the stranger have to kidnap my brother if all he wanted was Alluka? Killua wasn't around so surely he would be able to take her. It was because Gon was with her, you idiot! He's a Hunter too. Come, Yuki. Start thinking straight. So much has happened to me tonight that it was hard to let it all sink in at once.

Ahead of us, I caught a glimpse of a boy in green and two girls in kimonos, one with a hat, waiting impatiently at the marble water fountain. When Gon noticed us, he immediately came toward Killua, meeting him halfway. "Killua, what happened?" Gon asked with great concern.

"Yuki's brother's been kidnapped," Killua stated, letting go of my hand. I could feel the the pressure and heat being lifted, the blood circulating through again.

Alluka and Lizz gasped in horrific shock. "That's terrible!" Alluka exclaimed.

"We gotta call the police..." Lizz began, but Killua quickly disagreed.

"The police ain't going to help us this time."

"This is crazy. What do you mean we can't call the cops?"

"That was one of the conditions the kidnapper said," I reasoned while defending Killua.

"Were there other conditions he said?" Gon stepped in. When I took a glance at Alluka, I looked back to Killua, who just shook his head no. I agreed with him. It was probably best not to let Alluka know that she was part of the ransom.

"He said that I'd have to meet him at the Astronomy Symphony Theatre at twelve tonight."

"What? Why?" Lizz asked in disbelief. "There's no way you're gonna go alone, are you?"

"She's not going anywhere," Killua intervened. "Gon and I will go bring back Rin while the three of you go hide in a safe place."

"What?" I cocked in bewilderment. "What do you mean 'the three of us'? I'm going with you."

"You can't," he argued. "It's way too dangerous!"

"Rin is my brother and my responsibility, so I should go rescue him too." We glared intensely into each other's eyes like dogs. I have already had my share of alley attackers, first class thieves, and talking animal insects. One kidnapper doesn't scare me when it comes between me and my brother.

After what went on for a few seconds, Killua huffed as he withdrawn in defeat. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" Killua asked, still doubting my capability.

"Yeah. I can take care of myself," I said with the determination of saving my brother feeding my courage.

"What about us?" Lizz came back in the conversation, while Alluka stayed back silent.

"Take Alluka to your your house, just in case," Killua suggested, sounding worried.

"You make it sound like we're dealing with more than one person here," Lizz suspected nervously. If one person knew about Alluka's dark side, then would possible that there could be others. Who else would know Alluka's secret other than Killua's family? It may be possible that this has happened before, so maybe Killua might have an idea of who Rin's kidnapper could be.

"It's possible that there may be more than one perpetrator."

"Then what makes you think we can handle ourselves?" Lizz snapped histerically.

"Yeah, Killua. Wouldn't it just make sense if Gon stays back with them?" I suggested. We would all be equally protected if both groups have a pro Hunter.

"As long as you guys hide, I'm sure you can manage since you're a Chimera Ant, aren't you?" Killua said as he turned to Lizz. After Killua said that, everyone fell silent. Alluka appeared shocked while I was the only one standing around confused. Who was he referring to? Killua stared silently at Lizz, who now was sweating with fear.

"Wait, what did you just say?" I asked, making sure if what I heard was correct.

"It's okay, I already knew that Lizz was a Chimera Ant," he said calmly, as if it was something that was already in our knowledge.

I remembered meeting Ikalgo and Killua explaining to us what a Chimera Any was, but what he stated just now seemed out of the blue. Why would he call Lizz a Chimera Ant? I've known her since we were kids, so surely I would've noticed. I was about to ask him why he would say such a ridiculous thing at a time like this until Lizz spoke in a quivering voice.

"H-h-how did you know that?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Killua asked me, seeming mildly shocked.

I did a double take between the two until I finally had my eyes settled on Lizz. "Lizz, what's he talking about?"

Her shoulders flinched when I spoke. She began to slowly back away with her arms shriveled within her chest. "Don't look at me like that..." I couldn't comprehend what she meant like that as she looked more and more afraid. I looked around and all I saw were stares of concern.

"Lizz..." I tried to reach for her hand, but she turned away and sprinted without any warning, the faint sound of her weeping following her. "Lizz, wait!" I had so much to ask her, but she wouldn't give a notice.

We were all left probably confused. With the feeling of being abandoned and deceived, I turned to Killua furiously. "What the heck was that?" I snared.

"I though that since you were her best friend you would've known."

"You can't just say things like that. Even if we are in a dire situation and you already knew, what gives you the right to say Lizz's secret like that?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he raised his hands up defensively.

"Don't tell me 'sorry', tell Lizz you're sorry when I come back with her."

I ran down the path Lizz took, without any guidance to where Lizz might've ran off to. Although I might not know where she is, I might have an idea on how she ran away. I got off the path of the festival vendors and began wandering aimlessly in the woods. It sounded stupid, but Lizz hated crying in public places, so she wouldn't have ran down a road where more eyes would judge her.

I pulled up the hem of my dress so that it wouldn't get it tattered from the grass and twigs. "Lizz!" I called out. I kept running until I found another road in the park. "Lizz! Where are you?" I followed the track until I spotted a shadowy figure sitting in a slouched position with arms over the knees, facing the lake.

I sighed in relief as I paced toward her. "Three you are. I didn't actually think I would find you this quick," I said while sitting on the grass next to her. She remained mute as she concealed whatever trace of her face she could hide shamefully.

"Is it true?" I asked. "Are you really... what Killua said?"

She nodded without any words, but at least it was an understandable response.

"Why did you run?" I asked empathetically.

[Press play]

She moved her heels closer to her body, holding herself tighter. "... I was afraid..." She whimpered.

"Of what? That I would judge you?" I tried to laugh it off to reassure her that she had nothing to worry about.

"That you would be afraid of me."

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Or rather... Hate me..."

This got me mad. "Now hold on, just because you're a different species doesn't mean that I'll hate you. You're my friend first."

Her head then shot up, her cheeks glossing with tears shone in the moonlight. Her mouth was quivering as she stared at me with round eyes. "Could you really say that? If you knew the things I've done... the dark side of me, would you still really be my friend?" She raised her voice so suddenly that it sent a wave of chills down my spine.

I was scared and worried for Lizz. At the same time, very confused. I've known her for years and never noticed that she was a Chimera Ant. When did it happen? Was she an ant to begin with?

I didn't yell back at her for she already seemed too distressed for a scolding. I scooted closer and lightly patted her shoulders. "Tell me what happened."

I wasn't sure whether Lizz was really going to tell me her story or not. She kept this huge secret from me that it almost hurt, like I was betrayed by our friendship. But this was in fact her own well being we were talking about, so it did seem understandable.

It took a minute for Lizz to calm down after a series of deep breaths. She wiped away the tears and faced her gaze only on the lake.

"Remember that one summer four years ago when I went to visit my grandparents at NGL?" I took a minute to remember. It seemed kind of random, but I guess this was where her story started.

"Yes, I remember."

Neo-Green Life, also known as NGL for short, was an autonomous state at the far west of this country. The community was filled with people who lived free from modern technology. Her grandparents lived a peaceful life in their village. However, there was an accident when NGL had some sort of outbreak with a new type of dangerous species.

My mind began to gradually recollect some old memories back from that summer. I remembered Lizz being gone longer than I expected, at least three months. It made me worried. Now it made sense that she was most likely caught up in the mess of the Chimera Ants.

"During that summer... That's when everything happened. I was only supposed to visit my grandparents for a few days at their farm, but these... Monsters showed up out of nowhere. They were like oversized insects. They attacked everyone in the facility. I can still remember being carried away in the air when they grabbed me by the shoulders. I was screaming so much that I thought I would lose my voice." The cheeks inside of my mouth tensed up inside my mouth as I listened to her story.

It sounded like made up fiction, but her tears never lie. She explained to me the best she could of her experience four years ago in NGL. This must've been her first time explaining it to anyone.

There was a whole swarm of Chimera Ants that overran the facility, taking whatever humans they found as food. The last thing she remembered was being taken away as her family tried to protect her. After that, she said she must've died. I couldn't believe it myself. When she broke into tears, I lent her my shoulder to cry on as I patted her more on the head. She had to take breaks before finishing her story. She said that she was most likely eaten by the Chimera Ant Queen, which scared me a lot. As I was confused on how she could possibly still be standing in front of me if she died, she explained to me how she was reborn.

I was not much of a science person, and neither was Lizz, but she continued to explain.

"In every organism the queen consumes, the genetic material is inherited by the next offsprings she gives birth to. That's why I still look so much like myself, but that is only on the outside. So, as you can see, I'm not really the Lizz I used to be, but a reincarnation of her." She paused briefly as she leaned in closer to her knees. "When I was reborn as an ant, I had no idea what I was or what my purpose was. The only thing I had was the instinct to serve the Queen. But as time flew by and I gained more intelligence and developed my personality back, I began having memories of my past life, what it was like being human. Then one day, I had all of my memories shot back in my head, a-and I realized...." She raised her trembling hands over her mouth. "What horrible things I've done. You can't imagine the twisted stuff I've seen." I quickly wrapped my arms around her shoulders, sharing my warmth and comfort. I didn't need Lizz to push herself to tell me the things she had done in the past. I could already tell that she ate humans too, and she regretted it. The thought made me want to puke, but I couldn't imagine how Lizz was feeling.

"So I ran away, returning back home to my parents. It was hard for them to believe me at first, but they were extremely worried when I came back after being missing."

"Why wouldn't they?" I commented, knowing that every parent would be worried for their own child to go through something like that, not knowing if they were alive or not.

"But still, even thought it's all over... I can't forgive them for taking my life away... Turning me into a freak... All the lives they ruined. I hate them!"

I rubbed Lizz more on the shoulders as she hid her face once again. "I'm really sorry about your grandparents, and what happened to you, but you didn't lose everything. You still have your parents, and you still have me."

"Really?" She asked as she peeked up. "You'll still be my friend? Even though I'm a monster?"

"Hey, monster sounds a little bit too harsh. The fact that you're a Chimera Ant doesn't change anything between us. You were my best friend before all these years, and you're still my best friend now."

After I said those sincere words, Lizz raid her head up as she looked at me tears coming down.

"Yuki..." She sniffed. Arigato!" We embraced each other with a warm hug that was bonded by our unconditional friendship. Lizz may not be in the same body she once had before, but she was still the same Lizz I knew. My best friend.

When we finally broke apart, Lizz wiped away the tears and sighed in relief. "Awe man, that really lifted a great weigh off my shoulders. 'Guess I don't have to keep wearing these around you anymore." When she said that, she raised her hands up and slowly removed the hat from the top of her head. Once removed, two golden, fluffy cat ears were revealed.

"Whoa!" I let out in surprise. Just as the name said, she was also part another animal. Although. I wondered why Lizz looked more like a human and Ikalgo looked more like an octopus. All this time, she kept her ant side hidden well, when it should've been obvious.

"Yeah, that's how my parents reacted," she giggled, showing me a smile which felt like I haven't seen forever after that long emotional talk.

"You know, this actually makes you a lot cooler," I complimented with a wide smile. It was a good thing I love cats, so this was a bonus perk of having her as my best friend.

That talk we had was so long that I lost track of the time. "Oh shoot!" I scrambled for my phone inside my purse and pulled it out for the time. "Lizz, my brother! We have at least one hour!"

Lizz gasped. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I took up too much time."

I patted her on the head, causing her ears to twitch. "It's okay. We just need to hurry back to the others." I stood up and lent my hand down to her.

When she grabbed my hand and hauled herself up, she had a grin on her face. "I know a quick way." She then spun around and bent down. "Get on my back."

"What?"

"No time for questions! Just hop on!"

Startled by her sudden optimism, I obliged to her demand and carefully climbed up, holding on to her shoulders.

"Hang on." She began dashingly at a fast pace. As she dodged the trees accordingly in the dark, her speed picked up extremely faster. I held on tighter as I tied my arms around her neck, afraid that I would just fly off her back. I never knew that Lizz was this incredibly fast.

I had my eyes closed until until Lizz made a receding stop. When I opened them, I saw Killua, Alluka, and Gon wandering down an empty path.

"You can get off now," Lizz said. When I slipped off for Lizz to straighten her back, Gon caught our attention and pointed at our direction. We all rushed toward each other halfway.

"Thank goodness you guys are safe," Killua said in relief. "I was beginning to worry that something might've happened to you."

"How did you find us?" Gon asked.

"Through my keen senses," Lizz baskly gloated about her power.

"Wow. You really are an animal," I commented sarcastically.

"I'm a humanoid ant!" She corrected in a hiss. Her hair was straightening up like when a real cat is in fury. I couldn't help but giggle at her resemblance.

Killua then turned to Lizz with an empathetic look. "Lizz, Um sorry for saying what I said without thinking back there. It wasn't right of me to do so."

To our surprise, Lizz giggled, then lightly punched him on the shoulder. "What happened was for the better. Now, let's get down to more serious matters."

"Right. Where's the Astronomy Symphony Theatre?" Killua asked with his changed tone of seriousness.

"It's in downtown, and the trains are out of service at this late hour. We'll never make it there on time," I said, feeling the panic rise up inside of me again.

"Not by feet," Killua winked, then yanked out his cell phone. "But if a friend is still in town, then maybe he'll be able to give us a quick lift."

Killua pressed and held on speed dial, then held the phone up to the side of his face. "Yo, it's me. Are you still in town?" There was a pause for response. "It's an emergency. I need you to drive to the entrance of the Southgate Park." With that said, he nodded and hung up his phone.

"Who's picking us up?" I asked in wonder of who Killua could've possibly contacted who could help us in our situation.

"An old friend."

******

I looked down at my phone to read that ten minutes have already passed. It felt like I was just leaving pace marks on the sidewalk forever. If I'd known that it would take this long, I would've just asked Lizz if I could piggyback me all the way there.

Then again, if I have done that, there would be no one to stay and protect Alluka. However, if that's the case, then why couldn't Gon just stay with Alluka? Why would Killua need to bring Gon anyway if we're probably only dealing with one kidnapper. Even if it was more than one, Killua alone should be capable of overtaking them. Something didn't feel right? What would make Killua feel so antsy that it would take two pro Hunters for a rescue mission, along with leaving Alluka in the care of a Chimera Ant?

Now that I think about it, I don't now Lizz's tru strength at all. "So how strong is a Chimera Ant anyway?" I asked, starting a conversation to pass the time and distract myself from the anxiety.

"That entirely depends on the ant, but they're physically much more stronger than humans, along with sharper senses," Killua answered.

"But still, why did you pick me to take care of Alluka?" Lizz intereupted.

Killua was silent for a moment as he stared at her, as if testing whether he should truly trust her or not. "It's because I sense a strong Nen in you."

"Killua," Gon responded in a way that sounded like he wanted to stop him.

"What?" Killua complained. "Might as well. It's not like Wing-san or Bisky are going to do anything to me." After saying those names outside of my knowledge, he returned his attention back to Lizz.

"Nen? What the heck is that?" Lizz asked.

"In every living being, there is an aura that is the creature's live energy. People can manipulate that aura through a technique called Nen."

"Like how ninjas use chakra?" I asked for a clearer understanding.

"I guess, in a way. Using Nen is a high skill, and extremely dangerous, which is why it's been secret to the public."

"Then how come you know so much about it?" Lizz questioned, unconvinced.

"Some contracted jobs require Hunters to know Nen, which was why it was part of our last phase in the Hunter Exam."

"No way! Then you know how to use Nen?" I asked in astonishment. I wondered if my dad knew how to use Nen, not that he ever mentioned it before.

"Yeah. Nen enhances the strength of physical attacks. Nen users can also sense other people's auras. And Lizz emits an exceptionally strong amount without even knowing it.

"Cool! So does that mean I have super powers or something?" Lizz asked, getting all excited.

"Well... It doesn't work that way," Gon said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"You see, aura leaks out of a person's body through pores called Aura Nodes, so they often give off their aura without being aware of it. In order to manually open and close those holes to control aura, it would take months of meditation to get the technique down."

"Awe man! Why do they have to be so long!" Lizz cried as her spirits and momentarily fantasy were crushed.

"But if Lizz can't use Nen, then how can she to text herself and Alluka?" I asked.

"Although she may not be able to unlock her Nen yet, she's still a Chimera Ant with strength and senses twice as strong as a human's."

"And another thing. How in the world did you figure out that Lizz was a Chimera Ant?"

"Oh, that. I saw her tail sticking out of her skirt once."

"Eep!" Lizz shrieked as her hands cowardly hid behind her tush, her face reddening. "You perv!"

Alluka started laughing, which was the first noise I heard from her in a while. I couldn't help but laugh myself. "It's not funny!"

My laughter came to an abrupt stop. "Hey, I just realized, no wonder you always made the top records in P.E.!" I said so unfairly. Lizz just smirked with a shrug like there was nothing to it.

"Our ride's here," Killua said, facing down the street. I didn't see any cars until a pair of beaming lights turned the corner. A white van approached us and came to a slow stop.

"Yo!" the driver said with his tentacles hanging over the window.

"Oh, Ikalgo! Long time no see!" Gon waved at him in surprise. I was surprised to see him too, especially driving. It made me try to remember if he had tentacles long enough to reach the gas pedal.

When he scanned the group, the octopus took notice of Lizz's change in appearance. "You know, when I first saw you, I knew I had this nostalgic feeling."

I turned to Lizz to see how she would react. She cracked a smile. "Takes an ant to know an ant, I guess." I remembered how hostile she seemed when we first met him. I understood now the reason, but she didn't seem to hate Ikalgo that much; probably because he's a friend we can trust.

"You kids need a ride?" he asked, then honked his horn.

"Yup!" Killua said as he walked around to open the passenger seat.

"Thank you so much, Ikalgo," I said gratefully as I bowed, then made my way to the back doors.

"No need. I'll do anything for a friend."

I opened the back doors to reveal brown cardboard boxes laid out along the walls. I was about to climb up until Gon lightly pulled back on my shoulder. There were no back seats, no seat belts, and no safety handles. "I'll take the back, you can sit next to Killua." Without my consent he went ahead And climbed up in the back.

"No, it's okay, Gon. I can sit in the back."

"It's fine. Just keep Killua company," he said with a wink.

"I-it's not like that!" I stuttered. However, Killua did tell me that he liked me, but we weren't officially dating. Now that I think about it, I haven't given Killua my reply yet. This was no time for romance. Our objective right now was to save my little brother.

After closing the back doors, I ran around the other side and got in the passenger seat, sitting next to Killua.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off?" Ikalgo asked Lizz and Alluka with concern.

"There's no time," Lizz replied back. "Don't worry. I took karate in third grade. You guys just hurry to Run and come back safely.

"You guys be careful too," I said.

"Um... Yuki..." Alluka called out shyly. Was this Alluka talking to me, or Something?

"Yes?"

"Gomen'..."

"Don't say that," I cut her off without knowing. "It's not your fault." I didn't recall telling Alluka about her in the phone call, so Killua must've filled her in along with Gon while I went out to look for Lizz. Or maybe she already figured it out herself on what this was about. Even though this was partly about her for some reason, I felt sorry for her. I didn't want her to feel guilty about this, especially since I shared half of that guilt. If only I had listened to mom... No. Even without my mom telling me, I should've been more responsible to look after my little brother. "I should've been a better big sister."

Without looking, I felt something soft and warm slipping through my hand. I cooperated with his hand by intertwining our fingers.

"If anything happens, call me," Killua told his sister.

"I will!" She nodded to the both of us.

"Quit wasting time and go!" Lizz urged, knowing how dire our time was.

On the wall behind us was a rectangular glove compartment, sliding open sideways to reveal a pair of chocolate brown eyes. "Ikalgo, step on it!" Gon ordered.

"Right!" He stretched his elastic tentacle to push down on the gas pedal, moving the van forward. I held on to Killua's hand longer, praying that Rin would be all right and that nothing wrong would happen.