Hi, minna! Sorry for the late update. I was supposed to update last night, but I had a family emergency. This book is nearing it's end, so I just have to ask minna this one thing: should I open a Q&A? If so, comment or PM me your questions and I'll answer once the final chapter is complete. This chapter is dedicated to @NaeH49 . Don't cry. If you feel scared for what comes next, just remain calm and remember that you are awesome. Enjoy! Trouble out.

P.S. I had a soundtrack planned for this chapter, but the length and timing didn't match, plus the music would've taken away the suspense. I also had to research boats for this! lol

Shiki told me to wait in the car, but obviously, I won't. Who actually does that? If she really wanted to stop me, she should have dropped me off somewhere far away and safe. As if I would stay in this car. This was something I had to see to the end.

I didn't leave the car until Shiki went inside herself. Once it all seemed clear, I opened the car door and trudged through the snow. I closed my hands tight and kept them close to my chest as I shivered from this icy breeze. I checked the perimeter of the warehouse to find another way in. Hopefully, one that was vacant.

I snuck around the white docks on bent knees, nearly slipping on solid ice a couple of times on the frozen deck. Out of all the boats parked on at the docks, only one was not blanketed in as much snow as the rest, like it was left there recently. It was a pilothouse power boat. A fine choice for shedding seas with comfort, with a cabin that keeps the cold air at bay. I climbed over the boat and froze when my feet made a loud thud on the floorboard. Hopefully, no one mal-intentioned on board heard that. Trying hard not to make a sound, I looked through the window of the hatch and calmly made my way into the cockpit. Under the deck felt less cold. I could feel my cheeks warming up.

As soon as I shut the howling wind out, I heard the faint cries of a girl. She sat next to a window in the small, square room, crying in her hands. "Alluka?" I presumed. She looked up at me. Seeing her face for the first time, I felt a wave of familiarity that I already knew her.

"Yuki-chan!" the girl leaped at me, hugging me. I was taken aback, surprised and a bit awkward at first, but the hug gradually felt so familiar to the point that I missed it. I hugged back.

"Oh, Alluka," I choked out the words, feeling tears welling up. This was my precious friend Alluka, someone who is like a sweet little sister to me. She must have felt so lonely while I have forgotten her.

"Yuki-chan. You remember me?"

We let go as I wiped my eyes. "Of course I do. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I inspected her face for any scratches or bruises.

She shook her head, then she gasped in realization. "It's a trap! Big brother Illumi is going to kill Gon and Lizz!"

"What?!" Before I left the car, Shiki pointed out that there were fresh tire tracks on the road, meaning that Gon and Liz have only arrived moments ago. We are all at the same place, but now I am about to lose everyone at once. "What about Killua? Is he still here?" Alluka paused in silence, her eyes drifting to the window. "Alluka."

"He's here..." She seemed hesitant to answer, like she didn't want me to know. Her brows scrunched with worry. "But he's completely different. Zexion changed him, and now Oniichan is a literal killing machine. No matter what I try I can't get through to him... but maybe you can."

I cocked my head back in surprise. "Me? How can I help if even his own sister can't reach him?"

"He'll hear you, Yuki-chan. I know because you're the one he needs most."

"Alluka..." Although my memories are slowly piecing together, I am still not sure if have the key to save Killua? What if I say the wrong thing? How can I bring back someone I can't even remember? "What if... even when I see him, I still don't know him?"

"Just be yourself," she said with confidence, grabbing my hand. "Let's hurry!" She stood up and began to rush out, but I held her back.

"Wait, Alluka. It might be too dangerous. You should hide here. If I'm not back in ten minutes, there's a car parked outside of the warehouse. I want you to-"

"No! I'm not going to abandon my family!" She shouted.

"Alluka, this is important. I'm not saying we'll fail, but you're still in danger. All that Illumi wants in the end are Killua and Something. If he wins, you and Something at least have to escape while you still have the chance."

"But what if-"

"Alluka. This is just a failsafe, but it won't come to that. I promise to come back for you, and it'll be with your brother and our friends." I clasped both of her hands in mine and looked at her straight in the eyes with determination. "We are going home together."

Alluka stared silently back, probably calculating the best options, but there was no time. With faith, she nodded. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will," I responded quickly with as much conviction as I could muster. To be honest, I didn't want to make any guarantees of coming back unscathed. My memory still had holes in them. I was still unsure what exactly what we were up against, but I couldn't let Alluka lose hope on me.

I slunk out of the boat and back on the docks when I heard a deafening reverberation of what sounded like metal containers inside the building. I skipped a heartbeat from that indoor thunder. I abandoned stealth mode and all rationale to run over to the closest door to see what was going on.

I cracked the door open, peaked inside before entering, then snaked my way in. There were rows and rows of stacked crates and boxes on lift platforms, the room too dark to read their labels. It was like walking in a laser tag warehouse level.

"How disappointing," said a voice from the other side of this crate pyramid. I couldn't recall whose voice it belonged to, but it gave me familiar goosebumps. "I was expecting more of a fight, but it seems to be more one-sided." I followed the voice, tip-toeing as quietly as a mouse in a maze. "Gon, why are you holding back?"

"Of... course... I won't... fight..." Gon's voice sounded rasped as if he could barely breathe. What happened to him? He sounded like he was dying. I paced myself faster to find the source. "Killua... is my...."

"Best friend? That word no longer has any meaning to him. He can only respond to one thing..." Finally, I found an opening to a wider area. Shattered wooden crates and barrels were strewn across the space, leaving a trail of debris to Gon half-beaten to death with someone else standing over him with his hand raised, ready to strike. "Kill."

Everything happened so fast before I could catch on what was happening. My feet took flight. Somehow I managed to maneuver and skip over the scattered wreckage on the ground like they were no obstacle to me. As I ran up the barrels, I could see the boy's hand coming down in every millisecond. My heart was pounding frantically as I already started crying, afraid that I might not make it on time. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was protect Gon no matter the risks. Fearing that my tears would sabotage my vision, I closed my eyes and dove as I threw my arms around him, shielding his body with mine.

"Stop!" I screamed. One second passed. Two seconds passed. My arms were frozen, still holding Gon tight. I slowly opened my eyes to see the tips of the sharpest nails I have ever seen, only centimeters from the notch of my nose. I exhaled and breathed, realizing that I was holding on to my breath. I dared myself to look into the eyes of the assassin. The minute I looked into those azure blue eyes, I remembered that those same eyes looked down at me like that when we first met.

"Killua..." I whispered. It was Killua. I finally found him. My memories flooded back into me. I felt less afraid of him, but mostly sad. How could the Killua I know be like this? Killua's smile, Killua's laughter, and Killua's tears returned to me, but were no longer present in his empty eyes. My memories were all that was left of him.

"Yuki," Gon groaned.

"Well isn't this a surprise." I followed the sound of the voice upward to find Illumi standing far above us on a catwalk. "Yuki. I didn't expect you to be here."

The last time we met he kidnapped my brother. While my friends did the heavy lifting, all I did was stand like a chicken while he implanted negative thoughts in my head. I wasn't going to show fear in front of him again. I gulped and cleared my throat. "Once again, Illumi, you have underestimated me."

Even from where I stood, I noticed his lips curl into a crooked smile. What started as a chuckle, his head pulled back with his chest raised as he burst in a fit of laughter. He caught his breath and sighed as he held the rails with both hands, leaning forward. "And here I thought you were not worth killing. I was going to let you live your meaningless life oblivious without ever knowing Killua, but you have refused my mercy. Now you and Killua will receive the ultimate punishment. Killua... change of targets."

The sound of Illumi snapping his fingers was followed by Killua's fingers curling around my neck, squeezing firmly. As he pulled me up with one hand, Gon grabbed a piece of my cloth, weakly tugging it. "No." But his effort was in vein for he was too weak to do anything but watch. The blood flow seized in my head as all oxygen supply was cut off. I tried to pry his hand open, but his grip was too strong. My head was feeling light as my lungs began to cripple.

"K-Kil... lua... p...ease..." I wheezed. His cold glare showed no pity or any intention of mercy on me. With one whip of his arm, I flew across the room, my body skipping a few extra feet across the pavement floor.

I wheezed for air as I could barely moved my arms to rub my neck. As I turned myself over to lie on my stomach, my body ached at various, including my head which could not stop stinging. I could see Killua walking closer as my blurry vision cleared up. As I pushed myself up with my arms and knees, I saw red drops on the floor underneath me. My hand lightly touched my forehead, and there were prints of blood. My left foot winced once I stood on my feet. I must've twisted my ankle, which meant any thoughts of escaping flew out the window.

"Killua, please... don't do this."

"He has no choice," Illumi taunted.

"No!" I coughed, already forgetting that my airway was squeezed. I cleared my thraot and took a deep breath. "He does have a choice." Holding my side, I turned to Killua. "Killua, you're not his puppet. You're not a toy. You're not your brother." A twist of pain swelled in my ankle every time I tried to settle it down, so I kept it hovered. "You're Gon's best friend, and Alluka's big brother. You're more than the world's youngest assassin or strongest Hunter. You're..." Tears began trickling down my face. From the pain? Everywhere hurt, but no body part was as nearly as broken as my heart.

"He's what? Your lover? He's not there anymore."

"You're wrong. I know without a doubt he's still in there. If I can remember him, then he can remember me too."

"No, Yuki," I heard Gon plead, desperately crawly from the pile of damaged barrels. "Run while you still can."

I shook my head and wiped my tears. "I'm not running. I refuse to give up on him." Killua continued to walk toward me at a slow pace, getting closer. "Killua, it's me. Yuki. I'm going to save you!"

Illumi sighed. "I think I might vomit. Silence her, Kil."

Killua raised his striking arm once again and charged. As he did, my feet took flight as well, running toward him.

"No!" Gon cried.

***

(Killua's P.O.V.)

"Silence her, Kil," the voice in charge said. My eyes were locked on the target. She seemed weak, and with that injured ankle, she wouldn't be able to evade my attack. One direct sweep ought to be enough to cut off her head.

I prepared my stance and advanced when she made an unpredictable move. Instead of running or bracing herself, she sprint straight toward me. A counter attack? Not likely. Instead of trying to block me or make the first blow, her arms closed both my sides and held me tight. This was no strangle or desperate struggle. The amount of pressure showed no attempt to cause pain. As soon as she touched me, something sparked inside of me. It felt warm. "I believe in you," she whispered in my ear. Her voice up close was soothing. Suddenly, I realized I was frozen in the process. I came back to my senses and regained control of my body. I put my hands on her and tried to push her away, but she fought to cling tight to me. What is this?

I finally broke free from her grip, which should have been easy. This target was craftier than I thought. "Killua." Her voice was more faint now, her face nothing but a blur. Her strength is clearly beneath mine, so why am I hesitating?

"Kill her," ordered the voice, which pounded in my head in annoyance. I know, just let me do it.

This time, I didn't give my target any time to move. In a breath's second, I caught the target by the neck. I squeezed, crushing her wind tunnel. As she squirmed, her hands pointlessly beating and clawing at my arm, something shimmery caught my eye. On her wrist was an accessory. An exact charm bracelet that matched the one worn by the very arm that was choking her. I never even noticed I was wearing it. Where did it come from, and why did she have one?

"Killua," the target's voice echoed in my head. It was neither stern nor demanding. It was kind and gentle, like chimes in the wind.

"No!" Don't think. Don't question. You are a killer. It is what I am born to do. Nothing more, nothing less. I let go of the target to press my hands against my temple. I was losing focus.

"Fight it, Killua!"

"Finish your assignment, Killua."

I cannot fail. I have to follow orders.

"Don't listen to him, Killua!" Don't listen? That voice... why do I want to hear her instead? Why are there so many voices in my head? "Remember who you are. You hate killing people. You love skateboarding, and chocolate, and hanging out with your friends." Friends? People's faces flashed before my eyes. These people were smiling and laughing. It made me feel good, but at the same time made my body shake. "Nothing is more important to you than your friends. Nothing is more important to you than your sister, Alluka."

"Onii-chan!" The memory of a sweet little girl called me.

"Ack! Shut up..." I pressed my hands against my head harder, trying to keep it from exploding. So much was pouring in at once. I focused all of the pressure and energy on the charm bracelet. For some reason, it held significance, like I wore it for some reason. Someone gave it to me... as a gift?

"Of course, you don't have to wear it if you don't-"

"What is taking so long?" Shut up. Be quiet. I need to think. The person who gave this to me was special. I can feel it. I just need to remember her name.

The girl staggered back, coughing. "Kill her." Illumi's voice was growing very annoying, like a tick eating my brain. I couldn't concentrate on who gave me this charm bracelet.

My brother dropped down, landing on his feet. "This has gone on long enough. If you can't kill her, then I will."

"No! Don't you dare touch her!" I yelled, like a ferocious animal by instinct. I pulled out one of my yo-yos from my pocket. The sweat from my palms were smearing all over it. "I'll do it..." Whoever this is, I must eliminate her before she gets deeper into my head.

I hurled my yo-yo and wrapped it around her waist. She dug her heels and pulled back to resist as I pulled. "You won't kill me, Killua. You would never kill me." I pulled tighter, dragging her feet. "Killua... Killua, I love you!" With one yank, her body flew forward. As I aimed to pierce her heart with my bare hand, that was when I remembered: I have already claimed her heart, and she had stolen mine.

I caught Yuki in my arms, and suddenly my body melted like ice. The filter shattered, allowing me to see things clearly now. My memories were coming back to me. The dam burst, tears pouring out as I held Yuki in my arms, remembering her softness, her scent. She was the one most important to me. "I love you too," I whispered.

Her arms embraced me. It felt like we haven't held each other like this in years. I felt tremendous anger and guilt. How could I let this happen? I let my guard down and let Illumi control me once again, making me hurt the people I care about. I was supposed to protect them. I was supposed to protect her...

"Killua, you remembered me!" Yuki choked with tears as she squeezed me tighter.

Illumi slowly clapped his hands. "Very moving, you two. You managed to break out of Zexion's seal. How annoying. Now we have to do this the messy way."

I placed my arms behind Yuki's shoulders and knees and lifted her in my arms. I jumped on top of a pile of crates up to the catwalk, setting her down gently. "You okay?" I asked.

"I am now," she smiled. It pained me to see her smile despite her scratches and and the line of blood running down the side of her face. Illumi will pay for this. "My leg kind of hurts, but I'll be fine."

"Good," I nodded, then frowned. "I have to stop him here. I... I don't know if I'm strong enough, but I have to be. I'll keep you safe."

Yuki smiled softly, this time giving me hope. "I know you will. I believe in you," she said without a lace of fear.

I shouldn't have Yuki here. It would make more sense to take her far away from this place as possible. Keeping her here would only create risks against her safety. Even so, I couldn't help but feel glad to have her nearby to give me strength. No matter what, I won't let any harm come to her. I have to stop my brother right here and now. I won't fight him as an assassin or a Hunter. I'll defeat him as a pissed off boyfriend.