Hi, minna! It's been forever, but it's finally here! The first part of the conclusion of this book. Next chapter will be the final chapter, so don't get comfortable yet. I hope you and your families are healthy and doing well. On another note, this chapter contains TWO soundtracks. When the scene comes up with the 1st music, copy and paste the link on a separate device (or on your laptop, wherever you're using the app) and listen to the music as you read, if you choose. You know how I love to raise the mood with music. This chapter is dedicated to @she3322. May the new readers not suffer from hiatus like the veterans who have been here since the beginning have. Stay awesome and stay safe! Trouble out.

Door after door after door to no end. How long have I been wandering through this maze of doors? Hours? It probably was not a good idea to separate from the glowing moth and now I am hopelessly lost in this door limbo of a mindscape. How am I supposed to get out of here? Do I wait for someone to wake me up or to wake up naturally myself?

For the past who knows how long, I've been walking in one direction with my right hand against one side of the wall. I heard that this was a trick on how to escape mazes. Hopefully, this technique applies in the same situation. Although, after seeing the same door time and time again, I began to fear that I've been walking in circles.

Wait a minute, that same door is all over the place. Not only that, but it also looks familiar. I approached the nearest one and read the title card. "Yuki's speech rehearsal," I read aloud. No wonder all these doors looked familiar. These are the doors to my bedroom. I must have accidentally found my way back into my own mind, which means it's time for me to wake up now, right? "Come on, Yuki! Wake up! Wake up!" I hopped in place, shaking my head and riling my hair. "Ugh! What am I supposed to do?" With no other way of knowing how to break out from this spell, there was no other choice but to press forward. With some hope, maybe I'll find the exit sign.

No longer keeping track of time, I heard a girl singing ludicrously. Even though the singing was terrible, it was music to my ears. It was the first voice I heard in a while. I followed the sound to a steel-looking door covered in vines. The nameplate was hard to read because the words were faded and partially covered in rust. This was the first nameplate I've seen that was unclear. Could this be a forgotten memory? It was not under the influence of any Nen, so there was no need to mess with it. But the more I carefully listened to the girl's singing, the more strangely familiar it sounded. When the mysterious singer cracked at a high pitch note, followed by a "dang it," my head perked up.

"Hold up. Is that... me?!" I have never sung like that, not even during karaoke with my friends. Now I was unquestionably curious. I pried the ivory apart and pushed the door, but the door was stuck. I gave it an extra push, putting my shoulder into it until I broke through, nearly fumbling over.

I was outside where it was the middle of the night in my home city. My surrounding area looked like a miniature park with spiral-trimmed bushes and small lamps luminating the way of a cement path. I looked behind me to see a tall building. A hotel, perhaps. Have I been here before? Well, if it was in my memory, then obviously. Then why don't I remember?

I turned my gaze toward the source of laughter. There, I see Killua sitting on a bench with Alluka sleeping next to him, her head resting on his lap as he patted her gently. Meanwhile, I was watching myself dance around them with groggy eyes. What the actual heck?! Why was I acting like that? Why was my hair a mess? Why was Killua so calm?

My bizarre self stopped in front of Killua and dropped her arms. "Killua! What are you doing?"

"Waiting for a cab."

She gasped. "You're leaving me?!"

Killua giggled. "Of course, not. I'm the one dropping you off home, remember?"

Apparently not. Was this one of the memories Zexion erased? But if that were the case, then the door would have been covered by his Nen energy. Unless... Wait a minute...

"Hey, Kil," the me in my memory said before she hiccuped. She plopped on the empty seat next to Killua and clung to his arm, groggily snuggling against his shoulder. "You and I... Should stay out longer. Go on an adventure!" No way. Was I drunk?!

I turned around from the sight, too embarrassed to watch. I suddenly felt a rush of deja vu as my cheeks flushed warm, just like that night. Oh no! It's all coming back to me! I pressed my hands against my cheeks, trying to regress the memory. How could Killua let this happen! Stupid!

"I think you had enough excitement for one night," Killua responded, patting drunk Yuki on the head.

"Why don't you just run us there, huh? Like a cheetah. Vroom! Vroom!" I vocalized as I slashed my hand through the air. What are you doing, you idiot? My actions did not even match my words. Man, did I look embarrassing!

"Come on, you don't expect me to do that, do you?"

"I didn't expect you to fall for a girl like me either," Drunk Yuki slurred as her thumb almost missed herself as she tried to point at her chest. Her movements were weak as if she was simply throwing her limbs around.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, come on, Killua. I admit it. You're pretty amazing. You're smart," hiccup! "handsome, talented, and sooooo stroooong. And I'm... Verrrrry lazy and small," I whispered as I pinched my fingers closed. "All of our friends are amazing. Even Lizz is extraordinary." I looked down, pouting my lips. "And I'm... Not." Drunk Yuki slummed to the ground, holding her knees against her chest like a child on time-out.

"Hey. Hey..." Killua carefully lifted Alluka's head and rested it on my purse before he bent down in front of me. "Of course you're amazing," he said with a smile.

"No... I'm just a plain Yuki who's only good at... at... What am I good at?" she tilted her head. I face-palmed myself for this.

Killua giggled. "You're good with words, I can tell you that. And I don't just mean what you write in your diary."

Drunk me sniffled as she nodded. "Wait... How do you know that? Have you read it? That's supposed to be a secret..." Killua pressed his finger on Yuki's lips to silence her.

"You're also good at drawing. You didn't notice, but I peeked inside your sketch pad."

"What?!" I yelled, even though he wouldn't hear me.

"But don't worry, you're drunk so you won't be able to remember any of this." I waved my fist at him. I'm definitely going to remember this when I wake up. He then grasped drunk Yuki's hand and smoothly stroked the back of it. "But what I like about you the most is that you're kind. You see the goodness in people before the bad. Even when you see how broken people can get, that never stopped you from caring. I still don't understand how you could ever care about someone as scary as Alluka... As Lizz... and as me."

"Killua..." I said softly as I brought my hands up to my gaped mouth. Does he still think about that after all this time?

"What I also like about you is that I can't understand how you're so courageous. Never have I ever met a girl who is as brave as you. At some times where I would just run away, you never give up whenever someone needs you. You would never abandon a friend. You're... everything I thrive to be." Killua started tearing up, as did I. "You call yourself normal like it's a bad thing. If all you are is normal, then you're the most extraordinary girl I've  ever met."

Drunk Yuki stared at Killua in lull, then laughed. "Silly silly Killua. If you like a girl like that so much, why not go and ask her out?" She gave piked Killua on the nose, earning a giggle from him. With that, drunk Yuki finally ran out of fumes and leaned forward, falling asleep in Killua's shoulder. Killua repositioned himself to cradle her in his arms and lap.

I wiped the tears from my eyes. Killua. No one has ever said something that nice about me before. What I wouldn't give right now to just see the real Killua right now and give him a big hug and tell him how much I love him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Killua said, looking toward me. Not to Drunk Yuki, but to the actual me.

"Huh?" I looked around, but there was nobody else here. I pointed at myself. "Wait a minute... are you talking to me?"

"I suppose since the two of us are the only ones awake. Well, technically speaking, you're not entirely awake yet.

"You know what I am? Wait a minute, you could've seen and heard me this entire time?"

"Not the entire time. I was just part of your memory. But now that this part of your memory has ended, I'm just a voice of your subconscious embodied in a familiar form. We're in your head, after all." Despite what he just said, he gave a cheeky smile like how Killua always does.

"Okay... but I still don't understand. When I repaired Lizz's memories, that should've broken the Nen's curse."

"You did. You even went through the trouble of saving Shiki from her concealed memories from long ago as well."

"Then what about me? Am I still cursed?"

"No. You've already been lifted from the Nen's power way before you fell asleep."

"Then why haven't I woken up yet? Why are you talking to me in this place of all memories?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done," Killua clapped his hands as the images of Drunk Yuki and Alluka faded into mist. He stood up with his hands in his pockets and walked closer to me. "You were also brought to this memory for a reason."

"Huh? What for?"

"You've already figured it out." The setting suddenly cut to black. Only Killua and I seemed to be the only source of light in this dark space. "You've managed to save both of your friends, but the reason you haven't woken up yet was that there was one last person you needed to save."

"Myself?" The Killua before me smiled and nodded.

"That's right. By using Nen to dive deep into your mind, a method that has never been done before, you accidentally wandered into the darkest part of your mind. The furthest point of the back of your mind where you shove and hide all of your deepest and darkest thoughts which you try to ignore and forget. It wasn't me who led you here, but your own negative emotions."

Suddenly, a secondary image of Killua popped up with him wearing our school uniform and an angry expression. I nearly got spooked as if he was a ghost. "A normal girl who all she has to worry about is school. You never have to fear about survival, and never had to go under the pressure of taking someone's life!" I remember him speaking those words to me once before. It felt like ages ago.

He vanished, replaced by a echo memory of his mother. "What can you possibly benefit from her?" Her projection disappeared as fast as it materialized. I remembered eavesdropping on Kikyo's conversation with Killua that morning. The things she said made me feel unworthy to date her son. It hurt.

All these thoughts and memories made me feel insecure about myself. It made me upset, with this fake in front of me, thinking that Killua is the one who is torturing me right now. "Why are you showing me this?"

Killua sighed. "Do I really have to spell it out for you? How can you enter this realm to help your friends remember who they are when you can't even remember who you are? You always sell yourself short. You compare yourself to others. All the time, you think you're useless, powerless, and unspecial. You haven't woken up yet because you don't believe you're worth saving."

[Play link for background music]
https://youtu.be/OKOI_pNK7bE

"Well, can you blame me?!" I snapped back without realizing it. I composed myself a little before continuing. "I mean... it's not like I can do anything that can help. All I've ever done was act like a cheerleader while all of my friends do the real fighting. I never really do anything important. All I do is mess things up. I'm... useless."

Killua stomped forward with glowing ripples quivering under his feet. "Do you call being compassionate and empathetic useless?" Killua raised his voice. "Just look around you, Yuki!" Suddenly, images of all the people I know in my life began to slowly surround us like an art gallery. "Look at all the lives you've touched. Shiki got her identity back, Alluka made friends, Lizz felt accepted, and Killua felt loved. Do you think just anyone can do that?"

The images disappeared. My body quickly jerked forward as if my feet were strapped on a rollercoaster track, teleporting me to my classroom, the windows tinted orange from the sunset. "You never hesitate to help others because you know what it's like to feel helpless. Just because you're not strong like us doesn't mean you're not strong at all. What defines strength? You are strong in your own way because you are human."

My desk next to me popped open, a gust of scattered papers flying around me like I was in the eye of a storm. As the sheets of white swirled around, I heard the voices of my friends.

"You're beautiful in many ways. You're really funny..."

"... I like you the way you are too, so don't ever say anything like that again."

"Someday, a guy will love you for who you are, and you will do the same to him."

"I promise, no matter what, I will protect you. And since you're going to be my girlfriend, I don't want you to change anything about yourself."

As the cyclone of papers calmed down, gently scattering across the floor, a single page landed in my palms. It was the note I wrote to mom before running away with Killua to visit his family.

"That is proof of your courage, selflessness, and kindness, and because of those attributes, you've managed to change lives for the better."

I studied the letter I wrote to my mom. It felt like ages ago. She never had the closure about my dad's death until I met Killua, and it wasn't just her, but Killua too. And if I had never met Shiki, she probably wouldn't have ever found out what was missing in her life: friends and her love for her sister. I never thought about what huge impacts my actions caused, even though they were out of a whim at the moment.

"Yeah... I think I'm starting to get it now. You saw strength in me that I didn't even know I had. All this time I've been being harsh on myself for not being as strongly capable as my friends... but maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing. Thank you, Killua, for helping me realize that."

"It's not because of Killua who said all those things about you." I looked up only to see my reflection. No, it wasn't a mirror. It was literally me staring face-to-face at myself. "You've always known that about yourself. Killua just spoke what was already there out loud."

"Since when did you... where did Killua-"

The Me in front of me chuckled, tilting her head. "I'm you, after all."

"R-right..." I nervously laughed while scratching the back of my head. Even though I've already watched myself singing and dancing drunk as if it came straight out of a blackmail video, seeing myself talk to me was positively weirder.

"So are you ready to wake up now?" Yuki asked.

"Definitely!" Without even asking how, a light began to accumulate on my back, molding into form until butterfly wings spread free.

"Take care then!" Yuki waved.

"I will!" I replied. I imagined myself taking flight like those heroes in anime. With the power of my will and imagination, my wings took no effort to flutter at ease, lifting my feet off the ground. I flew upward to the seemingly limitless height until I saw a twinkle of light. The end of this perilous dream.

***

Feeling like my eyelids were welded shut, I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times before my vision cleared up. The first thing I saw was the worried faces of my friends, looking down at me as they held their breaths in anticipation of something.

"Yuki?" Lizz was the first to speak, looking nervous with her hands held against her chest.

"L-Lizz?" My eyes widened as I took a deep breath. She said my name. The mission was a success! Tears began to leak at the corner of my eyes. "You remember me!"

Lizz smiled as everybody let go of their breaths in unison. "Of course I remember, you dummy! How could I forget?" Lizz wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tight. I gladly hugged back. "I can't believe you did that for me."

"Of course I did. You would've done the same for me."

"Welcome back, Yuki!" Gon said as he gave us a warm embrace.

"Yuki-chan!" Alluka gleefully joined in the group hug.

From the moment I woke up, almost half of what I remembered from the Mindscape slipped away. Almost everything I saw and experienced was a blur, like a dream. However, what I remembered the most was the feeling of fear and loneliness. Being in the arms of the friends I cherish made me feel blessed.

"Ah-hem!"Shiki enounced a cough. Everyone cleared away as we focused on Shiki. She walked over to me and extended her hand. "You okay?"

I reached and grabbed it. "Yeah," I said as she helped me up. She did not seem as excited to see me as the others, and then I remembered what I saw while in her head. She must know I saw now. Could she be mad at me for digging in her memories? "Um, Shiki... I didn't mean to-"

I was cut off when Shiki suddenly hugged me. "Thank you," she said softly. Never have I ever felt such a warm embrace from her, as if all tensions have been released. Without anything else to say, I hugged her back.

"Yuki?" Shiki and I broke apart as I turned to see Killua. He was smiling with arms open.

"Baka!" I yelled.

"Na-nanni?!" Killua's shoulders spiked, startled in bewilderment.

My face flushed once our eyes met. My initial sensation of seeing him again was this passionate anger and embarrassment. "Killua! How could you let me get drunk?!"

"Ehhh?! Wait a minute... Y-you remember that?"

"Yes. AND you've also peaked inside my sketchbook without asking!"

"Are they seriously doing this now?" Lizz whispered to Alluka.

"What are they talking about?" Alluka replied.

"Well... as long as Miss Yuki is well," Abengane said, still present in the room, remaining in the background out of respect for the reunions, and now, probably for his own safety.

Killua's face blushed a deep red. "Um... what else did you remember?"

"What else do I need to know?"

Killua was sweating, waving his hands in front of him. "We can talk about this later."

"Oh, no. You don't get to get off that easily." I marched over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Killua nearly let out a yelp in alarm, closing his eyes and turning his gaze to the side, waiting for what's to come. Perfect. I stood on the tip of my toes and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes shot open and he looked at me with a raised brow. I smugly grinned.

Killua smirked and slowly leaned in for a kiss, but I stopped his lips with my hand. "Nope. This is your punishment. I'm not going to give you a complete kiss until I feel like it."

"What? Come on, Yuki!" Killua reluctantly groaned as he tried to put his arms around me, but I refused, putting my hand out in front of him with my chin up.

"Nope. Too bad. You deserve it."

"I'm sorry! Please love me."

"Too late," I pouted.

"Miss Yuki." I turned my attention to Abengane, who placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head politely. "I am glad you are well. You performed tremendously."

I bowed back. "Thank you so much for your help! I don't know how we can repay-"

"Come along, Abengane," Kalluto said as he started to head toward the exit, Abengane following not far behind.

"Wait, Kalluto. You're leaving already?" I asked. I still haven't had the chance to properly thank him yet.

"I still have my mission to complete. After that, I must return home and inform mother about what happened to Illumi aniki."

It looks like Killua got him caught up on the situation while I was asleep. How does he feel about the reality that their oldest brother is dead? Kalluto is hard to read, but he seems to be in acceptance of the situation.

"You know that if you tell them, I'm never coming home again, right?" Killua said.

Kalluto paused for a lingering moment without turning his back. "I know."

"Then... goodbye, Kalluto," Killua said with sincerity.

"Goodbye, Aniki." Kalluto rubbed his arm over his eyes as he and Abengane walked through the door into the snowy night. The storm seemed to have calmed.

"I'm going to head out too," Shiki said."

"Yeah, it is pretty late..." I said after checking the time on my phone. Ten minutes until midnight, and that is late even for a school dance evening. "I don't think all of us can fit in the car, so maybe I can call a cab and-"

"No, Yuki," Shiki disagreed. "I mean I'm really leaving."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alluka interjected.

"It's just that... the only reason I came to this town was because of Killua, but..." Shiki gazed down at her hand, then slowly raised it to lightly touch her face. "now that doesn't matter to me anymore. There's no reason for me to be here."

"That's not true!" I quickly objected. "You're our friend. You belong here and at our school."

"That's right. You're one of us," Lizz chided in, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Shiki smiled but still held a distant gaze. "That's very sweet of you, but don't get me wrong. The time I spent with all of you has been really fun, but let's not pretend that I fit in the normal high school life. Ever since Yuki reawakened that memory in me, something else triggered, like my whole life and everything I thought was true has changed. What I thought I wanted to be was actually what my family wants. I don't know what I want. I'm very confused about what to believe in and what to do and who I'm supposed to be... but... I want to try to figure that out." Shiki finally looked up at us with conviction. "I need to take this journey on my own."

"Kinda sounds familiar?" Gon nudged Killua on the arm. Killua thought to himself for a moment, and then his eyes brightened with revelation.

"Oh! If I can make a suggestion," Killua interjected. "how about applying to the Hunter Exam?"

"Huh?" Shiki responded. I was as confused as her to how random that came out of nowhere.

[Press Play]

"If you don't want to be an assassin like your family, maybe you can try being a Hunter!" Gon said with much excitement. "That way, you can do whatever you want, even if you don't know what it is yet. Plus, it's lots of fun!"

"You'd be surprised by how easy it is," Killua said, nonchalantly. "With your set of skills, it should be a cakewalk."

Shiki held her chin, considering the idea before a grin grew across her face. "Then I better not be disappointed." She turned her heel and waved. "Well, then. I'm off."

"Shiki!" I called out. Even though I still have fake memories of her as my best friend, the feelings are still real to me. Even though I remember the terrible things she did in the past, I can clearly see how far she has come. I just have to make sure of something before she goes. She turned around. "Will you... be all right?"

She smiled. "To be honest, I'm terrified. I think the first thing I'll do is visit Aria, and then tell my parents off. After that, we'll see."

It almost seems unfair that she had to go right when we were beginning to become true friends, but I understand she has to take this step for herself, even if it means leaving us behind. "Good luck."

Shiki nodded and turned around again. We all waited for her to start moving forward again, but for some reason, her feet appeared to be bound in place. Suddenly, she ran back and embraced me in a hug.

"Yuki!" She cried, tears falling from her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much. If you have never given me a chance... if you have never been so nice to me... I would've never known what it meant to have friends."

"Oh, Shiki-chan!" Alluka cried, wrapping her arms around us. Pretty soon, everyone huddled together in our bundle of emotions. I was still processing what Shiki had said that I have now begun hugging her back, tears trickling down my cheek.

"Just promise you'll come back to visit us, okay?"

"Mm! I promise!"

With all the tears and hugs out of the way, we finally let Shiki go, giving her a proper send-off. It's funny. Ever since she arrived in town, I wanted nothing more than for her to leave, and now that she has left, I can't wait for the day I would see her again.