Hey guys, so this is the last part in this story, I hope you liked it, I had fun writing it. Sorry this one took so long to update, so thanks for being patient and sticking with me until the end. Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks!

Part 3: A King and A Queen

That night, Killua had a dream. And in his dream, Gon was there. Only, the thing was, all Killua wanted to do was wake up. Gon stood before him, his mouth a tight line, his eyes cold and hard. He stared straight through him, as if their friendship had never even existed. Killua sank lower into a never ending pit of pitch black, Gon did nothing.

"Gon?" Killua found his voice.

"You're lucky," Gon spoke, "Because it means nothing to you. Our friendship. Our adventures. It all means nothing."

"That's not true!" Killua cried, "You're my best friend in the whole world. You mean everything to me…"

"That's a lie," he turned away, "If that was true, then why did you leave me? And why didn't you say anything? You always try to do things on your own instead of asking for my help. And I knew, it was only a matter of time, before you left me again…and never came back…" Tears streamed down Killua's face. The words hurt worse than any wound he could have been given.

"It's not true," Killua shook his head, "Gon I would never…I only…I just wanted…I just wanted to be your friend. That's all I've ever wanted. You were my first friend and I would do anything! Please, you have to believe me…"

"It's too late for that." Gon turned back to face him. This time he had no eyes, or mouth, or face. And his voice was rough and coarse, frighteningly dark. Killua shuddered as the monster before him spoke. "We could never be friends."

Then the darkness swallowed him, and Gon disappeared…

Killua woke in a cold sweat. His breathing was ragged, uneven, and he could feel his heartbeat in his stomach. Alluka was curled up next to him, her hand draped over his arm and the small illusion of a smile rested on her face. He pushed himself up, careful not to wake her.

The grass poked the bottom of his feet as he made his way over to a tree. Killua rested his back on the trunk and stared up through the leaves at the night sky. Stars twinkled overhead, they made the sky look like a ceiling, so high, so far away. Killua stretched his hand above his head, he wished he could touch the stars, but they were much too far away. It dawned on him that Gon was under the same night sky, and then it dawned on him how big the sky really was.

That one is a teddy bear, and that one is a brother and sister, Killua spoke to himself, his eyes scanned the stars. And that one…that one is Gon. He's so high up, like he has wings, and his strength carried him all the way up to the heavens. He is bright and far away, and I'm…I'm stuck on the ground. Always looking up at him, but never close enough to do anything. Killua sighed.

He laid on his side, pulling his attention away from the friend he tried so desperately to forget, but could never bring himself to let go of. Killua shook his head, pushing away thoughts of Gon and instead thinking about his sister. There were so many places that Alluka had never seen before, and he wasn't sure which she would like the best.

Alluka shifted, deep in a far off dream. Killua picked himself up and went over to sit by her. He was no longer tired, so the only thing to do was wait until the sun woke up.

Eventually the sky began to lighten, creatures began to stir, and long shadows began to crawl across the earth. Trees sighed with a soft morning breeze and Alluka rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up. Killua had fallen asleep without remembering, and now had impressions of grass on the side of his cheek.

"Where are we going next, big brother?"

"We're going to Yorknew City," Killua smiled. "I know some people who might be there that you can meet."

"Are they nice?" Alluka asked.

"Yeah," he laughed, "They're really nice."

"What about Gon?"

The question surprised him, and he lost his train of thought for a moment. What about Gon? Killua was trying desperately to forget about him, but it seemed that every time he got close to the edge, something pulled him back. It was like he was drowning, his lungs refused to take in air. Breathing stale air, eating tasteless food, drowning in memories. He felt hopeless and sad, but he found that everyday his eyes still searched for the colors he knew were no longer there.

Killua had never been a particularly good person, he had lost his way more times than he could count, or wanted too. But regardless, Gon had always been there. He didn't have any fear or anger towards Killua, Gon accepted him for who he was—it was something Killua had never experienced before. If he was honest, Gon was probably the only person in the world who could do something like that. To think that Killua let him slip through his fingers made his heart ache. Could anyone else even come close to such kindness?

"Gon," Killua repeated, "Gon won't be there."

"Do you want to see him?" Alluka's eyes looked deep into his. Killua couldn't help but nod. "Then wish it."

"Wish…it?"

"Yes, wish it," Alluka continued, "Ask Nanika, and wish it. Wish to see Gon."

"Can you…can Nanika really do that?" Killua's eyes widened. Alluka shrugged.

"Never tried before," she giggled, "But I'll do anything for you, big brother."

XXXXXXXXXX

[Alluka's POV]

Alluka had never tried anything like this before. But she couldn't see why she wouldn't be able to do this. If big brother needed to see his friend, then that's what he would get to do, and Alluka was going to help. She took a breath and looked deep inside herself for the power she needed.

Before she knew it, Gon was in front of them. Her head was light and dizzy, and she was exhuasted, but she didn't feel like telling brother; after all, this was a present that she was giving him and it wasn't the time to complain. Nanika decided not to make any requests this time, since big brother never actually verbally wished this, though she knew it would make him happy.

"Gon!" Her brother's voice was filled with shock and excitement. "What...you're-you're actually here!"

"Killua?" Gon looked at the ground then at his hand and then up at Killua. "How?...I was, I was just at the World Tree. How is it that I'm here now?"

"I brought you here," Alluka spoke. "Did I interrupt something important?"

"No, no, my father just left so I was heading down the tree…and…and then I was here," Gon smiled, "Killua, it's nice to see you again."

"Yeah," Killua nodded, a grin spread across his face.

Alluka sat down against a tree and watched as the two friends caught up with each other. Her brother was smiling more than he had in the last couple of days, and he looked even happier now that Gon was here.

If she was honest, it made Alluka rather jealous of Gon. It made her sad that she would never be able to bring that kind to joy to her brother's face, not like Gon did. And it made her angry that she wasn't good enough, would she ever be able to mean that much to Killua? Or were those feelings exclusively for Gon? She didn't know. But she did know that watching him be happy made her happy, so she said nothing.

Maybe she was a burden to her brother. Maybe it was selfish of her to stay by his side. But she didn't care. She loved him so much, she would put up with anything. And even if it was selfish, she couldn't bring herself to leave him, because that would hurt far too much.

"Alluka," Killua knelt in front of her, "Gon is going to come with us to Yorknew. C'mon and get up. If we hurry then we can make it there before dark."

"Okay." Alluka stumbled to her feet.

They were out of the forest in a little over an hour. Killua held her hand absently, most of his attention was on Gon. Alluka watched her feet move across the ground, one step after another. She realized that no matter how useless she felt, or how much her heart hurt, she would keep moving forward, along side her big brother, one step at a time.

Alluka drifted in and out of a daze. They reached the airport and her mind wandered, then before she knew it, the pilot was announcing their landing. She followed Gon and Killua as they made their way through the city. They talked of old times and adventures they had been on, as well as old friends they had parted ways with. Alluka had hoped that Killua would take her to places and tell him stories, but that seemed not to be the case.

"Killua!" Gon pointed, "Remember…"

She didn't want to listen to the rest. Gon and Killua had so many memories and things in common, and Alluka couldn't think of a single time Killua had ever regarded her as happy as this. He always talked of her as if she were something he had to protect, he never spoke of her as an equal to fight alongside of—only as something that he was bound by duty to. Alluka wondered that, if Killua were not her brother, if he would still have chosen to be around her.

They went to a park and sat by a pond to fish. And once again Gon and Killua sat side by side, Alluka stayed behind them, out of the way. She was locked in that room for most of her life, and it was Killua who had freed her. She thought that if they traveled together the world would be big enough for her. Big enough for them to forget the past and make new memories together. But she was mistaken. The world was smaller than she had thought. Small enough that the past would always be with her.

Alluka had a selfish thought then. She thought that if the world were bigger, then Gon would be further away. Alas the world was too small. It was so small in fact, that no matter where they went, Gon would always be on Killua's mind. And Alluka felt sad. When she was in that room, she still had Nanika, so she was never truly alone. But her brother, he knew what it was to be lonely. And if Gon was the one who made him feel not so lonely anymore, then how could Alluka take that away from him?

"Big brother," Alluka went down by the pond and stood next to Killua. "I'm tired. Can we go back to the hotel?"

"Sure," Killua smiled and stood. He took her hand. Gon followed back to the hotel and they found their way to the room. Though he had agreed to take her back, Alluka could tell that he would rather have stayed at the park all night to sleep under the stars again. She felt bad for inconveniencing him, but her head hurt a lot and all she wanted to do was lie down.

"Killua, let's play a game," Gon said cheerfully.

"Okay! I think there are some board games over here."

"Alluka," Gon turned to her, "Do you want to play too?"

"No," Alluka shook her head. "I'm really tired, I'm gonna go to bed."

"Alright," Gon looked genuinely sad but it was not enough to convince her to stay awake. She thought Killua deserved a little time away from his burden.

"I'll come say goodnight in a little while, okay, Alluka?" Killua smiled.

Alluka had fallen asleep before he could keep his promise. Her dream wasn't as sweet as they had been before. This time, she was running after Killua. He was ahead of her saying c'mon let's go. Hurry! But the faster Alluka ran after him, the further away he got. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Then he was out of sight. Alluka slumped to the ground and cried.

When she woke, the darkness did not go away.

Killua laid next to her, Gon on the other side. She missed having her big brother all to herself, and she missed not having to compete for his attention. The thing that angered her most was that Gon didn't even think of it that way. He wasn't competing for Killua's attention because he was already given it.

"Big brother," Alluka whispered. "You love me, right? And you would do anything for me…would you even…kill for me?" Killua rolled over and mumbled something in his sleep.

Alluka was relieved that he hadn't heard her. And she was scared about what she had almost asked him to do. She didn't hate Gon, and she didn't want him dead, at least she thought she didn't. But she knew she didn't want him here. More than anything, she just wanted him to go away…

Her wish was answered a few days later. Gon said that it had been fun but now he had to part ways. Killua's only response was "oh, okay." Even Alluka could hear the pain in his voice.

And she felt terrible. She felt terrible that she had made that wish and she felt terrible that it was now coming true. But she was also relieved. She was relieved that Gon would finally go away and leave them alone. Alluka couldn't decide which feeling was real, or which one she should side with. Alluka felt terribly guilty for making such a wish; and terribly guilty that she wanted it to happen.

Gon was going to leave, and Killua would be all hers. It was truly a double edged sword. While getting what she wanted, Alluka was also hurting the person she cared for most.

Alluka watched as Gon finished packing his things. She told herself that she had to say something to him, before it was too late. Because if she didn't try, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I'm sorry," she said to Gon.

"For what?"

"For making you leave," she said. Gon shook his head and laughed.

"You aren't making me leave," his voice dropped and he looked at the ground. "It is simply just time for me to go."

"Gon, do you have to leave? I mean, do you really have to go, again?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I do," Gon nodded.

"But you make big brother so happy," Alluka pleaded, "If you go...then he will be sad again."

"No," Gon took her hand, "Because he has you."

Alluka's eyes widened. Gon made Killua ecstatic beyond all hope, but maybe it was possible, for her to make him feel the same way too. She realized then, that comparing herself to Gon was like asking the moon to be the sun. If Gon was the sun, and he showed Killua the way during the day, then Alluka was the moon. And she would lead Killua through the dark. She smiled. Gon stood and looked down at her.

"Thank you, Alluka," Gon said, "For letting me see my friend again."

XXXXXXXXXX

[Killua's POV]

Gon looked back, flashing a brave smile.

"See you later?"

"Sure," Killua smiled back. Though he knew this would be the last time they ever crossed paths. It was good to see you, but this was the last time. I know.

"Goodbye, Killua."

"Goodbye, Gon." Thanks for being my friend.

Even as Gon walked away, Killua found he wasn't sad. It didn't hurt anymore. Instead there was only a small numbness, like all the feeling had been drained away. Maybe, Killua was satisfied. He had gotten to see his best friend one more time, despite all the odds against them. If this was where things ended, if they never saw each other again, Killua could learn to be okay with that. Killua would be able to look back and have absolutely no regrets about meeting Gon Freecss, his first, and most precious friend in the whole world.

"Are you alright, big brother?" Alluka tugged on his shirt.

It was then Killua realized all that Alluka had done for him. She exhausted herself in efforts to give Killua what he wanted and sacrificed parts of her own happiness to do so. Gon was not the only person in the world to ever show such kindness to a monster like him. How had he been so blind? Alluka was truly the embodiment of kindness. And he couldn't believe he had missed it before. Killua owed her everything, and he was going to pay back his debt to her no matter what.

"Yeah," he smiled and hugged her tightly, "I'm alright. I'm alright. Thank you, Alluka…for everything." Alluka beamed with happiness as she hugged him back.

They headed back to the hotel room. The empty feeling in Killua's stomach had subsided and he felt better than he had a few days ago. Once they got back to the room Alluka sat on the floor across from Killua and they played puzzle games and board games and card games. He ordered room service, letting Alluka order anything and everything that she wanted.

And they had a feast. Pork dishes, beef dishes, seasoned pasta bowls and colorful fruit cups. Vegetable rolls and soft bread; cheese and salty chips. And, of course, chocolate. Killua made it a necessity to have chocolate cake, and Alluka wanted ice cream. So they laughed and feasted and forgot about their worries. A brother and his little sister.

"Big brother," Alluka said, "Can we play the game with the king and the Queen? You know, the one where the Queen protects her King?..." Killua smiled and pushed himself off the ground.

"Sure," he smiled, "It's right over here."

He grabbed the board and laid down on his stomach, then he set up the pieces in the right order. He twisted his finger over a piece and thought of the best move to make. Alluka cleared a path for her Queen, like she always did. The whole point of the game was strategy, but she played with only the Queen piece and occasionally another small piece that did no damage.

Killua watched her hum as she went about placing her pieces. She didn't pay attention to holes that she left in her defense, or how little she used some pieces that could potentially decide the games winner. She didn't care. To her, it was purely for fun. For the longest time Killua thought he always had to have a reason for doing things, he thought an explanation was always needed; but watching Alluka, he realized that maybe it was okay to go through life and do some things just for the sake of doing them.

A little while into their game, Alluka stood up and walked over to the tray room service had brought. She returned moments later with two chocolate hearts in her hand, and promptly gave one to him. Killua smiled.

"What's this for?"

"It's the Queen's job to take care of her King. And you said I could be a Queen one day. So I thought, chocolate makes everything better. You like chocolate, don't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Big Brother?" Alluka sat next to him. "You love me, right? And you're always going to love me, no matter what?"

"Of course, no matter what." Killua assured her. Alluka smiled.

"More than the stars?" She asked.

"More than all the stars in the universe."

"Way past the sky?"

"Way past the sky and up into infinity."

"Forever and always?" Alluka's eyes met his and Killua smiled.

Killua Zoldyck had always been fond of his little sister. And sitting there with her, playing this game, filled him with an unimaginable happiness. He loved her more than anything in the world, even more so than his very own life, and without her he felt he would be nothing more than an empty shell. Killua had lost his way more than once, but that was past. Alluka had forgiven him, so he could now forgive himself too. He was determined to be the best big brother that she had ever had. Killua pulled Alluka close and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Of course," he whispered. "Forever and always."

Fine