A.N: Hi guys! Sorry for not updating for a while, but I've kind of been in a lazy haze at the moment. BUt anyways, again, thank you to all who reviewed! It makes me a very happy author \(^U^)/ Please enjoy next chapter!

WARNING: Character death

Disclaimer: I don't own Killua-

Killua: Heck right you don't own me!

Me: -_-() ANYWAYS! I don't own nobody or anything except for shizuka!

Killua: You don't own Shizuka either! I do!

Me: ...Killua... just shuddup.

Killua: NEVER!.*gets bonked on head and knocked out cold*

I was shocked to speechlessness. So he did care. I don't think I could even express how joyous I felt right then. I felt like I was on cloud nine. Running on autopilot, (because my brain was fried) I took a shower like he told me to, and got dressed in a white form-fitting blouse with frilly spaghetti straps and white roses where the straps connected to the top of the V-neck. It flared out a little at the bottom. The red skirt that had been laid out with it also had a flare shape to it, but hung against the legs, so it wasn't poofy. It came to just above my knees and would've made a complete circle had I decided to spin in it.

I met the boy named Killua downstairs. I couldn't help but notice the faintest flush rise to his face when he saw me coming (or maybe it was just my imagination?) but then turned his head away and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Where do you wanna eat?" he asked, but then seemed to remember that he wouldn't know the answer unless he looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders, and looked down, a bit embarrassed. Truth was, I had no idea what kinds of food there were, nor what each kind was. I haven't exactly led a gourmet food life style, you know.

Killua sighed in exasperation. He headed out the door, and I followed him. Out on the streets, there were markets and side shops lining everything, and they sold just about everything imaginable from candy apples to frogs, necklaces, fabrics, mysterious fortunetelling things, etc. I gaped in awe. I've never seen such a bustling business area before, let alone to be one of the people actually doing the looking. Each shop played its own music. Vendors of all ages came to advertise their goods. I took it all in. I breathed the air that held the excitement and laughter in it, and stepped in beat to the music.

It was all so foreign to me, yet all so beautiful. The sun was setting, and street lamps were starting to be turned on. The sky was painted with reds, golds, oranges, and blues, only broken up by the gentle cumulous clouds that just hung suspended in space.

Killua's POV

As we walked, I couldn't help but watch Shizuka's every move; from every captivated gaze she sent towards the littlest of things, to the way she gravitated towards the jewelry and clothes vendors. And couldn't help but smirk as drool practically escaped her mouth as she longingly looked at the candy apples.

She was currently busy looking over some cute pets and listening excitedly to what the pet merchant had to say about each animal, when I came up to her. Without saying a word, I held out something to her. She looked at me in surprise, then looked down. He face practically lit up the darkening sky.

She took the red candy-coated apple on a stick delicately between her hands, and she looked at me with gratitude and thankfulness, but at the same time, questioning. Knowing that she was probably asking for permission, I nodded while smiling slightly. Just like Alluka did when I first brought her out. I noticed my train of thinking, and quickly shook my head, trying to rid myself of the memory. Before it began to hurt me again. No. Shizuka's not Alluka. Don't think that. Alluka's gone now. No one can replace her; my one and only sister.

Flashback

"Onii-chan! Dokuwa?" called out a young girl with layered hair distinguished by flat cut ends. She wore a long type of dress and had a headband depicting different faces. She was looking around for her big brother, who had said that he would be right back. He had been gone for hours already, and still hadn't returned to her. "Ne, Nanaka?" she asked herself. Well, not exactly herself, but the voice and separate person inside of her. "Yes?" answered the black-eyed girl from within. "Where's Onii-chan?"

"I don't know where Killua is, Alluka. But let's just wait for him here, ok? If we're good, maybe he'll come back and pet us on the head," answered Nanaka, immediately cheering up Alluka.

"Yeah! You're right! Then Onii-chan will be happy!" She started to make a drooling face just thinking about the praise that her kind older brother would give her if she stayed put like he said to.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the man behind her, brandishing something that glinted in the silver moonlight.

"Alluka! Nanaka! I'm back!" Killua called to them to announce he was back. He just went on one heck of a journey all the way back into the heart of the city where he and Gon had just parted ways to get a candy apple for them (they had whined non-stop about not being able to get one, and they managed to guilt him into going back just to get one), when he suddenly went ridged.

He immediately knew something was wrong. "Alluka!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. All tiredness left him as fear replaced his depleted energy. He sprinted to the spot where he had left his precious little sister, and stopped cold when he saw a man bring something down… right in back of Alluka. "Onii-ch-!" her relieved and excited call was cut short. She went stiff with the sudden intrusion to the back of her neck, and then her world went black, the last image her eyes could register, was the look of pure horror and despair on her lovely brother's face as he seemed to scream something.

Time stopped. Nothing moved. The waves of the ocean behind them was soundless, the seagulls ceased to exist, and all that could reach his deafened ears was the soft thump as he saw one of the only people on this planet that he loved and cared about more than himself fall; limp and lifeless like a doll. "ALLUKA!" he screamed.

His mind went blank, and when it came back, the man with the knife lay in a mangled mess of twisted limbs and broken bones. Not dead. No. that would be much too swift a release from this world. No. Killua made sure he would suffer.

But satisfied with his work, he turned to look hopelessly upon the lifeless form of his sister. Finally, finally his emotions ran away from him, and he let out the most heart-wrenching, throat tearing cry that could break the soul of anyone who heard it.

End Flashback

Blinking, I slowly came back into focus as I felt something prodding me gently. I looked down at the smaller girl, who had on an extremely worried expression, and gestured to her cheek, running a line from the cheekbone to her chin. I furrowed my brow, but then a slight breeze blew through and I felt a temperature difference on my face. I reach up and felt warm, acidic tears falling from my shocked face.

The cleaned-up girl looked at me sadly with a questioning face. She, somewhat hesitantly, lifted a hand to my cheek, and gently wiped away the tear that had escaped from my eye. I felt her warm, soft hand against my cold skin, and I couldn't help but see my little sister there in this girl's body. But no. They were different. Completely so. This girl was shy, yet not afraid to gesture what was really on her mind. She didn't seem to be the kind of person to let her disability to get in her way, and she seems to have developed quite a language for herself -_-().

I put my hand over hers, and smiled. "Thanks," I said simply. She looked a little surprised, but then shook her head smiling. No prob was what her face told me she was thinking. She did, however, mouth, 'You can always talk to me if you need to. I'll be here to listen.' I smile gratefully at her, but then jolt upright as if my an electric shock (not that that would've hurt me, anyways, seeing as I'm somewhat immune to the pain from electrical currents).

"Gahhhh!" I screech. How could I let her see that pathetic side of me!? I scream to myself mentally. I think I probably beat myself up a thousand times over before I felt something hard and somewhat round hit my on the head. "Ow!" I look up, and I see Shizuka glaring at me. She was probably thinking, 'What the heck is wrong with you, you crazy nut case?'

I made a face at her and stuck out my tongue. "I can beat myself up if I want to! It's my life!" I yelled at her childishly, and continued doing said thing. She looked incredulous. She looked ready to murder me, but the effect was slightly deluded by the fact that she had half the candy apple sticking out of her mouth. Hasn't she ever heard of the concept of cutting those things first before trying to eat them? She stomped her foot and puffed out her cheeks, then turned angrily on her heel and started stamping to some American restaurant that we had passed and had smelled good. Inside, however, I couldn't help but laugh. The way she acted, however, was many times different than my own sister's. After all, there could only ever be one Alluka, and one Nanaka. And there could only ever be one Shizuka. All were irreplaceable. Who knows, maybe letting the girl hang with me wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

Another AN: Ok, ok. I get it. and I'm REALLY SUPER SORRY TO ALL ALLUKA FANS OUT THERE! I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST HER! In fact, I also love her as well. Just too cute XD

So I figured I might explain a bit down here before anyone tries to assassinate me *cough* Killua *cough*

Ok, so basically, Killua and Alluka have a really good relationship, right? right. They really love each other. But knowing Killua's kind of 'I don't care about too many people' type of personality, I had to give him an incentive for helping some random girl from the streets. So, I had to give Killua a reason to want to help, and that would be for Killua to have experienced a great loss. Shizuka reminds Killua of his deceased sister, and that's why he felt compelled to help her. Granted, I could've made Alluka just go away, but that wouldn't have had much of an emotional affect on him. Well, now you know why I had to write what I did, and I'm again sorry for killing off such a nice character, but it had to be done for the sake of the story! Plz dun hate me! ()

Also, since I'm at it, the time is two years after Gon and Killua part ways after Killua gets his sister and Gon goes his own way with someone *wink wink. spoiler alert, but if you know already, good for you* his father

Anyways, I just wanted to explain the meaning behind this chapter, because I porbably didn't make it very clear during the reading. So ta ta for now, and see you all for next chapter! XD