A/N: So… be prepared for drama. I hope you don't cry. (not really)

CHAPTER 22

As soon as Hayuri was out of the room, Killua had a heavy feeling on his chest. He hadn't really wanted to hurt Hayuri with those harsh words. Ever since last night, a knot had settled on his throat and hadn't left. He still cared about her, but he was deeply hurt. He didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing, since it was the first time he ever felt this way. In the end, he had unconsciously decided to hurt her back.

Killua sighed and looked up to find that he all alone in the room. It then dawned on him that this probably would be the only chance he'd ever have to get out of there. He stood up, his mind suddenly sharp, and looked around for a way to go out. The lightning of the place where the prisoners were kept was low and he could barely catch any details on the outside. From what he could see with his sharp eyes, the room was empty besides the wooden chair in which the guard on turn would sit on. The translucent wall that separated his cell from the outside was, apparently, unbreakable. He was on edge; he needed to find a way out now. He cursed again and paced around the room in deep thought.

Suddenly, a green light appeared on both doors to his cell and to the hallway outside. Killua crouched in anticipation. What the hell is going on? Not two seconds later, both doors opened up and the lights went out. The only thing that slightly light the room were some small red lights that apparently were part of the fire security system. Killua stood there for what seemed like an eternity, his mind overdrive, wondering if this was some sort of trap. In reality, only a couple seconds had passed when he made up his mind. He tensed his body and sprinted outside of his cell and into the hallway. There was a guard walking to the entrance and Killua knocked him out as he dashed past him. He was surprised to find that the door that led outside of the hallway was also open. He felt his heart speed up as he exited and didn't even look at the man that was sitting on the desk, calling out though a communicator.

"What's going on in he-? Who's there!" the man questioned and blindly turned to look both ways.

Killua was inwardly grateful that the lights had been lower inside the cell, since his eyes had quickly adapted to the dark. Probably, people on the outside were having a hard time seeing anything at all. He thought about this as he run up the stairs the two levels that he had been led down before. Not five seconds later, he had come to the hall that was packed with people. There was a complete chaos and everyone was yelling and asking about the current situation.

Killua knew that he had only a couple seconds left until their eyes became adjusted to the darkness. He dashed to the entrance where they had been searched at their entrance, noticing with surprise that that door was also wide open. He walked right out of it and entered out of the building in three mere seconds.

He didn't stop; he ran at full speed, his mind on overdrive and looking back over his shoulder every couple seconds to see if anyone was after him. Killua ran down the hill and into a forest like a cat, his body crouched down and leaning forward.

His mind was filled with questions as he ran through the woods at top speed. Was this a coincidence? Did he really just get lucky?

Killua had run for almost half an hour when his mind had finally settled down. He could now think clearly and wonder what on earth had happened down there. What is going on? Why did they let me out? Did their system break down? At this time?

His thoughts were interrupted as he watched as dawn quickly descended on the sky; it would be night in only a couple minutes. That night the sky was dark; there was no moon and the sky was packed with dark clouds, so Killua decided that he was safe from being followed. Apparently it would rain soon and he would get lost if he traveled back to the palace in the pitch dark, so he would be safer if he found some shelter. As the last of the daylight was disappearing from sight, he was a minuscule cave next to a small stream. He stooped next to eat, gulped down some water and stretched his legs a bit. He neared the cave, threw a stone inside and entered cautiously. Apparently there were no animals in there, so he settled down. Killua lay on his back for a while, watching the little stars on the sky twinkle.

Killua, finally being able to sort of relax since he had left the palace, furrowed his brows. This was completely strange. How come he had been allowed to leave? Was he even allowed to leave? Was this a trap? Had Hayuri helped him escape that place? It didn't make any sense. He was part of the business and, therefore, he knew that payment only happened when the job was done. These hunters wouldn't get a penny if they didn't deliver him to the client. If she had wanted to help him all along, why didn't she say something earlier? Why did she wait until he was captured? It was completely nonsense; there was no way that had happened. He had really just had a lucky strike? That was kind of unbelievable as well.

Killua sighed in resignation and rolled to his side. His hands were right in front of his face and he smelled the slight smell of blood on them. He knew it was not his. He had scrubbed Hayuri's blood off his underwear when had noticed it. Somehow, the scent of it had remained on his hands and it filled Killua with memories. He remembered the night they had shared and how she had kissed him. As he closed his eyes and remember her actions and the way she had looked at him. The way she had touched him and hugged him; with passion but also a sort of emotional need. She hadn't had sex with him; she had made love to him. She had not been doing it for the job; she had been doing it with all of her soul. Killua closed his eyes and a small smile formed on his lips. Her words also echoed on his mind as he rolled on his back.

"I have dreamt about you in ways that I would be too embarrassed to admit, but somehow the thought of never seeing you again prevents from it. I thought about you when I was alone at night. Therefore, what I wanted to ask of you is... would you..." she stopped midsentence, since she had the urge to cover her blushing face.

"I... I'm in love with you, Killua. I really am."

Killua had been so angry and, truth be said, panicked back in the cell that he had allowed it to get to his head. Now that he could think more clearly, he was certain that those words that been true. For a moment, he wondered if he was now on denial, but he was now certain that what she had said was true, and she hadn't done any of that for the job. It had been too real and too heartfelt.

"Clearly, because in the end you were just another bitch with no sense of ethic."

"She screamed like a slut."

His words to her came back to him like a slap on the face, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration. He shouldn't have said those things out of spite. He now clearly remembered the sad look on her face as he said those things to her. He tightened his fists and closed his eyes for a moment. He had been so cruel to her… but how could he not? She had betrayed him and given him away for a job. He had trusted her with his life and she had thrown it all in his face. However, that didn't sum up to him. She had never seemed that kind of person to him.

Killua thought hard, his excellent memory allowing him to recall things that she had said to him before. He remembered the times both of their lives had been in danger and one of last conversations they'd had.

"I… I would never let a friend die just because I might lose... fear losing my life." Hayuri said as Killua held her and her blood pooled on the ground.

"I was so scared. I-I thought I would never see you again." She said as tears kept streaming down her green eyes. "I'm so happy that you're alive. You don't know how much it means to me."

"We've known each other for, what, nine months? Somehow, after this time, you've become the closest thing I have to a family. I'll be damned before I lose contact with you."

Killua frowned. Had that been a lie? Had it been the truth? It sure as hell had seemed like the truth. Maybe she had been forced to do the job? He knew that these people had taken her in as a kid, but they were practically mercenaries nonetheless. He sighed and cleared his mind, remembering what he knew about them. An important fact came to mind, and he couldn't help but agree with her words.

"Hah, you wouldn't know. They're stronger than you; considerably stronger than you. Any of the leaders would be able to beat the crap out both us simultaneously."

It was true; Killua would've never been able to get away from them on his own. If they had come to him to catch him, they probably would've beaten the crap out of him before taking him to their hideout. More importantly, if that had been the case, he would've been too injured to actually manage to escape later on. He had been lucky that Hayuri had chosen that course of action to bind his hands. Maybe even she'd done it on purpose, so that he had a chance of escaping. If that was the case… why not simply tell him before they arrived? Another memory came to him.

"Yesterday everything seemed to be all right with your job. What changed?" Killua asked.

"I... I cannot tell you."

He furrowed his brows and suddenly he remembered the graduation. The moment his name had been called she had become tense and unfocused. He had mixed two letters in his last name in a way that he could be easily contacted by his family. Anyone looking for a Zoldyck would've known that it was him when they called his fake last name. Maybe… she hadn't known that her target was him until the end? After all, he hadn't told her about her family's business till the end. Had the change in her mission been the fact that her target was him? Why did it suddenly become it more difficult? She had known all along that she had to catch a Zoldyck. Zoldyck's had a terrifying reputation and she must've known about it. The fact that he himself was her target may have made her mission more complicated or morally incorrect. However, not more difficult.

He growled and narrowed his eyes as he searched through his memories again. Another one about the hunters that she worked with came back to Killua and, when it did, he sat up with a start. His eyes wide and his body tense.

"Actually, I've seen that happen where I work at as well. They expect complete loyalty and dedication from every member and they don't tolerate treason." Hayuri spoke and her voice shook a little. "Once, a member tried to steal a treasure that we'd gathered in order to pay his child's treatment. He was executed and I saw how conflicted he had been. It was horrible."

Killua sat in shock as a barricade of memories from the last day hit him and everything seemed to click.

"I... don't know if I will get out of this one alive."

"There's no use trying to get out of there; the only way that'll happen is when we allow you to."

"I have to say though, that I never really expected you to be blind for so long. Your emotions really can get in the way of your clear thinking, huh?"

Killua's hands shook furiously as he looked down to the flood and chanted.

"No. No. No. No. . ." He tightly shut his eyes and clenched his jaw. How could he have not noticed before? He had known her for so long, he had been sure to know her better than anyone else. He had always known she had a strong sense of ethic and always rejected jobs that weren't aligned with her values. She had never really betrayed him; she had done everything so that he could get away. She had known it was the only chance he had given the circumstances. She had personally chosen to be a traitor to them and save his life.

They don't tolerate treason

Killua stood up with complete angst and horror covering his face and, without a second thought, ran off back to the bunker he'd just escaped from. He would not leave her to die after what she'd done for him. He didn't want her to die after everything that they'd been together; he would miss her so badly. Last night he had been too shocked to think clearly, but he was sure now; he loved her too. He wanted to share his days with her and kiss her every chance he got.

Killua had only ran for about two minutes when desperation started building in him. It had taken him half an hour to get where he was and he had stayed there for another half an hour. One and a half hour would more than enough to execute someone because of treason. He was running at top speed, but he knew that if probably was no enough.

Faster, I need to go faster.

Killua pushed his body to move even faster than before, but he feared he would not get there in time. Would he get there to find her dead body on the ground? Would he even find her?

Faster, come on!

Killua pushed his body to its limit and still found that it was not enough. He remembered how Hayuri had used her ability to increase her speed before. His eyes widened and he slowed down a bit as he concentrated. Killua used his hatsu and sent electric shock though his body, feeling as his muscles managed to move faster during that moment.

I can do this.

Killua took a deep breath in and allowed his whole body to be filled with electricity. He wasn't prepared for the speed he would be able to attain. His body moved to fast that, if it weren't for his trained eyes and superior instincts, he would've crashed on a tree or something.

He did some calculations and came to the conclusion that he was ten times faster than usual. And so, he stopped three minutes later behind some trees that surrounded the hill where the hideout was located in. He crouched down and his heart was pounding on his chest. How was he even supposed to get in? Was Hayuri still in there? Had she managed to escape? Killua closed his eyes as his nen went into zetsu mode and he felt the presence of a bunch of people on the other side of the entrance that they'd used. Killua decided to check it out. He crouched down and, as silent as ever, he sped through the tress in that direction.

He stopped 100 meters away from where he felt them and peeked out through the bushes. There was some sort of gathering of at least a dozen hunters, three of them being the ones that had brought him to the hideout the previous night. Killua noticed that they were looking towards a point that was hidden by the rocks. He swiftly and quietly moved among the vegetation and, as he did, he noticed that the blonde – Markus - was saying something with a dead serious face and a nasty scowl.

Killua felt his heart sink as what had been hidden from view became visible to him. It was Hayuri. She seemed to be fine, but she was standing there with her eyes closed and a resigned body language. There were tears streaming down her eyes and Killua felt his heart clench. It was clear that she wouldn't be fine for long. Killua knew that it would be near suicidal to go out and help her, but he fast really fast now. If he managed to get to her in time, he could to carry her away to safety. However, something in the back of his mind was forcing his legs to stay rooted on the ground. Killua closed his eyes as he fought the foreign command. He wanted; he needed to save her. He knew there was a slim chance, but he needed to take it. Killua took a step forward, but a pain in his head prevented him from going forward. He held his head and inwardly cursed.

What the hell?!

He struggled for a while as his body shook. He closed his eyes and noticed that there was something in his brain. Killua took a deep breath in and plugged his claws into his head and removed a needle. Killua frowned and decided to curse Illumi later. His mind was finally clear and he looked up with determination. However, before he had a chance to take another step forward Markus used nen. In the blink of an eye, a sort of nen based gun appeared on his right hand, pointed forward at Hayuri and shot.

Killua's eyes widened in shock as he saw the nen bullet impact right in the middle of her forehead. The impact was so strong, that her body darted at least 10 meters back and fell to the ground. Killua felt his hands shake as the cloud of dust cleared up; there was a huge hole in Hayuri's head and there was blood pooling around her.

No…

Killua had to crouch down as his body went into shock and he felt dizzy. He took a couple deep breaths and tried to calm down. Maybe it hadn't killed her. Maybe it was a nen ability with a different effect. Killua watched as everyone turned around and walked back inside. As soon as the last person had gotten inside, Killua dashed towards her.

As he kneeled down next to her, he felt tears well up on his eyes. Hayuri's eyes were slightly open and unfocused. The pool of blood on the ground was getting too big. He moved a trembling hand to shake her slightly. She didn't respond. Killua leaned forward and put his ear on her chest. Her heartbeat was so slow, that at first he thought that she was dead. That didn't make him feel any better. He wasn't stupid. That kind of damage to the brain could not be reversed or healed. He raised one of his hands, which was now soaked in her blood and cupped her face. He moved to look into her dead eyes and his tears dripped on her forehead.

"I'm so sorry…" he spoke with a broken voice. "I'm so sorry. This is my entire fault. I should've known. I should've moved faster just now. I should've trusted you and told you who I was before. I shouldn't have said those cruel things to you out of spite."

Killua moved forward to hug her still body as his body shook and he quietly cried. He moved his head to the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent one more time. He kissed her neck softly then closed his eyes.

"I love you too, Hayuri. I'm sorry I didn't let you know before. I'm sorry you had to die thinking I didn't." He spoke clearly as he caressed her dusty hair. His chest was in so much pain, that he now understood where the term heart break came from. Suddenly, there was a rustling and there were footsteps going his way.

"HEY!"

Killua jerked up and watched through teary eyes as a couple of hunters ran his way at top speed. He shook his head to clear his head and looked at Hayuri one last time. He used his nen ability and disappearing from sight in a flash.

A/N: Damn, right? You weren't expecting that, were you?

MadokaMagica1998: yeah, you were right. She never would've betrayed him for real.

Macherry: He did apologize… but apparently it was too late.

Elisablackcat: Don't bring the world down just yet!

Guest: Damn, I feel sorry for the both of them. T_T