CHAPTER 31

Hayuri dodged to the right just in time to avoid getting down kicked by Hisoka, whose heel collided with the dirt floor under them. The ground cracked and he immediately turned around to launch at her again with full speed. Hayuri took a deep breath in in concentration and raised her forearms to block a hook punch at her jaw. As soon as she stopped him, she forcefully kicked him back, enhancing her strength with her Hatsu. Hisoka's eyes widened in delight at her increased power and he crushed into a wall behind him, bursting it into pieces.

"Ohhh~, Hayuri. When I saw you two years ago, I knew you would turn out strong. There's nothing as alluring as a good fight with a powerful woman." Hisoka grinned in a twisted way and licked his arm, which was now broken and bleeding due to Hayuri's powerful kick. "I'm definitely going to enjoy this."

Hayuri grew tired of his nonsense chatting and initiated another attack at him. She jumped up and twisted around in the air, swirling swiftly and kicking him again on the jaw. He managed to move aside and took a hold of her ankle. He pulled her to him and elbowed her on the gut. She minimized the damage from it, coating her lower abdomen with nen in the last second. She was thrown a good five meters away from him and jumped up, immediately recovering her defensive posture.

Killua, on the other hand, had immediately launched at Illumi. He knew that he was not getting out of with without a fight, so he went straight into it. He used his godspeed to kick him all around for a while, until he felt the need to recharge. He wished he could've killed Illumi while doing so, but his nen had been like an iron suit. Only when he was already too drained to keep his Godspeed up, he felt his brother's aura weaken. Killua stopped in front of him and glared daggers at him.

"Oh, Kil. You've become as strong as I thought you would. Don't you see that you're meant to inherit the business and become the so far finest assassin ever?" Illumi said in cold satisfaction.

"I don't care about what you think is meant for me. I've decided a different future for myself."

"Oh, have you? Or has she chosen a future for you? Are you really the one choosing in here?" Illumi pondered for a moment.

"I have chosen to build a life with her, so we're making choices together now. Sorry to disappoint you, aniki, but I won't be dissuaded. You said it yourself."

Illumi smirked a crooked, nasty smile and picked up a couple needles from his back. Killua perked up at this and remembered that they were fighting in a public space. He stole a quick glance around him and noticed that there were people all around them, frozen in fear, pressing themselves against the walls of shops and crouching on the floor. Why the fuck haven't they escaped? Killua inwardly growled and decided that they needed to leave that dense populated area immediately, or there would certainly be innocent casualties; if he dodged Illumi's needles, they would end up hurting somebody else.

For a second, his eyes met with Hayuri's, and they immediately agreed on leaving. Both jumped up and took the roofs, rushing out of town, closely followed by both older men. Not fifteen seconds later, they were back on the ground and entering a small forest. When they were deep inside and came into a clearing, they stopped and turned around, promptly faced by their opponents.

"It's so nice of you to mind the other villagers." Hisoka chuckled and then lifted a finger up to his chin. "I have a question for you. Where do you keep the kid? You know, I'd like to meet him and see if he's got as much potential as you two do."

"As if we'd tell you, idiot." Hayuri growled at him.

"No matter. After we're done with this, we'll head back and find him or her in no time." Illumi deadpanned. "Now, let's not waste more time."

Killua jumped back in order to avoid meeting an uppercut punch and did a couple back handsprings until he was a safe distance away. Illumi threw needles at Killua and he blocked them with a knife that he had tied to his belt. He immediately launched at Illumi once again and tried to slash his thigh. Illumi dodged, but as soon as he did, Killua took out his claws and slashed his upper right arm instead. Illumi moved a bit, so the wound was no serious, but it would definitely slow his movements.

Killua circled around Illumi for a second, until the older brother decided to jump up and throw needles down at him. It was a perfect attack, since the amount of needles and the area that it covered made it impossible to escape. Killua diminished the attack as much as possible, blocking and dodging as much as he could, ending up with a pierced arm. He growled at Illumi, noticing that he was slightly smirking at the fact that the amount of damage on each other was no even. Killua cursed the fact that it was him fighting his brother, since his electricity was of no effect on him. He wondered if it had been on purpose, but decided to not question such things. He glanced over at Hayuri, wondering if there was a chance of switching opponents.

Hisoka connected a kick at Hayuri's jaw, pushing her several meters back. She managed to land on her feet, but had to hold her weight on a tree for a second; her head was spinning and pumping due to the hit. Through her dizziness, she saw a figure dashing her way, and she jumped up on to the tree she was leaning on and then to another one. She shook her head in order to get read of the queasy feeling and took a deep breath in. After exhaling, she jumped back down and aimed a kick at Hisoka's head. He moved aside, successfully dodging her attack, but she gathered her aura and powered her hands. She fisted his hair in her hand, taking a good hold of him and forcing him to bend down in front of her. She took the chance and backhanded with full force him on the left temple. She was about to reach for a dagger in her straps, but Hisoka gathered his remaining strength and jumped away. He landed with difficulty and was clearly disoriented, barely keeping his body straight. Hayuri narrowed her eyes and jumped at him once again, the dagger in hand. She tried to slash his neck open, but he moved back and received a deep gash on his chest. He seemed shocked at that and, at the same time, weirdly turned on. Her ability was no too powerful in the sense that she couldn't use it much, but it could be lethal if used in an intelligent way. She had seized the opportunity to harm him enough to lower his guard and then attack him again, giving her the upper hand. Hayuri didn't waste any more time and lashed at him at full speed once again, deciding to finally end her battle and go give Killua a hand with Illumi. However, when she was just about to stab Hisoka straight in the middle of her chest, she was stopped by a voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She heard Illumi say and immediately glanced his way. He was holding Killua down on his knees by the hair, his claws firmly pressed against his jugular artery. She was stopped dead in his tracks, a deep dread creeping into her veins and freezing her body inside-out.

Hisoka took the chance to grab a hold of her arm, and twist it around, forcing her to drop the dagger. He brought it behind her back and pushed her down with his knees. Hayuri growled in anger and glared at the psychopath who held her down with an amused smirk. His head was only a palm away from her to the right as he intently stared at her, so she could clearly see his features.

"Oh, Hayuri. You almost had me back there. Too bad that your man was not good enough." He smirked and his eyes were wide with excitement, his irises barely a dot on his orbs. He licked his lips and his head neared her neck, where he now pressed the dagger that she had dropped. His breathing was labored due to his frenzy, and she had to shudder in disgust at the way it tingled the sensible skin on her neck. "I believe that making you bleed will actually send me over the edge."

Hayuri averted her eyes and she met Killua's frightened ones; he seemed to be washed over with guilt and angst. Hayuri was terrified too; she knew that Illumi and Hisoka had no interest in keeping her alive. She should've just stabbed Hisoka and ignored Illumi's voice, because she was certain that he would have never killed his younger brother. She cursed herself for loosing focus at such crucial time and fucking everything up. She hissed when Hisoka slightly cut the side of her neck, drawing blood, and almost yelped when she felt him lick the wound clean. He chuckled and slightly sucked on it, drawing more blood out and into his mouth.

Killua glared darkly at him and a murderous aura leaked out of him. He made a move to step ahead, despite Illumi's claws brushing against his throat, but was stopped when Hisoka pointed the dagger at Hayuri's heart. He cursed under his breath and stood rooted on the ground. Hisoka laughed heartily at him, which was completely twisted in this situation.

"Killua-kun. It's good to see that you're keeping your emotions in check, as usual. I'd like to see how much you can take." He said and then moved his hand to take a card out of his pocket. He slid it down Hayuri's chest, making a deep gash. His hand moved out again and put the card away in the blink of an eye. His now free hand went down to her wound and wiped the blood all around her chest, soaking her shirt in red. Hayuri had a wince plastered on her face, but refused to make any noise at all; she would not give that sick bastard the satisfaction. His hand suddenly squeezed her breast hard, forcing her to grunt in pain. She glared at him and he smirked evilly, once again pressing violently at her blood soaked breast. "Oh, your face only thrills me further. You don't want to make that face."

"That's enough. Just kill me and get over with it." Hayuri deadpanned.

"Oh?" Hisoka raised an eyebrow a stifled a giggle. "Are you willing to throw your life away just to keep your pride? Or is it because you're afraid? What about Killua over there? What about your kid?"

"I know you won't let me walk out of this alive. Illumi came here to make sure I won't come between him and Killua anymore. He probably wants our child dead as well." She said with a plain voice and turned slightly to stare into Hisoka's eyes. "I'd rather stop fooling around."

"Oh!" Hisoka smiled delighted. "I don't know if you're being too cowardly or too intelligent. But you're right about how things are going to end for you. I wonder though, maybe I should have some fun before I take you out."

"Hisoka." Illumi growled five meters away. "Get over with it."

"Oh, jeez. You always spoil my fun. All right." Hisoka crouched down behind Hayuri and yanked on her hair, forcing her to look slightly up and expose her neck.

"Stop!" Killua yelled and was going to move to Hayuri again, but Illumi used his whole body to make a cross lock on him, forcing him to lie still on the ground. Killua moved desperately, trying to break free, but it was to no avail, since Illumi's raw strength was higher than his. He turned around in desperation to look back at her, his body shaking in anticipation. "Fuck! Hayuri!"

"Killua-kun, take a good look at her. It'll be the last time you ever do." Hisoka said with a plain voice, intently looking at the couple that was currently exchanging glances. He thought he saw a kind of understanding glint in their eyes, and assumed that it was some sort of good-bye promise, but he mentally waved it off. He felt Hayuri's nen shift, and he immediately moved the dagger across her neck. The blade made a clean, deep cut on her jugular, and she started chocking on the amount of blood that slipped into her lungs. Most of her blood spilled outside of her, cascading into her body at a fast rate. Hisoka let go of his hold on her and she felt her body crush against the hard floor. Hayuri heard the clinking of the dagger, which had been dropped right next to her. Not five seconds later, she started shaking uncontrollably due to the rapid blood loss and the coldness that came with it, her body striving to build whatever heat it could. As she lay there, she could faintly hear Killua's voice on the background calling her name.

"Hayuri! Hayuri!" Killua jerked and twisted on the ground, finally managing to break out of Illumi's hold. When he got on his feet, he was met face to face with Hisoka, who stood between him and the bleeding body of her. He crouched, like a predating animal, and grunted. "Move the fuck away."

"Oh, Killua-kun. You know it's too late. She will be dead in a minute and there's no way to heal that wound in such short time." Hisoka said, while he wiped his hands on his clothes. "Also, there's no way I will allow you to undo my work."

Killua's hands shook at his sides, adrenaline pumping though his veins at a fast rate. He moved his head sideways, glancing at Illumi, who was a couple meters behind him. He was at a terribly adverse position. On one hand, he and Illumi were equally injured. On the other, Hisoka was certainly much more injured than they were, but his psychopathic tendencies would probably allow him to fight anyways. Killua's feet moved, pushing him sideways and a little towards Hisoka, in an attempt to get away from in between his two opponents. Illumi ran to him to avoid it, but he managed to barely avoid his hands and tried to elbow him on the ribs. Illumi stepped sideways, dodging, and he took out a couple needles. He threw them at Killua and launched at him again right after. Killua blocked the needles and then the punches that Illumi threw his way. He watched from the corner of his eye, as Hisoka moved behind him, kicking him on his lower back. He coated his body with aura just in time and flew a couple meters back.

Killua stood there and stole a quick glance down at his feet, where Hayuri's body lay still. He looked at her for a couple seconds and then stared back up at Illumi, who was standing not far from him.

"Kill, you should know that there's no way you can win. I taught you to make smart choices in this kind of situations. If you promise to cooperate from now on, I can guarantee that you child will live and be raised as part of the family." Illumi offered with a plain voice.

"Fuck off." Killua snorted. "I don't think anybody should live though that hell, much less my own kid."

"All right, we'll have to do this the hard way then." Illumi sighed. He bent low for a second and then jumped at his younger brother, claws sharpened at his sides.

Killua jumped back a couple meters, and Illumi landed right between him and Hayuri's body. Killua blocked the attack aimed at his gut and grabbed an iron-firm hold of Illumi's wrists. Illumi raised an eyebrow at that, trying to figure out how the hell he would benefit from such a move. It anything, it would serve to only hinder him and allow Hisoka to attack him. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden movement behind him. His eyes widened as he watched the woman that was supposed to be dead, rise up with the dagger firmly held on her right hand. The weapon was coated in nen as it cut though his own aura defense, stabbing his back and his right lung. Killua took advantage of the distraction and let go of his brothers left wrist. Now with his right hand freed, he used his claws to pierce though his left side, straight into his heart.

Hayuri watched as Killua removed his brother's heart in awe; she had never witnessed him do such a thing. She was brought out of her thoughts, as she felt Hisoka move closer to her. She tensed and forced her trembling body to move once again, jumping away from the jester. Killua immediately dropped Illumi's heart on the floor and moved up to Hisoka in a second, kicking his already weakened body away from Hayuri. Noticing that she was safer now, Hayuri allowed her weakened self to crouch down for a second. Her eyes somehow found Illumi's form, which was now barely standing a couple meters from her. They locked eyes for a moment and he managed to smile. It was strange though, since his smile this time seemed honest… almost kind.

"He always had the most potential." Illumi said looking up to the light that filtered through the trees. The hole in his chest was profusely oozing blood, which seemed almost black due to its great amount. He then looked back down and met her gaze. "You've won. I hope his ability doesn't go to waste because of you."

His body seemed to lose all strength after he spoke those words, and it dropped to the ground. Hayuri released a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked at the still corpse of Killua's brother. She observed him for a moment, as his face relaxed and lost its usual cruel appearance, making him look just like a regular person who had never known love.

"It's sad that you only seem to worry about his potential going to waste." She murmured. "I promise, though, that his life will not go to waste. He will be happy."

A thump was heard just after she spoke and she was reminded of the still ongoing fight. She looked to her left and noticed that Killua was panting. Hisoka was on the ground next to him, unmoving, and his head had been completely turned around. Killua crouched down and slashed across his neck, severing the head from the body. He then stood up and walked towards Hayuri's form, who weakly sat under an old oak. She smiled at him as he stopped next to where she was and crouched down, putting her arm around his shoulder. He stood up, pulling her up with him, and circled his other arm around her waist.

"Come on, let's go home." Killua said, just above a whisper, and smiled softly.

Hayuri simply nodded, joy filling her chest and bubbling up to her throat. Her eyes were soon filled with tears and she was openly sobbing, all the while a smile adorned her bloody lips. Killua couldn't help but feel as his own eyes got glassy at the realization that he was finally free. They were finally free.

They walked in comfortable silence for fifteen minutes, at a very slow pace, watching as the sky's colors were shifting towards orange and purple. Soon they entered the village, and walked towards their house. As they did, they noticed how people on the streets gaped at them in horror. There were even people peeking out though the windows of their houses. It was no wonder, though. Killua had a deep gash on his free arm – the one that wasn't holding Hayuri up – and he was filled with other small cuts and bruises. His right hand was soaked in blood and he guessed that his whole body was dirty and muddy. Hayuri, on the other hand, didn't have any wounds on her, since her Hatsu had healed them all, but her skin was unusually pale. On top of that, it seemed as if someone had thrown a bucked of blood or two on her, since she was drenched in it.

When they finally got home, Hayuri immediately had to drink water. When she had already gulped down three glasses of it, Killua brought her to their bathroom. He took off her bloody clothes and threw them on a pile next to the bathtub. When the water was hot enough, he helped her step inside of it and sit down. He thoroughly removed the blood stains on her skin, all the while making sure to be gentle, since it seemed as though her body was aching all around.

"Thank you." She smiled softly, closing her eyes and enjoying the affection displayed by the silver-haired young man sitting on the edge of the tub.

"No, Hayuri. Thank you. For putting up with my affairs." He smiled as the started washing her hair. "You always accepted me without doubt, no matter what my family was like, no matter what my past was like."

"Well, someone had to do it." She managed a smirk throughout her wariness. "You'll have to think of a way to thank me."

"Ha-ha." Killua rolled his eyed, but a soft smile adorned his features. "I can think of a way, but it'll have to wait until you've rested."

"Uh-huh." Hayuri mumbled as she weakly stepped out of the tub. "By the way, we're supposed to meet Laila and Yamato at the town square of Kandia the day after tomorrow."

"Okay." Killua nodded at that and quickly dried her up. He took her towards the bedroom and helped her get on it.

"Damn it, I feel like a frigging old woman." Hayuri grunted as her head rested on the pillow.

"No wonder, you actually came back from the dead today." Killua said and stood up. "I'll get cleaned up now, so take some rest."

Hayuri hummed at that and faintly heard the door to the bedroom close. Not five seconds later, her body had given in and she was sleeping as a rock, like she hadn't done in over a year – since Yamato's birth.

- Time skip –

Hayuri and Killua stood in the middle of a crowded Plaza, looking around and observing the people passing by. They had been at that for almost two hours, and Killua had been complaining about how she hadn't set a specific time to meet. Hayuri had apologized, but reassured him, saying that she would probably be there around noon. When the huge clock on the square hit 12:43, Killua suddenly took a hold of her hand and dashed across the place, dragging her along. When she looked to where they were headed, she saw Laila standing with Yamato in her arms and observing her surrounding with a frown. When they were a couple meters away from her, her eyes came across from them and her whole face lit up.

"Hey!" she grinned uncontrollably and took a couple steps to meet the halfway. "Thank god you are all right."

"Mommy!" Yamato laughed and threw himself into her arms. Hayuri caught and pressed him to her body, feeling relief wash over her, now that her baby was in her arms. Safe. Alive.

"He has really missed you. Last night he kept calling for you. I think he wanted to be nursed… you know he's not used to formula, since we don't have any of it back home." Laila sighed.

"Addy!" Yamato grinned once again and threw his arms at Killua. Killua widely grinned as well, and stretched his arms to take a hold of his son, but the baby soon thought better about it and hugged his mother once again. "Mommy."

Everybody sweat-dropped at that, and Killua sighed. He was already used for the baby's preference for his mother.

"How are you? How did it go?" Laila questioned with a raised eyebrow and waving her hands around, showing off her excitement.

"We won. Surprisingly. Also, they're dead, so now we're free to do whatever." Hayuri's grin widened as she told her the good news.

"Finally!" Laila threw her arms around the two young people on front of her. "I'm so happy for the both of you. Especially for you, Killua."

"Thanks." He smiled fondly at the woman in front of him.

"So, have you decided?" Laila said as she straightened back and took a good look at them.

"What?" Hayuri asked, clearly taken aback by her question.

"Well, what you're going to do, obviously." Laila answered. "I know you're not comfortable in my hometown. Do you intend to stay there?"

"Actually, we talked about it." Killua said and slightly averted his eyes. "We decided to move out. We really are grateful for all that you've done, but it's true that we don't really like it there."

"Oh." Laila said and her tone dropped a bit, signaling that she was a bit sad at the news. "Well, I can't say that I won't miss ya, but I'm glad that you'll do what you want this time around."

"Don't worry, Laila." Hayuri sternly added. "You're family to me, to us. I promise that we'll visit often. I can't say how often though, because we plan to travel around and work as Pro-hunters."

"Well, as long as you make sure to keep Yamato safe. It's not a good profession to have if you're looking after a toddler." Laila sighed, clear worry in her eyes.

"We'll take turns to watch over him. He won't ever be without any of us to look after him." Killua said and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, should we find someplace to eat out and celebrate? We're paying."

"All right." Laila smiled. "I think I saw a place around the corner, let me show you."

The three of them made their way to said place, following Laila's lead. Suddenly, Yamato shifted away from Hayuri, who was currently holding him, and opened his arms towards Killua.

"Addy!" he smiled in delight. Killua felt warmth build in his chest at the immense love and affection that his son's expression held. He immediately raised his arms and held him against his chest, hugging him close. He felt Hayuri's hand close around his and could hear the smile in her face as she animatedly spoke to Laila.

A sudden feeling of bliss and hope filled him like only a few times before. He felt that, finally, his life was his own. He could decide his own future and make his own choices, and bear the responsibilities that came with it to heart. He could freely build the family he wanted. He could freely love the people he wanted to love. He could decide what profession to build a career in.

He was finally free.

THE END

A/N: Well, that's it. I don't know if this was a little sudden as an ending, but it felt right to me. Also, I'm sorry for having two characters die, really. However, I don't think they would've even been free of them otherwise, and I really wanted them to be.

Please tell me your thoughts on my story! Praises and criticism are both accepted. I want to know what kept you interested, what thrilled you, what seemed out of place, what was boring, what you didn't like.

Thank you for reading!