Our little break was over, so I got on Killua and he ran out of the forest and jumped onto a highway, and there were no cars or trucks moving. He ran without feeling an ounce of fatigue and without any trouble from the combined weight Alluka and I brought down on him. I saw a sign saying that the next city was 40 kilometers away.

"Hey, Alluka. You're gonna feel a little zap again, all right?" Killua told the dark-haired girl in his arms.

"It's fine." She nodded.

Killua activated his ability and began dashing along the highway, me feeling tingly. I held on tightly to him, never wanting to let go. It was like I was riding a super fast rollercoaster. He could be faster than the fastest car in the world, but not fast enough to dodge the fastest bullet. He would have to improve his speed by hundreds of kilometers per hour to surpass that.

However, after a few minutes, behind him was a motorcycle catching up to him quickly, and it looked like Amane and Canary were riding it.

"Can you go any faster, Killua?" I asked him, looking at the strange motorcycle.

"I can't. Speed of Lightning is at full power, even if I'm carrying you and Alluka." He replied, then he looked back at the two butlers riding the motorcycle. "All right. Good luck catching me this way!"

He jumped off the highway and slid down the hill and went back into the forest to shake them off and reach the next city. I doubted they could reach us by that motorcycle.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the airport in Parasta. We need to travel by air if we want to lose Illumi as soon as possible. I should be able to get there in less than ten minutes, if not sooner." Killua stated.

When we got to the airport, we found Canary and Amane there, much to our surprise.

"We've been waiting for you." Amane said to a panting Killua.

"Damn. You guys are really good." He complimented them.

"We already have an airship prepared for you." She told him.

"Great. How many?"

"Huh?"

"Sounds like you only have one. Seriously? Give me a break! We'll never lose Illumi like that! We need five or six airships going different directions! Spilt up, and go make the arrangements now!" He demanded and went to sit down on a bench. Alluka and I sat next to him.

We listened and watched as the two butlers were buying tickets for the rest of the airships. Killua insisted that we should get out of here and board one of the airships heading to our destination. We got up and ran away before they could notice that we were gone.

When we boarded the airship, Killua took control and Alluka and I sat down across from each other. The airship took off, and all I could do was wait and hope Alluka wouldn't request anything from me.

Killua called Morel and informed him of our current situation and told him about Alluka's ability despite the warnings he was given. He couldn't contact Gotoh, so Killua tried to call him. He got no answer. I wondered what was going on with him that made him ignore all phone calls. Could he have gone into conflict with Illumi or someone else who might be helping him? Was he too busy trying to catch up to the rest of the butlers? I hoped he was okay after the three of us got away from everyone else.

Killua explained Illumi's ability which allowed him to imbue needles with his aura and stick them in his victims, turning them into soldiers called Needle People that did his bidding until they died. He told Morel to gather some Hunters and take the Needle People so that they could have proof that Illumi harmed innocent civilians beyond recovery. That way, the authorities could arrest him even if he was a Pro Hunter. Killua was willing to sell his own brother out for the heinous crimes he committed. He wouldn't forgive him for wanting to hurt Alluka.

A couple of hours passed, and it was dark outside. I stayed awake as Alluka was sleeping, and I was looking down at the floor when Killua started speaking to me.

"Lynn. You might have not realized this but...there's a reason why I did not let you introduce yourself to Alluka. And it's not to insult or tease you or anything like that. The reason is...to keep Alluka from making any requests of you."

I softly gasped and looked at him in confusion. He kept his eyes fixed on the sky in front of him as he controlled the airship.

"There is a rule that me and my family know from the trial and error experiments we had run at the expense of our old butlers. The rule is that Alluka cannot make requests of someone without knowing their name. I was trying to protect you. From the cruel requests she might make of you."

My eyes became pensive and my stare was unwavering when I heard his reason to keep my name quiet around Alluka. I should be concerned when she was making requests of him, and even if he did have a strong relationship with her, she could still kill him with an impossible request.

"Hey, now that we're all alone in here, I think I should tell you the rest of the rules to Alluka's wish granting ability." He said, and I was brimming with curiosity. I got my ears ready to listen.

"These are the five rules my family knows as a whole. One: If someone fails to fulfill Alluka's requests and dies, the difficulty 'resets' to level 1. That is the best time to make a wish. Two: If Alluka is making requests from a particular person, they cannot be transferred to another person mid-way. Therefore, if that person disappears by concealing their presence, Alluka is unable to request anything from anyone else. Three: If the person fulfilling the requests dies mid-way, it will count as a failure and at least one more person will die. Four, you know this already: Alluka cannot make requests from someone without knowing their name. Five: The same person cannot make two wishes in a row."

I understood everything clearly. That meant that I wasn't in any danger of having to fulfill Alluka's cruel requests. I hadn't told her my name thanks to Killua's interruption, and Tsubone concealed herself so that Alluka couldn't request anything else from her. And her requests from her couldn't be passed on to me. Had I not kept quiet before Tsubone had to pay the price, she would have killed me with the fingernail request or something like that. I had to thank Killua for interrupting me back there.

"However, they don't know some of the rules that I've been hiding from them. What they don't know about me is that I am able to issue commands to Nanika without any risks. A command works differently than a wish, and therefore, I can issue any command I want without paying the price. When I made that two-choice wish back at the mountain, I wasn't actually making a wish. I was commanding Nanika. I was sure my family couldn't tell."

"And Alluka didn't request anything severe from you since you are so close to her?" I asked.

"Not even once. Let me tell you something. When Nanika is awake, she calls me by my name. Alluka calls me 'big brother' when she is free. The requests to play possum, play the word game, and give her a hug came from Alluka, not Nanika." Killua explained.

"Big brother, die."

"Big brother, let's play word games."

"Big brother, give me a hug."

Big brother. Alluka made those requests. Killua never felt annoyed or bored fulfilling them. He really loved his sister and always did everything for her. He never took any risks to get what he wanted. He and Alluka had been apart for many years, and they were still happy with each other after they reunited. I hoped I would make Lizzy happy after Alluka saved her life along with Gon's.

"So if the requests Alluka made from you aren't as severe as Nanika's requests, then that would mean Nanika has been making requests from strangers all this time and killing them when they failed to fulfill them. Alluka isn't the one who kills, it's Nanika! Nanika must have possessed her body for some reason and granted people's wishes without caring about other people's deaths! Your family doesn't know that, and of course, they locked up Alluka in a room where she couldn't make any requests to anyone else. Are you going to let her continue making requests from more people resulting in more casualties? Are you going to reveal your secrets to everyone we know? Are you going to sacrifice countless lives to save our friends?" I raised my voice at him, being careful not to wake Alluka.

"I'm going to tell Nanika not to come out again!" He slightly yelled, and I gasped and took a glance at Alluka to make sure she was still sleeping. She was indeed fast asleep.

"The last wish we'll make is to save Gon and Lizzy, and that's it! Nanika will never come out and grant people's wishes ever again! Alluka will be free and I will protect her with my life! I will make sure she's happy with me wherever we go! And I'll never ever let her go!" His grip on the lever tightened, and I could hear his uneasy breathing. I looked down at the floor in thought of his feelings. Just as I thought, he was very protective of Alluka. There was no way his family would get their hands on her if he was by her side. Especially Illumi, who just wanted to kill her for the sake of the family and their lives.

"Killua." I spoke softly. "You and me...we had our troubles in the past, and I think we shouldn't let them come back to us now. If you want Alluka to be completely free from Nanika's control, then go for it. Countless lives will be saved, including our own. I would wish for my parents to be alive again, but I don't want other people to be paying the tremendous price. Plus, I'm not the one who would sacrifice anyone to get what I want. The ones I want to keep alive are my little sister and her beloved little boy. You want them to be alive for another day, and for the rest of their lives. We know we will be broken if they're gone from this world and into a better one. But we must take lots of risks and believe they're still here with us. They will see us again."

Killua focused on the view in front of us, taking in my words. I observed him carefully before he began speaking again.

"If we want them to know that we still care about them..." He paused, then he turned his head to me, smiling with confidence. "...then we'll make them apologize!"

I stared at him with glimmering eyes before sharing the same smile as him. What a caring boy he was.

A few hours later, Killua lowered the airship when I saw a car pull up below us. We were now 60 kilometers from the hospital, and it seemed wise to drive there instead of flying. We woke up Alluka and got off the airship and got into the car, sitting in the back seat.

"Take us to the hospital." Killua ordered the driver.

"Yes. Understand." He replied and started driving. But after a couple of seconds, he stopped.

"What is it?" Killua asked.

"People in front of the car." He simply replied, and I peered out the windshield and saw two people approaching us like zombies.

Oh God, are they...Needle People?

My eyes were wide in disbelief. If Needle People were here, then more could be nearby, and if there were a whole army of them, then Illumi would be here. I had no idea how he found us, and I was sure we lost him flying the airship above the clouds. Did he follow the car when he noticed the headlights?

"Hishita! Hit the gas and run 'em over! They're beyond help anyway!" Killua demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that..." He replied in a monotone voice, then creaked his head to reveal two needles embedded in his forehead. "...without Master Illumi's orders."

Killua and I gasped in shock at the realization that he had become one of the Needle People. How? Just how? Illumi couldn't have possibly manipulated him when we got in the car. That would be impossible!

Just then, more Needle People materialized from the trees and surrounded the car. I was mentally panicking when I heard Killua gasp at a figure approaching us. That figure was familiar to us, and when he revealed himself as the bastard I despised for a long time, I felt very anxious. The only reason he was chasing us was to capture Alluka and kill her. Now that he arrived at our location, I was certain he would have the chance.

We got out of the car, leaving the driver inside and showed ourselves to Illumi. We didn't know what to do in this situation. But the only job we had to do was to protect Alluka, because I thought she couldn't defend herself. I gave him a cold glare while keeping my guard up.

"Hey, Kil. It seems like you're hiding something about Alluka from me. Tell me what it is, or I'll kill Lynn." Illumi demanded in his emotionless voice. My glare turned into a shocked stare when he gave his threat. I didn't want that bastard to kill me to get Alluka for himself. We had to get out of here somehow, either by car or airship.

"How did you know we were here?" Killua asked.

"I'll tell you, if you agree to give me Alluka."

"Forget it! That's not gonna happen!"

I wish we could just get out of here already! Hold on. Wish! Nanika can get us out of here! Killua can summon her and issue a command that will help us escape from Illumi. But wait...Illumi doesn't know Killua can issue commands without any risks, and if he figures out about this, we'll be in serious trouble! Dammit, what can we do?

I heard someone coming from our left, and we turned to see Tsubone and Amane.

"It was me. The fool who was completely tricked." Tsubone admitted.

"Oh, look! It's Tsubone!" Alluka exclaimed, pointing at the old woman.

"Your mother can see everything I see through this eyepiece. I'm afraid that this is all my fault. I bet she transmitted the video to you, right, Master Illumi?" She asked him.

"Bingo. Tsubone was my spy." Illumi confirmed.

"When the clouds had cleared, I felt those eyes watching me again and realized the truth. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence."

"Ah, so you actually felt us watching, did you? That's very impressive. Well, now you know the truth, but due to Mom's orders, you can't remove your scope."

"Yes, I admit that's exactly correct."

"Tsubone." Alluka said, holding her hands out. "Give me the nail from your middle finger."

Her request made Illumi gasp in shock. I, however, wasn't surprised.

"Yes, absolutely." Tsubone tore off her fingernail, which made me shudder with disgust upon hearing it crunch.

"Here. For you, young master." She tossed the bloody fingernail to Killua, who placed it in Alluka's hands.

"And, Tsubone, give me the nail from your ring finger." She added.

"Of course! That's easy enough." Tsubone tore off her other fingernail, making me cringe at her. She tossed it to Killua, and he placed it in Alluka's hands. Now that Tsubone fulfilled three requests, Nanika took over, and she gave off dark aura.

"There, Killua. You should be able to make your wish now. Amane and I will pay whatever price you incur. Please allow me this opportunity to made amends for impeding your mission." The old woman told him.

"Are you going to do it? Fine with me. If you wish to save Gon and Lizzy, this is the same process you'll have to follow, right?" Illumi asked, angering both me and Killua. "If you can sacrifice those two to kill me, I'm sure you won't have a problem sacrificing a bunch of strangers to save Gon and Lizzy."

I felt like this bastard was mocking me somehow. It just pissed me off a lot. Unbeknownst to him, I knew more rules than he did. I assumed he was trying to force Killua to disclose one or two of the rules he knew himself. I was afraid that he might take me hostage to make him tell his unspoken rules to him, but because he wanted to know what Killua would wish for from Nanika, chances of that were low.

"If you say yes, I'll be happy to die. Your intra-mission will have succeeded. It's against the rules for family members to kill one another, but the thing that will grant your wish..." Illumi gave a devilish grin before saying the next words. "...isn't part of our family."

Those cruel words put Killua on the verge of breaking down, and I really wanted to punch him with Scorching Inferno to teach him a lesson for referring to Alluka as a 'thing' and her not being part of his family. But I could make things worse, and Illumi might end up killing me and then Alluka. So I just gave him my coldest glare and didn't speak a word.

"Well, go on. I'm offering you a deal, Kil. Kill me, and you will get to make your wish for Gon and Lizzy. Sound fair?" He said, and I could see the tears flowing down Killua's face.

Oh, Killua...

He hung his head down and stopped crying. "Nanika, I wish for Tsubone's left hand to be healed now."

That wish shocked everyone, including me.

"'Kay." Nanika agreed and walked over to Tsubone. "Hand. Hand."

"Tsubone, put out your left hand." Killua told her.

"But Master Killua—"

"Just do it."

The old woman reluctantly agreed and put her left hand out. When Nanika touched it, a bright light surrounded her hand. I watched in astonishment as Tsubone's left hand was healing quickly.

"Nanika is better at destroying than healing. If she heals, she must touch the target. But..." Killua paused, and Nanika finished healing Tsubone's hand. She took a glance at her hand and was amazed by Nanika's healing power.

"'Kay. Killua, give me a hug! Did I do good?" The dark-haired girl exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Of course. You did great. That was amazing, Nanika." He gave her some head pats, and she giggled before sighing and closing her eyes.

"Nanika is the one who calls me Killua. Healing is tiring to her, so she must sleep. But that's all. After someone's made a wish to heal something, Nanika never demanded anything cruel in return! Not even once! Nanika is kinder than anyone. The ones cursed are the ones who make the wishes." Killua explained, his tone sounding somber. "If you refer to Nanika as an object again, I won't consider you my big brother anymore."

I softly gasped at his threat. By the way he sounded when he said the last part, he really meant it.

"I understand. If you can heal Gon and Lizzy without any risk at all, that's terrific. But I'm afraid that still doesn't change the fact that Nanika is dangerous and my questions remain unanswered. Even now, you're still hiding something from me. Such as how Milluki's rule number five doesn't apply to you. So until you tell me everything you know, I won't let Alluka go. And I will kill Lynn." Illumi turned around and started walking away along with his Needle People. The way he said my name in a sinister voice left me chills in my spine. He wouldn't turn me into a puppet. He would actually kill me.

"Master Killua, I will take you and Master Lynn to the hospital." Amane told him.

I clenched my fists and breathed uneasily. Illumi had spared Alluka to let Killua make the wish to save Gon and Lizzy. There would be no risks at all. After Nanika saved them, she would never come out again, and I wouldn't have to sacrifice anyone else. Should I still be worried? Even if Nanika did go away forever, Illumi would find a way to dispose of her and Alluka as a whole. Killua would never forgive himself for letting his brother take them out. If that bastard killed me as well, Killua would be completely heartbroken. To keep that awful situation from happening, I had to protect Alluka while defending myself as well.

I wouldn't let Illumi take away Killua's freedom and happiness.