From Whence We Go To

Chapter 16: Bandit + Assassin = Witch?

Reader's POV (play music)

I could see small tears pooling in my daughter's eyes as she struggled to pull her golden staff away from Killua and I. "I'm not letting you leave me alone again!!"

"There's no point in caging us like animals to keep you company!!" Killua argued, glaring heatedly at Maria.

Maria twisted the staff into another angle, and at once a golden glow began emitting from it. "Great idea!!" She spat through gritted teeth.

A sound like a metal door slamming erupted from the corner of the room... Near the entrance. I snapped my head towards Alluka and Kleo, and saw a metal cage closed around them. Kleo immediately tried busting it open, but a strange purple glow was around it. It looked a bit futile.

Killua lifted his foot and kicked Maria in her stomach with too much force, causing her to fly into the wall spitting out blood. I looked at him in disbelief. "Killua?!"

"Sorry?!" He gripped her golden staff.

"Who kicks a five year old into the wall?!" I snapped.

Killua's face twisted in regret and he flicked the head of the staff at the cage that imprisoned Kleo and Alluka. The cage exploded into a golden splash.

I heard Maria's baby doll shoes click on the floor as she struggled to stand up. She held her stomach as blood dripped from her mouth, clearly in pain. But when she was halfway there, she collapsed, coughing up more blood.

I stared at Maria's pitiful form, fighting the urge to run to her and check if she was okay. Maria writhed on the floor quietly, trying not to show her pain. "Don't... Leave, please..."

Alluka glared at her brother. "Brother!! You don't kick a five year old into a wall with Nen!!!"

"I didn't mean to!!!" He defended himself desperately.

I couldn't take it anymore. I dashed over to my daughter, ignoring Killua's call to come back. Kleo ran with me. "Damn!" The amber eyed girl cursed, kneeling down and putting a finger on Maria's neck. "She passed out 'cause of the pain..."

"What do we do?!" Alluka cried, panicking.

"If Aics knows about Maria trying to keep us here, then we have to leave!" Instantly after he said that, he snapped his head over to the door.

Lancelot was standing there.

"Your Majesty!!" He cried out, rushing towards us faster than I could see. Then I could see blue sparks explode from Killua's hand. I secretly fished through my chest to find my weapon. Finally I found the pistol I'd been saving and pulled it out, pointing it at Lancelot, who'd been stunned by Killua's sparks. I pulled the trigger, seeing the bullet drive into the blonde butler's shoulder.

"Lancelot!!!" Maria screamed, regaining her consciousness. But she couldn't move due to her injury.

But Lancelot's face showed no pain when he was shot. In fact, his sleeve didn't even turn red with blood. Almost as if he wasn't a real person...

The butler opened his mouth wide suddenly, and Killua flinched when he spotted a machine gun appear from his throat. Killua dashed in front of the four of us just before Lancelot fired. Then he shot his hand into Lancelot's mouth and yanked the gun out, sending droplets of blood everywhere.

The blonde butler collapsed to the ground, seemingly paralyzed. I looked at Maria, surprised that she hadn't screamed or anything. But Maria had already lost consciousness. She lay in a fetal position.

"We have to get out of here." Killua declared. Before any of us could argue, he continued, a fierce fire burning in his ice blue eyes. "If either of them wake up, then we'll have to go through this again."

"But... What about her...?" Alluka mumbled fearfully.

Killua's face twisted in regret once again. "Leave her on her bed."

Kleo picked the five-year old up and placed her on the bed carefully. Then she turned to us and asked. "So... What now?"

"Like I said, we're getting out of here. No time to waste. I can't carry all three of you with Godspeed, so we're just going to run." Killua explained as I slowly stood up, pulling Alluka up with me.

I walked over to the large window and opened it. I felt guilty about leaving Maria behind, but I didn't want to be captured like an animal. I sighed deeply with sadness, hoping that no one would notice.

I turned around and beckoned Kleo over. "Come on. We're going for a piggyback ride." Killua turned to his sister. "You too, Alluka. Let's go." I could hear the grimness in his voice. Alluka nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip by Beatoriche!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kleo had her arms wrapped around my neck loosely, asleep. I was running side by side with Killua, who was looking at his feet as he ran. The smell of blood and gunpowder was awfully heavy in the broken city, making me gag. I wanted to blame Aics for these ballet shoes, which wouldn't protect me from the glass that littered the cracked ground. We even came across a few bodies. I tried not to look at them.

I looked at my fiance. Alluka was asleep on his back. "Killua?" I tried to start up a conversation.

He looked up, eyes widened. "Wha?"

"And that's how I know you feel bad." I concluded. He was most likely angry at himself for kicking Maria into a wall.

Killua bit his bottom lip, not saying anything. I smiled sadly. "You can tell me, Killua. It's okay."

"It's not okay... Even if she did what she did... she's my kid and I kicked her into the wall..." He admitted.

"Don't worry, baby." I wanted to kiss his cheek, but we were running, so I couldn't. "Even if you don't forgive yourself... Even if no one else does... I'll forgive you." I said truthfully.

At that time, Killua halted abruptly, making me trip a little bit with surprise. I halted a few feet ahead of him. I looked back at him. I'm surprised that these two are still asleep!

Killua stared at me as if I were some sort of angel. He was gaping a little, and his eyes were sparkling just like the Temporal Scouter. "Y/n... You'd... What?"

"I said, even if you don't forgive yourself, even if no one else does... I will forgive you." I repeated.

Killua blinked, smiling a beautiful, genuine smile. "Seriously?"

"Of course, Killua! Why wouldn't I?" I said it as if it was nothing. But it wasn't 'nothing'.

He smirked. "When we're alone again, I might mess you up." He emphasized the last thee words.

I blushed fiercely and looked away. "Whoa there. Calm down, pervert."

"Love you~!"

"Love you too." I smiled at him. We both began running again into the city, looking for the exit to this broken world.