Aneko: Hello to everyone in the Spiral category. You might not want to read this one if you haven't finished the manga. It has a slight tendency to be spoilerific. Though if you're like me and don't really care about spoilers, be my guest. This one was particularly fun to write, because I thought it was interesting how Hiyono could hate Kiyotaka so strongly, and yet still smile at him so convincingly.

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral: The Bonds Of Reasoning or any characters residing therein (That was kinda fun to say :P). The definitions come from dictionary . com which I also don't own.

Definitions

To hate: To dislike intensely or passionately.

To like: To regard with favor; have a kindly or friendly feeling for; to be fond of.

Her heels echoed at a fast clip as she strode down the hospital hallway, her arms swinging by her sides. Unlike the last time, she was empty-handed. She hadn't taken anything with her on her last mission, so she brought nothing back, either. It wasn't long before she reached the area she was looking for. She wasn't fazed by the sign above the door that read "special sector." Even if someone tried to stop her, she would without a doubt have enough clearance to get past them. And besides, Kiyotaka owed it to her.

She frowned in memory of the man. Sometimes in her line of work she had to do things that were less than pleasant, and sometimes she did things that she didn't completely agree with, but what Kiyotaka had done to his brother was unforgivable. In her eyes, he was a despicable man. Whether or not that was a personal opinion or a professional one, she didn't want to say.

She heard the voices before she got to the door.

"Narumi-san, please lay down! You are ill!"

"And waste the time I have left? No thanks."

She threw the door open.

The floor-to-ceiling windows on the far wall glowed with yellow sunlight. They were a special request from Kiyotaka. He had wanted as much light in the room as possible. It worked out well. At this time of day, there wasn't a shred of darkness to be seen.

There were only two people in the room, the doctor and the occupant in the hospital bed next to the grand piano. She still wondered how they had managed to bring it into the hospital in the first place.

They still hadn't noticed her entrance.

"Narumi-san, lie down right now and rest. I have specific orders from Kiyotaka-san."

"Oh? Aniki's?" The raven haired young man raised an eyebrow, looking up at the doctor. He laughed softly. "Is that supposed to intimidate me?"

A vein popped in the doctor's forehead.

"ex-cuse me, sir-!" A tap on his shoulder turned him around. A pretty young woman with long brunette hair was smiling at him. "Do you think I could talk to Narumi-san for a little bit?"

"I'm sorry, miss, but no. I was ordered by Kiyotaka-san—"

"Do I look like I care what Kiyotaka-san orders?" Her words and her face were coated with so much sugary sweetness that it was obvious it was fake.

"U-Uh…"

An awkward silence filled the room, in which all that could be heard was the sound of the young man's pen against paper.

A few minutes later the doctor was walking out of the room as she waved cheerfully after him.

"You're pretty scary, you know that?"

She turned and smiled at him, but it was a real smile. "Why thank you." She walked up to his bed. "Did you miss me, Narumi-san?"

Ayumu looked up at her thoughtfully. "Oh? Were you gone again?"

"Hmm?" Her cheeks puffed out. "Geez, you're still such a troublesome boy."

He chuckled. "Am I?"

He looked relaxed enough, leaning back on his pillows as he worked on his piano score, but she could see the sweat on his forehead and the slight shake in his hand.

"You're sick?"

"No more than I usually am."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It's not…bador anything, is it?"

"Nah, probably just a cold. But you know doctors. One cough and they go crazy. Especially since Aniki told them to make sure I'm extremely well taken care of—in other words, babied."

She crossed her arms. "Whatever it may be, you really should be resting. You look like you're about to pass out."

Ayumu raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? Did my brother send you to make me rest too?"

She stiffened.

The sheet music Ayumu was holding was suddenly yanked out of his hands, and he found her finger pointed in his face. "Lie down. Now."

It was a command, and, rather surprised, Ayumu did as she said as she sat on the edge of his bed and fix the pillows behind him.

"Don't accuse me of such a thing, Narumi-san," she murmured, a frown on her face. 'I will never ever follow the orders of Narumi Kiyotaka-san ever again."

If he didn't know how serious she could be, he would think her words were a heavy exaggeration. It's hard to make such declarations and follow through with them.

"I didn't mean to insult you," he said.

She shook her head in dismissal. "I just…really hate that guy."

"You hate him? He's the one who paid for all of this, you know." Ayumu gestured to his hospital room. She looked at the floor, her hands clenching on the hem of her skirt.

"I mean if you're going to hate anyone, hate my parents. They're the ones who cloned me, not Aniki."

She inhaled sharply. "That isn't what I meant!" Ayumu was taken aback by the ferocity in her voice. She looked away. "I really hate that guy," she whispered again.

"Don't be sad. Remember? I didn't want you to be sad."

She looked back at him. Once, he had been able to walk. He didn't have to take at least four kinds of medication, and his left hand wasn't useless. He was a ghost of his former self, losing the functions of his body a little every day.

"I can read your mind," he murmured.

"Then you know why I hate Kiyotaka-san."

Ayumu sighed. "Even if Aniki hadn't involved me in his plans, I still would have ended up like this." He waved a hand at his bed-bound body.

"Yes, but—"

"And I never would have met you." She fell silent. "So, it's a plus in my book. I'm thankful to Aniki, you know."

She stood, and Ayumu watched her walk over to the windows.

"Even so, Narumi-san…I will hate him."

He looked up at the ceiling. "The forgiveness that everyone was offering him…was driving him insane. I suppose that in a way, you are saving him."

She laughed softly. "Adults aren't always as mature as you think, you know. Sometimes, it simply comes down to the fact that there are some things that are just hard to forgive. Maybe in time, I'll be able to honestly say that I don't blame Kiyotaka-san for anything that happened. But for right now, it would be a very cruel lie."

"Ah."

A silence fell as each of them was lost in their thoughts. Finally, she sighed, and walked back over to the bed.

"I have to leave soon. I've got another mission, and my flight leaves at four."

"Ah, another "classified" mission, huh? Be careful, I might be dead by the time you get back."

"Oh, don't joke about that," she said, frowning as he chuckled. She shook her head. "You really are incorrigible." But as he continued to smile, she couldn't hold her frown, and she smiled back.

She leaned over the piano and pressed a random key. It let out a sweet, high note.

"I never got the chance to learn how to play the piano. It's too bad."

"Well, I guess I'll have to teach you next time you visit."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

Aneko: The end. I hope you enjoyed it. It was just a random moment between Ayumu and that-girl-who-used-to-be-Hiyono. Oh well. I didn't know her name for the fic, but it still worked out, I think. What do you think? Please review!