Chapter 6: Arrival
Disclaimer: I do not own this. Spiral: The Bonds Of Reasoning is the property of Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno. The only ownership I claim is for this story and the OCs involved.
A/N: Here is chapter 6, as promised. I apologize for the length of this chapter. I realize that this is quite a bit shorter than my others, but it would have ended up being far too long if I hadn't ended it where I did. Also, I did not have time to complete a longer version of this chapter this month due to several tests I've had to prepare for. I hope that you all can forgive the length and enjoy chapter 6 of "Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You." I will do my best to have chapter 7 out by the 28th of next month as well.
Kanone Hilbert sat silently beside the window of the British airliner. Most of the passengers were asleep, given the late hour of the flight, so the plane was devoid of conversation. The 'Winged Gun' looked out at the night sky through the rain drenched window. Every few seconds the lightning would strike, illuminating the sky and causing some of the more unnerved flyers, who had been unable to surrender to the quiet of sleep, to gasp in distress. Kanone ignored them all. Too many things had happened in his life to allow him to share in their petty fear. At a loss for something better to do given the dark interior of the plane, the seasoned killer focused on the lightning strikes. He continued to watch them, remaining motionless until the storm began to blow over and the lightning became more and more infrequent.
At this point Kanone leaned his head against the headrest of his seat and stared at the ceiling. "It all begins after this." Kanone mumbled to himself, thinking about the battle that awaited him in Japan. He closed his eyes for a moment in quiet calm before a small voice interrupted his peace.
"Um, excuse me."
Kanone opened his eyes and glanced toward the aisle in search of the owner of the voice. He was met with a small boy around six years old, looking at him nervously.
"Yes, what is it?" Kanone questioned kindly.
"Could I sit with you? I wanna watch the storm but mommy's asleep and blocking our window." The child said. Kanone couldn't help but smile at the child's innocence as he nodded, motioning to the empty seat beside him. The boy's face brightened as he quickly climbed into the available chair and leaned on the arm rest to look out the window. After a few minutes he turned his attention back to Kanone, who had leaned back in his seat to allow the child to see past him.
"This is my first time on an airplane. I like airplanes. Mommy says we're going to Japan for a vacation. I've never been on a vacation before. What is a vacation, mister? Mommy says they're things that people take to have fun, but I don't really understand. But I'm having fun, so I like vacations. I like airplanes too."
The child chattered, focusing out the window again and forgetting the questions he had asked Kanone moments ago. Kanone simply smiled. The child's presence was a good distraction for him, keeping his mind off of the dangers and trials that awaited him once the plane landed. He sat quietly listening to the child until gradually the boy fell silent, fatigued by the excitement coupled with the late hour. Slowly, the boy lost interest in the storm outside the window and sat down in the seat beside Kanone. He remained seated for a few minutes before taking hold of the arm rest that divided his and Kanone's seat in his small hands and forcing it up and out of his way so that it folded into the seat back. He then proceeded to stretch out across the seats, resting his head in Kanone's lap, satisfied with his new friend and too young and innocent to be afraid. He smiled happily as slowly he dozed off, cuddling into Kanone as he slept.
Kanone watched the boy's actions and, while slightly surprised, allowed the child to fall asleep where he was. As he watched the child he smiled almost sadly, gently stroking the boy's red curls. He leaned his head back against the seat again and looked out the window at the first hints of sunrise.
"Soon, Eyes." He said softly as the plane continued toward its destination in Japan.
oOoOoOoOo
Hiroshume sat in the dark living room of his one room apartment, watching the rain beat against the sliding glass door. Contrary to his usual late night habits, his computer sat idle on the black and silver colored metal coffee table that stood a foot and a half away from the grey, office-style two person couch that occupied the center of the small room.
The young hacker sat silently at a small table that rested a few feet before the glass door. It was a traditional Japanese-style table made of black stained oak. As a result of the style, Hiroshume sat on a cushion on the floor rather than a chair and rested his arms on the low table. His right hand, palm facing up, acted as a chin rest for his head. His other arm rested idly on the tabletop, crossed so that it was stretched the width of his torso, his left hand less than an inch from his other arm. He tapped the small window on the front of his flip phone absently as he watched the rain.
As he watched the rain, he grew weary of the activity and lay back against the floor, crossing his arms behind his head, still watching the rain impacting the glass door. He lay there for several minutes before the soft sound of something vibrating on the wooden table caught his attention. Pushing himself into a sitting position once more he picked up the still-vibrating cellphone and opened it to check the new message. Once he had read it, he slowly closed the phone and looked at out at the rain again and returned to his former position, a reserved expression on his face.
The relentless downpour had been persisting for hours and didn't look to be letting up any time soon. Diverting half his attention from the glass and the rain beyond, he withdrew a second laptop from beside him on the floor and placed it upon the tabletop. Quickly accessing a secure server he checked the progress of Kanone's flight. Seeing that nothing had changed and the storm did not appear to have grounded the plane, but had only delayed its arrival by roughly an hour, the hacker closed the computer lid and pushed it away from himself a bit before returning his attention to the rain.
It was already well into the early hours of the morning, but Hiroshume had no intention of sleeping any time in the near future. Glancing across the room at the green neon numbers of the small digital clock that was kept on a small metal table beside the couch, he saw that it was already 4:30am. Sighing, he lowered his hand from his face and stood. Slipping the cell phone he had been holding into his pocket, and retrieving a second on his way to the door, he slipped his trademark jacket on and left the apartment.
oOoOoOoOo
Eyes silently exited his apartment and headed in the direction of Tsukiomi academy. His short correspondence with Hiroshume an hour prior had peaked his curiosity as to the reason for the hacker's unavoidable absence that morning, but he didn't give it much thought. The pianist didn't need a constant bodyguard by his side and he doubted that Hiroshume would fit that description even if he were with him. Approaching the school, he saw Kousuke, Rio, and Ryoko waiting at the gate for him. He noticed that Kisame was not among the group. As he reached the group, Kousuke gave him a curious look.
"Your friend isn't with you today?" He questioned, having expected Hiroshume to have stayed nearby for the first few days that Eyes was in the academy. Eyes shook his head, answering the obviously rhetorical question simply because it didn't matter whether he did or didn't answer.
"No, something came up for him, not that he has any obligation to arrive with me." Eyes said calmly, not intending to belittle his companion's question and merely stating a fact. Kousuke nodded, as the pianist's answer did not require a verbal response.
Meanwhile, Ryoko had been standing a few feet off from Kousuke and Eyes, her arms folded over her chest in irritation over the performer's presence. "We should go in, Kousuke. It's getting late." She said, ignoring Eyes as she addressed her red haired companion. "Right," Kousuke agreed, glancing at his watch and noting the time. He looked back at Eyes and Rio. "Let's go." He said.
Eyes nodded and the four of them made their way up to and into the school.
oOoOoOoOo
It was late in the morning when the British airliner finally descended into the Japanese airport. The passengers were eager to depart from the plane and were pushing each other in an attempt to leave. Kanone sat quietly in his seat as he watched the chaos unfolding in the aisle to his right. He didn't see the point in fighting the crowd in order to exit the plane a few minutes earlier and so remained where he was, watching the struggle.
Hours before his small flying companion had been retrieved by his mother, leaving the Blade Child to endure the rest of the flight in solitude. He didn't mind, though. The little boy had been an amusing distraction, but Kanone was not bothered by solitude. As the crowd thinned, Kanone rose from his seat and joined the commotion in the aisle that led to the exit of the plane.
Once he was able to leave the plane and enter the terminal he looked around, remembering the event that had occurred the last time he had been in that airport. He was glad when he didn't see Eyes waiting for him. While he missed the stoic pianist, it would have been far too much like his last visit had Eyes been waiting for him. Absently, he fingered the small knife in his pocket that he had managed to slip through both sets of security. Catching himself, he withdrew his hand from his coat pocket and let it hang at his side before turning and walking toward baggage claim. A voice stopped him.
"Kanone Hilbert, I presume?" Kanone's battle instincts kicked into high alert, his mind running through the different ways that he could kill a potential threat if it was needed while so many people surrounded him. He turned to face the owner of the unfamiliar voice, his face and body language betraying nothing of his battle-ready condition.
The person he faced was a teenage male with longer reddish brown hair that cascaded over the right side of his face to obscure his eye and much of his cheek from view. The left eye that still remained visible was dark blue in color and held a reserved and cold glint.
"Yes, how can I help you?" Kanone questioned lightly, his eyes subtly scanning his opponent's body language for any hostility or any signs of weapons.
"I'd like to talk to you if you have the time. You don't know me, but I'm the person that has been contacting you for the past few weeks, most recently at the request of Eyes." The hacker explained. Kanone relaxed a bit, recognizing the man before him as a person that Eyes trusted. Though whether he was who he said he was remained to be seen as far as Kanone was concerned.
"I have some time. What is it that you would like to talk about?" Kanone questioned, turning once more toward baggage claim. Hiroshume fell into step behind. They reached baggage claim without either man saying anything and Kanone glanced behind him at Hiroshume as he stopped to wait before the baggage assembly. He saw the teen looking at something on his phone.
"Do you intend to speak?" Kanone questioned. Hiroshume flicked his gaze up at Kanone with little interest before returning them to the phone screen.
"It seems that I am being drawn into your game, whatever that may be." Hiroshume said calmly, noticing his companion's eyes darken at his words. Wanting to avoid violence he turned the phone in his hand and held it out to Kanone. "I received this message last night, but while it was addressed to me it certainly did not have anything to do with me. But the mention of your, as well as Eyes' other companions' names confirmed that I was being involved." He said as Kanone took the phone and looked over the message.
oOoOoOoOo
"Hello Hiroshume Hadaka,
Your recent research into the affairs of certain individuals has not slipped beyond my notice. Your curiosity in this matter will bring danger to you should neglect to change your actions. It is inadvisable for you to continue acting in this manner, unless you want to be drawn into the game and risk ending your life. The people you have taken an interest in, such as Kanone Hilbert, Kousuke Asazuki, and Rio Takeuchi, are not individuals that you need to be involved with. By now I am sure you have compiled a fair amount of information on most of them, though the extent of your knowledge is still unclear. I will not tell you whether to play the game or not, but just know that you move by my will regardless of how you decide. Though I offered you a warning in the beginning, you're a smart lad so I'm sure you realized you were involved the moment you starting sticking your nose into matters that didn't concern you. Welcome to the game. I look forward to seeing how you play.
K. N.
oOoOoOoOo
Kanone's eyes darkened further as he finished the message and noted the initials at the bottom. He looked back up at Hiroshume and handed the phone back to him.
"What have you done to invoke this sort of situation?" He questioned, catching sight of his luggage and retrieving it before refocusing on the teen before him.
"I simply made myself known to those who wished to know. Eyes refuses to tell me anything so I found an alternative means of gaining information." He said as he returned the phone to his pants pocket, leaving both hands in his pockets.
"Did the thought ever occur to you that Eyes neglected to tell you anything because he didn't want you to know?" Kanone questioned. Hiroshume nodded.
"It crossed my mind on occasion, but I'm not willing to sit idly by. The whole purpose of my contacting Eyes in the first place was to dispel my boredom. That hasn't really changed. Although I would like to be of use to him if he would let me. But seeing as he prefers to keep secrets, I have to find the answers myself so that I have them when he asks."
"Eyes has a reason for everything he does. You shouldn't make light of that." Kanone warned, leading Hiroshume to a small café a block away from the airport, where they could talk without being disturbed.
"I'm aware that Eyes has his reasons, but I have my own reasons for my actions. I decided to come to you rather than address this with Eyes because he has repeatedly shut me out. If there is something that I can help with, let me know." He said once they had arrived and were seated at a table near the window. He extended a small slip of paper to Kanone. It contained an IP address, but the provider was of unknown origin. Kanone looked at the hacker curiously.
"It's a secure server. That way nothing will be able to be traced unless I allow it to be." Hiroshume clarified. Kanone smiled.
"I appreciate your concern and I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind, but I'm afraid you're a bit confused. There is nothing going on that you need to be concerned about." He said calmly.
"I don't think either of us believe that." Hiroshume said with mirrored calm. His calm expression was instantly replaced with a look of surprise and pain as a vice-like grip latched onto his shoulder, threatening to shatter his collar bone with the force of the grip.
"It'd be much better for you if you had." Kisame's voice dripped with danger and Hiroshume paled slightly at the dark tones that tainted his words. Kisame spoke barely above a whisper but it was enough for both Hiroshume, who was at close range, and Kanone who had sharper senses than most, to hear. "Let's go somewhere else to talk. It'll be nice to catch up." Kisame said at a conversational volume, his tone light and friendly as he pushed the compliant hacker to his feet and addressed Kanone with the suggestion. Kanone smiled, nodding, and the three left the café, Kisame never releasing Hiroshume from his grip.
A/N: Hello all. Here is the next chapter as promised. I hope that those who read it enjoy it. Comments and reviews are greatly appreciated. I would love to know what you thought of it and if there was anything I missed that should have been included in the story or that doesn't make sense. See you all next month.
Spiral of Destiny