Chapter: 12: Only Time Will Tell
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.
Immediately after classes ended for the day, Kousuke and Eyes gathered the rest of the Blade Children together. To keep from being overheard by the other students or any of the staff, the group had met in the newspaper club room. Because classes were over for the day, the room was deserted and they doubted that there was a high risk of the club president, Hiyono Yuizaki, finding them in her club room.
"What's the matter, Rutherford?" Ryoko asked once everyone had gathered. "Kousuke seemed in a hurry when he came to get me and Rio. He said you wanted everyone to meet again." She said. Rio nodeed, wondering the same thing. Kanone and Kisame looked at the performer as well.
"Did something happen?" Kisame's tone held mild curiosity as he leaned with his back against the window ledge, his arms crossed.
"Perhaps." Eyes said calmly. Contrary to what Ryoko had stated, the quiet performer was not overly concerned about the newest events of the day. He had merely gone along with the idea of a second meeting in order to appease the red haired Blade Child standing before him. Kanone looked curiously at the performer, noticing the lack of urgency in his voice, but waited for Eyes to continue.
"Today there was a new student that transferred into our class. " Kousuke explained when Eyes didn't move to speak right away.
"So what? Students transfer late in the year all the time. Two weeks isn't that big of a deal. "Ryoko commented, crossing her arms in annoyance at Kousuke's apparent paranoia. "I know you haven't been in school for a while, but I thought you would have had more common sense about this, Rutherford." She spat, turning her attack on Eyes.
"It is not the fact that a new transfer student has come to this school that is strange. It's the nature of this individual that is interesting." Eyes said calmly, his face blank of expression as he spoke.
"So what's so special about this person that they've caught the attention of the mighty Eyes Rutherford? Spit it out already." Ryoko demanded impatiently, casting another hateful comment at the stoic pianist.
"This new student could be a problem for us." Eyes replied curtly, looking at Ryoko as he spoke. Kousuke nodded in agreement.
"There's something strange about him. You can see it in his eyes. He's killed before. Plus he was glaring at me and Eyes during every class we had with him." The bespectacled killer offered. The others turned their attention quickly to Kousuke at the additional information.
"Well that's interesting." Kisame commented.
"It's unusual to find someone our age who is a murderer." Kanone observed. "Do you recognize him, Eyes? Could he possibly be a Blade Child?" Kanone asked, turning to his childhood friend. Eyes shook his head in silent denial of recognition.
"I suppose he could be a Hunter." Kisame suggested.
"A Hunter seems more likely. His name isn't for any of the Blade Children that we know of." Eyes said.
"What about the Mikanagi file? If he is one of the thirteen from there, then we wouldn't know about him." Rio suggested. Eyes nodded in agreement.
"But most of the Blade Children in the Mikanagi file were killed years ago." Kisame pointed out. "His being a Hunter would make more sense." All but Rio nodded.
Shortly after the start of the Blade Children project thirteen of the Blade Children were hidden away out of fear for their lives. The only document that held their names and locations was a particular file known as the Mikanagi file, named after the man who had compiled it. This file went missing shortly after its completion and the identities and locations of the people within was lost to the world. Even now, the Blade Children were unaware of who's names were in the Mikanagi file, so the possibility of the stranger being one of those missing Blade Children was worth consideration.
"What makes you think that he is even a Hunter, Eyes?" Rio asked. "Just because he has killed in the past doesn't necessarily mean that he is targeting the Blade Children." She pointed out.
"That's true. It's not certain that he is a Hunter, but it seems a little too suspicious that he transfers to the academy that has collected most of the Blade Children in Japan and ends up in classes with some of our key players against the Hunters." Kisame said. Kanone nodded in agreement.
"That's a good point." Ryoko consent. Rio also agreed, seeing the truth behind Kisame's viewpoint.
"Regardless of whether he is a Hunter, fellow Blade Child, or not involved with us at all, he's still someone we should keep an eye on." Kanone said, crossing his arms and leaning next to Kisame, his back to the window that made up a large portion of the wall.
"What's his name, Eyes?" Kisame asked, looking at the stoic pianist.
"Asura Noragami." He replied. The others nodded nodded slowly, committing the name to memory and searching to see if it was one that was familiar to any of them. After a moment they looked to Eyes once more.
"Be on your guard. If he turns out to be a Hunter, then this place could become a battlefield again." Eyes cautioned. The others nodded and Kanone's eyes fell to the floor. Kisame noticed and placed his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, assuring him that no one still held the events of the past year against him. He nodded in appreciation at Kisame and refocused on the matter at hand.
"Keep in touch. Let us know if anything happens and keep an eye on this new student." Kanone said, earning agreement from the others. As the sun began to set, bathing the room in orange light, the Blade Children left the club room and went their separate ways.
oOoOoOoOo
Eyes and Kanone walked silently down the street in the direction of Eyes' apartment. They were alone with one another, as Kisame had elected to walk the others home in order to ensure their safe arrival. When they arrived at the expensive building Kanone followed Eyes inside. Nothing was said between them until they were both inside the performer's apartment and Eyes had changed out of his school uniform and into his usual black leather outfit. Once both were back in the main windowed room, each male seated themselves, Kanone on the sofa and Eyes at the piano.
"So what do you really think?" Kanone asked as Eyes began to play.
"I think he's worth keeping an eye on. Though I don't necessarily believe that his arrival necessarily has anything to do with us." Eyes replied, not looking at Kanone.
"So you don't think he's a Hunter?"
"I don't know. I think it's a possibility we shouldn't dismiss, but I don't think it's the most likely scenario either. Kousuke seemed to think that he was casting a glare specifically at the two of us, but Noragami was also glaring at others in the room who had no affiliation with the Blade Children. I believe that its more likely that the boy is simply disagreeable by nature." Eyes replied calmly. Kanone nodded but said nothing, waiting for the Englishman to continue. "Whatever this boy's role, it is probably not unlikely that it will in some way end up involving us." The silver haired teen said contemplatively, his body still as his hands danced across the keys.
"Do you think he's a threat, Eyes?" Kanone pressed. Having not seen the boy in question, Kanone wanted to get Eyes' honest opinion as quickly as possible. He knew that Eyes would likely provide different information to the group as a whole rather than giving his true thoughts. These honest thoughts were the things Kanone was now grasping at. Eyes was silent for a moment before responding, his pace never faltering in his playing.
"In general he is dangerous. Whether he is a threat to the Blade Children is still uncertain. We'll have to wait and see what he does." Eyes stated.
"What should we do about the others?" Kanone asked. He had his own ideas about how to protect the other Blade Children, but he respected Eyes opinion and so wanted to hear his thoughts.
"It's too early to make any decisions." Eyes answered. "Right now we simply do not know enough about the situation. We should be more concerned about the current Hunter threat, rather than this mysterious, murderous classmate. If he becomes a problem for the Blade Children we will take care of him. The Hunters are the greater danger at the moment. We'll just keep the others close for the time being." He said, glancing at Kanone, looking slightly over his shoulder as he continued to play.
Kanone was seated with his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers laced loosely together between his knees. His expression was serious, but he nodded in agreement with Eyes. It was too early to act on either of the situations arising around the Blade Children. Patience was key to solving both problems and Kanone agreed with Eyes' decision, though he would rather have dealt with both situations quickly. Without a word Kanone rose to his feet. Eyes didn't turn.
"I'm going to see what I can find about these new Hunters. I'll let you know if I find anything useful." Kanone said. Eyes nodded, his back to Kanone. "Have a good night, Eyes." Kanone bid his friend farewell and let himself out of the apartment, the music never faltering as he walked away.
oOoOoOo
Kisame walked slowly along the dock of the shipping district where he and Kanone had come in contact with the Hunters and had confronted Hiroshume. He walked close to the edge of the concrete pad separating the land from the water and gazed out over the vast expanse of water. He halted his pace and turned to face the water, closing his eyes momentarily and enjoying the cold sea breeze as it cascaded over his face. He remained this way until his focus was caught by the soft vibration of his phone receiving a text.
Withdrawing it from his jacket pocket, he flipped it open and looked at the sender. He didn't immediately recognize the number, but soon placed it and opened the message to see what it contained. He found only a single line of text.
"I have what you asked for. Can you meet?" Kisame stared at the message for a moment, his expression serious as he read the words. He was half surprised that the hacker had been able to compile the information he had asked for so quickly, and also surprised that it had taken him as long as it had. He didn't know anything about Hiroshume or his abilities, but for whatever reason Kisame had expected faster results. Shrugging, he pushed the thought from his mind. It really didn't matter whether the hacker was fast or slow in comparison to others. What was important was that he had the information Kisame wanted and that brought the Savage Gun another step closer to finding the Hunters. Clearing the message, Kisame quickly typed a reply.
"I'm free now. Meet me at the docks where we met before."
A moment later another message came through.
"On my way." Kisame smirked at the message before flipping his phone closed and returning it to his pocket once more. Turning to face the water, he closed his eyes once more and waited for hi guest to arrive.
oOoOoOo
Asura Noragami walked down the crowded streets leading away from Tsukiomi Academy. He had yet to break free from the throngs of students currently departing as well and was growing rather perturbed by the mass presence around him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his way to the edge of the crowd and pressed his back against a nearby wall, waiting for the masses to thin out and go their separate ways.
As he stood waiting his mind kept going back to his day's classes. It had been a considerable amount of time since he had been in school and the transition was less than pleasant for the teen. He gritted his teeth further as he watched the students filter past him.
"This is a waste of time." He mumbled to himself as he watched, referencing the need for education. Despite the fact that he had skipped two years' worth of schooling while in the United States, he hadn't let his education lapse and was ahead of most other students his age. He had been able to pass the entrance exams with such high marks that he had been granted the right to attend classes a year ahead of his age.
However, this achievement meant little to Asura. All his life he had excelled at intellectual endeavors so the simple task of skipping a grade in an institution he already felt was inferior was hardly something he wasted his time being proud over.
However, there was one thing that had peaked his interest during the day and that was the two students in his last classes. He couldn't place what the feeling was, but when he had passed the redhead in the classroom he had felt a coldness in his emerald gaze. The same feeling occurred when he had looked over at the quiet silver haired teen who sat beside him. There was something about them that was different from the other students. That much Asura was certain of. He was sure that most of the other students wouldn't have noticed it, but there was definitely something there. He knew because he gave off the same aura, albeit far more openly than the other teens did. Having grown up around others like that, he was able to recognize them easily, and judging by the feeling that he got from the two he shared a class with, it was obvious that they should not be taken lightly. Although it was hard for him to believe that there would be two in the same class, he was absolutely certain that he was right. A murderer could always recognize their own kind.
As Asura contemplated the reason for the extensive amount of killers in one class the crowd of students thinned until only a few stragglers remained. At this point, the brunette pushed off of the wall and headed down the street. He didn't make eye contact with anyone as he walked and hurried along with his head drawn down into the collar of his coat.
oOoOoOo
It didn't take long for Hiroshume to reach the selected location. When he arrived he saw Kisame standing with his back facing him, looking out over the water. Unsure of whether the black haired teen had heard his arrival or not, the hacker softly cleared his throat. Calmly, Kisame glanced over his shoulder at Hiroshume, but didn't move from his current position. More confident that the golden eyed teen would not attack him, Hiroshume moved closer to where Kisame stood. He stopped roughly three feet behind the man, not wanting to get near the water after his last encounter with the older teen.
"Here's everything that I could access relatively legally." The hacker said as he held out a small jump drive to Kisame, who had turned when Hiroshume had begun to speak. "I don't know what you have planned for this person, but the information here should give you a good start." The hacker's tone was calm and uncaring as he stood before Kisame with a bored expression marking his face.
"I appreciate it." Kisame said with a grateful smile, though the warmth didn't reach his cold eyes.
"Is there anything else?" Hiroshume asked, returning his hand to his coat pocket and clenching the fingers against his palm for warmth.
"No, that's everything." Kisame said nonchalantly as he slipped drive into his coat pocket. His indifferent demeanor showed just how little the killer cared about any inconvenience he may have placed upon the hacker. Hiroshume gave a short nod and turned his back on Kisame, who had done the same. "
Let me know if you need anything else. Your little errands are a good way to pass the time." He said with a nonchalant wave of the back of his hand as he left.
Kisame didn't bother to watch the departure. His eyes were once again focused on the water stretching out for miles before him as he listened to Hiroshume's fading footsteps. Once the sound had dissipated completely and nothing but the wind and water broke the silence Kisame withdrew the jump drive from within his coat pocket. As he looked at the smooth, creamy manila casing a dark, cruel smirk etched its way over his face.
"Alright, Akito Soichi. Let's see who you really are."
A/N: Hello everyone who is still following this story. First, I want to extend my deepest apologies for taking so long to post a new chapter. Certain event in my personal life have delayed my progress a bit, but I will work hard to once again meet the monthly deadline on the 26th as I had been doing previously. I also want to apologize for the nature of this chapter. It feels to me as if it is severely lacking in substance, but it was necessary to build up to what occurs in the next chapter. I will try to be more fastidious about releasing chapters for this story and I would be delighted if you all would continue to enjoy "Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You." See you all next month.
Thanks,
Spiral of Destiny