Chapter 14: Conflict

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.

Akito and Naoki walked quietly into the clearing where bodies were strewn about, littering the grass with a mix of corpses and dying men. Nonchalantly, Naoki dropped to one knee to check the pulse of a man that lay in his path before rising and returning his hands to the pockets of his trench coat once more. He looked to his left where Akito knelt a few feet ahead, closing the eyes of one of the corpses. He paused with his hand over the eyes of the deceased woman, staring with dull eyes at the clean gunshot wound to her heart.

"Akito." The black haired man looked behind himself as he heard Naoki speak. Sighing, he rose to his feet, mirroring Naoki's posture, and moved on.

"They did quite some damage, didn't they?" Akito commented after a few minutes of checking bodies.

"It would seem that way." Naoki confirmed. Looking around at the destruction. In the quiet of the night their voices echoed through the empty park. Akito looked up at the full moon that filled the sky and Naoki did the same. Both men remained this way until they heard a voice behind them.

"Who are you?" The voice was a mixture of anger and fear. The siblings looked toward the source of the voice, their sight falling on a group of three individuals. The two men in the back looked uncertain and fearful, while the man standing at the front looked angry.

"We aren't the police if that was your concern." Naoki said, turning to face the newcomers. He noticed the two in the background relax a little.

"I didn't ask who you weren't. I asked who you are." The man growled. Instead of an answer, Naoki held up his right hand, revealing the small silver ring with the "Hunter's" crest engraved upon it. The man visibly relaxed.

"Who might you be?" Naoki questioned, returning his hand to his coat pocket for warmth. "I don't recognize you from our faction."

"My name is Toshio Miukochi. I don't believe we work for the same person." The heavier man stated.

"Who do you work for?" Naoki questioned, his voice dull and uninterested.

"Makoto Niozawa." Toshio answered quickly. "What about you?" He asked, his hostile tone softening and becoming friendly as he lowered his guard.

"That's none of your concern." Naoki stated, turning his back on the confused Toshio. "You should get your fallen out of here before death claims any more of them or the police stumble upon them." He warned as he walked over to Akito.

"Wait a minute!" The heavy set man called after him. "Why were you even here? If you weren't going to help then why are you here?"

"Sightseeing." Naoki cast a bored glance back at the three confused men. "I wanted to see who was foolish enough to go up against the Blade Children at this stage in the game. From the outcome of this battle, I think it's safe to assume that you'll never win against the Blade Children as you are now. You don't know how to fight them." Toshio's face reddened in anger.

"Who are you to criticize our fighting abilities?! You're just a lowlife!" The hot-headed man shouted, taking a few steps toward Naoki. The blond looked with cold eyes at the advancing man before slipping his hand from his pocket once more and burying a bullet into the heavier man's side. Toshio's eyes widened in surprise and pain as he dropped to the ground.

"Hey, Toshio, what's wrong?" One of the other men asked in a panic as they saw their companion collapse to the ground. Glancing at Naoki, the younger man caught sight of the thin hand gun glinting in the pale light. The silencer that adorned the weapon gleamed in the silver moonlight. "Y-you shot him?" The man asked with fear in his eyes and tone. Naoki said nothing, slipping the weapon back into his pocket, and walked away. Akito, who had remained silent throughout the entire encounter, fell into step behind Naoki, leaving the two remaining "Hunters" to tend to their newly injured companion and other fallen comrades.

oOoOoOo

Sai sat by the window in the dark apartment suite. Beside him Yan sat working on a pure white puzzle, the clear moonlight supplying the light. Sai split his attention between watching Yan and looking out over the quiet campus that stood near his apartment building. All was quiet except for the rhythmic ticking of the analog clock and the gentle tapping on the glass-top coffee table as Yan placed each piece. A gentle smile marked his face as he watched the younger woman. Her brow was knit in concentration as she considered and carefully placed each piece, debating each individual piece before deciding on a position for the piece. The project was meticulous, but Sai knew that the black haired woman was enjoying the process, though the suspected enjoyment did not reach her dull eyes.

The silence was suddenly broken by a sharp knock on the apartment door. The sudden sound caused both occupants of the room to jump in surprise and the current puzzle piece to clatter to the table unplaced. Both looked rapidly to the door, confused by the unexpected visit so late at night. Rising from the plush chair he had been previously occupying, Sai walked to the door and peered through the peephole.

"Naoki?" He said aloud in surprise. Yan turned in her chair to look at Sai, mild curiosity in her dull eyes. "What can I do for you boys?" He asked as he opened the door and noticed Akito also present in the hallway. The confusion still played clearly across Sai's usually calm face.

"We ran into a rather interesting little situation on the way back from work tonight." Naoki explained with a wave of his hand as he walked past Sai uninvited and entered the apartment. Akito followed quietly behind.

"Sorry for the intrusion." He said softly as he too passed Sai.

Naoki worked for a sizable shipping company and usually worked afternoons. Normally, he worked ten hour days, but received a long, three day weekend. Often he didn't make it home until well after nightfall, close to midnight. Occasionally Akito would meet him and they would walk home together. Due to the late hour the trains were finished running for the day so the brothers either walked the whole way or took a cab. As they only lived roughly twenty minutes away from where Naoki worked the two often opted for walking. It was such an event that had placed them on the streets where they found the scene of the attack.

"What sort of situation was it to warrant a visit at such a late hour? I know that this apartment is quite a bit out of your way." Sai's voice was a mix of curiosity and slight confusion.

"We've got another group going after our kids." Naoki explained, seating himself on the plush sofa that he usually occupied during his visits to the older man's abode. He had stripped off his trench coat and now lay it over the arm of the sofa.

"Someone else?" Yan questioned in her usual short way. Akito and Naoki nodded.

"Who might that be? Do you know?" Sai inquired, closing the door and returning to his abandoned seat. His usual calm had returned and he looked patiently at Naoki, waiting for an answer.

"It's another group of "Hunters" headed by someone named Makoto Niozawa." Sai's eyes darkened at the mention of the name.

"You know who that is?" Akito asked, noticing the change in Sai's demeanor. Sai nodded, waving his hand in front of himself, signaling Akito to sit down as well.

"Yes, I do. I worked with him during the beginning of the Blade Children project. We were on the same team." Sai replied as Akito seated himself beside Naoki.

"You don't sound like that's a good thing." Naoki commented, picking up on the dark tone Sai currently utilized.

"He and I have a very different way of thinking. If he is involved then things could get far more complicated for us. This is a tricky situation that we are involved in with the Blade Children. If Makoto gets involved it could spook the Children into action and cause problems for us." Sai explained. Naoki nodded.

"That's about all they can do. Akito and I stumbled on the aftermath of a fight that his people had with the Blade Children. His guys can't fight." Naoki commented. Sai looked interested at Naoki's comment.

"So they've already acted? Where was this?" He questioned. He listened intently as Naoki provided the name of the park where they had found the carnage. As Naoki relayed the scene of what he and Akito had witnessed and how they had come to be there Yan quietly stood and left the room. She returned a few minutes later with a tray of tea. Walking up beside Akito, she silently handed him a cup before moving on. He nodded gratefully at her. She mirrored the action before handing Naoki a cup as well. He accepted the cup distractedly and set it on the coffee table without a break in his speech as he finished recounting the evening's events to Sai.

"So they are being quite reckless, it seems. That could be… Thank you, my dear." Sai interrupted himself as he accepted the cup of tea that Yan offered him. He took a small sip before continuing. "That could be problematic for both our faction and their group if something isn't done." The room was silent, waiting for Sai to continue. When he didn't Akito spoke.

"What do you suggest?" The question seemed to break Sai out of the thoughtful trance he had fallen into and he focused on the brothers again.

"We may need to take action against Makoto's faction in addition to our fight with the Blade Children. I don't like the idea of fighting our own, but we can't have him losing the game for us. He is not a key player in this war." Sai said coldly. The other were silent at the dark suggestion. No one said anything in support of the suggestion, but no one spoke against it either. The room remained silent until the single chime of the grandfather clock announced 1am. As the chime died Naoki stood.

"Let us know what you want from us. For now, we've stayed long enough. Come on, Akito." He said as he stood and walked to the door. Akito followed without a word, casting a quick nod of thanks to Yan and farewell to Sai. Without another word the two let themselves out and were gone. Sai and Yan watched them go before Yan too rose. Leaving the puzzle unfinished, she picked up the tea cups and returned them to the kitchen before retrieving her coat and walking to the door.

"Goodnight." She said as she opened the door and left as well, leaving Sai alone in the room to look out the window and contemplate the information he had been provided.

oOoOoOo

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning when Naoki and Akito made it back to their apartment. The two had been silent for the duration of the trip. As they entered the apartment Naoki spoke.

"You've been awfully quiet tonight." He commented indifferently, making an observation rather than inquiring after the reason. Akito glanced at his roommate briefly before returning to his attention to the task of removing his coat and hanging it in the closet. The blond did the same.

"Goodnight." Akito said as he turned away from the doorway and began walking in the direction of his bedroom.

"Hold on a moment, Akito." Akito paused and looked over his shoulder at the taller man. It was unusual for Naoki to call him back.

"What is it?" Akito asked curiously. Naoki motioned over to the couch and made his way over himself. Akito followed. "You don't often want to talk. What's on your mind?" Akito questioned as he seated himself on the couch next to Naoki.

"You, actually." Naoki said, turning on the sofa so that he faced Akito.

"Me?" Akito looked confused.

"Yes, you. Particularly the fact that you haven't been acting like you."

"I don't follow." Akito looked warily at Naoki.

"What happened to your hand, Akito?" The look of confusion returned.

"My hand?"

"Yeah. You injured it, right? How did that happen?" Naoki rested his arm over the side of the couch and looked at Akito.

"Why are you asking about that? That was a long time ago."

"I know. About two weeks ago, wasn't it?" Naoki's voice was calm as he spoke, lacking the usual indifference it normally held, but not quite reaching caring.

"Yeah, so what?" Akito asked uneasily. He hadn't realized that Naoki had even noticed the fact that he had been injured. He had done his best to keep the injury concealed from his roommate, wearing gloves when outside and keeping the hand in his pocket when he was indoors. The two didn't spend much time together when at home, so it hadn't been difficult to keep the injury a secret; or so he had thought.

"How did it happen? I know you've been concealing it from me." Naoki questioned again, the patience persisting through the dangerous edge that began to tint his words.

"A gun backfired on me at the shooting range. Since when do you care about trivial things like this?" He questioned, relaying the half-truth to the waiting blond.

"Is that so?" Naoki sounded amused, but the amusement didn't reach his stern features. Akito nodded, hoping that Naoki would buy the explanation.

"What about your recent mood. As I recall, you've become more reserved and quiet since your little 'accident'." He pressed, placing stress on the last word of the sentence as he looked pointedly at Akito's once again concealed injured hand. "There wouldn't be any connection between the two events, now would there?" Akito was taken aback by the suggestion and fell momentarily silent. A thin smirk spread over Naoki's face at the pause.

"No, none at all." Akito replied calmly, closing his eyes indifferently, trying to keep Naoki from reading his emotions in his eyes.

"I don't believe you." The smirk could be heard in his words.

"I can't help that."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you lying to me?" Amusement was clearly evident now.

"I'm not."

"Then why won't you look at me?" Akito fell silent, unsure of how to respond. He had been looking toward the apartment window as the conversation had continued so as to avoid making eye contact with Naoki. But now he had been backed into a corner. If he didn't look at the blond man then it would be the same as admitting that he was lying. But if he did turn to face him he couldn't be sure what his eyes would reveal.

"This isn't like you, Naoki." Akito said finally, turning to look at his half sibling. His face was stern but unreadable.

"It isn't like you either." Naoki countered, the amusement dancing in his sharp eyes. Akito sighed and rose to his feet.

"I don't have time to continue this. I have work tomorrow morning." He stated before turning and quickly retreating to his room. Naoki watched him go before reclining back against the back of the sofa and stretching his arms across the top. Laying his head back so he was looking at the ceiling he smiled darkly.

"This isn't over, Akito." He said softly with a low chuckle. As the sky began to cloud over once more Naoki closed his eyes and listened to the gentle tapping as the rain began to fall once more.

oOoOoOo

Akito lay awake late into the night. Despite his mounting fatigue he just couldn't get his mind to switch off and allow him to rest. Naoki's words still echoed in his head. He knew that Naoki hadn't been wrong. He wasn't acting like himself. Although over a week had passed since his encounter with Kisame he still felt shaken by the meeting. Groaning, he covered his eyes with his uninjured hand. "I'm too weak for this." He said aloud, his voice sounding louder than he intended in the silence of the night.

"We knew that already. Go to sleep." Naoki's muffled voice sounded from the opposite side of the wall.

"Sorry." Akito apologized, knowing that he had likely awakened the blond by speaking. He hadn't considered how light a sleeper his roommate was, nor the fact that the headboards of their beds shared the same wall. He heard a muffled groan as the older man buried his head in his pillow once more and returned to his slumber, once again indifferent towards the mental sufferings of his companion.

Akito smiled into the darkness for a moment before the smile fell from his face once more. "What should I do?" He mumbled to himself, keeping his voice low this time. "I can't accept that the Blade Children shouldn't be eliminated. Regardless of whether they deserved it initially or not is irrelevant at this point. Now they're all just cold-blooded killers who shouldn't be left alive where they can hurt others." His words sounded hollow as he spoke them and even he could tell that there was no conviction behind what he was saying. He sighed heavily and turned on his right side so that he faced the rain covered window.

He couldn't figure out why what that Blade Child had said had affected him so greatly. Never before had he had doubts about eliminating the Blade Children. While he didn't always agree with Sai's disposable soldier mentality, he had still supported the mission and had agreed that the deadly Blade Children needed to be returned to the darkness where they had come from. He had believed so completely that he had been willing to join the "Hunters" when Naoki had first told him about their mission and what the Blade Children were.

Frustrated, Akito pulled his pillow over his head, blocking the window from his view.

The only thing that he could come up with was that the Blade Child he had met, whom he'd seen brutally and ruthlessly slaughter the other "Hunters" had spared him. That one simple act contradicted everything that Akito had been told about the cursed children. According to what the "Hunters" said, the Blade Children were a group of cursed children who needed to be eliminated before their switch was flipped and they turned into unstoppable murdering psychopaths. They painted the children as cruel individuals who belonged in darkness and were born only to die. But that wasn't what Akito had seen when he had faced Kisame. He had stood face to face with the infamous and lethal "Savage Gun" and had walked away not only with his life, but essentially unharmed as well. He knew that he hadn't escaped. If the golden-eyed Blade Child had wanted to, there would have been nothing that Akito could have done to stop Kisame from killing him. That one act had shattered his conviction toward killing the Blade Children. Secretly, he was pleased that the "Hunters" had taken a 'wait and see' approach to the current fight. It allowed Akito to avoid having to decide where his loyalties lay.

Turning onto his stomach, he removed his head from beneath the pillow and rested the side of his head against the soft object. "I don't know what to do." He mumbled as he closed his eyes wearily. Deep down, Akito knew he felt wrong about what the "Hunters" were doing. What he couldn't decide was whether he believed that the "Hunters" were right or if the Blade Children were right. The only thing that he knew but refused to admit, was that he didn't want to be the one to kill the Blade Children.

With a final groan of frustration, Akito turned onto his left side so his back faced the window and finally succumbed to sleep.

On the opposite side of the wall Naoki lay on his stomach with his eyes half open, listening to Akito talking to himself. Although his voice was too low to make out what was being said his tone gave Naoki a good idea about the contents. When his roommate at last fell silent Naoki sighed and shook his head as best as he could from where it rested on his pillow.

"He's never going to make it with us." He mumbled as he tightened his arms slightly around the sides of his pillow and returned to sleep as well.