Chapter 18: Danger Rises Part 1
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.
It was late morning when Makoto was dragged from sleep by the rude pounding of a heavy hand upon the door to his bedroom. Raising his head off the pillow to gaze in annoyance at the closed door, he pushed himself up on his elbows so his chest was raised off the mattress and he turned his head fully to see the door behind him. Only one person could be on the other side.
"What is it, Tatsui?" His tone held mild annoyance, but nothing that spoke of potential repercussions for the act of waking him. He brushed the lengthy red hair out of his face to rest behind his ear as the door was thrown open. He made no attempt to sit up.
"Don't act so irritated. I let you sleep long enough. Be grateful I was that generous." A younger male in his early twenties with the same red hair as Makoto and vivid green eyes made his way into the room, casting a confident smirk at the older man laying shirtless on the bed. Makoto's expression didn't change. Behind the young man earlier identified as Tatsui walked another man of approximately the same age as the fiery-haired youth. He had faded blond hair and almond brown eyes. A pair of oval white framed wire glasses and a small mole on the left side of his face beneath his lower lip completed his appearance. His expression was far more stoic than his energetic companion and he remained silent as the two entered the room. Makoto watched them enter with little interest before transitioning onto his back and flopping back onto the pillow once more so he was looking at the ceiling. He lay his arms horizontally across the width of the bed, the blankets still around his waistline and barely showing the top edge of his pants.
"I ask again. What do you want? It's not like you to both come see me on a Saturday." He smirked. "You must have something really important on your mind." Tatsui grinned defiantly and Makoto's eyes narrowed in dark amusement. "So what is it, little brother? What do you want from me?"
"I heard you got bested by the Blade Children." Tatsui's grin widened when he saw his brother bite back a laugh at the comment.
"And where pray tell did you hear that information from, hm?"
"Toshio's been going on all week about the Big Bad Blade Children" He added stress to each word in a mocking tone, "And how Kurura is pushing up daisies because of them." The amusement held in Makoto's eyes.
"Oh? So from this information you came to the conclusion that I was bested by the Blade Children?"
"That and the fact that even the other "Hunters" are going after you. You've already lost a bunch of pawns and you haven't even technically made a move yet." Makoto turned his head to better see his brother standing confidently about a yard from the doorway.
"I'd hardly say that I was bested." His voice dripped with cocky amusement as he finally sat up and threw the blankets aside. "It's hardly my loss if a worthless dog disobeys its master. If they are so eager to run to their deaths then I will lose no sleep over the end of their worthless lives. When a dog defies it's master it needs to be put down. The Blade Children just helped me with a little house cleaning. There was no win; no loss." He turned his back on the two boys in the room and pulled a black t-shirt over his head before turning to face his guests once more, slipping his left hand lazily into the pocket of his pants. Tatsui just smiled and shook his head, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"So what's the first move, then? If the other "Hunters" have made a move against us then don't we basically have to act?" Both males turned to look at the young man, Nishio Tokiyama, who had thus far held his tongue.
"That's a rather blunt question coming from you, Nishio." Makoto observed, his gaze lingering a moment on the blond man. "To answer, yes, we do need to act now, but no, it's not because things have been mobilized. This little incident works well though, as I was intending to begin an active assault soon anyway. Plus if another group of "Hunters" is actively going after the Blade Children then we'll have some competition to deal with and that will be more entertaining than concerning."
"What do you make of the attack on Toshio?" Nishio's voice held little feeling.
"That's a good point. It doesn't make sense that they would attack another "Hunter" without cause. Toshi may be stupid, but I doubt he would accidentally provoke someone to the point of getting himself shot." Tatsui observed. Makoto walked to look out the window on the wall opposite the door.
"That depends entirely on the individual. Just like the two of you, many of the "Hunters" are second generation or are recruits who agree with the ideal that the Blade Children shouldn't exist. That means they're willing to dirty their hands in order to eliminate a threat. What that doesn't mean, is that they adhere to the original foolish belief that some collateral damage in unacceptable and that only the Blade Children can be harmed. Like me, a lot of this new collection of "Hunters" are willing to be more "lenient" on morals when it comes to killing the Blade Children." The boys nodded.
"So you think these other "Hunters" ascribe to the philosophy that as long as the Blade Children are eliminated a few casualties can be had in terms of those not otherwise involved?" Nishio clarified.
"Or those who stand as allies." Tatsui added, looking at his friend. Makoto smirked.
"Exactly."
"So, what then?" Tatsui questioned. "If that's the case then we might end up having to face off against another group of "Hunters"?"
"Does that frighten you?" Makoto's voice was mocking.
"No, but it's hard to see an attack coming from an enemy we don't know."
"That's not entirely true. Even when you don't know your enemy's identity you can still plan for an eventual attack. Besides, once we begin acting against the Blade Children the odds are high that these other "Hunters" will find us. They already know my name, thanks to Toshio, so they likely know my views on eliminating the Blade Children. I wasn't exactly secretive about them when I was active in the "Hunters" before."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Tatsui asked curiously.
"If this other group believes in the original method of disposal for those cursed children, then they'll have every intention to eliminate us as well, or at the very least, end the Blade Children before we can."
"So you're basically planning for a war." Makoto grinned confidently at Nishio.
"Indeed I am."
"You seem excited about that." Tatsui commented, watching his brother carefully. Makoto's grin decreased to a thin lipped smile as his eyes narrowed in dark anticipation.
"Of course I am. I can't wait."
oOoOoOo
After leaving Makoto, Tatsui and Nishio made their way down the street in the opposite direction of the sadistic "Hunter" leader's apartment.
"Did you find out what you wanted?" Nishio inquired, looking to his left where the red haired man walked next to him.
"Some of it." Tatsui mused. "I'm still curious who attacked Toshi."
"Why is that? You heard your brother. It doesn't really matter." The blond shrugged indifferently. Tatsui shook his head.
"Because it doesn't add up."
"How so?" Nishio looked curiously at Tatsui again.
"Think about it. My brother said it was likely that this other branch of "Hunters" believe in the ideal of not involving anyone but themselves and the Blade Children."
"Right…"
"So if that's the case, then why did they shoot Toshi? He was a pickup team. He certainly wasn't a threat. Even if he'd been attacking he wouldn't have been a threat." He added sarcastically. Nishio smirked. "So why was the other "Hunter" willing to accept collateral damage, fatal or not, when his faction disapproves of it?"
"You're thinking these "Hunters" may not be as rigid about principle as your brother thinks?"
"Exactly. It's not like my brother knows everyone who worked on the Blade Children project. Genius or not, he was still only seventeen when my Grandfather brought him in to work on the Blade Children project. He may have understood the science behind the project but I doubt he connected with a lot with his colleagues or learned their views on the Blade Children once the project was deemed a failure."
"Regardless of any of that, your brother's 's not really something to waste time worrying about. There are a lot of new "Hunters" taking up the cause. The majority of the original set that created the Blade Children have either been killed off or have given up on killing those children after seventeen years of failure. The lines they weren't willing to cross are pretty blurred by this point." Nishio pointed out calmly.
"So what's your point?"
"My point is that even if they believe that no one but the Blade Children and the "Hunters" should be involved in this fight, they haven't strayed from that belief. We're "Hunters" too. By all accounts we have just as much right to kill one another as we do to kill the Blade Children. As "Hunters" we're already involved. So our deaths can't really be seen as unnecessary as long as the end goal of eliminating the Blade Children is met. We can fight among ourselves all we want. It doesn't mean that it will help in returning the Blade Children to the darkness where they belong but it isn't technically taboo by anyone's rules." Tatsui's eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded and looked forward again. "What's more concerning to me is the Blade Children we're facing." Tatsui looked at Nishio curiously.
"Why's that?"
"Kurura wasn't a bad fighter. In terms of skill with a gun she could hold her own. According to our information the majority of the Blade Children currently in this area of Japan shouldn't be able to deal with a team of "Hunters" if they have a fair level of competency like Kurura and the others had." Tatsui shrugged.
"Well, conditions weren't exactly favorable for them to be staging an attack anyway. With the rain they should have known it was a foolish time to attack." Nishio nodded.
"But think about it…"
"Hm?"
"The rain would have provided as much of a handicap for the Blade Children as it did for our "Hunters". If it had been some of the Blade Children from that school who aren't known for being actively dangerous then Kurura's team should have been able to eliminate them without a problem, even with the rain.
"So you think it's one of our top targets that they came across?"
"Or a few of them. But which ones? They left Michiru alive but that could have been an accident due to conditions. Even if it was intentional, leaving "Hunters" alive fits the pattern of a number of the Blade Children."
"So at this point we pretty much know nothing?" Tatsui glanced at Nishio for confirmation.
"Not necessarily. We know they were ready for an attack. For whatever reason, the Blade Children involved were ready enough to have weapons on hand at the time. Given the conditions and the overall situation they shouldn't have been that armed unless they were expecting an attack."
"I don't follow." Nishio shook his head.
"The Blade Children know they're being pursued. Which means whoever this other group is must have already made at least one move against them and likely knows more than we do." Tatsui nodded thoughtfully. Nishio continued. "Honestly, we're too limited on the information we possess about the Blade Children right now. Sure we know their names and some of their numbers like the "Savage" and "Winged Gun" have made a name for themselves, but as far as any critically useful information we could use to gain an edge over them, we just don't have it." Tatsui stopped walking, causing Nishio to do the same, looking at the red haired man curiously. Tatsui was looking at the ground thoughtfully.
"We should talk to my brother…"
"About what?" Nishio raised an eyebrow curiously, watching Tatsui carefully.
"You're right when you say that we lack information. But what we do know is that a lot of our targets are students at Tsukiomi academy."
"What's your point?"
"We already have "him" attending there. It would make sense that he could be useful for gathering information on the Blade Children. He's good at what he does so odds are he could pull this off without getting himself killed. He's also in the best place out of all of us to pull off something like this." Nishio nodded thoughtfully.
"Not a bad idea. But do you think your brother will go for it?" Tatsui shrugged.
"I can't imagine he wouldn't. He has no claims on that guy so if the kid gets himself killed then he won't lose any sleep over it. The kid's pretty dispensable at this point, but he's good at what he does so I doubt there'll be much of a problem with him."
"But? You sound as if there's a catch. Sorry if I seem dense, but the kid hasn't been here that long. I've not had the opportunity to meet him." Tatsui waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head lightly.
"The big concern is whether the kid will do it." Nishio nodded as the two of them began walking again.
"True enough." The conversation dulled for a few minutes before Tatsui sighed heavily.
"Well, whatever. Ultimately all we can do is suggest it. Then the ball is in Makoto's court. He can figure out the details, right?" Nishio just smirked, not bothering to respond as he looked forward again. In silence, the two continued down the street.
OOoOoOo
Makoto stood on the small balcony attached to the south wall of his sizable apartment, listening to the evening wind and the sound of people below him on the street. He wore a loose, over-sized cream colored sweater that sat wide on his neckline so as to show the maroon shirt beneath it. He stood with a content smile on his lips as he watched the sunset, but his eyes held the same dangerous glint they always carried. The "Hunter" stood with his arms crossed loosely over one another, resting against the balcony railing in a comfortable stance. The evening was warm so he didn't need a coat despite the occasional breeze that swept over the balcony to blow through his hair. As the breeze once again made its way over the balcony, he closed his eyes in enjoyment of the rare nice weather so uncommon for that time of year.
He remained this way until the sound of his cell phone caught his attention. Frowning slightly at the undesired interruption, he quickly pulled the cell phone from within his pants pocket and answered it.
"What is it, Tatsui?"
"Geez, can't I ever get a hello from you?"
"What do you want?" The smirk could be heard in Makoto's voice. A mirrored expression could be heard in Tatsui's words.
"I've got a proposition for you."
"Oh? Is that right? Well, by all means share then." Humor lined Makoto's words as he rested his arms on the balcony railing once more, calmly listening to his brother's idea concerning the Blade Children. When the younger male had concluded his proposition Makoto nodded. "That's not a bad idea. I'm sure we could find a way to establish that. I'll talk to him." He paused a moment before speaking again. "Thank you for calling, little brother." Deeming the conversation over, Makoto disconnected the call without waiting to hear if Tatsui had anything else to say. Lowering the flip phone from his ear, he flipped it shut and held it in his closed palm for a moment, hanging it over the edge of the balcony. Thought showed in his eyes as he stared leisurely up at the sky, the calm smile still on his face. After a moment, a cocky grin replaced the calm smile and he flipped the phone open again. Dialing the all too familiar number he'd committed to memory years ago, he turned and entered the apartment again. By the time the call was answered he had seated himself in the ornate padded chair that stood in the center of the dark colored room.
"Hello?"
"Hello Sai." The confident and aggressive tone was barely masked as he answered.
"Makoto Niozawa?" Confusion was obvious in the older man's voice. "To what do I owe this misfortune?" His words were sarcastic but his tone was serious. Makoto smirked.
"Come now, Sai. You mustn't pretend as though you don't know. One of my "Hunters" was attacked the other night and I have this "sneaking" suspicion that one of your boys is to blame." His tone was sickeningly sweet and overtly sarcastic as he revealed his accusation. Sai's response was calm.
"Whether I was involved or not is irrelevant. What are you doing provoking the Blade Children again? You've been away from the "Hunters" for years. This fight doesn't include you anymore."
"Oh but I think it does. You see, I've been watching you and the way that your "Hunters" have been going about dealing with the Blade Children. It's been a number of years since "we" actually managed to kill a Blade Child, hasn't it, Sai?" He emphasized the word "we" to signify the "Hunters" as a whole and waited with amusement for Sai's response. When it didn't come immediately he spoke again, trying to provoke the older man. "Sure a few of the Blade Children did themselves in last year and we almost had such a lovely massacre at that high school, but nothing ever comes of the "Hunters" involvement. If you're left to continue this fight then the Blade Children will do themselves in before you manage to kill them." Again he was met with silence and again he barely waited before continuing. "My grandfather has been no better with this branch of the "Hunters". It's like you people are just playing around. You're all treating this like a big game and you're running out of time!" His tone had lost the humor and had taken on an aggressive and frustrated edge. "The Blade Children could flip that switch at any time now. The oldest ones are nearly eighteen years old. How long are you planning on waiting before you do something?" He waited a little longer for an answer this time but again he was met only with the sound of Sai's even breathing on the other end of the line. He grit his teeth, the savage smile returning. "You want to know why I'm involved again? I'm involved because I want those Blade Children dead. I've given you the chance to do it. Now it's my turn. I'm going to make the "Hunters" actually do their job for once! I'm sick of the "Hunters" being glorified "Watchers". If some of my "Hunters" want to side with the "Watchers", that's fine. They can get out. But if they stay with "my" "Hunters", they're going to fight and they're going to kill those Blade Children or I'll kill them and the Blade Children and anyone else who gets in the way myself." After this outburst the line went silent, both waiting to gauge the other's reaction. A full five minutes passed before Sai spoke.
"Is that all you have to say?" Makoto yanked the phone away from his ear to glare in angry confusion at the dark screen. He quickly returned it to his ear as Sai spoke again. "I'll say this again. You no longer have a place in this fight. There are measures in place to eliminate the Blade Children in the very near future and you are not part of the equation. All your actions thus far have done is get a number of people killed and put the Blade Children on edge. You've actually decreased the odds of successfully killing them and any further action from you will only make things worse. Stay out of this fight, Makoto. Let your involvement with the Blade Children end with the destruction of the Blade Children project eighteen years ago. "My" "Hunters" are more than capable of taking care of the Blade Children without the needless bloodshed you propose." Makoto grit his teeth angrily.
"Flounder around all you want, Sai. It makes no difference to me. I'm going to eliminate the Blade Children before their curse awakens and I'll fight you as well if you try to stop me. I'm willing to accept some collateral damage if it means the Blade Children end up dead."
"Better be careful that blood lust of yours doesn't place the noose around your own neck." Sai's tone was unreadable. Without responding, Makoto slammed the phone shut and launched it across the room into the glass of the large mirror hanging on the wall. The mirror shattered at the impact, shards raining down onto the hardwood floor along with the damaged phone. In anger, Makoto slouched back against the chair cushions and placed a cigarette tightly between his teeth. Lighting it, he inhaled the nicotine rich smoke greedily before exhaling and taking an equally quick drag. Once again the dim room began to fill with the heavy smoke as the long haired man gave himself over to his anger and musing.
oOoOoOo
In the darkness of the late night a single ring broke out, awakening the tired teen from an uneasy sleep in the cold apartment he currently occupied.
"Hello?"
"Just got orders from the boss. Get up. I'm going to give you a list of names and I want you to write them down." The brown haired teen's heartrate quickened as he struggled free from the sleeping mat and hurried to locate a piece of paper and a pen within his school bag. When he had he quickly recorded the names of the individuals he was given. Several names stood out to him as he wrote: Kousuke Asazuki, Rio Takeuchi, Kanone Hilbert. One in particular caused him confusion.
"Eyes Rutherford?"
"Don't ask questions. I'm just relaying the message. You're job is to watch those people. Learn anything you can about them. You're their classmate so you shouldn't have a problem. If you can somehow get close to them then all the better." The gray-eyed teen was silent for a moment.
"You're saying you want me to befriend these people?" His tone sounded annoyed, the grogginess wearing off enough to allow for annoyance.
"If the opportunity presents itself." The teen rolled his eyes, knowing the situation he was already in.
"Yeah." He said sarcastically. "Sure." Flipping the phone closed, he tossed it next to his backpack and shoved the pen and paper back inside before laying down again. "Great. Just what I needed right now. Not even in the group a month and they're already trying to kill me." He sighed in frustration. "Well, at least now I have a reason to do this. Besides, if I do then maybe I'll be able to figure out what everyone here is hiding from me and why Hibari brought me to this group in the first place." Rolling onto his side, he pulled the comforter over his head for warmth and went back to sleep.
A/N: Hey all!
Thank you for once again reading and supporting the latest chapter of Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You. At this time I am taking the story off hiatus and will do my very best to put out a chapter each month as I originally promised. Things are starting to move for the "Hunters" and the Blade Children so be sure to continue watching to see what fate has in store for them.
I look forward to seeing you all in the next chapter. If you feel that this chapter was enjoyable or if you like the story as a whole, or if you didn't like the story at all, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments if you feel like leaving a review. All reviews are greatly appreciated.
See you all in Chapter 19…
Spiral of Destiny