Chapter 20: Decisions

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.

As morning dawned, Eyes still sat at the piano, his fingers flying across the keys in the performance of an aggressive German composition. After receiving Hiroshume's message he had been unable to calm his mind to a point where sleep was possible and so had filled the hours with quiet thought and practice. He had refrained from his initial impulse to contact Kanone about the unsettling message due to his new-found insecurity of who he could trust. He knew that Hiroshume had desired to be involved in what Eyes had been doing since his arrival in Japan. Knowing this, he doubted that the young hacker had not tried to make contact with at least one of the Blade Children who's contact information the teen had. Up to this point Eyes had simply assumed that the others would respect his wishes and keep Hiroshume uninvolved. However, his belief in his companions was waning.

In all of the interactions that he'd had with Hiroshume since arriving in Japan the Blade Children or anything associated with them had not been mentioned. Eyes had been very careful to keep such information out of his conversations with the red haired teen, but he couldn't be sure about the rest of his companions. He wanted to believe that the Blade Children's involvement wasn't connected with the hacker's current inquiry, but he couldn't dismiss their guilt completely. It was unlikely that Kanone had spoken to him, Eyes believed, as the British teen had always been very respectful of Eyes' wishes and also held a view that didn't allow for people not connected to the Blade Children to be involved. Granted, Kanone had shown a lack in better judgment the past year when he last attended Tsukiomi, but Eyes doubted that the seasoned killer hadn't learned his lesson.

He also doubted that Rio or Ryoko would have involved Hiroshume and it seemed improbable that Kousuke would have made such a move on his own. That left Kisame to carry the weight of Eyes' suspicions. The "Savage Gun" had always been more apt to hear Eyes' requests and pay them little mind unless he was in full agreement, so it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility for the golden eyed teen to have contacted Hiroshume despite the Englishman's wishes.

But he couldn't imagine Kisame mentioning the Blade Children, which only offered Eyes greater confusion. Despite the killer's defiant personality, Kisame was extremely cunning and intelligent. It seemed impossible that anything about their dark fate would have been leaked by the black haired killer unless the teen had done so intentionally. Eyes couldn't find a reason for why such an act would have been necessary, making it difficult to place blame.

Eyes paused in his playing and turned to look at the window and the burning sunrise that covered the sky and colored the interior of the room in a faded orange mixed with shadows. He rose slowly, grateful for the relief the motion allowed his fatigued limbs, and walked to the window. He stood watching the sunrise for several minutes before a low sigh escaped his lips and he moved to rest on the plush white sofa that rested against one of the windows opposite his piano. Calmly he withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the last message he'd received.

"What are the Blade Children?"

It wasn't that he was angry at the hacker for asking. Eyes knew that Hiroshume was the type of person who thrived on knowing as much about everything as possible. The more forbidden, the more it appealed to him, so Eyes couldn't really fault him for asking about the Blade Children. If the teen was asking, then it was likely that he had been unsuccessful in finding out on his own. That in itself was comforting. To think that the hacker had simply asked Eyes without looking into the question in at least some way was ridiculous. No, what bothered Eyes wasn't Hiroshume's question; it was how the hacker had come to know the term "Blade Children" at all. Despite Eyes' longstanding relationship with with the Japanese teen, he didn't know much about the hacker. Their relationship had been one of convenience, where Hiroshume performed for Eyes when he needed something and Eyes provided tasks to quell Hiroshume's boredom.

Slowly, Eyes leaned back and looked up at the glass ceiling, resting the cell phone in his lap. The whole situation was frustrating and left Eyes unsure about how to proceed. He didn't wish to retract his faith in the other Blade Children over the likely innocent message, but he couldn't shake the sneaking suspicion that at least one of his companions had been less than honest with him. He sighed and sat forward again.

"Why is he asking about the Blade Children now of all times?" He clasped his hands loosely around his phone and rested his elbows on his knees, face toward the floor. "Just what does he know?"

Eyes remained in this quiet position for a few minutes, his eyes closed, before rising to his feet again with a heavy sigh and returning to the piano. Setting his phone aside, he cleared his mind of the current matter and gave himself over to quiet, reflective practice once more.

OOoOoOo

It was early when Eyes arrived at the small park where he had requested everyone meet. One of the first people to arrive in the park, due to the early hour, he waited patiently a little ways into the park for the other Blade Children. Knowing he had a fair amount of time to wait before the day reached his specified time, the quiet pianist settled himself upon one of the benches looking out over the deserted playground and busied himself with silent composition.

Kanone was the first to arrive, an hour and a half after the pianist, and slipped onto the bench beside the stoic Englishman without a sound. The sudden presence startled Eyes and he jumped slightly before laying his pencil down on the half-filled score and looking at Kanone.

"Good morning Eyes. You're here early." Kanone observed, noting the composition Eyes had been working on. "What's happened?" Kanone's voice turned serious as he read the pianist's seemingly blank expression and still body language.

Over the years Kanone had become a master of reading the quiet performer and knew when something was bothering him or if something had happened. What would never register as anything out of the ordinary for the average person passing the Englishman, to Kanone the slightest change or tension in the younger male was a giveaway that something was wrong.

He waited patiently for Eyes to respond, noting the critical eye that the performer gave him. A frown marked his face when Eyes shook his head lightly, the almost imperceptible look disappearing.

"It's nothing serious. I'll wait until the others arrive so I don't have to explain a second time." Kanone looked puzzled but slowly nodded his consent of Eyes's wishes.

"Alright, Eyes."

It didn't take long for Kisame to make his way into the park. In the time between Kanone's arrival and Kisame's, the park had filled considerably and the quiet of the earlier morning was shattered by the din created by conversing passers by and children on the playground. Wordlessly, Kisame made his way over to the two waiting Blade Children.

"What's up?" Kisame's tone was serious he noted the less than cheerful expression that Kanone wore. Kanone gave Kisame a confused shrug and looked at Eyes. The pianist said nothing, not looking up from the score he was once again composing to greet Kisame.

"He wants to wait for Rio and the others to get here." Kanone explained, speaking for the Englishman. Kisame shrugged indifferently and walked behind Kanone, leaning with his back turned against the back of the bench the two were seated on. Smiling lightly, Kanone rested his head back so it pressed gently into Kisame's spine. Whatever Eyes was withholding, there was little chance they would learn anything before the other Blade Children arrived. Both knew that and contented themselves with waiting patiently for the others.

Before long the rest of the Blade Children made their way into the park and over to the bench where Eyes and the others waited.

"What's up Rutherford?" Kousuke asked as they approached. "You had something you wanted to talk about?" The red head briefly glanced at Kisame and Kanone curiously but received only noncommittal shrugs for his curiosity.

"It's nothing serious. Simply a matter I need some answers on." Eyes replied calmly, earning slightly confused looks from the other teens.

At this point Eyes turned his attention from the sheet music in his hand to the waiting Blade Children.

"Okay? So what's the matter?" Ryoko was the first to speak. Eyes slowly lowered the sheet music onto his lap.

"Have any of you been in contact with Hiroshume Hadaka since meeting him?" Eyes asked bluntly. His expression was unreadable as he spoke the question. Confusion spread across the faces of Kousuke, Rio, and Ryoko. Kisame and Kanone didn't change.

"Seriously? That's what you called us out here for, Rutherford?" Kousuke asked. Unsurprisingly, Eyes didn't respond, watching them calmly. Kousuke sighed, looking down at the ground and rubbing the back of his head in mild exasperation.

"I haven't. Have you guys?" He looked curiously at Rio and Ryoko, his hand still resting on the back of his neck.

"No."

"I haven't. Why do you ask, Eyes? Rio asked curiously, looking at the stoic pianist. Eyes turned his attention to Kisame and Kanone. Neither answered.

"Did something happen, Eyes?" Kanone redirected, seeing that the nature of the conversation wasn't a serious one and that admittance at that time was unnecessary. He watched Eyes sigh lightly at his avoidance.

"Last night I received a message from Hiroshume asking about the Blade Children. I've never mentioned the term to him before."

"Then how did he find out about the Blade Children?"

"It's not exactly a common topic of conversation." Kousuke and Ryoko commented.

"That's what I'd like to know. " All eyes were on the pianist at this statement.

"You don't think it was one of us that let it slip, do you, Rutherford?" Kousuke sounded insulted.

"I'm not placing blame on anyone. But it cannot be ignored that somehow he knows and is asking. That being said, there's not much risk of him finding out about us unless someone tells him."

"Why is that, Eyes?" Rio asked.

"If he could have found out about the Blade Children on his own he wouldn't have bothered asking me about them. That gives us some control over the current situation. At this point Kisame elected to speak.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Attention turned to him. "So the guy is asking about the Blade Children. That doesn't mean he's in any danger because of it. Think about it. Little Narumi did the same thing and he was only ever involved because you guys purposely involved him."

"He has a good point, Rutherford." Ryoko agreed, looking back at Eyes.

"I know you don't want him involved, but a simple inquiry about the term "Blade Children" doesn't put us in a corner. Think it through." Kisame said. Kanone subtly placed his fingers lightly around Eyes wrist, providing an almost imperceptible pressure. Eyes nodded, tensing slightly at the unexpected touch before relaxing again in understanding of Kanone's meaning.

"I suppose you're right." Eyes lowered his head slightly and sighed in mild frustration. "At this point it's not a pressing issue. I just wanted everyone to be aware that we once again have someone searching for information. Be careful what you say if you interact with him. We don't need any more unknowns in this game." The others nodded. Their attention was once again caught as Eyes spoke once more. "Now, there are a few matters about the current "Hunter" situation that we need to address."

The topic changed to the current situation with the "Hunters" at this point. The group spoke for a few minutes on this topic, clearing up any issues that might develop moving forward, before Kousuke, Rio, and Ryoko bid Eyes and company farewell and left the park to go about the rest of their day.

Once they were gone Eyes looked with mild curiosity at Kanone and, in turn, at Kisame. The German smiled. Behind Eyes back Kisame gave Kanone an uncertain look. Kanone simply redirected the soft smile to him. Sighing in defeat the golden eyed teen walked around to the front of the bench as Kanone stood and looked back at Eyes who was watching them both calmly.

"Let's go for a walk, Eyes."

oOoOoOo

"What was it that you didn't want to say around Rio and the others?" Eyes asked calmly as he walked with Kisame and Kanone down one of the many paths lacing throughout the park.

"That depends on how you answer this next question." Kisame's tone was indifferent, causing Eyes to turn his gaze on him.

"What do you want to do about this situation, Eyes? You brought everyone together to find out information on possible leaks, but I know you have a specific desire in mind for your friend." Kanone watched Eyes seriously.

"I would rather not have him involved with the Blade Children." Eyes replied flatly, turning to look briefly at Kanone before looking forward again. "But you two already knew that."

"Honestly, that doesn't really seem to be an option at this point." Kisame commented, contradicting his earlier statement and dismissing Eyes last comment.

"There's no reason for him to be pulled into involvement with the Blade Children, so there's no need for him to know anything about us."

"He's already involved if he's friends with you. Whether he knows or not, he's going to be involved. That's just what happens with anyone who gets too close to us. " Eyes sighed, exasperated, at Kisame's comment and looked to Kanone for a more agreeable opinion.

"Eyes, listen. I know you want to keep Hadaka uninvolved with us for his own safety. He's not like Kiyotaka's little brother. There's no real reason for him to be forced to bear the Blade Children's curse with us. But honestly I'm not sure that it's something we can avoid."

"Why is that?" Eyes opted for denial over reality for the moment.

"Because he wants to be involved, even if he doesn't exactly know what it is he's involving himself in." Eyes turned to look at Kisame, listening carefully to what he said. He didn't respond, waiting for either male to continue. His expression was serious.

"Eyes, Hadaka came to see me at the airport when I first landed in Japan." The pianist's eyes widened. "He offered his assistance in anything I might need for information and said that he'd made the same offer to you as well." The performer's eyes narrowed in anger at the news, but he held his tongue. "Kisame's not wrong. For whatever reason, that boy wants to be involved with us…" He paused for a moment. "And he's not the only one seeking that outcome."

"What do you mean?" Eyes forced the betrayal to the back of his mind for the time being, his curiosity piqued by Kanone's final statement. Kanone was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating whether to say what came next or not.

"Eyes, he's been contacted by Kiyotaka." The pianist stopped in the center of the sidewalk and looked at Kanone and Kisame in disbelief, though his countenance showed little more than a widening of his eyes and a firmer set overtaking his jaw. Kisame nodded in confirmation of what Kanone had said. A deep frown settled on Eyes' face.

"How do you know?" He didn't doubt the truth of his allies words, but Eyes couldn't fathom any reason that the elusive detective would have for dragging the hacker into the current situation.

"When he met me he showed me an email he received from Kiyotaka. It basically told him that he's involved and that he is now a player in this game whether he wants to be involved or not." Kanone said, shaking his head. "I don't know if he's received further correspondence from that man beyond that." Eyes looked down at the street, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment before sighing and looking back at the two killers before him.

"Alright." He fell silent and started walking again. Kanone and Kisame followed behind him.

oOoOoOo

The three men were silent as they made their way into Eyes apartment. He didn't say anything as he seated himself on the piano bench with his back to the great instrument. Kanone and Kisame stood before him.

"What else have you been keeping from me?" Eyes' tone was calm and cool; his expression normal. The three men had refrained from speaking any further while in the park, not wanting their conversation to be overheard, and so had made their way back to Eyes' apartment to conclude their conversation. The two older males looked once at each other before Kanone seated himself on the couch opposite Eyes and Kisame moved to stand beside it. After a moment they began to speak.

oOoOoOo

Eyes sat thoughtfully on the edge of the piano bench. His arms rested on his knees as he held his chin contemplatively in his hands. His eyes were focused on Kanone. Through the course of the conversation Kanone had revealed most of what he had been keeping from Eyes, sharing about their conversation with Hiroshume on the docks and other interactions, but leaving out their utilization of the hacker for the purpose of gathering information. The revelation left Eyes unsure about how to respond. He felt frustrated with both killers for their secrecy and endangering of Hiroshume, but more than that he felt hurt by Kanone's betrayal. He had expected after the events of the past year that Kanone would have been more up front with what was going on. He couldn't accept that Kanone had, in a sense, betrayed his trust yet again. This betrayal was what hit Eyes the hardest and caused the current situation to seem that much more overbearing. He closed his eyes in frustration.

"Eyes… I know you want to protect him. But keeping your friend in the dark about the Blade Children may put him in even greater danger. You have to realize this." Again the pianist focused on Kanone. His expression remained neutral, but he wasn't unaffected by Kanone's words. The fact that Kanone was lecturing him about keeping Hiroshume in the dark about what was going on was laughable to the pianist when Kanone had done the same thing to him.

"Normally this sort of situation wouldn't be a big deal. You could deny knowing anything or not answer at all. You said yourself that he has nothing tying us to the Blade Children." His gaze shifted to Kisame. "But given that Kiyotaka's gotten himself involved with Hiroshume now, it seems like leaving him in the dark is unwise."

"We have no way of knowing what Kiyotaka's plan is. Given that fact, we can't really prepare him for the fight we Blade Children are about to face if we are unwilling to tell him what is going on." Kanone said gravely.

"You know we wouldn't be pushing to reveal the existence of the Blade Children to him if we didn't think it was necessary, Eyes." Kisame crossed his arms. Kanone nodded.

"But right now he is at a serious disadvantage. Our fight against the "Hunters" could end up getting him killed, regardless of whether he knows or not. He's simply too involved with the matters concerning the Blade Children to be able to avoid our fight. However, if he is aware of what is going on and what he is now involved in, he has a much better chance of making it out alive." Eyes nodded slowly, listening to Kanone's reasoning and putting his hurt feelings aside in order to look at the situation logically.

"You also can't overlook the fact that he could be extremely useful to the Blade Children. If he's already involved, we might as well make use of him. He has a skill set that's too valuable to be left untapped." Kisame added, his voice harder than Kanone's. Kanone sighed and looked calmly at Eyes.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Eyes. He's your friend and the decision is up to you. But to me it doesn't seem like it would be a bad thing to have him on our side. He would be a very useful ally. I know you don't want to tell him about the Blade Children because our fate is such a terrible one, but from what I've seen of him, Hadaka doesn't seem to be the kind of person to shy away from something like our story. Our fate is a grim one, but I don't believe it is one that he would be unwilling to ally himself with to some extent if he knew the reasons behind our actions. It would also make it much easier for us to protect him from both the "Hunters" and Kiyotaka if he were knowledgeable about the curse that hangs over us Blade Children." Eyes listened silently before sighing and sitting back, turning slightly so he could rest his arm on the smooth wood of the cover that concealed the piano keys.

"Contrary to what you've been saying, it's not that he won't accept the truth about the Blade Children that I'm concerned about." Kisame and Kanone watched him. "What concerns me is what will happen if he knows. Hiroshume is the kind of individual who would likely get pleasure out of a fate such as ours. He's already shown that he wishes to be involved and that will definitely not change if he learns more about us. But I don't want him involved."

"Why is that, Eyes?" Kanone met Eyes' gaze, his eyes kind. Eyes sighed and looked away.

"I don't want him to have to kill. We Blade Children have already stained our hands with blood. We carry that sin with us. But he doesn't. He still has not had to cross that line in order to survive. But I'm afraid that if he involves himself any further with the Blade Children, that the time will come where he has to dirty his own hands. That's not something he can go back from." Eyes was silent for a moment, though it was clear that something still weighed heavily on his mind.

"What is it, Eyes?" Kanone asked.

"If Hiroshume were to kill, I don't think it would be something that would bother him. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't enjoy it, and that makes me uneasy." Kisame sighed and straightened up from where he stood leaning halfway on the back of the couch and halfway against the window.

"Then we'll just have to keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of the direct fight. His usefulness isn't really on the front lines anyway." Both Kanone and Eyes looked at Kisame before Eyes allowed a heavy sigh to escape and lowered his head. Kanone watched him sympathetically.

"It's up to you, Eyes. Whatever you decide we'll respect." He cast a sideways look at Kisame who gave him a frustrated glare, but nodded. Eyes remained silent for several minutes, looking calmly at the floor boards. His expression was hard to read, as it didn't register anything outside the ordinary for the stoic performer's normal countenance. After about five minutes he raised his head and turned on the piano bench, lifting the lid covering the keys and beginning to play. Kanone and Kisame took the hint and, bidding Eyes a quick good night, left the pianist to be by himself.

Eyes played continuously until the hours turned over into early evening. As the grandfather clock in the room sounded the seven o'clock hour Eyes let his hands fall from the piano keys and stood from the bench. The quiet time of practice had allowed him to get his thoughts in order and to focus on what was most important at the moment. His issues with Kanone could wait. The matter with Hiroshume could not. Retrieving his cell phone from a nearby table, he pulled up the last email he had received. The single line of text stared mockingly back at him as he clicked out a quick response.

"That question does not have a quick answer." A response arrived almost immediately.

"I've got the time." Eyes sighed heavily, closing his eyes in frustration, before removing his coat from the closet and slipping the phone into his pocket. Without a word, he left the apartment.

A/N: Hey all,

Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. Things have been crazy lately and this chapter was hard to write. I hope that it was worth the wait. This chapter is important because it begins the ascent to the climax of this story. I hope that you all will continue to stick with me and continue providing me with feedback and ideas for how to improve the story. This story is still a long way from its ending but I do not intend to quit until everything has been concluded and the story is finished. I hope that you all will continue reading until the end and supporting me with your reviews and words of kindness. Your support means more to me than you could ever imagine and gives me the motivation to continue on with this fiction.

Thanks to everyone who supports this fiction. I will do my best to have another chapter ready for next month's publication. Please wait for me.

Spiral of Destiny