Hey all,
Just a quick note here to point out an error that I have made. In previous chapters I have had Hiroshume attending a few classes with Eyes. This was an oversight on my part, as Hiroshume is 16 and, while extremely intelligent, is not diligent enough to be in a year ahead of his age. Starting with this chapter he will be in the same year as Rio and Ryoko and I will edit the previous chapters to remedy this inconsistency whenever I have time to reread the fiction and find the errors. Thank you all for putting up with my less than planned storytelling. If any of these mistakes stand out when you are reading this fiction, please feel free to send me a PM or drop a review. Sometimes I overlook obvious things, so your help is always appreciated.
Thanks everyone. Please enjoy this chapter of Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You.
Spiral of Destiny
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.
The Blade Children were early to arrive at Tsukiomi Academy the next morning. Late the night before, Eyes had sent a message request for a meeting in the Tsukiomi courtyard as soon as the campus gates opened.
Eyes and Hiroshume were the first to arrive, having spent the night together at Hiroshume's apartment.
Around two o'clock in the morning Eyes had given up on returning home. Instead, when Hiroshume had transitioned to sitting before the low table to work on his laptop, the tired pianist had moved to sit on the couch and had fallen asleep shortly after.
As with the previous night, Hiroshume had covered him with a blanket and continued to work on his computer. His mind and nerves were still too rattled to risk sleep, but having another presence in the room while he immersed himself in various different tasks was comforting and broke the unease that the silence had carried with it earlier in the evening. When morning came, the two males had stopped briefly at Eyes' apartment to allow the pianist to catch a quick shower and change into his school uniform before making their way to the campus.
Next to arrive was Kanone. He greeted the two waiting, but didn't engage much beyond asking Hiroshume how he was doing. Kisame arrived shortly after, a similar exchange occurring before the "Savage Gun" took his place next to Kanone. Neither spoke to one another and Kanone kept his gaze largely focused between the ground and the distance opposite the other individuals in the courtyard.
"What's wrong with everyone?" Hiroshume asked in a low tone, leaning over so as to be closer to Eyes when he spoke. Eyes didn't respond, simply staring straight ahead and furthering the hacker's confusion over the current dynamic.
The last three Blade Children arrived together and seemed slightly surprised to see the hacker among their numbers that morning.
"What's up Rutherford?" Kousuke was the first to speak. Eyes glanced at the redhead briefly before standing from where he was seated on one of the many benches in the area.
"I appreciate you coming here so early."
"No problem. But what's up?" Kousuke questioned again.
"Yesterday, Kisame and Kanone were attacked by another group of "Hunters".
"What!"
"Again?!"
"Them?" Three exclamations escaped the group as Rio, Ryoko and Kousuke looked incredulously at Eyes.
"Hiroshume was with them at the time." The eyes of the group turned to the hacker, who was stood slightly to the left of the pianist and looked rather unaffected beyond the dark circles under his eyes that marked a distinct lack of sleep.
"The "Hunters" don't usually attack when there are outsiders involved. What's going on?" Rio said thoughtfully, looking at Eyes.
"Yeah, I mean sure Hadaka joined with the Blade Children, but it's way too soon for the "Hunters" to be able to know that." Kousuke added, crossing his arms and looking at Hiroshume. The hacker shrugged.
"Pretty sure I was just collateral damage." He commented offhandedly. Rio frowned and looked to Kanone, her eyes determined.
"Kanone?" The sound of his name seemed to draw the teen out of whatever world his mind was residing in and he looked over at Rio. Her frown deepened and she sighed, looking over the members of the Blade Children. Her attention moved first to Kisame, then Kanone, and finally to Eyes before her brow furrowed. She turned her gaze on Hiroshume, who currently appeared to be doing the same thing that she was.
"You." Hiroshume looked back to her curiously. "Tell us what happened yesterday."
OOoOoOo
Rio sat thoughtfully on the bench between Ryoko and Kousuke. Hiroshume stood before them, having just finished recounting his memory of the previous day's events. He was now watching Rio for her take on what had happened. The current group had moved a short distance away at Rio's request, leaving Eyes and the two "Guns" alone on the opposite side of the courtyard. From their vantage point it could be seen that none of them were speaking to one another.
"You've been with Eyes the most lately. Have you noticed anything strange about him?" Rio questioned, for the moment more concerned about the current dynamic among the Blade Children than the latest attack. Hiroshume shrugged.
"Not necessarily with him. But his interactions with all of you have been a little off." Rio nodded. "Though with everyone going behind each others' backs, who can say what's off." He added under his breath.
"Do you have any idea what might have happened?" Hiroshume shook his head.
"Not a clue. I can't speak for Eyes, but as of yesterday the other two seemed to be acting the same as I've always seen them. At the very least they were talking." Rio placed her fingers on her chin thoughtfully.
"So something must have happened yesterday after you left them." Hiroshume nodded again.
"Eyes has been more reserved for the past several days, though." He added. Rio sighed, determining that there was nothing to be gained by forcing the current topic further since none of them had any idea what had caused the divide within their group.
"Right. Well, at the moment we need to focus on the main issue; the fact that there was another abnormal "Hunter" attack yesterday. Whatever issues those three are having will need to be worked out by them."
"So what do you suggest, Rio?" Kousuke turned from where he was leaning on the bench railing to look at the smaller girl. Rio shook her head.
"For now let's rejoin the others. Eyes called us all here so he may have a plan on how to proceed." Rising from the bench, Rio smoothed her skirt and walked past Hiroshume to rejoin the rest of the group. The others followed behind her.
OOoOoOo
By afternoon Hiroshume was sat among Rio's group wondering how the current situation had come about. Following the morning meeting the hacker had been instructed to stick with Rio and Ryoko as much as possible, because they were in the same year, and to learn what he could from them. Not much had been expressed beyond that, but Rio had seemed to understand Eyes intentions and even Ryoko was compliant with the proposed plan.
So it was that he was now seated at one of the many tables in the busy Tsukiomi cafeteria listening to Rio explain about the nature of the "Hunters" and about how the Blade Children usually handled different situations. Hiroshume had given his best effort to listen to the smaller girl, but he couldn't keep his mind from wandering.
"Hey! Are you even listening?!" A loud voice and sharp slam on the tabletop snapped his attention back to the rightfully irritated girl.
"I'm trying my very best to." He said, rubbing his face and looking at Rio with an expression that mixed boredom and a desire to kill himself.
"You should really take this seriously. Unless you learn what to expect from the "Hunters" then it's going to be your own fault when you die." Rio crossed her arms over her chest and looked with irritation at Hiroshume.
"I know, but I can't focus on lectures." He dropped his head back dramatically as he spoke before allowing his upper body to drop towards the table. He rubbed his now bowed head with his hand. "Besides, didn't you say that the "Hunters" are acting abnormally now anyway? So knowing how they used to operate is kind of pointless."
"Whether the "Hunters" are acting the way they used to or not isn't important. Regardless of who's directing them the "Hunters" still have the same goals and the same restrictions. If they didn't follow a certain set of rules then they wouldn't be able to justify killing kids." It was Ryoko who spoke and Hiroshume turned to listen to her.
"Like not involving uninvolved parties?" Hiroshume questioned. The others fell silent. Hiroshume sighed and rested his chin on his now crossed arms when they failed to speak. "Then why'd they attack me yesterday?"
"I've been wondering about that too." Kousuke chimed in. The others turned to look at him. "I mean, these last attacks have been weird, don't you think?" He continued, posing a question.
"What do you mean, Kousuke?" Both girls looked curiously at the spectacled male.
"Well, think about it. The first time an attack happened they attacked Kisame and Kanone. But they made sure it was somewhere secluded where other people wouldn't be caught up in the battle. The next time they attacked us and Eyes in the middle of the park. Raining or not that's way too public a place for the "Hunters" to normally go after us. And then this last time they attacked when Hadaka was with Kisame and Kanone."
"Where are you going with this, Kousuke?" Ryoko asked.
"Well, I may be wrong here, but it kinda seems like we aren't dealing with the same people every time."
"Well that's obvious. There are a lot of "Hunters" in Japan. The odds of us running into the same group of "Hunters" every time is way too unlikely." Ryoko replied.
"No," Kousuke shook his head. "I mean I think we're dealing with more than one ""Hunter"" group." He said, stressing the word "Hunter" to emphasize his meaning.
"A second group?" Rio questioned more to herself than Kousuke, running through the possibility in her mind. Kousuke nodded regardless.
"Just think about it. The way that the attacks have been carried out are too different. Especially between the first and these last two."
"How were they different?" Hiroshume questioned, relatively lost in the conversation. The Blade Children ignored him.
"You may have a point, Kousuke." Rio stated thoughtfully.
"Yeah. I didn't think about it before, but the two attacks on Kisame and Kanone don't feel the same." Ryoko added.
"Exactly. The only constant between them was that they targeted those two. Everything else about the situation was different." Rio continued the thought.
"So it's not unreasonable to think that we have a number of different people after us this time." The group turned to look at Kousuke.
"If that's the case then this becomes much harder." Rio's eyes were serious. "The people who attacked first are something that we know how to fight. But these latest attempts prove that an attack can come from anywhere at any time. Whoever these new "Hunters" are, they aren't concerned about getting others involved."
"So what can you guys do about that?" The Blade Children turned to look at Hiroshume. Rio's eyes fell.
"I'm not sure." Hiroshume sat up and stretched, placing his hands against the edge of the table and pushing back.
"Well, what do you guys usually do when you're faced with situations like this?" Rio and Ryoko hung their heads.
"We usually get orders from Kanone, Eyes, or Kiyotaka." Kousuke answered, earning a frown from Hiroshume.
"Alright. Well I have no desire to further associate with Kiyotaka Narumi, so I guess we'll need to speak with Eyes and the others." Rio looked away.
"I'd rather not bother them right now." The others looked at her curiously. "Given the tension between all of them, I think its best if we deal with this on our own." The other Blade Children nodded consensus.
"Does that "we" include me?" Hiroshume crossed his arms and watched Rio.
"Do you want it to? I know you're loyal to Rutherford." Ryoko looked with disgust at Hiroshume, placing her dislike for the pianist on the performer's latest acquaintance. The hostility earned her a smirk from the blue eyed teen.
"I agreed to help the Blade Children. I couldn't care less whether that means directly helping Eyes or doing something for the rest of you. I've already been going behind Eyes back for weeks anyway." This last comment earned him confused glances before Rio cut off any opportunity to question it and spoke.
"Alright then. We could definitely use your help."
"What can you do anyway?" Kousuke questioned.
"I'm a hacker." Rio smiled.
"That's perfect."
OOoOoOo
The Blade Children didn't meet again until the end of the school day. Rio and Ryoko had crossed paths with Hiroshume a few more times over the course of the day, but nothing new had been discovered and so nothing was said between them. Now as the three stood by the shoe lockers near the exit, Kousuke having joined the two females on their way out of the school, Hiroshume approached. No one in the group spoke to him, but they didn't send him away either, so he opted to stay. He was curious to see how these three individuals, whom he'd had so little involvement with, would handle the new situation. With the rift between the other members, it was sure to be interesting.
As the small group exited the school they found Kisame already waiting for them. He had chosen to wait just outside the entrance rather than at the gate and his unexpected presence earned him a collection of curious stares.
"What are you doing here, Kisame?" Rio asked nonchalantly. Kisame shrugged.
"I'm surprised you're not with Kanone." Ryoko commented. Kisame smirked.
"Not today.I don't really feel like being around him right now."
"Did something happen?"
"Is something wrong with Kanone?" Ryoko and Rio questioned. Kisame shook his head in mild annoyance, looking away from the others.
"He's being Kanone." This answer seemed to make sense to Rio and the others, but it left Hiroshume at a loss. Still, the others didn't offer a further explanation and he didn't ask. He turned to Kisame when he felt eyes on him. "How are you doing? You had quite the day yesterday."
"I'm fine." Hiroshume answered without enthusiasm, wishing to redirect his attention elsewhere but not daring to look away from Kisame. The golden eyed teen smirked and looked away.
"You bounce back fast. That's good." Hiroshume watched him for a moment before glancing at Rio. She nodded, her gaze serious.
"Did you need something, Kisame?" She questioned. The older teen shook his head.
"Just checking in. We had quite the divide present this morning and you three got saddled with handling him because of it." He gestured to Hiroshume, who's gaze shifted to a subtle glare at Kisame's tone. Kisame didn't see it and continued. "So, with Eyes and Kanone acting foolish I figured I'd check on the new addition." In truth Kisame had come to make sure that the others were safe. With Kanone and Eyes acting abnormally, he wanted to make sure that the others didn't try anything on their own. He had known Rio a long time and, while she was obedient to Eyes' wishes most of the time, when situations like they currently faced arose, she was known to take matters into her own hands.
Rio and the others nodded, trying to dismiss Kisame's skepticism of them. Right now none of them wished for Kisame to be involved until they could figure out what to do and who else should know what they were planning.
"Well, I've got practice so I'm going to go." Ryoko said after a few moments of silence. There was no reason to stand around waiting when it was clear that nothing could be resolved in the present moment. "Come one Kousuke." Giving a slight wave, Kousuke turned and followed after Ryoko. Kisame watched them go before looking back at Rio and Hiroshume.
"Everything's fine?" His tone was serious as he looked at Rio, demanding honesty. She matched his gaze with an equally strong one of her own.
"For the moment." Kisame nodded, knowing he could trust Rio. For the time being she wasn't alone. She had Kousuke and Ryoko. With the three of them together, Kisame was confident they could keep one another thinking clearly. Honestly, Kisame wouldn't be surprised if they came up with something useful in regards to moving forward. With the way their current and former leaders were acting, it was obvious that nothing worthwhile would be coming from them in the near future. Kisame frowned, sighing at the thought before giving Rio an approving smirk.
"Until tomorrow, then. Be careful on your way home." He turned and made his way out onto the street and away from the others. He would let them think things over for the time being. They could handle themselves and he knew it. The frown returned to his features. What he needed to worry about now was Kanone and Eyes. Until they were able to focus, the Blade Children were in great danger.
Kisame shook his head again and continued down the street.
OOoOoOo
Following Ryoko's practice, the three Blade Children and Hiroshume made their way back to Ryoko's apartment. Rio had insisted that Hiroshume wait with them as she joined Kousuke to wait for Ryoko. Their discussion had been cut short earlier in the day and Rio wanted to continue working out a strategy to deal with their new speculation before the "Hunters" had time to act while the others were unaware.
Now they sat together in the main room of the apartment, Ryoko looking annoyed and Hiroshume looking less than pleased.
"Why did we have to meet at my place?" Ryoko complained, casting a glare at Rio.
"Because your apartment is the biggest." Rio stated matter-of-fact, dismissing Ryoko. The tawny haired girl rolled her eyes, but accepted the answer and dropped the matter.
"So why are we all here?" Hiroshume questioned, standing near the wall and watching the others. His tone was bored as he looked from one face to another.
"We're here to figure out what to do about the "Hunters"." Rio stated.
"Because of Asazuki's theory?" Rio nodded. Hiroshume crossed his arms. "You don't even know if it's true or not."
"It's better to be prepared then to get caught by surprise later on."
"Yet you want to leave the rest of your associates in the dark about this."
"For the time being, yes. While I don't know what, they have something on their minds right now. It's best to let them sort that out first."
"And Hosagi?" Rio looked down thoughtfully.
"He trusts us." Hiroshume nodded, settling back to lean against the wall.
"Good enough for me." Rio cast him a grateful smile. "So what do you need from me?"
"I don't know yet." Rio motioned for Hiroshume to join the rest of them around the low table set in the middle of the room. Begrudgingly he acquiesced. Once he was seated between Rio and Kousuke and across from Ryoko Rio spoke. "Alright, the first thing we need to do is take some time and think this over. We need to figure out what we should do with what we know. Where do we stand right now?"
"Well, you're going on the theory that there are multiple groups after you. Right now you all are working on the assumption of two, I believe. You're also intending to go against them alone since you don't want to involve Eyes and the others." Hiroshume offered. Rio nodded.
"So what should we do then, Rio?" Kousuke questioned. "We're pretty limited on options until we can figure out what the "Hunters" are planning. I mean, we can plan all we want, but we can't really put anything into action if we don't know where the "Hunters" are going to show up next."
"He has a point. Right now we don't even have any idea of who the "Hunters" are or who's in charge of one group, let alone this second group." Ryoko added.
"I know where two "Hunters" live." All eyes turned on Hiroshume. He gazed lazily at them, his tone rather uncaring as he spoke.
"How could you possibly know that?" Kousuke demanded, his gaze skeptical. Hiroshume shrugged.
"Not important. But from what you've all told me about the Blade Children, I know they're too young to have been involved with the project that created all of you. They're not much older than you guys."
"Then why do you think they are "Hunters"?" Rio's eyes bored into Hiroshume's, searching for the answer. The hacker shrugged again, lazing backwards, his arms stretched behind him and his head settled into his slightly raised shoulders. He looked up at the ceiling.
"Because Hosagi asked me to find them," He paused for effect, glancing at the faces around him, "and I hardly think he would have asked me for information if it was unrelated to your situation." The room fell silent as he finished speaking, the others looking at one another uncertainly. "Plus both were part of the same organization, one that doesn't appear to have any details about it beyond a surface presence." He added.
"So that's what you meant earlier." Ryoko mumbled. Hiroshume ignored her.
"I'll dig deeper and see what I can find, but there's not much that'll be useful for you all out there."
"Still, do what you can. Anything could be helpful at this point." Rio's tone was colder than before and her eyes were serious as she focused on the tabletop. Hiroshume smirked.
"Sure thing."
"So Hadaka," Hiroshume turned his gaze toward Kousuke. "What'd you find out about those "Hunters"?" The hacker shrugged.
"Not much that's useful. I gave all the information to Hosagi. You can ask him."
"You said the "Hunters" were young?" It was Ryoko's turn to speak.
"Early twenties." Hiroshume confirmed. Rio's brow furrowed.
"What are you thinking, Rio?" Kousuke questioned, turning to look at the small girl. Rio didn't answer him.
"Why so young? Are the "Hunters" so desperate that they are recruiting people who are uninvolved?" Her question was posed to no one, so no voice answered her. "It seems like the logical conclusion, but why? There's no reason for other people to be coming after us if they weren't involved. They shouldn't have the same fear that those who were part of the Blade Children project do."
"Perhaps someone who was involved is pulling the strings?" Hiroshume questioned, still unfamiliar with the full details of what happened at the Blade Children's inception but trying to offer assistance regardless.
"That does seem like the most likely possibility." Rio agreed, placing her thumb and pointer finger on her chin thoughtfully.
"That still doesn't tell us much." Ryoko commented, glancing at Kousuke, who appeared just as unsure as she did. Rio shook her head.
"It tells us more than you think."
"How so?"
"If the "Hunters" are assembling new members then we can expect a difference in tactics from what we've faced up until this point." Rio explained. "Before now the "Hunters" have been attacking the Blade Children because they were afraid of us; because they saw the terror that is tied to our blood." She paused, watching the others. "Now, with people who have never been involved with the Blade Children, we may have a bit of an advantage."
"What are you thinking, Rio?" Kousuke interrupted. Hiroshume looked equally curious.
"Most people wouldn't be able to agree with the idea of killing kids. But the "Hunters" have still found some people who are willing to continue hunting us. It is likely that they were made to fear us with the beliefs the "Hunters" hold about our blood. They will want us dead as much as those who have been in it from the start."
"So how does that give us an advantage?" Ryoko questioned.
"I'm getting to that." Rio continued. "While these new "Hunters" have been convinced that we need to die, it's one thing to say you're willing to kill and it's another to actually do it. These new "Hunters" are afraid of us or, at the very least, believe we're too dangerous to be left alive. But my guess is that the majority haven't ever killed anyone before." The others looked at each other, then waited for her to continue. "Even if they have killed, there is a part of people who may find it more difficult when they find their guns pointed at a kid."
"So you're banking your life on the slim chance that these "Hunters" might hesitate when push comes to shove? That seems like quite the risk. You guys aren't exactly kids anymore." Hiroshume's mind went back to the attack on himself and the two "Guns". "I know I didn't see any hesitation when I was attacked yesterday." The others looked back to Rio, waiting for her response. She had crossed her arms as Hiroshume spoke.
"That may be true. But we still have the theory that there are more than one group to contend with. Also, it's not a guarantee that all of these new "Hunters" will hesitate. But all we need is a moment and we can have the upper hand."
"Even if they don't hesitate, we can still out-fight them. The Blade Children have been fighting and killing the "Hunters" for years. These guys are still new to the game."
"Kousuke!" Ryoko scolded, casting the red haired teen a disapproving glare.
"Kousuke's right, though. We already know how to play this game. Even if the rules are changing some, we can still adapt to it."
"So what do you suggest?" Hiroshume asked, seeing that Kousuke had fallen silent under Ryoko's continued glare.
"First we need to draw out the "Hunters". If there are more than one group after us then we need to learn more about both; figure out how they fight, who they are, what lines they're willing to cross."
"How do you propose we do that?" Rio smiled darkly, leaning in slightly as the others turned their attention toward her.
"Here's what I'm thinking."
A/N
Hey all,
Just a quick end note to let you all know to check my profile from time to time. In order to keep everyone informed with what I'm doing with the story in regards to publication, I will post messages on my profile to communicate with everyone. If for some reason I am unable to publish for some reason or I am delayed there will be a reason given on my profile page. I want to keep everyone informed about what's going on, so please give my profile a peak from time to time to know what's happening.
If anyone has questions during the month in regards to something I've posted please feel free to pm me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I hope that this will make things clearer so that events like the docs manager failing on December 25th don't leave me unable to publish and you without any explanation.
Thanks as always for reading and supporting this fiction. See you in the next chapter.
Respectfully,
Spiral of Destiny