A/N: Hello everyone,

I know this is going to be a long author's note, but there are somethings I really need to say to everyone. If you have the time, please take a few moments to read the following note.

Let me just start by thanking everyone for your amazing patience with regards to Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You. I have been a terrible author and have failed so many times to provide consistent publication and for that I apologize. There have been personal issues that have interrupted steady writing and scene problems that have stalled forward progress on the story for over two years. I have finally made some progress on my problem scene and I hope to have it completely resolved with this fourth rewrite. Once that is finished, the story should be able to move more quickly and publication should become more regular.

I won't promise regular monthly publication any more, as I repeatedly have failed to keep that promise. But I will "try" my hardest to keep this monthly schedule. This project is my focus over any other writing projects, as I really want to provide consistent quality work for all of you. It is my hope that once I master monthly publication that I can move to biweekly publication on the 14th and 28th of each month. This won't happen for a while, but that is my goal in order to keep the story moving and provide content for you to read.

I want everyone who is concerned about this story being abandoned to know that there is no risk of it being dropped. I have up through chapter 53 plotted, which takes us to the halfway point of the story. This fiction still has a lot of life left in it and I will continue to work on it until it reaches its natural conclusion. When I first started this fiction I made a promise to myself that if even one person could derive enjoyment from this story, then I would not give up on it. That dream of one reader has been exceeded by all of you and I am so incredibly grateful to have such wonderful support from each and every one of you.

At this time I would like to extend a particularly heartfelt thank you to and make a small request to Kitty, who has faithfully left me reviews for the last several chapters of this fiction. To have that support has been invaluable to me. I would like to request that Kitty make an account on fanfiction. Net so that I can respond to their reviews and answer questions and concerns, such as the question of continued publication presented in their latest review. I am not asking you to post reviews from the account if responding as a guest user is easier for you. I simply would like a way to respond to you. I love to communicate with my readers and would love the chance to be able to communicate with you as well. If this is something you aren't comfortable with please don't feel as though you need to make one. It was simply a request from a very appreciative writer.

There is a lot more to say, but I will stop for now. For those who have read through this entire note, thank you. I appreciate you giving me your time and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You.

Thanks,

Spiral

It was nearly midnight by the time Kanone and Kisame made it back to Eyes apartment. Upon entering they were met by moonlight and the soft sound of the piano. The tune was an original improvisation and stayed solely in pianissimo for the benefit of those sharing the apartment.

Kousuke was seated on the couch, his head lolled back in sleep. Rio lay next to him, her head on his lap. Both were adorned in fresh bandages, their injuries having been treated by the performer upon their arrival at the apartment. At the sound of the door, Eyes turned to look at the returning Blade Children. Kanone shook his head gently, to which the performer nodded and returned his attention to the piano. The music continued until Kanone had retrieved a chair from the bedroom and Kisame had moved to stand by the wall. Seeing everyone settled, Eyes gently drew the composition to a conclusion. The final notes drifted lightly into the air before fading away into silence.

The absence of music seemed to stir the two sleepers on the couch and they looked groggily at Eyes before noticing Kanone and Kisame in the corner of the room.

"Is Ryoko okay?" Kousuke was quick to speak, immediately alert out of concern for the brunette.

"She's fine." Kisame said softly with a dismissive wave of his hand. He sounded fatigued. "It was a false alarm. The hacker doesn't know what to look for yet and misread the situation." Kousuke looked relieved. Kisame ran a hand through his hair, sighing in fatigue. "Still, I'd rather he call on nothing than not and have it be something." The others nodded in agreement.

"So how is Ryoko?" Kousuke pressed.

"She's doing well. She was sleeping when we got there but woke up during our visit so we were able to speak to her for a few minutes. She's still sore, but doing much better." Kanone chuckled. "She's irritated with having to spend the days with Hadaka, it would seem."

"That's because she's athletic and he's, well, not. There interests couldn't be more different." Kisame commented, earning a light laugh from the other occupants of the room. Kousuke rested his head back over the top of the couch.

"I'm glad she's doing okay." He laced his fingers in his empty lap, Rio having risen when the music ceased. "So what now? How do we move forward from here?" Kisame, Eyes, and Kanone looked at one another.

"I think we've done enough for the night. For now let's all get some rest. We'll worry about the future tomorrow." Eyes replied softly. He received no objections.

While Kisame helped the others retrieve extra futons from a side closet, Eyes assessed Kanone's leg. The wound was cleanly bandaged, a neat set of stitches hidden beneath the dressing. Kanone explained that the hospital had insisted on treating the injury when they saw the blood staining his clothing. Even Kisame sported a small dressing over his collarbone. Observing the bandages, Eyes felt more relaxed about the amount of time it had taken for Kisame and Kanone to arrive back home.

Once everyone was settled, he left the others in the main room and wearily retired to the bedroom for the rest of the night. Silence fell over the apartment as fatigue pulled them all into the waiting embrace of sleep.

OOoOoOo

Morning found the Blade Children grateful that they didn't have to rise early for school. Kisame was the first to awaken and Kanone followed closely after. Eyes had yet to surface, so the two went to meet him in his room. They found him still soundly asleep and only willing to stir when Kanone seated himself on the edge of the bed and gently called his name.

"Eyes…" Wearily the Englishman opened his eyes. He looked at Kanone for a few moments before seeming to decide he wasn't dreaming and forced himself to sit up. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed Kisame seated at the base of his bed as well and he looked at them with confusion.

"Rio said you had something to tell us last night." Kisame elaborated. Eyes gaze sobered.

"Indeed." He said softly.

"Did something else happen after we left, Eyes?" Kanone questioned.

"Yes it did. It would seem the "Hunters" weren't finished with us after the first attack." A look of surprised marked both teens' faces.

"Was anyone hurt?" Kisame was quick to confirm the welfare of the others. Eyes shook his head.

"What happened?"

Eyes proceeded to spend the next half hour providing a recount of the events of the previous night, pausing when he got to the part of the story where Shinu entered.

"…was about to stab me when someone uninvolved with us shot him."

"Someone shot him?" Kanone repeated in confusion.

"Who?" Kisame shared Kanone's confusion.

"Shinu Hachima from Tsukiomi Academy."

"The guy that sits at the back of the room in three of our classes?" Kisame clarified. Eyes nodded, though he had no idea whether they actually shared any classes or not.

"What was he doing there? And with a gun, no less." Kanone asked.

"Why did he get involved?" Kisame added, as perplexed by the information as his German counterpart. The two were talking slightly over one another, but Eyes still managed to catch their individual questions.

"He said that he was there by coincidence and that he involved himself because I would have been stabbed otherwise." He paused again. "Then he identified himself as one of the Blade Children."

"What!?" The news clearly had taken both teens by surprise. Looks were exchanged before focus was returned to Eyes.

"He's a Blade Child?"

"That was his claim. He offered to let us check his ribs. Kousuke confirmed that he is missing one." Again the "Guns" exchanged looks.

"What did he want?"

"He offered to help us if we wanted assistance moving forward." Eyes' words were heavy.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kanone asked.

"Perhaps…" The performer looked thoughtfully at the blankets still covering his lap, momentarily falling silent as he thought about the previous night. The others waited patiently for him to continue. "After he stopped the "Hunter", he spoke to us about becoming an ally. He seemed to be speaking sincerely, but Kousuke was apprehensive and voiced his concerns over the idea. Hachima appeared to be accepting our concerns until Kousuke said that we couldn't trust him." Both "Guns" frowned at Eyes tone. "After that, his demeanor changed completely and he turned his gun on us."

Both Kanone and Kisame started at this revelation. Kanone looked surprised and Kisame looked angry.

"He attacked you?" Eyes nodded. Kisame's eyes narrowed. Kanone reached back and placed a hand on Kisame's shoulder. The dark haired teen settled.

"Why, Eyes?"

"After he cornered us at the end of the alley, he pulled off his attack and said he was on our side and simply testing us like we used to with little Narumi." Kisame scoffed, looking away. Kanone's frown hardened.

"But we were trying to kill Narumi." Kisame commented. Kanone cast him a disapproving glance before brushing off the comment and ignoring the dark haired teen.

"That is concerning." He offered. Again the performer nodded. Kanone looked back at Kisame. He seemed to be lost in thought, staring angrily at the floor. Kanone sighed. "What do you think about all of this, Eyes? What was your take on his sincerity? You said you confirmed he was a Blade Child, but that doesn't necessarily ensure that he is on the same side as us." Eyes looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"I believe we can trust him as long as we are careful. I believe him when he says that he is not an enemy of the Blade Children, however his reason for offering to join us in this fight is not in order to protect or save the Blade Children."

"What is his reason?"

"He wants to kill Kiyotaka Narumi." Kisame turned his attention back to the musician at this point.

"Get in line. But why?"

"He said that he wishes to kill him for filling the Blade Childrens' heads with lies and false hope that they can be saved. He wants him dead so that the Blade Children will have to save themselves if they don't want to simply return to the darkness." Kisame nodded in agreement.

"Well I can't fault him for that way of thinking." He said to himself, his eyes still narrow. Kanone looked disapprovingly at him once more.

"I don't disagree that we each need to play a role in resisting our fate, but I disagree with the idea that giving the Blade Children hope is wrong." Eyes nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't matter if his way of thinking is right or wrong. What matters is whether we should trust him to help us fight the "Hunters". With his motivations I am not certain whether he would put his own life in danger to protect one of the Blade Children or if he will sacrifice us to save his own life."

"For now I think it's enough that we know he's a Blade Child. Your concern is relevant though, Eyes. If he has been fighting alone up to this point he may not be willing to protect others in a team. Also, if he hasn't been fighting up to this point then he may have no idea what he's getting into." Kanone commented. Kisame stood, placing his hands on his lower back.

"Well that's easy enough to determine. If he says he wants to work with us then we need to test him and see what he does. It's not like we have to sneak around with this since he approached us. He's accessed easily enough while we're at school as well. Testing him should tell us his skill and his motivation."

"Kisame is right." Kanone rose as well. "For now we'll count him as an unknown. He's approached us so the ball is in our court. Until we determine whether he can be trusted or not we'll not involve him. But it's worth looking into if we can potentially gain another ally." The pianist nodded and rose to his feet as Kisame and Kanone reached the door.

"We will talk to the others when they awaken. For now we'll let them sleep." The "Guns" nodded as Kisame opened the door. While Eyes got changed and ready for the day, Kisame returned to the group and Kanone went to make some tea.

OOoOoOo

Dawn was just finishing as Naoki made his way toward Sai's apartment.

Due to the late hour and need to care for the injured, Naoki and Yan had waited to inform the "Hunter" leader of the results of their attack. Following the initial attack, the blond "Hunter" was instructed to set a second phase in motion and clear up the evidence once it was concluded. This he did, collecting the two injured "Hunters" and depositing them at a hospital once the Blade Children had finished with them.

Naoki sighed as he walked. He was less than eager to go and meet with the "Hunter" leader and just wished to go home and sleep. He had been irritated the previous night and so had spent his night at the bar rather than returning home. Not a heavy drinker, he had nursed a couple drinks for the duration of the night and amused himself by watching the crowd and eavesdropping on conversations that started near him.

Yan was waiting for him when he arrived at the building and the two entered together and made their way to the "Hunter" leader's home. Sai was reading by the window when they arrived and he greeted them pleasantly as he let them in. Once they were seated he returned to his place by the window and turned to look at them.

"How did it go?" he laced his fingers in front of his abdomen leisurely.

"Well." Naoki glanced at Yan with disapproval. She cast him a challenge out of the corner of her eye. Throwing his hands up he conceded and rested back on the couch in irritation.

"Sure, fine. It went well." Sarcasm was heavy in his voice. Sai chuckled.

"I'm glad to hear it. Did we have any fatalities?" He turned to Yan as he spoke.

"Two."

"From our side?"

"Yes." Sai looked down thoughtfully.

"How unfortunate. What of the Blade Children?"

"Injured."

"Critically?"

"Doubtful." Sai nodded.

"But you expected that."

"Yes." Sai nodded, turning his attention to Naoki.

"How do you feel things went last night? You're entitled to an opinion as well." Naoki scoffed.

"It was a complete waste of time and resources."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because we didn't do anything. It was all just posturing. We never even got the chance to try and kill any of them."

"Not the point." Yan cut in.

"Then what was the point?" Naoki turned his frustration on her. She met him with a silent challenge of her own.

"Confusion. Possible injury. Data collection."

"We took more damage than they did!"

"Necessary." Naoki shook his head scornfully and stood.

"Whatever. I disagree but I just don't care anymore. You two have fun!" He walked around the couch and to the door. He paused as he reached it. "Oh, and you were wrong. We had three fatalities. Your second assault got another of ours killed." He opened the door but Sai stopped him from exiting.

"Naoki, wait a moment." He glanced over his shoulder at the older man. He was motioning him back. "Come sit down. At least stay until the report is finished." Naoki grumbled under his breath but slammed the door and returned to his former place beside Yan. "Now what's this about a second attack?"

"Unexpected. Quality opportunity." Sai nodded.

"But it failed." Naoki noted. Yan didn't move.

"Naoki, you were there?"

"Not directly. I was nearby."

"Do you know which Blade Children were involved?"

"Three of them. The pianist, the little girl, and the one with glasses."

"The "Guns" weren't with them?" Naoki shook his head.

"I don't know where they went. They were gone when we found them after the first attack." Sai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, turning to look out the window.

"That's strange behavior given the conditions."

"What's more unusual is that our guys reported someone they didn't recognize showing up, killing Ayashi, and shooting them."

"An uninvolved party?" Sai looked back curiously at Naoki. He nodded.

"I didn't see him, but Gin said he looked about the same age as the other Blade Children." Sai nodded thoughtfully.

"I see…" He fell silent for a few moments, contemplating the information. "You said it was just the three, yes? What about the sporty girl? Wasn't she with them?" Sai asked finally. Both shook their heads.

"No."

"I didn't see her if she was."

"Interesting. I may have to look into that." He fell silent again as he looked out the window once more, lost in thought. Yan and Naoki waited quietly for several minutes before Yan nudged Naoki and together they rose. Without a word Yan led Naoki out of the apartment. In mild confusion, he followed.

OOoOoOo

The sun was fully up when Naoki finally made it back to his apartment. Akito was already up and looked surprised to see his roommate when he walked in. He frowned as he noted the disgust marking the blond man's face.

"How'd it go?" He asked, handing Naoki a cup of coffee as he came into the kitchen. Naoki sighed dramatically, collapsing less than gracefully onto the nearby chair and setting the coffee on the table.

"Total waste of time!"

"What happened?" Akito sat down opposite him.

"Yan wouldn't let us fight! We had everyone there and then she wouldn't let us engage. Sure, we fought, but she wouldn't let us go all out and actually try to finish off the Blade Children. In the end we didn't eliminate any of them!"

"Oh, I see." Akito said thoughtfully, looking down at his own cup. Naoki glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his head lolled back.

"Why am I even talking to you about this? The way you've been lately you're probably glad we didn't get any of them." Akito smiled wanly.

"That's not necessarily true." Naoki raised an eyebrow.

"So you'd rather we did get some of them?" Akito sighed, running his thumb along the rim of his cup.

"I honestly don't know, Naoki…" The older man sighed.

"It doesn't matter." He sat up, resting his arms on the tabletop and turning to face Akito. "I am curious, though. What are you're thoughts on all this as things stand now?" Akito shook his head.

"I don't know." Naoki to a sip of his coffee.

"Alright, what DO you know, then?" His voice was calm, his eyes mellow as he watched his brother. Akito didn't answer promptly.

"I guess I know that while I don't know if the Blade Children should be eliminated or not, I don't want to be the one to do it."

"Not at all?" Akito shook his head. Naoki looked down thoughtfully. "That doesn't really leave you much home to be had with the "Hunters", then." Akito nodded. "Well," Naoki reclined back in the chair, hooking his arm over the back and looking up at the ceiling. "I suppose you could always be a "Hunter" like Sai. He doesn't necessarily dirty his own hands. He just directs. Do you think something like that would work for you?" He glanced at Akito, receiving an evasion of eye contact and a slumped posture from his companion. Naoki frowned, sitting forward again. "So you're not even sure if you want to be with the "Hunters" at all anymore, huh?" Slowly Akito nodded, still avoiding eye contact. Naoki looked down as well, watching his muted reflection in the dark liquid filling his cup. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence Naoki rose to his feet, bracing his hands on the tabletop. "Well, that's something only you are going to be able to figure out. Just think carefully about it and let me know what you decide." He moved and placed his cup in the sink. "I'm going to bed." He gave a dismissive wave as he left the kitchen, leaving Akito sitting alone once more.

OOoOoOo

Sai barely registered that Naoki and Yan had left and it was some time before he realized that he was alone in the apartment. Looking around at the empty space, he smiled to himself as he thought about his two faithful subordinates. Naoki and Yan couldn't be more different from one another, yet they were invaluable to his efforts and worked well as a team. He knew that the dislike came more from Naoki, which only made him appreciate the man that much more for his willingness to do whatever he needed to in order to carry out his orders.

He turned his attention back to the window, the news he had been given still troubling him. Why weren't all of the Blade Children together? He'd observed their movements and it didn't seem that many of the children moved on their own. To have all but one present at the time of the attack was odd.

"Where could she be?" He mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Rising to his feet, he moved away from the window and over to a small desk with a computer. Switching it on, he quickly input his administrative credentials and accessed the records for all students at Tsukiomi academy, searching out his missing Blade Child and scanning her information.

"She's been out for a week?" He spoke aloud, his voice heavy with surprise. "Why?" He scrolled through the remaining information, but found nothing helpful. Disappointed, he closed out of the administrative access and turned the computer off. Something didn't feel right.

He laced his fingers in front of his mouth.

The school only had on record that she was out sick. It didn't give a diagnosis or even a doctor's note telling why she was gone. The whole thing reeked of "Watcher" involvement. Sai frowned and rose to his feet.

"Guess it's time I found out." Turning his back on the computer, he retrieved his coat and left his apartment.