A/N: Hey guys!
I actually managed to make it by the deadline this month. I'm super excited to share this chapter with all of you, as it is my absolute favorite chapter so far. I would really love to hear your feedback on it if you have a spare moment to drop a quick review. I always love hearing from all of you!
I need to quickly prepare you all for the possibility that I may not be able to publish a chapter for the next month or two. Shortly before this month's deadline I realized that where I was taking the story didn't work and I had to scrap nearly 30 chapters worth of plotting. But by doing that I now know how the story is going to end and can formulate a clear path to reaching it. This story is by no means near its end, but I have run out of available content to write from.
I want to be able to provide the best story possible, and in order to do that I want to have the plotting fully established for at least several chapters into the future in order to not plot hole myself or provide a substandard product to all of you because I am rushing the plotting in order to get a chapter out on time. I will be setting aside some time every night to work on plotting and will try to get things moving again as quickly as possible.
I will use my profile to keep you all up to date with what is going on in the plotting process and will give an estimated publication date for the next chapter as soon as I have a rough idea of where everything is going.
Please keep an eye out for any updates or words from me regarding this story. I will try to get things back on track as quickly as possible.
Thank you all for your understanding and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You!
See you next time!
Spiral
If Ryoko had to listen to the repetitive sound of typing for one more minute she was going to lose it. For the past week Hiroshume had been coming to stay with her every day. He even skipped school a number of times so that she wouldn't be left defenseless. Ryoko had objected to the mandatory chaperon, but had ultimately agreed in order to put Kousuke and the others at ease.
Having someone constantly around was bad enough, but the fact that he barely interacted with her and merely spent the days doing heaven knows what on his computer made it unbearable.
"Would you quit it!" She snapped finally.
"To what are you referring?" He didn't break pattern as he spoke.
"That incessant typing! I can't stand it anymore!"
"Oh, that. My answer is no." He quickly closed the lid of his laptop and pitched forward as a pillow impacted the wall behind him, narrowly missing his head. Reaching behind him, he retrieved the projectile and stood. "That was unnecessary." He placed the laptop on his chair and walked over to the bed.
"It stopped you, didn't it?" Ryoko crossed her arms in irritation as Hiroshume positioned the pillow behind her back.
"For the moment, maybe. But you know I'm going to start again as soon as I'm finished here." As he backed away Ryoko grabbed his wrist, holding him where he was. Hiroshume smirked. "You intend to hold onto me all day?"
"If I have to." Ryoko said defiantly, earning a laugh from the hacker.
"If it bothers you so much then don't listen to it."
"How can I not? It's all you do!"
"It's called distracting yourself. Read a book, do some homework. Listen to music. I've offered you my ipod a bunch of times." Ryoko looked away. Hiroshume smiled at her obstinacy. "Don't worry. You won't have to put up with me for much longer." Ryoko turned back to him with confusion.
"Why?"
"Eyes messaged me a while ago. He said that he and the others would be stopping by to see you. They should be here anytime, I'd think." Both he and Ryoko turned to look at the door, Ryoko with far more hope than her companion. While she was distracted, Hiroshume took the opportunity to pull his wrist free and step back quickly as she tried to grab him again. "Too slow." He teased as he sat back down and opened his laptop. The rhythmic sound of typing filled the room again.
"Ugh!" Ryoko exclaimed, flopping back against the pillows and covering her ears. Hiroshume just laughed, never breaking rhythm.
A half hour later Eyes and the others arrived. In the interim Hiroshume had taken to doing some research, so the periods of typing were far more infrequent. Ryoko had relished in the quiet and had begun reading to pass the time, casting Hiroshume a dirty look every time he started typing. Every time she was met with downcast eyes and an amused smirk on the face of the hacker.
She was focused on her book and didn't notice how much time had passed until she heard the click of Hiroshume's laptop closing and caught him standing in her peripheral. She looked at him curiously.
"They're here." He walked to the door, opening it to allow the others to enter, before leaving the room to get some fresh air.
"Hey Ryoko. How are you feeling?" Rio greeted, hopping up on the bed next to her. Ryoko smiled affectionately at the smaller girl.
"I'm feeling a lot better. Still sore, but I'm getting my strength back." She glared at Eyes. "Though if you don't take that hacker's computer with you when you leave I'm going to break it!" Eyes smiled.
"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better." Ryoko sighed and smiled at the performer, accepting his well-wishes.
"They said you were set to be discharged next week. Do you think you'll be feeling up to coming back to school then?" Kousuke asked, sitting down at the bottom of the bed and looking over at Ryoko. She nodded her head.
"Probably. They said I'll be discharged in the morning, but I might not feel up to sitting in class all day right after getting out of the hospital. I may just go home and sleep. I miss my own bed."
"I'm sure Hadaka will love hanging around your house all day when you go home." Kisame commented sarcastically.
"He is NOT coming with me!" The others laughed at Ryoko's response, earning a frustrated sigh from the tawny haired girl. "Anyway, I'll be fine at home. My aunt still stops by from time to time so the "Hunters" shouldn't try anything on the off chance she might be there."
"You're aunt hasn't been back in nearly two years, though. I doubt she even remembers she owns the house." Kousuke commented. Ryoko shrugged.
"It should still be enough to keep the "Hunters" away. Besides, it's a risk I'm allowed to take if I want to." The others nodded in acceptance. Ryoko placed the book on the bedside table and looked from one face to another. "So fill me in. What happened last night? Kisame and Kanone weren't very forthcoming yesterday."
"A lot actually." Rio began eagerly, more than willing to fill Ryoko in. "Here's what happened…"
Eyes and Kanone cast a glance at one another as Rio started to speak. It was nice to see the Blade Children full of energy again. The group just didn't feel right with one of their own missing. It would be good to have Ryoko back. As they watched the interaction, not a word was exchanged; just a look and a smile.
OOoOoOoOo
Makoto was less than pleased when Hibari finally showed up. Following the incident at the shipping yard Hibari had yet to initiate another attack. It didn't matter to Makoto that the man had been injured and was neither physically nor mentally unfit to set another attack in motion. What mattered was the fact that he had given Hibari a task and Hibari had failed. What's more was that since his failure Hibari hadn't bothered to check in at all.
Tatsui and Izumo stood behind Makoto as Hibari finally made his way into the room. They were there not so much for Makoto's benefit, but more because Tatsui was curious and Izumo was concerned for their newest "Hunter's" safety.
"Hello Hibari. Have a seat." Makoto gestured to a chair nearby. The dark haired man complied, his face neutral and calm. Makoto laced his fingers before his mouth, observing him.
"You wished to see me?" Hibari questioned after several minutes of silence had passed. Makoto smirked.
"Indeed I did. I would like you to tell me why it is that you have failed me?"
"In what way did I fail you?" Hibari's voice was calm, not phased by Makoto's posturing. Makoto's eyes darkened, the smile falling from his face.
"In what way?" He looked back at Tatsui as if amazed at the audacity of the statement. The younger man smirked. Makoto placed his hands slowly on the arms of the chair, tightening his grip on the edges to keep himself seated. "You failed me when you disobeyed my orders in regards to eliminating the Blade Children." His speech was restrained, the anger obvious. Hibari didn't appear phased.
"I did no such thing. Your orders were to engage the Blade Children. I did that. You told me that I could have discretion over whom I used and when I chose to attack. I'm exercising that privilege. You also told me to weaken the Blade Children. I've done that. As far as I can see you have no right to be angry with me." From behind Makoto Tatsui laughed and both the "Hunter" leader and Izumo cast him a disapproving glare that he altogether ignored.
Hibari rose to his feet, regaining Makoto's attention.
"I deeply respect your authority and your mission to eliminate the Blade Children. However I will not sit here and be chastised for following orders simply because I am not acting as swiftly as you may wish." He bowed respectfully to Makoto, who was watching him with angry reservation. Hibari met his eye when he straightened. "If you wish for me to move more quickly I can oblige, but it may draw more attention than we want from the police if we act in such a manner."
"That's something for me to be concerned about." Makoto hissed, his eyes narrowing. Hibari's expression didn't change.
"Very well. It will be as you wish, then." The three men watched in mild surprise as Hibari turned and dismissed himself, leaving them alone in the room again.
"Well he certainly told you, didn't he?" Tatsui smirked, looking down at Makoto. His brother glared back at him in irritation.
"You are dismissed as well." Tatsui laughed, shaking his head, and moved around the chair.
"You've got your hands full with him, Makoto. I guess you're lucky he's loyal." Still laughing, Tatsui exited the room. Silently Izumo followed behind.
OOoOoOo
Snow was lightly falling as Akito made his way down the street. Despite the chill in the air, he was quite enjoying the lazy snowfall and the atmosphere it provided. His movement was slow as he made his way through one of the busier sections of the city, taking time to browse the various items in the different store windows.
He was currently at a loss for things to do, which was a strange feeling for him. It was his day off and Naoki was already at work and would be away for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Normally he would have busied himself with something involved with the "Hunters", but his heart wasn't in it today. So instead he wandered the street and enjoyed the uncharacteristic October weather.
After a while his gaze fell upon a particularly pretty window display and he stopped to admire it. Behind the glass stood an array of beautiful flowers of all different kinds, colors, and varieties. Akito smiled softly as he looked at them. His attention was pulled from the colorful blooms as he saw someone walk up to the window from the inside. A young male with vivid green eyes and lighter tawny hair stood watching him. He smiled at Akito and beckoned him inside. Having been caught, Akito returned the smile and obliged the young man's invitation.
Upon entering the store he was met with the bright aroma of flowers, troughs and shelves filled with flowers of every color lining the walls and center of the shop. The young man stood near the door, his hands held loosely behind his back.
"Welcome. I couldn't help but notice you looking at our window display. Please feel free to look around." The faded blue apron the boy wore told Akito that he was an employee and he nodded his thanks as he made his way farther inside.
The shop was small, but tidy. The boy appeared to be the only one working and had gone to help an elderly couple complete their purchase once he had greeted Akito. The "Hunter" couldn't help but watch the boy as he worked. He looked to be a highschool student from what Akito could guess, but he seemed to take his job seriously and treated the customers well. He caught Akito looking at him and gave him a friendly smile. Akito looked away.
He turned his attention to a collection of blooms sitting near the back of the shop. Their blossoms were bright red and appeared to be made up of five or six smaller flowers, each with five or six long, slender extensions rising from the center of each smaller bloom. Gently, Akito withdrew one of the blossoms from their holder and looked at it.
"Lovely aren't they?" He jumped slightly at the unexpected voice so close behind him. The teen had finished with the couple and come to see if he needed any help. He chuckled lightly at the older man's surprise. "My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you. Do you know what that blossom is?" He leaned forward around Akito and pointed to the flower in his hand. Akito looked as well.
"No, I don't." The boy moved in front of him and withdrew a blossom of his own.
"It's called the Higanbana, or Red Spider Lily. It's said to symbolize loss, longing, abandonment or lost memories. They have also been known to mean death and are most often found blooming around cemeteries during the autumn months. Some even say they are a symbol of reincarnation and view them as an ominous flower." He placed the blossom back in its holder. "But personally I think they're lovely." Akito looked back at the blossom in his hand thoughtfully.
"I never knew flowers had such meaning behind them."
"Of course. All flowers have a meaning attached to them, though not all are as ominous as the red spider lily. Some flowers even vary in meaning depending on their color." The boy messed with the display as he spoke, turning the blossoms so their heads faced forward for viewing. Akito handed the blossom back to the boy, who placed it into the display with the others. He looked around at all the different flowers in the shop.
"So all of these have an individual meaning?" The boy looked back at him.
"For sure. Everything has a meaning. To lack one would only offer a superficial and hollow existence." He finished with the display and turned back to Akito. "That goes for plants and people." Akito looked down, unsettled by the teen's words. His eyes fell on a assortment of purple blossoms in front of him. They looked familiar to him and after a moment he recalled why. Sai often had a collection of the blossoms at his apartment. Akito had never cared much about flowers and so had failed to learn their name.
"What are these?" He asked, moving slightly so the teen could see around him. The boy looked for a moment before smiling.
"Those are purple irises. This particular variety are Hanashōbu, though there are multiple different irises that grow in the purple color. They're actually one of our best selling items."
"What do they mean?" The teen smiled.
"The purple iris actually has many meanings across different cultures, but the one most common here in Japan is 'the happiness of the believer'. They are a flower of death like the Higanbana, but instead of a dark meaning, the purple iris is seen as a link between heaven and earth. They are a symbol of hope to guide the dead to Heaven." The teen ran a finger gently over the delicate petal. "It's funny. The purple iris symbolizes hope, but just like hope its extremely fleeting. Once it's cut, the iris can only live for one or two days before it withers and dies." Akito looked curiously at the boy, noting the subtle sadness in his voice and eyes. He was looking sympathetically at the iris. "When you think about it that way, it almost makes it seem pointless to even bother with hope, doesn't it?" Akito looked back at the beautiful flower thoughtfully.
"The happiness of the believer, huh?" The teen looked back at him.
"Yes. It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" The smile was back on the boy's face, his former melancholy masked. Akito nodded.
"Yes it does." The teen's smile softened as he looked back at the irises. Behind them the bell on the door tinkled as the last patron left. Akito watched the boy's eyes harden.
"Honestly, I'm amused at the flowers you decided to choose today. They're rather fitting for a "Hunter", wouldn't you say?" Akito's eyes widened as the boy turned to look at him again. His green eyes were dark, the catlike nature of the pupils slicing through the vivid green iris surrounding them.
"You're a Blade Child?" He took a step back, taken off guard.
"Indeed I am. And you're a "Hunter"." The teen looked back at the flowers, tweaking the display again.
"But how…?"
"Your ring." Akito looked down at his hand. The silver ring with the "Hunters" crest still rested on his finger. He had been wearing it so long he'd all but forgotten it was there. "You really shouldn't announce your affiliation if you're trying to kill someone. It makes it too easy for your enemy to identify you." Akito frowned, clenching his fist.
"Then why identify yourself to me? It was obvious I didn't know who you were." The teen shrugged.
"Because I wanted to. It's not often that I get to talk with a "Hunter". Usually they're more interested in killing than conversation." Akito's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What would be the point of talking? I thought the Blade Children hated the "Hunters"?"
"And with good reason." Akito couldn't deny it. "But we only hate the "Hunters" because the "Hunters" hate us. If you guys would just leave us alone we wouldn't seek out trouble from you." He watched the boy warily. "And besides, I'm not in any immediate danger. It's not like you could do anything to me right now, given where we are." As if to strengthen his point he turned his back on the "Hunter" and walked closer to the front of the store to fix a display. Incredulous, Akito followed.
"I'm afraid I still don't understand."
"I wouldn't expect you to. Fate dictates that we're supposed to be enemies, so this entire situation is outside the norm. Still, that doesn't mean it can't continue. Perhaps we can learn something from one another." Akito was at a loss for words. Feeling the silence, the teen looked back at him. "I'm Shinu, by the way. And you are?"
"Ah,…Akito…" He wasn't sure how to answer or whether to answer at all, but something about the teen made things feel different from his last encounter with a Blade Child. Shinu smiled.
"Alright. Akito. What's it like being a "Hunter"?"
"Huh?"
"What's it like? I've always wondered what you're motivations were for hunting us."
"I don't understand what you're asking."
"Sure you do. I can tell you're a smart guy. It's just what it sounds like. What's the motivation for hunting us down? I know why the old blood is doing it, but you're barely older than me. So are a lot of the new "Hunters". What is the motivation for your generation of "Hunters"?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Because I'm curious."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Does it have to?" Shinu turned away from the display, having finished his task, and moved to stand behind the counter again. He motioned for Akito to come stand across from him. Tentatively Akito complied. The two stood silent for a few moments, the teen resting his folded arms on the counter while waiting for the older man to speak and Akito standing unsure about what to say. After a while Shinu spoke again. "Can I see your ring?"
"My ring?" Shinu nodded, a calm half smile on his face. He didn't appear uncomfortable with the situation at all. Still confused, Akito slipped the ring off and placed it on the counter. The teen smiled as he picked it up.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"I thought it was the case before, but now I'm certain. You guys have different rings."
"What are you talking about?"
"You "Hunters"." He handed the ring back to Akito. "Whatever group you're with uses that kind of ring. They're always the same. But there are other "Hunters" that use a more slender band and the crest isn't colored black like yours is."
"That's odd." Shinu shrugged.
"I think it's cool. It lets you guys differentiate which branch of the "Hunters" everyone is with." He turned his back on the "Hunter" once again, straightening something on the shelf behind him that had caught his attention. "It also gives us the ability to know who we're fighting." Akito looked down at the ring in his hand, tracing the slender design of the "Hunter" mark with his thumb.
"I had no idea."
"Oh?" Shinu glanced over his shoulder. "So you guys don't really communicate between the different "Hunters" then?" Akito shook his head, still looking at the ring. Shinu smirked. "Interesting." He turned back around, leaning lazily on the counter once more and looking up slightly so as to meet the taller man's gaze. "So come on. Tell me about the "Hunters". What are they like?"
"I'm not sure I can say." Shinu lolled his head to the side with a slight eye roll.
"Yeah, I guess that would be working against yourself, wouldn't it?" He straightened his head, watching Akito with calm amusement. "Well at least answer my first question, then. Telling me that much won't hurt your chances of killing us." Akito looked up from the ring, getting caught in Shinu's intent gaze. He forced himself to maintain eye contact.
"It's the same as before." He said uncertainly. "The Blade Children were a mistake and need to be eliminated before they hurt anyone."
"Hmm." Shinu rested his cheek on an upturned hand, his expression bored. "Canned lines from an overused excuse. You guys weren't even there. What are you so afraid of us for?"
"Um…"
"Are you seriously able to justify killing us simply because someone older than you said "Kill them, they could maybe be dangerous in the future. Their dad was."?" He mocked. Akito looked down, ashamed, not having an answer to give. Shinu noticed the reaction and dropped his hand from his face. "Oh come on. I'm only teasing. Man, I didn't know you "Hunters" were so sensitive."
"Sorry." Akito mumbled, lost in his own thoughts and not really paying attention to the conversation anymore. The teen watched him curiously for several minutes before leaning forward over the counter to get back in Akito's line of sight and peered up at him through the top of his eyes.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
"What?" Akito took a step back, distracted by the younger man's reaction. Shinu leaned back.
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing…" Akito wouldn't look at him, earning a frown.
"You're a terrible liar. Come on. You don't have to talk, but what have you got to lose? There's no risk involved in talking to a guy you plan on killing anyway." Akito sighed heavily, turning his gaze to the ceiling.
"Believe me, a Blade Child is the last person I need to talk to about what's on my mind."
"And that would be?" He let out a strangled laugh, looking at Shinu with a mix of irritation and defeat.
"The Blade Children." Shinu leaned back and braced his arms on the counter, stretching lightly.
"Sounds like I'm the perfect person to talk to, then." The sound of the door caught the attention of both men. Shinu looked quickly at the door and then back to Akito. "I'm going to help this woman. In the meantime you think about whether you want to share or not. I don't care either way." Having spoken, he slipped from behind the counter and walked over to the woman. Behind him Akito could hear the teen greeting the customer and offering to help. Closing his eyes in frustration, he rubbed his forehead, slipped the ring back on his finger, and retreated to the back of the store.
When Shinu had finished with the customer and seen them on their way he returned to stand behind Akito once more.
"Well you're still here. Does that mean you're going to talk?" He laced his fingers behind his back, leaning forward and peering around Akito. The taller man sighed heavily. His brow was furrowed and he ran his hand aggressively through his hair.
"Ah, I can't believe I'm telling you this, but fine." He dropped his arm from his head wearily. A small smile crossed Shinu's lips.
"Alright then."Shinu leaned against a free space on the display behind him, crossing his arms and gesturing in a sweeping motion before himself. "The floor is yours." Akito sighed again, lightly running his fingers over the slender petals of the Spider lily.
"I don't know if killing the Blade Children is right…" Shinu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Well I wasn't expecting that." Akito glanced over his shoulder at him, his entire posture defeated. Shinu straightened, placing his hands on his lower back and looking toward the front window. "Well of course I'm going to be biased and say that no, killing the Blade Children isn't right. But for the sake of argument tell me why you think it might be." His voice was neutral and light, his expression serious, but not defensive. Akito watched him in wonder.
"I don't know anymore…"
"Well, then tell me what made you think it was right in the first place. What persuaded "you" personally to become a "Hunter"?" Akito looked at the ground, thinking over the question.
"Because…Sa…er, they told me about what happened with Yaiba Mizushiro. To be honest, it was terrifying. To have someone with that much power, influence, and ability as an enemy… it's hard to imagine. And then to hear that the Blade Children are prone to the same personality switch that Mizushiro had? There are so many of you. It could spell chaos and massive amounts of death. I mean, look at you guys. Your switch hasn't even flipped yet and the "Hunters" are having a hard time killing you. You're just wired differently from the rest of us." Shinu nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true. All of the Blade Children seem to be blessed with above average intelligence and you're right that our abilities are more defined than most. But that's mostly because we've had to develop them. I'm sure that if individuals who weren't Blade Children were faced with the same situation that we are in, they would put up quite a fight as well. But I'll also concede that we probably are wired a bit differently from the rest of you and I understand why that's frightening." He looked back at Akito, placing his hands comfortably in his pockets. "But can I tell you something you may not have considered?" Akito's eyes widened in surprise.
"Uh…sure…"
"The Blade Children are just as scared as you are, and for the same reasons."
"What?"
"Think about it. Growing up you're told that you're special. You get good grades in school, excel at the things that interest you, and find yourself with a family that tells you how wonderful you are. Then, something changes. All of a sudden you're no longer being praised. Suddenly, instead of love your parents look at you with fear and uncertainty. Some are in denial and try to keep things as they were, but they draw back from you. It's not their fault. They know something you don't. They want to protect you because you're their child, but they're scared. Some try to prepare their child by hiding them away or training them to fight. Others simply pull away and some try to keep them extra close. Whatever happens, all you as a child know is that things are different and you don't know why. Then things change again. Suddenly its not just your parents. Others are afraid of you too, and these people are trying to kill you. You do everything you can to stay alive and find out why its happening. Then you do. Unknown to you, you have something special about your blood; a genetic advantage that makes you better than most people in a lot of ways. But at the same time, it makes you dangerous. You're told that your blood could turn you into a monster and destroy your personality in favor of killing. At any moment a switch could flip in your brain and you could end up changing.
Suddenly you're not special anymore. You're a mistake that should never have existed. You hear this over and over and are told to return to darkness. Everyone who knows about what you are is afraid of what you could potentially do; and honestly, you're scared of the same thing. Attacks aside, you don't want to hurt people. You don't want to become a monster. You want to exist and live a normal life like everyone else. Then you find out there are others like you. A lot of others, and upon meeting them you see that they're just as scared." Shinu paused, shrugging. "Bottom line is we don't know what's going to happen with our blood. We don't know if when we turn twenty we'll end up like Yaiba Mizushiro. Ultimately we don't know if the curse is even real or not. But we can't just wait to die because something might happen." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
"I never…" Akito couldn't finish. Shinu smiled in understanding.
"I understand where the "Hunters" are coming from. I really do. In their own way they are just trying to protect the greater population by eliminating something they see as a threat. It sucks for the Blade Children, but if I was on the other side of things I probably wouldn't be able to fault you guys for it." He chuckled lightly. "Though I think I might take more of a Watcher's position, personally." Akito was at a loss for words. Shinu turned his back on him. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but you can't look at both sides and expect to stay in this game. If you want to be a "Hunter", then focus on the reason why they fight and what they're trying to protect. If you want to sympathize with the Blade Children, then join the Savers. Or if you aren't sure what's the right action then maybe take a step back and see what happens or end your involvement entirely. Just because you're a "Hunter" now doesn't mean you've lost the right to change your mind." Akito hung his head.
"You make it sound so easy."
"That's because I'm an outsider…well…sorta." He heard Akito chuckle. "But at the very least I only have one role as an option for me. So I'm not burdened with the same decisions you are right now."
"I'm not sure that makes you lucky." Shinu shrugged dramatically.
"Who can say?" He turned so he was facing Akito again.
"So what changed that swayed your thinking about us?"
"I humanized you guys." Shinu made a disapproving expression.
"Ooh, big mistake. That's a sure fire way to break down your convictions. You have to keep seeing us as enemies if you want to be able to kill us. That's what we do with you guys." Akito shook his head in disbelief.
"You're unbelievable." Shinu tipped an invisible hat in response, a smirk on his face. Akito smiled despite himself.
"Seriously, though. There are a lot of "Hunters" that humanize and even pity the Blade Children. But they don't weaken in their conviction to eliminate us. That makes me think that either your fear, or your conviction was never that strong to begin with." Akito looked away. "Is there someone you care about that is also involved with the "Hunters"?" Akito's gaze snapped back to Shinu, his eyes wide.
"How did you…?"
"Lucky guess. Having people we admire or care for are often good reasons to do things we may not have otherwise been willing to do. So which is it?" Akito was silent.
"Both, I guess…" He said finally.
"Same person?"
"No."
"Will they care if you follow a different path than the "Hunters"?"
"I don't know." Shinu nodded.
"Well, I guess my advice would be to look at the situation without taking into account the opinions of those people and see what you come up with. Then decide whether their approval is worth going against what you personally feel is right." Akito shook his head slowly, watching Shinu.
"I'd never have imagined I'd be getting unbiased advice on this from a Blade Child." Shinu smirked.
"Well, you did ask me. I might as well be honest. Besides, one "Hunter" more or less won't make that much difference in this game, so I'm really not doing myself any disservice by helping you."
"Thanks." Shinu nodded and began walking toward the counter.
"That's about all I have to offer on the matter. I don't need or care to know your answer, so give it some thought on your own. Ultimately you're the one who's going to have to live with the decision you make." Akito smiled gratefully, watching the younger male.
"I'll be sure to do that."
"Good." Shinu settled down behind the counter again. "Will that be all for today then, sir?" Shinu teased. Akito's gaze warmed and he turned to look back at the red spider lilies.
"No. Actually I think I'd like to buy a couple of these as well." Shinu's gaze narrowed in amusement.
"Certainly."