A/N: 05/31/2024

Hey all!

By personal request of my ever faithful reader, Kitty, we are back with another chapter of Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You. I apologize that this has been so long in coming. I must admit that lack of motivation and a rather all-consuming obsession with another fandom are the main reasons for my failure to post. I will try to keep the times between chapters to under a year moving forward. I've found renewed excitement for this story, so hopefully that will result in more timely updates.

I want to offer a personal thank you to Kitty for always reviewing and supporting this work. This story has never received much traction and even less engagement from readers, but I can always count on you for a small comment to lift my mood and revive my excitement for this story. Seeing your last review a mere 21 days ago after I've failed to post in over a year really warmed my heart. So this chapter is dedicated to you, my devoted Kitty. For if your review hadn't been there, I'm not sure if I would have bothered to pick up this story again. Thank you for continuing to stand by this story and support me with your reviews. I truly cherish them and you. I hope you will continue to support me and this story in the future. Things will be picking up speed in the plot soon, so I hope you all will join me for the ride. Thanks to all my readers for your continued support. I love you! Now, onward we go into chapter 43 of "Who Knows What Fate May Hold For You."

You're ever tardy author,

Spiral of Destiny

(Off-Topic Response to Kitty's review: Honestly, I don't think they will remake the anime for Spiral. I too would love to see a manga accurate remake like they did with Fruits Basket, but sadly, I don't believe that Spiral ever held the popularity necessary to get a remake. I sure wish it would, though.)

Chapter 43: Considerations

The waxing light of early morning was slow to make its way through the shrouded windows of Sai's bedroom. The night had stretched into early morning before Sai had finally retired to his room. Sleep had been difficult in coming, but he had managed a few hours before the first light of pre-dawn once again drew him out of his turbulent slumber.

He lay comfortably on his back, his left hand resting idly over his bare chest. Everything was peaceful. To the average observer, it would look as though he was held in the embrace of quiet sleep, but the gentle flutter of his eyelids with each blink betrayed the reality. His gaze rested sedate on the ceiling. He was calmer than he had been the night before and had made peace with his part in the outcome. However, the nature of the attack still bothered him. The level of violence utilized by Makoto's "Hunters" had been wholly unnecessary. Yes, the Blade Children had been fighting back, but once they were subdued there was no reason for the "Hunter" to bludgeon the Children as he had. Sai didn't want to imagine the type of fate the teens would have met had he not stepped in when he did. It was worrying to Sai and posed the question of how he should involve himself moving forward. Should he step in to try and restrain Makoto's problematic "Hunters" based on his own moral grievances with their behavior? Or should he ignore his personal issues with their method and allow Makoto to continue as long as the victims were limited to the Blade Children? It was easy to determine what he wanted to do. It was harder to determine what he should do. Giving a heavy exhale, Sai turning his gaze away from the ceiling and attempted to allow his weary mind to find sleep once more.

The sound of screaming, eerily familiar, jolted Sai out of the half sleep he had fallen into. Bolting upright in his bed, his eyes darted frantically around the room to determine the cause of the screams as the last strands of his nightmare gave way to reality. Exhaling heavily, he dropped his head to his hand before a second cry caused him to bolt upright once more. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't a scream that had startled him this second time, but rather the chime of his phone alerting him to an incoming call. Letting out a shaky breath, he quickly grabbed the phone before the call could switch to voicemail. Giving the caller window a brief glance, he paused in surprise as the name Akito Soichi displayed itself across the screen. Now extremely curious, he quickly answered and moved the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sai." His voice sounded nervous. Sai smiled.

"Good morning, Akito. How have you been?" Resting back on his left elbow, Sai rotated his torso to look over his shoulder and turn the small digital clock into his eye line. 6:25 am. He glanced toward his phone when he heard Akito clear his throat.

"Have you seen the news this morning?" Sai's brow furrowed.

"No, I haven't." A pause followed his words.

"There were two more murders last night. Mashiro Sota and Tsubaki Ichinose. Both were beaten and they're saying it was a pretty savage killing. I recognized the names from your list." Another pause. "Sai, it… it wasn't you, right? Your "Hunters" didn't do this?"

Sai allowed himself to fall back slowly against the pillow, resting a hand over his eyes as he held the phone to his head with the other.

"No, it wasn't us." A sigh of relief was heard.

"Okay. I didn't think it was, but I just had to confirm. Being out of the loop on all this I was just…"

"It's okay, Akito." Sai said calmly, smiling lightly at the concern shown by the younger man. Rising once more, Sai abandoned the blankets still covering him and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. "Are you free this morning, Akito?" Sai questioned, earning a confused 'huh' from the other end of the call.

"Um, yeah. I don't have anything going on until later. Why?"

"Why don't we meet somewhere. I haven't seen you in a while and it would be nice to catch up. I've been worried about you and it sounds like you've been having some concerns as well." A smile could be heard in the other man's voice.

"I'd like that. Where do you want to meet?"

"Let's meet at XXXX park near O station." He glanced at the window to confirm that the rain had stopped. Only sunlight danced across the panes of his window. When he heard Akito agree, he smiled. "Alright. Give me half an hour. I'll meet you there." With that, he ended the call and rose to prepare for the day.

Akito was waiting when Sai finally arrived at the park a half hour later. He looked tired, Akito noted, but otherwise the "Hunter" leader appeared much the same as the last time he'd seen him. Akito wasn't that surprised. It had only been a few weeks since they'd been in contact. It would have surprised him more had something been dramatically different. However, the tense weight that seemed to hang on Sai's shoulders was an obvious deviation from the open strength that normally flowed through them.

"Are you okay?" Akito asked once Sai had come within conversational distance. A dismissive smile answered him.

"I'm fine. Just a late night." Akito nodded and fell into step beside Sai as the older man led them deeper into the park.

The air was crisp but clean after the overnight rain, leaving everything smelling fresh and offering a lightness to the morning. Comfortable silence persisted for several minutes before Sai spoke.

"So how have you been, Akito? I haven't heard from you and Naoki hasn't shared anything either. Are you finding your way alright?" Akito looked at the ground with a sad smile.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. I've been working a lot and doing some volunteer work to kill time. Nothing really remarkable to report." He laughed awkwardly, uncomfortable with how inconsequential his actions had been compared to the mission of the "Hunters". He cleared his throat before continuing, his tone holding a bit more sadness than it had previously. "It's not surprising that Naoki hasn't really said anything about me. He and I are no longer living together. I haven't seen him in a while actually and he doesn't seem interested in answering my texts or calls."

"Really?" Genuine surprise was clear in Sai's voice. "He never mentioned anything about that. What happened to bring this about?" Akito shrugged.

"It made the most sense. I'm not involved with the "Hunters" anymore. I made the choice to leave the fight. Naoki made sure I knew that." He mumbled the last sentence under his breath before continuing louder. "But because of that, it didn't make sense for me to stay with him anymore. It made things more complicated for him to operate as a "Hunter" and I know having me around just made him angry. I guess I really let him down a lot more than I thought I would." Akito fell silent. Sai placed a warm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad about the decision you made. You needed to do what was right for you. Not what pleased Naoki the most. Don't let his anger make you doubt your decision." Akito smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks. I know you're right. It just gets hard sometimes. I worry about everyone and it gets really lonely." Sai nodded, giving Akito's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Don't feel like you need to isolate yourself. Just because you aren't a part of the "Hunters" anymore doesn't mean that you are forbidden from contacting anyone within the group. Naoki may need some space for now, but don't ever feel like you can't reach out to me. I'll always be happy to make time for you." Akito's smile warmed.

"Thanks, Sai. I appreciate that." The two men had paused by a fountain during their conversation and now began walking once more.

"That does bring up a point of concern for me, though." Sai said thoughtfully after a few moments. Akito looked up at him curiously.

"What?"

"You said that you and Naoki aren't roommates anymore. Where are you living, then? It can't be easy finding an apartment on such short notice."

"Yeah… I'm kind of living out of hotels at the moment, actually." Sai's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hotels? Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you find a temporary arrangement until you found an apartment." The concern in Sai's voice made Akito frown.

"It's okay. I didn't want to be a bother to you. I didn't really have the right to ask anything of you anyway. Not after I abandoned everyone." He rubbed the back of his head, speaking through an uneasy laugh. Sai frowned, stopping and forcing Akito to do the same.

"Don't be foolish. You know that no one would shame you for asking for help." Akito nodded.

"I know." Starting to walk again, Sai continued.

"Now, do you need somewhere to stay until you find an apartment?" Akito shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. I actually found somewhere to stay yesterday. I'll have roommates, but the rent is cheap and it's close to where I work. I'm actually going to be moving my stuff over later today." Sai nodded.

"Alright. Just as long as you've found somewhere safe." Akito smiled.

"I have. You don't have to worry about me." Sai chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind."

The two fell into silence as they continued to walk around the park. The wind had picked up slightly, but the day was slowly warming with the advent of the sun. After several minutes of silence, Sai paused by an empty bench and looked thoughtfully at the ground.

"Could I make a selfish request, Akito?" The words surprised the younger man, but he was quick to nod.

"Of course. What is it?" Sai averted his gaze from the ground to the sky, once again revealing his weariness, along with a surprising amount of irritation, plainly to Akito.

"I'd like to ask for your thoughts on what you mentioned this morning."

"You mean the killings?" Akito's brow furrowed. "What about them? It wasn't you guys, so it was obviously Makoto's group." Sai nodded in agreement, his jaw setting unconsciously. Sensing the gravity of the conversation to come, Akito placed his hand on Sai's arm and guided him to sit on the nearby bench. "What's going on, Sai?" Sai let out a heavy exhale, a humorless smile clouding his features as he looked up at the sky.

"What indeed?" His tone showed more frustration than Akito had ever seen from the normally reserved and composed "Hunter" leader. "Everything has gotten so out of hand since Makoto's inserted himself into this fight. The Blade Children are being eliminated, which I realize is the goal. But the way it's happening is so brazen and violent that I just can't make peace with it. On top of that Makoto's actions are too public and are getting the police involved, which ties my hands for being able to make any move." He lowered his gaze to meet Akito's own searching one. His voice remained calm. "I was there last night." His words were so calm and dismissively stated, that Akito wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"What?" Sai looked again at the sky, his eyes narrowing now.

"I was there last night. I watched those Blade Children be attacked. And I was the only reason that those '"Hunters"'" Akito's surprise increased at the strange emphasis Sai placed on the word "Hunters", "didn't bludgeoned those kids beyond recognition." He paused for a moment, leaving Akito with a silence he had no idea how to fill. He was saved from having to as Sai continued.

"I watched it happen… and I got involved." Akito swallowed hard, struggling to make sense of the situation.

"Why were you there? What happened?" He asked finally. A bitter smile played onto Sai's lips.

"It was pure chance. I saw a bad situation starting and tried to intervene." His hands clenched in his lap as his eyes narrowed. His voice remained calm. "I didn't even know they were Blade Children at first. When I realized, I wasn't going to get involved. But that man…" He paused, taking a deep, closed-mouth breath before continuing. Akito could tell he was angry. "He took things too far. He caught and subdued them, but instead of ending it he just kept beating them. He was trying to draw it out as long as possible. He wanted them to suffer." Akito looked away, swallowing hard at the mental image the story brought into his mind. "So I stepped in." His eyes shot back to Sai. He was looking at the sky again. "I held him at gunpoint and gave him two options. Finish things now, or I shoot him and then I'd finish things."

"You were going to shoot him?" Akito asked incredulous."

"If it came to that, yes."

"So did it?" Sai shook his head.

"No. He did as I asked and ended things quickly. I'm still not happy with the method, but at least it was quick." Akito shook his head in disbelief, thinking back to the details of the news report.

"What kind of person would do something like that?" Sai turned his head to look at Akito.

"Someone Makoto is pleased to have on his team. From what I've learned, there are more than a few "Hunters" under Makoto's command that would happily behave in a similar manner." Sai exhaled heavily, running a hand over his forehead with his fingertips on either side of his temple. "It's all so unnecessary. Why does it have to be a slaughter for them? The Blade Children don't deserve that."

"Sai, I…" Sai held his hand up, silencing Akito with the action and soft smile.

Both men fell silent at this point. Sai's voice had been calm and steady throughout the entire explanation, but Akito's mind was reeling. He wasn't bothered by Sai's involvement in the attack. In truth he believed Sai had made the correct choice given the circumstances. What chilled his blood was the description Sai gave of the killings themselves and of the "Hunter" that perpetrated them. Shaking his head firmly, Akito pressed his palms against his eyes, resting his elbows on his knees and slumping forward to accommodate the position.

"What is wrong with the people in Makoto's group?" He asked finally. A chuckle pulled his attention back to Sai. The older man was shaking his own head, staring with a wan smile out into the park.

"I have no idea. The "Hunters" never used to be like this."

"So what are you going to do? I mean, we can't just leave people like that out on the street. What if they hurt someone who's not involved? You need to stop this, Sai. This is insane."

"I don't disagree with you, Akito. But what would you have me do? What would you do?" The question took Akito by surprise. Sai smiled morosely at him, repeating the question. "What would you do? Would you confront Makoto? Take him out? He has ties in the police, so they can't be relied on to arrest him or halt his actions. The only way to effectively stop Makoto is to kill him. Could you do that? Better yet, should you do that? Yes, his methods are barbaric, but he is still accomplishing the goal of the "Hunters" and thus far has not involved outsiders. So do you stop him just because your values are different from his?"

"But what if he does hurt someone who isn't involved?"

"Indeed, what 'if'? He hasn't done anything yet. None of his "Hunters" have. I've looked into the types of men Makoto is employing and many of them have violent criminal records. It helps to explain their methods of killing, but so far they've held to the rules established by the "Hunters". Can I, as a fellow "Hunter" say that they can't act simply because I don't agree with their methods. Everything the "Hunters" are doing is wrong. It may be necessary to protect the population from the threat of the Blade Children, but it doesn't change the fact that the "Hunters" are no better than any other serial killers. That includes myself and everyone else in our group. We're all complicit. We can't claim the moral high ground in any of this."

Akito looked down at the ground ashamed.

"I see why this is such a big problem for you. I want to be biased and say that Makoto's "Hunters" need to be stopped, but at the same time I can see why you're hands are tied on the matter. I don't like Makoto, and his actions are going to jeopardize the entire fight against the Blade Children because of how public he's making it, but he's technically just doing his job as a "Hunter"." He turned his eyes to Sai. "I'm sorry, Sai. I don't know what to tell you." Sai's smile warmed as he placed his hand on Akito's shoulder once more.

"It's alright. I didn't expect you to. You don't have a stake in this fight anymore, and even if you did, it wouldn't be your responsibility to answer something like this." Akito's frowned deepened. After a moment, his eyes brightened as a though came to him.

"You know what? I may not have a say in this game anymore, but I recently met someone who is still involved. She's not a "Hunter", but she is involved. She might be able to offer some advice on this whole situation. I can't guarantee it, but she'll probably be able to offer more help than I can; at least in regards to dealing with Makoto." Rummaging in his coat pocket, he withdrew his phone and a scrap of paper before quickly locating and jotting down a number on the paper. "Sorry, I don't mean to pass off your problem to someone else." He said, offering the paper to Sai. The older man's eyes widened slightly as he read the number before he smiled and accepted.

"There's no need for you to apologize. You're willingness to listen has been more than enough."

"I can always do that much for you, Sai. Even if talking to this lady does help, you can always give me a call. I'm more than willing to talk things through with you if you ever need it." Sai smiled.

"Thank you." Rising to his feet, Sai looked back at Akito, who had followed his action and now stood beside him. "I've kept you long enough. You said you had some things to do this morning. Go on and do what you need to do. It was good seeing you again, Akito." Akito smiled, looking at his watch before returning his gaze to Sai and nodding.

"It was good seeing you too, Sai. Good luck. I hope you can get some answers. Take care." With a final wave, Akito turned and made his way out of the park.

Following Akito's departure, Sai continued to make his way around the park. Speaking with the younger man had helped to settle his mind and he felt more in control of his ability to handle the developing situation. Stopping at the far end of the park, he debated whether or not to head home or continue wandering around in the early morning air. The streets were quiet at this time of day and he relished in the rare peace the silence afforded him. Lightly, his fingers caressed the folded piece of paper in his pocket, coaxing a smile to his lips. While Akito had good intentions with offering an alternative contact to discuss the situation, Sai couldn't quiet agree with the idea. Pulling the paper from his pocket, his eyes once again ghosted over the familiar string of numbers.

"How on earth did he get connected with you?" Sai asked softly into the wind, shaking his head with an affectionate smile. "Although I guess I shouldn't complain." Lowering the paper to his side, he casually withdrew his cellphone from the opposite coat pocket and flipped it open. It took less than a minute for him to scroll through the phone's contact list, coming to a stop on the very same number displayed on the paper in his hand. Years had passed since he had last contacted the owner. Nearly two decades. Yet he had never been able to delete the number from his phone. To have them brought together again after all this time seemed like the work of fate. Sai's smile warmed as he looked at the name displayed on the small screen. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." Dialing, he raised the phone to his ear. "The enemy of my enemy, right?" He spoke with a chuckle, starting to walk again as he heard the line connect.

OOoOoOo

Rage was probably the best way to describe the emotions Kirie was feeling as she sat watching the news coverage of the latest Blade Children killings. She was sat at the small dining table in her one bedroom apartment, watching the news while having a small breakfast. She had hardly been paying attention until the names of two known Blade Children crossed the lips of the news anchor. Her eyes had shot to the screen, listening with increasing anger as the state of the victims was revealed. She cursed heavily under her breath.

It wasn't surprising that more Blade Children had been killed. In the past weeks she had come to expect that outcome. But the way the bodies had been treated was what shocked and angered her. It was so unnecessary. It was true that more barbaric methods would have been needed given the inability to use a gun in such a public location, but nothing like what she was hearing was necessary. A quick stabbing would have sufficed.

Rising from the table, her breakfast forgotten, Kirie headed to the bedroom, dressing quickly and retrieving her cell phone. She had already typed a message before her mind caught up to what her hand was doing and she froze. Her thumb hovered over the send button as her eyes traced the contents of the message and the recipient she had intended it for.

Are you alright?

Her gaze flitted to the recipient name and the words Eyes Rutherford stared back at her. Quickly she deleted the message and tossed her phone onto the bed.

"I'm a "Watcher"." She chastised herself, slumping down on the edge of the bed and burying her face in her hands. Her hands shook in frustration. She wanted to do something; hit something. Hurt someone for treating another human life like that. Blade Child or not, no one deserved to die that way as far as she was concerned.

"What is Ikari doing?" Standing quickly, Kirie stormed over to the bedroom window, glaring out at nothing on the street below. She knew her anger was misplaced, but she didn't try to quell it. The situation was too aggravating. There was no way Ikari could have done anything. It had been less than a day since the woman had said she would be getting more involved. There hadn't been time to arrange anything, let alone take steps to prevent what had happened the night before. Kirie let a slow exhale escape, closing her eyes with equal slowness.

"Okay, calm down." Softly spoken words entered the air as she turned away from the window and returned to the bed. Retrieving her discarded phone, she dialed and waited impatiently for the line to connect.

"Miss Tsuchiya. Good morning." Sadness and frustration mingled in the voice.

"Good morning." The pleasantry was forced. "I assume you've seen the news?"

"Indeed. I'm watching it now." Disgust marked her words. Kirie's tone mirrored the emotion.

"What happened?"

"The "Hunters" moved quicker than we anticipated. With there having been so many attacks recently, the "Savers" never expected such foolishness or violence this soon again." Kirie nodded.

"So what now? Is your group planning to do anything about this?"

"Don't you worry yourself with any of that, dear. This has nothing to do with the "Watchers". Ikari placated.

"I know that." Kirie snapped quickly. She paused a moment, looking at the ground thoughtfully. "But I still would like to stay informed about what's going on." A smile could be heard in Ikari's words.

"I know you would, dear." A several second pause followed. Kirie was about to end the call when Ikari spoke again. "Why don't we meet this morning, if you've got the time? It sounds like you'd benefit from further discussion on this matter."

"I have the time." Kirie answered, careful to keep from answering too quickly. She needed to work through all that was happening and Ikari seemed like the ideal person to consult on the matter. Getting the address of a local cafe, Kirie ended the call and quickly made herself ready for the day.

OOoOoOo

Ending the call with Kirie, Ikari reclined back wearily in her chair. The news still displayed the details of the murder on repeat and she eyed the television with disapproval.

"So much trouble." Exasperation colored her words as she lightly ran her hand back and forth over her forehead a few times, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair to support it. Behind her, Ira and Hitoshi watched silently from their vantage at the small table across the room. The two young men cast quick glances at one another before returning their attention to their mother once more.

"What do you want to do?" Ira was the first to speak. Ikari cast a warm, yet weary, smile over her shoulder at her eldest child.

"I'm not sure yet. We need to get things moving before there aren't any Blade Children left." A finger was placed thoughtfully against her chin. "But what is the best way to go about it?

"Can we even act with all of the publicity the "Hunters" are bringing to the Blade Children?" Hitoshi's quiet voice broke Ikari's musings. "If we get involved now the police could try to incriminate us as being involved with the murders." Ikari nodded slowly in agreement. Ira looked briefly at his brother before returning his attention to Ikari.

"But we can't just do nothing. We can't get involved with the investigation into the kids that have already been eliminated, but there should be something that we can do for the ones still left alive."

"Assuming they let us." Hitoshi interjected.

"Right." Ira turned his attention back to his brother and Ikari watched with a smile as her sons continued to debate possible courses of action. Sighing lightly, she turned her attention back to the news coverage, carefully considering what to do moving forward as her eyes followed the images on the screen.

The room fell suddenly silent, save the soft notes of the television, as a sharp peal broke the air.

"It appears I'm popular today." She joked as she picked up the cellphone still resting on the arm of her chair. The soft laughter of her sons could be heard as she answered the unfamiliar number and held the phone to her ear.

OOoOoOo

"Good morning. Ikari speaking?" Sai couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at the familiar voice of a woman he had viewed as a mentor during his time with the Blade Children Project.

"Good morning, Miss Ikari. I was hoping I could borrow a bit of your time?"

"That will depend. To whom am I speaking?" Mild curiosity could be heard in her tone. Sai took a silent breath before speaking, forcing his voice to remain upbeat.

"My apologies. I wouldn't expect you to remember my voice. It has been over ten years since we last spoke. My name is Sai Ewogasa."

"Sai Ewogasa?!" Surprise and a measure of cool apprehension could be heard in her voice. "Well, I can honestly say I didn't expect to ever hear from you again."

"To be honest I never intended to contact you again." He paused, a soft smile marking his lips. "However, someone who's opinion I value suggested I reconnect with you for advice. He said he only met you recently, but he still thinks quite highly of you." A moment's pause passed.

"This person wouldn't happen to be Mr. Soichi, would it?"

"It would, yes." He could hear her nod.

"I thought as much. I had heard he worked for you. He mentioned he had left the "Hunters"? " Her tone was hard. Sai's gaze found the ground unconsciously.

"Yes, he left us some time ago."

"Well I can't say I'm disappointed to hear that." Shuffling could be heard on the other end of the line. Sai nodded.

"Neither can I." This answer seemed to surprise her, as all sound on the other line stopped for a moment before continuing. After several moments she spoke again.

"You asked to borrow some of my time. What did you need to speak to me about?"

"I was hoping to get your thoughts on the situation surrounding the Blade Children as it stands now." A soft hum of acknowledgment could be heard before she spoke again.

"What value could a "Hunter" find in discussing such topics with a "Saver"?" Sai's voice was even.

"Differing viewpoints." He heard Ikari sigh.

"This isn't really the type of conversation to have over the phone. I'm on my way out at the moment, so if you're free, why don't we meet? Then we can discuss whatever you like."

"That will be fine. Thank you." Getting the address of a local cafe, Sai ended the call and turned to leave the park.

OOoOoOo

Akito was nervous as he once again stood outside the front door of Ikari Min's apartment. He had left Sai a short while ago and had wandered a bit before forcing the courage needed to return to the apartment. Though he had told Sai his living situation was taken care of, he was still uncertain about accepting Ikari's offer. He worried that he was being pitied and that he would be a nuisance to the woman. Ultimately he had decided to return to the apartment and gauge the situation before giving an answer. That way Ikari would have time to rescind the offer if she wanted and he could get a sense of whether the previous day's offer had been said in jest or not.

Taking a deep breath, he rapped three times on the door. His knuckles had barely made contact with the door surface for the third time when the door moved away from him and Ikari stood before him. She was on the phone and appeared startled to see him standing there, but the look of surprised delight on her face made him feel less nervous and he smiled lightly at her.

Still on the phone, Ikari quickly turned away from Akito to motion with her hand at the two boys sitting at the dining table farther into the room. Mouthing something to them that Akito couldn't see, she turned back to him and gently took his arm, pulling him forward and switching places with him so that he stood in the doorway of her apartment and she now stood in the hallway. Giving his arm a gentle squeeze, she gave a quick wave to the occupants of the apartment before dashing off down the hallway.

Akito watched with confusion as Ikari vanished from sight before turning around at the sudden pressure of a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad to see you decided to come back." Ira's tone was light and approving as he guided Akito away from the door and deeper into the apartment. "I'm sorry our mother had to leave so urgently. Admittedly, your timing was a bit inopportune." Akito looked anxiously at the dark haired man.

"I'm sorry. I can leave if this is a bad time."

"Nonsense." Both males looked toward the small dining table where Hitoshi was leisurely rising to his feet. "Just because our mother is unavailable at this time does not mean that you are unwelcome here." He circled the table to approach the other occupants of the apartment. Ira nodded as his brother came up beside him.

"Agreed. Besides, you were personally invited. So you shouldn't feel uneasy about your place here." Akito gave a tentative nod.

"Okay…" Both men smiled at his obvious apprehension.

"So tell me, Soichi-san," It was Ira who once again spoke. "Have you made a decision regarding our mother's offer? You are more than welcome and our mother believes that you would find some value in staying here." Hitoshi nodded.

"From what she's told us, you seem to be searching for a new purpose now that your life with the "Hunters" has ended. You may very well be able to find that living among like-minded company." Akito crossed one arm over his body, clasping his upper arm just below the shoulder and sinking slightly into his posture.

"But I don't know that I agree with the "Savers" either." He said softly. The brothers exchanged a silent look.

"Agreeing with the "Savers" is not a requirement, Soichi-san." Ira said calmly. "In time you may move to agree with the "Savers" or you may end up aligning more with the "Watchers". You may even decide to walk away completely. That's not something you have to know now."

"All you have to know is whether you wish to stay and find out." Hitoshi added. Akito took a deep breath, looking searchingly at both men before him.

"If you'll have me, I'd honestly like to find out. I don't think I can walk away from this after everything that's happened." Both men smiled as Ira once again placed his hand on Akito's shoulder and ushered him deeper into the apartment.

"Then welcome. Let me show you where you'll be staying."

A/N:

Well, there you have it. Another chapter in the history books. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and theories on how the Hunters will move forward from here. The next chapter is already in the works, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for the next one. I've decided that trying to keep my postings to a single day once a month is silly, so I'm going to start just posting chapters as I finish them in an effort to get this story out to all of you faster. I will continue to date each chapter so it's easier to determine which chapter you were last on if I manage to get multiple out in a short amount of time. I hope you all will continue to follow this story, even with my unpredictable upload times.

On a separate note, I would love to hear from you guys. By this point there are over 30 characters in this story, most of which have become recurring roles (crazy) and only around 7 if them are canon characters. I would love to get your feedback on some of these characters. Do you like them being in the story? Do you think I should have stuck to just canon characters for the main cast? Who is your favorite character(s)? Let me know. I'd be so happy if you liked these characters that I've grown so attached to. My personal favorites are Kisame Hosagi and Shinu Hachima. I adore getting to write those two. Can't wait to hear from everyone. Have a great day!

Until next time!

Spiral of Destiny