It was cold. No, don't look at me like that. It was cold. Very cold. As in I-am-freezing-my-rear-end-off cold. Shivering, I pulled my trench coat more tightly around me. Before me I could see my breath misting into a fine cloud.
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I was in hiding.
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone
This turn of events just turned my life upside-down. It took away the only thing I had. It took away my job, it took away my co-workers, it as good as took away my life.
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a…
It started with the weird coincidences. But like they say, once is coincidence. But then the 'coincidences' began turning up more frequently. A bit too frequently. Twice is accident. And the final step was taken. My craft awoke. And nearly caused the destruction of an entire square-mile of Tokyo.
I had become what I used to hunt.
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
I was a witch. Robin was a witch. We are both being hunted. You won't understand the irony in this situation. Zaizen put Robin and I together as partners. I didn't like it. And now, I had to put up with it. We were partners, no matter what. We were escaping together.
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Stupid winter. Stupid fate. Stupid craft. I hate it. Why me?
Read between the lines
What's -ed up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone
I looked to my left. Robin was huddled there against the wall, mercifully asleep. I sighed. Stupid. Everything. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Grumbling, I tried my best to stay awake.
I walk alone
I walk alone
But I was losing to sleep. My eyelids grew heavy, and my head drooped.
I walk alone
I walk a….
Soon the world went black.
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
I don't know what woke me: the gunshot or the scream. Either way, I was instantly up, grabbing Robin and dashing down the alley. I could hear footsteps behind us.
Great. Just great.
They had found us.
It was only a matter of time before they caught up; we hadn't eaten for a while now. Already I could feel my legs starting to burn, my breath shorten, and my speed falter.
A sharp gasp from Robin suddenly made me look. She was clutching her chest with her free arm, and her eyes were hard with pain. A thin ribbon of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Robin, are you alright?" I asked.
She looked at me and managed a small but pained smile.
"I'm fine," she said. "We need to find a hiding place. Quickly. Do you remember the boarded area?"
I nodded.
I walk alone
I walk a…
I woke sweating. Staying still, I waited for my heart to return to its normal rate. I looked to my left. No one. I looked to my right. No one. I was alone. As I had been for two years. And still I dreamt of it. I could still feel the cold of that night. I ran a callused hand down my face. I didn't need a mirror to know I was pale, to know I was thin, to know that I was filthy. Robin had died. No, I'm not being blunt. I'm stating a fact. She had died. And I was still being hunted.
But even the danger and caution I had developed over the years didn't shake off the memory of that night. And it didn't shake off her last words.
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
We hid in the boarded area. I stood, supporting Robin and tense to every nerve in my body. The footsteps came and went. I let out a breath of relief. As I leaned Robin against a wall, she winced in pain, but stayed silent. I held her shoulders and looked her in the eye.
"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked again.
She didn't say anything, but merely nodded. Her breaths were coming out in short gasps, her breathing shallow and distant. Her eyes, glazed with pain, were a flat aqua. For the first time in my life, my face creased with concern.
"That shot got you dead on. You can't be alright."
"I . . . I'm . . . alr-righ-ight . . ." Robin managed to gasp out.
Blood stained the front of her black dress, spreading more every moment. I bit my bottom lip in uncertainty. However, Robin put a weak hand on one of mine. She grinned meekly.
"I . . . I'm s-s-sor . . . sorry . . . I sh . . .should've . . . been . . . more ca . . . careful . . ."
"No, it's not your fault."
"Amon . . . I . . . I know . . . that . . . I'm . . . not going . . . to live . . . much longer . . . so I w . . . wanted . . . to tell . . . to tell you . . . something . . ."
"What?"
She pushed herself off the wall and into my arms. I started in surprise. Pressing herself against my chest, her voice grew softer as she slipped away.
"Amon . . . I . . . I . . . I lo . . . I love . . . y . . . you . . ."
A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she went limp.
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
It was cold. No, don't look at me like that. It was cold. Very cold. As in I-am-freezing-my-rear-end-off cold. Shivering, I pulled my trench coat more tightly around me. Before me I could see my breath misting into a fine cloud.
I was in hiding.
And I was missing Robin.