A/N: Technically speaking, this is a crossover, as the characters I introduce here are based on the universe created by E. F. Russel. You don't need to be familiar with it, though. The events take place after the series. In the end of the final episode, the replacement hunter is seen wearing dress, but I decided to alter that moment and make him male.

Disclaimer: Horst and Karina characters are based on the concept by E. F. Russel. All other characters belong to Sunrise.

Three hundred and twenty years have passed since the coven sank in the dark. Butterflies among the stars. Death becomes life. Sentinels. Those who can hear Universe are not bound by their shells.

Munich, Germany. Six months ago.

Maybe the reason for what happened had been Horst's careless driving. Maybe it was the rain that had soaked the asphalt, making it impossible to maneuver effectively. Or maybe it had been that stupid stray dog that had decided to cross the road right in front of his car. However, it's not the reason but consequences that matter - jerk of the steering wheel, complete loss of control and a giant tree approaching him at 60 mph.

It took him several seconds to understand what had just happened. The pain was almost gone by the time he regained consciousness - just a ghost of pain, and nothing else to feel. The world in his eyes was at the very strange angle, and someone could be heard screaming in the distance. A few seconds more, and he suddenly understood it all. That he was lying on the steering wheel, that it was his car's horn screaming. And that he was dying. There was nothing he could do about it, so he simply closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow his mind. By the time an ambulance arrived, his heart had already stopped beating.

Raven's Flat. Present time.

"Lucky color, black."

A taxi stopped near the Raven's Flat to let out a european man wearing black trenchcoat. The guard eyed him warily as he approached, despite the horoscope promising a "wonderful meeting". He wasn't paid for trusting horoscopes, and the events of this year had taught him not to relax too much on the job.

"Good morning", the stranger greeted him. He had short black hair and blue eyes that seemed almost inhumanly bright. "I have an appointment with the director".

The guard didn't move, expecting the visitor to name himself. Must be the new hunter, he thought.

"Tell him the new hunter has arrived", the man said, seeing guard's hesitation.

Behind his desk, Sakaki was making himself busy by loading bullets into the clip, inspecting each one before inserting, more out of curiosity than for safety reasons. After the destruction of the Factory, STN-J was no longer capable of using Orbo, much to its members' elation. Its side effects turned out to be quite unpleasant, and none of the STN-J operatives would ever want to come anywhere near the creepy substance. As a substitution, Solomon had issued the "witch slaying" bullets once used to hunt Robin, and, as a result, their hunts became as lethal as they everywhere else in the world. Still, that was much more merciful than allowing some factory pukes to get their hands upon the poor things, Sakaki reminded himself, passing his finger over the rune. His thoughts were interrupted by someone's presence near his desk. Raising his eyes, Sakaki discovered Doujima's accusational stare.

"I've always known you're immature, but playing with your weapon like this..." She shook her head, but there was a mischievous smile hiding in the corners of her lips. It had always been there. After STN-J field team was reduced to just three of them, Doujima started acting much more determined... even responsible, it seemed. However, she still managed to keep that mischievous attitude, driving their director mad and getting away with it.

"I'm not playing!" Sakaki protested, pretending he wasn't enjoying their flirting at all. "I'm checking it to make sure it's going to work properly when my life depends on it."

She looked at him seriously, and both were silent for several seconds. The phone rang, and Hattori answered at once. Then, a burst of laughter Doujima was trying to suppress finally erupted.

"Yeah, right", she giggled, walking away, leaving Sakaki wondering why he was unable to be mad at her even when she did something like this. Probably because he liked her too much, he concluded with a sigh. He liked the way she managed to stay herself on this job, even though it was easier for her than for others. Sakaki shook his head and stood up to make himself some coffee.

He noticed Hattori explaining something to the boss. Doujima was within eavesdropping range, of course. This was one other paradox about her. Even though the man behind STN-J conspiracy, Takuma Zaizen, had been killed during the assault on the Factory, it was pretty obvious that Solomon Headquarters was going to keep an eye on them, just in case. Therefore, none of the hunters was under any illusions about Doujima's ultimate loyalty. Still, like everything else about her, the fact of her reporting to Solomon Headquarters was eventually forgiven - HQ's suspicions turned out to be quite reasonable, after all. Having received some instructions, Hattori headed towards the exit. Probably going to get some donuts, Sakaki assumed.

Taking a look at his watch, Michael decided to finish his walk in the park and get back to work. This short break had only brought sad thoughts into his mind anyway. This park somehow made him think of Robin and Amon, and how much he missed them. STN-J became his family, and he'd give anything to bring his friends back. Even his freedom. Not that he had much use for it anyway. When Director Kosaka had told him that he could leave if he chose so, Michael simply smirked and asked for a raise. Now, he didn't even have much time for breaks like these since he always had too much work to do. He was STN-J intelligence, team's eyes and ears, and lives of his friends often depended on information he had provided them with. Moving out of Raven's Flat was out of question as well, as Michael really hated just the thought of having to get up early in the morning to drag himself through the city towards the office. Therefore, little had changed in the life of Michael Lee overall.

All the more curious he was to see an unknown visitor at the entrance, talking to Hattori.

"Allow me to introduce Michael Lee, our computer expert," Hattori announced. "And this is our newly appointed hunter, Horst Kaider. He has just been transferred to us from Germany."

"Germany?" Michael asked, shaking guest's hand.

"Don't ask. Or, rather, ask the director of STN-G. Something made him think that I'd work more effectively in Japan."

"Your japanese is quite good," Michael observed in the elevator. That wasn't just a compliment - Kaider sounded even better than Robin, without any trace of accent.

"Thank you. I believe understanding can be quite a problem in our line of work even without language barrier."

Michael was still thinking about the meaning of this when the elevator finished its short trip. Then, they entered their base of operations, making everyone in the room stop their daily routine and look at the newcomer in surprise.

"Horst Kaider, welcome to STN-J!" Kosaka announced pompously.