Disclaimer: Characters are all property of the company that made them. Which aint me. Erm.. and pls dun set pple on fire like Robin-chan…it really hurts ^__^
Prologue
Tokyo was quiet that night. That was the way he liked it, not that he had been to the city before. He just enjoyed quiet nights like this. He had just gotten off an airplane from Italy, a full 22 hour flight, and he was tired. He wouldn't be able to stand the noise of a bustling city like this one for long. The man reached into his pocket, his gloved hand taking out a dog-eared card. The writing on it was in English, and it showed where he was to stay and carry out his work.
"Shouldn't waste time standing here then," he whispered, his voice deep. He looked around for a taxi on the quiet road, finally flagged one down and got in. The man showed the taxi driver the card.
"You from out of town?" the driver asked, attempting to be friendly on such late a night.
The man said nothing and simply nodded.
"For a vacation? Tokyo has a lot of nice spots around, lots of nice people, you'll like it here," the taxi driver continued.
The silent man looked at the rear-view mirror, and then smiled. "I'm here for pleasure, and work. Heard that hunting's good here," he replied.
"You like to hunt?"
The man's grin became wider.
"Yes, I love to hunt."
The taxi travelled on, dust and leaves left in its wake.
Chapter One
a new trust
"Another day, another witch caught, another one we have to find," Sakaki gave a yawn as he entered STN-J's main office. The clock showed ten o'clock in the morning.
"And good morning to you too Sakaki-san," Michael greeted, though his eyes never left his monitor screen. His fingers were moving rapidly across multiple terminals and data continuously flashed across the screen. "Something's happening today," he said, "You guys should be interested."
Sakaki collapsed into his chair and wheeled around to face Michael. "What's it about?" he asked. Karasuma and Doujima swivelled towards the hacker too.
"If it's about another witch, don't utter a word about it," Doujima said, seemingly interested.
"Don't worry, it isn't a witch. More like a Hunter," Michael replied, "Apparently Solomon is sending another Hunter over from Italy."
Everybody sat up in their seats instantly.
"Eh?? Another Hunter? Why weren't we told?" Karasuma asked immediately.
"That's because you're going to be told now," came a voice behind her.
"Chief!" they cried out in unison.
"If you all would listen to me, thank you," Chief Kosaka said, looking rather pleased with himself, "We are currently being swamped by the number of witches needed to be caught, so HQ has decided to send down one of their Hunters to help us." The bald man checked his watch, "The guy should be here either today or tomorrow. We don't have a name yet, nor any details about him. Solomon will be sending his file over later. But he has our number and will call when needed, we're told. So you people had better make him feel welcome!" He looked across the room. "By the way, where's Amon and Robin-chan?" he asked.
"Most probably at Harry's, having breakfast. They were at a stakeout all night," Doujima volunteered.
"Hmm… fine. Michael, fill them in later. Now back to work, all of you!" the Chief shouted.
Harry's was quiet today, Robin thought. Only one customer other than Amon and herself was having breakfast. Her musings were interrupted when a small white cup was placed in front of her.
"Here's your espresso Robin-chan," the Master said.
"Thank you," Robin replied.
"You're welcome," he said, "had a long night yesterday?"
Robin nodded, "I slept about 2 hours yesterday," she said, "I don't think Amon slept at all." She turned towards the stoic-faced Hunter. Amon kept sipping his coffee and said nothing.
Robin gave a small smile and turned back to the Master. "So, don't you ever get worried about such slow business?" she asked.
The man laughed. "Thanks for worrying for me Robin-chan, but I don't really mind if business is slow. As long as customers like you come around, I'm happy." Robin beamed at that. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get your breakfasts," the Master said and left towards the kitchen.
"Where to now, Amon?" Robin asked. They were in the car after just having breakfast.
"Back to the office. I need to ask Michael something and you need some rest," Amon replied before putting the car into gear.
Robin's cheeks blushed a bit at that statement. Amon was actually being concerned about her? That did not happen very often, she thought as the car sped along the highway towards STN-J. The trip was uneventful but as the car was entering the building's parking lot, she suddenly felt a strong presence near her. Through a corner of her eye she saw a dark figure standing across the road. She turned her head quickly to try to confirm it but the gate to the lot had already closed. When the car stopped, she immediately opened the door and ran out towards the entrance.
"Robin?" Amon called out after her.
"Go on without me!" she shouted back, body disappearing up the stairs. She ran past the doorman, who was reading a magazine as usual, and stared at the road across her. There was nobody there.
"Robin-chan?" the doorman asked, puzzled.
"Erm, it's nothing, really," the girl hastily replied and hurried into the lift. She was certain she felt something and that there was someone there. Her hand touched her forehead. She must really be tired, she thought, seeing things all over the place. Then, the lift doors opened and she arrived at the office. She walked into the room distractedly before noticing her name being called.
"Robin… Robin!" said Doujima, standing in front of the young Hunter.
"Ah… Doujima-san," Robin greeted, snapping out of her reverie.
"Ne, Robin. Did you know? We're getting a new Hunter soon!" Doujima told her excitedly.
Interested now, Robin leaned in closer to her. "Eh? A new one? Who told you that?"
"The Chief," said Amon, appearing next to Doujima. "But we can't do anything about him without any files so we'll not care about him for now," he continued, "And what happened just now, when you suddenly ran out of the car?"
"Most people would, after a night in the same car as you," Doujima offered cheekily. Amon ignored her and kept his gaze on Robin.
"Er… It was nothing really. I thought I saw someone across the road," Robin answered, deciding to tell the truth to her leader. "Was my mistake."
Amon looked at her for a while longer before walking towards the lift doors. "Rest here for a couple of hours. I need to check something on our case. I'll be back soon," the man said before the doors closed.
Robin let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She rubbed her temples a bit as she went to her terminal.
"Really, I don't know how you can take that man!" Doujima was complaining behind her, "He's utterly boring, and rude and —."
"Douujima-kun! Could you get me some tea please?" interrupted the Chief from behind his desk. Robin and Karasuma smiled at each other as Doujima let out a loud sigh before going about her task.
"So how was the night?" Karasuma asked.
"Nothing much. Didn't see him at all yesterday." Robin said, swivelling in her chair.
"Yoroshimu Keichii, age 32, suspected of a murder three days ago," Michael added from his terminal. "Amon just asked me to check the nightclubs he used to frequent. It seems that this guy is quite the party animal. In fact," Michael took a sip from his coffee mug, "Amon went to ask around clubs around the previous location too." He turned around towards Robin, only to find Karasuma looking at him with a finger to her lips. Robin's head was on the table, fast asleep.
The place was covered in a purplish, bluish hue. Swirls of yellow covered the sky, if it was the sky. Robin had no idea what was happening or where she was for that matter. Suddenly, the whole world turned red and orange and angry flames burst from the ground, surrounding the girl. It was scalding hot, too hot for her to take! She felt herself weakening, she didn't have the strength to use her Craft, she didn't even have the strength to move. She was helpless. Then, from outside the flames, a gloved hand pushed through the fire and reached out towards her. Robin could only make out a dark shadow behind the inferno.
"Take my hand, Robin," a male voice said, its tone strong and urgent. Robin reached out a shaky arm, using the reserves of her strength to grab the extended hand.
"Hurry Robin! There's no time!" the voice urged on. The girl strained towards it.
"Now!" the voice shouted. Robin gave a loud cry and caught the arm. She was pulled through the fiery circle and pressed close into her saviour's embrace. Robin took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. She didn't attempt to break the embrace, she felt safe here. There could be only one person who would do this for her.
"Amon?" the girl asked, lifting her eyes to the man's face.
The man looked down and smiled. Funny, Robin thought, those weren't Amon's eyes.
"Robin… Robin!" an urgent voice said, followed by several hard shakes. Robin opened her eyes sleepily and looked around. The familiar surroundings of STNJ greeted her, as did Sakaki's face.
"Sakaki?" she said, still not quite awake, "What's going on?" It was then she noticed Karasuma in her Hunter's coat standing next to the lift, checking her Orbo pistol. Sakaki was similarly dressed.
"Get ready Robin. We just received a call from Amon. He was asking about Yoroshimu at a nightclub at the south-east side of the city when who should appear but the man himself. Amon's following Yoroshimu now, so we'd better hurry," Sakaki said, picking up his pistol and walking towards the lift. Robin nodded in acknowledgement, rubbed her eyes and hurriedly went to join them.
The man was standing next to a convenience store with a broken sign, his finger to his ear. The man's eyes were closed and he looked as if he was thinking deeply about something. Then, the finger came down and his eyes opened. From the whispered chatter on the radio band, the prey was at the south-eastern side, nearby his location. Perfect. He slipped his communication radio into his coat pocket and walked down the street, disappearing into the darkness.
Amon was worried. The others were too slow! According to Michael, this witch had a strong ability to pick up objects with his mind and throw them. He might not be able to stop the man by himself. He was asking at the Pineapple Club when he spotted Yoroshimu. From there, he tailed the guy all the way to an empty street. What was he to do now? Suddenly Yoroshimu stopped. Amon tried to find a spot to hide behind but the street was open and he knew he was found out. The witch turned around, a sneer on his face.
"I've heard about people like you," Yoroshimu said, "Hunters they call you. Hunt witches. I don't like that, I don't like that at all."
Amon said nothing but took out his pistol and aimed it at the witch, finger to the trigger.
"I don't like you people at all," the witch continued, "In fact, I don't like YOU at all!" With that, a huge force surrounded the man and a nearby trash can floated and hurtled towards Amon. The Hunter dodged to the side just as the can reached him and fired off a shot that went wide. A lamppost next to Yoroshimu was plucked out of its cement spot and flung towards the gunman. Amon barely rolled away, cement debris smashing the place he was just in. Amon lifted his gun to fire at the witch but a flying plant pot rammed into his hand, knocking the man onto the ground, the pistol skating far away.
"Damn it!" cursed Amon, holding his hand gingerly and staring at the enemy. Suddenly, a gun fired from behind him. A green bullet zipped past his head towards Yoroshimu. However, the shot missed the witch's body by inches. Yoroshimu, seeing that reinforcements were coming, sprinted away from them, turning left at a corner.
"Amon!" shouted Karasuma as she neared him, "You okay there?"
"Yeah," Amon gasped, "Just chase him, hurry!"
"Understood! Sakaki!" Karasuma ordered.
"Gotcha!" Sakaki exclaimed as he ran past them, hot on the witch's tail. He turned the corner only to see the man switch streets at another intersection. "Shit! Robin!" Sakaki called in his earpiece, "The guy's running down Rosewood Street, straight into your path! Get him!"
"Acknowledged," the girl's voice answered.
The man brushed his coat. He didn't want to get it dirty, dry-cleaning would not be cheap. Just then, he felt a force emanating from nearby.
"Finally," he whispered. He had to make a good first impression, always helped to do that before starting work. He moved down another street.
Robin ran down her end of the street. It should be this intersection, she thought as she put on her spectacles. She pressed herself to a wall. She could hear quick footsteps nearing her. She took a deep breath. "One, two, go!" she cried out as she stepped into path... of a scavenging cat! She was taken aback and lost her balance but as she tried to steady herself, she saw Yoroshimu right behind the cat. Her eyes flared and she aimed her flame at the witch but the cat suddenly decided to screech, startling Robin. Her flame missed and ignited a nearby bush. Yoroshimu halted in his tracks at the sight and with his force, threw a wooden box at the Hunter. Robin gasped in pain, the box breaking into pieces after smashing into her right shoulder. She fell onto the floor, grabbing her injured arm.
"I hate all of you!" Yoroshimu was shouting now, "I hate all of you! I'll kill you all! Kill you all!" He let his force flow again, this time picking up a large cement block, ready to end Robin's life. Robin wanted to retaliate but the pain in her shoulder kept her from focusing her energy.
"Die!" the witch shouted.
"Now now," came a voice behind her, "That's no way to treat a lady."
Robin looked behind her and saw a man in a dark coat, roughly seven feet in height. He had short hair and was walking towards the witch. She noticed the man was wearing black leather boots. The man stopped several feet in front of Robin, as if shielding her from the attacker.
"Now, how about you give yourself up and apologize to the young lady as a gentleman would," the stranger asked amiably.
Yoroshimu laughed hysterically and the cement block moved to face the arrival. "You're crazy! I'll kill you too! I'll kill every one of you!"
The man sighed and took his left hand out of the coat pocket. It was clad in a black velvet glove. "Up to you I guess. I don't really treat kindly to non-gentlemen if you must know," the man warned as the gloved hand stretched out, palm open, fingers extended, towards the witch.
"Kill you! I'll kill you!" Yoroshimu screamed. The cement block hurtled towards the stranger, propelled by the immense force the witch was using. The gloved man smiled and his left hand caught fire. Purple flames engulfed the entire glove, the tongues of fire licking his hand without him experiencing pain or even discomfort. Then, a huge geyser of fire flew out of the hand towards the block. Robin could feel the heat emerging from that ignition of flames. The block collided with the fire and was subsequently vaporised into dust.
"And now, I recall giving you a chance before all that. You rejected it, so I'm afraid you must now die," the man said, his voice now cold and dangerous. His fiery hand had not moved and was still aimed at the witch. Yoroshimu was frightened now. He could not fight this man. He was not his match. He wanted so much to run away but he couldn't move! He couldn't stop looking at the man's eyes! The blood-red eyes of the fire-demon kept his body from responding!
"Why do you do this?" the witch cried out in a quavering voice, "You don't control us! You are not Gods!"
The gloved man's eyes narrowed and his smile grew larger. "That's where you're wrong," he said softly and another spray of fire gushed out from the hand and engulfed Yoroshimu. The witch didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to ashes, a black mark covering the spot he was standing on.
The man lowered his arm then, the flames vanishing as if they were never there. He turned towards the kneeling girl and reached out his hand at her. "Are you okay miss? Looks like a hard knock there," he asked. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Asriel Lucindus and it seems I'm your knight in shining, well, mildly-shining armour this evening. Here," he offered, "let me help you up. Take my hand."
Robin looked at the black glove, then at the face of her saviour. His face was smooth and unmarked, with a warm smile and soulful green eyes like hers. The moonlight shined onto them and she felt as if he could understand her every emotion. She felt something stir deep in her heart, something she couldn't describe. Most importantly, she felt safe near him.
She took his hand.