Finally, here is Amon's response, so to speak, to Robin's Valentine's gift. Sorry it took so long. I had the idea almost immediately after I wrote the first part, but I just couldn't seem to get it right. Hopefully you all like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own Witch Hunter Robin, I just like borrowing the characters.
Amon could feel his stomach clench when he saw the small, maroon colored package at his seat. He didn't need to read the tag on it to know it was from Robin. No one else had given anything to anyone in the office in the past, so the newest member of the team had to be the culprit. A quick look told him that Karasuma and Sakaki both had received one as well.
'Well, that's a relief. She got everyone something.'
It wasn't that he was angry. He found it kind of cute, actually, but he would never admit that to anyone. It was more that he just didn't want to give her anymore ideas than she already had. It was obvious that she had a crush on him, and while he wasn't going to do anything to stop it, he definitely didn't want to overtly encourage it. That would be dangerous. She was underage. That alone made it a problem. Add to that, Zaizen obviously had a problem with her. All the warnings the boss had given him about letting his emotions get involved, watching her and being responsible for her was proof enough of that. The man would likely have her hunted just because he felt the two of them were too close.
With this in mind, he quietly picked up the package and moved it out of his way. He wouldn't acknowledge it further at the moment - that would imply emotion or interest, which wasn't something he wanted to do. He'd look at it later and muse over Robin's actions in the privacy of his apartment when no one was around to see or say anything.
&
Everyone had gone home by the time the eldest hunter was done with his paperwork. Looking around, only Michael was left in the office - not surprising since the boy couldn't leave the building. Grabbing his coat and the little box, he got up to leave, glad that there wasn't really anyone around to say anything about him taking the gift.
"Hey, Amon. Leavin' already?" Michael asked, obviously wanting to talk by the tone in his voice.
"Yeah. Why? What's up?"
"You know, I didn't want to say anything while everyone was around..."
'Uh oh, here it comes,' Amon thought, positive that the young IT guru was going to bring up the gift thing.
"But, I thought it was cute how excited Robin seemed to be because of giving everyone something. It's been so long since I even thought about Valentine's Day, but in America, we would give all of our friends a card or something when we were little. In my high school, some club sold carnations and delivered them on Valentine's Day to raise money. I bet Robin would have loved something like that."
"She probably would," the hunter responded noncommittally, glad that the conversation wasn't going the direction he thought the teen was going to take it.
Alone in the safety of the elevator, the silent man could be caught smiling while he looked at the little box. 'Michael's right,' he thought to himself. 'She almost seemed to get happier as the day went on.' It was good to see Robin smile. She didn't do it very often, and lately it seemed she smiled less and less. He could understand, the two of them were very similar in that way. The life of a hunter tended to drain any enjoyment of life that a person had, and neither of them had ever had much of a life outside of being hunters.
It was a bit sad, though. The youngest hunter seemed to raise everyone's spirits just by her presence. It was too bad that there seldom seemed to be anything about that raised hers. Amon knew that he was at least partly to blame. He was cold and aloof to everyone, and it was obvious that she needed warmth and attention. She needed something to make her happy. His smile widened as an idea began to form.
&
"There she is!" Doujima exclaimed, noticing Robin's entrance. "Come on. Come open this!"
"What?" Robin asked, obviously confused both because of Doujima's comments and the fact that she, Michael and Sakaki seemed to have all been congregating around the young witch's desk before they turned their attention to her.
"It seems that someone left you a present," Michael began.
"And whoever it was, was good enough that even Michael didn't notice anyone coming or going that could have left it," Sakaki interrupted, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"So, are you going to open it?" Doujima gushed, obviously excited about something.
Picking up the small package, Robin looked at it curiously. "Why would someone give me a present? It's not my birthday or anything..."
Doujima giggled. "It's White Day, silly. I bet you have a secret admirer," she teased.
"Me?" Robin's confusion was clear in her voice. She didn't know anyone outside of the STN-J, really, and it seemed obvious that it wasn't Michael or Sakaki. She knew it wouldn't be Amon, so the question of who was actually quite intriguing to her.
"So, are you going to open it?" Sakaki asked,repeating Doujima's earlier question, his impatience and curiosity obvious.
Tentatively, Robin picked up the green box, turning it over in her hand before she opened it. Pulling off the lid, she gasped when she saw the contents. Slowly she pulled out the necklace with its bright green emerald pendant, her eyes going wide.
"Woah..." Sakaki whispered, awestricken.
"Who would give me this?" the young witch asked no one in particular as she put the necklace around her neck.
"Robin." The low, emotionless voice of her partner interrupted the chatter of the teenagers. "It's time to go."
Quickly the young blond gathered her things and ran after her impassive partner.
No sooner than the elevator door had closed behind the two hunters, Doujima turned on the two males sitting with her.
"So... neither of you gave her that necklace?" she chided, obviously not believing them. Both young men shook their head.
"Like either of us could afford a gem like that," replied Michael, glumly.
"I bet it was Mr. Amon," Sakaki responded, ignoring the looks of shock that came from the other two.
"Amon? Now that's a laugh!" Doujima exclaimed, trying to stifle her giggles at the thought.
"Well, who else would be able to get in here?"
"But... Amon? I'd think that's as likely as Zaizen giving her something."
The three continued laughing at the thought until the Chief arrived and started grumbling about them not working.
&
"You seem awfully cheerful today," Amon began. The two partners had been staking out some witch for a few hours at this point. The day had been busy, though uneventful. Normally by now Robin would be in a daze and half asleep, but he had to school his features to not react to her happy humming.
"Really?" the young hunter replied.
"Well, you've been humming for a while now. And you haven't fallen asleep on me yet..." her partner commented dryly, causing the girl to blush.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you."
"No bother. Just unusual, hence why I commented that you seem cheerful."
Robin fidgeted slightly, fully aware that Amon was actually having a conversation with her and not just telling her what to do. While they did occasionally have conversations about something besides work, it wasn't so often as to be called common.
"Today just started out as a good day..." she began in her whisper-like voice. The silent man covertly glanced over at the young girl. He couldn't help but admire her beauty, enhanced more by her innocent blush.
When she reached for his arm, he had to check himself to keep from jumping. "The witch..."
Amon silently cursed, wishing the moment had not been broken. He looked in the direction his partner was staring, nodding slightly.
"There he is. Michael he's on the move," the man notified their IT guy as he and Robin silently got out of his car to follow the witch.
&
Robin continued to smile throughout the rest of the day. She couldn't help it. The thought that someone would give her such a gift made her feel strangely giddy.
What no one else knew was that for the past week, Touko had been quite smug about the fact that she was was going to be doing something wonderfully fantastic with Amon that night. It didn't seem that Touko knew what that was, but every time she said something, it made the witch a bit sadder. Robin wasn't quite sure why. She knew she had a crush on Amon, but never thought of it as being such that she could be jealous. Besides that, she truly didn't think that anyone else would know. Robin also couldn't believe that Touko would be so cruel as to purposely flaunt something just to discomfort her, even if she did know Robin's true feelings for her partner. All the same, this little surprise was all the more wonderful because it helped to erase much of the loneliness and sadness that had been pervading her for the past week or so
Robin sighed happily as she lay her head on her arms, which were folded on the bar.
"Long day?" Master asked in that fatherly voice he seemed to always use with Robin.
"Yes, but it was good."
"Oh? What happened?" The bartender set the espresso mug in front of Robin before leaning on the bar top himself, regarding the girl quietly.
"Nothing, really." The young witch couldn't help but smile. "Someone gave me this, though, and I haven't been able to stop smiling," she replied, pulling her new pendant out to show her friend. Kobari merely chuckled at her.
"Ah, so a secret admirer, eh?"
"It seems so. I haven't figured out who it was from."
He nodded sagely at his young customer before looking up to nod a greeting to Amon, who was joining them at the bar. "Have you asked him?"
Robin responded by merely blushing and ducking her head back down into her arms to hide it, causing the bartender to chuckle at her again.
"Ask me what?" Amon asked as he shook his head, declining the silent offer for a drink from Kobari.
"It looks as if our little bird has a secret admirer," was all Master said, silently prodding Robin to speak up.
"Oh?"
"Yes," Robin answered quietly as she raised her head to show Amon the jewel. "Someone left this for me on my desk this morning, but I haven't a clue as to who it could be. I'd at least like to be able to thank them."
"Ah, so that's why you've been smiling all day." Robin didn't respond, but merely ducked her head and missed the near smile that Amon didn't quite suppress. After several moments of silence between the three, Amon spoke up again. "Robin, Michael asked me to take you home tonight. The rain is getting pretty bad and he was worried about you riding home on your vespa."
"Thank you, Amon. I'd really appreciate it, but won't that interfere with your plans?" The dark man merely shook his head in response.
"Come on, then."
&
Amon watched the young fire witch enter her apartment complex before he began to pull away. He knew that Touko was angry with him for not playing her game and taking her out that evening. He also knew that the woman would instantly know where Robin's necklace had come from, provided that she saw it. That said, the reticent man was confident that she wouldn't tell Robin anything. Her own jealous streak combined with her sense of propriety would prevent it.
Touko was an intelligent woman. Why she insisted on tying herself to him, he never understood. It served him well occasionally, but most of the time it was tiresome at best. She knew that his heart wasn't hers – she likely always knew. Though he never said it aloud, and would deny it if she said anything, he suspected that Touko knew where his heart really lay.
Smirking to himself, he glanced up at the window that he knew to be their apartment. 'Good night, little bird,' he thought to himself. 'May the happiness from today stay with you.'
Catching a glimpse of what looked to be Touko gazing out the window above, he pulled out into traffic to go home, quietly humming the song that Robin had been humming earlier.
