Hello! First off, I'm surprised at how many hits I got o.o my lord... haha I hope to get more reviews though! I really do take all the advice and tips I get into consideration! My internet is sooo messed up o.O the shaw people say there's too much interference... blah! I need my internet.

This chapter was kind of a last minute bridge to the next chapter because when I looked into my plan for this, it kind of felt really rough and abrupt if I had just gone from the last chapter to the one I planned so I decided to add this on in the middle, I'm sorry if it isn't as good because I didn't really have much time to think on this one. I'm working on several other stories at the moment too... and I get confused easily so yeah.

There is a certain amount of sugar and sweetness fluff in this chapter... so beware if you don't like that kind of stuff.

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Time.

---

When it all sinks into the dark.

Some stay calm and cool; some panic and scream.

But...

All you really have is your instincts.

Instinct dictates everything you will do.

It is the random ideas that claw at the will to survive.

Sometimes, to survive, you have to do the 'wrong' thing

But to survive, in our human minds, is the 'right' thing.

Just how long can I stay within the darkness...

Before it swallows me and I lose all sense of morality?

---

By the time Amon had left for work, Robin was already gone without a trace. However, somehow, he knew she would return when the night came.

Her words kept repeating in his mind. Like a damn broken record.

What did she know? Trying to sound so superior to him. Foolish child. She was still a teenager.

It didn't seem like it though.

Robin was incredibly mature for her age. She spoke in cryptic sentences all day and even more vague into the night. Her mind was not the only thing that was older than it was supposed to be. Her body was more developed than a fifteen-sixteen year old girl's body should've been. Fascinating curves and soft facial features with even more gentle angles lining her face. Her eyes, however, were the most mystifying. Full of constantly flickering life.

Like a firefly.

Amon shook himself out of his trance. Why did he keep finding himself being absorbed into her eyes?

They were simply green.

Well, more of a tranquil emerald.

Which is also a form of green; nothing-special, mediocre green.

"Hey, she's here again. And she's asking for you again." His flamboyant boss pointed across the room towards Touko's messenger.

Nodding curtly, the tall, dark man strode over and pulled out a notepad. "What can I get you?"

"Here." Sliding a white envelope at him, she stood up and walked out. Oddly, he found himself not so eager to open the message and read it as an unsettling flip happened in his stomach. However, Amon still slipped his finger under the fold and tore it open.

To my love,

Tomorrow, wait for me at home. I think I found a good assassination job for you. They're a gang of sorts and they are looking for qualified members. You might think this is dangerous to put into this letter but that's part of my other good news. I recently discovered that they are no longer watching my every move. It seems like they've gotten a tip on some the whereabouts of Robin. They don't seem interested in me anymore so we can go out and have fun! Doesn't that sound wonderful? See you tomorrow night, lover.

Touko xoxo

They'd spotted Robin?

That single horrifying thought echoed in his mind and made his hands tremble with fear.

What would they do if they caught her?

Would they exterminate her?

Would they cage her up for sick experiments?

... Why did he care so much? Robin was fully capable of taking care of herself. She was only the pestering young woman that wouldn't leave his thoughts alone. If she were to be caught, wouldn't that be a plus on his side?

Still, the sinking feeling in his core didn't leave when he thought of Robin disappearing from his life once again.

Even as the day etched on by, it was hard to focus on anything except for the fact that the youthful blonde-haired witch could be dragged away by the STN-J at any moment.

---

He rushed home, hoping that Robin would be in the field like she should be. What was he worrying over her so much?

Because...

Because...

Because she was a stupid child that couldn't take care of herself half the time.

For the mercy of God, how could she have been so sloppy to let someone even guess her location?

Amon had no choice but to feel anxious; he had to take care of her all the time. The dim-witted little brat.

---

Finally reaching the small house, he burst in without any warning. Seeing no one, he headed towards his room. Not even knocking, he twisted the knob only to face Robin's bare back as she kneeled on his bed.

"Amon-!" Her dark long jacket had been deposed around her on the mattress while the top of her dress, meaning waist up, puddled around her while the bottom was still on. "Y-You are early."

Her pale and thin arms wrapped around her torso, thought it didn't do much to hide her nudity.

Melting candles illuminated the room with a soft glow; a glow that reflected of her smooth skin and made Amon almost want to reach over a touch the surface. Her hair was down and it shimmered with the flickering flame.

As his imposing stare glided carefully over her body, he suddenly noticed the scrapes and bruises that ran down her left side, and in her right hand was a bottle of healing ointment.

It seems like they've gotten a tip on the whereabouts of Robin.

Narrowing his eyes, Amon saw her flinch and turn away. "Where did you get those?"

"I fell." Still not meeting his glare, she began to pull her dress together.

"How?" Taking a step towards her, his long legs cut most of the distance between the two within the faintly lighted room.

"... I was being chased. I had to jump off the side of a road to get away." She finished dressing and shifted so she could face him.

"Perhaps you should go into hiding." Sauntering over to the head of the bed, he leaned nonchalantly against the wall and crossed his arms. Amon tried his hardest to seem blasé.

Moving to the side of the bed that he was closest to, the adolescent craft-user looked up at him with a stern expression. "I have been hiding for long enough. But I will return to the shadows when my job is done."

"And what is your 'job'?" She opened her mouth to reply but the window shutters suddenly flew open, blowing out all the candles. Amon drew his weapon with unseen speed, alert in case it was more than just the wind that had opened them.

"Amon?" Her voice held no fright. "It was only the wind."

Silently putting the gun away, he had the sudden urge to stretch out and make sure Robin was still there. And he did so. Calloused fingers brushed against her golden crown of hair. The whole house was in complete abyss since the candles were the only light source within it. Her silhouette was scarcely visible against the little moonlight there was that night.

His heart pounded against his ribcage; he could barely see anything. It was unnerving. He guessed that she was still sitting on the bed next to him, but not near enough.

"Robin..." It came out as a whisper, though he didn't even realize it had come out of his mouth at all. Every fiber within his body commanded him to get closer; get closer to her. Just feel her warmth. He needed to know that she was still there. It panicked him to ever think that she would dissipate into the air or something like that. The never-ending obscurity was not helping to reassure him.

However, little glowing specks floated into the room. Giving it a bit of light. Even with the new luminosity, as he looked down at Robin, he still had the impulse to move closer. As if his instinct was to make sure she near enough for him to fend off any type of harm. His hand remained in her tresses.

"Amon." Though hushed and quiet, her word had ripped the moment and pulled him back into reality. He yanked his hand away from the silky strands and back to his side. "Are... you happy living here? Are you happy with this life with Touko and this home?"

How did she know about Touko?

"How...?" She stood now, but the difference in height was still pretty wide. She was only a short distance from him now.

"I know everything... I've been watching you." A forest of emerald shone brightly and honestly.

He scoffed aloud, not even trying to hide it. "Then you should know if I have been enjoying my life or not."

Amon looked away while the female witch continued to watch him intently, waiting for him to continue. Clear dots circled around her. Lighting her a bit more.

"It... feels almost as if time has stopped for me. And it didn't stop at a very favorable moment. Every second is just like the last; bland and miserable." This was the best he could do in 'spewing his feelings'; it just wasn't his forte. But what he spoke was true. Every night with Touko, every day at a low-paying job. His life was a mess that he was forever stuck in.

Glancing over to his former partner, he squinted through the dark, even with the helpful little dots, to form her faint features.

She was so beautiful in the lighting of the small bugs.

She was beautiful in any lighting...

"A moment... is never the same as the last." Holding out her hand, she observed as one of the miniature light bulbs landed on her fingers. She outstretched it so it was close to his face. He watched with minimal interest as the insect stood on her index. He couldn't stop himself from looking at her instead of the insect. "A firefly can stop to rest, for however long it pleases, but that does not mean the world has stopped moving around it."

As she uttered those words, she took a step towards him. Amon gazed down as she looked up, their noses were brushing.

"Time..."

Her voice wasn't any louder than a whisper.

"... Continues to go on."

Robin flicked her bright green irises to look into his just one last time before shutting her eyes. It was as if he was in a spell. All reason and thought disappeared with the candlelight before and now all he could do was close his eyes also.

A breath away from their lips meeting, she murmured against his mouth. "And time changes everything."

All time stopped and was blown away but Amon... Amon could hear the fireflies still buzzing around them.

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