Dark Lady Amon
by amiwakawaiidesu
(Based on characters and situations from "Witch Hunter Robin", created by Hajime Yatate and Shuko Murase)
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CHAPTER TWELVE
Amon was dreaming.
Amon was alone now in a dark place, falling slowly downward. But not quite alone; there, inside him was a tiny something no larger than a pea, but shining with a great light. It was straining to escape from him, but pulling him upward even as it did so.
"Father," the light said, "you must let me go."
"Anastasia?" Amon said. "How...?"
"There is no time for questions. Please let me go."
"But I'm afraid. I'll fall."
"Have faith. I won't let you fall."
Amon was still afraid, but he did as the voice bade him; relaxing himself, he gave in to the pull of death below him, and Anastasia exploded upward out of his body. Fully-formed now, she looked not unlike an angel filled with light, almost too wonderful to look at.
"Beautiful…" Amon gasped, as death came up to take him. But Anastasia reached down to take his hand and stop his fall.
"Is it not my time?"
"Not yet," Anastasia said, hauling him upward. Now a light was surrounding them, and quickly grew so bright that Amon had to close his eyes against the glare. Still, he didn't want to miss Heaven, supposing that to be their destination. With no small effort, he opened his eyes.
And found himself looking upward at Robin – so close he could feel her breath warm on his cheek when she exhaled. Amon felt sweaty and tired, as if he had just been through a grueling ordeal, but Robin's green eyes suggested both concern and relief.
"What happened?" Amon asked; "I was with the Three…"
"You had a little detour," Robin said, and a quick glance to the left and right told Amon he was back in his bedroom in Tokyo – not aboard the spaceship of the Shinjozuna Three. Further, Robin was lying very close to him on his bed, with one hand on his forehead and the other on his chest. Amon himself could barely move, though; as if the dream were real, he felt an aching pain in his gut, as if something had just forcefully emerged from inside him.
"I had a dream…"
"About Anastasia?"
"You knew?"
"She was inside you," Robin said. "Did you know?"
"No…but my stomach does hurt…"
"I'm sorry. But we had to help you let go of Anastasia, or you both would have died."
"We?"
"Xiu and I. Xiu has the child inside her now."
"Where is Xiu?"
"Aboard the spaceship with her brothers."
"I was supposed to help them…" Amon said, starting to push himself upward, but the pain immediately overwhelmed him.
"Easy, my love. You gave them the energy they needed, to reach their home."
"But Anastasia…will we ever see her again?"
Robin lay her head on Amon's chest, and Amon managed to lift an arm to hold her, feeling the serge fabric of her monastic dress.
"It doesn't matter," Robin said. "At least you're both alive."
X O X O X
Amon remained stiff with pain for a long while, and thus was not disposed to argue with Robin as she suggested he rest and get his strength back. Eventually, though, after sleeping until the early morning, he was strong enough to sit up and talk with Robin while she sat at the desk chair beside his bed.
"Did I miss much after the collapse of the tower?" Amon asked.
"Not really, " Robin said. "Michael was excited to have footage of a real-live UFO, but the chief insisted he keep a lid on it. A bigger problem might be…well, Doujima knows about the baby."
"She does?"
"I asked her to help me find a doctor, but I didn't tell her who the father was. I didn't know you were actually carrying the baby until I met Xiu here in your apartment, so I was very depressed when I thought I might have miscarried. Doujima stayed with me after that, and I actually had to sneak away from her last night to come here."
"She probably has all the hunters out looking for you, then."
"I called her while you were sleeping, so she wouldn't worry. I didn't tell her where I was, though; I didn't think you'd want the whole STN-J showing up at your apartment."
"That's true; I'm not one to have a lot of company over."
"I hope you'll make an exception for me."
"I think I owe you that much at least."
When Amon moved to rise and head toward the restroom, Robin hurried to help him, but Amon insisted he was fine. With several days of funky smell on his clothes, he was keen to take a shower and preferred to do that by himself.
Nonetheless, it was still strange to be back in his own body after he was just beginning to become accustomed to Robin's. His body had never felt ungainly or awkward before – far from it; yet it did seem so as he stood below the shower head and let the water pour over him. That Anastasia should have chosen to cling to him rather than Robin…it beggared belief.
Thinking of Anastasia, Amon then remembered the last time he had seen Robin before leaving with the Three; Robin had thought she was pregnant, and naturally Amon promised to marry her, even though they had never been physically intimate.
But what was physical intimacy, when Amon's very soul had occupied Robin's body? As she had once said, they were as close as two human beings could be. When he had seen with her eyes, breathed with her lungs, even suffered with her cycle, how could they ever really be separate again?
And that frightened Amon, for he was not accustomed to true intimacy. Even with Touko he kept a part of himself hidden away; he never shared with her his fear of his own craft, or his fear he might become a witch. But with Robin there could be no secrets; as close as their souls had been, Amon couldn't even be sure anymore where he ended and she began.
Instinctively, childlishly perhaps, some part of him recoiled from that fact. More than once, Amon had lost himself in his work, rather than let himself get too close to a person. But Amon's word was his bond; there was no going back on this promise.
When Amon emerged from the restroom, Robin wasn't there; rather, Amon heard her in the kitchen and supposed she had left the bedroom to give him some privacy. Then Amon smelled the rich aroma of espresso coffee, and supposed Robin had found his espresso machine. Indeed, after Amon dressed and moved to the kitchen, he found Robin looking very much at home there.
"I took the liberty of making some coffee," Robin said, offering Amon a small cup. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all."
"I was looking about the pantry; there's not much there, but I could make you a light breakfast, Venetian style. You like your eggs poached, right?"
"Why, yes," Amon said. "But don't put yourself to any trouble…"
"It's no trouble. Just sit down and relax."
Amon had to admit, as he took a seat at the kitchen counter, that food did sound agreeable. How long had his body –this body – lain in suspended animation? Then the spaceship, and the spirit birth…it was probably weeks since he had had a proper meal.
"Need any help finding anything…?"
"No, I'm fine," Robin said, moving about the kitchen much as if she'd always lived there. Producing an apron from a side drawer, she began moving briskly but efficiently, starting water for the eggs while also preparing toast and prosciutto. Meanwhile, Amon watched her move while sipping his coffee, and quite lost track of time as breakfast was soon ready.
"You'd make someone a good wife," Amon noted, as Robin came around the corner to serve him. "Grazie mille."
"Prego," Robin replied. "Is that an offer?"
"As a matter of fact, I was thinking about the promise I made you earlier…"
"I was thinking about that too," Robin said, gathering her own coffee and a piece of toast as she moved to sit beside him. "And something else you promised me once – that you would be my watchdog…
"Xiu told me that I have a special destiny as the Craft Arcanum, and perhaps she's right. I want to go to Rome, to Solomon Headquarters, and work to bring the branches of humanity together again. I believe humans, craft-users and witches can be brought together in a common bond, but there could be violence before that happens – a great deal of violence. I need a watchdog, very much, if I am to pursue that destiny. A husband would be nice, but what I need is that watchdog to watch over me. I need you to guard me, because I fear my own power…
"How are the eggs, by the way?"
"Just right," Amon said. "I don't know if I can be your watchdog, though. I may be a witch myself, now that my craft has awakened. And I love you."
Robin reflected on that a long moment before responding, looking toward a window with a view of the sky.
"I think about our daughter," Robin said. "Xiu says that she may return to us someday, perhaps decades in the future. When she does, I wonder if our world will still be torn by this struggle among humans and craft-users. Or will our world be at peace, like the world of Xiu and her brothers?"
Robin turned back to Amon and added:
" I should want her to find a peaceful world, and I think she will if you will help me."
Amon smiled slightly, setting down his fork for so weighty a moment.
"How could I deny you," Amon asked, "amore mio?"
"Grazie," Robin said, "il mio amore."