Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Summary: The STNJ await the arrival of their new hunter. While they wait
they come across some interesting information concerning the new recruit...
***Suspicions*** Michael's POV...
"They say that if you're not careful, the past will come back to haunt you. Looking back on it now, I realize that truth was spoken by the man who uttered those words. Fifteen years ago, we lost two of our colleagues, no friends, in the Factory collapse. No one wanted to believe that Amon and Robin had perished in the wreckage. I guess we all wanted to turn back the hands of time and make sure they got out okay. In hindsight it hurt to lose them, but if we had the chance to go back and fix things, perhaps she wouldn't have come to us. Perhaps she wouldn't have been born at all if we did things differently. I remember hearing Father Juliano tell Robin that she was Maria's hope. Perhaps this girl is our hope. ~*~*~*~*
"Aren't we getting another new hunter today?" I asked around.
"She's supposed to be here soon." Yurika Dojima answered.
"Here we go again. The last hunter we had was afraid of her own shadow. I swear it hasn't been the same since Robin and Amon were lost in the Factory collapse." Miho Karasuma said in passing. She set the file of the new hunter on her desk and opened it. "It says her name is Hope, but it doesn't list a last name. Hmm. That's interesting. Listen to this, it says here that she was born in Europe."
"Why is that interesting?" Dojima scoffed
"It goes on to say that her parents were born here in Japan. You don't think..." Miho stopped midsentance and looked at the picture again.
"Miho what is it?" Dojima asked.
"Nothing really, it's just that she looks so familiar."
"Let me take a look at it." Haruto Sakaki said as he took the picture from Karasuma's hand. "Wow, she does look familiar." he let out a low whistle. Dojima and I were out of our seats in a flash and hovering over Karasuma's shoulder.
"She doesn't look old enough to cross the street by herself." Dojima said with a wave.
"It says that she's fourteen years old."
"We're getting them younger and younger these days. It's like when Robin first came here. She was fifteen years old."
"Wait a minute! Miho, what were you going to say before?" Dojima asked suddenly.
"When?" Karasuma replied.
"When you stopped midsentance. What were you thinking?"
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about this girl and do you think she could be Amon and Robin's child?"
"Read the rest of the file. What does it say?" Karasuma turned the page of the file, but it was blacked out and half the page was torn off.
"It's blacked out." she said to the group.
"And look, half the page had been torn. Someone knows who she is and that someone doesn't want us to know." Sakaki said.
"Why would someone go through all that trouble just to keep this girl's identity a secret? Who is she?" Dojima asked.
"Are you all going to sit around here and stare at some poor girl's picture? Or are you going to get to work?" Chief Kosaka bellowed.
"We're going." Dojima flitted. We all went back to work. It was going to be a very long day. Before I turned back to my station, my eyes caught sight of something. A picture of my son Alex. I don't see him much because he lives with his mother about two hours north of here. We split up last year. I glance at the stack of folders on my desk, they all need to be looked over and filed away. I'd be here until dawn if I was lucky. That's why my son's mother and I split up, I work very long hours sometimes days at a time. It's amazing Katarina held on as long as she did. All of us here in the office have families and homes to go to when the day is done. (Except for me that is, I go home to a fat cat named Boris.) Most of us are in the same situation. Karasuma goes home to two small children, her husband cut on on her around the same time Katarina left me. The only two that are succeeding in balancing work and family are Haturo and Yurika, of course it helps to be married to you partner. Where am I going with all this you ask? I'm not really sure myself. I guess I was thinking about all our sacrifices in the name of teamwork. I wonder just what this poor girl has left behind to come here to help us. Is she aware of the dangers this job brings along? Is she scared? What am I saying, of course she's scared. She's fourteen! Fourteen, as I said before, we just keep getting them younger and younger these days. I'm rambling I know, I suppose I should get back to my work before the Chief has a coronary, again.
Author's Note: I'm not quite sure where this story is going. It's based on what Juliano told Robin, that she was Maria's hope. Again, not sure where I'm taking this, but I think I have an okay start so far. Thanks for my reviews! Any suggestions you guys have please let me know in the reviews. Oh and no flames!
***Suspicions*** Michael's POV...
"They say that if you're not careful, the past will come back to haunt you. Looking back on it now, I realize that truth was spoken by the man who uttered those words. Fifteen years ago, we lost two of our colleagues, no friends, in the Factory collapse. No one wanted to believe that Amon and Robin had perished in the wreckage. I guess we all wanted to turn back the hands of time and make sure they got out okay. In hindsight it hurt to lose them, but if we had the chance to go back and fix things, perhaps she wouldn't have come to us. Perhaps she wouldn't have been born at all if we did things differently. I remember hearing Father Juliano tell Robin that she was Maria's hope. Perhaps this girl is our hope. ~*~*~*~*
"Aren't we getting another new hunter today?" I asked around.
"She's supposed to be here soon." Yurika Dojima answered.
"Here we go again. The last hunter we had was afraid of her own shadow. I swear it hasn't been the same since Robin and Amon were lost in the Factory collapse." Miho Karasuma said in passing. She set the file of the new hunter on her desk and opened it. "It says her name is Hope, but it doesn't list a last name. Hmm. That's interesting. Listen to this, it says here that she was born in Europe."
"Why is that interesting?" Dojima scoffed
"It goes on to say that her parents were born here in Japan. You don't think..." Miho stopped midsentance and looked at the picture again.
"Miho what is it?" Dojima asked.
"Nothing really, it's just that she looks so familiar."
"Let me take a look at it." Haruto Sakaki said as he took the picture from Karasuma's hand. "Wow, she does look familiar." he let out a low whistle. Dojima and I were out of our seats in a flash and hovering over Karasuma's shoulder.
"She doesn't look old enough to cross the street by herself." Dojima said with a wave.
"It says that she's fourteen years old."
"We're getting them younger and younger these days. It's like when Robin first came here. She was fifteen years old."
"Wait a minute! Miho, what were you going to say before?" Dojima asked suddenly.
"When?" Karasuma replied.
"When you stopped midsentance. What were you thinking?"
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about this girl and do you think she could be Amon and Robin's child?"
"Read the rest of the file. What does it say?" Karasuma turned the page of the file, but it was blacked out and half the page was torn off.
"It's blacked out." she said to the group.
"And look, half the page had been torn. Someone knows who she is and that someone doesn't want us to know." Sakaki said.
"Why would someone go through all that trouble just to keep this girl's identity a secret? Who is she?" Dojima asked.
"Are you all going to sit around here and stare at some poor girl's picture? Or are you going to get to work?" Chief Kosaka bellowed.
"We're going." Dojima flitted. We all went back to work. It was going to be a very long day. Before I turned back to my station, my eyes caught sight of something. A picture of my son Alex. I don't see him much because he lives with his mother about two hours north of here. We split up last year. I glance at the stack of folders on my desk, they all need to be looked over and filed away. I'd be here until dawn if I was lucky. That's why my son's mother and I split up, I work very long hours sometimes days at a time. It's amazing Katarina held on as long as she did. All of us here in the office have families and homes to go to when the day is done. (Except for me that is, I go home to a fat cat named Boris.) Most of us are in the same situation. Karasuma goes home to two small children, her husband cut on on her around the same time Katarina left me. The only two that are succeeding in balancing work and family are Haturo and Yurika, of course it helps to be married to you partner. Where am I going with all this you ask? I'm not really sure myself. I guess I was thinking about all our sacrifices in the name of teamwork. I wonder just what this poor girl has left behind to come here to help us. Is she aware of the dangers this job brings along? Is she scared? What am I saying, of course she's scared. She's fourteen! Fourteen, as I said before, we just keep getting them younger and younger these days. I'm rambling I know, I suppose I should get back to my work before the Chief has a coronary, again.
Author's Note: I'm not quite sure where this story is going. It's based on what Juliano told Robin, that she was Maria's hope. Again, not sure where I'm taking this, but I think I have an okay start so far. Thanks for my reviews! Any suggestions you guys have please let me know in the reviews. Oh and no flames!