Disclaimer: See Chapter One...
Summary: The arrival of a new hunter brings forth many questions...
***Hope's Arrival*** Hope's POV...
"I didn't want to go into that building, but something inside of me made me go forward, made me push down all that fear and forge ahead. That and my uncle practically pushed me through the door. I remember hearing him saying goodbye, but I didn't look back. It was the same with my parents..when I left them. I miss them. Maybe one day we will be reunited. For now though I have a job to do, a destiny to find." (end pov) ~*~*~*~*~*
"I hear the new hunter is on her way up." Sakaki said nearly a half and hour later.
"Finally we'll get to meet her." Dojima replied. The creaking of the door silenced everyone. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
"Hello? I-is anyone here?" came a young girl's voice.
"Ah there you are. Come on in." Kosaka greeted. "Everyone this is Hope." he put his arm around Hope's shoulder. Hope kept her head down. "Hope, these are your colleagues." Kosaka said to the girl. "Go on now, they won't bite."
"Michael might and he hasn't had his rabies shot yet so be careful." Dojima joked.
"Dojima! Do you want to frighten her more than she already is?" Sakaki rebuked.
"Sorry. He really doesn't bite. We'll take care of her Chief." Dojima walked over to the girl, "Come on I'll introduce you around."
"Let me know if I can get you anything miss." Hattori added.
"Thank you." Hope answered simply. She lifted her chin and smiled at the older man.
"Hi, you must be the new hunter." Karasuma greeted.
"I guess that's me."
"Miho, this is Hope. Hope, this is Miho Karasuma."
"It's nice to meet you Hope." Hope didn't reply, she just kept her head down. After Dojima introduced her to Sakaki and Michael, Hope was called into Kosaka's office. The others sat around waiting for orders.
"She's awfully shy isn't she?" Dojima was the first to speak
"She's in a strange place with strange people. You'd expect her to be boisterous?" Karasuma said.
"No, I thought she'd at least say more than two words. She's just like Amon was." the other girl replied.
"Amon wasn't shy, he was just cold." Sakaki put in.
"Karasuma, where is that file on her?" Michael asked.
"On my desk. Why?"
"Well it was going back to what you said earlier about Hope's parents..."
"What are you getting at Michael?" Michael snatched the file off Karasuma's desk and opened it. Hope's picture stared back at him.
"Look at her. Take the long navy coat, the ponytails and the shy demeanor. Who does that remind you of?" the former hacker asked.
"Robin." Karasuma whispered.
"Exactly."
"But that doesn't mean that Robin is her mother." Sakaki said.
"You guys are hoping she'll be Robin's daughter because that means she survived the Factory collapse. She could be anybody. The long coat, the pigtails and the shyness don't prove that Hope is Robin's child." Dojima said.
"She's right. But the similarities are there." Just then Kosaka's door opened and Hope walked out. She sat down at a station and stared blankly at the computer screen.
"Are you okay?" Sakaki asked. Hope shook her head slowly, but didn't look up. Karasuma walked over to her.
"It's scary for you isn't it?"
"Yes." Hope said meekly. "I miss my parents."
"Aren't they with you?" Dojima asked.
"No. They stayed back in Italy. I'm staying with my uncle while I'm here." Hope said sadly, "My parents, they wanted to come with me, but it isn't safe for them here."
"Why isn't it safe here?"
"Because they are witches. Something happened here and they had to leave. They've been in Italy since before I was born. I can't even contact them because someone might be watching." Hope burst into tears. She dropped her head in her hands. The others sighed. They knew that this child sitting before them was the child of their two friends. They knew that Hope was sent here to make things right.
~*~*~*~*~*Later that evening~*~*~*~*
"Did you have a nice day?" Hope didn't answer her uncle. She just sat quietly on the sofa with her hands clasped tightly together.
"Hope did you hear me?"
"Hmm?" Hope looked up at her uncle.
"Mr. Nagira, sorry to bother you, but the girls things are here." Hana, the secretary said.
"Tell the delivery people to put them in the upstairs room." Nagira told her.
"Okay." Hana walked away muttering something about delinquent girls.
"That's Hana. You'll get used to her." Nagira said. "What is it?" he added when he saw the defeated look in Hope's jade green eyes.
"Nothing." Hope replied monotononously. Nagira shook his head as if he could read her mind. He knew what she was thinking about, rather, whom she was thinking about.
"They'll be alright. They are two of the strongest people I know. You're parents will be okay Hope." he said to comfort her, "And so will you."
"I miss them and it hasn't even been very long." Hope said quietly.
"You look tired. Why don't you go on up to bed." Nagira got up and put his long coat on.
"Are you leaving?" Hope asked, her green eyes widened.
"Just for a while. I'll be back though. Don't worry so much, you're safe here." Hope accepted that answer and went to her room. It was the room Robin stayed in when she was in hiding. It was seldom used these days and the deterioration showed. The tile near the toilet and bathtub was chipped and falling apart. Dust was piled up in every corner and at least a half inch thick on the bedding and blankets. Hope was going to have to do some major cleaning in order to get the room looking decent. Despite the dust and cobwebs, the fixtures and plumbing seemed to be in good order. Hope stood in the center of the room and contemplated what she would do next. Quickly, she decided on taking a bath to help calm her. She soaked in the tub for a long while, letting the hot water ease her troubled mind. Once the water was cold, she let it drain and got out. She pulled her long thick terry robe on and went to find her suitcase. Inside the old brown piece of luggage, she found her favorite pajamas, and tucked neatly in the folds of the pajama pants, she found a recent framed picture of her and her parents. Her green eyes lingered for a moment on the smiling faces of her mother and father. Then tears splashed on the glass. Hope quickly shoved the photograph back in her suitcase and shut the lid in haste. She climbed the ladder to the lofted bed and cried herself to sleep.
Author's Note: Thank you thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! I know that I'm moving this story kinda slow, but it's for good reason. Even though I haven't figured it out yet. Anyway, like I said before, I'm not sure where I want this piece to go, but I'll figure it out. Thank you guys again for reviewing! Please no flames!
***Hope's Arrival*** Hope's POV...
"I didn't want to go into that building, but something inside of me made me go forward, made me push down all that fear and forge ahead. That and my uncle practically pushed me through the door. I remember hearing him saying goodbye, but I didn't look back. It was the same with my parents..when I left them. I miss them. Maybe one day we will be reunited. For now though I have a job to do, a destiny to find." (end pov) ~*~*~*~*~*
"I hear the new hunter is on her way up." Sakaki said nearly a half and hour later.
"Finally we'll get to meet her." Dojima replied. The creaking of the door silenced everyone. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
"Hello? I-is anyone here?" came a young girl's voice.
"Ah there you are. Come on in." Kosaka greeted. "Everyone this is Hope." he put his arm around Hope's shoulder. Hope kept her head down. "Hope, these are your colleagues." Kosaka said to the girl. "Go on now, they won't bite."
"Michael might and he hasn't had his rabies shot yet so be careful." Dojima joked.
"Dojima! Do you want to frighten her more than she already is?" Sakaki rebuked.
"Sorry. He really doesn't bite. We'll take care of her Chief." Dojima walked over to the girl, "Come on I'll introduce you around."
"Let me know if I can get you anything miss." Hattori added.
"Thank you." Hope answered simply. She lifted her chin and smiled at the older man.
"Hi, you must be the new hunter." Karasuma greeted.
"I guess that's me."
"Miho, this is Hope. Hope, this is Miho Karasuma."
"It's nice to meet you Hope." Hope didn't reply, she just kept her head down. After Dojima introduced her to Sakaki and Michael, Hope was called into Kosaka's office. The others sat around waiting for orders.
"She's awfully shy isn't she?" Dojima was the first to speak
"She's in a strange place with strange people. You'd expect her to be boisterous?" Karasuma said.
"No, I thought she'd at least say more than two words. She's just like Amon was." the other girl replied.
"Amon wasn't shy, he was just cold." Sakaki put in.
"Karasuma, where is that file on her?" Michael asked.
"On my desk. Why?"
"Well it was going back to what you said earlier about Hope's parents..."
"What are you getting at Michael?" Michael snatched the file off Karasuma's desk and opened it. Hope's picture stared back at him.
"Look at her. Take the long navy coat, the ponytails and the shy demeanor. Who does that remind you of?" the former hacker asked.
"Robin." Karasuma whispered.
"Exactly."
"But that doesn't mean that Robin is her mother." Sakaki said.
"You guys are hoping she'll be Robin's daughter because that means she survived the Factory collapse. She could be anybody. The long coat, the pigtails and the shyness don't prove that Hope is Robin's child." Dojima said.
"She's right. But the similarities are there." Just then Kosaka's door opened and Hope walked out. She sat down at a station and stared blankly at the computer screen.
"Are you okay?" Sakaki asked. Hope shook her head slowly, but didn't look up. Karasuma walked over to her.
"It's scary for you isn't it?"
"Yes." Hope said meekly. "I miss my parents."
"Aren't they with you?" Dojima asked.
"No. They stayed back in Italy. I'm staying with my uncle while I'm here." Hope said sadly, "My parents, they wanted to come with me, but it isn't safe for them here."
"Why isn't it safe here?"
"Because they are witches. Something happened here and they had to leave. They've been in Italy since before I was born. I can't even contact them because someone might be watching." Hope burst into tears. She dropped her head in her hands. The others sighed. They knew that this child sitting before them was the child of their two friends. They knew that Hope was sent here to make things right.
~*~*~*~*~*Later that evening~*~*~*~*
"Did you have a nice day?" Hope didn't answer her uncle. She just sat quietly on the sofa with her hands clasped tightly together.
"Hope did you hear me?"
"Hmm?" Hope looked up at her uncle.
"Mr. Nagira, sorry to bother you, but the girls things are here." Hana, the secretary said.
"Tell the delivery people to put them in the upstairs room." Nagira told her.
"Okay." Hana walked away muttering something about delinquent girls.
"That's Hana. You'll get used to her." Nagira said. "What is it?" he added when he saw the defeated look in Hope's jade green eyes.
"Nothing." Hope replied monotononously. Nagira shook his head as if he could read her mind. He knew what she was thinking about, rather, whom she was thinking about.
"They'll be alright. They are two of the strongest people I know. You're parents will be okay Hope." he said to comfort her, "And so will you."
"I miss them and it hasn't even been very long." Hope said quietly.
"You look tired. Why don't you go on up to bed." Nagira got up and put his long coat on.
"Are you leaving?" Hope asked, her green eyes widened.
"Just for a while. I'll be back though. Don't worry so much, you're safe here." Hope accepted that answer and went to her room. It was the room Robin stayed in when she was in hiding. It was seldom used these days and the deterioration showed. The tile near the toilet and bathtub was chipped and falling apart. Dust was piled up in every corner and at least a half inch thick on the bedding and blankets. Hope was going to have to do some major cleaning in order to get the room looking decent. Despite the dust and cobwebs, the fixtures and plumbing seemed to be in good order. Hope stood in the center of the room and contemplated what she would do next. Quickly, she decided on taking a bath to help calm her. She soaked in the tub for a long while, letting the hot water ease her troubled mind. Once the water was cold, she let it drain and got out. She pulled her long thick terry robe on and went to find her suitcase. Inside the old brown piece of luggage, she found her favorite pajamas, and tucked neatly in the folds of the pajama pants, she found a recent framed picture of her and her parents. Her green eyes lingered for a moment on the smiling faces of her mother and father. Then tears splashed on the glass. Hope quickly shoved the photograph back in her suitcase and shut the lid in haste. She climbed the ladder to the lofted bed and cried herself to sleep.
Author's Note: Thank you thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! I know that I'm moving this story kinda slow, but it's for good reason. Even though I haven't figured it out yet. Anyway, like I said before, I'm not sure where I want this piece to go, but I'll figure it out. Thank you guys again for reviewing! Please no flames!