Author's Note: This story takes place shortly after Episode 9, 'Sign of the Craft'

Night of the Devil's Children

Chapter One: Specters

"Sakaki, can you see him?" came Amon's voice through Haruto's earpiece.

"No sign yet," Haruto replied, silently moving around the alley corner. "Robin, have you had any luck?"

Not too far from him, on a rooftop overlooking the alleyway, the young craft-user heard Haruto's message and muttered: "You could say that..."

Robin Sena quickly focused her powers, creating a fiery barrier before herself as a number of blunt objects shot towards her. Each was instantly incinerated a few inches from her face, frustrating the witch she was facing- a girl in a long blue overcoat and a large amount of red hair, using the most common witch ability: psychokenesis.

"Robin, you found her?" Haruto wondered. "Has she spotted you?"

Again, Robin muttered a reply. "You could say that..."

Amon's voice now crackled over the headset. "Robin, try to distract her. We'll be there momentarily."

"A craft user," the witch noted as she continued futilely blasting objects in Robin's face. "Why are you hunting me?"

Robin didn't bother to answer, merely kept up her protective flames. She would need to put on her glasses in order to mount an effective attack against this adversary, but unless she temporarily dropped her guard, she would be unable to retrieve them from her pocket.

Karasuma's voice cackled onto Robin's headset. "Robin, we need you to buy us more time- Sakaki and Amon are very near your position. They'll be there momentarily."

Momentarily, Robin thought to herself, having heard the same thing from Amon. Her opponent continued to launch objects at her from all over the rooftop, and Robin was growing tired of keeping up her flaming shield. She could try going on the offensive, but, much as she still hated to admit it, she needed her glasses to see her adversary.

"Embrace your role," the witch instructed, her red hair flying about. "You stand amongst the human oppressors, even if you are a craft-user. How long will it be until they hunt you?"

Again Robin ignored the witch, trying to think of other things as she continued holding up the firewall. Prominent in her mind were some of the other witches the STN-J had hunted, and the times she had spent bonding with Karasuma and Michael... until she heard the familiar sound of a shot from an Orbo pistol.

Relieved, Robin regained focus on her witch adversary, who now had several noticeable wounds on her arm and torso. The girl had fallen to her knees, trying to clutch her wounds as the chemicals in each bullet began to take effect.

Robin looked around for the one who had fired the bullet, glancing first around the rooftop and then those nearby. She spotted a dark, cloaked figure standing on an adjacent roof, a smoking pistol in one hand.

Amon, Robin thought. Figures... She then approached the witch's fallen form, examining her foe.

"I am sorry," the witch murmured. "I failed to avenge you, my brethren... but soon..."

"Soon?" Robin repeated, crouching to better examine the witch.

"Night will fall on humanity," the witch murmured. "On the night of the devil's children..."

"Night of the devil's children?" Robin repeated once again, curious.

"Night will fall..." the witch said again before slipping into unconsciousness.

Robin stood up, trying to decipher the words of her former adversary.

"Robin?" came Amon's voice as he arrived on the rooftop from a nearby stairwell, Haruto and Karasuma not far behind him.

"That was fast," Robin noted, surprised. "I didn't know you could go from one rooftop from another that quickly?"

Amon cocked one eyebrow as Haruto and Karasuma went to cuff the witch. "What are you talking about?"

"When you shot her," Robin reminded him. "Just a few seconds ago, really..."

Amon inclined his head. "I didn't shoot her... who did, anyway?"

Robin glanced at Amon, confused. "You did... you were standing right over there." Robin turned to point at the rooftop, which was now vacant.

Amon shrugged and looked over at Karasuma. "Regardless... is she out?"

"She's out," Karasuma confirmed, before activating her headset. "Michael, let the Factory know. We need a pickup."

Robin continued staring at the rooftop, confused. Amon glanced over at her and muttered: "Robin, we're leaving."

Robin nodded and turned back to Amon, Haruto and Karasuma, following them down the stairwell, glancing back at the rooftop once again.

Elsewhere, down on the streets, a cloaked figure walked away from the scene of the crime, Orbo-laden pistol resting in one hand. Always did he mutter the same word over and over again, saying it with every step.

"Robin..."

Back at the STN-J headquarters, Amon, Robin, Karasuma and Haruto returned to the building, to find that Doujima had unsurprisingly left work early, and Michael was, as ever, stationed before his computer, apparently waiting for the team to return.

"Oh, good, you're here," Michael noted, relieved. "Zaizen wants to have a quick word with you before you go tonight. He's waiting for us."

The STN-J members nodded and set their equipment aside and headed over to their nearby conference room, where Takuma Zaizen, the STN-J's administrator waited their arrival.

"I'll make this quick, as I'm sure you all want to go home for the evening," Zaizen stated, as Amon, Robin, Haruto, Karasuma, Michael, and the already present Chief Kosaka took their seats in the conference room. On each of the screens before them was the same image- a man with scraggly black hair and a somewhat long goatee, with cold gray eyes and an apparently black outfit- staring at them. "This is Emanuel Nasat, a former Solomon operative. As you might guess, when I say former, I do mean that he has gone rogue."

"Rogue?" Amon repeated.

"Yes," Zaizen nodded. "Solomon has told me that Nasat has been spotted here in Japan, and they've dispatched a number of teams to apprehend him. Apparently he's been going on a killing spree throughout Asia."

"Are they asking for our help?" Haruto wondered.

"No," Zaizen answered. "Quite the opposite. They've specifically requested that we don't get involved. The public has remained unaware of his existence, as most of his activities have involved him killing witches. At first Solomon had no objection..."

"Understandably," Karasuma stated dryly.

"...but recently his activities have targeted craft-users as well as witches. Being a craft-user himself, he has proven quite effective at his murderous activities," Zaizen continued. "Now that the bodies are piling up, Solomon is going after him."

"And they're telling us not to get involved?" Amon asked.

"Exactly," Zaizen nodded grimly. "If we see him, we have been ordered not to engage him. Solomon has sent a number of other operatives to apprehend him. Our orders are simply to go about our usual business."

"Yes, there is often quite enough of that," Amon commented. "Anything else?"

"Simply be careful," Zaizen instructed. "Especially you two." he told Robin and Karasuma. "He may go after you in particular..."

Robin and Karasuma nodded. Haruto glanced at Zaizen. "Can we go now?"

Zaizen nodded and headed back to his office. "Amon, I need a word with you in private."

Amon shrugged and followed Zaizen from the conference room. Kosaka turned to Haruto, Karasuma and Robin. "You can go now. We have plenty of new cases for tomorrow."

"As ever," Karasuma sighed. Haruto grinned and headed out, as Robin silently exited, reflecting now on the cloaked man who had brought down their latest target.

Had she been saved by the same rogue operative Solomon was now hunting?

Up in Zaizen's office, Amon faced the STN-J's administrator as he lit up a cigar behind his desk.

"Solomon has particularly requested that no harm befall our new recruit," Zaizen noted. "So I need you to insure that little Robin comes to no harm until Nasat has been captured."

"As if I don't save her neck often enough," Amon muttered ruefully. "What about Karasuma?"

"She's less of a concern," Zaizen responded dismissively. "Robin worked for Solomon, and Miho works for me. It is more likely Nasat would know her."

Amon nodded. "Fine, fine... I'll keep an eye on her for a few days." He was about to exit before he glanced at Zaizen again. "And if Solomon fails to apprehend him?"

"They won't," Zaizen replied, taking a moment for a smoke. "Regardless of how powerful Nasat's powers may be, Solomon will get him."

Amon nodded and headed out.

Robin silently returned to Touko's apartment at one in the morning, carefully unlocking the door so as not to awaken her roommate. She stopped first at the bathroom, examing her long, dark blonde hair. Though her hair was usually elegantly placed in two positions on either side of her head, and now was rather messed, having been tossed about during the night's activities. Robin sighed as she removed the various clips from her hair, allowing it to fall out around her head. She examined the various knots she had obtained, sighed, and removed her jacket, heading to her room.

Robin tossed her jacket in one corner and headed off to bed.

She was completely unaware of Amon standing on a balcony of a nearby building, watching Touko's apartment from afar, silently toting his pistol with one hand.

And he too was completely unaware of another figure watching him, under a mane of scraggly black hair.