By The Ear

Chapter 2

Darkness engulfed Robin as she struggled to see where she was. She heard voices all around her...so many voices, but she could not tell where the owners of the voices were. The crazed laughter of the witch they had just hunted came back to haunt her from every corner of her mind and she took off running as fast as she could. Tears streamed down her face but she could not see them. The witch's laugh persisted relentlessly and she let out her craft all around her without any regard for anything. She had encircled herself in a ring of fire yet she could only feel the heat and could not see the flames. She fell to her knees and called out the first thing that came to her mind. "Amon! Where are you?" she sobbed despairingly.

Amon stirred in his sleep when he felt commotion on the bed he sat next to. He forced his tired lids open to see Robin drenched in sweat and visibly upset in her sleep. On instinct, he took her small hands in one hand and with his other wiped the wet strands of hair from her slim face. His hand lingered there for a moment longer. Although her beautiful emerald eyes were bandaged and hidden from his sight, he could still feel the determination and trust they displayed every time her gaze was turned upon him. "It's going to be all right, Robin. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise."

It was as if she could actually hear him because she immediately calmed after he spoke those words of comfort he could never say when she was conscious. It wasn't that he didn't want to take all her pains away with his words. It was just that he was so mesmerized by her infectious smile, her confident countenance, and just about everything about her, that he could never find the words to express his feelings.
Broken down at last, Robin unremittingly wept at the awful sense of abandonment. Suddenly her sobs stopped when she heard Amon's voice in the distance. Tears continued to flow but her heart skipped in hope. It's going to be all right, Robin. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise.

His words echoed within her head and she relished every syllable. Somehow she took comfort in his simple yet heart-felt words like nothing before. The very thought of his presence was enough to qualm her of her fears.

Amon sighed and leaned back when given no further signs of Robin's awakening. He still held onto her hand and he examined her silky white skin and the minor burn scars that decorated it. It had been two weeks since she slipped into a coma and she still showed no indication of coming around. His leg was still in a cast so he was excused from work at the STN-J until he recuperated. He didn't mind, though. He spent nearly every minute of every day vigilantly watching over Robin like a guardian angel. Only I'm no angel, he mused to himself.

His mind flashbacked to when the doctor told the crew at the STN-J the terrible news. It was a day he would never forget...

"Doctor, how is she?" asked Amon in earnest. He stood menacingly close enough to really hurt the man if something happened to Robin. Although he was on crutches and looked worse for wear, he still had that ominous presence that could strike fear into the bravest of men.

Still, the doctor, Dr. Toshiro, was not intimidated by Amon. He merely glanced around at the anxious faces of the STN-J members before locking onto Amon's slate eyes. Slowly but deliberately, he reported his diagnosis on Robin. "Well, she has a couple of minor burns on her forearms and neck which should heal in time. Of course, there will probably always be scars but considering what you have told me about the situation, I'm surprised she's alive and not in worse condition."

A universal breath of relief chorused in from the worried hunters. "But when will Robin awaken from her coma?" asked Dojima. Her normally cheerful blue eyes were red from tears and dark bags indicated that she had not slept much. Sakaki put a reassuring arm around her waist and she leaned into him gratefully.

Dr. Toshiro sighed sadly and hesitated before replying. "As of right now, we have no idea when Miss Sena will wake up. Our CT scans show that she obtained no brain damage and it is a complete mystery to us as to why she is even in a coma." A long moment of silence passed as each hunter was enthralled within their own thoughts.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud ring that was emitted from Amon's jacket pocket. He scowled as he took the call. "Yes. What is it Michael?" A long pause ensued and he clenched his jaw tightly. "How did that happen?" The other members of the STN-J looked at him oddly and he slowly hobbled away until he was out of earshot.

"What was that all about?" asked Sakaki. Karasuma and Dojima only shrugged in response.

"Well, now that he's gone, I have some more troubling news to tell you," said Dr. Toshiro. He glanced over at Amon to make sure he could not hear what he was about to say.

Sakaki, Dojima, and Karasuma exchanged worried looks and hesitated to ask what the troubling news was. In the end, Sakaki summoned up the courage to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Though Miss Sena was practically unscathed by the fire, the nerves in her eyes were badly damaged."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" asked Dojima shakily. She clung onto Sakaki's jacket nervously while his grip around her tightened.

Dr. Toshiro sighed. He hated it when he was the one that had to break bad news to family and friends. "Robin Sena...may lose her vision for good."

Everything tuned out and the world was silent for that moment. Amon stood in shock at what he had just walked in to hear and he felt like he had been slapped hard across the face with a wet towel. Then he growled deeply, dropped his crutches, and grabbed Dr. Toshiro by his collar. "What are you talking about?" he spat angrily.

"Amon, stop! It's not his fault!" cried out Karasuma. She was the only one with sense enough to not just stare at Amon while he nearly choked the life from the poor doctor.

Finally, Sakaki snapped to his senses and separated Amon and Dr. Toshiro. Amon looked enervated and he put a hand against the wall for support. "But she's still so young. How can this happen to her?"

Dr. Toshiro regained his composure quickly. He had plenty of experience in this area and it wasn't the first time an upset friend or family had tried to take his life for giving them news they did not want to hear. Still, his heart went out to this young, he assumed, couple. He did not want to get their hopes up but he couldn't just stand by and say nothing. "Listen. It might not be too late. There is a new type of eye surgery that can possibly restore a person's sight. It doesn't work for those whose eyesight have gradually worsened over the years but for people like Miss Sena, it offers a ray of hope. However, I must warn you that it is still purely experimental and that I cannot ensure you of the results."

"What are the chances of the surgery working actually working then?" asked Karasuma.

"Well, as of right now, it is only a fifty-fifty chance of it being a successful surgery. And I must also add that if it is not successful, then Miss Sena will have no chance at all of recovering her eyesight." Dr. Toshiro waited a moment before going on. "Of course, she must first be awake to give her consent to the surgery. I suggest that she wait a while before deciding to do it though. There is always the possibility of her recovering on her own. Anyhow, all must wait until she comes out of a coma. Oh, and visitors are allowed now but only two at a time. We don't want to overcrowd the room."

With that, the doctor took his leave. Everyone hung their heads slightly and sighed. Then Sakaki suddenly remembered the phone call. "Hey Amon. What did Michael call you about?"

"Nothing. He just wanted to know how Robin was doing."

Karasuma raised an eyebrow skeptically. She could usually tell when Amon was lying. Still, she said nothing for the moment. "Sakaki and Dojima, why don't you guys wait a little while Amon and I go visit Robin."

"Uh, okay," replied Sakaki.

Karasuma helped Amon pick up his crutches and nearly pushed him through the door. Amon flinched when he saw Robin hooked up to all the machinery that monitored her status. Her head was bound around her eyes with clean white bandages and an oxygen mask covered the rest of her face. Her reddish blonde hair draped over her shoulders, masking the burn marks on her neck. Her hands were folded on her stomach and rough burns marred her once-flawless skin. She looked so frail, so innocent, so undeserving of the fate that befell her.

Amon made his way slowly to her and sat close to her on the bed. Karasuma took his crutches so that they wouldn't be in the way and sighed. She never knew Amon was capable of caring for anyone. But, it seemed that this girl had truly changed him. She watched silently as Amon touched Robin's cheek lightly and then took her hands in his. Karasuma smiled at the site and was reluctant to break the moment. However, there was something she absolutely had to talk to Amon about.

"Amon, why did you lie to Sakaki at first?"

His eyes remained fixated on his and Robin's intertwined fingers. There was no use lying to her and he knew it. "Michael...told me that the witch we hunted earlier, Yukio Kane, had escaped from the factory."

Karasuma took in a sharp intake of breath and stuttered, "B-but...how is that possible? You nearly beat him to a pulp and he still was able to escape?"

"I don't know. From what Michael said, however, he was in perfectly fine condition when he escaped."

"What do you plan on doing, then?"

"I don't know." In reality, Amon knew full well what he was going to do. As soon as he was off his crutches and back into hunting condition, he would hunt that witch down if it was the last thing he did. He already determined in his mind that he would kill him with his own bare hands if needed. Karasuma could feel some of the anger emitted from him yet she said nothing. She knew she could do nothing to sway him once he was resolved to do something.

"Okay." She paused, trying to find the right words so that she would not upset Amon. "What if, and I mean what if...Robin can't control her powers once she wakes up. Amon, have you ever thought that if Robin can't control her powers any more, we might end up having to hunt her?"

"I have." Karasuma was surprised by his answer. She didn't expect him to have thought about anything other than Robin's safety. But then again, Amon was the most clear-minded and calculating person she had ever met.

"So what will you do?"

"I will try to help her control her powers."

Karasuma nearly laughed aloud at his naivety. Now that was definitely something she did not expect. "Then what? Or what if Solomon has already deemed her useless as a hunter and just wishes to discard of her? What would you do then?"

"I don't know, alright?" Irritation lined his voice.

"Would you protect her...or would you turn against her like you did to Kate?" she asked slowly and quietly. With that, she turned and left Amon alone with Robin.

Though her intentions were purely good-hearted, Karasuma had opened a door Amon wasn't ready for...and brought back painful memories along with it.