Stupid dislocated shoulder…*kills the sling that's cutting into her neck* I've watched a few more episodes of WHR!!! And here's my rant for today; AMON CAN'T DIE!!! HE CAN'T HE CAN'T HE CAN'T!!! NOT MY BISHIE BOY!!! Ok I'm done. ;p R&R!!

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The next day Amon walked into the STN-J alone. Silently he took his place at the desk by the window. As usual he was about 30 minutes early; he enjoyed the solitude of the morning. Since Chief Kosaka wasn't much of a conversationalist himself, the time before the busy day began was usually disturbance-free.

Usually.

Michael, Karasuma, and Sakaki burst into the room, each with the same question on their lips.

"What happened yesterday, Amon?!" Sakaki demanded. The other two nodded to say that they wanted to know as well. "I tried calling your apartment like 60 times after I heard the holding area had been burned! Where were you?!"

"Out," was the only answer. Amon turned to look out the window.

"OUT?!" Sakaki grabbed Amon by the shoulder and whirled him around. "Out?! You expect us to just accept that and go on with our day like nothing happened?! The holding area wasn't just destroyed; it was BURNED. And who is a valued member of our squad that has the power of FIRE?! Hmm?! And who was it that YOU asked to take a blood sample from a witch in the HOLDING AREA?!" The rookie hunter glared expectantly at his coworker. When a cool stare was his only answer, he gave Amon a quick shake. "Well?! Answer me!"

Amon snickered. He easily shook Sakaki's hand away. "Robin, of course. But you seem to have figured that out on your own, so what do you want to know?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Sakaki shouted, looking like he wanted to punch the crap out of Amon.

"Sakaki, please! There's no need to be this rash!" Karasuma put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "You're not going to get anywhere like that." Turning to Amon, she continued. "Let's handle this constructively. It will--"

"Constructively, she says," Sakaki muttered. "As if there's any constructive way to deal with this guy." Michael elbowed him in the ribs.

"--help us get more information all around," Karasuma finished, shooting a glare at Sakaki. Then, to Amon- "What happened yesterday in the holding room, and where is Robin now?"

Amon was silent for a while. His glare met with all the others in turn, concealing uncertainty behind stony blue eyes. Finally, he sighed. "Robin went to take the blood sample yesterday," he said slowly. "And I'm not sure what happened exactly, but something made her powers go haywire. I am assuming it was the witch Borealis, whose power is that of the mind."

"But you said even before the incident that Robin had been displaying witch-like traits since Borealis's capture," Karasuma pointed out. "Just this morning I heard you and Michael discussing it right in front of the poor girl."

"True," Amon mused. "But I had no idea how serious it was. But for all I know, it might have been very minor before her little talk with that witch. Borealis did something to her mind...triggered something that was better left buried."

Throughout all this, Michael hadn't said a word, just stood before Amon with a faraway look in his eyes. Now he spoke up for the first time. "But Amon…It's like Kate all over again," he said quietly. "You didn't…"

Quiet fell over the room again as the unspoken question hovered in the air. No one wanted to finish the hacker's sentence; they were all afraid of the answer. Even Amon seemed afraid to give it.

At last the hunter turned his shaggy black head away from his comrades. "Yes," he murmured. "I killed Robin."

~*~

"I killed Robin."

"AH!"

Robin sat bolt upright. Her long blond hair hung loosely around her shoulders, free of its usual tight buns. The bed springs creaked and groaned under her weight as she held a hand to her pounding heart.

Wait. Bed…? She looked around, taking in her surroundings. It was not at all what she expected.

Ornate artwork covered perfectly painted walls all around her. Old fashioned chairs and lamps were expertly placed, giving it a medieval feel. Slowly she slid her feet out of bed and padded silently around the room. Where am I…?

She walked over to the nightstand beside the king-sized bed she had just stepped out of. Maybe there was some clue as to where she was in the carved drawers. She reached out a hand and opened the drawer. Inside was a bible, a phone book, and a small pad of paper that had "Suzuki Hotel" scrawled in spidery handwriting across the top. She pulled out the bible, seeking comfort in its words.

And a piece of paper slipped out.

Robin,

I have placed you in the top security room in the Suzuki Hotel. It is highly unlikely that anyone will find you there, but if anyone should locate you, I want you to kill them immediately then contact me. I left you a communicator that only transmits my voice. I will leave my connection on 24/7 in case you need to get in touch with me. The transmitter is under the pillow where you slept. The reason for my actions is the fact that by the time you read this, everyone will believe you are dead.

Be very careful. You are not evil, though even the world itself may think it so.

Amon

Robin sank to her knees. Believe I'm…dead? But why? She scanned over the note once again, hoping there had been some mistake. There wasn't. The scariest part kept repeating itself over and over in her mind. "…but if anyone should locate you, I you to kill them immediately." Kill more people? What if the person who finds me is a dear friend? She asked herself, though she already knew the answer.

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Yeah, Robin didn't get around to wondering about why he did it… she's still rather disoriented. But don't worry; I'll explain why in later chapters. R&R!!!