Hi everyone!! I'm really tired so I'll make this as short as possible:
1) I don't own WHR ahhh!!!!
2) I'm REALLY sorry for not making this a quick update, but I've been having a bit of writer's block, and it's been tough. Plus I've been busy. But don't worry! I'll make a quick update next time! ^_^
Yeah, guess that's all. Here's the next chapter:
~~~***~~~
The world is full of lies. People create falsehoods for reasons of self-gain. Sometimes, however…sometimes your entire life can be a lie. Many prefer their delusional world to the real fact. This is the simple truth one must learn to face.
Amon finished his final class for the day. He was about to leave when he remembered suddenly that there was always a meeting held in the coffee room after training was completed. They would discuss all the things that went on during the day…both good and bad. Amon thought about the boy named Akahito and what had happened with him. Well, it would just be one more bad thing to report, he supposed. Amon thought about how he would explain it. 'I could've handled it…if only Zaizen hadn't have restricted the use of Orbo in the room.'
And then, there was the girl named Robin. If it wasn't for her he might've actually had to use the Orbo. Somehow he felt that it wouldn't be the last time she would help him before the year was completed. But why? He barely knew her…
Amon peered into the coffee room. A few people were already in there, so he sat down on one of the chairs and waited as well. Eventually the others came after a moment or two, and Kosaka stood before all of them. He had looked ten years older than he did this morning. His brow fell deeply into his face, and Kosaka frowned in a tired way.
"I hope you had a pleasant day, because I sure didn't." He said angrily. Silence fell upon the rest of them. "Everything that could've possibly gone wrong, happened. I…blame myself." He sighed. "Yet again, the first day of the year could've gone a LOT better. I hope that the rest of our time here will improve."
"To begin with…regarding Zaizen and the Orbo. I had forgotten to tell you this morning that he doesn't want us to introduce the Orbo until a few weeks go by. It seems as though it might have a negative effect on hunters who are exposed to it too early. Perhaps he's right. In any case, we follow Zaizen's orders until further notice, clear?"
They nodded solemnly.
"…Good. That also leads me to my second point for this meeting: we need to weed out the troublemakers among the students—especially the ones that have a craft. Without Orbo to protect us, we are all susceptible to their powers. This spells danger, if you follow my meaning." Kosaka paused to look at them. "So keep an eye out for anyone who is potentially dangerous. We can't be too careful, now can we?" He stopped talking in order to take a sip of coffee, signaling that someone else could throw in two cents if need be.
It was Michael who took this opportunity. "Kosaka, remind them about the new security measures…"
Kosaka scoffed immediately. "I'd hardly call that very significant." Regardless, he turned to the rest. "From now on, once every month, the passwords into each of your computers will be changed for a more secure database. We hope this way a hacker can have less of a chance of breaking in. That's about all to say. Questions, anyone?"
Nobody spoke.
"In that case, this meeting is over. See you tomorrow, everyone."
They stood up to leave. Amon grabbed his coat and walked quickly down the hallways. He saw Touko try to approach him but he made sure to avoid her eye and rounded another corner. He didn't know why he kept walking away from her, but Amon found himself doing it more and more each week.
~~~***~~~
Amon drove home quickly. He was tired, he was sore, and he had not eaten anything since the terrible lunch he had swallowed down. Amon quickly decided to take a detour from his home and buy something to eat instead. "Coffee…I think he sells coffee…"
He turned on the radio. He wasn't one for music, but he needed something to distract him from all of the empty thoughts he was having. "…And the man named Jacob Ellison managed to escape from the custody of the police yet again today." The news reporter bleated into the stereo, with a voice that Amon despised. "We're live with Marissa for the report…"
"…Thank you, Hiroshi. I'm live at the scene here downtown next to the main bridge. Traffic has been backed up for miles as the roads have been closed…so any commuters listening need to take note of this and be careful. The details of this story are slightly unclear, however…I have compiled this general account: A man named Jacob Ellison, wanted for the deaths of five people, appeared on this road suddenly. He surprised the drivers, which caused them to drive out of the way and crash into the trees. One car even caused an explosion…as the witnesses say. But that alone isn't the only reason why this road is closed. It seems as though Mr. Ellison, according to the accounts of numerous witnesses, raised his hand and crushed their empty cars in an instant. Some say that-"
Amon shut off the radio. "A witch." It was clear enough to him. "We'll probably be looking into it soon enough. Something this big isn't likely to be overlooked by Zaizen…" Well, that was fine. Amon hadn't hunted in a while, since the STN-J training facility opened its doors anyways. He needed something to do.
~~~***~~~
Amon parked his car outside the building and walked in. He had always been partial to the atmosphere here, and the food was, more importantly, always edible. Amon sat down on one of the stools to wait for some service.
It was never a long wait. "Hello, Amon. It's always a pleasure to see you." Amon looked up to see a man approach him from behind the counter. It was Harry, the owner of the establishment. Harry was never one for a large staff, and so he mainly ran the place by himself. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Some soup, perhaps?"
"Coffee…I'll have coffee." Amon replied. He nodded and went to retrieve the drink from the machine nearby. Amon thought for a minute, and then said to him, "Have you…heard any news about the latest case? There was an accident this afternoon by the bridge."
Harry stopped his movements and looked at Amon from behind the counter. "…Accident? No, I haven't heard of anything. What happened?"
Amon shrugged. "I heard the story on my car radio a few moments ago. Sounds like a witch."
Harry handed him the coffee. "Then I presume you'll be called out there soon by Zaizen?"
"It depends whether or not the police decide to. At this point it's not really in our hands." He drank the coffee slowly. "But…yes, I'm sure I'll be needed by the end of the day. It's part of the job, after all…"
Harry nodded. "And how was the training today, Amon? This was the first day for it, correct?"
Amon stirred the spoon around before answering. "…Yes. I wasn't looking forward to it."
He gave a small chuckle. "Then, it hasn't changed at all since last year. Did you meet any interesting students, at least?"
Amon's thoughts whirled back to Robin. Yes, she was certainly interesting…to say the least. The thought of her smile directed to him before leaving his class caused Amon to relax a little in the stool. It was a comforting sign, compared to how his day had gone. And still, he said nothing about this to Harry. "No more than last year."
Harry frowned. "…Amon, did you get anything to eat today? You don't look your best…a bad lunch, maybe?"
Amon scoffed. "…You could say that."
Before Harry could respond, the entrance door opened. Womanly high heel clicks could be heard as the person walked gradually closer. She paused, and then sat down.
"Hello, Amon." He looked to the stool next to him. It was Touko.
Harry smiled at her. Amon immediately recognized the face he put on—Harry knew things weren't going too well between them, but he smiled anyways for deceptive purposes. He knew—it was obvious enough.
"Hello, Ms. Touko. Shall I make you anything to eat or drink?"
She shook her head. "No, but thank you." Harry nodded and turned away to let them talk by themselves. After he was out of hearing distance, she turned to him. "Amon, tell me what's wrong. You haven't been yourself lately…"
Amon shrugged. "I feel fine, Touko."
Touko sighed. "Amon…I want to help you in any way I can. If there's anything I can do…please tell me."
"Nothing's wrong." He repeated. They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, looking down at the counter. The wind picked up from outside harshly. Touko looked at Amon as if she was trying to reach out to grasp his feelings and understand them, but she…wasn't able to. She could only sit there.
"I think that…our relationship…" Before Touko could finish, the ringing of Amon's cell phone interrupted her. He leaned over to search for it inside his coat. Touko sighed and looked down at the counter once more.
"Hello?" He said into the phone. Amon was expecting this call, but not nearly so soon…
"Amon, this is Zaizen. I'm assuming you've already heard about the suspicious accident near the bridge this afternoon. I'm sending the whole team over for this one. This is a very powerful witch we're dealing with here, so all precautions must be taken."
"Then, the police have approved our investigation, then? He's been confirmed to be a witch?"
"Yes, we have strong evidence for it. The police don't want to handle such a powerful opponent. This man has murdered several people and will only continue to do so, using his craft. We can't guarantee their safety, so the police have handed it over to us. Be there in an hour, Amon." He heard a click from the receiver and put it back inside his coat casually.
Amon glanced at Touko. She didn't say anything—only a nod that said, 'I understand…it's your job, after all.' It was a look drenched in guilt, directed straight at him. But he wouldn't be affected so easily. He stood up, replying simply, "Goodbye." Then he left, leaving the coffee on the counter…with her there.
~~~***~~~
"Hello Amon, glad you could make it." Karasuma said, walking up to him. "It's really a shame that something like this had to happen on the first day of training, but I guess we can't help that. You know what has happened here, right?"
Amon shook his head. "I only heard a small report on the radio. What went on?"
Karasuma have him a surprised look. "Zaizen didn't tell you!? Basically, this guy came down from out of nowhere and turned over a few cars using his craft…"
~~~***~~~
Robin paid the cashier and went outside. What was going on? Red police lights flashed all around. Sirens could be heard and people were scattering in all directions. "What's happening?" She asked aloud.
She had been running a few errands for the nuns, ever since the training ended. Nowadays Robin didn't have much time for herself. But she didn't mind—she was always willing to help. And besides, her grandfather was getting old. He needed her cooperation and support, which she always gave without complaints. On this particular trip, Robin needed to buy a few spices and other miscellaneous cooking items. Next, she would have picked up the medicine her grandfather needed to take. Then…maybe then, she would finally be able to rest for the day.
But this was not the case, as it turned out to be. She hopped onto her motorbike and sped off to the source of all the commotion. Traffic was heavy…in the other direction. But why? Robin would soon find out—the police were waving at her to take the detour. She nodded reluctantly and turned there. However, instead of following the street, Robin went off-road through a few trees and snuck around the brigade.
She turned off the motorbike quietly and peered through the brush. Robin could make out some crumpled and overturned cars that were surrounded by the police's yellow tape. "Where am I? By the bridge?"
And then, she saw him. "Amon?" What was he doing here? He was sort of stooped over—probably examining something. "Amon…" Robin felt…happy? Yes, she felt happy to see him again…but why? She couldn't explain it. There was just something about him…
Before Robin could finish her thoughts, she heard some gunfire. Robin jerked her head up just in time to see an assailant fly past the inspectors and over the cars. She saw Amon and another woman shoot at him—but not with bullets. "What IS that they're firing?" Robin asked aloud. "It looks like liquid…"
Again her thoughts were cut short as the man lifted a car up with his power, threw it at them, and ran into the trees…straight at Robin. She gasped in surprise as he flew past her. To Robin's dismay the man turned around suddenly and looked at her with anger. "Hey, what do you think YOU'RE doing!? I can't have any witnesses here! Guess I'll have to kill you too!"
But Robin had other plans. "Amon…" She looked back at the inspectors. The car had missed him but his shoulder was bleeding. They were scanning around the area in search for the man. "Now it's my turn to prove myself." She said. "I can do this…"
"…HEY! You hear me!? I'm gonna kill you, girl!" The man raised his hand in preparation.
But Robin was a step ahead of him, however. Her eyes lit up and fire jumped from them. Unfortunately it missed her intended target and instead the tongue clutched to a nearby tree, growing larger and larger very quickly.
The man stared at her. "Are you insane!? All of these trees will burn down! And us with them!!" A flame caught on his jacket. He pounded it away and picked up a good-sized rock with his telekinetic abilities. He hurled it at her. Again Robin's fire missed and instead a bush was set ablaze. She dodged the rock just in time for it to go whizzing past her. The man groaned in frustration.
"This whole place will go up in flames! Stop doing that!"
~~~***~~~
Amon rubbed his head. As he did so, he immediately felt a sudden jolt of pain in his left shoulder.
Karasuma glanced at him. "Amon, you okay!? You're bleeding!"
He nodded. "I'm fine. Let's hurry—he couldn't have gone very far. Let's just look around-" Amon stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed for the first time a fire coming from within some of the trees nearby.
"Is that…a fire? What's going on!?" Karasuma questioned in disbelief.
"I don't know—but that's where he must've went. Let's go." She nodded and the two hurried to the trees with their Orbo guns at hand. Sparks flew up at them, but they did their best to avoid them. They entered the area and looked around wildly.
And then…Amon saw her. It was Robin, his student at the STN-J training center…the one who questioned him about the Orbo. He immediately comprehended everything. To his horror, the flames, which she herself almost certainly had created, were leaping at her dress. "Robin!" She turned with wide eyes to face him, only to have some of the fire leap out at her. From the way Amon could see it, he had only a second to react. He sprinted towards Robin and shoved her out of the way. The flames erupted immediately after that, scorching the land where she once stood. Karasuma took out her gun and shot the suspect. "Go get the paramedics right away!" He shouted to her. She nodded and ran off quickly.
Amon looked down at the girl he was holding. She appeared to be unconscious. He lifted Robin up gently in order to carry her back. Her long dress swayed peacefully in the wind. Even in her sleep, she smiled…the innocent smile that did something to Amon…something he did not understand.
He examined her closely. A few burns, but nothing life-threatening, Amon decided. Why did Robin do what she did? Why was she here instead of in her safe home? Robin's hair blew against the air gently. The scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils suddenly, and for a moment or two, Amon felt at peace…at peace with the student he had only known for a day. The student he felt he had known all of his life.
Review Responses:
Haruya: ^__^ Thank you for being so understanding on the small lackage of fluffiness, lol. Most people don't seem to understand that these things take some time to develop, hehe. Otherwise it's a horrible story!
Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Arigato, I will!
Trekgirl01: Thanks! Hope you'll be able to read this chappy!
Me Want Amon: *blush* I'm sure you would write a very good fic! You should try it! ^___^'
Little Natsu: Yes I know!!! Actually I have to finish this stupid chapter right now so I can't watch it…-_- but! I don't want you guys to wait anymore, so I'll make some sacrifices. =D
Musiq-Mistress101: Well, from what I understand the correct answer is 'b', although my research may be a bit off…
VivianeAeryn: *sad* If I made them any longer it'd take a LOT more time to update! Lol
Sarah Branch: *pat* We all want to burn things sometimes, ne?
mE: Will do! Thanks for reviewing!
Rose Shadow: The answer was 'b,' from what I understand.
Wake-Robin: Yeah, I thought I should toss a few friend in there…didn't want her to be lonely or anything. Heh. Wait, what am I talking about, she has Amon!! ^____^
Lafine: Yeah lol, the glasses will definitely be coming up soon!
Kagome Of Spring Dances: That's fine! Are you going to watch the new Inuyasha episodes? Just my luck, I'll probably miss half of them…I think I'll wait until the end of May to start so I'll have more time.
…Guess that's all. Where oh where have my reviewers disappeared to!? *sad* Are you guys watching those new episodes!? *gasp* Which reminds me!! WHERE DID WHR GO!? Did those bastards take it off!? Cause if they did!…grr…*takes out bat* Uh…uh…^_^' in the meantime you can read this story and gimme feedback! R&R!! Arigato, ja ne!! ^_______^