Hi everyone. You must really hate me for the slow update. BUT! I have returned from the dead! Bwahaha…er…A/N:
1) I will never own WHR gaaah!!!!
2) Yes, like I said earlier, I'm really sorry that this had been taking so long to update. Vira has been busy, ne? Well anyways, I'm here again and I won't leave this fic until it's finished! Promise!
3) I am starting up two brand new fics. I hope to have them published onto here within the next week or so. Stay tuned!!!
4) My computer is dead, and so I won't be updating my website until it gets fixed. Sorry!!
…And that should pretty much cover everything. Well, I won't make you wait any longer! Here's the next chapter:
There will always be times in our lives when we hear something we wish we didn't. We become oblivious...ignorant...blind to the truth. But the mask of truth will be lifted for us, one way or another. You can't run from your fate. This is the simple truth one must learn to face.
Robin walked timidly out of the STN-J building. Her last training class for the day had just finished up and now she was free to go. In Ms. Karasuma's room they had talked about how exactly a witch's powers are born. It was quite interesting. Nevertheless, Robin's mind had constantly wandered from the lesson to where she would be going after it was over...and with who.
She saw him leaning against his car. How long had he been waiting there for her? Robin blushed heavily and ran up to him.
"H...Hi Amon!" She blushed again. Did she say that too eagerly? Did he sense her hesitation?
Amon nodded to her. "The appointment won't take very long. It won't take more time than a standard check-up, I think." He reached over casually to grab the handle for her. She smiled and climbed inside.
"...That's fine. My grandfather isn't expecting me to be back until five or so. I'm glad I remembered to write a note for him to read before I left. He'll know where I am..."
Amon started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. "Do you mean that your grandfather has some sort of condition, Robin?"
She looked at him from her seat. "Oh, well he...he has short-term memory loss. None of the doctors have ever been able to explain it. But even so, he takes good care of me, and we've remained together as a family for a long time now." She paused for a moment to consider asking the next question.
"...Amon..." she began timidly. "Do you have any famil-?"
"-No." Amon swerved onto the highway. Robin sighed and returned her gaze to the window.
'I know why he's like that.' She thought. 'I want to help him in some way, but I don't know how...should I tell him about the dream I had? Or maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea...' She fingered her necklace absently. 'What should I do?'
After a few more minutes passed, Amon pulled off the highway. "It's not too much farther now." He said monotonously. Robin nodded and didn't say anything.
The car was driven into a parking space and shut off. Amon nodded to her and together they walked inside of the building. It was small for the most part, and was not all that different from what she had expected. The hallways were a sort of beige, like all the other medical buildings she had seen. To their left was a secretary, who was typing away and talking on the phone. Next to her was a neat row of waiting chairs for all the patients. A few were sitting in them.
"Excuse me..." Amon began as he approached the secretary.
She held her index finger up to signal him to wait. "One moment please..." The woman continued to talk on the phone.
Amon grunted in annoyance and reached away to grab a section of the newspaper from the nearby pile. Robin sat down on one of the waiting seats with patience. The man next to her got up suddenly, and she realized his name had been called. 'Who knows, I might be next.'
"Robin." Amon called to her. "Come here." He was now leaning against the secretary's desk. She nodded and walked up to him. "We're going to need some basic information from you before your appointment begins."
"Oh." She replied. "That's fine." She looked at the secretary. "What do you need to know?"
"Here." The woman handed her a sheet. "Since this is the first time you have visited here, a short form is required to be filled out. We just need to know your address, phone number, past medical history...things like that."
"I see." Robin replied. "Thank you." She bowed slightly and then moved away to sit down. Suddenly, she remembered something that she didn't have. "Oh!"
"...You're going to need one of these." Amon sat down next to her and handed Robin a pen. She nodded with a blush and took it from him. Robin felt his eyes glance down the list of questions and blanks. "By the way, in case you didn't know, the STN-J will be paying for this. I see one of the questions asks you that. It has always been an STN-J policy, so try not to worry about it." Amon relaxed in his chair and closed his eyes.
"R...Really?" She asked in surprise. "Well...that's very nice of them...are you sure it's okay?" He nodded. "Okay then...this won't take me long." Robin clicked the pen and began writing.
She smiled to herself. The STN-J was nicer to its trainees than she had originally thought. Eventually Robin was done filling it out and handed it back to the secretary. Now all they could do was wait.
"Robin Sena?"
She nodded and stood up. The man led her into a room and motioned for her to sit down. She glanced around. There were various types of medical instruments placed about—none that she had particularly wanted to touch. A few posters were placed here and there; the type that small children could look at the ease their nervousness in this room.
"The doctor will be here soon." The man said.
Robin smiled. "Thank you, that'll be fine." He nodded and left the room. When he was gone, she sighed with a bored tone. 'I wish Amon would have come in with me...' But this was probably for the best, after all. Who knew what was wrong with her!? Did she really want him to hear it!? 'At least this way, I won't be embarrassed.' She thought positively.
'But then...' she continued. 'I wonder what IS wrong with me anyways! Surely there must be a reason that my fire never hits its mark...I hope it's nothing serious. And then again, there might be nothing wrong with me medically, only that I'm a terrible hunter.' Robin sighed. 'No, don't think like that...I'm positive there must be a reason for it.'
Fear and doubt began to creep into her mind. 'Does...does the doctor know that I am a craft user? If not, how will I explain my problem to him? Will he just look at me like I'm crazy, or does he already know?" She stood up. "I can't be sure, and I don't want to wait here until he comes over...I think I'll go get Amon." Robin moved to leave.
But before she could, Robin heard the doorknob turn suddenly. A moment later, the doctor entered. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she quickly sat back down. The man took out a clipboard and began to jot a few things down. Robin waited patiently. When he was done, the doctor looked up and smiled at her. "Hello, Robin. So I suppose today we'll be getting a standard eye exam?" She nodded. "Excellent, excellent."
His voice lowered a little. "And don't worry, I already know why you're here. Only the ones from the STN-J come to me. They send them over because I happen to have an unusual gift for diagnosing any symptoms influenced by a person's craft. So there's really no need to be nervous over anything."
Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh! That's good...I wasn't sure if...well...you knew."
The doctor shrugged. "That's okay--it's a common mistake a lot of my patients think." He motioned for her to sit down at another corner of the room. "Now, just try to relax, Robin. You're going to have to rest your face on top of this, okay?" The doctor pointed to a type of machine Robin was not familiar with. "But before you do..." he continued, "first I need to place a few drops in your eyes. Have you ever had them before?" She shook her head.
He smirked. "Well then you're in for a fun hour or two. Seriously though, if you try not to think about it too much, you'll be fine." Robin nodded and swallowed nervously. The doctor grabbed the container. She braced herself for the worst. He squeezed them in as quickly as possible, and Robin couldn't help but blink a little after he was done. "...Try not to do that." He said after he put the container back. "Just give it a moment or two to sink in…"
She sat there obediently and waited. Gradually, her eyes began to feel very funny. 'Maybe that's supposed to happen.' she thought.
"...Good. The worst part is over with, eh?" He chuckled. "Okay, now place your head right over here and look through." Robin peered through the two holes. Somewhere a light was switched on. "Tell me which is better, one or two."
And thus the eye examination began. Robin had to look through different glasses, read letters from a chart, and study the colors of a picture. When it was all over, the doctor wheeled his chair to her and said the thing she had least wanted to hear.
"Sorry Robin, but I'm afraid I need to give you a few more drops. Your condition is an interesting one, and I'll have to inspect a bit longer and closer for the best results."
She groaned inwardly, but nodded. "That's fine. I just want to be able to hit my target for once." The doctor chuckled at this and squeezed a few more drops inside of her eyes. Robin hated it. Even worse, immediately after he took a light and shined it in her eyes. She blinked several times.
The doctor looked around for a few moments curiously. Finally, he set his instrument down and began to scribble a few more things down on his clipboard. When it was finished he looked up at her. Robin awaited his answer eagerly and straightened up in the chair with anticipation.
"Well Robin, one thing is certain." The doctor said calmly after putting his pen back into his pocket. "You do NOT have perfect 20/20 vision, and you'll need a pair of glasses if you are ever going to hit the target."
Robin sighed at the news. It was a shattering diagnosis, and yet it was expected. She studied his eyes. "...But you still think there is something puzzling about me, right?"
He coughed and nodded with amazement. "Er...yes. You see, Robin, the edges of your pupils have a most irregular pattern—one that I am not familiar with at all. Now this is just the opinion of one doctor, but...I am willing to bet that each time you use your craft, your eyes become strained. If you strain them for long periods of time, then they start to become weaker and weaker. It's just a small hunch of mine, you understand. Somehow though, I don't think it's too far off from the truth."
Robin shook her head quickly. She did not know if whether or not this was true, but for now she would not accept it. "Um, I'm still going to use my craft, so it won't matter much to me."
The doctor shrugged. "...Suit yourself. Here." He tore off a piece of paper and handed it to her. "This is your prescription. Now you'll be able to find the glasses you need, alright Robin?"
She nodded slowly and took the paper from him. "Thank you." He smiled and opened the door for her. They walked outside. The appointment was over. Robin sighed with relief.
She went back to the waiting room. Amon looked up at her when she reached him. Robin must've had a worried expression on her face, because he rose from his chair and asked her what was the matter.
She glanced around. "Um, maybe I should just tell you in the car, Amon..."
He nodded. "That's fine." Amon looked down to the piece of paper in her hand. "What's that for?"
She sighed. "I need...glasses..."
He shrugged. "It could be worse. Well come on then, we'll stop by the place that makes them..."
"Okay." Robin followed him back to the car.
When they pulled out of the parking lot, Robin began to explain to him what was said. Amon stared at the road with an intense expression and said nothing while listening to her.
"...And so," Robin finished, "he said that it might be because of my craft. Every time I use it, my eyes become a little weaker. He mentioned the amount of strain that is put on them when I use my fire." She glanced up at him. "What do you think, Amon?"
"This is something that is not unheard of, though I've never seen a case such as yours personally. However, it's too soon to jump to conclusions. That may not necessarily be the reason."
She sighed unhappily. "I hope you're right."
Amon glanced down at her. "If there is a risk that you may lose your sight completely, then perhaps it would be in your best interest if you stop training to become a witch hunter..."
Robin smiled. "...That's okay. I couldn't picture myself doing anything else."
He turned left down the street. "I won't stop you, then. But to be safe, you shouldn't use the craft unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Yes, you're right...I won't, then." Amon nodded with satisfaction and pulled into the parking lot. Robin looked around. Along with the store for glasses, there were several other shops open. It was a sort of strip mall. She also saw places for manicures, haircuts, shoes, videos, and clothes. Amon unlocked the door and they stepped outside.
Robin gazed among all the dozens of rows of frames. "There...there's just so many of them!" She exclaimed. "I have no idea where to begin..." She peered down the wall. "Mine must be here somewhere..."
"Try this one." Amon walked up to her from behind and handed her a pair. Robin looked at him with surprise, but nodded and took the frame from his hand. She stooped down next to the mirror to see what she looked like. When Robin put on the frame, something hurt suddenly and she took it off.
Amon glanced at her curiously. "What's wrong?"
She blushed. "Oh, um...n-nothing, the eye drops he gave me probably haven't worn off yet, that's all." She folded the frame up. "Thank you Amon, I think these will be fine."
Robin followed him then to get her glasses set.
The lady at the counter smiled. "This will take until tomorrow. Will you be able to pick these up then?"
Robin thought for a moment. "Hmm…I'm sure I'll be able to stop by with my motorbike...yes, that'll be fine."
The woman typed a few things into the computer, and then left to bring her frame to the back of the store for the process to begin. She handed Robin a receipt, and then they turned to leave.
Amon was about to push the door open, but suddenly, his hand froze in midair. Robin stared at him curiously. "Is something wrong, Amon?"
"Shh…" Slowly, he turned his head to the side. She followed his gaze. "Yes, it IS her, there's no mistake about it." Amon mumbled. He looked back at Robin. "Hurry, behind that desk over here." Before she could say anything, he crouched underneath it. Amon pulled her down. "Don't say anything too loudly, we'll wait until she leaves the store."
Robin stared at him. "She who? Who is that, Amon?"
"That is Chiyeko Hori. She has been wanted for murder by the STN-J for months now. I've been following her case from the start, and I have seen her photograph enough to recognize her from anywhere. There's no mistaking it."
Robin peered over the desk curiously. The woman was about her height and had long, white hair. She had incredibly pale skin and was wearing a blue sweater with jeans. She sneezed, and blew her nose with a Kleenex.
Robin looked back at Amon. "A...witch then?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes. One of the worst kinds." Suddenly, Chiyeko pushed the door open and disappeared outside. Amon leapt out again. "Now's our chance!" Before she could think at all, Amon pulled her along out of the store.
Review Responses:
vegetasprincess1: Hahaha well I wouldn't qualify this as 'real soon' but hey, I tried!
Gundamwinggirl: Hehehe, yes yes, fluffiness is always a good thing, and more is promised!
Silent Zephyer: blush thanks! Glad you like it so much!!!!
Aisling Niamh: lol, well I can promise you one thing, and that is they are definitely NOT bro and sis.
jasmine3883: sad sorry you had to wait so long then! From now on my updates will be a lot quicker.
Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet: Glad to hear it! Keep reading then!
Haruya: Hehehe, yep fluff is on its way!
Trekgirl01: Yeah well, I just wanted Touko to say her piece and be done with it lol. I'm glad she's gone now...gah that's so evil of me. =D
Cat: Well then thanks for understanding!
darkfire19: lol, I sure did...
MusiqMistress: poor thing! pat well maybe now that summer is here, you'll have more time, ne?
theUniverseBeyond: haha I hate parents/brothers. And yes, if you think you have a good idea, then by all means try it!
nw2wrting: Arigato! Thanks for reading!
Stephanie Leung: Nope, not related! And whaddaya MEAN you have a reason now to finally like him!? I'd luff him without the cat all the same! =D
Susan: Okay, well then I hope you don't fall over!
Stephanie Leung (again): Really? When? I'd think that'd be SO cool! Tell me when!!!
Kagome Of Summer Dances: Sure, I can read it...I'll review too, if you want!
Row: Maybe! Hehehe...
lurid-eyes: Thanks! Hope you'll continue to read this!
Lea G: Arigato! Why, have you read the other ones I've written?
Lea G (again): Well then I hope this wasn't too late of an update for you!
Again, I am SO sorry about the delay! It won't happen again!!! Anyways, I will be starting my other fanfics up soon, so visit them, ne? In the meantime, R&R! Arigato, ja ne!