Hey everyone! Here's Vira again for another update. I guess all I need to say is that I don't own WHR—like I haven't for the last 18 chapters! After this, I'll be going on vacation, where I'll probably finish this story up. Anyways, here's the next chapter:

As one becomes older, it is known all too well that sacrifices must commonly be made. Some are easier than others. But then we come to the point in our life when the biggest sacrifice of all must be given. It is inevitable. This is the simple truth one must learn to face.

Robin gently opened the door and peered her head through. Her grandfather was asleep. Excellent. She giggled a little and walked past his room and into the one with the nice fireplace. The time was midnight on the dot. She could only risk reading the notebook while Juliano was asleep. Robin looked around herself once cautiously, and then opened the crinkled pages up to begin reading.

Amon's mother had the experiment number of 44. It had taken Robin a bit to find it, but once she saw the woman's picture there was no mistake. This meant that she was under Trial B3, with the Mind Reading Crafts. That made sense, Robin knew. His mother could bring out the worst memory of a person. What made her an interesting case was because of the fact that she could place a recorded memory into material things.

Robin read on. She didn't really know what to expect. First, Dr. Tamura gave a brief explanation of how she was caught (voluntarily). Then, her craft was explained in detail—most of which Robin already knew. Finally, she got to the interesting part:

…#44 seems quite calm, even after injected by the Orbo. When asked to place the memories inside of the object before her, she complied, albeit hesitantly. It seems as though her craft reacts directly to the Orbo in such a way that she is not fully able to transfer all the memories. I feel we are getting closer with our process. The results are very promising. When the Orbo has been taken away, the direct effects will still leave an impact.

Robin did not fully understand, and she wondered if Amon did. She read on.

#44 has weakened substantially in the body and mind. She will not live by the time the experiment is over. Fortunately, all of the data that we needed has been obtained. We have concluded that she has proved time and time again that it IS possible to preserve memories for all to see. This prospect is a very dangerous one to the company. We predict her death will come quickly, and the project will be terminated.

She closed the book abruptly. So, that was it, then. It didn't really surprise her all that much for some reason. Again, Robin wondered what Amon felt about it all. He probably had accepted his mother's death long before he looked at that page. Still…it must have hurt, seeing it in words like that. Uncaring words. Robin made her mind up immediately that she would do everything she could to help Amon. He never told her directly, but she could tell that he had been genuinely hurt after discovering what exactly happened to his mother. Well, she would help him through this whether he wanted it or not.

"Coffee, Harry. This time, give me the darkest thing you have."

"Tea will be fine for me."

The restaurant owner nodded and went to work with the drinks. They sat there, together, in silence. Each knew this would be a farewell, temporary or otherwise. In either case, Robin would not be seeing Amon for awhile. They couldn't risk it. He was a long-time staff member of the STN-J, and she was a rebel to the Factory. It was a difficult position, but Robin knew Amon understood. But she tried not to think about that for right now. She wanted one more happy memory of Amon, at least. And she was determined to get it right now.

The word had been passed down from Sakaki—tomorrow, they would infiltrate the Factory and learn once and for all what exactly they did to all of the witches in there. Robin already knew, however. She knew from reading the notebook. Their DNA was essential to make new Orbo, which would, at the rate the Factory was going, would be used to eradicate all witches from the earth. Perhaps that was the master plan of it all. She shuddered.

Eventually, Harry came back with the two drinks. He smiled and said, "Here you are. Please enjoy yourselves. I need to wash a few dishes, so you'll have to excuse me…" Robin nodded. Harry bowed pleasantly, and then turned to go back behind the door.

Amon sipped his drink carefully. "I received a letter yesterday, Robin. It stated what classes all of my students have graduated to. Robin, you are an S-class." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

She beamed. "Really? Wow…I—I never imagined…me?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"That's so wonderful to hear. Maybe now I won't feel as nervous when we go back to the Factory-"

She stopped abruptly. Her vow not to bring that up had just been shattered.

"…Um, I think this tea could use a little more sugar…"

"…It's alright, Robin." Amon set the mug down. "We need to talk about it anyways." He looked at her. "You will be going back tomorrow."

She frowned. "Yes…you're right. I'm not too worried about it, however. With the skilled craft users that we have, everything should run smoothly."

"I know I can't make you change your mind. But it's not too late to reconsider everything."

Robin almost smiled. Amon was showing genuine concern for her. True, it almost seemed as though he didn't know how to properly express an urgent concern, but it was there nonetheless. "Thank you Amon, but like you said, nothing will change my mind."

He looked away to stare straight ahead and sip more of the coffee with his hair fallen in front of his face. Was Amon hurt by this? On a whim, Robin slid her hand slowly under his. He stared at his coffee, still yet hiding all emotion. Now it was Robin's turn to be concerned. 'Please…don't close up on me again…I may be young, but…Amon, you can talk to me about anything. You can trust me.'

"…Amon? Please, tell me what's wrong…"

"Robin." He uttered simply with a voice that was not quite his. "I don't…want you to go. Something will happen."

Oh.

Robin knew immediately that it took all of his courage to say that. Obviously, it was very important to him. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and brushed some of his hair away to see his face. At last he looked at her—his eyes were soft.

She stood up. "Amon, I promise I will see you again. As proof, I'll give you this." Robin reached from behind her neck and removed the delicate string that was her necklace. She placed it in Amon's hand and closed his fingers with her own. "I'll come back to this. I trust you'll take good care of it while I'm gone, Amon." Robin smiled and sat back down to drink more of her tea.

She saw him look at it thoughtfully for a moment or two, and then he placed it carefully inside of his pocket. "I'll keep it for you, then." He drunk down the rest of his coffee and stood up. "Come on, I'll take you home Are you done with your tea?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, I'm finished. You're right—we should go…but first…" She walked calmly up to the door where Harry was on the other side. She waved in the window, and he happily waved back. After that was over, Robin turned back to Amon. "…Okay. Now we can go."

And soon, they had arrived once again to her home. The journey there had been very quiet. 'But that's okay.' She thought. 'All that either of us wanted to say has already been said.' And yet, there was one more thing…

As Amon was unlocking the door for her distractedly, Robin leaned over and pressed her lips softly again his grim jaws. The rest happened in an instant. Whatever emotions that Amon was holding back earlier was released down upon her. He pulled Robin even closer from the next seat in a farewell grip. Amon held her tightly and showed all that he was feeling to her with no words. Then, as suddenly as it happened, Robin was released once again. She pulled back to her original seat and put a hand to his cheek tenderly. With one last reassuring look to Amon, Robin turned and got out of the car.

"I've read more of these Factory reports and logs than I'd ever really care to."

It was the next day. They were all gathered to go over the exact infiltration plan. As far as Robin could see, everyone looked to be as confident as she was. Currently, Sakaki was talking about what was found in the evidence they brought.

"All of our fears have been confirmed—and the Factory is a lot sicker than I had originally thought. Orbo is made directly out of witches' DNA. And…they were used for experiments as well. To make the Orbo stronger. I think it would be best if I don't go over the gruesome details, for all of our sakes. At any rate, the way they are treating the captured witches is absolutely inhumane. So, tonight, our plan will be even bigger than before. Simply put, Michael has given us a computer chip which we can use to sabotage the main computer system. He told me were and how to place it. That should shut down the security. The rest is all up to us, if you know what I mean."

Everyone nodded.

"…Good. Okay, let's move out people!"

Everything, overall, had run smoothly for them. They had gone in with a Factory van. Doujima had shown her exact security card replicate, along with lots of fast talking. Once inside, the group moved quickly down the elevator and through the hallways.

Sakaki was talking quietly into a small communicator for Michael and himself. "This way." He whispered to the rest of them. They followed after him quickly. "Michael says it shouldn't be too much farther from here. There will be a big red door to our left. A few security guards and such should be there, so I'll need you guys ready, okay?"

They all nodded. "Bring it on." Yuma whispered to Robin. "I've been anxious to test how far my training has taken me."

"This isn't a game, Yuma." Deep down inside however, Robin knew she wanted to see exactly what she could do as well. She hoped it would be enough to stop anything that the Factory might throw their way while here.

They ran down several corridors. Eventually, they came to the red door that Michael spoke of. Sakaki peered around the corner and counted the number of guards. "Six. Okay, I'll need…Melissa…Tsutomu, and…Robin. They shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"

Robin gulped. "Don't worry." Melissa whispered to her. "I'll knock their guns and everything out of their hands so you two won't have any trouble. You can do it, Robin—I've seen how good you are in class."

Robin smiled. "Really?"

"Hurry up before they see us!" Sakaki whispered to them.

The three classmates flew out from behind the corner. True to her word, Melissa whipped their weapons straight out of their hands. The guards barely had time to look surprised before Tsutomu showered his impulse waves down upon them. One managed to grab his gun back, but the shot was quickly blocked by Robin's fire. Tsutomu finished the job by knocking them out with a strong enough wave.

"Nice job." Sakaki said to them as the rest came up from behind. "We need to hurry now…one of them might've tipped off the security that we are here. Doujima? Where's Doujima?"

"Right here." She walked up to him. "I have the computer chip ready. Robin, do you think you can melt that door down?"

Robin looked at it. "Yes, but it might take awhile. Everyone…stand back!" All of her comrades stepped away as her eyes began to glow. The fire shot from within her and began the process of breaking down the door. Little by little, the big metal door gave way to the heat.

Once that was over, Sakaki looked around. "I'll need a few of you to guard the hallway. Yuma and Steven, you can do this. Everyone else…come with me!"

The room was very dark and musky. Robin eyes slowly began to adjust. To the right, they found a large computer. Sakaki ran over to it and began to talk quickly with Michael. "…He says the thing we need to be looking for is in a small, blue box hooked up to everything. Do you guys see it?" They spent about half a minute searching around, but the box had remained hidden. "…It's no good." Sakaki grumbled. "Everything's too dark. Kazumi, do you think you could brighten some things up here? That would probably help."

Kazumi stepped forward. "Yes, one moment…" Robin saw her concentrate deeply, and soon there was a gradual increase of light.

"Good." Sakaki looked around. "Now-"

His sentence was cut short as the light revealed more than he had hoped for. At the very end of the room, Zaizen and the other half of their craft class emerged.

"I thought this is where I would find you. It's a shame—you were fine students. But I'm afraid I can't let you go any further." He held up his gun. The other students rose to prepare for a fight.

"Atsutane, hurry!!" Sakaki shouted. The boy nodded, and immediately an invisible barrier shot around them. It was just in time too, because Zaizen's Orbo bullet zoomed towards them and disintegrated from coming in contact with the barrier.

Zaizen's brow narrowed. "Very well. I didn't want to do something so violent, but…" He turned to their classmates and shouted harshly, "Destroy them!" They nodded loyally and began to run towards the group.

"Everyone!" Sakaki shouted. "There's ten craft users in all! Pick one to fight—but stay close to Atsutane's barrier!"

Atsutane began to struggle. "I'll try to protect you guys as long as possible, but I can't hold this forever."

With those last words, an all-out battle began between the classmates. Robin watched as Ryobe, Seka, Akahito, Kojuro, Teruyu, Aiko, Yosai, Namiko, Sudaharu, and Sakamae began to put their craft into full swing. She knew immediately that the battle would not be easy. As Ryobe began to melt some nearby metal, Maeko countered this by lifting up all the liquid that he had created with his craft and throwing it back in his face. Robin's thought were taken from her as Sudaharu knocked her to the ground. Yuma saw this from afar and, angered by it, made a powerful seizure surge through Sudaharu's body. Namiko countered this attack by creating her unbearable shrill noise that only Yuma could hear.

"Yuma!" Robin cried. Before she had time to react, Aiko took the opportunity to rain cutting air waves down onto her.

"Look out!" Elijah slid a huge part of the tile up from the ground to block the attack. Cement shattered everywhere.

"Thanks!" She shouted to him. She was about to help Yuma, but a surge of electricity blocked her path.

"…Our fight…" Akahito said menacingly to her. "…Hasn't been finished."

Robin sighed. She remembered how Akahito had been expelled from the STN-J training facility. What was he doing here? Zaizen must've needed all the help he could get. Ignoring the others, Robin stepped up calmly to her opponent. "I've become a lot stronger than since last we met."

Akahito smiled. "Maybe so, maybe so. But it still won't be enough." With that, an electrical charge shot out from him and straight towards Robin. She nullified it with her fire, and the battle was on.

Robin shot out flames rapidly. Akahito had formed a quick sort of electrical barrier around himself. More lightning came crashing down to her, which she barely managed to dodge in time. He smirked. "Only a matter of time…"

"Never." She answered icily.

"Listen to me! Everyone!" Sakaki called amidst the fight. "Zaizen is deceiving you! I know you think protecting the Factory is the right thing to do, but they are using the witches we catch for horrible experiments! And you could be next!"

"Silence!" Zaizen shot at Sakaki. The bullet grazed his shoulder. "Don't listen to him. Keep fighting!"

Suddenly, another bullet shot through the room. The amount of compacted Orbo in it caused all crafts in the room to completely neutralize. All the fighting stopped, and the craft users looked up slowly.

"…Stand down, Zaizen." A voice said next to him. "I can handle it from here." A woman emerged from the shadows. She fired again. This time, Orbo swept through all of them, knocking everyone to their feet. "Don't try anything funny."

Robin tried to get up, but she could feel herself starting to black out. Doujima lifted her head up. "Who ARE you!?"

The woman chuckled. Robin had almost lost all consciousness.

"I am Dr. Solomon."

Review Responses:

vegetasprincess1: Thanks! Let's just hope everything will work out for them…

CrazyFemaleDragon: Will do! And thanks for the review! =D

Dreamcatcher89: Heh, did it really? Well, the Juliano on the show always…looked like he had something to hide, I guess.

Youkai no Yume: No no, it was another e-mail with me as the sole recipient, and I know you didn't do it, so that's okay! Lol. Oh yeah, and UPDATE! Pwease pwease? And yes, yummy cake…

Wake-Robin: Arigato! Glad you like it so far!

Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Well of course I read it! =D It's in my favorites!

Gundamwinggirl: Really!? Well then, happy birthday! I'd bake you a cake but unfortunately Vira's skills with cakes are not very good. Oh well. And yeah, Amon does seem like the cat type—just not the cute, adorable, kitten type! Hehe!

Yuna of Paradise: Yep, relatives will do that to ya. Glad you could review though!

TheUniverseBeyond: Hahaha! '…asking Amon to leave the gun in the car is like telling him to stop breathing.' So true! I am going on vacation to North Carolina, where I can get sun burned by the beach. Fun fun!

bravedragon: Well, I certainly hope it's getting more and more interesting! Lol.

MidnightBlade07: Glad to see it's one of your favorites. Hope you'll keep reading!

Cat: Hahaha, I'll be gone for a week and a day. And I'll be writing the next chapter the whole time, promise!

DarkPyroPlanet: Well er…actually, the banquet already happened. Somewhere. =D Glad to see you like it though.

Queen of Hearts8: I certainly hope they live happily ever after! Hehe. Thanks for the review!

Shawn Provoncha: Arigato! And only two more chapters left, too…

Yuna of Paradise (again): I don't know what her last name is—I don't believe she was ever given one. And I dunno what song Robin was singing either, but it must've been pretty cool to have that effect on Amon! Hehehe.

I really hope you guys liked that chapter! I've been having writer's block, which is strange because I have everything plotted out in my head. Heh. Anyways, it's vacation time! I'll be back in a week and a day! R&R! Arigato, ja ne!!