Chapter Eight:

Ian

Disclaimer: I don't own WHR or the characters. I do own this story & the made-up characters, though. So don't steal them.

"So, how long have you been having these dreams about Amon?" The mahagony-haired woman behind the counter asked Robin. Her many bracelets were jangling loudly on her wrists as she wiped the tabletop down with a dirty washcloth.

Robin sighed, shrugging as she took a sip of her coffee.

"About three days, now. I don't know what they could possibly mean. It's all very strange..." The young witch said sadly in her soft, gentle voice. Her friend behind the counter could only give her a one-shouldered shrug as she went on cleaning the bar that Robin was currently sitting at.

It was mid-afternoon in San Fransisco. Around this time was when everyone got off work and most of them usually headed immediately headed over to Scorch's Diner; Robin included.

It was small, quiant little resturant that was modeled after the popular 1950's malt shops. Everyone from ages 15 to 50 were welcome here. Kids could also come in and have free meals(if they were under the age of twelve). It was a wonderful place to hang out and just relax.

Of course, that was far from Robin's current mood.

Ever since her little episode in the chorus room, the young woman had been down in the dumps. It had put her in a great frenzy just hear that eerie voice inside her head. It had sounded a lot like lava flowing down a volcano after it erupted. And it had frightened her, which rarely ever happened.

Carefully placing her her mug on the table in front of her, Robin sighed and layed her head on her crossed arms.

"What do you think about it, Rain? I mean, it's not like something like this happens everyday." The young witch whispered. The woman, Rain, could only shrug.

"Your asking the wrong person, Robin. I'm no witch, so basically I'm clueless on this whole deal." She said in her light, city-girl voice. She then let her gorgeous, almond-colored eyes travel down to gaze down at Robin's empty cup. Grabbing on to the handle without actually picking it up, she raised her gaze to her young friend.

"You want another?" She asked kindly, taking the mug up in her hand when she got a small nod from the witch.

Sighing, Robin closed her eyes; thinking about her old days at the STN-J. She missed just speaking with Michael while he typed on his keyboard or to Doujima as she read a fashion magazine. She also just plain missed Amon...

Gasping in sudden realization, Robin jerked her head up from her arms. That was it! That was why she was having all these weird dreams! It was because she missed him so much.

Robin's face suddenly fell, her eagerness coming to a halt. If all of these crazy dreams were just because she missed being with Amon, then why had he acted so strange in her dream that morning? It sounded almost like a warning...

The young woman was suddenly jerked from her thoughts when Rain placed another coffee cup in front of her.

"There you go." The other girl said, watching as Robin took the steaming mug in her hands and drew it over to her gratefully. Rain then let her face soften into a sympathetic look.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked softly, frowning slightly when Robin shook her head.

"Not really." The young witch said quietly, staring down into the swirling, dark mass of her coffee as she held on tightly to the sides of the cup. She seemed to be very deep in thought.

Rain let out a strange noise through her nose and bent double so that she was resting her arms in the counter in front of Robin. She then cleared her throat so as to get the young girl's attention.

Without moving her head, Robin raised her emerald gaze to meet Rain's stern one. She knew she was about to get a lecture before a word had even left the other woman's lips.

"Listen, Robin. This isn't thing isn't just going to go away." Rain began, her face the perfect picture of a mother scolding her young teenager. "If this keeps happening and you don't do a thing about it...pretty soon, it's gonna run your life..." Pausing, Rain stood straight; her long hair waving around her shoulders as she did.

"Now, I'm not sure if this is the right advice I should be giving you, but it's the only advice I can give you. I want you to call this Amon guy and just tell him how you feel. I know it won't be the easiest thing to do, but your killing yourself over him and the dude is just right over the ocean. Buy a plane ticket and fly over there, if you have to. But don't just sit here and let your life rot away if your already miserable without him in it..."

Rain paused, trying to catch her breath after that back-breaking speech. She then reached her jewel covered hands out and grasped on to Robin's pale ones.

"Look. All I'm trying to say is that it's pointless to let this guy get away from you. If you're so in love with him, call and let him know. Trust me. It will probably be the best thing you've ever done." Rain said, looking up at the witch to see her reaction.

Robin stared right back. Though she was grateful for the advice Rain had just given her, it wasn't the type advice she was looking for.

Sighing softly, Robin took her hands away from Rain's and placed them in her lap. She then turned her gaze away so that she wouldn't have to see the concerned look on her friend's face.

"Thank-you for that wonderful piece of advice, Rain. But...I'm afraid it's not the right kind of advice that I need..." She whispered quietly, fingering the fabric of her black, pilgrim dress. Rain gave her raised eyebrow, as if questioning what she had meant. Robin saw this and quickly tried to reassure the other woman.

"It's not that I'm not thankfully for your kindness. It's just that the problem I'm having doesn't have to do with whether I can admit my feelings to Amon or not. I mean, I do miss him..." She paused here, trying to find a good way to describe her plight.

"But I don't think it's the reason that I'm having these dreams." She finally added, giving an imploring side-glance to Rain, who still had a cocked eyebrow.

"Did all of that make sense?" Robin asked quietly. She really hoped it did.

Rain, however, shook her head.

"Not really." She said, getting a frustrated sigh and lowered shoulders from Robin. Their conversation was interrupted when the bell attached the door tinkled to signal that someone was walking in.

Rain looked up from Robin, smiling when she saw a tall, brown haired man wearing a black T-shirt down to his knees and sandles on his feet.

"Hey Andy. Would you like the usual?" She asked. The sound of the familiar name caused Robin to jerk her head up and turn to the door. Sure enough, the young man she had met two days ago was standing a few feet away in almost the same attire.

"That would be great, Rain. Thanks." He said, giving an arrogant smirk and a wink over to Robin. The young witch smiled as she stood to greet the older teen.

"It's good to see you again, Andy. Have you been well?" She asked politely as she and other being shook hands. Andy just waved the question away as if she had just simply asked him the time.

"I'm just fine. I could be better, but unfortunetly, God does not favor me as much as he does others." He said sarcastically as Robin tried to hide her displeasure at the comment. She didn't really like it when people talked about God that way. She quickly forgot about it, however, when she noticed Andy's hands digging around fiercely in his pockets.

"Oh, here. You dropped these awhile back." He said, pulling out her half-moon spectacles from deep within the contents of his pockets. Robin gasped, gently taking her beloved possesion into her hand. After staring at it in shock for a moment, she looked back up at Andy.

"How...when...?" She stuttered, only to be quieted by Andy's raised hand.

"They fell out of your handbag when you ran into me two days ago. I tried to find you to give them back, but it was not a piece of cake. I tell you, woman, you are not an easy person to locate." He said with another smirk. Robin smiled back, voicing her thanks quietly.

Around this time, Rain joined them; holding a steaming mug of hot mocha.

"I didn't know you two knew each other." She said, handing the cup over to Andy, who tried to cool the warm liquid by blowing on it.

"We ran into one another two days ago. I had to go through Hell and back just to return those glasses of hers. For some reason, I feel guilty if I keep something that doesn't belong to me." He said, turning around when the bell jingled again.

"Oh, Robin. They're is someone I'd like you to meet." Andy said as he stepped to one side to give the newcomer room to join them.

Robin gasped. This new person was...Amon? No, not Amon. But he could have been his twin. Though the man standing next to Andy had dirty blonde hair instead of black, it was the exact same length and was parted the very same way. His face had the same angular shape and his eyes were the same silver color. They were even slanted to give the man a serious look that could have competed with Amon's quite nicely.

Even the jacket looked the same. Though it didn't have the STN symbol sewed on to the shoulder like Amon's did, it was the same dark color and was the same length.

Robin shook her head out of utter shock. It was amazing how much this man looked like her old partner. It simply blew her away...

"Uh, Robin? Are you feeling alright?" Andy asked, waving a gloved hand in front of her face. Jerking out of a daydream, Robin quickly shifted her gaze away from the man and over to Andy, who was currently giving her a concerned expression.

Smiling as best as she could without blushing, Robin quickly waved his worry away.

"I'm fine, Andy. But...who is this?" She asked, her voice getting quieter (If that was possible) whenever she turned to face the blonde-haired man a second time. She was a little surprised to dicover that she had caught him checking her out. This brought blush stains to both of their cheeks.

"Oh, right. Robin, this is Ian. Ian, this is Robin." Andy said, intoducing them both. The man, Ian, reach a gloved hand out and held it there.

"Hello...Robin." He said in a deep-voice that sounded remarkably like Amon's. Robin just could not get over the fact that the two of them had so much in common (Apart from the color of their hair). Reaching her own trembling hand out, the witch softly made her reply.

"It's nice to meet you...Ian." She whispered, placing her small hand into his large one. She suddenly felt so insignificant just standing there in this man's shadow.

Feeling a little uncomfortable touching hands with Ian, Robin quickly drew hers away and held it to her. She didn't want to seem rude, but somehow having any contact with this man had her heart jumping and she didn't really like the feel of it...

"Ok...that took all of ten mintues. Now that we have all the introductions down, why don't we all sit down and have a nice cup of coffee." Andy quipped, rubbing his hands together in an excited fashion. Holding his arm out to Rain, the brown-haired teen lead his hostess back over to the counter so that she could make them all coffee.

Unfortunetly, this left Robin and Ian alone together; a position that the young witch did not want to be in.

"Uh...do you want some cute boy? I mean, coffee! Do you want some coffee..." She asked, mentally berating herself for tripping over her words. Her embarressment, however, seemed to amuse Ian, who smiled kindly.

"I think I would. Would you like me to pay for yours?" He asked, motioning to what he thought was her cup, which was still sitting on the bar. Turning around to see what he was gesturing at, Robin chuckled and quickly shook her head.

"Oh! No thank-you. I really should be leaving, actually. I don't want my roommate to worry." She said softly, trying to her best to side-step Ian without knocking him over. It only took her minute to realize that he had grabbed on to her hand.

"Wait. Don't leave yet. Come sit with me and just talk for awhile. I'm sure your roommate won't mind if you're a little late." He insisted, staring intently into her eyes. His smile was still there, but somehow, it had turned from kind to almost sinister.

Robin tried her best to stare back, but something in his silver orbs and in the way he smiled made her cringe and turn away. All she wanted to do was go home, get a bath and go to bed.

"I'm sorry, but I really should go... I just need to leave my tip really quick." She said quietly as she took her hand away from Ian's grasp and trotted back to the bar to hand Rain her money. Before she could, the mahagoney-haired woman grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, Robin. Where are you going in such a hurry? Stay awhile and get your mind off of...things." Rain tried to convince her, but only received a shake of the young girl's head.

"I wish I could, Rain. But I don't want Tera to worry. So, it was nice seeing you again, Andy. I hope we can meet again sometime." Robin said, placing a hand on Andy's shoulder as she grabbed her crimson jacket off the back of her chair.

Andy smiled and gave a nod as a way of saying farewell.

Robin smiled back before lifting her heavy, black purse on to her shoulder. She then turned back to Ian, who was still standing at the door.

Taking small steps so as to make time, Robin mumbled a soft good-bye and quickly walked out of the door.

Ian watched her head down the sidewalk through the windows of the diner. His eyes narrowed, as if something about the whole situation annoyed him. Letting out a disgruntled huff, the blonde-haired man turned sharply and tapped Andy on the shoulder.

"Andrew, I want you to follow that girl home. I have a bad feeling about letting her out alone." Ian ordered gruffly, getting a raised eyebrow from Rain.

Andy looked up at Ian with a grouchy expression, clearly angry at the fact that the older man wanted him to do something that he didn't want to do.

"Why can't you do it?! You're the one who's so taken with her, you follow! I'm drinking my coffee." The brown-haired boy said loudly, getting glares from the other customers in the bar.

Rain, who had previously lowered her eyebrow, leaned across the counter and pulled on Andy's ponytail. The young boy let out a yelp and turned his angry glare on the woman behind him. His face was clearly asking why she had the nerve to pull his beloved hair.

Rain smiled sweetly and twirled some of his soft, brown ponytail around her finger.

"Andy. I'm a little worried about Robin, too. She hasn't been herself lately and I really would appreciate it if you would just tail her home. Just to see that she makes it ok." The young woman said, her smile widening when she saw Andy furrow his eyebrows. She could tell he was thinking hard about it.

"Yeah...but still, why do I have to do it? Why can't you or Ian do it, since both of you are so convinced that something is the matter with her?" He whined, reaching out to grab on to his coffee cup. Bringing it to his lips to take a sip, he gave a side-glance over at Rain; silently asking her to answer his question.

Rain's smile widened. She could tell that he was breaking under her gentle method of persuasion.

"Well, Andy. I would do it, except I don't get off work until six or seven. And I'm pretty sure Ian has loads of other stuff to do. So, why don't you do us all a favor and follow Robin home like a good boy?" She asked, patting the top of Andy's head for effect. This earned her a bubbled growl from deep within the the young man's throat.

Andy finally sighed and put down his cup; a dark brown mustache now adoning his upper lip. Completely oblivious to his new look, the brown-haired boy looked up at Rain with a defeated expression.

"Alright. I'll do it..." He trailed off, jumping slightly when Rain squealed and gave him a hug from across the counter.

"Oh! Thank-you, Andy! You don't know how much we appreciate this!" The woman cried as Andy pried her away from him.

Then, standing up, Andy headed for the door. Before he grabbed the handle, however, he turned to Ian and gave him the worst glare he could manage.

"You owe me one, Blondie..." He said in a dangerously low voice as he finally walked out the door; the bell ringing to signal his departure.

Ian watched Andy through the window as the young boy walked down the sidewalk. The blonde-haired man's lips then suddenly broke into an evil smirk.

"Let's see you try and get her, now, Akamu... I'd really love to see you try..."

Me: ::Raises a questioning eyebrow to anyone that is reading this story:: If any of you out there can imagine Amon with blonde hair, I'll be really impressed...

fantacdreamer: Yes, she's is having a bad day. We all know how those feel. Oo

Amon's Angel of the Darkness: No, the aura was not Amon's. I'm really sorry to disappoint you. Hmmm, I've never really noticed how much more emotional Robin's dream was than Amon's. I guess Amon's dream reflected off of his nature. ::Shrugs:: I read ch.7 over again and once I thought about it, it did kind of sound like Mr. Dire (The teacher guy) was wanting to ask Robin out. -- That would be a little scary, because Mr. Dire is like in his early-late fifties. Thanks for reviewing.