Chapter Eleven:
To Signify to Moon
Disclaimer: You all know this, so I'll spare you this time.
"Should we tell him when he gets here?" A timid voice asked in the darkness of the computer room in the basement of the conveaniant store. Another, harsher voice answered.
"Are you kidding!? Of course, we shouldn't! It would only give him another reason to keep moping!" The owner of this voice seemed very preturbed about something.
"Well, I think we should. Besides he's only going to find out sooner or later." A third, more reasonable voice put it. No one had to be a rocket scientist to figure out this voice belonged to a woman.
"I rather he found out later." The second voice put in judgementally. "That way, we won't have suffer from his drepression until then."
The first voice cut in.
"You know, he has a point." It said, being followed by the sound of fingers typing on a keyboard.
"I can't believe you two! Why would you want to postpone something as serious as this? I mean, you know how much he cares for her..." Another, higher-pitched voice put in. This comment was followed by a few murmers of agreements.
"She's right. We shouldn't put this off. We have to tell him --" The third voice was interrupted rudely when the lights were suddenly clicked on.
"Tell who about what?" A uproariously girly voice asked good-naturedly from the doorway, only to recieve glares from the other four people on the room.
The blonde-haired girl blinked in surprise, leaning forward slightly as if trying to hear some secret.
"Who died?" She whispered quietly. She had meant it sarcastically to lighten up the awkward moment. Her comment, however, was taken rather seriously.
A brown-haired boy wearing a sea-green jacket and blue jeans leapt up from the chair he was sitting on. Strolling purposefully over to the teenage blonde, he shoved his face into hers and snarled.
"Don't you go asking us who died! We having a tough time with it already --" The boy shouted before being wrestled back by a determined Eri, who was stronger than she looked at times.
The blonde standing in the doorway, who was obviously Doujima, blinked a second time before letting her gaze travel over to a tall woman with short, brown hair and a pink, business suit with a skirt.
"Uh-did I miss something or is Sakaki just having a mental breakdown?" Doujima asked, gesturing over to the boy still struggling against Eri's strong arms.
The tall woman, known as Miho Karasuma, just shrugged.
"He's just upset over something that Michael has told us." She said, jerking her head over to the hacker, who was currently watching the two teens rolling around on the floor with a amusement.
Doujima let out a noise that suggested she understood and she nodded. She then looked down at Eri and Sakaki. Both were trying to best the other in a match of strength.
Doujima grimaced.
"Oh, come on, you two! That seriously does not look right! Break it up, will you!?" She shouted at them before stepping lightly around Miho and over to the small kitchen to place her purse down on the bar in there.
Eri huffed at being told to give up a fight, but she did as she was ordered and released her firm hold on Sakaki's shirt.
Sakaki grunted as he stood up, retracting his own grip from Eri's hair. The two of them straightened themselves and brushed off any dirt that they might have picked up on their cloths. Doujima's voice filtered in from the kitchen.
"Good! Now, kiss and make up. And I'm not kidding about the kissing part..." A laugh followed this comment. Both Sakaki and Eri scowled at each other and they scooted quickly to opposite sides of the room.
Michael, hearing Doujima's wise-crack, blushed furiously and he growled in Sakaki's direction. Thankfully, no one took any notice of this.
Doujima reentered the room a few seconds later with a magazine in one hand and a soda in the other. Sighing, she sat down in Sakaki's unoccupied chair and glanced over at Michael.
"So, what's this news that's gotten everybody so worked up?" She asked, opening the magazine and flipping a couple of pages.
The hacker cracked his knuckles for a second before vigorously typing on the keyboard in front of him.
"Well, I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but...someone we all know has been attacked recently and the police haven't found a body, yet. So, we're not sure if this person is dead or not. And we're all contemplating on whether to tell Amon..." Michael paused, turning over to Doujima, who was gazing at the magazine in front of her with interest.
"Doujima? Did you get all of that?" The young boy asked. The blonde-haired woman raised her head and she nodded.
"Yes, I did. But I don't see what the big deal is about telling Amon about this. I mean, if it's a witch, we need to go after it too make sure it's in no danger and to make sure that it won't hurt any one else..." She trailed off, becoming slightly disturbed at the sudden silence. She glanced at everyone in the room. All of them had their faces turned down, as if looking at her would hurt them.
Doujima scowled.
"Alright, what's wrong?" She inquired hotly, surprisingly placing her magazine and soda down on the table beside her. Everyone else just continued to stare down at their feet and shift around uncomfortably. This went on for about ten seconds
It was Karasuma who spoke first.
"Doujima, we have something to tell you about a certain...Craft-user." She said, not having the heart to bring up the person's name. The blonde-haired girl sitting in the chair raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"Well?" Doujima demanded, giving everyone a glare with her blue eyes. No one dared to look at her.
It was then that Sakaki pulled out a lighter and held it out in front of him. Flicking it with his thumb a couple of times, the boy finally managed to get it to light. He held it out for Doujima to see.
"Remind you of anything?" He asked quietly, gesturing to the small flame spurting out of the metel object.
Doujima gazed at the fire for a moment, then up at Sakaki. It didn't take long for realization to hit her with the force of a bulldozer. Tears suddenly sprang to life in her eyes.
"Y-you mean --" She paused abruptly as the sound of footsteps came to her ears. Everyone turned towards the doorway while Sakaki quickly tried to put away the lighter.
Amon walked in a few minutes later, his face the perfect image of an expressionless, Halloween mask. He entered the room silently, almost like a shadow. He then let a out 'Hmm' noise and looked up whenever he realized he was being watched intently. Seeing this caused him to furrow his eyebrows.
"Something about my appearence amuse you all?" He asked darkly, only to be answered by a heavy silence. His brow contracted even further as he took a step towards Michael and glared him in the eyes.
"All of you know something I don't and it's not making me very happy. What's going on?" He asked in a dangerously low voice. His eyes were flashing unpleasently and most of it was directed towards the poor hacker.
Michael chuckled nervously and he gestured to an empty chair nearby. Amon followed his hand's movements and glared holes into the chair's seat.
"Have a seat, Amon. Trust me, you may want it after a little bit." The young boy said, watching with baited breath as the dark-haired man rolled his eyes and surprisingly did as he was told.
Once Amon had gotten himself situated, Michael let his breath out and turned back to his computer. He began typing on the keyboard at an accelerated rate.
Trying his best not to look over at Amon, the boy spoke.
"Amon. Do you remember when you asked me to search for Robin's whereabouts two days ago?" Michael asked, pausing when he saw the other man nod out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" He inquired in his deep voice. Michael continued to type without looking at him.
"Well, I've been keeping track of her. Just to keep an eye on her, you know. Everything has been going great so far. That is, until Nagira sent me this..." The hacker trailed off, clicking the mouse so that a pop-up appeared on the computer screen.
Amon leaned in to get a better look at the monitor. On it was a headline. It was in English, so that Amon couldn't really understand it very well, but he understood enough to get a jiff on what it was about.
The ex-hunter drew himself away from the computer and looked over at Michael.
"So, a house in San Fransisco blew up without any real signs of a cause. Doesn't sound so bad to me." He said as he crossed his arms. Everyone, except for Amon and Michael, groaned at the irony in the statement Amon had just made.
Michael shook his head and stared intently into the face of the man sitting next to him. He stared for so long, his glasses began slipping off of the end of his nose.
"Read more carefully, Amon. What was the address of the house?" The boy asked almost sternly, sounding for all the world like a strict teacher scolding a student that he had just caught cheating on a test.
Amon rolled his eyes a second time and leaned in once again to see the computer screen better. His slate-colored orbs flicked back and fourth, searching for the answer to Michael's question.
Those same eyes widened when he found it.
How the hell did we wind up like this?
Why weren't we able,
To see the signs that we missed.
And try to tables.
Amon's mouth dropped without his control. His eyes continued to waver on the screen, indicating that he was still reading. It took him a few seconds, but eventually he was able to get his lips to start working again.
"8-807 Alpine Way." He managed to cough out, slowly turning his wide-eyed gaze to Michael.
The hacker nodded, typing in a few more keys.
"Nagira sent it to me just this morning. Police reports say that they've found a body..." He paused, looking over at Amon when the dark-haired made a strange noise somewhere down in his throat. The young boy then quickly tried to reassure his colleage.
"Don't worry, it wasn't Robin's. The reports tell us that it was actually the body of her roommate. That, and the police have also found the body of the girl's dead dog. Robin and her pets, however, have gone missing. Of course, I had already figured that out when my lock on her disappeared." Michael explained thoroghly.
Amon continually opened and closed his mouth, as if his vocal cords had decided to quit working.
"Is she-have they-are the police searching for her right now?" He stuttered, his tongue feeling useless.
Michael could only nod, his sympathy for his friend brimming on the edge of grief.
"Yes, but Nagira says they haven't found anything. At least, not yet." He said, getting a small nod from the man next to him.
Amon stared, speechless, at the computer screen. Tears were welling up in his grey eyes.
"Michael, just answer me one thing." He suddenly said slowly. Michael raised his head slightly, surprised.
"Uh, sure. Anything." He said truthfully. Amon closed his eyes, trying his best to choke back the tears.
"Do you believe she is dead?"
I wish that you'd unclench your fists.
And unpack your suitcase.
Lately, there's been too much of this.
Don't t think it's too late.
Michael stuttered, his mouth suddenly unwilling to let him formulate words. He glanced at the others for help, but they gave him none.
"Answer me, Michael. I trust you." Amon voice demanded curtly. His voice was cracking, clearly on the verge of breaking down.
Michael turned back to his employer; his mouth working overdrive even though sound refused to come out.
"Well-you see, Amon. I-I-I really don't think I'm the person you should be asking. I-I really think that maybe-" He was cut off when he heard a strangled sob escape Amon's lips.
"You do, don't you? You believe she's dead. You all do!" He snarled loudly. He stood up quickly from the chair, knocking it over in the process. The other four people in the room followed in suit.
"Amon, calm down. We don't believe she's dead. It's just that it's highly unlikely that she survived unless she was out of the house at the time-" Miho tried to reassure him, but Amon would have none of it.
"You all think that she's just some weak, little girl. You think she'll give up just like that? Just like that!?" He cried out hoarsely, ramming a lamp with his fist and toppling it to the ground with a crash.
Doujima placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder.
"Amon, please-" She started softly, only to have him push her hand roughly away. He towered over her, giving her the coldest glare imaginable.
"Don't touch me." He growled visciously through his clenched teeth before knocking the blonde out of the way. With his coat billowing out behind him, the dark-haired man stomped up the stairs. After a few seconds, the others flinched at the sound of the basement door being slammed closed.
Nothin's wrong.
Just as long as
You know that someday I will,
Someday, somehow
Gonna make it alright, but not right know.
I know you're wondering when.
(You're the only one who knows that).
Someday, somehow
Gonna make it alright, but not right now
I know you're wondering when.
Everyone let out a breath and they looked at one another with slight relief. Though they were all used to Amon's tyrads, it never ceased to amaze them how scary he could get.
Sakaki nervously made his way over to Doujima, his eyes flicking over to the door every now and then. It was almost like he was afraid Amon would come charging back through the door as soon as he reached her.
"Well. That turned out nicely." He finally managed to say once he felt himself touch Doujima's shoulder. Miho and Michael nodded in agreement. All Doujima could do was stare straight ahead, almost as if she were in a trance.
The heavy silence that followed this was only broken by Eri stupidly asking,
"Does any one know where that music is coming from?"
Amon's foot slammed down on the gas pedal, causing his car to go way faster then the normal speed limit. Trees whipped past him at a rate that could not be calculated.
You're acting rather unreasonably. His conscience scoffed, which was the only part of his brain that was working correctly. The rest had turned into a race car bent on running down everything in its path.
Amon growled, tears running down his pale cheeks.
"She can't be dead. She just can't be. She wouldn't just lay down and die." He kept repeating to himself, though deep down, he knew he was just trying to convince himself of the inevitable.
The car suddenly skidded to a stop on the bridge that went over the river that ran through the center of Tokyo. Amon had jumped out even before the vehicle had even come to a full halt.
Trudging over to the ledge that looked over into the water, the dark-haired man balled his hands into fists and raised them into the air for a moment before bringing them down hard on to the concrete. A fresh wave of tears came to his eyes with the pain it had caused.
"No... She's not dead. I refuse to believe it." He whispered raggedly to himself as he felt his knees buckle under him. Sobs escaped his lips as he let himself fall.
Breathing harshly, Amon sighed and leaned himself back so that his head rested against the side of his car. It wasn't exactly a comfortable position, but somehow it helped relax him to just sit there and watch the sun set below the horizon.
Amon narrowed his eyes. Never in his life had he ever become so aware of the beauty of nature around him. He had never before noticed the roughness of the pavement he was now sitting on. Never noticed how beautiful the afterglow of the sun's rays could be after a hard day on the job.
A small flower fell from a large tree that hung partway over the bridge. It floated slowly through the air before landing softly in Amon's lap.
Amon raised an eyebrow before picking the little bud up in between his large fingers. He studied it for a moment, turning it this way and that.
"Robin... You're not not dead. No." He breathed, more to himself then to anyone. A smile broke across his face. He then brought the small, white flower to his lips and kissed it.
"You better come back to me one day, Robin. Either that or I'll hunt you down myself." He said to himself with a humorous tone edging his voice. Raising his hand slightly, he let the bud float away from his fingers in the breeze.
As he watched it fly away over the edge of the bridge, another car passed by behind his own. A song was blaring out from the windows as it passed.
Amon raised his head, realizing that he liked the song coming out of the car. Craining his neck, he litsened intently to the lyrics as they faded with the car as it went around a corner.
Amon smiled. And considering his inexpierence with smiling, it looked rather creepy.
"Robin... You're mine." He rasped, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against his car.
A full moon grinned down from above, showing a kindness towards a certain dark-haired hunter.
Hello, good morning, how you do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning, too.
All of my regrets are nothing new.
So, this is the way that I say I need you.
This is the way.
This is that way that I'm...
Learning to breathe.
I'm learning to crawl.
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall.
I'm living again, awake and alive.
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies...
Me: I hate this chapter... Except for maybe the song at the end of the chapter.
Amon's Angel of the Darkness: Thank-you for reveiwing. :)