Chapter Two - All Around the World

Amon arrived at Narita Airport after an eleven hour flight. He was glad his brother had booked him a first-class ticket, especially because the flight was non-stop from Paris to Narita Airport outside of Tokyo. The flight had been an easy one. They had only hit turbulent air twice, so Amon had been able to stretch his legs and walk around as he saw fit.

He was feeling tired because he hadn't gotten much sleep during the flight. Only a couple hours' worth, because his dreams kept haunting him. Impaired as he was, it was difficult navigating the sprawling airport. As it was, he managed to find the passport desk and got his documents cleared. He then headed for baggage claim, where Nagira said he would meet him.

His brother's big white fur coat was unmistakable. He scowled, suspecting that his brother had worn it simply because he knew how much Amon hated it. He walked up to Nagira. "Why do you insist on wearing that ridiculous coat?" he asked. Nagira turned around and grinned at him.

Amon was by no means a small man, but his older brother, Nagira, was taller than him by half a head. "It's comfortable," he said in response to his brother's question. Underneath the furry white coat in question, he was wearing an expensive forest green suit, a khaki colored shirt with the top button undone, and shiny black Italian leather shoes. One could tell just by looking at him that he was a lawyer, and a pretty successful one at that. "Glad to see you too," he said, pulling Amon into a bear hug. When he released him, Amon didn't look amused. "Heh. Lighten up, Otouto. You'll die young."

Amon didn't reply as he found the carousel that his luggage was supposed to be coming around on. When he spotted his bag, he scooped it up. "You seem more unbearably cheerful than usual," Amon commented as he and his brother headed for the exit. Nagira shrugged easily.

Once they were outside, the lawyer fished inside his jacket for his cigarettes. "If I'm going to die from tension, you'll die of cancer," Amon pointed out as his brother lit up. Nagira laughed.

"Good one," he said. He offered the cigarettes to his brother, and Amon took one. "I took the liberty of picking up your car for you," he said as he lead Amon toward the parking garage.

"How thoughtful," Amon said dryly.

"If I'm more unbearably cheerful than usual, you're more sarcastic than usual. You must be in a pretty good mood," Nagira pointed out. Amon merely grunted in response. "Aw, c'mon, an eleven hour flight isn't that bad," Nagira chuckled.

He located the car he was looking for, a sleek black BMW M5. "You wanted a fast car," he said, handing the keys to Amon. "They don't get much faster than this outside the formula one circuit." Amon nodded approvingly.

The brothers got into the car. Amon spent some time adjusting his seat, mirrors, and steering wheel until they were perfect. He put the key in the ignition and started the car. It roared to life.

"Nice, huh?" Nagira said from the passenger's seat.

"It'll do," Amon said. Nagira noted the shadow of a smile on his brother's face. The car sped out from the parking garage. Nagira held onto his seat.

"Hey...this is a parking lot, Otouto, not the freeway. What are you trying to do? Get us killed?" Nagira asked as he held on.

"Maybe," Amon said with a smirk.

Nagira directed Amon to the hotel he would be staying at. It was a pretty nice one within Tokyo. Amon had a pretty good view of the Tokyo tower from his room. "Nice view," Nagira commented from the window. He was holding the curtain back. He turned around and sat in the chair at the table.

"I suppose you want to get down to business," Nagira said, grabbing the ashtray and getting out his sixth cigarette. Amon simply nodded. "Well, I found out a little more than we knew last night. I don't know if you'll regret having flown all the way here from Paris," he said as he pulled some folded up papers out of his coat. He unfolded them and read them over.

"Her name is Sena Robin. As you already know, she was sent here from SOLOMON headquarters in Italy. Apparently, she grew up there, but she was born here in Japan." He looked up at his younger brother, who had seated himself on the bed.

"What else?" Amon asked.

"She's fifteen years old," Nagira replied. "Apparently, she's pretty good though. She's an A- Class, and I'd imagine that's only because she hasn't had any experience in the field." He shook his head and tossed the papers to his brother. "A little out of your target range though."

Amon scanned the papers. "I may still check her out," he said after a moment of reading.

"Why? She's fucking fifteen, Otouto. There's no way in hell she could be the hunter that killed you mother. Unless she did it when she was a toddler." Amon glared at Nagira. "What? It's true. What's the point? Are you going to kill a fifteen year old girl just because she's on the wrong side and might not even know it?"

Amon put the papers down on the bed, still glaring at his older brother. "I didn't say I would kill her, I said I would check her out," he stated.

"Same difference," Nagira said, flicking the ashes accumulating at the end of his cigarette into the ashtray. "What are you going to 'check out?' Are you going to try to get her to join you or something? You and I both know that you work alone." He sighed, deciding to drop it. "She's supposed to get here in three days, provided that the information is correct. Don't hold me to it. I can't guarantee up to date information."

"In other words, she could be arriving today for all we know," Amon stated, picking up the papers again.

"That's about the size of it," Nagira agreed. "When she does arrive, whenever that will be, you can find her at STN-J's headquarters, Raven's Flat. We can drive down there later if you want." Amon nodded. "As for where she's staying, I don't have that information yet. Could be with one of the members of STN-J, or she could be getting her own apartment for all we know.

"It's unlikely that she will be staying with any of her teammates. SOLOMON generally discourages its hunters from associating with one another outside of work." Nagira looked at him quizzically. "It's taboo," Amon said. "Do you have any information about STN-J?" he asked.

"Not very much, but I did do a little research, since I figured you'd ask. The Administrator is a guy called Zaizen. The team mostly consists of Seeds. There's only one other Craft user. Her name is Karasuma Miho. She's eighteen and her Craft is scrying, or sensing things by touching objects, people, what have you."

"In other words, there are no other concrete leads in Japan," Amon surmised. Nagira nodded. "Beautiful."

"Not my fault you decided to come before we had gotten more information," his brother said, holding his hands up in front of him. Amon merely sighed, putting the papers back down on the bed.

"What information do you have about the others?" he asked, referring to the other members of STN-J. Nagira knew what he was talking about.

"The field leader is a guy named Roland. He's a Seed. Apparently, he's a pretty good shot. He got top marks in his hunter training. He's pretty well-rounded, but he specializes in profiling, much like you." Amon nodded. "Then there's Karasuma, and another Seed named Sakaki Haruto. He's pretty green himself. He's only been with STN-J for nine months. The last member is Doujima Yurika. Apparently, her parents are pretty high up in the hierarchy of SOLOMON."

"In other words, they got her the position," Amon said. His brother nodded.

"Why don't we drive down to Raven's Flat," Nagira suggested. "There's a little place across the street called Harry's. It's supposed to be pretty good. Worth checking out at least."

Amon nodded.

---

Raven's Flat was a tall building that was distinctly gothic in design. It was brick and stone with gabled windows that had beautiful ironwork. It was surrounded by a wrought iron fence, which were complete with little spikes at the top. The thing Amon found most unique about the building was the clock at the top.

He had parked the car where it couldn't be seen from the premises, but where he could still observe the building. Nagira was seated in the passenger seat, flicking the ashes from his cigarette out the window. He had blatantly ignored the no smoking sticker on the window. Amon didn't care.

He watched people walk by the building, but no one entered or exited. Nagira watched his brother. He knew his number one rule was "know thy enemy." He spent days, sometimes even weeks, stalking his prey and finding out everything about them. Nagira thought it was a bit obsessive, but it seemed effective. Amon had never lost a target.

"Are you just going to sit here for a few hours?" he asked. Amon looked at him.

"Yes. Why?" he asked.

"In that case, do me a favor and take me back to my office. Kana-chan will be the first to tell you that I've got a shitload of work to deal with," his older brother said casually as he flicked the butt of his cigarette out the window.

"Since when have you cared about work?" Amon asked, sounding somewhat amused.

"A comedian, eh?" Nagira laughed. "I just got better things to do than sitting out here all day." Nagira brought out his cigarettes and fished a fresh one from the pack. "You're the hunter, not me," he said after lighting up and taking a fairly long drag.

Amon sighed. "I suppose I could take you back to your office," he said, starting up the engine. He pulled away from the curb. He failed to notice the green taxicab stopping in front of Raven's Flat.

---

The door of the cab opened of its own accord, startling its young passenger. Having not been a native of Japan, she was still quite unused to doors that opened by themselves. She turned around in her seat, swinging both legs out of the car and maneuvering her voluminous skirts before and standing. She turned around to get her luggage, and once she and her belongings were out of the car, it drove off. She compared her paper to the plate outside the wrought-iron gate. "Raven's Flat," she said softly. She was in the right place.

Her name was Sena Robin. She was fifteen years old, and had been sent by SOLOMON headquarters in Italy to replace a recently deceased member of STN-J. From what she understood, this hunter had been killed during a hunt. Robin lowered her sheet of paper and picked up her single suitcase, opening the gate and heading into the building.

---

Amon had dropped his older brother off at his office. When he got back, he decided he could stake out Raven's Flat any time. It would be better if he could find out where Robin was supposed to stay, and if she was to have a roommate, who it would be. He walked into Harry's, walking down the long hallway and finally into the dining room itself. It was deserted. None of the candles on the tables were lit.

The barkeep looked up when Amon took a seat at the bar. He gave him a friendly smile and put down the glass he was drying. He immediately went to serve his customer. "Is there something I can get for you?" the master of the establishment asked.

"Sake," Amon requested. He hadn't been in Japan for a very long time. At least three or four years. After all, SOLOMON rarely sent the important hunters there, even though with such a large population, the chances of powerful witches was increased. His brother had told him about the Walled City, which he said was some kind of sanctuary for witches.

Tenchou poured Amon his drink and set it before him. "Would you like the bottle?" he asked. Amon merely nodded. Tenchou put the bottle beside the cup.

Amon drank his sake in a single gulp. He hadn't had it for a while, which was why he was drinking it now. He normally wasn't very big on drinking, but he was fond of the rice wine. Tenchou seemed to be watching him as he drank.

"I haven't seen you before," he observed. By the size of the establishment, and the kind of neighborhood it was in, Amon figured that he must know a great deal of his customers.

"I'm in Japan on business," Amon said. Normally, he wasn't very talkative. There was something about Tenchou that said he could talk to him.

Tenchou folded his arms over his torso, bringing one hand up to idly cup his chin. "I see," he said. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." With that, he went to the other end of the bar and picked up the cup he had been drying.

Amon picked up his cup and bottle and opted to take a table. He liked being able to observe things, and at the bar, that wasn't something he could really do. He sat down as a young girl with strawberry hair wearing a black pilgrim's dress entered. She also took a table, but closer to the front. Tenchou hurried to serve her, and Amon simply watched as he downed his third cup of sake.

The girl didn't look especially young. Amon concluded that she had to be in her mid to late teens. She wore the strangest hairstyle he had ever seen. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails at the side of her head, sticking straight out like horns. He watched as Tenchou brought her coffee and heard her say "Arigatou" softly. He doubted that he would have been able to hear it at all if his hearing wasn't so good.

He watched her daintily drink her coffee. Her posture and the way she drank her coffee spoke volumes to him. She was very self-disciplined. Her manner of dress was extremely modest, almost nun-like. He would come to the conclusion that she had grown up under the influence of the church.

Coffee. Italy. The girl defiantly didn't look Japanese. He might be jumping to conclusions, but in many cases, a background in the church might mean involvement in SOLOMON. Nagira said this Sena Robin was fifteen, which fit what Amon was seeing. She definitely wasn't Japanese, and his brother had said she was being sent from Italy, and Italians were known for their love of espresso.

He watched as Tenchou served her. She ate her food politely. Amon noted that she was eating Italian food. He closed his eyes. His brother's information had been old. There was nothing he could do about it now. He simply leaned back and drank his sake, watching Robin, but averting his gaze when she looked up. She didn't seem to take heed of him.

After she had finished eating, Tenchou took her food. Amon heard her request an espresso. Tenchou nodded and took the plate behind the bar. Amon watched him disappear into the back. He returned a moment later with the espresso. "Here you go," he said, as he put the small espresso cup and saucer before her. "An espresso, right?"

"Thank you," Robin replied. Her voice was soft. She picked up the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. He stood, holding his silver serving tray to his side, his face resting in his hand, and watched her as she drank.

"Isn't it bitter?" he inquired.

The girl smiled. "Not really. I have a habit of drinking it after meals," she explained.

"You lived abroad, didn't you?" he asked. There were subtle hints in her mannerisms that told him such, but he wanted to make conversation with the mysterious girl.

"Though I think I was born in Japan, I don't remember much else," she replied. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap as she spoke with him.

"I see," he replied. "This café isn't much, but please, make yourself at home," he invited.

"I will," she said, turning her attention back to her espresso as he moved off. He looked back at her with a small smile.

Amon could hardly believe this girl was a hunter. She seemed far too demure and gentle. He supposed he could be surprised. She might be deceptively strong. He watched her finish her meal. She stood and retrieved some money from her purse and put it on the table.

"Thank you for the meal," she said to Tenchou as she left.

"Italian dining," he noted as she approached him. "May I ask you your name?" he inquired. She regarded him before answering.

"Robin. Sena Robin," she replied, confirming that which Amon already knew.

Tenchou smiled kindly. "Robin-chan, eh?" he asked. He asked her how long she would be staying, to which she replied that it wasn't up to her, but it would surely be a while. "If it isn't too much trouble, will you come back?"

She gave him a very slight nod. "Yes, later," she told him. With that, he watched her leave. He looked back, and it wasn't until then that Amon noticed with him that all the candles had been lit. He hadn't even noticed.

He waited until she had gotten outside before paying for his drink and following her. He didn't say anything to Tenchou, but he heard the owner of the establishment thanking him for his patronage as he left.

---

The trio arrived at a warehouse. It was after dark, but the parking lot was well-lit. Zaizen and Doujima led Robin to the entrance. The trio went inside, and Robin immediately saw a ring or ward of some kind written on the ground in sand. "Ogham's Circle . . ." She trailed off as she approached it. "The runes of Hagal's Eight . . . but it's not right." She got down on her hands an knees and began sniffing it.

Doujima stepped forward. "What's she–"Zaizen put a hand on her shoulder, holding the blonde girl back.

"Why don't we let her show us?" The Administrator asked, looking at his subordinate. Doujima looked at him in return. "Let's see how a Craft user works in her natural element," he suggested, watching as Robin rearranged the circle, adding to it and expanding on it. When the young hunter was finished, she stood up and brushed off the front of her dress.

Doujima and Zaizen stayed where they were as she sought out the other hunters, who were apparently engaged with the witch.

When she arrived, she saw a man who was sprawled on the floor get hit by a heavy-looking cart, which was sent at him by the witch, who was standing in the corner. The cart landed a few feet away from her. She paid it no heed as she walked around it to confront the witch.

The witch, startled by her appearance, tried to attack her, but she quickly blocked his telekinetic attack with her fire shield.

"Nani?!" The witch was startled. The people who were attacking him were pretty helpless against his attacks...but not this one. Robin regarded him with her green eyes before sending her flames to the ground in front of him, forcing him to take a step back.

The man on the floor looked up at her. "Nanai? A Craft user...the replacement." Robin regarded him for a moment before returning her attention to the witch. She stepped closer to him.

"Your Ogham's Circle was written in Sig. This is my field." She sent her flame behind him, effectively trapping him between two walls of fire. The man on the floor stood up, pointing his gun at the witch and firing three times. The other guy, one that Robin hadn't noticed, also stood and started firing. It took several shots before the witch went down. The flames died as the other guy, the one with sandy brown hair approached the witch and began scanning him with some kind of device. The older man, the one with the dark brown hair and goatee approached them.

"Brainwave distortion level is below the red line," he reported, looking up at him. "Michael, you can let the Factory guys in." He looked up at Robin and smiled at her. "You're the replacement, huh?" he asked.

Robin regarded him curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Sakaki looked down at the witch, but someone else responded. "Unlike Headquarters, we capture witches instead of killing them. Sounds pretty humane, huh?" This was a woman. She was dressed smartly in a business suit with a black overcoat.

"Good job, people," the man with the goatee said. Robin looked at him. "You're the new replacement, huh? Good. We'll finally be able to get back to full strength. My name is Roland. Why don't we get back to Raven's Flat, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team," he suggested. He put a hand on Robin's shoulder and guided her toward the exit, followed by the other members of STN-J. None of them noticed the man watching them from the shadows.

Amon had to admit that he was impressed. Robin's looks were very deceiving, but she had just proven that she was not only a capable hunter, but also efficient. He had to wonder why she hadn't just fried the witch to a crisp if she hadn't known about STN-J's policy of not killing witches.

He would have a few things to discuss with his brother. Once he was sure the hunters had gone, he went out to his car, which he had parked discreetly, about a block away from the warehouse. He didn't need anyone getting suspicious.

He opened the driver's side door and slid into his seat. He watched as three cars drove away from the warehouse, headed back to Raven's Flat, he assumed. He started his own car and turned on the headlights. He pulled away from the curb and drove toward his brother's office. He knew Nagira would be there. He practically lived there. One would think he didn't have his own apartment, but Amon knew he did.

He pulled up in front of Nagira Law Office, and as he expected, saw that the light was still on upstairs. He turned off the engine and went up to his brother's office.

He also wasn't surprised that Nagira was the only one there. He was leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk, gazing at the smoke hanging over his head, a cigarette in his mouth. When Amon walked in, he looked at him. "I was expecting you," Nagira said with a grin.

"I'm sure you were," Amon said as his brother swung his feet off his desk and sat up straight in his chair. The dark-haired hunter sat down in the chair across from Nagira. "Do you have any more information?" he asked.

Nagira looked thoughtful for a moment. He took his cigarette out of his mouth long enough to exhale a large puff of smoke. "I don't have much more for you, Otouto. Keep in mind that it's difficult to get into the SOLOMON database, and even more so without getting caught. My contacts are working as fast as they can without leaving anything behind for SOLOMON to find."

"I learned something interesting," Amon said as his brother offered him a cigarette. "I do have my own, you know," he said irately as he took one and allowed Nagira to light it for him.

"So you do, but you should be glad that I'm letting you waste mine." He leaned back in his chair, watching his brother. "So what did you learn that's so interesting?" he asked, intrigued.

"STN-J doesn't kill their targets." He leaned back in his own chair, watching Nagira's reaction. The older man looked thoughtful.

"Huh. Now that is an interesting bit of information. So what, they capture them and send them off somewhere to be detained? Like some kind of life sentence in prison for being a witch?" He shook his head. "Something about that doesn't quite sound right."

Amon nodded. "It's not really my concern though," he said.

"Yeah, hunters are your concern...but don't you think it's strange? Something's not jiving with me about this." He exhaled another puff of smoke.

"I admit that it sounds very strange and something doesn't feel right about it, but I'm not a detective, nor am I a self-righteous vigilante. You can try to find information to your heart's desire, but I can guarantee you that I'm not going to get involved with it," Amon stated.

"Yeah, yeah. I know it's not your deal," Nagira said, shaking his head. "Anyway, I got a little information about Robin's background, and a bit about her training. She's a pretty high-ranked hunter, but it looks like STN-J is her first assignment outside of headquarters, and she may not have participated in any hunts."

"Until tonight," Amon finished.

"Why are you so fucking interested in her, Outoto? She's outside your normal area too." Nagira leaned forward to pass his brother the papers before leaning back in his chair again and putting his feet back on his desk. He watched Amon.

"I don't know," Amon admitted. "There's something about her. When I saw her at Harry's, I decided that I wanted to find out more about her." He shook his head. "I don't know what it is," he said.

"This is really unlike you, you know," Nagira stated. "You're usually so fixated on finding the guy that murdered your mom. You never deviate. What makes this kid so special? She is a kid, mind you." Amon was glaring at him. "Just because you don't know her circumstances? Is that it? Is it because it's possible that she might be like you?"

"I don't fucking know," Amon replied evenly. It seemed strange to Nagira that most people would raise their voice and yell when they got angry. Amon seemed to speak more calmly. Nagira reminded himself then that his brother didn't allow his emotions to get the better of him. Ever. Maybe it was because his Craft often reacted to his emotional state.

"Anyway," Nagira said, letting his brother glare. "I'll try to get more information, but I can't guarantee anything. I'll even try to find out if she's here just as a replacement, or if she has some hidden purpose. STN-J seems to be largely ignored by SOLOMON. I don't know why they suddenly decided that they give a shit."

Amon nodded and stood up. "I'll stop by tomorrow morning," he said.

"Sure," Nagira replied as his brother stood. Amon put his cigarette out in Nagira's overflowing ashtray. The lawyer watched as he turned around and left the office. He leaned back, cigarette dangling from his mouth. He brought his arms up behind his head, resting it there. He just chuckled as he heard the roar of the M5's engine as the car took off.

After he had gone, Nagira noted a thin coating of frost on the desk where Amon had put his hand. He shook his head, wondering if that had been intentional or not.

---

Japanese

Arigatou - Thank you

Nani - What

Otouto - Little brother

Niisan - Big brother

Author's Notes: Thanks to those who have reviewed for their kind words. I really appreciate each and every review I receive, and they help me get that extra drive and desire to write more. I think this chapter is much better since I revised it. I even added more to it (mwahaha...more for you to read). As always, please let me know what you think. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated as well.