Chapter Five - Protection

When Robin awoke, she was momentarily confused and disoriented. Where was she? Who's T-shirt was she wearing? Then she remembered that she was in Amon's hotel room. She looked around. Amon was nowhere to be seen. Then she heard the shower in the bathroom. She sat up, holding the blanket to her chest out of habit. Blinking groggily, she tried to wake herself up more. Her shoulder gave a throb of protest at the movement and he winced against the sudden pain.

She heard the water turn off and thought longingly of taking a bath. She heard movement in the bathroom and water from the sink being turned on. She lay back down slowly and settled against the pillows. She wasn't sure what to do until Amon got out, so she just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Finally, the bathroom door opened. Amon, clad only in a towel, was walking out, toweling his face with one of the hotel's white hand towels.

Robin's eyes widened as she watched him walk into the room. She snapped her eyes closed, hoping Amon hadn't seen that she was awake. She feigned sleep while she listened to Amon gathering his clothes together. It had just registered in her brain that she had seen him half-naked. Not that she hadn't liked what she saw . . . she mentally slapped herself for having immodest thoughts.

"You can open your eyes now," Amon said after a moment. Robin opened her eyes, sitting up. She felt her cheeks flush as she looked at him, now fully dressed. "I should have dressed in the bathroom," he said semi-apologetically.

"Um . . . it's okay," Robin replied nervously.

"You should get cleaned up," he suggested.

Robin nodded and got out of bed. Without saying anything, she quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it, closing her eyes. Her face must have been completely red. She thought she had detected a hint of amusement in his voice. She sighed. It wasn't like he had intended for her to see him wearing only a towel.

She ran her bath water, and once the tub was full, she slid in, submersing herself in the water. She tried to banish thoughts of Amon half naked as she bathed.

---

Amon smirked as he watched the bathroom door close. He hadn't intended for Robin to see him like that. He honestly thought she'd be asleep when he finished showering. It was only 7:30, and Amon had learned that the fifteen year old girl liked her sleep when he was stalking her. Then again, it had been fairly early when she fell asleep the night before.

He headed over to the chair that he had set beside the bed and sat down in it, grabbing his cell phone off the bedside table. It was time for him to check in with his brother. "Niisan," he commanded. The phone dialed up his brother's number as Amon held the device to his ear. He listened to Nagira's phone ring. Finally, after the fourth ring, his brother answered.

"Otouto, how many times do I have to remind you that I don't get up as early as you?" he said groggily. Amon smirked.

"Maybe you should. I had actually awoken an hour ago, but I wanted to wait until Robin had awoken before I called you." He heard cloth rustling in the background. His brother must have slept at his apartment for once.

"She okay?" Nagira grunted.

"A few bumps and bruises, but otherwise, yes. She had been shot a few times by witch hunting bullets, but a good night's sleep has seemed to do her good," Amon replied. "We're going to pick up some breakfast once she's done bathing. Then we'll stop by at your place. We're going to have to make arrangements to leave Japan fairly quickly."

Nagira yawned. "So you going to check out? You guys can stay here for a couple'a days if you need to."

"That would probably be better than staying here, where there's only one bed. I'm still sore from sleeping in the chair." He heard his brother chuckle on the other end. "Well, I couldn't make her sleep on the floor," Amon grumbled.

"At any rate, give me about an hour to shower and dress and stuff, and I'll meet you at the office," Nagira said.

"All right," Amon agreed. With that, he and Nagira hung up. Amon placed the cell phone back on the bedside table. Shortly after that, Robin emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was down and she was wearing his black T-shirt, reminding him very much of when he saw her at her apartment. He stood and picked up her dress. "I had this laundered while you were sleeping," he told her, walking over to her so he could give it to her.

"Thank you," Robin replied with a small bow of her head. She took the garment into the bathroom so she could change into it. Once she had dressed, she emerged again. This time, her hair was in its normal style.

Amon was putting his equipment away as she wandered into the room and sat on the bed. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Just the thought of food made her stomach growl. Her cheeks flushed pink. "Yes," she replied, sounding embarrassed.

"We'll get breakfast then," he said as he zipped up his laptop's carrying case. He faced the girl sitting on the bed. "We had better avoid Harry's though," he said thoughtfully.

"I suppose," Robin said sadly.

Amon slowly shook his head. "We can't have any of the members of STN-J seeing you," he reproached gently.

Robin sighed. "I know," she said. "It's just–I'll miss them," she finished, ducking her head.

Amon didn't quite know how to respond to that. He wasn't used to communicating with anyone but his brother, let alone a fifteen year-old girl who was suddenly ripped away from her life. "I'm sorry," he said at last, for lack of anything better to say. He gathered his bags together. "Once we've eaten, we can stop by your apartment and you can get anything you'll need," he said after a moment's pause.

Robin nodded and stood, following him to the door. They stepped out of the room into the hallway with its lush red carpet and cream-coloured walls. Amon made sure the door was closed securely behind them, then made his way down the hall, walking so quickly that Robin had to trot to keep up with him.

"Um . . . Amon?" Robin said uncertainly.

"Hm?" the hunter replied.

"Um . . . could you slow down a little?" she requested. Amon glanced back at her, but he complied. He stopped for a moment to allow her to catch him up. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't apologize," he said as he started walking again, but more slowly this time. "I'm not used to being with other people," he admitted.

Robin tittered. "I see."

As Amon walked beside her, he watched her from the corner of his eye. She was walking demurely with her hands folded in front of her, head slightly bowed. Her verdant eyes seemed to be focused on the carpet with its intricate designs and patterns. He had a feeling that it wasn't the carpet she was really looking at though. "You're still uncomfortable with me," he observed.

Robin's head lifted so she could look at him. "I suppose," she said. "I'm still not entirely certain that I can trust you," she admitted.

"I can understand that," Amon said as they stopped in front of the elevator. He pressed the down button and waited for a car to arrive. "It must seem pretty convenient that I said you would be hunted and you were," he elaborated.

Robin nodded, but didn't say anything. They heard a ding and the elevator doors slid open. Robin and Amon boarded the car. "How do you know so much about SOLOMON without being one of its agents?" she questioned as the doors closed them into the car.

Amon leaned against the railing, holding it loosely with one hand. "I've been studying them for many years," he replied."Ten to be more precise," he said after a moment's thought. "My older brother has good informants, and I've been able to do a little research on my own."

Robin nodded, but again remained silent, seemingly turning the information around in her head. Amon remained silent while she thought. "It must have been hard to find a lot of information," she said at last.

"It was . . . difficult," Amon replied as the elevator doors slid open again. They stepped into the lobby of the hotel, which was already bustling with activity. People were checking out, bellhops were helping guests with their bags, and still more people were checking in.

Robin watched the people move around with detached interest as she followed Amon to the front desk.

"I trust you enjoyed you stay?" the clerk asked as Amon turned in his keycard. The hunter simply nodded. "Thank you. Please come again." The clerk bowed, and Amon returned it with a simple nod of his head.

"Come on," he said to Robin. The girl looked up at him and followed him outside. He gave a ticket to a valet and stood silently as he went to retrieve Amon's vehicle.

Robin stood silently beside him, watching cars driving by on the street. The black BMW stopped in front of them, and the valet got out. Amon gave him a tip and opened the passenger side door for Robin, who thanked him and got in.

Amon pulled away from the curb, and without looking away from the road asked, "If you can't be certain that you trust me completely, why didn't you tell the STN-J about me?"

Robin thought about that for a moment, staring out the windshield. "I didn't know if I could trust you, but you hadn't hurt me, or even really attempted to," she replied after a long moment's thought. "At least for the moment, you weren't dangerous," she elaborated. Amon nodded. Robin looked down at her hands as she folded them in her lap. "Why . . . did you want me to join you?" she asked hesitantly.

Why indeed? Amon thought. He remained silent as he considered the answer. He wasn't entirely sure there was an answer, or if there was, that he could articulate it well. "I didn't want them to corrupt you," he said at last. He wasn't sure if that was really it, but it was close enough to the abstract reason in his mind.

Robin knew he was talking about SOLOMON. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of what to say to that. She finally decided that there wasn't anything she could say. She knew he knew her. He had never talked to her before that encounter in the living room of her apartment, but he had observed her going about her day, completely oblivious to him. Not knowing exactly what he had observed her doing made her feel uncomfortable.

---

Hanamura Mika looked up when the door opened and frowned in distaste as Amon strode in with a girl following him. She didn't like that good-for-nothing brother of Nagira's. Then again, good-for-nothingness seemed to run in the family. With Amon in Japan, it seemed that Nagira preferred to hang out with his brother rather than work.

"Yo," Nagira greeted as Amon and the girl approached his desk. Mika leaned over to peer at him from behind her computer. As usual, the big, brown-haired man was reclining in his chair, feet propped on his desk, cigarette dangling from his lips. It moved when he spoke.

Nagira took his feet off the desk and stood up, looking at the girl. "So this is Robin, eh?" he asked, looking at her appraisingly. Amon nodded. Robin simply looked at him, seemingly making her own appraisal of him. Mika sighed and straightened in her chair, returning to work.

"I'm Nagira Syunji," he introduced, sticking out his hand. Robin looked at the proffered hand for a moment before lightly grasping it.

"I thought you don't shake hands in Japan," she commented softly.

Nagira grinned. "We don't, but you don't come from Japan," Nagira observed. "Or do you?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"I was born here," Robin replied. "I grew up in Italy."

Nagira nodded. "I know. You guys are much more physical than handshakes there, ne?" Nagira commented with a laugh. Robin blushed faintly as Nagira took his seat again. He glanced at his brother. "Why don't we go have a seat, Otouto? We've got quite a bit to discuss, ne?"

Robin looked between Amon and Nagira in confusion. "You're brothers?" she questioned.

Nagira laughed. "Half-brothers," he corrected as they moved to a couch and two chairs situated before a coffee table. Nagira gestured for Robin to sit on the couch. She complied, sitting and folding her hands in her lap. Amon sat down beside her, and Nagira sat across from them in one of the chairs. "He and I have been working together so to speak for quite a few years now." He took his cigarette out of his mouth and flicked the ashes accumulating at the end into his ashtray. "Want one?" he asked, addressing the question to his younger brother.

"No thanks," he replied.

"Huh." Nagira shook his head slightly. "Anyway, first order of business. You guys are going to stay here until I can arrange to get you out of Japan, right?" he asked. Amon nodded. "Okay. I've got places arranged for you guys to sleep. It isn't much, but it'll do for now, ne?" He laughed. "Do you want me to book you two rooms?"

Amon shook his head. "No. One room, two beds. I do not think it would be safe for Robin to stay in a different room."

"Why not? SOLOMON doesn't know the kid's with you," Nagira remarked. He took a huge drag from his cigarette. Robin merely looked between the two brothers without offering her own comments. They didn't look anything alike. Then again, that probably had to do with their being half-brothers.

"Still," Amon muttered. "I'd like to be able to keep an eye on her."

Nagira shook his head with a smile. "Whatever. I'll do that then. I haven't got any leads for you other than Sastre. Want to hold off on him for a while? He's a pretty big fish if you know what I mean," Nagira commented, snubbing the remains of his cigarette in the ashtray in the middle of the coffee table.

The mention of Sastre's name snapped Robin to full attention. Of course. She should have known he would be a potential target for Amon.

Amon nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully."Any other leads?" he inquired.

Nagira shook his head as he fished around in his breast pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Once he found it, he took one out. "Want one?" he asked, offering them to Robin. The girl shook her head and Amon glared at him.

"Oh, no. I don't smoke," Robin said.

"As Nagira should have known," Amon said sourly.

Nagira flipped the lid on his lighter and lit his cigarette. "Just figured I'd ask," the lawyer said, blowing smoke from his nose. He put his lighter back in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "So you're just going to go about your business as usual, huh? You're not taking Robin into hiding?" Amon shook his head. Nagira let out a short laugh that didn't sound very amused. "C'mon, Otouto. You're not alone anymore. You can risk your own life as much as you want, being the arrogant bastard that you are. Eventually, SOLOMON is going to spot her with you, and they'll send hunters after you when they do," he said angrily. Before Amon could say anything, his brother continued. "I don't care if that fucking serves your purpose. By going and saving Robin, or even asking her to join you in the first place, you took responsibility for her."

Robin glanced at her companion, who was frowning in such a way as to say "You can't tell me what to do." Nagira had leaned back, crossing his arms over his broad chest, silently puffing on his cigarette in a manner that reminded Robin of a steam engine. The brothers seemed to be having a staring contest or a contest of wills. She desperately hoped they wouldn't drag her into this because she didn't know where she stood.

Suddenly, both brothers simultaneously proclaimed, "Let's ask Robin."

Robin shrank into the leather cushion of the couch as the two brothers fixed her with grey-eyed stares. She fidgeted uncomfortably as she desperately tried to think of something to say.

Finally, she sighed heavily, her shoulders dropping as she did. "I don't like either option," she told them, her voice sounding small. Nagira looked bewildered, as though he were sure she would agree with him. Amon looked as though he understood. She sighed again, fixing Nagira with a pointed stare. "I don't want to be locked away," she said, repeating the words she had said to Amon the night before. "Even if it means being safe. I don't want to trade my freedom for my life." She looked down at her hands, which were twisting the fabric of her skirt. Then she looked at Amon. "I don't want to participate in your hunts either."

"I know. I didn't expect you to." Robin and Nagira both looked surprised by this revelation. Amon leaned back in his chair. "I chose this. You did not. You joined me out of necessity, not because you believe in what I am doing. Not even I think that what I'm doing is exactly the right thing to do. I can't expect you to join me in my vendetta against SOLOMON because I know you don't believe in it." Robin was completely at a loss for words. She didn't know what she expected, but it hadn't been this. "All I expect of you is that should you ever be in danger, you will protect yourself and fight back because I can guarantee you that from this point on, anyone who attacks you is doing so with the intention to kill you."

"I—I understand," the girl said at last, still a little surprised by what Amon had just said. Although she didn't want to believe him, the logical part of her brain knew he was right. From this point on, she was an enemy of SOLOMON, and SOLOMON wasn't a good enemy to have. She knew that although they didn't know that she was with Amon now, they would eventually figure it out.

Nagira leaned forward and silently flicked the ashes accumulating at the end of his cigarette into the ashtray before they fell on his expensive suit. "Okay," he said slowly as Robin and Amon looked at each other. "So that leaves us back at square one." He sighed. "I guess I'll go find you a lead." He absently rubbed at one of his sideburns before calling out, "Hana-chan."

The secretary leaned over and looked at him around her computer monitor. "Yes?" she asked.

"Show Robin and Amon where they can stay. I'm going out." He stood up and crushed his cigarette in the ashtray before standing and going over to his desk to grab his furry coat from the back of the chair and shrugged into it. Mika blinked as Nagira headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Nagira didn't answer. He just breezed out the door. Mika sighed and stood up, eyeing the people standing by the desk critically. "Follow me," she said with an exasperated sigh.

---

Robin stood outside the apartment she had shared with Touko. Amon was two steps below her, gazing out at the hallway behind them with sharp eyes. They both knew it was risky coming back to the apartment. Amon was sure that despite it being less than a day since Robin had escaped death at the hands of Roland in Walled City, that SOLOMON would already be staking the place out, and it was possible they could be attacked.

Robin hesitated as she brought her key up to the lock, but with resolve, inserted it and turned it to unlock the door. She stepped inside, not sure whether or not she should remove her boots. As if to tell her not to bother, Amon stepped inside the apartment ahead of her. She knew he was thinking that if they were by some chance, attacked, they couldn't be pausing at the door to put their shoes on.

Robin followed the dark man inside. "Go get your things. Quickly," Amon said shortly, his grey eyes roaming around the room as though he was looking for people hiding behind corners. Robin nodded and headed down the hall to her bedroom.

The bed was neatly made, as it had been two days ago, when Robin had gone to work, completely unaware of what would happen that evening. She could smell the faint aroma of coffee that lingered in the air. She ventured slowly into her room, gazing around it cautiously. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She sighed and went to her closet, where several black dresses that were identical to the ones she was wearing were hanging. She quickly took her suitcase out and laid it out on the bed. She quickly folded her dresses and packed them. She also went to the chest of drawers in the room and packed her socks and underwear. Once she had completed that, she quickly went to the bathroom and gathered her things there, adding them to the things in her suitcase.

Once she was finished, she closed the suitcase and headed out to the living room, where Amon was waiting.

She had just ventured into the hallway when she heard the sound of shattering glass. "Robin! Stay there!" Amon called from the living room. She couldn't see him from where she was standing. He must have taken cover. She quickly pressed her back to the wall. She could see men dressed in black entering the room from the balcony. There were six of them, all armed with guns. Amon's hunch had been right. SOLOMON had indeed been staking out the apartment.

The men ventured inside, sweeping their guns in a wide arc, searching for targets. She heard a gunshot and one of the men recoiled as though he had been hit. She knew that had been Amon. The rest of the men pointed their guns in the direction of the shot and began firing. She winced against the sounds of the gunshots.

While they were occupied with trying to shoot Amon, Robin dashed into the kitchen, hiding behind a counter. They had to subdue the attackers. Amon rolled into the kitchen behind the same counter that Robin was crouched behind. "Can you do this?" he asked, his grey eyes probing her face. She nodded.

Amon placed his hand on the floor and Robin saw frost crystals extending from it toward the men in the living room. At first, Robin wondered what he was doing, until she saw that ice was spreading from the frost crystals. He was icing the floor over so if the men moved, they would slip on it. The gunfire had abruptly stopped. Robin slowly leaned over, peering around the corner of the counter. One of the attackers was pointing at the ice spreading on the floor.

Robin frowned, wondering what they would do. She resumed her position behind the counter, glancing at Amon, who nodded to her, telling her that she could attack. She leaned out again, sending her flame in front of the one that appeared to be the leader. He took a startled step back, slipping on the ice that had formed beneath his feet. Robin didn't want to kill any of them if she could help it. She didn't know what Amon was going to do.

Some of the men were leaning over, trying to help their fallen comrade up. When they stood, they were met with ice shards flying toward them. They screamed as the shards flew straight through their armour and fell. The three remaining men desperately shot at their hiding place, forcing both Robin and Amon to hide behind the barrier between them.

"Robin. I understand that you don't want to kill them," Amon said, his voice soft enough that only she could hear it, "but this is a matter of life and death." Robin swallowed hard and nodded.

Once the gunfire had died down again, she leaned out from her hiding place, fixing her gaze on one of the attackers. She found the center of her Craft and the flames enveloped him. When they were gone, so was he. He had been completely incinerated. She flew back behind he counter, slamming her back against it, eyes wide with shock. Amon was too busy taking out the other shooters to notice.

Robin heard two muted thuds as the remaining SOLOMON agents fell to the floor. He glanced at Robin, who turned to look at him, closing her mouth. "I have to admit that your powers are impressive," the hunter commented. "I wasn't aware that you possessed that kind of power."

"Neither was I," Robin replied.

"What?" Amon sounded vaguely concerned.

"That power was something different than my own," she said vaguely. "I hadn't meant to send that much power out." She thought of the Arcanum of the Craft and her eyes widened again. "The secrets!" she exclaimed softly, reaching into the pocket of her overcoat and pulling it out. Amon was watching her silently as though he was willing her to tell him what was going on. "This is the deepest knowledge of the Craft that was given to my by a witch called Methuselah," she explained to him. "It's the secrets of the Craft."

"The secrets of the Craft?" Amon repeated. "So this is what SOLOMON wanted," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Do you think that SOLOMON may have hunted you because of this?" he asked her.

Robin shook her head slowly. "No . . . I'll explain later. We should leave," she told him. Amon nodded and stood, helping Robin to stand. She put the Arcanum back in her coat pocket and went back to the hallway to retrieve her suitcase. She placed her key on the kitchen counter. Most of the contents of the living room had been smashed up in the fight.

Amon was waiting for her at the door, and once she finished looking around the apartment one last time, she joined him, following him out into the hall and to the elevator.

---

"Are you comfortable with this?" Amon asked as they got into the car. The birds chirped merrily, without a single care in the world. Robin leaned back in her seat warily.

"Yes," she replied, knowing that he was talking about their whole situation. "This is the second time you've helped me," she told him. She tittered. "Although trouble seems to follow you around."

"It does seem to," he agreed as he started the car. He pulled out and drove toward Nagira's office. "I'm glad that you didn't trust me right away, and even that you still don't trust me to some degree," he told her suddenly. "It's . . . reassuring I guess you could say."

"Reassuring that I don't trust everyone?" Robin queried. Amon nodded without looking at her. She sighed softly. "I suppose I can be too trusting," she admitted quietly.

"You're young and naive. I wouldn't expect you to be so cynical that you wouldn't trust anyone. I suppose that's my job." He stopped the car at a stop sign and looked at her critically. She turned to face him. "Robin. It may sound as though I don't care about your welfare, but Nagira was right. The moment I helped you, I took responsibility for you." Robin blinked at him, not certain of what to say to that. "Know that I would never put you in danger. I would never use you as bait to get hunters to come after us," he told her.

"Is–is that what Nagira thought you would do?" she asked, taken aback.

"Something like that," he told her, turning to look out the windshield again and resuming driving.

---

Nagira was still out when Amon and Robin returned to the office. Mika seemed to be running some kind of errand, and Nagira's other assistant was nowhere to be seen, leaving the two of them alone in the office. Amon seated himself in the chair his brother had occupied about an hour ago, and Robin sat on the couch once again.

"Tell me why SOLOMON would not hunt you because of the Arcanum," he told her, cutting straight to the chase.

Robin looked down at her hands, which she had rested in her lap. "Because they had sent me to retrieve it for them," she replied. She didn't look up to see Amon's reaction. "The hunting job with STN-J was just a cover," she explained. "I was to retrieve the Arcanum and give it to a contact who would take it back to headquarters."

"Did they tell you anything about it?" Amon questioned. Robin shook her head. "I see. So then, other than being all the wisdom of the Craft, you know nothing about it." Robin nodded.

"All I know is that if SOLOMON had wanted it so badly, it must have been important," Robin concluded. Amon nodded.

"So then, what do you intend to do with it? Are you going to take it with you while we travel?" he inquired.

"I'm not sure," the girl replied uncertainly. "It seems as though it would be safer with me," she started. Amon shook his head slowly, thoughtfully. "Huh?"

"It may be safer in your possession than if we just left it somewhere," he agreed. "However, it seems to have amplified your Craft. If you cannot control this increase in power, it could be dangerous." Here he fixed her with a pointed stare. "For both of us."

"What should I do then?" Robin inquired. Amon did not answer immediately. The girl suspected that he wasn't sure himself. She was certain that he would not want to hold onto it himself, for fear of it amplifying his own powers.

"I don't know," he admitted after thinking about it for a few minutes. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it unattended while we travel, nor do I feel comfortable with you carrying it. There has to be some kind of middle ground." He shook his head. "And we may be putting Nagira in danger if we leave it with him, especially if SOLOMON is looking for it." Robin nodded in agreement here. If they left it with Nagira, and SOLOMON attacked him because of it, she would never be able to forgive herself. Finally, Amon sighed, standing. "I suppose since Methuselah entrusted it to you, you must decide what to do with it."

Robin frowned thoughtfully. In other words, Amon didn't know what to do and didn't want to be held responsible. She looked at the piece of wood in her hand. What made it so special? How was it that it contained thousands of years' worth of Craft knowledge? "I need to think about it," she told Amon, looking up at him, her eyes meeting his. The hunter nodded and left the office, leaving her completely alone.

---

Robin had been sleeping soundly, curled comfortably under her warm blanket, head snuggled into the soft pillow. She slept soundly despite the rays of sun that were beginning to creep into the room. It was after all, early in the morning and she very much enjoyed her sleep like any girl her age. She didn't awaken when the door to her room opened.

"Robin," Amon's voice called. The girl stirred a little, but did not fully awaken. "Robin," Amon called again, slightly louder this time. Robin's green eyes fluttered open. "Are you awake now?" her companion asked.

"Yes," her voice filtered down to him from the platform where her bed rested. Amon was standing at the door, hand on the knob. "What is it?" she asked, sitting up. She held her blanket to her chest. She normally slept in the nude, and despite Amon being there, she had decided that she was most comfortable that way when she slept. She didn't know what she would do when they were staying in a hotel room together, but she had decided that she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

"Nagira has a lead for us," the hunter replied, not moving. He looked up even though he couldn't see the girl from where he was standing. "Get dressed and come down. We've got breakfast. Nagira will brief us."

"Alright," the girl replied. She waited until she heard the door close before climbing out of bed. She quickly cleaned up and got dressed, putting her hair into their familiar twin pigtails before leaving the room and going down to where Amon and Nagira were already conversing. She didn't pay attention to Mika, who was staring at her, as she passed by.

"Hope you don't mind coffee and doughnuts, kid," Nagira said as he held up the box of doughnuts, which he and Amon had obviously already picked at, as was apparent by the missing doughnuts.

"Not at all," Robin replied, sitting down next to Amon. She took a doughnut and accepted a cup of coffee. She noted as she took a bite of her doughnut that the lawyer was tapping a finger on a manilla envelope. She assumed that it contained information about the hunter that Amon was going to pursue. He was drinking down the last bit of his coffee. The lawyer put his cup down on the desk and picked up the envelope.

"Well, let's get started," he suggested. Amon nodded. Robin noted that he wasn't eating or drinking. He nodded. Nagira opened the folder and pulled out a black and white photo of a man who was in his late forties or early fifties. Despite his age, it seemed that his hair was still mostly black. He had a thin, neatly trimmed moustache, which was mostly black. His face looked rather severe, like he rarely smiled.

"His name is Alberto Octavio. He's a Spanish hunter, so yeah, you'll be going to Spain," he responded to Amon's questioning look. "Before I tell you where he is, let me finish giving you his details. He's 47 years old and is a master Hunter within SOLOMON. My contacts have managed to get a very detailed biography on him. He has the ability to crush objects or people with his Craft, so you'll want to watch out for that." He took out some papers and handed them to Amon for him to look at. "You'll want to go in for a swift kill I think, but you're the tactician," Nagira laughed.

Amon spent a moment glancing at the papers that his brother had given him. "So where is he?" he asked, looking up at Nagira. Robin was silently observing. The way Nagira briefed Amon sounded much like the briefings she had received about witches when she was with the STN-J. She had actually figured that Amon would be this professional about his hunts.

"Valencia," his brother replied. Amon nodded. Robin guessed that he had been there before. "Maybe you should show Robin around a bit," he suggested jokingly. "Anyway, all the other information is in those papers. You have 37,000 Euros in your account, so you can afford to be as extravagant as you like." The lawyer leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "How long do you want to stay in Spain? I mean, I can probably find you enough targets to keep you there for a couple of months."

Amon thought it over for about a minute. "That would be preferable," he concluded. "The less we have to move around, the better." He glanced at Robin, who hadn't spoken since Nagira started briefing them. In a way, he knew it would be more dangerous if they stayed in Spain rather than moving around a lot, especially considering the amount of hunters in the country, but it seemed easier to keep a low profile if they didn't move around a lot. After a few moments of just watching her, he turned back to his brother. "If you can find us a place to stay for a few months, that would probably be best."

Nagira nodded. "Will do. Want another M5?" Despite it being too early for smoking (or at least Amon thought it was), Nagira took out a cigarette and lit up as he made notes on a legal pad. "Okay, so I'll find you guys an apartment and get you a car." Amon nodded in satisfaction.

---

The moon shone brightly through the window in Robin's room. The girl was seated on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, head resting on them. In her right hand, she held the Arcanum of the Craft. Her green eyes gazed at it blankly without even really seeing it. She was lost in thought, considering what had happened earlier that afternoon at her apartment with the SOLOMON strike force. It was as though her mind had recorded that moment when she completely incinerated one of the men.

She shivered at the recollection, but that seemed to be her only reaction. Somehow, the Arcanum was effecting her powers. She didn't know what it really was or what she should do with it. Amon was right. If she kept the Arcanum, it would increase the chances of her powers slipping completely out of control, but she didn't know what to do.

Robin placed the Arcanum next to her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees. She shouldn't have the Arcanum with her, Amon didn't want it, and she didn't know what would happen if she left it with Nagira. Although the girl knew very little about the piece of wood, and even less about the witch she had obtained it from, she knew it was very important and that it could not be allowed to fall into SOLOMON's hands. She didn't know what they would do with it, but she was certain that it wouldn't be good.

After all, if Amon was telling the truth, they were aiming at the genocide of all witches. With the arcanum, they might be able to do it, but what she didn't understand is how they meant to use it. They would have to give it to a Craft user. Maybe they intended to destroy it. If that was the case, Robin could not allow them to destroy thousands of years' worth of Craft knowledge.

The question she had to ask herself was what risk was she willing to take? Would she prefer that her powers spiraled out of control, but the Arcanum was kept out of SOLOMON's hands? Or would she prefer to entrust it to Nagira despite the possibility that SOLOMON may find that he had it in his possession?

She fell sideways so she was laying on her side on the bed. She stretched out a little, bringing a hand to her forehead and slowly closing her eyes. It was an extremely difficult decision and Amon had all but told her that it was hers to make. She rolled over so she was laying on her stomach with her legs dangling from the edge of the bed. She rested her chin on her arms, opening her eyes and staring at the blank wall in front of her.

Should her own life and possible Amon's take precedence over the knowledge of the Craft? She wanted to believe that it should. A human life was still worth more than all the knowledge in the world. Besides, she thought she and Amon had to have come together for a reason.

She thought of her dark companion. They were completely different from one another. He was cold and unemotional, whereas she felt as though everything she did was driven by her feelings and emotions. Even if she didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, she was a very passionate person. She knew she and Amon agreed on one thing: that SOLOMON was dangerous. Whereas he was fighting them in his own way, what was she doing? Moping around in her room, unable to make a single decision, her brain answered.

Slowly, she got up and took the Arcanum in her hand. She looked at it carefully, as though memorizing what it looked like. She would give it to Nagira for safe-keeping, she concluded. It was important, but either way, there was high risk of SOLOMON finding it. Besides, it was better for her not to have it with her. She was afraid of what she could do with such power. Nodding to herself as if to reaffirm her decision, she walked out of her room.

---

Nagira's office was dark as Robin quietly entered. She wondered if the lawyer was still there. She saw Amon laying on the couch, seemingly staring at the ceiling. He had turned his head to look at her when she entered. "You have to sleep on the couch?" she asked.

He sat up, revealing that he was wearing a black T-shirt instead of the clothes she was used to seeing him in. "I don't mind," he told her. "What is it?"

Robin entered the room more fully. "I've decided to ask Nagira to keep it," she said softly. Amon nodded as though he had expected this response.

"I think it's for the better," he agreed. "You'll have to wait until morning though. Nagira has gone home for the night." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, like someone was sleeping, and he was trying not to wake them. Robin nodded. "Go get some sleep. We've got a long flight ahead of us," the hunter suggested.

"Okay," Robin agreed. She slowly left the office, the creaking of leather telling her that Amon was laying down again. She paused at the door, looking back at him as he settled on the couch. He didn't seem to notice her watching him, but she didn't linger too long. She softly closed the door behind her and went back up to her room, suddenly feeling very tired.

---

A/N: I think this chapter is a little more exciting than it was to begin with. Just a little. Okay, a lot. Yeah. Let's see...only one review here on from chapter four...so not many questions to answer...and no questions from the Harry's-goers. So yeah. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'm sorry if the end seems a little rushed. My brain is fried from something, I swear. Must write...more. I'm already churning out chapter six, and hopefully things will start to get more interesting with more hunts and stuff. So yeah.