LUCKY THIRTEEN

After a few weeks, Miho finally had to answer to Kosaka about the failed hunt of Haruto Sakaki. The empath dreaded having to go in that morning and admit that Sakaki slipped through her fingers and that all of her suspects from Nocturne had gotten away. Two failed cases.

At first, Kosaka just seemed disappointed at the thought of losing Sakaki to the witches. Haruto had been a loyal and able hunter, giving all he could to the STN and to his partners. Haruto worked hard, trusting in the STN and their mission. Kosaka was mostly depressed by the saddening fact that they could not reclaim Sakaki. He regretfully informed Solomon while Karasuma sat in his office.

It was the Solomon representatives who grew angry, demanding to know what happened to the precognitive. Karasuma raised her eyebrow at it but maintained her composure. She listened with open ears as the Solomon representatives chewed her out for making such foolish mistakes as allowing the band of witches and the precog in particular to get away. Karasuma hung her head down, feeling rather like a child chastised for breaking the window with a baseball. And Kosaka held the baseball in question over her head the entire time, waving the hunt file over her, getting aggravated the more the Solomon representative shouted.

In the end, Karasuma slunk out of the office while Kosaka tried to patch things up between the STN and Solomon.

"That didn't sound too good," Michael greeted as the woman slumped in her chair.

Karasuma waved her hand, swatting the statement away. Michael shrugged, pulling on his headphones and continuing to work; Miho obviously didn't want to talk. She didn't need to hear it, especially not from the hacker. The question burned in her brain. The hunt had been called on Haruto Sakaki, ordering that the former STN agent be brought to the custody of Solomon. Yet, so much interest seemed to focus on the supposed precognitive. Karasuma wondered…. She wondered why exactly the hunt had been called and so forcibly followed.

"Michael?" The name felt frail and distant from her body.

Somehow, the hacker heard it under the slamming music. "What is it, Miss Karasuma?"

"I need all the information on the Sakaki's hunt."

xxxx

"Good, good."

Robin flushed. It was the first she'd heard praise from anyone in regards to her Craft. Even for all the many times Robin's fire had saved both Amon and herself, the former hunter never seemed to hold any regard for her abilities. Yet, strangely, Brett was the perfect teacher, better than any of the trainers in Italy from Solomon. He remained calm and understanding for each any every minutes of every lesson, for however short or long they stretched.

And Robin found herself excelling. Yes, the girl was an all-powerful witch, but the teenager lacked control and finesse. Brett forced her to focus, just as he had learned. Initially, Brett's gifts manifested in small, tiny sparks. Lighting a candle, in the beginning, had been nearly impossible. The fire elemental took Robin back to the start, back to the very beginning of learning how to control a gift.

Amon just sat on the steps of the porch, watching.

Brett set out several candles in a row on the sparring stone at the end of their session that day. "Light the candles." All at once, they flickered to life at random. "No." Geoff smirked from where he stood; the bartender gave a wave of his hand, sending a breeze blowing out all of the candles. "I want you to light them one at a time, alternating." Robin licked her lips, thinking about how easy it would be, until the young man added a new stipulation. "With one flame."

Amon raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Nycole called from behind the former hunter. "Robin will do just fine. Brett's just pushing her control, seeing what she can do."

The girl ignited a small flame on the first candle. It lingering there, as if Robin was trying to figure out exactly what Brett spoke of. Then, a tongue of liquid fire leapt from the first candle, springing over the next and landing on the wick of the third candle, lighting that one before moving on to the fifth candle and so on. At the end, the flame jumped backwards and lit the remaining candles in exactly the same way.

Brett nodded in approval. "I would have done something a little prettier, but good." He looked up to Robin. "Now, put them out."

"What?"

The fire elemental leaned close to her. "It's a simple part of your gifts." He laughed. "I mean, c'mon, what's making fires-" a ball of flame opened in the air before the girl's face- "If you can't control it." The ball extinguished itself with a puff of smoke. "It's easy. Just think."

"Think?" Robin looked to the elemental curiously.

He gave a nod. "Think."

The girl paused, chewing on her lip. "When a witch uses his or her Craft, they are sending out a burst of their own energy towards the object or objects they wish to affect." Brett stepped back, nodding at her thought process. "Reversing the process, pulling the energy back, would take away from the effect."

"Yes."

Robin blushed. She'd been so foolish. The girl had done it so many times; she'd just never thought about it. It was so simple; the control was right in front of Robin so long as she concentrated and focused on the desired effect. Even as Robin mused on the subject, the flames shortened, starved for energy, and died out, all at the exact same time. The Craft user had excellent timing before with her flames, but never PERFECT timing.

"See, simple," Brett informed her, kicking aside each of the candles. "Learning to run before walking makes learning to walk easier."

Amon watched as they turned to the house, everyone going back inside. He grabbed Kathain's wrist as she passed, holding her while the others all filed back inside. The precognitive drew in a sharp gasp, suddenly worried from the merest of touches from the man. She heralded his doom with each passing step, each little intake of breath and beat of her heart. It was somewhat hard to just live with him, and, so, instead, Kathain had been trying her best the past few days to just make Amon's life- whatever was left of it- as comfortable as possible.

"Don't tell them."

"Amon-" The word seemed but a husky exhalation.

They were injecting her with something. She wasn't entirely sure what, but the needle stung as it entered her flesh. Liquid fire poured into her veins, flowing through her body like lava. She struggled, but furred, leather cuffs held her. She didn't have the strength to really fight, anyway. The world blurred, but her focus remained somehow.

"What…. What was that?"

The hunter pulled her back slightly, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Kathain blurted out, trying to shake his hand free and force the vision from her mind. At first he held tighter, but the girl tore her hand from his grip out of terror.

Amon forgot her gift and the vision. "I'm sorry about last night."

"You shouldn't be…" the girl sighed. "I'm the one who should be sorry." She turned away, heading up the steps, her hand brushing the wood post. "In just a few short weeks, your life will be ruined because of me."

"What?"

The precognitive barely looked over her shoulder. "They're getting worse, Amon. More details. More information."

"And that means?" Amon inquired.

"That it's getting closer."

xxxx

"Miss Karasuma?"

The empath glanced up from her computer to Michael. The hacker held a newly organized manila folder, filled with freshly printed papers, still warm from the machine. The ink had only barely dried on them before Michael threw the packet together and readied it for Karasuma.

"I have that information you asked for," Lee announced.

Karasuma took the folder and flipped through it, giving quick glances over the files. A printed photo fell out, landing face down on the floor. Miho looked curiously to the paper, bending over to pick it up. As soon as her fingers touched the paper, a sense of dread washed over the empath. Slowly, hesitantly, Karasuma picked the photo up and gasped.

"Michael, where did you get this?" Miho whispered.

The hacker shrugged. "Solomon's database."

"I have to go…"

xxxx

Karasuma sped away from Raven's Flat, a tiny trail of smoke puffing up with the squeal of her tires. The car hugged the turns, slamming into them as Karasuma gunned the gas, pressing down with a lead foot on the pedal. She needed to get away from the STN. She needed to get to Amon, Robin, and Sakaki.

It didn't matter who the witches were anymore, or what side they served. If Karasuma was right, they were doomed. Solomon was probably closing in as she drove. The woman knew it had taken long enough for herself to find Solomon's data. Who knew when it was compiled? Who knew if Amon and Robin were still alive and well after this?

Karasuma had to get to them, and fast.

The trees flew past along with building and road signs, but not fast enough. She glanced down to the speedometer, pushing the car far harder than ever before.

"C'mon, c'mon."

xxxx

They sat around the table that night. It had been nine days precisely since Robin and Amon joined the witches, even if it had been by force at the end of Kristo's blades. Food was passed about. Robin seemed welcomed, while glares and dirty looks flashed in Amon's direction still.

Amon sighed. They didn't trust him. Nor would they ever. The former hunter knew this. It didn't matter who he was or how altruistic he acted towards the witches; Amon would always be an enemy. Amon had been a hunter. He dared to attack the witches, to threaten them and attempt to kidnap a friend in their eyes. Amon could never truly find forgiveness. At least, it would be exceptionally difficult to find welcome among that band of witches.

The only person who seemed to welcome Amon was Kathain, and that remained purely because of the fact that the girl felt responsible for whatever cruel fate would befall him from her actions. The precognitive smiled at him slightly as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes across the table towards Amon. He took it and gave a small nod.

All seemed at peace.

That peace was shattered the moment the door burst open with Karasuma running into the house.

"You need to get out of here! NOW!"

xxxx

Why does everyone think something's going to happen between Kathain and Amon? I mean, she's just attempting to atone for sins she hasn't committed yet.