Blood Witch
Chapter 3
Shadows danced lightly upon Robin's head as she strolled casually down the old dirt path of the park. Today was Sunday, and one of the few days she had ever been given off from work.
As usual, after quickly finishing a small breakfast and taking care of her everyday house hold chores. Robin had left her home to go to her normal church for half an hour of prayer. However, with that completed and nothing else to complete on her ' to do list' the girl found herself stalking through the park that she always passed though on her way to and back from church.
The area in which she found herself was quite, and relaxing. For this was a much older part of the park. Free from all forms of modern entertainment such as a plays cape, thusly meaning there were no screaming children to interrupt her quite afternoon. Really the only thing present besides the wildlife, were the elderly citizens of the city. But they often kept to themselves, and only gave Robin a small nod in acknowledgment of her presence.
She couldn't help but like this part of the park best, for it seemed as if every tree in the area radiated with a peaceful aura that helped calm her normally restless soul. Everything here was nice…just nice…
The birds sang from their hidden perches high above her head. The trees blew gently in the wind. And their branches, only now beginning to bare signaling the up coming of winter, cast the perfect mix of light and shadow upon the ground and all other things that lie below them.
Following a sharp bend in the old, dirt path Robin let out a heavy sigh and paused. Her eyes closed gently as she enjoyed the feeling the mixture of the cold crisp air, and the warmth of the pale sunlight on her faultless face. However, all thoughts of peace and safety disappeared as the girl opened her vivid green orbs.
Littering the ground before her like a mass of shadows were ravens…Their beady little black eyes that shimmered with cold light locked on her, glaring at her and into the depths of her soul. She half expected to spot among their numbers the bird with the silver eye, and feel the horrible shiver run up her spine whenever she thought about it.
Scanning over the swarm of birds with large eyes, the young fire witch noticed something out of place among the ebony feathers of the birds…A girl…She sat contently on the ground with her back leaning against a tree located off to the right side of the dirt trail.
While most of her face was hidden from view by her long midnight blue bangs, what could be seen of it told Robin that her expression was calm, if not happy. Robin also noticed, that even though the air was cold and the wind was blowing, the girl seemed utterly unaffected. For she wore not but a wine red sleeveless, a pair of old black jeans, and a pair of plain looking black and white sneakers that looked as if they had seen better days.
As if feeling Robin's gaze upon her, the girl lifted her head from its formerly bowed position, and fixed her with a soft, and utterly unreadable look. However as Robin visually flinched under her eyes, the girl smiled softly.
"…I take it you don't like the birds…."She said softly, her voice as gentle as any mid summer breeze.
Robin just gave a small shrug of her elegant shoulders, but then jumped back slightly as one of the larger birds hopped over to her feet and let out a large caw. At this the girl merely laughed, and extended a pale arm. After an odd glance at Robin, the bird lifted itself effortlessly from the ground with a slap of its wings against the air, and landed gracefully on the girl's outstretched arm in a huff of ebony feathers.
" You really don't need to be scared of them…"The girl chuckled softly, and continued to smile softly at Robin. The fire witch merely looked at her, and gave another small shrug of the shoulders.
"…. They seem to like you…."The blonde murmured softly after a moment of thought.
" They're my friends." The girl answered simply, and ran a pale hand over the ravens back. The bird let out a soft caw of delight at being stroked, and hopped gracefully from the girls arm to her shoulder where it gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.
The navy haired girl let out a soft mock caw of her own, before turning her attention back to Robin. A mysterious smile brushing lightly over her lips. "…So…what brings you to the raven's part of the park…?"
Robin remained rooted to her spot for a moment more, before taking a hesitant step forward. To her surprise, the birds simply scattered in a rush of black feathers. Creating a path to the girl who merely continued to smile at Robin.
She cant be a normal human…Robin thought to herself, surely the odd behavior of the birds, and the way the girl was completely unaffected by the cold was evidence enough that she was some sort of witch…and yet Robin could feel no power pulsating off her at all…she was merely a human…an odd one, but a human none the less. Well…at least that's what Robin's senses told her…however there was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was wrong.
Choosing for now to ignore the feeling, Robin cautiously approached and stood quietly beside the girl who had returned her attention back to the bird that still perched upon her shoulder.
"…My name is Robin…Robin Sena…"She said softly, looking down at the girl.
"…Pleased to meet you." She said simply, though she gave no hint at wanting to reveal anything about her own name. For a moment Robin thought to question her, but after a moment of thinking of the consequences of her actions, she decided against it. The girl probably just wanted to keep to herself, and who was she to invade her privacy?
With a soft sigh, the girl stood and brushed herself off. The raven seemingly unpleased with its perch's sudden movement let out a loud caw, before raising itself into the air with a mighty flap of its wings. The girl smiled softly, as her inhuman green eyes trailed after the raven in its flight.
For a brief moment, the girl starred towards a tree on the opposite side of the park, and her eyes narrowed. "…I should go…"she suddenly said, her soft voice nearly completely drowned out by the sounds of the wind whipping about her slender form. "…Family to visit and all…"For a moment the girls bright smiling face, darkened with a mysterious look, her gaze locking onto Robin's own deep jade pools.
"…Ah…"Robin mumbled softy, quickly averting her eyes from the girl "…So you're here visiting family…"
"…More or less…'the girl shrugged. "…I just flew in from the states a couple of days ago…I have a little sister here who I haven't seen since I was a child…But whatever, Talk to ya later Robbie-Chan "As she said this the girl brought up her hands casually behind her head, and strode off. He steps graceful, and confident.
For a moment, Robin merely stood there watching as the girl walked away.
"…Robbie…Chan?" She questioned softly to herself…that was a name she had never been called before…that is, at least not by a person whom she barely knew.
Shaking her head of shimmering blonde hair in bewilderment, the witch turned slowly and headed off in the opposite direction. Her hands shoved deeply into her long wine red jacket, as she struggled to keep out the cold chill that the air provided.
For a brief moment, the ravens that still littered the ground remained still. Watching her though their glimmering black orbs…and then they were gone. In a single wave of black feathers, the swarm lifted itself from the ground as if it were one bird, and glided gracefully off into the sky.
Robin merely stood in her place for a moment, a little shaken by the fact that only moments before she had been surrounded by a swam of cawing birds…Ever since seeing that one bird with the silver eye she was unnerved by the ravens and crows, and no matter where she went it always felt that it was watching her…following her.
Giving her head a brisk shake as to clear it, the girl once again strode off back down the path. Now feeling rather confident that her fears of the silver-eyed raven were merely a silly consequence of her over working herself. However, while the raven may not have been watching her, another pair of eyes was locked on her. Only instead of silver, the eyes were gray, save for a few hints of color.
As the owner of the eyes watched the girl slip out of view, he let out a soft breath…A breath he had been holding in since the navy haired girl had glanced towards the tree he had been hiding in…He had no doubt that she had seen him, he knew better of than to expect that…. but what puzzled him was her behavior towards Robin…And the fact that she had not responded to his presence, save for merely slipping him a quick glance
"…What's going down Rae?" The being muttered softly, as he narrowed his inhuman gray orbs "…Surely if you're here that means something is about to transpire…but what?" For a moment the being lowered his gaze towards the ground as if expecting the devil himself to pop up from the ground and answer his questionings…However, no such even took place, and the young man in the tree merely let out a soft breath and leaped forward from his perch.
The grace with which he landed upon the ground could equally match that of a cat's, and in no way could it have belonged to any ordinary human…With a quick glance the young hunter pulled his black leather trench coat tighter about his well muscled form, before slipping off slowly down the weathered path. Taking the direction opposite the one Robin had strolled down only moments before.
Later(I'm so god damned lazy forgive me people)
With a heavy metallic 'click', Robin closed the heavy door of her apartment behind her. She had only just returned to her humble abode after stopping at a near by grocery store to pick up food for dinner.
Slipping her shoes at the front door and setting them neatly beside Touko's, the girl proceeded further into the apartment to reveal Touko sitting silently at the kitchen table with a newspaper, and a cup of tea.
" I'm home…" Robin said softly as she strolled over towards the fridge where she quickly began putting the frozen goods away.
" Welcome Home." Touko answered, setting down her newspaper "…Nice day?"
"…I didn't have work today so it was…quite…" The fire witch replied after a moment, and closed the fridge door.
"…That's good, its nice to have a day to yourself now and then…besides a girl your age really shouldn't be working…. sometimes I wonder if your employers are right in the heads…Making a fifteen-year-old girl work herself to the bone…honestly…"With that the brunette headed woman gave her head a soft shake and let out a heavy sigh.
Robin smiled softly and went to sit across from her roommate at the table "…work isn't really all that bad…it just becomes…"she paused, as if searching for the right words to finish her statement with "…stressful is all…"
Touko shook her head again, and fixed the younger girl with a thoughtful gaze "…. you truly don't act your age…do you realize that Robin?…"The blonde merely looked to her roommate and gave her head a small shake, then stood.
"…. I think I would like to take a shower before dinner…would that be alright?" She said softly, feeling as if she should ask before acting…for some reason she had always felt a certain need for formality around Touko.
" You don't need to ask!" The woman laughed softly, then took to standing as well "…. I'll start dinner while you're in the bath."
" But I-" Robin started immediately, however she was cut off as Touko shook her head.
" No buts, there are plenty of times when I get home late to find that you have already prepared the evening meal…besides…i'm going out of town tomorrow for a few days. So you'll be stuck doing all the cooking for yourself anyway."
Robin gave a small nod her blonde head, and slowly turned and walked down the hall and into the bathroom. There she made quick work of her heavy black clothing, and turned on the water. With a turn of a dial, six identical streams of clear steaming fluid shot forward from the nozzle of the shower, and crashed loudly into the basin of the tub.
Slowly, the girl took a hesitant step into the tub, and let out a long sigh as she released the feeling of the hot water streaming down her small back. However she was thrown violently from her relaxed musings by the ear shattering sound of the doorbell. Following the bell she could then here Touko's hurried footsteps, and then the opening of a door.
For a moment, Robin remained silent, and strained to listen to what Touko was discussing with the unexpected guest, however she had no such luck. The next composure of sounds she heard was another parade of footsteps, followed by the pounding of a fist on the bathroom door.
Stumbling, Robin climbed from the shower, shut off the water, and fumbled around to wrap her uncovered body with a fluffy white towel from the towel rack.
" Robin are you decent!" Touko called from the other side of the bathroom door.
" I have a towel but-" She was cut off as the door opened wide to reveal Touko standing there with none other than her brooding partner.
In a split second Robin's face was the color of freshly shed blood, what in the name of the seven hells was Amon doing here, at her home. And while she was naked no less.
For a moment Amon merely stood there looking at Robin and well…. Robin (perv ; Amon begins to senselessly begins to beat the living hell outta Meow-Chan Xx ) He hadn't really though about the consequences of his actions when he had opened the door…all he knew was he needed his partner and he needed her now…However, remembering his decency he quickly turned his back, and let out a soft cough.
"…. Get ready…and quickly…were going to Ravens Flat…" He muttered softly in the most nonchalant voice he could manage.
" W-why?" Robin stuttered weakly as she quickly began to scramble around to dress herself.
"…Yuhara found another body…one that was supposedly killed by the same killer who took down the earth witch…he also says he might have a lead on who were after…are you ready?"
Not even bothering to try and fix her disheveled hair, the fire witch struggled to straighten out her dress that had become rather wrinkled in her hast. "…Y-yes…"
Clearing his throat the dark hunter once again turned to face his dripping partner…If her were any other man…with any other personality he probably would have been blushing like a mad man, and drooling like one to boot…However, he was Amon…the dark leader of the stnj…the lone wolf…the s-class hunter…And s-class hunters didn't drool over girls who were ten years their junior…especially not with a witness such as the long forgotten Touko present.
"…Good…"He muttered simply and brushed past Touko on his way to the door. Robin quickly followed after her partner like a desperate puppy, but not without a shooting Touko an apologetic glance.
" I'll try to be back soon…."The fire witch murmured softly to the other women, who merely shook her head and waved her roommate off as she took off after Amon out the front door.
"…Honestly…exposing a girl her age to such things…"
The ride to the stnj building was held in silence as usual…though there was a certain awkward air between the two…mostly centering around Robin. Normally she would have been curious and asked about what was going on, and why Amon hadn't just called her instead of showing up in her bathroom…
The ascent to the top floor of Ravens Flat was also held in a similar manor, with only a small sneeze from Robin to throw off the silence. After all in was cold outside and her hair was still dripping wet…As the elevators opened up to the main working area of the stnj team, Amon quickly lead Robin into the briefing room where the rest of the team was already assembled, as well as Kosaka.
Katsu who was standing stiff legged in the front of the room gave a small nod to welcome both of the latecomers as they took their seats, as did most of the others.
Doujima on the other hand was completely ignorant of the arrival of her teammates, and merely stared at Katsu. A death glare shadowing her normally playful features.
" Now what exactly is so important the you called me here in the middle of my shopping spree!"
Katsu gave a soft cough, as Michael and Sakaki exchanged disgruntled glances, and proceeded to roll their eyes at Doujima's vanity.
"…As you were informed over the phone in short." Kosaka said, commanding attention. "…Yuhara-san has discovered yet another body…and quite possibly our killer…Yuhara…would you like to proceed?"
"Yes…"The youth muttered softly, and raised his brilliant gray eyes to scan over his fellow hunters. "…. It happened when I was on a lone hunt about half an hour ago…I caught a fleeting glimpse of someone who…I had been involved with at HQ…Normally…I chased after them…but, regretfully I was out run…However, I did find the body…and from what I know about the way that they were killed, and the way this particular witch kills…I believe it's safe to say that this is our next target.
At the moment the computer screens before the hunters flashed, and an image of a young girl popped up. Robin gasped slightly, instantly recognizing the face of the girl from the park. Her movements did not go unnoticed; by both Amon and Katsu…However neither male did anything.
"…This is a case file straight from Solomon HQ…"Michael murmured softly, his eyes quickly scanning over the screen." First name: Raven. Last name: Unknown. Ranking…S-class witch…Looks like were dealing with something a little stronger than what were used to…."
"You have no idea…"Katsu muttered darkly, a mix of various emotions running ramped across his pale face "…you really have no idea…"
" What else do you know about this witch?…"Amon suddenly asked harshly, his question directed at Katsu. For the first time since they had met, the younger hunter seemed to be losing ground.
" I know that were out matched…" He sighed, and absent-mindedly shot a quick glance towards Robin. "…However, that's all I really can say at the moment…I really don't have a clue why Rae would be here…"
" Rae?" Amon questioned, "…Exactly what is your relationship with this witch?" Katsu shot a hardened gaze at the equally hardened hunter.
"…My relationship with the witch is really none of your concern…" AT this, Amon took a stand and advanced on his younger teammate. Aura flashing with controlled rage, and features darkened with distaste.
" I do believe it is of my concern…I wouldn't want any of your past feelings towards the witch to disturb this hunt." Amon said softly, and took a step back. Now confidant that he knew a way around the younger hunter's seemingly unbreakable mental defenses.
" My feelings for this witch would only fuel my will to kill her on this hunt…" Katsu shot back, all the while rapidly regaining his composure. Amon merely smirked, and once more turned to take his seat.
" Is there anything else we need to know about our next hunt?…such as where we should be looking for this witch?" Karasuma said after a moment of heated silence
"Unfortunately I don't know her where a bouts at the current moment…However, I have found a connection between her two victims giving us a clue where she might be next…Both of the men that were killed worked for a particular business in shipping stolen weapons, and while they were busted by the police about four years back…there were rumors that they had started up again…."
" So what would a witch like this want with a couple of weapon dealers?" Sakaki questioned, while studying the picture of the female witch that still remained plastered on the computer screen before him.
"…I'm sorry to say but your question will have to be left UN answered until we either find and question our witch…or some how miraculously guess her motives…" Katsu sighed.
" Exactly what is this witches craft?" Robin suddenly asked softly, her tone curious. Katsu slowly looked to the young fire witch, his expression grave.
"…All I can say is this…I first met our witch…Raven when I was six years old…At the age of five she was already fully capable of taking on, and killing S-Class hunters…And if I know her, her powers would of elevated well beyond that point…"
Robin lowered her head to stare at her hands that lay limply in her lap…so she had been right about the girl in the park. She had been a witch, and a dangerous one too…but why then didn't she try to attack her? IT was that fact that was bothering the young fire witch…She had been so close to a cold blooded killer and she hadn't even realized it…She had felt no trace of a wiccan aura, or even a hint of murderous intent…
Robin was removed gently from her thoughts as she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She looked up slowly and met Amon's steely gray eyes with her own vivid green ones.
" Time to leave…"He said simply…his gaze boring into her's, and his strong hand lingering on her shoulder.
Robin nodded softly and stood, her partners hand only then slipped off of her shoulder…leaving her feeling oddly insecure…she missed his touch…it made her feel…safe…
The other members of the team had already filed out of the briefing room, and were now fighting for space in the elevator. Only Katsu remained staring oddly at the picture of the witch that still lingered on the computer screen. Robin shot him a quick glance, but quickly dropped it and followed after Amon as he took his leave…
Even as she was leaving Raven's Flat, the fire witch never noticed the silver gaze that had been watching her since she had first entered the stnj building…High above the city streets, hovering on silent wing was the raven.
With a soft caw, the bird turned and flew away. Just as Robin climbed into the passenger's seat of Amon's car. Weaving it's way in a complex pattern through the towering buildings the raven finally found the one it w as searching for, and swooped down gracefully to land at the feet of its master…The navy haired witch.
The girl's eyes were closed, as though she were merely there in body and not in soul. However, as the raven blinked its silver eye returned to the normal coal black color, and she opened her eyes, her left one shimmering a faint silver.
" Its seems our little game of cat and mouse has just gained some new players…" Raeven cooed softly and bent down to pick up the raven. Who hopped gracefully from the ground to her shoulder. The raven let out a soft caw, and pecked gently at the girl's cheek.
" Yeah…your right "She said as the bird quieted "…. the more the merrier…"
Meow: OMG ITS DONE IT SUCKS ASS BUT ITS DONE breaks down sobbing as she realizes people will probably hate her for not updating for like forever, and then putting up this piece of crap
Katsu: well you got that right…smirks
Amon…for once I agree with the arrogant pretty boy smirks
Meow: bursts out laughing as she rereads tankbbg's review Will ya look at that…im not the only person in the world who refers to Katsu as such…. falls over due to her laughter and the fact that Katsu just beat her over the head with a shovel
Raeven…Riiiiiiiiight… well looks like I finally showed up in this piece o crap…excuse me why I jump for joy. -.-;;
Meow: would glare at Rae, but cant…due to the fact that Katsu has killed her….-.-)
Katsu: well the arrogant 13-year-old who cant write worth jack shit has been taken care of…wipes blood off of his hands
Meow comes back to life much to everyone's dismay oh I forgot to mention, I apologize if Touko or anyone else is ooc…I've been having the hardest time with characterization…Though personally I really don't like Touko either…so I think I'll just kill her off and be done with it…MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA cough cough
All : O.O;;; back away slowly
Meow: looks around only to come to the realization that everyone is gone… ;; ano…Well whatever, please R & R, but go easy on the flames And once again I apologize for the lateness and all around crappiness of this chapter. IT wasn't well planned. However, the ones following this one are bound to be better.
Raeven pops outta nowhere Especially since I show up!
Katsu: walks outta the bathroom O.O Better my ass �.�
Raven: What did you say? �.�
Meow: any way PLEASE BE GENTLE WITH FLAMING!
