Miracle:

Chapter 10

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"I'll see you tomorrow, Robin."

"Thank you, Sakaki." The roaring of the rookie hunter's motorcycle faded in her ears as she watched it drive off. This was the third night in a row Sakaki had driven her home…and she was grateful. The only thing she dreaded now more then being alone was walking or driving home along this street. Every time she passed the alley, the blonde hunter shuddered; she couldn't help it, albeit Sakaki was with her.

Climbing the stairs quickly, she slipped into Touko's apartment and found the older woman gone. Lately she had been gone a lot, working overtime it seemed, and it pained the Hunter. Her fear of isolation always reared its ugly head the worst when she came home to an empty apartment.

After a small dinner and a long bath, the youngest Hunter climbed into bed, but found she could not sleep. With a sigh she sat up and turned up the light; by now, Robin was used to sleepless nights. Even with the light on all night, oftentimes she found she could not sleep, and if she did, nightmares haunted what little rest she found.

Not to mention that it was at these darkest hours of the night when doubts came to plague her mind. Doubts that worried at her heart and soul, picked at her beliefs and slowly wore them away. So great terrible were these nighttime visits that Robin found her very essence slowly being worn away as she was forced to take another look at her life and those in it.

Now, her mind found itself besieged by a voice that was not entirely her own. The little voice pelted her questions, with misgivings, causing her to wonder at the very foundations of her existence.

She had even begun to doubt her comrades. Did they really care for her? 'If they really cared, they would have come to your aid…' The voice leered. 'Even Amon wasn't there to save you…even he left you on your own, to be destroyed like this…'

On and on, all night long, these games of question and answer would play themselves over in her mind. Amon's name was replaced by Michael's and Michael's by Sakaki's. Her mind ran itself ragged in a never-ending circle of doubts and misgivings that slowly led to a feeling of betrayal.

Why hadn't they come to save her? They claimed to care…so why didn't they help her?! 'That's right…' the little voice continued in a mocking voice. 'If it wasn't for them…you wouldn't be like this…they're as much to blame as him…'

Him…Her body would tremble at the very thought of him…his groping fingers and indomitable strength…the feeling of helplessness as her Craft refused to come. Even the fiery power that resided deep within had failed her. In the end…she had failed herself, and that was the biggest let down of all. Not only had her friends and Amon failed her, but she had failed herself.

And slowly, as these thoughts drifted through her mind, they turned to distrust and eventually to a kind of anger. At first, it seemed her resentment was turned outwards, to her friends because they left her when she needed them most; but eventually she realized her anger was indeed turned inwards, towards herself. She was the one who was unreliable…who caused trouble for all the others…

And it was at this point in the circle that the tears would begin to flow. Helpless and an overwhelming sense of loneliness would plague her and force the salty tears to flow. Never in her life had Robin Sena cried this much and it only left her more confused that she started now. She wasn't weak…but she needed someone to comfort her in these unbearably confusing hours of darkness. She wasn't a baby…but…she hated being alone.

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Blood…the scent of blood assailed his nostrils, clogging them with it's sharp smell and nearly gagging him…and yet still he moved on…went on with…whatever it was he was doing…which was odd…because ever since he was little, Nagira had hated the sight and smell of blood…

He awoke with a shout, shirt drenched with a chill sweat and hands trembling. Tears streamed down his face as the last remnants of the dream faded from his mind and he put his face in his hands. Not again…

With a heavy sigh, the tall man glanced over at the little table beside his bed, reading the glowing red digits of his clock and grimacing. 2:36. Groaning, he rolled over and yanked the covers up over his chilled form. Once again, he wasn't going to be free from the nightmares and chills that wracked his body every time he tried to sleep. Once again he was going to get a grand total of about two hours sleep as he awoke again and again with each occurring nightmare.

And yet…he still couldn't remember what it was about them that caused his body to react so. Nightmares were a normal part of anyone's life, yet his had never affected him thusly. And never in his entire 30 years of life could he remember having this many at one time…with all of them being the same. Though he could not remember what went on in his dreams, or even what was causing them, Nagira felt sure that he dreamed the same thing each and every time.

Which only made it all the more weird. Yawning, he closed his eyes and tried his best to mentally steel himself for what he knew was coming. The onslaught of nightmares would grab him in its icy claws once again, and all he could do was pray he would awaken again soon.

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"Well?! Any changes?!" The long fingers were once again running themselves agitatedly through the short hair.

The interns exchanged glances all around as no one answered.

Dr. Nakano followed their looks, his own eyes narrowing. What were they hiding…?

"T-the nightmares seem to have gotten worse…" A young woman with long black hair finally admitted. "The test subject is suffering physically from lack of sleep."

"Not only that, his dreams give him chills and sweats. In addition to the nausea he feels during the day, he is being assaulted by night as well. It's too much of a strain on his body! If things continue like this…" Another intern continued where the black haired woman had left off.

"If they continue…" The doctor prodded, none too gently.

"He'll die," whispered the young woman.

"Die?" The young doctor's eyes were blank. "Die? That's not possible, my drug is perfect."

The interns exchanged glances again; no one argued with the doctor…but with evidence such as this right in front of his eyes, how could he still manage to convince himself his drug was perfect?

The silence stretched on as Dr. Nakano stared at the glowing computer monitors. Finally, he seemed to snap himself out of his stupor and straighten up. "Well then, if this continues on, we'll have to send in the field teams to do something. Maybe capture him and bring him back here for extensive testing and health care. Keep an eye on his progress; if even the slightest shift occurs, contact me immediately!"

Nodding as a ripple of relief went through them, the interns watched with baited breath as their boss strode away. Once he was out of sight, the breathed a collective sigh of relief; they were still alive. The doctor's infamous temper had been stayed—at least for now.

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The body beneath him writhed and screamed…more blood flowed warmly from the young form…His hands gripped fragile arms with brutal strength…her screams grew louder…glancing down…young girl…blood…the screams…he saw…

His own screams sounding impossibly loud in his ears, Nagira sat up sharply, gripping his head tightly in his hands. The scream continued as pictures flashed through his mind, the fragments of his nightmares finally coming back. The blood, the girl, her screams, it was all returning to his mind in bits and pieces like a puzzle, fitting itself together in a morbid sort of way.

That girl! He had raped her! How could he have forgotten?! The sight and smell of her blood came racing back to his tortured mind and he vomited; how could he have done something like that?! All that blood…his stomach heaved once more, not just from the remembrance of the blood, but the sin he had committed.

How…how…the tears came now, replacing the screams with their burning wetness. Nagira's lean frame shook with the force and power of his sobs. Why…why had he done something like this? And why hadn't he remembered?! It couldn't have been his fault!

But it was. His memory had returned in full force now, and the tall man became beleaguered with the emotions and the memories of all he had done. Whimpers joined the sobs now as his body continued to shake like a leaf in a hurricane. How could he…

Fear grew deep inside of him and suddenly he found himself clutched deep within its iron grip. What if…what if she had gone to the police? What if they knew?!

Another whimper escaped. Not only had he committed a crime…he was going to die for it…his tortured mind twisted and turned down paths it normally would not have gone. The lingering traces of the drug in his body warped his normal thought patterns, worsening the shaking of his body and forcing the heaves upon him once more.

As the gray morning light forced itself into the room, Nagira sat huddled amidst a tangled pile of blankets on his bed. Memories, guilt, anger, fear…would he ever be free…?

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The interns were in a panic. They raced around the workstation, papers flying and computers beeping as frantically as their owners were shouting. "Someone contact Dr. Nakano!"

But at that statement, the young men and women froze. No one wanted to be the person to take the brunt of the doctor's anger by telling him what had happened. And this time, his temper would definitely make itself known, without a doubt.

They continued to look around at each other for the next few minutes or so, no one moving or making a sound. The computers beeped and flashed in the stillness, constant reminders of the heavy decision at hand.

The test subject had remembered…

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With a grunt, Amon forced the door open, ignoring its creaky protests and wailing hinges. Smothering his anger for the sixth day in a row, he opened the blinds in his brother's apartment and prepared to wake him once more. He put water on to boil and gathered an armful of towels for the sweat he knew his brother would be drenched in.

The dark hunter didn't understand why his brother wouldn't just go to a doctor. He was obviously having some sort of serious health problem, despite what he said, and Amon could see the toll it was taking on his half-brother's health.

But this was not his problem. He would not interfere with the older man's life until it directly affected the problem of finding a home for Robin's baby. This wasn't being cold, it was simply an unspoken agreement of independence between the siblings. Both had inherited it from their father, though neither knew it. It was a family trait that neither wanted to admit linked them in ways they didn't understand.

Kicking open the door to Nagira's room, Amon threw down the pile of towels, opening his mouth to deliver the customary wake-up call.

But, perhaps for the first time in his life, the words froze in his throat.

Blood squeaked beneath his shoes and as his dark eyes followed it back to its source, his mouth finally formed a sound. "Nagira…"

The older man was lying facedown in a pool of blood…his blood…

But that wasn't what had shaken the unshakeable Amon and rocked him to his very core. It was the bloody gun clutched in his brother's right hand.

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I did mention I was going to have something big happen in this chapter…I never said it was going to be good. Feedback on Nagira's suicide would be appreciated, though I understand it's not going to be good. I'm not quite sure why I decided to have the story take this turn. It was just one of those instances where the plot wrote itself as I went along and kind of grew on its own.

There's really nothing else I'd like to comment on at the moment…I just want to thank the loyal readers who have kept up with this story and continue to give me their feedback and support. Feedback of any support is what fuels us authors on, and I just wanted to thank you all for your comments and encouragement.

Next chapter will be coming soon! That, I can promise!

-SanoGirl