Thanks to Crossfade's single Cold, I was able to finish this chapter. It was really inspirational for this chapter in particular. XD Very good song BTW. Just a warning, tis a very long chappie. o.O; The longest yet! O.O
Disclaimer: I do not own Witch Hunter Robin, but if I did. . . .I'd be wearing a giant button that says "I own Witch Hunter Robin." Obviously I'm not wearing the pin, so I don't. Okay, I shall shut my trap and proceed to the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Falling Apart
The figure inched closer to the bed, tilting the gun towards Robin's chest. She moved around a bit in the bed, the person flinching back. Robin quickly eased back to sleep, with the dark figure making its way back to her. A bit of moonlight bounced off of their raven tresses and slid pass their face. Amon stood there, staring at Robin.
'What are you doing!?' his mind yelled. His index finger tapped trigger, threatening to pull it all the way. 'Do you realize what you're doing you idiot!' Another voice in his head kept intervening. 'That child could bring the downfall to humanity. Will you let such a thing happen?'
His head was pounding, both sides reasoning why he should and shouldn't pull the trigger. It was like his body was in limbo, none of this seemed to be happening. Was he really standing there, deciding whether to kill Robin and the child? Had he really sunk this low?
Amon released the trigger, stepping back from the bed. He felt himself slipping away; as if he was slowly turning into another person. A person that he was beginning to despise. 'You shut yourself away from her at a time she needs you the most. . .and now you want to kill her? What the hell is wrong with you?' his mind scowled.
He slipped the gun back into its holster and slowly crept out of Robin's room, cracking the door behind him. Amon found himself struggling to get back to his room in the dark. His heart was beating against his ribs; he was finding it hard to breath. Something was wrong with him, he felt it in his bones.
-Witch Sanctuary- Japan-
Around a long, black table sat all the members of Seth's armada. They were all waiting for their meeting to begin. Mariella, the witch that had taken Amon to see Robin when he first visited the mansion, was sitting next to an empty chair. She, as most of the group, looked quite distressed.
The doors to the meeting room bursted open; Jonathan walking in from the newly fallen rain. It had begun storming just as he had pulled up to the mansion, which he hadn't expected. Only a few moments earlier, the sun had been out and not a cloud was in the sky.
"Any news?" asked Naoko quite impatiently.
"No one has seen Jaden in the last two weeks. Haze checked with SOLOMON and they do not seem to have any records on his current location," he said throwing himself into the empty chair next to Mariella.
"Is he still seeking to turn in Ms. Sena?" asked one of the male witches across from Jonathan.
"As far as I know Kochiro, he's still determined to. It's not like Jaden to give up what he's looking for. I just fear what he'll do if he finds her."
"So, what are you proposing we do about this?" asked Mariella.
"We protect Ms. Sena. Seeing as my brother finds it fit to turn in his kind, we must protect her. I fear if he turns her in, he could turn in any of us."
"True," added Mariella. "But protecting her will make us direct enemies of SOLOMON. If we try to bring her back here, Jaden will find a way to turn her in. He is the heir of the witch sanctuaries. Jaden can change the rules as he pleases."
Jonathan leaned his elbows against the tables, cupping his chin in his hands. He just looked around at the group of witches. They were all staring at him, awaiting him to speak. What was he going to say to them? There was no way for Jonathan to stop his brother, he truly was the heir of the sanctuaries.
"I don't know what to do Mariella," he said sadly. "My brother had never had a mean bone in his body. . .until the day our mother and sister died. That day, he turned into a completely different person. He's been hellbent on protecting witches, whatever the cost. Something our father would have never agreed to. I bet he's rolling in his grave as we speak."
"For now we can change our allegiance to one other."
Jonathan turned towards the person whom had spoke up. The other male witch, Kochiro's twin, stood from the table. His brother stood next to him, both of them looking proudly at Jonathan.
"We will do as you order," they said in unison. Both brothers bowed their heads in respect, showing they were truly accepting Jonathan as their new leader.
"Yes," Mariella said standing from her seat. "You know as much as Jaden and you are next in line as heir."
Jonathan looked at the group in total shock. They truly wanted him to take his brother's place? Did they have that much trust in him? He stood up from his seat and bowed towards the group. "I shall not disappoint you," he said with a smile.
-Amon and Robin-
The day had been remotely peaceful and quiet for Robin, which she was beginning to dislike. For the past month, since the day that she told Amon about her pregnancy, the house had been this way. Amon would come out more during the day, but would barely talk to her. She worried that something was terribly wrong with him. Every night, she'd bring him dinner while he ceaselessly worked at the computer.
One night she managed to catch a glimpse at the computer screen as she sat Amon's tray next to his laptop. He seemed to be researching the Démos witches again. She wanted to know why he kept himself closed up, why he kept researching the Démos witches, and where had he gone that one afternoon when Nagira had stopped by. Amon was becoming more of a mystery to her each passing day.
Robin often found herself questioning why she worried so much about Amon. He didn't seem to feel the same towards her. She was just a burden he had to constantly drag around with him. If Robin could have changed this entire situation, she would have long ago. Amon would never get to lead a normal life again; that is to say that if he ever had one in the first place.
It had been a great task to keep herself busy during the day when Amon wasn't around. She would walk around the house, moving and fixing little things, and talking with Nagira. Robin had been quite uncomfortable calling Nagira from the house phone line, but he assured her that it was safe. Haze had told him that Stretten hadn't ordered the phone line to be tapped.
Their conversations ranged from Amon's behavior, to what sex the baby would be. Robin didn't seem too enthralled with that discussion. She was still having a hard time believing she was pregnant. Nagira seemed so enthusiastic and Robin guessed he had every right to be. After all, he was going to be an uncle. 'And I'll be a mom,' she thought to herself.
She never saw herself being a mom at such a young age. Nor did she ever see herself having children. After being hunted by SOLOMON, she never pictured herself living pass 16. How old was her mother when she had her? Robin was sure her mother had to be into her early twenties from the picture she'd seen in Touto's home. Did her mother ever feel like this? That she was just a tool?
Robin sat herself in front of Amon's door, leaning herself up against the wall. She just sat there, staring at the wooden barrier that kept her from Amon. He never knew that she sat there watching his door, hoping he'd emerge. Normally he would before Robin would awake and after she went to bed. The few times their eyes had met, Robin noted something she'd never seen before. Fear. Never had she seen that in Amon, someone she thought of as fearless and unbreakable.
Amon sat at the end of his bed, staring down at the wooden planks that made up the floor. His cell phone sat next to him, the screen repeatedly flashing. He turned his head, slowly glancing over at the screen. "What now?" he said to himself. With his right hand, Amon grasped the phone and flipped it on, holding it up to his ear.
"Amon, you there?" said Nagira from the other end.
"What do you want?" he asked quite putout.
"I wanna know what in the hell is up with you? You're still ignoring Robin over the baby? What in the hell is wrong with you!?"
His eyes slowly narrowed, becoming tiny slits. "No, I am not ignoring Robin," he scoffed.
"Well then what?"
"I'm. . ." Amon paused. He glanced over at his computer screen. His stomach lurched as he caught site of the file on the screen. "I need to talk to you," he said.
"Is something wrong?" Nagira asked.
"I just need to talk. I'm coming to your office," he said, clicking off the cell phone.
Robin heard the sound of Amon's feet shuffling towards the door. As she was getting up, Amon threw the door open. They met face-to-face, the first time in weeks. Amon diverted his eyes from her, making Robin feel as if she was some disgusting animal. He walked pass her, not bothering to acknowledge her presence. She went to say something to him, anything to take away the awkwardness between them, but nothing came to her.
Robin watched Amon from the window as he threw himself into the black vehicle and backed out of the driveway. He looked most unpleased and depressed. She had grown use to that look, seeing as the last few weeks had been nothing short of unpleasant. As he passed an old farmhouse, an old woman sitting on the porch waved to him. Robin could see he ignored the old woman as usual.
That old woman, Robin had grown to really like. Sometimes when she would go out to hang up the laundry, old Mrs. Hirogawa would come over to talk. Luckily for her, she had someone to talk to. Next door to them lived Mrs. Hirogawa. She lived by herself with two cats, Pero and Sama. One would most likely stereotype her as one of those cat hoarding old ladies, but she wasn't of the sort. Pero and Sama were her only pets and had been with her years before her husband Nobutori died. If it wasn't for Mrs. Hirogawa, Robin would have probably gone insane. While living at the monastery it was common for her to not speak much, but with the negativity radiating off Amon, the silence was most uncomfortable.
With Amon gone and the loneliness she was feeling, Robin planned on visiting Mrs. Hirogawa. She wanted to talk about Amon, though she didn't know how she'd do this without sounding odd. After all, she was pregnant under unusual circumstances, there was no love in this relationship if any, and their marriage was a fake. Robin found herself planning out every little detail about their fake life. The only problem was, she hated lying to Mrs. Hirogawa.
Amon drove down the dirt road, glancing through the rearview mirror at the old house. Every time he looked at that old house on the way to work, he felt his heart sink. Inside that house Robin sat, probably as depressed as he was. Of course he was the reason she was that way. For weeks he hadn't bothered to socialize with the poor girl. How did he expect her to feel? All this time he acted like he was mad, but in reality he was scared. His worst fear, the one thing he had never hope to happen, was slowly becoming a reality. This is why he needed to see Nagira. It wasn't just that, but he feared of what would happen to them if SOLOMON, the Factory, or Jaden found them. Not only would he and Robin be killed, but their child too.
Their child. It almost seemed unbelievable to say it. A child created by power hungry mongrels who wanted to rid the world of witches. It had taken him a while to accept it, the fact that he'd be a father. Nagira didn't help much, always poking fun at him every time he called to check up on them. He was starting to despise the word 'daddy.'
He continued driving down the dirt path, until he reached the end of the road, which merged into the highway. As he pulled to a stop, a black van passed by. Amon would have thought the van suspicious if it wasn't for the fact the van was marked "Daigowa Medical." Chances are that old woman next to them ordered medical supplies through them. He glanced back at the van through the rearview mirror and then sped off onto the highway.
Robin walked to the little table sitting next to the sofa. She picked up the telephone and punched in a few numbers. Though she could have just walked over to Mrs. Hirogawa's place, she preferred calling the woman and asking if she wasn't busy. It seemed more polite to do so, in Robin's opinion. She slowly pulled the receiver up to her ear, not expecting to hear what she did.
Nothing. The phone line was dead. "That's strange, I was sure this was working earlier." She sat the receiver back on it's cradle and went back to the window. A large black van sat in front of Mrs. Hirogawa's home, which sat right next to the phone and power lines. They appeared to be up and in working order. "This is too strange," she said to herself. Robin decided it was best to call Nagira on her emergency cell phone and inform him of the dead phone line. Someone might have cut the line. The only thing was, she couldn't remember where she put her cell phone.
The outside of Nagira's office looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Nagira had told Amon about the destruction done to the office, but he hadn't imagined this. Those SOLOMON agents had seriously destroyed the place. He wondered how much it costed his stepbrother to repair the building.
Amon walked into Nagira's office, bruting as he was greeted by his stepbrother. He wasn't pleased that Nagira had already begun picking on him again about being a 'daddy.' As hard as it was for him, Amon just ignored him. 'You can always beat the shit out of him later.' Luckily Hana had already left for the day, so he didn't have to worry about her grilling him about where he and Robin ran off to.
"So, you need to talk to me?" asked Nagira, quite pleased that his little brother had come to him for guidance. It was such a delicious thought, knowing that his brother whom declined help form anyone, needed him.
"Yes," Amon said, trying not to sound as fierce as he was mentally. Right now if Nagira could have heard Amon's thoughts, he'd have gone deaf. "It's about Robin. . ." He paused and looked up at his brother. "And the baby."
"Is something wrong?" asked Nagira, his sarcasm and child-like tone faulting.
"Yes. . .I mean no. Well, I don't know how to put it." Amon looked down at the floor once more, trying to collect himself.
"Well what is it?"
"Do you remember the day you came over to the house? Well. . .I nearly did something horrible that night." Amon closed his eyes as he thought about what he had almost done to Robin that night in her room.
"What?" Nagira asked quite curiously.
He was having a hard time of telling Nagira what had occurred. Amon felt ashamed for attempting what he did, especially when he had attempted to do this to his own child. "I tried to kill Robin and the baby."
Nagira's jaw dropped. He looked mortified and confused by what Amon had just told him. His faced hardened as it slowly sunk into his brain. Amon tried to kill Robin and his own child. Unfortunately Nagira wasn't sure why this happened or exactly the moment he did it, but soon Nagira's fist had found itself indented into Amon's left cheek.
Amon fell back from the force of Nagira's punch, flying over his desk. Everything on the desk including Amon, sat on the floor in one big heap. "What in the hell was that for!?" he spat angrily.
"Why would you do something so stupid!?" shouted Nagira, nearly ready to ring Amon's throat. "Why would you try to kill them?"
Amon got back to his feet, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand. "I panicked." He felt the guilt rushing to him again, worse than before. "I thought about the child. . .and its powers. All I could think about was this child's powers growing out of control."
"So you just assumed this child would become dangerous and you felt the need to kill it?" Nagira barked. "What about Robin? Has she not proven to you that she's no danger to anyone. Wouldn't that child be the same under her care?"
"Yes. . .yes she has and I suppose the child would." Amon hung his head down in shame. How could he have thought the way he did? "I wasn't thinking clearly and I overreacted."
"You haven't done anything to either of them have you?"
"NO!" Amon said quite angrily. "I realized what I was doing was wrong. I would never hurt Robin or the baby." He looked up at his brother, not quite expecting the look he was giving him. Nagira looked quite happy.
"It's good to know that you'd want to protect them. Just don't try that again." Nagira walked over to his desk, grimacing at the emptiness. 'I punched him a little too hard, didn't I?' He sighed, rubbing the palm of his hand against hist face. "And yet you've hurt Robin so much."
"What do you mean I've hurt her? I haven't touched her!" he scoffed.
"You've hurt her emotionally Amon." Nagira reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He sat it down in front of Amon, whom picked it up and looked at it. "I've been keeping in touch with her while you've been shut up in your room all day. We've talked quite a bit and I'm not pleased by what I've heard."
"And what has she been telling you?"
"That she's alone. Robin feels badly about you being dragged into all of this. Though you kind of had no choice with the kid and all. She tells me that after the child's born, she will turn herself into SOLOMON and asked for me to watch over the both of you. This is so that SOLOMON may quit their search."
Amon was taken aback. "She said that?" he asked, almost in disbelief. "How can she think like that?"
"Because she's thinking about you and the child Amon. She thinks that by turning herself in and claiming the child died, that they'll quit their search. I have to admit she's got a good plan, but I don't want her to go through with it. Turning herself in is not an option," Nagira said defiantly.
The normally emotionless man sat down on the couch nearest his brother's desk, trying to collect everything he had just told him. 'Is Robin really willing to do this? Give up her life for me and the baby?' Then he realized that there was a question he had never bothered to ask himself. 'Would I give up my life for them?'
"Amon," Nagira said softly. "You may hound me for saying this, but I'll just have to risk it. I know you have feelings for Robin, but you've kept them concealed ever since you found out about her pregnancy. Eventually you'll have to cope with those feelings, since you'll be with her for the rest of your life."
Amon stared at his brother disgusted. 'How can he say I have feelings for Robin? I've never said such a thing!' "I don't feel that way," Amon said hotheadedly.
Nagira knew he was lying, but he played along. "Okay, whatever you say," he said with a smirk. "Just know that it's best to tell her the truth soon, especially if something happened to her. You wouldn't want her dying, thinking that she was all alone and not loved would you?"
That question seemed to have struck a nerve in Amon. "No I wouldn't." Amon then realized how he had answered that question. He had just admitted that he wouldn't want Robin to die, believing she was alone and not loved. Meaning he loved her and would want to tell her. 'Do I really feel that way?'
Nagira was ready to pick on Amon about his answer, but was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone going off. That meant Robin needed to talk to him. Usually this would be the time they'd talk, but with Amon around, he didn't feel like talking.
Robin pressed the cell phone against her ear, listening to the ringing of Nagira's line. "Please pick up," she said absentmindedly into the phone. She stood there a few moments, tapping her foot against the floor. Finally, Nagira picked up.
"Hey kiddo, what's up?" he asked.
"Hi Nagira, I need to talk to you about something," she answered.
"Well listen, I have a client with me right now. Can I call you back in a few minutes?" he asked, eyeing Amon.
"Um, well I guess so. Call back on my cell, the phone line to the house is down."
Nagira mentally kicked himself for trying to hurry the girl off of the phone. What she had told him was definitely important. "The phone line's down? Did someone cut it?" he asked.
"Yes, I picked up the phone to call Mrs. Hirogawa our neighbor, and the phone line was dead. No dial tone or anything." She walked back into the livingroom to glance out the window once again. As she entered the room, the electricity went off. "The power just went off too."
Nagira began to panic. "The power went off? I think someone's there Robin. You need to go hide incase someone's there looking for you."
Robin went to answer the man, but paused as she noticed someone pass by the bushes in front of the window. "Someone's here," she said frightened.
Nagira yelled for her to run, but the sound of bullets overpowered his yells. He stopped to listen, hearing Robin scream in the background. Her scream faded, only to be replaced by the screams of Robin's hunters.
"ROBIN!!!!" yelled Nagira into the cell phone. His eyes widened as he listened to the fight commence. Then the phone went dead.
"What's wrong!?" Amon asked quite panicked.
"Someone's attacked the house." Nagira said rushing towards the door with his keys. "Come on, I'm driving."
-Robin and Amon's Residence-
The black van that once sat near Mrs. Hirogawa's home had long been gone. It was silent outside, almost as if nothing had ever happened. No one would have known about the attack, if it wasn't for the apparent destruction of Amon and Robin's home. Two large columns that once sat in the front of the home were now in shambles. Inside, the house was in even worse condition. As Amon walked around the livingroom, bile began to seep up his throat. 'There is no way she could have survived this.' he drearly thought to himself.
Nagira walked close behind him, having the same feelings as his brother. Seeing the damage done to the house only heightened his beliefs that Robin was dead. Not a window, nor wall was left in tact. Bullet holes ran through the ceiling and floor, which he hadn't bothered to notice until Amon's foot went through the floor. As they had entered the house, Nagira noticed the scorch marks that ran across the livingroom floor. Robin must have tried to defend herself.
Both of them looked down at the floor, gaping at the bullet holes that littered the boards. "How could she have survived this?" Amon said to himself, feeling his breath quicken. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. He was beginning to remember what Nagira had said to him back at the office. You wouldn't want her dying, thinking that she was all alone and not loved would you? It seemed that was indeed happening.
Amon pulled his foot out of the floor, slowly pulling himself towards Robin's bedroom. It seemed to be the only room left in tact, sans the bed. The attackers must have decided to shoot at any possible hiding spot. Even the dresser had been destroyed by the gunfire. More and more, Amon began to believe that Robin couldn't have survived.
He went to walk out of Robin's room, but found his legs were immobile. Amon couldn't bring himself to taking another step out of the room. His legs gave way and he fell to his knees. Inside his chest, his heart was pumping faster and faster, his blood pressure skyrocketing. Just imagining Robin, her body riddled in bullet holes, thrashed at his soul. How would he react if he found her in that condition? Never had he been an emotional man, but knowing Robin could be laying somewhere in this house dying was becoming too much. 'What if she dies?' The thought began to plague him again.
Using both his hands, Amon pulled himself up off the floor by the doorknob. He dragged himself towards his bedroom, the fear and guilt eating away at him more fiercely than before. Amon walked into his bedroom, noticing automatically that his laptop was missing. The attackers had taken his laptop. 'Why are you suddenly worried about the laptop? Robin's still missing.' Behind his desk sat his window, shattered. Scorch marks surrounded the broken glass. Seeing that window, gave Amon hope. 'Maybe she escaped.'
He climbed through the broken window, glancing around the woods that surrounded the house. "She could be anywhere," he said to himself. Amon ran into the woods, searching every nook and cranny for Robin. There were no signs that she was out here; the wind would have easily dissipated any footprints.
After two hours of searching Amon, nor Nagira could find the young girl. They had searched everywhere, including the pond that sat behind Mrs. Hirogawa's farmhouse. Amon could only assume that she'd gone into hiding or had been taken by the attackers. He hoped she was hiding. Nagira tried to call Haze about coming over, but Amon didn't want her here. For all he knew, Haze had given away their location.
"Amon," said Nagira, nearly breathless.
"What is it now?" snapped the cold man.
"I think we need to call Haze. She needs to know what happened here."
"We don't need her help."
Nagira grabbed his stepbrother by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Would you quit being so hotheaded!? Robin is missing and we need help finding her! She could be somewhere out here, shot."
"FINE! Do as you please. While you're busy chatting with Haze I'll be searching for Robin!" he yelled storming off.
-STNJ Headquarters-
Everyone stood around the office, preparing to leave for home; with the exception of Haze and Michael. Haze was staying after to do more research and talk more with Michael. Just as everyone was about to leave, her cell phone went off. Michael knew if her cell phone went off, the call was of high importance.
"Hello," she said into the receiver.
"Haze, it's Nagira."
"Nagira," she whispered. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes, something's definitely wrong. It's Robin."
"What's happened? Is she hurt?" she asked panicked. She looked over at Michael, whom looked as worried as she did.
"There was a raid earlier on the house and Robin's missing. Amon and I have searched the entire house and the woods. We haven't found a single sign of her."
"Do you know who raided the house?"
"No, but I assume the raid was done by SOLOMON. Though if it was them they did quite a sloppy job. I'm beginning to think it was some other group."
Haze looked over at the group of three that stood behind her chatting. "I don't know who could have done it. Michael is the only other person who knows and he surely hasn't said anything." She grinned as he nodded in agreement.
"Are you at their home?" she asked.
"Yeah, try to get here as soon as you can."
"I'm on my way," she said, clicking off her cell phone.
"Where are you headed?" Michael asked.
"Going to assist Nagira and Amon."
"So there was a raid on the house?"
"Yeah. . .and I fear whomever raided the house will be back looking for Amon. Robin's missing and I'm hoping they didn't catch her."
"Should I come along?"
"No, you stay here. Everyone will be suspicious if you tag along with me," she said with a wink. Haze slid off the desk and turned towards Michael. "See you later. . .cutie."
As she walked off, Michael found himself blushing. "She's thinks I'm cute?" He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and get back to work.
-Woods-
As the hours passed by, Amon had started to lose hope in finding Robin. Haze and Nagira were off searching on the other end of the forest while Amon searched around Mrs. Hirogawa's house. He had spoken to the old woman earlier, asking if she had seen Robin at anytime during the day. Unfortunately the woman hadn't seen her and offered to help search. Of course Amon declined the offer.
The sun started to set off in the distance as Amon began to grow weary. He was now standing in front of an old farmhouse, which none of them had bothered to check. Amon was sure Robin wasn't hiding in there. An old padlock held the farmhouse doors closed. His instincts were telling him to check that farmhouse; Robin could have found some other way in there.
He raised his foot up into the air, repeatedly kicking the padlock until it snapped off the door. The door handles went down with it. Amon glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. Next to the old woman's house sat that same black van that had passed his car earlier that day. They had returned.
Amon rushed into the farmhouse, quickly shutting the doors behind him. He now wished there had been another way into the farmhouse. Surely those men would notice the busted lock if they came searching here.
The old barn smelled of decay and mildew. Thick coats of dust covered the windows. Amon could plainly see this barn hadn't been used in years and it seemed no one had been in it in years either. Everything seemed untouched. If Robin had come into the barn, she hadn't left any tracks.
He walked over to a pile of hay, which sat at an old stall near the end of the barn. As Amon walked towards the hay, the ground began to creak. Amon backed away, staring down at the wooden door that was hidden by the dirt. A small metal handle was hidden under the straw.
As he leaned down to pull the handle, he heard someone wrestling the barn door. He glanced back, fearing that it was the attackers. Amon turned back towards the door and with one big pull he threw the door open. Just as the men were opening the door, Amon climbed through the door and quietly closed it.
He stood there for a while, listening to the pounding of footsteps above him. There was chattering, lots of it. The men seemed to be confused. One of them yelled at the others, but Amon could only make out part of what he said. Find her now. Did that mean they hadn't found Robin?
Amon felt his way down the tunnel, tripping here and there as he traveled through the darkness. There wasn't a drop of light in the tunnel. He could see far off in the distance, a red light. It grew bigger as he approached it. The light, which Amon could see as he got closer, belonged to a pile of flames that sat against the side of the tunnel wall. Robin sat to the side of them. She was safe.
"Robin. . .," he breathed in disbelief.
She turned towards him; a smile coming to her soft face. Amon noted the small cut that ran across her cheek. From what he could see, Robin was alright. Most of all, she was alive. Amon felt the corners of his mouth rise a little.
"Amon," she chirped jumping to her feet.
They both stood there, staring at each other. It felt quite awkward to be standing there, acting as if the odd weeks before them had never occurred. The silence between them was becoming quite unbearable, but neither dared speak. What could they possibly say to each other?
Robin decided that she would break the silence. "I'm glad to see you are alright," she said with a smile.
Amon looked at her surprised. "You are?" he asked.
She nodded, gently lowering her head until her focus was on the ground below her. "I was worried that those men were going to come after you too." Robin rose her head back up until their eyes met. She gasped and ran over to a little pile sitting on the ground. From under her crimson jacket, Robin pulled out a large laptop; Amon's laptop.
"When they first entered the house, I ran towards your room. I knew how much this laptop mattered to you," she said, handing it over to him. As she handed it over, she kept a slight smile on her face.
Amon felt horrible, knowing that Robin had risked her life just to save his laptop. Did she really think the laptop meant more to him than her own life? Well, he had acted as if that were true. He nodded, taking it from out of Robin's arms. "You didn't have to you know," he said, his voice slightly shaky.
"Well, I knew you'd be mad if it had been stolen."
"I would have been mad if you had been stolen!"
Robin's eyes widened in shock. She was slightly confused by his sudden outburst. Did he really mean that? "You would have?" she asked dumbfounded.
He nodded and sighed heavily. "Yes, I would have." Amon leaned himself against the wall of the tunnel, alongside the fire. The light bounced across his face, revealing the stress lines that had developed during the course of the day.
"I'm sorry," Robin said, sitting down alongside him. "I thought you would have wanted me to save the laptop."
"You only thought that because I made it seem that way," he said disgusted.
"Amon," Robin said softly.
"What?" He slowly turned his head towards her, not expecting to see tears spilling down the girl's cheeks. "Robin. . .?"
"I'm sorry. . .I'm sorry for all of this," she choked.
Above them the sound of feet beating against the hardwood floors boomed through the tunnel. Amon grabbed Robin by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. He looked around, wondering where they could possibly run. Along the left side of the tunnel sat what appeared to be a hidden doorway. It was obvious to Amon, seeing as the section of the wall was ajar.
Amon dragged Robin behind him, up to the wall. Robin quickly dispersed of the little fire that would have been quite noticeable by the attackers. With one great shove, Amon slid the hidden door open, signaling for Robin to run inside. She wanted to protest, worrying if he would bother to go in too. To her relief, Amon stepped inside behind her, quickly sliding the door back into place. Hopefully their attackers wouldn't snoop around this area.
As they stood there, waiting, listening for the approaching group, Amon felt Robin's warm breath against his neck. She was breathing quickly, but silently. Her warm breath was starting to drive him mad. They were both pinned up inside a small little storage closet, or at least Amon assumed it was a storage closet. There wasn't much room to move around. Amon felt his legs begin to shake as he tried to keep himself still in the small room. It was starting to become impossible.
A few times Robin had managed bump into Amon, which had sent the man's cheeks turning into a bright hue of crimson. If Amon could have seen through the pitch blackness, he would have seen that Robin's cheeks had become the same hue. They both felt like kids. Neither had ever been so close to the other before. It was slightly embarrassing for the both of them. Amon would have had an easier time standing, if hadn't been holding his ten pound laptop.
"Amon?" Robin whispered.
"What?"
"Why would there be a hidden storage closet here?"
"How should I know!?"
Robin sighed and leaned herself as close to the back wall as possible. She was feeling faint, probably because she hadn't eaten nor drank a single thing since early that morning, which hadn't been much of a meal. With her morning sickness, she hadn't managed to keep much down. The weariness she had tried so hard to ignore was finally setting in.
"Amon?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. Her legs were beginning to tremble.
"What?"
Before she could answer him, Robin fainted, sliding down into the floor. Amon felt her legs brush up against his feet. The man tried to turn himself around the best he could in the dark. He tried hard not to step on the poor girl. After a few attempts, he was able to pull Robin up to her feet. Seeing as she was too weak to stand on her own, Amon let Robin lean against him. Normally he would never allow someone to even touch him, but at the moment he had no choice. Either she leaned against him or ended up in the floor again.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"You shouldn't be. You've done nothing wrong," he said, his voice slightly kinder than before.
"No, I'm sorry about not telling you sooner. I was just scared," she said sadly.
Amon nodded, realizing then what Robin's apology earlier had meant. "I understand why you were scared to tell me, Robin. You knew how I'd react and I did." He cleared his throat, pausing before he said the one thing to her that he rarely said to anyone. "I'm sorry."
Robin smiled and nodded. "It's alright." She shifted her head which was laying against Amon's shoulder. Her eyes were settled upon Amon's collarbone, which she could not see. For all Robin knew, she could have been staring at the wall.
Amon felt her warm breath against his neck again, presumably his collarbone. It was driving him mad once again. Her leaning on him wasn't much help either. He was starting to worry if he'd eventually give into temptation as he stood there. The man had begun to think about Robin, in the not-so-usual way one would think of their colleague. Nagira had told him before of Robin's usual sleep attire, which he had begun to think about as he stood there.
'What is wrong with you? She's 15 for god's sake," Amon thought to himself. He mentally beat himself for thinking that way. So did he really want to see her naked now? What in the hell was wrong with him? They were stuck in a cramped room in an underground tunnel. No time for perverted thoughts. Amon suddenly had an image in his mind of Nagira, beating him on the nose with a newspaper. No, no! Bad boy! Get those dirty thoughts out of your perverted little mind.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of Robin's sweet voice. "Where did you go that day? The day I told you about the baby?" she asked, her breath beating against him.
He found himself having to calm himself down before answering. "I. . .I went to the lake," he choked. Amon felt her breath against him again. "Oh dear god man, she's just breathing on your neck!'
"Why did you keep yourself locked in your room for so long?"
Truthfully Amon didn't want to answer her. Nor did he ever want to. Telling her meant he'd have to tell her about the night with the gun. He still felt guilty for that night and wished the thoughts that had risen within his mind had never occurred.
"I needed to think," he answered, hoping that answer was enough to satisfy her.
"I see." Robin knew he wasn't going to tell her anymore than that. It seemed he still didn't trust her enough to tell her the whole truth. 'He's doing his usual game of telling me what he wants me to know. . .which is pretty much nothing,' she thought to herself.
"How do you feel about the baby?" Robin hoped his answer wouldn't be negative, but knowing Amon it probably would be. After all, he hadn't shown much enthusiasm towards becoming a father.
"I don't know," he answered.
"I know it's all a shock to you. It was for me when I first found out, but I've grown to accept it. Continuing to question it's creation is a waste of time. There are more important things to worry about. Like hoping it will be born healthy and that the evils of this world shall never harm it."
Never had he heard Robin speak so motherly before. It was as if the person in front of him wasn't the 15 year old he had known for the last few months. She was proving to him that she wasn't the little kid he believed her to be.
Everything Amon had been feeling, the anger and depression from the last few weeks, seeped away as he stood there. He was taking Robin's words to heart. She was right, they had more important things to worry about. Their child, which Amon had for so long neglected to accept, had to be their top priority.
"Yes," he said absentmindedly. Amon leaned his head against Robin, staring out into the blackness in front of him. The scent of vanilla emitted from Robin's chestnut locks. He found himself drowning in her presence.
Nagira stood in the woods, peering out at the black van that sat parked in front of the old woman's house. Men dressed in black fatigues and helmets with face coverings, piled inside the van. Haze stood next to him, watching as the last man bolted inside. One of the men slid the door shut as the van took off. Both stood there a few moments, waiting for the van to disappear in the distance.
"Do you think they found Amon?" asked Nagira.
"No, I highly doubt it. We would have seen them bring Amon out. He must be hidden," she said, walking out from behind an old oak tree. She pulled out a pistol, just incase someone had been left behind to search.
They both walked towards the old farmhouse, where the soldiers had just emerged. Haze had been the first to notice the old door in the floor, leading to the tunnel. She lifted the door up by the handle, signaling for Nagira to step in. "After you," she said with a wink.
He nodded, wearily jumping through the floor. Nagira landed on the hard stone ground, nearly losing his balance. The jump had been farther than he had expected. Haze landed behind him, slamming the door behind her. She squeaked as the door boomed, echoing through the tunnel.
"Could you be any louder?" Nagira hissed.
"Sorry," she said apologetically.
Amon and Robin jumped as they heard a loud boom radiate through the walls. The walls trembled from the force of what Amon assumed was the door in the farmhouse. He pulled himself away from Robin, turning his back towards her so that she could still lean against him.
"Do you think they're back?" she asked.
"I dunno," he answered, feeling his heart beat against his chest.
"Did you hear voices?" asked Haze, tripping over what she assumed was a rat. She heard a slight squeak as she landed on her feet.
"Yeah, do you think Amon's down here?" Nagira whispered.
"Maybe. Wait. . .why are we in the dark?" huffed Haze, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a silver-plated lighter, which she rarely used.
Haze flicked it on, holding it out in front of her. There was no sign that Amon had been down there. She ran the lighter down the left wall of the tunnel, inspecting it. She had once heard that old tunnels like these held secret entrances. The tunnel, which was quite uncommon to find in Japan, was connected to the old woman's farm house and the old house Amon and Robin had been living in. Though most would have found the tunnel a complete waste, it had shown its worthiness during WWII. This tunnel had in fact, been a way for the two families that had been residing there at the time, to come together during the war. It was preferred over dodging enemy fire outside. Within the tunnel were hidden entrances to other rooms.
"I think I heard Haze," whispered Robin.
Amon nodded turning his ear back towards the door. "Yeah, I think it's her and Nagira." The two individuals had been quite loud. He only knew of two big mouths that couldn't keep quiet when they should be.
He leaned up against the door and with one great shove, he slid the door open. There he stood facing Nagira, whom was grinning at him mischievously. Nagira had noticed how Robin was leaning against Amon.
"I'm glad to see you two are alright. . .and playful," he said with a grin.
Amon glared at his older stepbrother and shook his head. "Could you quit being a smart ass and help," he spat, pointing down at his laptop.
As Nagira reached down to pickup Amon's laptop, Amon turned back around towards Robin. He swept her off her feet, carrying her in his arms bridal style. Robin was taken quite aback by this sudden gesture. "Amon, what are you doing?" she asked thunderstruck.
"You're too weak to make it out of here. I'll carry you," he answered.
She nodded, smiling as she lay her head against him. He did not protest, but merely nodded as she leaned against him. Nagira had been eyeing them as they entered the entrance to their house. 'They seem to be doing alright,' he thought to himself.
Haze and Nagira climbed out of the tunnel, followed by Robin, and then Amon. All four stood in Amon's bedroom, in front of the closet where the tunnel entrance lay. Amon looked down at the door, puzzled as to why he'd never noticed the entrance before. It should have been fairly obvious, considering its location.
"So what do we do now?" asked Robin.
"First, we get you checked up," said Haze, helping Robin to Amon's bed.
"I'm fine," she protested.
"We need to make sure," said Amon, sitting beside her.
"Then what?" asked Nagira.
Haze looked at Robin and Amon, not sure of what to say to them. She didn't really have any plans as of yet. After all, she hadn't been planning for the house to be raided. How was she to know they were to be discovered so soon? "I don't know," she said sadly.
She looked down at her watch and smiled. "Well, the STN-J office is closed for the night. Michael told me the security cameras have been acting wonky all week. You two could camp out there until tomorrow morning. I'm sure Michael wouldn't mind us intruding. After all, he misses you two very much and I'm sure he'd be glad to see you both," she said with a smile.
Amon looked over at Robin and nodded. "I guess that will be fine. We can also do a little more research while there. There are a few things I need to sort out." He hoped there would be no problems. Michael was trustworthy, but he still had some doubts about Haze. Something just didn't seem right about her.
The three of them, sans Nagira, filed into Haze's car. Nagira drove his own car, heading out first onto the open road. There didn't appear to be any other cars out on the road that night. They had a peaceful drive down the countryside, heading towards the city. It was peaceful, until Amon noticed a black vehicle trailing off in the distance. He turned back, hoping to get a clearer view of the vehicle. Unfortunately it was too far back to determine whether it belonged to their attackers or some innocent bystander.
They drove a little farther, both Amon and Robin viewing behind them. The vehicle had started to get closer and now they could easily tell whom it belonged to. Across the side of the vehicle, in white letters it read "Daigowa Medical." Their attackers had returned.
"It's them," Robin gasped.
Haze glanced into her rearview mirror and glared. "Shit," she said through gritted teeth. She blinked her headlights, signaling to Nagira. "You two better buckle up. I foresee a car chase in the next few minutes." As soon as Nagira's car shot off, Haze slammed her foot against the accelerator. The car jolted back, throwing Robin and Amon against the seat.
"Shit," spat Nagira, watching the pair of headlights from his rearview mirror flash off and on. He had hoped they were in the clear. Now they were about to enter a car chase. How were they going to get out of this without being caught or killed?
The car sped up closer to Haze's vehicle, Nagira felt his heart beating against his ribs. He watched the car inch closer and closer, until it rammed into the back of the car. Haze's car swayed, but she managed to keep it on the road. Nagira pulled himself into the right lane, trying to allow Haze to pass him. Seeing as those guys in the black van weren't going to play nice, he wouldn't either.
"What is he doing?" asked Robin, whom had just managed to pull herself from the protective grasp of Amon. The man had thrown himself over her as the black van rammed into the back of their car. She was now watching Nagira, whom had switched into the right lane. 'He might get hit by an oncoming car!' she thought worriedly.
"He's trying to get you to pass," Amon yelled, turning back towards the back window.
"Alright." Haze slammed her foot against the accelerator, quickly passing Nagira's car. She watched as the black van began to speed up, trying to catch up to her vehicle. "What are these crazy bastards doing!?" she yelled angrily. Just as she glanced back in front of her, she noticed a car coming down the right lane. "Oh no," she gasped in horror.
Nagira had been glancing into his rearview, neglecting to see the oncoming car in front of him. He had just caught sight of it, when it was merely feet away from him. With one great jolt, Nagira slid his car back into the left lane, the passing car's horns blazing. Wincing, Nagira did an apologetic wave. "Sorry," he breathed.
The black van, which had only been a few inches from Nagira's bumper, swung into the right lane. Nagira wasn't going to let them get pass him. He glanced at the car in front of him and the black van, quickly gaining momentum beside him. 'You have to do this,' he thought to himself. With one last glance at Haze's vehicle, at the two pale faces staring back at him from the back window, Nagira did the only thing he though he could do.
"What is he doing!?" Robin said worriedly.
"He's not, is he?" yelled Haze, looking back into the rearview mirror.
Amon watched Nagira's car slide dangerously closer to the black van. He knew what his brother was doing and he hated him for it. 'Do you even realize what you're doing!? You're going to get yourself killed you idiot!' his mind yelled.
The three watched in horror as Nagira's car slammed into the black van, both flying off of the road into the grassy fields. Robin bolted up in her seat, her face riddled with shock and sadness. Amon had the same look of shock in his face, buy any signs of sadness were invisible to Haze. She herself was trying to keep back a few tears.
"Nagira!" Robin said in shock. Her hands began to shake as the grasped onto the backseat. She kept mumbling his name, until she felt the tears stinging at her eyes. "Nagira!" she yelled, her face crumbling. The tears had escaped down her face, coming down more severe as her mind began to sort out the scene. Robin leaned her forehead against the seat, letting the tears fall down as she folded her hands together.
Amon looked over at the girl, the pain inside of him growing more sever as he saw her saddened face. He saw her hands folded together, her lips moving as she quietly gave a prayer for Nagira. No, for Nagira and the men in that van. Though those men had been after them both, Robin still cared enough to pray for them, which Amon didn't understand but accepted.
Haze slowed down until her car came to a stop. She put the car in park, unbuckled her seatbelt, and turned to face the two. Amon had one hand against Robin's shoulders, whom was shaking as she cried. "Robin," she said sadly.
"We have to go back," choked Robin. She straightened up and turned towards Haze. "We have to go back to him," she said with a sniffle.
"No, we can't go back Robin," said Amon.
"He's right. For all we know, those men have backup."
"So you're going to just going to leave him there!?" Robin asked mortified.
Haze nodded, lowering her head down in shame. "I'm sorry Robin. We have no choice." Truthfully she did have a choice. She could easily turn around and go back to the wreck, but doing so endangered them all. After all those men could have backup or may be waiting for them to return, guns loaded for their arrival. There was no way Haze was going to risk it.Robin's bottom lip trembled as she glanced at her old friend. 'If you won't go back, I will,' her brain spat angrily. She lunged for the doorhandle, throwing the car door open as she pulled. A strong hand grasped her wrist, but Robin pulled away, running as fast as she could from the car. It wasn't just that she wanted to go back to Nagira, but she wanted to run. Run as far as she could, not caring where her feet took her.
"ROBIN!!" yelled Amon angrily, jumping out of the car and chasing after her. He knew how she felt at that very moment. For all he knew, his older stepbrother was dead. If he wasn't, than those attackers would take him into custody or kill him themselves. Either way, his brother's fate was sealed. Amon wasn't an emotional man, nor did he ever claim to be one. At that moment, he was having to fight the feelings inside of him, fight back the tears that were threatening to expose themselves.
The young witch kept running, ignoring the sharp pains that had developed in her legs. She ignored the weariness, the voice of reason that was Amon, calling her to come back. There was nothing that could have stopped her, except for her own legs. Her feet slipped from under her; Robin falling forward onto the pavement.
Amon gasped as he saw the young girl fall to the gritty pavement. He slipped down next to her, checking to see if she was alright. She had passed out. The man lifted the girl up into his arms, worried about Robin's current condition. As he turned around to carry her back to the car, Haze came running up.
"She passed out?" asked the woman, worried as she looked at her friend.
"I'm not surprised after all she's been through today." He walked pass Haze, heading back towards the open car door. Carefully he slipped Robin into the backseat, climbing in right after her. The nerve-shot man slammed the door shut, soon turning towards the unconscious girl beside him.
"We need to get her to a doctor. She needs to be checked out," said Amon, worry wreathing his voice.
"I know someone whom can meet as at the STN-J headquarters." Haze turned the car back on, the engine roaring to life. "She only treats witches. You've met her before."
"I have? Who?" he asked curiously.
"Maya Hirogawa."
-Hospital-
Lying in a hospital bed, inside a small room sat Zaizen, staring at the ceiling. He was wrapped in bandages, none of his body exposed to the air. His gaze was blank, as if there was nothing happening on the inside. It appeared that way to the doctors, each time they checked on him. Never did he move, nor speak to them. The man just lie there, staring at the tiles that ran across the ceiling.
A short, chubby, blonde-haired woman stepped into the room, pulling a cart behind her. She smiled as she approached Zaizen, reaching into the cart to pull out two small vases, holding white flowers. "Good evening Mr. Zaizen. An older woman left these for you at the nurse's station. We tried to see if she wanted to come visit you, but she declined. I'll sit them over there for you," said the woman, walking over towards the window. The two vases were placed upon a shelf, that ran along the side of the window.
As the woman started back to her cart, she heard the man mumble something. "I'm sorry?" she asked curiously. She walked over to the side of his bed, leaning her ear towards his face. "Can you speak up sir?"
"M. . .Ma. . .Maya."
Well, that's the end of chapter 7. Rather long, isn't it? The chapters will be getting longer as the story progresses. ;
Poor Nagira! cries My brother read over this fic and swore to kill me for making Nagira kick the proverbial bucket. XD
The next chapter won't be as busy as the past few. They will finally have a moment of peace! O.O What about Zaizen? How does he know Mrs. Hirogawa?
I'd like to thank those that have commented on this fic. Your comments have really meant a lot to me. o Thank you for baring with my slow chapter posting too lol. Lately I've received nothing but bad news and have been in a very depressed mood. And I've had quite a lot of good cries No worries, I've been working on chapter 8. .
Sorry for any grammatical errors. I spell check and go over this story many times, but still overlook errors. (I like to stick this in each chapter, in hopes that someone will not make fun of my grammar and spelling)
Preview of next chapter:
Lies Lead to Heartache. . . . . Resurrection of a Devil. . . . . .Family Secrets. . . .