Disclaimer- I don't own Witch Hunter Robin

Chapter 5- Trying to rebuild.

She stood on the edge of the forest, looking at the city. This place that was her home but was also her curse. She was going to wait for the platoon to return in a couple hours. But the onslaught of emotions that was threatening to crush her pressed her to talk to Yuri. Her best friend could-would-should! Have some advice about how to get over 'the one'. That's how Doujima was always referring to her beau, Michael. And it's not like she would have a problem getting in the gates…she was the only one in her kingdom now with her specific power. She stepped out of her hiding spot to go to the gate, walking along a deserted old battle ground.

The guards that were assigned to the gate of the citadel that particular day, saw her coming from a distance away because it was fairly abandoned. "They wouldn't try to attack with a single person would they? I mean the naturals are stupid but they aren't that bad." The one guard, said to the other. "You never know" the other said. "I'll go get the Captain." While the one went to go get Michael the small figure grew larger and arrived at the gate. "Hang on there you natural!" yelled down the first guard. 'Natural? Do they not recognize me?' indignation rose in Robin's chest and she yelled up that very statement. "Why? Should I?" The guard jeered. At that very moment Michael, Captain of the Guard looked over the battlements to see what the fuss was about. When he saw who it was he stood up straight and said to the guard "Open the gate you fool." He turned and yelled down to the small figure "Hang on your Majesty. The gate is opening up." The young guard turned pale on that note as the Captain turned to him and muttered "You're lucky she's not a mercenary. Follow me. She'll want to see you."

Robin walked into the city and realized that where the guard hadn't recognized her everyone else had. They all sank into profound bows and again Robin cursed the position that had cost her her love. As she walked through the streets to her palace a horse drawn carriage-her favored transportation- drew up beside her and Doujima was staring out the door. "Your Majesty…what happened?" she asked worriedly. Robin, aware of how her clothes looked, shook her head limply and said "Not here." As she climbed into the carriage.

Once they had arrived back at the castle and the queen had once again donned regal robes and was displaying her pendant. Her face was scrubbed and the only indication that anything had happened was drag marks on her skin from where the branches had beat at her face as she escaped his presence. She didn't leave her room however. She paced around several times before ringing a maid. "Yes your majesty?" the maid said timidly as she curtsied in front of her. "Ellie could you please go ask the Lady Doujima to join me here?" The maid curtsied again and turned to go. "Oh…and could you please bring us some drinks before she arrives here?" the maid turned back around and nodded before backing respectfully out of the room.

Amon walked slowly into his tent. The pain hadn't diminished from the moment she told him to that moment. He paced around his tent, looked at his strategy table and tried to analyze what to do, whether to attack or to keep the lines stationary. Could he attack, knowing whom he was attacking? And then there was the guilt trip that kept pounding in his head.

Flashback

"You said that you would declare peace if I were the heir…will you do it now that you know I'm the queen?" she said as the wall closed around her.

End Flashback

Could he declare peace? Would his people accept it? He turned and stepped outside his tent and summoned an aide. "Hattori. Summon Lieutenant Sakaki for me. I need to talk to him. Tell him it's important, pull him from whatever he's doing." "Yes General." The aide raced off, after saluting.

Yurika walked into the room just after the maid finished setting down the tray which contained the queen's choice drink, an espresso and Doujima's favored drink, a bottle of fine burgundy wine. With a nod of her head Robin sent the maid away and made sure no one was in the hall. She looked directly at Yurika as she curtsied to her queen. "Why has your Majesty summoned me?" she asked quietly. Soft fabric rustled as the queen walked across the room. She looked Doujima in the eye, drawing her back up to full height. "Yuri enough. Don't bow to me anymore, and don't call me anything other than Robin. You've been my best friend since high school and I'm sick of being queen to my closest friend." Yuri smiled and said, "Then as your best friend I'd say you've had a lot of hurt dumped on you."

"Sir? Are you alright?" Lieutenant Sakaki said uncertainly. "Haruto…" Amon said softly. Sakaki caught the pain in the General's voice. That caught him off guard, as did the fact that Amon called him by his first name. He hadn't done that since coming into his position. It was always 'Lieutenant' or 'Sakaki' or 'You'. "What's wrong Sir?" Hartuto asked again. Amon whirled around and snapped, "Drop the pretence. We hung out in high school and I need you as a friend now, not a soldier. I need some advice."

"Well then it's a good thing I asked to talk to you." Robin said softly. "If you can read me that easily." She swirled her espresso as Yurika took a sip of burgundy. "I…I suppose you're wondering where I've been disappearing for the past 8 months or so, every week am I right?" Doujima nodded and leaned in to listen to what she had to say. "Well it started the day I had to order the wall to be built…I left the palace after the battle was finished to grieve my parents…"

"…I found her laying in a glade filled with different wildflowers. She had just lost her family, in the attack we launched against the outskirts of the witch city…"Amon smiled at the memory as he poured himself and Sakaki some cola. "I know I shouldn't have gotten attached but when she told her story…it struck a chord…what with me having lost my family…"

"…he accepted me when he knew I was a witch, he understood about my family. I guess that's why I said I'd meet him again." She paused as she poured herself another cup of espresso. "That's what I told Michael that night… the arraignment about the soldiers so I could meet him…"

"…it went on for about 8 months… I that time I fell in love with her without even realizing I did, until the day I told her about my mother and she understood." He paused to sip his soda. "It was that night I asked you to go get the ring. I didn't propose to her right away but I wanted it because I knew at that moment I would spend the rest of my life with her…"

Yuri took a sip of her burgundy and said "So you love this guy? What's the problem?" Robin sighed and looked at her friend. "You'd think that wouldn't you? But no. Fate must hate me. Remember last night when Michael gave me that photo and I reacted badly?" Her expression crumpled here as it dawned on Doujima just why she had crumpled. "It's him isn't it?"

"I get down on one knee to ask her to marry me. She has told me she loved me by this point. She breaks down and tells me that we can't be together…"

"He tells me that if I'm the heir he'll declare peace to be with me. It tore me apart Yuri. Telling him I mean. It tore me because it tore him." Yurika wrapped her arms around Robin as she gave a shuddering sob. "I told him and I walked away. I just left him there."

"What should I do Haruto? She left me there, she told me she wouldn't love another but she left. And now I can't attack her…but if I don't this war will just drag on and on without an end. What should I do…?" Sakaki looked at the General, sighed and said "You asked me as a friend. In my opinion, if you love her, there's only one thing to do." Amon looked at him and said "I know. I just needed someone else to tell me to do it."

Yurika dried Robin's eyes as they prepared to go down to the great hall for supper. "Robin the only thing I can tell you is this. If you don't need to love again, then don't. You can't control who you fall for." Robin smiled and hugged her best friend before going down. "Go get Michael and join me in the hall." She walked down the ornate stairs that lead into the hall, but barely had she started eating and enjoying herself with her friends, dulling the pain he had left, than a guard came racing into the room. "Your Majesty" he said, panting with the exertion of running from the wall to the palace. He waved off any form of drink and said to the queen in a voice that had the panic clearly barely restrained "They're here…about 5 miles out. What looks like the entire Natural's army." Robin gasped and, while her conscious was screaming that she didn't want to fight with Amon she said, out loud, regally, "Let them come."