!--disclaimer--!
The following work is based off of the
anime series Witch Hunter Robin. I receive no compensation
for this story which is why the work was posted to in the
first place. If you think I would post a story to this site as well
as charge for it elsewhere, you are sadly mistaken (not to mention
possessing flawed logic). I do it for the drugs, er, I mean
self-satisfaction.
Update: Fixed the dividers.
Part I
Clink.
Clink, clink.
Clink.
A bulb in the fluorescent light directly above the head of the dirty-blonde haired girl flickered on and off in the already dim room of the train station. Robin didn't look up as she swung her legs back and forth underneath her long skirt, too absorbed by a teenage daydream to notice. A single sideways glance from the man seated beside her was all it took for Robin to come back to the present and realize that her constant companion had grown annoyed with her fidgeting. Immediately, her feet ceased and the young girl slumped back in the plastic seat. She craned her neck to stare upwards at the blinking light.
They were going back.
After nine months of being on the run, constantly looking over their shoulder and fearing that Solomon would suddenly appear as the omnipresent boogie man from their nightmares, they would return to the place where it all began.
Japan.
It wasn't exactly home to Robin, even if she had been born in that strange land. She had far more fond memories of her life in Tuscany, despite growing up as the only child in a Solomon controlled nunnery. But, life in Japan had been the first time in her short life that she had felt a glimpse of true happiness. She had even considered some people there genuine friends, something of which she had never known before. However, it wasn't as though she could visit any of her former compatriots from the STN-J. It remained too dangerous to do something so bold, even if there had been no sign that Solomon still searched for them. But both had agreed that it was wise to remain low on the radar until they were positive of Solomon's intentions. In any case, they were not returning for any social visits; they were going back to obtain potential information from an important source.
Beside her, Amon let out a muffled sigh. Not only had he grown increasingly frustrated with the wait in the station today, but with their life in general. Robin knew that Amon was nervous to return to Japan so quickly after leaving; especially in light of their harrowing flight from the country six months prior.
Not that he would ever mention any of his worries to her. No, he was always too busy acting the part as her strong and capable guardian to stop and tell her something so - human - about himself. She suspected that the control slipping from Amon's grasp at once angered and frightened him mercilessly. Sometimes the way Amon behaved made Robin want to scream out in her own frustration, but she knew her place with Amon and so kept to it neatly. Backtalking from her would only make their situation worse and Robin would not take any chances that would alienate her from Amon. Sitting beside him now, Robin longed to lean into his shoulder, inhale his scent from his coat, perhaps even feel the comforting warmth of his arm around her, anything to feel comforted. Amon, however, wouldn't like her acting in such a way - especially in public - so she kept herself huddled in the uncomfortable seat.
Amon stood suddenly, taking a few steps before stopping abruptly and turning slightly to face Robin. "Don't go anywhere," he firmly admonished, referencing her stubborn habit of wandering around alone and without his permission. With that, he turned on his heel and set off towards counter to ask about the late train.
Clink, clink.
A few minutes later, Amon returned with an even more frustrated expression upon his hardened face. Robin looked up expectantly from the floor tiles she had studied in his absence.
"The train will be here in about fifteen minutes." He frowned and stared through the far windows across the cavernous room. "Hopefully we won't be too late to catch the plane to Kyoto. If that were to happen we would need to rebook airplane tickets and the accompanying train to Tokyo."
He sat down heavily in the hard plastic red chair beside Robin. Filled with growing dread and trepidation of their impending excursion, Robin gave into her fear and rested her temple against Amon's shoulder. He jumped slightly in surprise as her body moved against his, tensing momentarily at the unfamiliar touch. Undeterred, Robin snuggled in closer, attempting to absorb the warmth radiating from his body. Though Amon didn't move to wrap his arm around her, he did finally relax a bit, which gave some modicum of comfort to Robin. She closed her eyes, wishing that the train would never come to take them away to Japan.
Then she could stay like this with Amon forever.
Amon's attention shifted to girl on the far bed, curled comfortably under the hotel bedspread. It seemed as of late he cursed that Robin could fall asleep so easily while he waited for the alcohol or time itself to sing him his lullaby of sleep. But of course the girl would be able to sleep so easily. Why wouldn't she when she had such a faithful guardian to protect her? He picked up his glass of whiskey and took a large swallow, feeling the alcohol burn on its way down, not allowing his face to display the sensation of pain. He was perplexed as to why now he would have such resentful thoughts towards Robin. There wasn't any way he could be truly angry with her for sleeping soundly when he could not. It certainly wasn't as though she wished for this situation; if anything, she would want the opposite. Her giving nature would eagerly take his exhaustion and send him to the dream realm while she selflessly watched over him for a change. Amon's mind reminded that Robin too had stayed up for the entire trip, nearly collapsing when she finally had a bed to crawl into at the hotel. She had even neglected her nightly bath; something she rarely did without. Reaching across the table for the bottle of whiskey that he had so stealthily hid from Robin's sight earlier, his eyes never left the figure lying prone in the bed.
He breathed a sigh of relief thinking back a few hours earlier when they had found the hotel. There were few available rooms so late of a weekend evening, so he had taken the first he had encountered. Amon was therefore more than relieved to see a set of beds upon opening the door to the Tokyo hotel instead of a single. He took another sip of whiskey, thinking to himself while he watched Robin sleep. Maybe what he needed most at this moment to fall asleep was a warm bed and a warmer girl to snuggle up with. Amon nearly choked on his drink, thoroughly surprised that his mind had allowed such a thought to cross his usually effective no-thinking-about-Robin-in-any-way-except-as-a-ward barrier.
He sighed and replaced the glass upon the table. Why was he thinking of her in this manner now, of all times? Was it because of their contact? It was true that Amon had frequently worried over Robin lately. While she had never been Miss Sunshine, Robin was generally a positive girl. However, she had been acting in a rather morose fashion and he suspected it had something to do with an unexpected e-mail he received a week ago. More troubling was that her behavior had brought out an innate male behavior Amon found particularly bothersome - that must-console-depressed-female one. As much as he wanted to comfort Robin, the part of him that feared her inherent power and the other that was flat-out terrified of getting too close to the girl kept him from doing so. Instead, he settled for spending the nights staring at his young charge as she slept obliviously through the night.
Lecher.
Yes, he was a lecher and he damn well knew that. Still, he watched, tensing every time Robin shifted or exhaled deeply in her sleep, fearing that she would wake up and find him ogling her. Now, that would be a hoot to explain. Yet strangely part of him wanted her to do just that so he could end this moronic game only he knew had begun. Let her know that he was confused about their relationship too and maybe, just maybe, something would progress in the Amon/Robin relationship department. Lord knew that they were still having too many difficulties adjusting to each other even after so many months on the run together. But, Robin had turned out to be a heavy sleeper and she never awoke, much to his subconscious disappointment.
Amon picked up his glass from the table, pushed back from the small hotel room table and strode to the window. Resting his back against the glass, he stared down at the sleeping Robin. From this angle, he could see the Tokyo night lights from outside faintly illuminating her face in the dark room. Amon couldn't help but notice how peaceful Robin looked when she slept. The sight of her face never ceased to comfort him during these long, sleepless nights.
Frowning, Amon looked down to his glass. No matter how much he tried to hide his recent foray with alcohol, he suspected it was obvious to everyone - including Robin - what he was doing at night. Amon ran a hand through his disheveled hair, wondering how far this little problem of his would go. No more tonight, his mind admonished, though admittedly it was a little too late considering he had already imbibed about two-thirds of the bottle just in this sitting.
Glancing towards the clock, Amon discovered that there was still four hours until they were to meet their contact. Sighing, he gave Robin one more wistful look then proceeded to his bed. Once situated under the covers, Amon turned onto his side to watch his sleeping charge. Just once, he wished she would come to him at night so he could invite her into his bed to soothe and comfort her; but she was far too timid to ever do something so bold. At this point, he would settle for her just turning to face him. As if on cue, Robin shifted in her sleep and rolled over to her stomach, her small face peeking out from under the covers. Angelic, his disobedient mind whispered as he continued to watch her until he finally drifted into restless sleep.
"We're late," Amon muttered as he trudged up the stairs on his way to the fourth floor of the rather modern-looking apartment building.
Robin decided it was best to keep quiet, bewildered was she by his grumpy disposition. After all, it was Amon who was responsible for making them late. Robin, for once, had been the first to awaken and it had been surprisingly difficult to rouse her guardian. Once he had finally opened his eyes and succeeded in sitting upright in bed, it was obvious even to her that Amon was severely hung over. She had guessed that he had not only consumed quite a bit of alcohol the night before but also had gone to bed at a very late hour. Robin was thus very relieved when Amon announced that they would take a train to meet their contact instead of driving the rental car. Apparently even Amon knew it would be unwise to drive in his state. His recent drinking had made Robin increasingly worried as time went on and she had no clue as to broach this very verboten subject to Amon. She bit her lip and glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand.
"I think the apartment is this way," she offered hesitantly as they reached the fourth floor.
He nodded and silently followed her down the hallway in the direction she had indicated. The two passed over several doors until they found the one they were looking for. They stood before it in a moment of uncertainty, before Amon raised his hand to give the door a sound pounding.
The door opened a crack, the chain guard prohibiting anyone from forcefully pushing it any further. A shadow of a face peeked out cautiously before the door shut abruptly, followed by a noise inside signaling that the chain had been unhooked. The door reopened more fully, revealing an attractive woman in her mid-twenties.
"Hello, Amon," she said softly, a sad smile on her face.
The man nodded stoically. "Hello, Touko," he returned.
She looked past Amon to Robin standing awkwardly behind him. The poor girl looked miserable, cowering behind her guardian as though Touko might not see her there. The older woman forced a smile onto her face.
"Hello, Robin," she greeted.
Robin's eyes widened at Touko's voice, then shifted to the side. "Hello, Touko," she answered, almost inaudibly.
"You look different; I like what you've done with your hair," Touko offered, indicating how Robin's hair now fell to her in long waves down her back instead of the style she used to wear as a Solomon hunter. If possible, Robin became even more uncomfortable and barely managed to mumble out a response. Touko turned back to Amon, noting how his gaze was slow to return from Robin's face to hers. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other before Touko gave an uncomfortable smile.
"You both better come inside before some notices."
Amon nodded and moved past Touko, his arm brushing lightly against hers as he entered the apartment. She looked over her shoulder to Robin still standing in the corridor and attempted to give the girl a welcoming look. Finally, Robin took a reluctant step forward and followed the two into the main room.
The young witch was the first to take a seat, choosing the love seat over the couch. She could have breathed a sigh of relief when Amon sat down beside her without hesitation as Touko moved to the couch.
"Would either of you like something to drink?" Touko offered politely, disappointment creeping over her as she observed her former roommate with her former lover.
"We had better just get to the information you have for us," Amon answered for the both of them.
She smiled and looked down to her hands, not surprised that Amon would only be interested in the information. It seemed to her that both of her guests wanted to leave as quickly as possible, unsurprising considering everything that had happened almost a year earlier and the strange, disconcerting triangle that had developed between them. Touko reached into her blazer and removed a small disc.
"This contains information about Robin's origins and some other Solomon information that may be of use to you."
"How exactly did you get this information?" Amon inquired, leaning forward eagerly to accept it.
"After the collapse of the Factory, Solomon agents came and confiscated everything related to...m-my father." Touko looked down at her skirt, hands clutching the fabric between her fingers. "About a month ago, I stumbled onto a laptop in storage and the data it contained."
"Then you tracked us down by contacting one of our former comrades at the STN-J."
"Yes. I convinced them to act as a go-between since I knew that only they would be able to locate you and they would likewise never tell the daughter of their...corrupt boss...of your whereabouts."
"This disc most likely contains much valuable information." Amon looked down at the small disc in his hand, impatient to examine its contents. "It will be very helpful to us."
The following oppressive silence stretched out until Amon cleared his throat and abruptly stood. "We should get going."
Both Robin and Touko rose simultaneously, the former moving close to the safety of Amon's side.
"Yes, it's probably best that you don't stay here too long." Touko forced yet another smile to grace her face.
Amon moved towards the door with Robin following closely behind, both appearing relieved at the prospect of leaving the increasingly claustrophobic flat. Amon paused as he reached the door, his hand resting on the knob.
"Thank you for the information. Good bye, Touko."
She sighed, watching blankly as the door swung shut before closing her eyes and clenching her hands at her side. Her misery, however, was interrupted by a strange wavering at her side. Reopening her eyes, Touko turned to the lamp on her entryway table. The bulb lightly flickered, casting oddly menacing shadows on the wall.
"I just changed the bulb," she muttered to herself.
Touko gave one last sidelong glance at the door, then went in search of a new lightbulb.
Robin stood near her suitcase gathering together her meager belongings. She didn't know where they would head to next, only that they were going to a different hotel, presumably in Tokyo. Amon had told her less and less of their plans as time went by, something that made Robin suspect that he too had grown unsure of their future. While this worried and frightened her, she had not mentioned her feelings to her guardian out of fear that it would upset him more. Robin looked down at the skirt she was folding in her hands and exhaled a quiet sigh of frustration. Behind her, Amon paused and looked over his shoulder.
"Is something wrong, Robin?" he asked out of concern. Surprised, Robin turned halfway to look at Amon.
"No," she replied, her eyes widening.
He looked as though he would speak, but instead was interrupted by a knock at the door. Instantly, their paranoia from the months of living on the run emerged and both instinctively tensed, Amon's eyes narrowing and darting towards the far side of the room. No one knew of their present location, or that they were even in Japan for that matter, aside from Touko. Amon removed his sidearm and approached the door, cursing the lack of a peephole. Robin moved into position behind him, prepared to give any support if needed. Amon looked back to her and she nodded in response, wordlessly understanding his intentions. With the hand holding the sidearm positioned behind the door, he turned the knob with the other. A woman looked hesitantly up at him as the door creaked open.
"Touko?" he asked in surprise. They stared at each other in silence before Amon stood back to allow her inside, unsure of what else to do.
She looked to Robin, then down to the gun in Amon's hand. "I didn't mean to startle you both."
Amon replaced his weapon and folded his arms across his chest. "What are you doing here? And how did you find us?"
Touko walked to one of the beds and set her purse down on the comforter. Letting out a sigh, she turned and sat down heavily on the bed. Amon and Robin moved closer in anticipation of what she would say.
"I followed you." As Amon's face began to darken, she hurried to continue. "I know that it probably angers you that I did that, but...I had to." Touko looked pleadingly up to the both of them, searching their masked faces.
Without a word and a pronounced scowl upon his face, Amon turned on his heel and walked purposefully towards the window. "You have put us all at great risk by following us," he said after a few moments, his eyes staring vacantly at the opposite building. Amon angled his head to glare at Touko over his shoulder. "What is it that you hoped to accomplish by coming here?"
She looked down nervously at the trembling hands resting in her lap. Exhaling deeply, Touko pressed her eyes together. "I want to go with you."
Both Amon and Robin's face registered shock at Touko's announcement.
"You want to come with us?" Amon repeated incredulously.
"Yes." Touko gave a rueful smile as her gaze met Amon's.
"Absolutely not," his face turned hard as he replied, voice resolute.
Touko's breath caught in her throat as her heart sunk. "But-"
"You are not coming with us," Amon repeated firmly. "It's much too dangerous. Besides, you don't even have anything with you."
Touko stood up from the bed and took a few tentative steps towards Amon. "I have everything I need in my purse," she began, her eyes begging him to relent. "I can help you in your journey with contacts and financial support--"
"Why would you want to help us?" Amon questioned, cutting Touko off mid-statement and standing intimidatingly with his arms folded across his chest. "You're not even a seed."
This time, both Touko and Robin appeared shocked by Amon's words. Touko swallowed. "There's nothing left for me in this life here. And...I believe in your purpose."
"And what might that be?" Amon scoffed with an ironic small smile. He turned back to stare out the window.
"Amon," Robin began, speaking hesitantly for the first time since Touko had arrived, "we can't send her away, especially after she's followed us here. It will be too dangerous if we just leave her."
He half turned to give Robin a miserable glance, not wanting to admit that she spoke the truth. He squelched the anger he felt that Touko would put them all in this uncomfortable situation. Amon turned away, leaning forward to rest his forehead against the glass. He could sense Touko and Robin waiting for a response from him, one hopeful and the other full of dread and disappointment.
"We should move soon. We need to find another hotel room for the night."
Behind Amon, Touko visibly brightened and glanced in Robin's direction, but the young witch was too preoccupied with her wearied guardian to notice. Or perhaps she was just intentionally ignoring her guardian's former lover. Whatever the reason, it mattered little to Touko. Once more she would be near the man she loved.
"I'll go inside and arrange a room for us," Touko declared, quickly exiting the rental car and heading towards the prospective hotel's entrance before Amon could stop her.
He frowned after her from his place behind the steering wheel, then shifted towards the girl seated beside him. Her eyes slid from the rapidly disappearing figure to meet his. She blinked, startled to find him watching her intently.
"I will get our bags," he stated simply, hurriedly exiting the vehicle to leave Robin staring blankly after him.
After gathering their few belongings from the trunk, Amon discovered Robin waiting dutifully for him outside the passenger side door. He paused, unable to keep his eyes from running down her form. She looked as though she was lost in another daydream - something he suspected she did often despite the ceaseless danger - gazing off into the distance while the wind gently blew through her hair and billowed her calf-length skirt. Since their time on the run from Solomon, Robin had stopped wearing her usual dress (at Amon's insistence that she lose her trademark appearance), exchanging her outfits to sweaters and longish skirts. The result was a mature and incredibly feminine young lady, as he couldn't help but note this morning. Realizing he was staring, Amon collected himself and took a step closer.
"Are you ready to go inside?"
Robin glanced at him from the corner of her eye and gave a single nod. Without waiting, Amon turned and headed for the entrance of the hotel. The young witch followed slightly at a distance, seemingly relegating herself into the secondary role behind Touko.
A man across the street smiled to himself as he watched the two enter the building. He folded up the newspaper he had been reading into his hand and began to cross the busy intersection. Today was definitely his lucky day.
Inside the lobby, Amon and Robin found Touko wrapping up the transaction at the desk.
"There you go, Mrs. Takahashi," the man behind the counter smiled as he handed her two keys.
"Thank you," Touko responded warmly, turning as Amon walked up and handing him one of the keys.
"Ah, welcome to our fine hotel, Mr. Takahashi," the man added upon seeing Amon. "We hope you have an excellent stay with us. If you or your wife need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
Behind Amon, Robin noticeably stiffened at the man's words. His eyes slid to Touko, then just as quickly returned to the hotel employee. "Thank you. We will."
He turned to find Robin appearing as though she couldn't decide whether to set her fiery glare upon the desk clerk or Touko first. Amon shot her a warning frown which resulted in a surprised look by the young girl, followed quickly by a glance away with a small pout upon her lips.
The hotel clerk seemed oblivious to their exchange, calling after them with an enthusiastic, "Thank you!"
Amon quickly headed towards the elevator, eager to get away from watchful eyes, Touko insistently at his side and Robin trailing sullenly behind.
"This is an amazing hotel," she said suddenly, her back resting against the golden mirrored finish of the elevator wall.
"Yes, it is," Touko agreed. "I used to come here all the time for work meetings You've stayed here as well, right Amon?"
"Yes."
Robin shifted her gaze between her older companions, amazed they had lived in a world so different from her own. She dropped her eyes to the carpeted floor of the elevator, feeling quaint and unsophisticated. It didn't help that Touko and Amon looked so good together as if they were created solely for the other; and they had far more in common - like age. Robin shot a small glance from the corner of her eye towards the two. Amon stood with one hand on the side railing of the elevator, staring impatiently at the floor indicator above the door. Touko inclined her head to look up to Amon, smiling as he glanced back to her. He hesitated, determining if he should reciprocate, then returned his attention to the floor indicator. Robin squelched her misery and stared at the pattern on the carpet for the rest of the ride.
Once the elevator opened, the threesome made their way down the long hallway to their room with Robin stubbornly trailing behind. Amon unlocked the door, giving it a slight shove and moved to the side, allowing Touko to enter. Once she had moved inside, Amon turned to wait for Robin to approach, still holding the door open.
"I can get the door myself," she muttered petulantly, trudging past a visibly bewildered Amon. Before Robin had fully passed him, she turned to snatch her suitcase from Amon's arm then marched past an equally surprised Touko into one of the two bedrooms of the suite.
"What's wrong with her?" Touko whispered.
"She's just tired," he responded, tossing their belongings aside on the floor. "You booked a suite?"
"I thought this might be a more appropriate setup than what you two had before...especially with an extra person around."
Amon tossed her a suspicious look before moving into the bedroom Robin had not chosen.
Touko sighed and walked towards the room she would share with Robin, finding the girl methodically sorting through the contents of her suitcase. Touko couldn't help but note that her belongings were woeful compared to the voluminous amounts of items she had had as a teen. Poor girl; being dragged around from place to place only in the company of a man - and Amon no less. Robin glanced up hesitantly as Touko approached the bed.
"You don't have to worry about me; I'm not here to take Amon away from you," she said.
Robin's eyes widened at Touko's words, clearly not expecting the older woman to address their odd situation so soon. She glanced down at her clothes with a frown. "Why did you want to come with us?"
"When you get to my age Robin, you have a lot of regrets," Touko began, sitting down on the edge of Robin's bed. "I...have a lot of regrets when it comes to you...and Amon...as well as witches in general. My...father...did very bad things and I was involved in some things that I have since come to regret."
Though Robin didn't face her, Touko knew she was listening to every word carefully. "I also don't have anything to keep me in Tokyo," she continued. "I've read through the files in my father's laptop and I understand why Amon chose to become your guardian."
Robin slowly turned to regard her warily. Touko smiled back warmly at the young witch.
"Your survival is paramount for the future of witches and I have knowledge that can help the both of you. Thank you for letting me come with you," Touko added.
Robin dropped her eyes and nodded glumly.
"I'm going to tell you something else, Robin." Touko swallowed. "You know that Amon and I used to be...together, but that was a long time ago." She hesitated, staring at her fidgeting hands and trying to understand desperately why she would voluntarily explain this to a little girl. Robin stood motionless, looking down blankly at the bedspread, waiting for Touko to continue. "There comes a point when one must understand that what you want most isn't going to happen." She paused again, licking her lips out of nervousness. "That's where I am with Amon. So you see...you don't have to worry about me taking him...away."
Touko waited for Robin to say something – anything – but she remained motionless, letting this flood of new information sink in and pondering what it meant for her future. Amon walked into the room, stopping suddenly to let his steel eyes shift in confusion between the two females. Touko stood up, smiled faintly, and walked out of the room to give them a moment alone.
Amon watched her leave, then turned towards his young ward. Robin had lifted her head, waiting for him to speak. She appeared distant, something he guessed was a self-defense mechanism she had erected to protect herself from potential heartache.
"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously. "You seem upset."
Robin dropped her gaze and roughly snapped the lid of her suitcase shut. "I'm fine."
"You were the one who insisted we bring Touko."
Amon's direct statement caught Robin off guard and she started at his words. She froze, her hands still hovering in mid-air above her suitcase. Robin fought back tears rising behind her eyes, her lower lip trembling from the effort. She could feel Amon at her back watching her reaction closely. Regaining her composure quickly, she leaned forward to finish zipping up her suitcase.
"Yes, I did, and it was the right thing to do, given the information Touko knows and the situation we're in." Robin lifted her head to look straight at Amon, her emerald eyes struggling to hide the emotion within. "She will be an asset to us."
He returned her gaze evenly, studying her. Finally he nodded and retreated from the room without a word. He found Touko in the kitchenette, busying herself with the hotel coffee maker. She raised her eyes as Amon approached the bar and sat down on a stool.
"I know how much Robin adores coffee, so I thought I would start some," she offered, to which Amon merely nodded.
"Yes, Robin always loves coffee," he mumbled quietly as he stared at the countertop of the bar.
Touko fought back her disappointment and with one last forlorn glance at Amon, returned her attention to Robin's beloved beverage.
To be continued in Part II...