!--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.
Author's Notes:
First off, thanks to those who reviewed. I genuinely appreciate it.
The reason this stroy is presented in only three parts is because originally I had intended to publish Fallen as a one-shot. I have a very difficult time finishing projects (I've been working on one WHR fanfiction for like nine months), so I have taken to writing shorter stories. However, once I reached twenty-three single spaced lines with tiny margins, I realized this was too long to submit as a one-shot.
I had intended to update sooner, especially seeing as I had most of this thing finiished, but life has been incredibly hard right now and I had to really struggle to get the inclination to fill in the blanks. Further, I'm still not too sure about this section. It's rather dialogue driven in some parts and kind of feels weird in others. Ah, but middle parts usually drag a bit and the plot definitely picks up in the last section. Anyway, Andrew assured me that it was fine. Be sure to let me know what you think.
-Claire
EDIT: Went back again and changed/added some bits. Nothing too much, but hopefully the story is a little better this time around.
Part II
Amon relaxed as the door closed behind Robin, relieved to finally be away from the two women. After discovering the girl's woeful amount of personal items, Touko had declared that she would take Robin out for an overdue shopping spree. Robin, of course, had very grudgingly conceded, none too pleased that she was required to spend the afternoon with her former roommate and current guardian's ex-lover. Amon generally would have felt adverse for pushing her to go with Touko, but he knew that she was in desperate need of new clothing and was too shy to ask him directly – at least, that's the story he told his conscious. Deep down (way down) Amon acknowledged that he just wanted some time away from the two to sort out his own confused feelings over the situation that had arisen from the morning. What a predicament indeed. Hopefully, the two would be gone long enough for him to recollect at least a modicum of his formal self.
He rubbed a hand against his forehead. This was exactly what he feared would happen if Touko came along in their travels. Amon could feel the impending awkwardness hiding stealthily amidst the horizon of time, waiting for just the right moment to pounce. His thoughts were interrupted mid-way by a knock on the suite's door.
Absently, Amon reached for the door, assuming it was one of his two female companions, then froze, eyes focusing. Touko had a key to the room and would use it to get back into the room if she had forgotten something. Or, she would have given it to Robin. Amon silently withdrew his sidearm and carefully looked for the door's peephole, swearing internally when he found that again there was none. Carefully, he forced his face to be neutral and calmly opened the door, gun concealed and readied. Peering out cautiously, he still could not see anyone.
"Let me guess; you've got a gun all cocked and hidden behind the door," the amused voice from an unseen visitor taunted.
Amon stepped forward quickly into the hall to find a man with a newspaper folded in his arms leaning against the wall beside the door.
"Nagira," he uttered, completely stunned for the second time that day.
"Aren't you going to invite your brother inside?" Nagira smirked.
Amon moved back into the room, shutting the door firmly after Nagira had entered. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come."
Nagira shot his younger brother an annoyed glare. "Some greeting. I had hoped that being around Robin would teach you better manners. You send me a message telling me that you're both coming back to Tokyo and then order me not to see you? Come on, you should know me better than that."
Amon frowned at Nagira, his arms folded across his chest. "You shouldn't have come. It might be dangerous for you and it's definitely dangerous for us. Someone could have followed you."
"I'm sure that no one followed me," Nagira returned patiently, tossing his newspaper casually on the small table beside the door. "I'm good at this sneaking around business, too."
"How did you find us?"
"I asked around and eventually tracked you to this hotel."
"Is there a specific reason you came?" Amon asked again, convinced that Nagira had an ulterior motive for his surprise visit.
"I can't come and see you two?" Nagira answered evasively. "Hey, where's Robin anyway?"
Amon blinked, mind whirring as he scrambled to think of a way to explain the current situation, but before he could speak, the sound of the front door opening cut him off. Touko had partly entered the room, searching around for something, before she noticed Nagira. Immediately, her eyes widened and her questioning gaze shot to Amon.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just forgot something. I'll be leaving again in just a moment."
"It's alright, Touko," Amon replied.
"Yes," Nagira cut in and stepped forward, extending his hand eagerly. "I'm Amon's brother, Nagira."
"Brother?" Touko repeated blankly as she accepted his hand. Once again, her eyes moved to the man beside Nagira.
"Half-brother, actually," Amon supplied.
"I see," Touko said, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men. Behind her, the door reopened and this time Robin appeared. She froze, gaping at Nagira a moment before a small smile spread across her face.
"Nagira," she exclaimed as she bounded across the room and into his arms, looking a great deal happier than she had during the week earlier and surprising Touko by her familiarity with the visitor.
"Hey, how you doing?" he returned, hugging her close. Nagira looked over her head to Amon.
Robin pulled back and gave him another smile. "Oh, I'm fine."
Touko, having found what she needed, approached the two. "Robin, I'm ready to leave now."
Reluctantly, Robin looked to Nagira, searching his face, clearly not wanting to go.
"That sounds like fun," he prodded gently. "You two should get on your way."
She nodded and reluctantly followed Touko. Robin hesitated as she reached door and looked shyly back to Nagira. "Good bye," she said faintly, then was gone.
Nagira tuned to Amon with an overly broad smile. "Mind telling me what's going on?"
Amon turned away and walked towards the suite's large window overlooking the balcony. He leaned against the frame and stared out across the expanse of downtown Tokyo. Nagira came up beside him and followed suit.
"Why are you here, Nagira?" Amon asked pointedly, ignoring his brother's question. He was in no mood for any sort of the playful banter that usually accompanied his brother's conversations.
"I'm going to come with you."
"No you're not," Amon stated quietly, but firmly, having already guessed his brother's intentions the moment he arrived. "There's enough going on without you tagging along."
"I've noticed," Nagira smiled. "But, you can't get rid of me that easily, you know."
Amon shifted his head against the pane of glass to look at his brother. "Why?"
"Why do I want to go with you? Isn't it obvious?" He smirked at Amon's blank expression. "I love her."
Nagira nearly doubled over with laughter when Amon's face immediately darkened at his words.
"Not in that way – that would be sick." He caught himself as he watched Amon's face darken further. "Uh, but not if I happened to be a couple years younger and you know, had a similar childhood to Robin and whatnot." Nagira breathed deeply and closed his eyes. " I love Robin and I love you – though I'm not always sure why with you. I just want to be around to help."
"What about your firm?"
Nagira turned his attention to the buildings outside the window. "I can't stand worrying about the two of you, constantly afraid you've been discovered. In any case, I've taken care of the practice," he finished evasively.
"I don't need this," Amon muttered to himself.
"So, what is Robin's former roommate doing with you?" Nagira asked abruptly.
Amon frowned at his question. "You know about Touko?"
"Yeah. When Robin was working for me as a messenger, I received some information about her. Robin told me who she was. She's the daughter of that guy – what was his name? I can't believe I could forget that guy. Zaizan?"
"Yes, Zaizan. She was the contact we came to see."
"And she's with you, why?"
Amon let out a low sound of frustration and gripped the edge of the window frame tightly. "I...I'm not sure. Touko insisted that she should come to help us and Robin agreed with her."
"Speaking of Robin, she seems pretty downtrodden. Is it the traveling...or something else?"
Looking across the floor of the balcony outside the window, Amon didn't answer.
"You didn't," Nagira whispered. "You did, though, didn't you? The boss's daughter?" he chuckled sardonically. "You should have known better than to get tangled into a situation like that." Nagira sobered. "Why in hell would you make Robin go through this?"
Amon snapped his head up to level a glare at Nagira, eyes narrowed in anger. "I didn't want Touko to come with us. I tried to make her stay, but Robin thought she should come along."
"That's convenient. Do you blame Robin for all the problems you create?"
"What am I supposed to do with Touko?" he replied shortly, growing more irate by the second. "She'll be in danger if we just send her away."
"Give her to me," Nagira replied seriously as he stood back from the window and straightened. "I'll take her somewhere safe."
"I thought you wanted to come with us?"
"Once she's settled somewhere, I'll find you again."
Amon shook his head glumly. "Robin thinks she'll be an asset."
"That's bull –" Nagira caught himself, hand clenching at his side. "That's not why you're letting that woman stay here and you know it." He raised a hand and pointed a finger directly at his younger brother. Amon merely gazed back, unfazed by Nagira's ire. "You did something to her and now you feel guilty about it. You're making it up to this woman by allowing her to stay. And don't you dare put this on Robin when it is obvious to all of you that she is miserable with this setup."
When Nagira didn't receive a response, Amon continuing to stare with the same masked expression, he sighed and turned his back to the window. "What did you do to this woman anyway that makes you feel so bad?" After another moment of silence ensued and Amon still didn't answer, Nagira tried a different tactic.
"So, have you kissed her yet?" he asked, watching carefully from the corner of his eye. Nagira inwardly smiled as Amon's eyes widened and his body tensed. Jackpot, his mind snickered.
Amon spun angrily towards Nagira. "Why would you ask me such a thing? Robin isn't even seventeen yet."
"Think about her age much?" Nagira commented with a sarcastic grin. "And it's interesting that you automatically assumed I was talking about Robin. I could just as easily been referring to Touko."
Knowing he had been caught, Amon poutily turned back to face out the window. His brows creased as his mouth turned downwards.
"Doesn't it get tiring to be so angsty all the time?" Nagira asked, fumbling inside his coat for a cigarette and lighter. "You're the one who gets yourself into these uncomfortable situations, you know," he mumbled around his cigarette.
"Does she ever sleep with you at night?" Nagira asked after a couple of drags on his cigarette. "It's just you two alone every day and night with only a small space between."
Amon hesitated and gave Nagira a sideways glance. "No."
"Has she ever asked you to stay in your bed?"
"No."
"Have you ever asked her?"
A pause. "No."
"Have you wanted to?"
This time Amon remained still, settling for glaring at the Tokyo skyline instead of his intrusive half-sibling.
Nagira turned to face Amon directly. "Speaking of sleeping, you're not doing very much of that yourself are you." It was a statement, not a question. "What do you do at night when you're trying to sleep?" he asked with a growing grin. "I bet you spend a lot of your nights watching her sleep, don't you?" The scowl that spread over Amon's face was confirmation enough for Nagira.
Sobering, he mentally prepared himself for his next question. "You're drinking aren't you?"
Amon demeanor remained outwardly unchanged except for his hands that twitched minutely at the question. "Is it that obvious?" he asked sadly.
"Yes." Nagira cleared his throat. "And you better believe that Robin knows too. She may not understand you as well as I do – she's still young and pretty naive in a lot of areas – but I guarantee you that she knows what you're doing when she's not around." He paused. "I think she's been worried about you for some time."
"I don't know what to do," Amon said softly, closing his eyes.
"About what? Your life or the girl?"
"Everything." He reopened his eyes and slowly turned, shocking Nagira with the openly helpless expression he saw in his brother's face. "I don't know what we're supposed to do or where we should go. We just travel from place to place aimlessly." He looked to his hands. "She has a purpose. She deserves better than this life I give her."
Nagira watched Amon closely. "You're running out of money, too. I'm guessing that's another reason why you have allowed the other one to come with you."
Amon gave a slight nod in response. Nagira crushed out his cigarette then moved to extract another one from inside his coat.
"Do you love her?"
"What does it matter?" Amon responded glumly, shoulders slumping.
"It matters quite a bit, actually. An attraction probably would have occurred under any circumstance, but I get this feeling there's been something between you two for awhile. Isn't that why things have been so awkward together since you've been on the run?" Nagira turned his head towards Amon, noting the look of regret on his wearied face. "I just want to hear you admit it – both to me and yourself." It's not like you would ever tell Robin, his mind added sadly.
Nagira nearly sighed aloud from frustration when Amon continued to remain stubbornly silent. "I know you love her – and not like I do, but as a man loves a woman – but I do understand why you might not want to admit such a thing to yourself. She is young, very young, and that could cause you some trouble. But it's obvious to everyone that you care about her; why else would you have so easily left your life behind to watch over her? And I don't buy that it stems from sort of obligation or duty to her, so don't even try that route with me again – especially considering she's an uber-witch. That's love, not duty."
He looked down to the cigarette, his expression growing thoughtful. "You know," Nagira began slowly, "there's something...special...about Robin and there are some times that I wonder that if I were just a few years younger...I might think of her as more than some sort of adopted sister."
"Do you want some coffee?" Amon asked suddenly, startling Nagira by the abrupt change in topics. "Touko made some earlier for Robin and I think there's a little left."
"Sure," Nagira responded agreeably, face softening into a relaxed smile. He turned to follow Amon towards the kitchenette. Nagira was quite frankly amazed that he had gotten such a relatively open dialogue out of his little brother. That he had done so, only made Nagira worry more.
-----
Once the female counterparts had returned from their little outing – Robin looking incredibly relieved not to be under any more obligations to be kind and thankful to Touko and again comfortably at Amon's side – the foursome decided to make their way to the hotel's restaurant. Sticking to the hotel seemed the best way to keep a low profile while Amon and Robin remained in Tokyo.
Before they had reached the elevator, Robin, who continued to trail behind everyone else, stopped abruptly. Her hand went unconsciously to her chest, smooth forehead creasing as she frowned. Amon, on cue, turned his attention to his young charge.
"What is it Robin?"
Her face came up as Touko and Nagira paused. "I forgot something," she began, turning back towards the room. "I'll catch up in a moment."
"I'll stay with her to make sure nothing happens," Nagira volunteered quickly.
Amon cast a wary glance at his brother and nodded his head. Touko quickly fell into step beside him as they continued towards the elevator. Nagira's smile fell downwards as he watched them leave. Realizing suddenly that Robin was no longer at his side, he pivoted quickly to find that she was halfway back to the suite. He darted after her quickly, surprised at how fast the girl could travel.
"What did you forget?" Nagira asked conversationally as they entered the suite.
She turned her face away . "Just something small I'm never without."
He didn't comment on her cryptic response, deciding it would be best to remain in the common area while he waited.
Robin moved into the room she shared with Touko, glancing disinterestedly at the numerous bags on her bed. She picked up the purse Touko had insisted she purchase earlier and withdrew her mother's amulet. Cradling the item in her hands, she sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress. Slowly, Robin ran her finger along the metal surrounding the red cabochon. Her eyes drifted up to vacantly take in the clothes hanging up on the other side of the room. The clothing she saw couldn't have been any more different from her own. It wasn't as though Touko ever wore anything particularly revealing, but Robin could never feel comfortable in such attire. She had to grudgingly admit that she was a convent girl through and through; it would take much time for her to finally shake off the rules of her upbringing. In Robin's mind, it was no wonder that Amon had been with Touko.
A movement to the side caught Robin's attention and she turned her head quickly, tensing instinctively before she saw Nagira standing just outside her door with a questioning look on his face. His eyes trailed from the necklace in her hands, over the number of bags on the bed, then to Touko's clothes hanging on the other side of the room before returning to her. He gave a sympathetic smile.
"You ready to go?"
Robin forced a small smile and rose gracefully from the bed. Quickly, she pulled the amulet over her head, pushing it under her simple sweater and followed Nagira out of the room. Neither said a word until the they had entered the elevator and the doors slid shut.
"I know that things are tricky between you and Amon," Nagira began suddenly, leaning his back against the rear railing of the elevator.
Robin didn't say anything, remaining where she stood, her eyes focused on the vertical dark slit between the doors before her.
"Amon is complicated," he continued slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Of course, you already know that. Don't worry too much about him. Right now, he's just struggling to work things out for himself." Nagira paused. "However, Amon doesn't think too clearly in situations where you're involved; his judgement tends to get, um, clouded somewhat because…he's...worried about you."
Robin's head drooped. "I'm not the only one he's worried about," she whispered.
Nagira glanced her way as the elevator doors opened. From the corner of his eye, he could see Amon and Touko waiting for them outside the restaurant's entrance across the lobby. "You're not looking at the situation correctly. You need to take a closer look."
Without a sound – and clearly disagreeing with Nagira's words – Robin quickly exited the elevator and glided across the polished marbled floor of the lobby towards the other two.
Letting out a low growl and attempting to restrain himself from glaring at his younger brother and former flame, Nagira trailed distantly behind Robin. Oddly enough, the following meal progressed in peace and even Robin didn't seem too upset with Touko's presence. The fact that Amon had chosen to take his place next to her, probably had something to do with helping with her mood.
Once the foursome had returned to the room after dinner, Robin promptly announced she would make another pot of coffee. Nagira looked up from his spot on the couch, an amused expression on his face.
"Robin," he began, "has it occurred to you that you might have a problem?"
The girl immediately looked indignant at such a suggestion. Nagira cut her off before she could protest.
"I was only kidding," he reassured quickly.
Still a bit miffed, Robin turned back to the jar of coffee and began scooping the grounds into the filter.
Beside Nagira, the light bulb in the lamp on the table alongside the couch began to flicker.
"What's up with this damn lamp?" Nagira muttered after a few moments, standing up and leaning forward to peer at the item in question.
"It probably just needs a new bulb," Touko suggested from the kitchenette.
Robin shook her head. Her coffee-making finished, she strolled up to where Nagira stood. "No, it most likely just needs to be tightened."
She bent forward and carefully grasped the base of the bulb. As her fingers connected with the glass, the bulb shorted out and burst, startling both Amon and Touko across the room.
"What did you do, Robin?" Nagira asked after a moment of stunned silence. "You didn't use your craft on it, did you?"
Robin's face crinkled in response. "I just touched it. Why would I use my craft on a light bulb?"
"That was odd," Touko noted as she approached the two.
"Everything is odd for us," Amon commented drolly from the bar.
-----
Excluding the incident with the light bulb, the rest of the evening proceeded uneventfully. It seemed that they were all in silent accord that they were not yet ready to discuss their plans of the future for all were unwilling to broach the subject. Unusually wearied, Nagira excused himself late in the evening. In his absence, Robin stretched herself out along the length of the couch, turning on to her side to get into a more comfortable position. She was so engrossed in the new book she had picked up earlier that day she didn't notice Touko and Amon sitting together at the kitchenette's bar, quietly sipping coffee. Slowly, Robin's eyes were closed more often than open and her book gradually fell onto her breast.
Amon rose from the bar to pour himself another cup of coffee, struggling to fight back the urge to take a visit to the local hotel bar where he could spend the rest of the night drinking his despair away in peace. Instead, he found the coffee carafe empty and shoved it back into the coffee maker in frustration. Realizing that he could see no movement from the girl on the couch as he made his way back to his seat, he changed course abruptly and approached Robin, finding her peacefully asleep. Touko came up alongside him, smiling when her eyes fell upon the young witch.
"Poor girl. She's had a long day."
"Yes."
"Looking at her like this, it's difficult to imagine that she's the most powerful witch in existence," Touko commented before she realized what she had spoken.
"Yes."
Touko glanced up, finding Amon looking wistfully at his young charge. Embarrassed, she dropped her eyes back to Robin. "You must think about that all of the time. Especially, since your mother…" she trailed off.
"I should probably put her to bed," he remarked suddenly.
Instead of shaking Robin awake as Touko expected, Amon leaned forward and carefully lifted her from the couch and into his arms. He looked down, studying Robin's face a moment as she lay cradled against his chest, taking in how her light hair delicately framed her face, then started for her room. Heart breaking a little more, Touko retreated to the balcony, hoping to clear her thoughts in the night air. Unlike her emotions, the night was still and clear. A few moments later, she heard Amon step out into the balcony.
"It's a beautiful night," she commented, not turning to face him. "The sky is so clear." Touko smiled. "Hmm. This should be romantic with just the two of us out here alone..." she inclined her head to look at Amon from the corner of her eye, "...but it's not."
Amon dropped his head and moved to rest a hand against the railing. Touko closed her eyes, feeling the wind ruffle her hair. "Why didn't you tell me you had a brother, Amon?"
He shrugged. "Does it matter?"
She smiled again. "I guess it doesn't at this point," she remarked, looking across the city skyline. "You love her, don't you?"
"No," Amon answered without pause.
"Hmpf. You always could lie so easily to me." She clutched the railing and bit her lip. "Why?" she whispered, brows furrowing. "I just don't understand why you chose a-a fifteen year old girl over me." She closed her eyes, fighting back angry tears. "And a witch, no less."
After a moment, Touko reopened her eyes, finding Amon staring forlornly into the night sky. For a change, he didn't look his usual arrogant and assured self; tonight, he looked lost and confused. The element of control that used to be ever present around him was quickly chipping away. Standing beside her on the balcony, he looked more – dare she say it? – human.
Is this Robin's influence? Touko mused. Is Robin reaching inside and removing the wall which surrounds him, pulling out his long dormant humanity? Or is it that he's merely falling apart from the strain of running?
Sensing a pair of eyes, Amon turned his head to look at Touko from the corner of his eye. "Yes?"
She startled, mouth dropping open a bit in surprise at having been caught starting, then smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing." Touko inhaled deeply and moved forward to grasp his sleeve gently with one hand. "Do you…think it's possible for us to have one more night together?"
She hurried to finish before Amon could interrupt. "It would only be one night and there would be no strings attached – I promise." She turned into him, sandwiching his arm to her chest and burying her face against the smooth fabric of his shirt. Amon didn't look down, eyes focused on a phantom spot across the street upon a non-descript building.
"The other's are asleep," Touko whispered fervently. "No one would ever have to find out."
Amon sighed. "But there would be strings attached and the others would know eventually, especially if you continue to stay with us."
Touko's hands clutched his arm tighter, barely managing to keep her tears at bay. "I knew you would refuse, but…I just had to ask." She rested her forehead against his arm. "I love you, Amon."
His face turned sad and regretful in the moonlight.
"I know, Touko."
-----
Robin sat up with a start, her eyes flitting wildly about the dark room. It had been so long since she had awoken in the night from a nightmare and the intensity of this particular one had been especially frightening. She looked to the side, her chest still heaving from the memory, to find the adjacent bed empty. Slightly confused by this, she silently crept to the door of the bedroom and opened it a crack. Through the narrow space, she could see that the sliding glass door of the balcony was open, the curtains framing the doorway billowing gently in the night air. Cautiously, she stepped closer until she could just hear the voices of Amon and Touko drifting faintly through the deserted main area. Anger from the thought that the two were together and – more importantly – alone, sent a frighteningly strong wave of anger coursing through her body. Startled at the intensity of her emotions, she fell back into her bedroom. Robin placed a hand to her sweaty forehead and gave herself a mental shake.
In under a second, she made up her mind to leave, take a walk – anything to get away from the constant reminder that was Touko. And she didn't care one iota if her decision made Amon furious. In fact, to her angry young mind that was preferable. Hurriedly, she tossed off her night clothes, changing quickly into the long skirt and sweater she had worn the previous day. Robin carefully made her way to the door and peeked out, still unable to catch a glimpse of the two through the balcony doors. Rushing through the dimmed main area, Robin picked up the key from the front table and moved into the hallway, silently closing the door behind.
As she walked down the corridor, the lights overhead seemed to dim, transforming the hallway into a memory of a terrifying place from her nightmare. Her heart began to race as she picked up her pace. Futilely, she fought back her terror and confusion, her panicked mind unable to determine if this was real or if she was still back in her bed, caught in the dream. Robin's feet took her to the end of the hallway, past the elevator, then through the end doors and into the stairwell. Down and down she went, the painted numbers representing the various floors blurring as she descended until at last she had reached the main floor.
The area was deserted. Apparently, unlike herself, everyone had decided that this was the proper time to be sleeping and not wandering around an extremely large Japanese hotel on their own. Robin's feet began to quicken again until she was sprinting down the hotel corridors, the hallways becoming darker still. She felt like she was drowning, her steps becoming heavier and more languid as she continued. Finally, her feet stopped and she leaned her head against a wall, consumed by fear and the exhaustion of her exertions. Her breast heaved with every labored intake of air; sweat rolling from her forehead and over her cheeks. Robin was extremely confused; she didn't know why she ran or exactly what made her so afraid.
"Um, are you alright, miss?" the hesitant voice asked, breaking through her terror.
Robin opened her eyes, finding the hallway back to its original form. Before her stood a young hotel worker looking worriedly at her. He shifted uncomfortably as he waited for her to speak. Robin forced a smile and pushed back from the wall.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired." She started past the young man, trying to not appear as though she was fleeing him.
"Are you sure?" he called after her, quite unconvinced.
"Yes," she threw over her shoulder and quickly rounded a corner. Once she was sure no one followed her, Robin stopped her feet again and rested a hand against the wall.
Clink.
Looking up, Robin stared blankly at the light blinking overhead. She covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head. She should never have been so foolish to have left the suite and wander around on her own so late at night. Suddenly, Robin looked up, squinting down the hallway. If felt as though something dark and unseen down the corridor beckoned to her, drawing her in on some imaginary string. Curious, she began to walk quickly through the hall. At the end, she found a pair of doors; above, was a sign which read simply: Chapel.
Her shaking hand rested on the knob, hesitant to enter, fearing what might be on the other side. Pushing the door open, Robin found the cavernous chapel empty. The interior was rather stern, with darkly colored walls and generic wooden pews. The rear of the church, however, was full of carvings gaudily painted, jarring in contrast with the stark feel of the rest of the room.
A chapel in a Japanese hotel, she wondered. And one so large?
Robin made her way past the rows of lit candles and walked to the front until she stood before the altar. Around her, the air felt heavy and menacing. Fearfully, she turned her face to stare up at the carved statues above the altar. The faces seemed to shift between serene and peaceful to writhing in agony and terror. Above her head, the ceiling lights began to faintly flicker.
She clapped her hands over her eyes again and dropped to her knees, overcome with terror. Something was in here with her, of that Robin was positive. Some dark and terrifying monster leftover from a fragment of time when such things existed, crouching in the shadows of the chapel and waiting patiently for the right moment to jump out and consume her. She whimpered, cowering on the floor, wishing Amon was beside her.
Around her, the chapel darkened.
-----
To be concluded in Part III...