!--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 still in possession of flawed logic).
Part III
"We should get some sleep," Touko suggested, her voice cutting through the night air after a particularly long lull of silence had stretched out.
Amon didn't move from where he stood on the balcony, staring at the sky, yet at the same time not really seeing the stars shimmering above. "Yes," he answered slowly. "I guess we should."
Touko hesitated, one hand still trailing upon the railing, restraining the urge within to rush into Amon's chest. "Are you sure?" she whispered fiercely, her eyes downcast, already knowing the answer to her question. "Are you sure you don't want one last time?"
Finally, Amon moved, his arm lightly brushing against hers as he passed, then walked through the door of the suite without a backwards glance. Touko squelched the rising, yet expected wave of disappointment and turned to follow. Watching her feet and not particularly caring about what lay before her, she didn't realize that Amon had stopped just inside the room until she collided against his back suddenly with a soft thud. Confused, she stepped to the side, freezing as she caught sight of the tense and worried expression on his face. Her eyes shifted in the direction of where his gaze lay, gasping when she saw the door of her bedroom open and the shadowy forms of the beds from within bare. Amon turned on his heel and headed to the other room. Without bothering to knock or give some other kind of warning to the occupant sleeping inside, he tossed the door open, waking Nagira with a jolt.
"What the hell?" he slurred, confused to see Amon standing framed in the doorway.
"Has Robin been in to see you?" Amon asked directly, ignoring his brother's irate glare.
"Robin?" Nagira responded, hand freezing as he reached for his discarded shirt. "Is Robin missing?"
"Yes." Amon tossed another glance about the room.
"She's not here," Nagira answered sourly, a tad bit annoyed that Amon would even entertain such a thought. "Why would she come in to see me?"
"You're close to her." Amon's eyes finally came to rest on Nagira. "She may have had a nightmare."
Nagira's eyes flickered to Touko standing awkwardly behind Amon and still in her day clothes, then stared back evenly at Amon. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I would be the one she would turn to in times of duress."
Amon turned on his heel. "I'm going to look for her –"
"No," Nagira interjected, stopping Amon dead in his tracks. "It will be best if I go look for Robin. Stay here in case she comes back."
Nagira finished pulling his shirt over his head and slipped into the shoes scattered next to his bed. Without another word, he swiped a key card from the entryway table and stepped into the hallway, barely resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. Nagira didn't fully understand him why the sight of Amon with his ex upset him so much. He knew that Amon didn't love her – moreover, probably never had – and wasn't likely to do anything with the woman. He guessed that it came down to the fact that their mere presence together broke asunder Robin's very being. He further surmised that the situation was made worse considering the girl was unaware of Amon's true feelings for her. Perhaps, she merely chose not to see it, unable to bear the implications of that thought and the constant chasm between them. Or quite possibly, she refused to see it for just that reason. He sighed as he entered the elevator, feeling the anger return.
"Damn them," he muttered to himself.
Once Nagira had reached the first floor, deducing that was the only place Robin could likely be, all things considered, since it was the only floor that held anything of interest, he began his search. At an intersection of corridors, Nagira paused looking through them as he pondered which one was most probable to result in his missing Robin until a sign caught his eye.
"Chapel?" Nagira whispered to himself in surprise. He looked to his left, then hurried down the hallway past a confused-looking young hotel employee. It didn't take long for him to locate the chapel, slamming frantically through the doors upon arrival. At first, he panicked, seeing no one in the room. A faint murmuring from the front caught Nagira's attention and he sprinted towards the sound. He rounded the front pew, finding Robin cowering on the floor with her back resting against the seat of the pew. Her hands covered her ears and her eyes were squeezed shut. Her small body trembled as she rocked back and forth slightly.
"This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real," she chanted in a hushed voice.
Worried – not to mention quite frightened himself – Nagira dropped to his knees and reached out to the girl, his hand stopping just short of her shoulder.
"Robin," he called softly.
She cringed at his voice. "This isn't real. You're not real. No one is here with me. It's all in my mind."
Nagira's hand connected with Robin's shoulder then, rubbing against the fabric of her sweater gently as he attempted to reassure her. "It's alright, Robin. I'm here."
"Nagira?" she whispered fearfully, her body stilling.
"It's me, Robin."
Slowly, her hands dropped away from her ears and her eyes fluttered open. Robin slowly lifted her chin to look to his face, her own so full of dread, then glanced fearfully to something behind him. He turned, finding only some mediocre carvings behind the altar. Puzzled, he looked back to the girl, observing her terrified and ashen face.
"Let's get you out of here," he said, reaching down to pick Robin off of the ground. Now, he had become thoroughly creeped out by the place. Some chapel, Nagira thought sardonically as he tucked Robin under his arm and rushed from the chapel, hurrying back to their hotel room as quickly as her small legs would allow.
Amon pounced on them as the door opened, face darkening. "Robin, where have you –"
He was promptly cut off by Nagira giving him a direct shove to the center of his chest as they passed by.
"Not now," he said firmly, giving his idiot kid brother a glare over his shoulder before leading an obviously dazed Robin into her room. Was the man blind?
Once inside the empty bedroom, Nagira pulled back the covers of Robin's bed and slid her between the sheets. She still looked frightened and a trifle confused, but his presence apparently had relaxed and soothed her somewhat. Nagira sighed, still furious with his brother, then finished pulling the covers over to make a small Robin sandwich. He couldn't help noticing how tiny and alone she looked in that bed. It was as though Robin was incomplete just being by herself. Absurd, his mind retorted, she does not need Amon to be complete. He reached a hand out to smooth back her hair.
"It's alright now," Nagira soothed. "I won't let anyone hurt you." He hesitated as he took in her glazed expression, his own worry and concern reflecting in the blank green depths of her eyes. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.
Robin's face crinkled as she dropped her gaze and pulled her legs up to form herself into a ball.
"That's fine. You don't have to say anything now, if you're not ready." Nagira stood up from the bed. "I'm going to leave now, but if you need anything, you can always come to me, okay?"
Robin barely managed to nod her head once, then closed her eyes. After Nagira had flipped off the light and shut the door firmly behind him, he rested against the doorframe, collecting himself a moment, then glared towards Amon. He found his brother still standing by the main door where he had last seen him, Touko sitting upon the couch, tense, worried and waiting for Nagira's words.
"What happened?" Amon asked eventually when Nagira made no indication that he would relate how he had discovered Robin's whereabouts any time soon. Nagira could see that Amon struggled to maintain his neutral façade, but it was crumbling fast as the silence stretched on. Nagira moved to the vacant overstuffed chair, collapsing heavily into it.
"I'm not sure," he answered at length, his eyes roaming over the boring surface of the ceiling.
"She looks traumatized," Touko commented meekly.
Nagira slowly lowered his gaze, looking annoyed that the usurper (for that was how he had come to think of her) had spoken. She immediately dropped her head. Amon remained silent, keeping his focus on Nagira.
"I'm not clear what happened," Nagira answered at length. "She didn't want to talk about it."
Amon cleared his throat and tried again. "Where did you find her?"
"She was in the hotel's chapel."
"There's a chapel in the hotel?" Amon reiterated in surprise.
"Yeah." Nagira let an ironic smile cross his face. "I guess Solomon's influence is finally showing it's ugly face in Japan." He lifted his eyes to stare at the ceiling once more. "I found Robin sitting on the ground before the first row of pews, rocking back and forth. It was clear that she was terrified of something." He took an audible swallow and cleared his throat before continuing. "I think she was convinced I was a demon at first."
"A demon?" Amon repeated, eyes narrowing in thought. Touko glanced up to him, a stab of jealousy overtaking her as she observed his concerned face. "She's having visions?"
"I guess," he shrugged. "Neither of you heard Robin leave the suite?" Nagira turned his head slightly, regarding the two warily. "I only ask because it appears that neither of you haven't been to bed as of yet."
For the briefest second, Amon stiffened. If Nagira hadn't known his brother, oh so well, he wouldn't have noticed that little reaction – or the way his eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual masked appearance. But he did know Amon that well and he most certainly did catch the tiny admittance of guilt which flashed in his brother's eyes for that infinitesimal second. Beside him, still seated upon the couch, Touko compulsively fingered the edge of her skirt nervously.
"We were speaking out on the balcony."
Nagira turned his accusatory face back to his brother. "Hmm."
Amon frowned back, clearly unhappy with whatever his brother had insinuated, then turned towards his room. "It's been a long night. Since Robin's safe now, I'm going to bed."
"I think I should follow suit." Touko stood up quickly and headed for the room she shared with Robin, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with Nagira. "I'll make sure Robin stays put in her bed."
Nagira leaned back in his chair, anger bubbling anew. He gritted his teeth as his eyes vacantly studied the framed painting on the far wall. Robin had been aware of the two on the balcony, of that he was sure. Part of him wondered what might have transpired had Robin, full of need for emotional reassurance lately, found Amon alone on the balcony, then immediately ceased the thought knowing that it was useless to think of what-ifs.
Amon, his mind whispered, why are you screwing this up?
-----
Feeling sunlight floating across her face, Robin rolled away grumpily and reluctantly opened her eyes. In a daze, she pushed her hair away from her face, sorting through her jumbled and sleep-hazed memory. The events of the night before rushed back on her and she gave a muffled cry as she curled into her blankets unable to shake the terror which accompanied the thoughts. After a moment of remembering and shaking, she reopened her eyes, recalling Nagira's words of comfort.
"I don't want to run away," she whispered. Robin forced herself to sit up in bed, finding the adjacent bed empty again. Reaching her arms above her head, she gave a yawn as she stretched. Glancing at the clock, she found the time was already well after eleven.
"It's late," she commented to the empty room. Robin gathered some clean clothes and quietly exited the room, hoping the others had gone off for breakfast without her. No such luck as she found the other three sitting quietly at the bar in the kitchenette, absorbed in an animated discussion as to the differences between brewed coffee and espresso. Upon her entrance, Nagira immediately looked in her direction. The other two tensed and hesitantly turned, waiting for her to speak first. Robin's feet came to a stop and she hugged her clothes tightly to her chest, growing increasingly uncomfortable by their staring.
They're just worried about you, a voice reminded. Robin forced herself to relax and gave them a genuine smile.
"Good morning, Amon," she greeted shyly, before turning towards Nagira. "Morning to you, too." Her smile faltered as her eyes landed on Touko. "Good morning, Touko," she finished hurriedly, acutely conscious of her lapse. "I'm going to take a bath now. I'll be out shortly." With that she dove into the bathroom, cheeks burning.
"She looks better this morning," Amon observed after they heard the water begin to fall into the bathtub.
"Are you sure she isn't faking for our benefit?" Nagira asked.
Amon shook his head. "No. I've been around her long enough to tell the difference." He paused, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "We should ask her about last night."
"Normally, I wouldn't agree with you considering the trauma Robin has endured, but I think in this case it's the best thing. With the three of us here, she can't dodge our questions for very long."
Amon replaced his cup of coffee on the bar, looking thoughtfully into space. "She'll be expecting it."
"How do you know?" Touko asked with a frown.
"Because," he answered slowly, running his index finger around the edge of his cup, "she's been around me long enough to expect such things."
Touko dropped her head to stare into her coffee cup.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, Robin emerged from the bathroom in fresh clothes, her dirty ones collected untidily in her arms. Water dripped from her hair, collecting in the towel strategically placed about her shoulders. Behind her, steam poured out from the bathroom and into the main area, a faint scent of lilac tumbling out after her and filling the air. Once Robin had deposited her belongings in the room, she returned, concentrating on using the towel to soak up the excess water from her hair. As she came towards them, Nagira realized that Amon hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she had left the bathroom. Further, he knew that Touko had noticed this too. Robin came to a stop before them, her face blank, yet underneath there was an obvious undercurrent of determination.
Amon swiveled in his seat to face her fully, wasting no time in getting to the matter at hand. "Robin, we need to talk about what happened last night." He paused. "You know that you are not to go anywhere alone considering your status as a rogue agent of Solomon."
She didn't respond, choosing instead to stare calmly back at him. Not really expecting a reply, Amon continued. "Tell us exactly what happened and why you didn't come to me."
"I had a nightmare and you were already engrossed in talking with Touko at the time," she answered succinctly and without hesitation.
Nagira glanced quickly towards Amon, swearing that he had seen his brother cringe at the latter part of her explanation.
"You didn't think that maybe it would be a good idea to interrupt? Instead, you leave without telling anyone where you were going?"
"You would have stopped me if I had told you," she replied non-plussed.
Nagira nearly burst out laughing at the expression of anger and irritation on his brother's face. Clearly, Amon had not expected to deal with the insolent side of Robin this morning.
Amon's eyes narrowed at his uncooperative ward, hands unconsciously tightening into fists on his thigh. "What kind of nightmare did you have?" he managed to get out without sounding too furious.
Robin's confidence faltered finally and she dropped her eyes. He moved on when she didn't answer. "Do you have nightmares often, Robin?"
"No," she answered quietly. "This was the first one I've had like, like…that."
Amon studied her carefully, then pushed the stool from the bar. "We should go downstairs to have breakfast before the restaurant closes for lunch."
Startled by the abrupt change in subjects, Touko and Nagira gaped at Amon in surprise.
"Er, yes, that sounds good," Nagira agreed, standing and moving towards his brother.
"Let me just go grab my things," Touko followed, moving towards the table where her purse lay.
Robin nodded. "I need to get some coffee first."
"But you can get coffee downstairs at the restaurant," Nagira responded as he stepped towards his shoes laying discarded by the couch from last night.
"I-I know," she answered, dropping her eyes. "I just like Touko's coffee, that's all."
Surprised, Touko turned from the entryway table and gave a reassuring smile. "Well, I did make it for you," she said gently.
Robin smiled faintly and nodded back.
"I'll stay with Robin. You two go ahead and we'll be right down," Amon announced. Nagira and Touko nodded to him, then made their way to the door. Amon waited until they had left, then turned toward Robin. With her back to him, she shuffled around the kitchenette, prepping her coffee as she did almost every morning. He knew she was waiting, though. Waiting for him to finish the questioning he had begun.
"What happened, Robin?"
It was direct, simple, to the point. He didn't want to play a game, he wanted answers. Robin's shoulders slumped at his voice, slowly lowering her hand to replace the spoon on the counter.
"I don't really know," she answered. "It was…dark and…confusing." She tittered faintly and shrugged. "I don't even know how much was real and how much part of the dream." Robin paused. "I know you're angry that I left…but, I didn't want…to bother –"
Amon's hand fell upon her shoulder then, insistently pulling her backwards. She gasped, eyes fluttering open as his arms surrounded her, squeezing her small body tightly against his chest. Robin could hear his heart thudding softly beneath her ear.
"You wouldn't be bothering me, Robin," he whispered fervently into her hair. "I was worried about you, not angry." He lifted his hand and rested it against her cheek. "I take your well-being very seriously. Don't hesitate to come to me. Do you understand, Robin?"
Immensely confused, she nodded into his shirt, too embarrassed to look into his eyes, her own heart fluttering nervously in her chest. At that very moment, the door of the suite opened, and Robin instantly froze, unable to see over Amon's hand still resting on her cheek. Amon loosened his grip on her waist, but didn't drop his arms as he turned his head towards the sound.
"I forgot my –" Nagira stopped abruptly as his eyes fell on the two, " – wallet." He looked to the table, spotting the object in question. "Found it. I'll be on my way now," he called cheerily, holding up the wallet in his hand. "Take as much time as you need. There's no hurry." He shut the door quickly behind, suppressing a relieved smile as he exited.
Amon exhaled as soon as the door closed, his arms once more tightening on Robin's slight frame. She reciprocally leaned in close, breathing his familiar scent off of his shirt, wishing once again that she could remain in Amon's arms forever.
-----
"Wow, lots of choices," Nagira commented as he looked over the menu.
Touko glanced up, studied him a moment, then placed her own aside. "I have the impression that you don't like me very much."
Nagira didn't look up. "And what gave you that idea?"
"How did you meet Robin?" she asked instead, ignoring his question.
"Amon sent her to me after the attack at the STN-J," Nagira replied, eyes appearing to study the menu. In truth, he had already decided on his choice of food several minutes prior, but he continued to stare blankly at it rather than at the woman before him. He balanced the menu in his left hand while his other reached into his coat to retrieve a cigarette. "I looked after Robin for a month or so until Amon came back for her."
"I see. Amon never told me that he had a brother."
"Robin didn't know either until a couple of days before the Factory collapsed." Nagira abruptly looked up and dropped the menu. His demeanor changed in an instant from distant to one of hostility; his eyes scrutinizing as he studied Touko. "You must...know about them, don't you?"
Frowning, Touko dropped her eyes to the white tablecloth. "I fully realized it a couple of months ago, but in retrospect...I had known some time before Amon ended our relationship."
Nagira leaned forward, an angry look upon his face. "I don't know what happened between you and Amon, and frankly, I don't care. However, you will not interfere with those two. Do you get me?"
Touko smiled sadly. "I can understand why you would be so protective of Robin – especially considering what she has gone through, but you don't need to worry about me. I have no intention of...coming between them."
Nagira studied Touko, exhaling cigarette smoke in her direction. "Is that right?" He leaned forward to push out the cigarette in an ashtray. "Then tell me, why is it that you insisted on traveling with them?"
"I want to be with Amon."
"Aren't you angry with him? With her?"
Touko gave a sardonic small laugh. "I was. I was angry for a very long time. But, eventually I realized that that their relationship was something that neither of them had wanted." Her smile turned wry. "You know, if things were different, you might be the kind of man I would become attracted to."
Nagira fixed her with a wary eye until he heard Robin and Amon come up behind them. Amon glanced curiously between Nagira's hard face and Touko's nonchalant one, then took his seat.
"Wow, lots of choices," Nagira commented again, looking down to his menu.
-----
The day quickly passed by and Robin once again found herself caught between the frightening expanse of reality and the dream world, hopelessly unable to distinguish the two. She sat up in bed, wiping the sweat away from her brow. Pulling her hand away from her face, Robin saw that her hand trembled in the faint light of the moon. She looked over to the bed beside hers, finding Touko fast asleep.
-----
"Is Robin still sleeping?" Nagira asked with a yawn as he stumbled into the kitchenette the next morning and took a seat at the bar.
"Yes," Touko answered with a smile. "It seems like she's had a much better sleep than the night before." She set a mug of coffee down in front of him.
Nagira nodded his head in thanks. "That's good. The kid's already going to need a lot of therapy by the time she's an adult – Amon?"
His attention was distracted by his younger brother suddenly stiffening and standing abruptly from the bar stool. He rushed to the table by the door where two key cards lay. Swearing vehemently, he spun on his heel and charged towards the room Touko and Robin shared. Before Nagira could protest his brother's actions, Amon flung open the door and stormed inside. With one yank, he pulled back the bedspread, revealing a few strategically placed pillows. Nagira and Touko had managed to catch up to him and gaped at the discovery. Amon raised his hands to his temples, frantically analyzing the possibilities of where she could have gone.
"She left again?" Nagira asked blankly. "Why the hell would she do that?"
"We better look for her," Touko began. "I'll search the –"
"No," Amon ordered. "Not yet. She left for a reason. We just have to figure out what that reason could be." He stood by the bed, hand on his chin, thinking hard. His hand fell away as realization sunk in, eyes widening. "It's a witch," Amon whispered.
"What?" Nagira asked, growing more alarmed.
"A witch has been controlling Robin telepathically, these past two nights."
"Are you sure?" Touko asked.
Amon gave a sideways glare. "I was a hunter for a very long time. Yes, I'm sure." He dropped his eyes to the pillows arranged on the bed. "He must have called to her and Robin, being so powerful, knew where to find him. The night before must have been some sort of test run to see if she would answer his call." Amon's hand instinctively went to the gun always hidden under his coat. "Let's go."
"Do you actually know where she is?" Nagira called, trotting after his brother.
Amon barely paused as he reached for the door. "Yes."
"Shouldn't we bring more weapons or something?"
"Robin is firepower enough."
"Amon," Nagira called, finally catching up enough to get his hand locked on his brother's shoulder. "If this witch has Robin, do you think it's a good idea to go barging in like this? None of us have any special powers."
Finally, Amon's feet halted and he turned to Nagira. "You're right. You should take Touko and leave the hotel this instance."
Nagira's eyes widened. "There's no way I'm going without either of you two."
Amon had once more resumed walking. "Fine," he called over his shoulder. "Do what you will. My responsibility is for Robin alone."
-----
On all sides, Robin found herself surrounded by men whom could only be labeled as thugs. The tall, dark man, obviously the leader of the group, stood in front of the altar looking menacingly down at the young witch sitting before him in the front row of pews as though he was daring her to challenge his authority. He appeared to be some sort of amalgamation from Western European descent as far as Robin could determine. Otherwise, she had no idea what to expect.
"I'm so honored to finally meet you," the man sneered without an introduction to himself. "It's not everyday one gets to meet the Eve of Witches."
"How do you know about me?" Robin asked, straining to hide her suspicion.
"I know about all of Solomon's experiments," he responded with a smirk. The man moved towards the altar. "I'm an ex-Solomon hunter turned witch, just like you." He glanced at her carefully out of the corner of his eye.
On cue, Robin's eyes widened slightly, but she remained silent for a few moments, carefully mulling over the situation. "What do you want with me?"
"You are a very valuable asset to someone like me. A sort of...collateral." The man waved his hand in the air in some sort of grand gesture.
Her face darkened. "No. You're a collector of artifacts."
The man hesitated briefly, his interest infinitely increasing by the young girl sitting sedately in the pew as their conversation continued. "Why yes, yes I am." The man leaned forward, smiling like a wolf. "Now, how could I pass up the Arcanum of the Craft?"
"Is that all you want from me? I'm just a trophy to you?"
"Something like that. I'm so sorry to not have a grander purpose in mind," he added sarcastically.
"How do you have so many men under you?" she asked in a quick change of topics, half-turning to indicate the men at her side.
"Some people are drawn to power, hoping to get a little themselves." He waved a hand around. "These are all former hunters – just like us."
"I won't let you take me," Robin declared softly. Her gaze turned to steel as her green eyes pinned him in place. "My craft is too powerful for you to contain."
The man turned to smirk down at her in a look that made Robin's blood boil. "Who's going to stop me? You? We shall see." His expression turned to disdain. "You have an Achilles' heel, girl. That laughable little group of two humans and that worthless seed. Oh yes, I know all about them as well. Now really, what can those pathetic souls do against my band of former Solomon agents?"
"Don't talk about them that way," she responded in a whisper. Though her voice sounded soft, the cutting edge of anger below was unmistakable.
"I can speak about them any way I wish." Unperturbed by Robin's anger, the witch sauntered down the few steps from the altar towards her and bent over to her ear. "And honestly," he continued quietly, "I don't even know why you love that seed." At her confusion, he explained. "Telepathy, remember? You are always the brightest beacon in the sea of thoughts." The man straightened. "In any case, I think your little trio will hurt you more than help." He nodded his head to the side, indicating something behind her.
Robin half-turned, then froze as she found her guardians at the rear of the chapel surrounded by more of the witch's thugs. Her eyes instantly sought out Amon, discovering he had already found her.
"They seemed rather easy to capture," the man commented.
Amon's eyes remained locked on Robin. "We weren't captured. We voluntarily came here."
She inhaled sharply. "But, why?"
"I am your guardian."
"Aww, how sweet," the witch interrupted, "but it really doesn't matter, since you three are going to die one way or another." He laughed, the empty sound echoing throughout the chapel. "You won't be much support to her when you're dead."
Amon's eyes angrily flew to the man. "I didn't catch your name," he icily inquired.
"Wilhem Kielburger, if you insist."
Turning, Amon faced the witch. "Kielburger, I guarantee that before this morning is over, you will be dead."
"Oh?" the witch raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually believe that you are capable of overcoming a witch with strong telepathic powers by yourself?"
"No," Amon replied flatly. "Robin will."
"You all have so much faith in each other. It's sickening."
"Even if you do manage somehow to take Robin," Amon continued on, "you will still have to contend with Solomon."
The witch stared dumbfounded, then suddenly tossed back his head, the sound of laughter flowing through the chapel. He wiped his eyes. "You're joking, right?" he asked. At the group's collective confusion, the witch laughed harder. "Oh my, my. Why Solomon has quite given up on obtaining the Arcanum. Some higher up in the organization convinced the elders that the girl had been killed in a building collapse." Robin's eyes widened at the news, suspecting who might have had the influence to do such a thing. "No one is looking for any of you." The witch resumed his laughter. "Have you really thought this whole time that Solomon was after you?"
"You're lying," Amon countered, the disbelief carved in his face.
"I'm afraid not. You should know as former hunters yourself, that you would be dead by now, if that's what Solomon truly wanted." His eyes drifted to indicate Robin. "Even with the Arcanum." He bent down to her. "Now that you know the truth, it's time for me to have some fun. Just so you know, your knight in shining armor will be the first to die," he whispered, his body so close his breath tickled her ear.
Robin's face shot up, turning white in her fear. Frantically, she scrambled towards the witch, only to be restrained by two men at her side. Her eyes widened, a scream freezing in her throat and she struggled in vain against the hands forcing her back. As the man reached into his coat, she squeezed her eyes shut, finding her voice.
"Amon!" she screamed, pulling against her restrainers, too panicked by the prospect of losing her guardian to even consider summoning fire.
It seemed as though the events that transpired occurred in slow motion to Robin's brain as she watched the man pull a sidearm hidden beneath his coat. With a perverse, sick smile, he took aim and cocked his weapon. Tears of helplessness streamed down her face as his finger tightened on the trigger, then fired. Her breath caught and she froze, watching in confusion as Touko tumbled limply to the ground. Surprised, Robin's eyes flicked to the witch, before returning to the fallen woman.
"Touko!" Amon cried, pushing the captors roughly out of his way to kneel down at her side. He picked her up, cradling her limp body in his arms. Touko gazed up into his face and slowly raised a hand to caress his cheek, smiling faintly – sadly. She moved as though to speak, then her lips froze, eyes glazing over and her hand fell away from Amon's face.
There are just some times when what one wants most, isn't going to happen, the newly dead woman's words echoed back to Robin. She felt her heart shatter as she watched the expression of grief and regret flow over Amon.
"Touko," Amon repeated, this time so gently it ground the discarded shards of Robin's heart further into dust, then pulled the lifeless body against his chest tightly.
From the front of the church, the witch began to laugh at the unfolding scene, an act from a twisted play in which he was the sole director and everyone else was merely a player. Horrified, Nagira shifted his gaze from his brother back to Robin. Her eyes were wide, reflecting his own feeling of shock. But there was something more – something dark, raw and unspeakable growing within her. In a moment, her face changed, rippling as it went from disbelief and shock to anger and hatred. She pivoted slowly on her heel to face the witch fully, her skin almost glowing from her internal, simmering heat.
"I didn't want to hurt anyone – that's why I came willingly," she whispered, frightening in her surreal serenity. The men at her side who had previously restrained her vanished in flames. "But, you hurt Amon by taking away someone he loves." Her eyes burned with a fierce intensity as hot tears began to run down her face.
"For that, I won't let you live," she cried, completely consumed in raw fury.
The witch's face barely registered surprise before he too simply disappeared as his men had in the moments earlier. His meager ashes had hardly floated to the ground, before she turned her fiery gaze towards the men surrounding Amon and Nagira. One by one, they quickly vanished in large orange flames, a burnt offering for one innocent lost. Furiously, she scanned the room looking for stragglers. From the corner of her eye, she saw two men rush from the side, handguns poised to take their shot. She spun to meet them head on, hair flowing out behind her as she turned, barely needing to take aim, then dispatching them easily.
"Robin!" Nagira yelled suddenly, his voice reverberating through the chapel. Amon jerked up his head at the sound, looking in horror in Robin's direction, Touko's body tumbling from his arms as he finally remembered his oath of protection to the one still living.
She didn't see the knife as the hard metal slid into her skin, ripping her vital organs as it passed through her body. Turning towards the one who had assaulted her, Robin gave one harsh glare before reducing the final man to ashes. Doubling over, she gasped and pulled the knife out with an anguished scream. She dropped to her hands and knees, staring in failed comprehension at the growing red puddle beneath her. Amon was at her side then, pulling her into his arms. For the first time, Robin saw true fear plainly written upon his face and her stomach turned.
Nagira approached the two, his face ashen from what he had witnessed. "I'm going to find someone to help us." Amon merely nodded, not bothering to look up, too entranced was he by his dying ward's face. Spinning on his heel, Nagira sprinted towards the front entrance. As he opened the door, his eyes widened in surprise.
"What the –"
Amon head rose in time to watch Nagira fall to the ground, bloodied from a barrage of bullets. "Nagira," he whispered, brows furrowing. Robin shuddered in his arms, bringing his attention back to her. He grasped her in his arms and dragged them both to the far side of the pews nearest to the wall. He could hear the sound of about ten pairs of feet clatter on the tile floor, coming towards them.
They were almost out of time.
"What the hell is going on here?" one of the men asked in dismay.
"We need to find whoever is responsible and kill them!" another shouted, his words muffled by the distance.
"I-I'm going to die," Robin stated flatly as she gazed up at Amon, a few tears slipping from her eyes. Before he could think of a way to respond, a worthless consolation of some sort, she continued. "I didn't think it would end like this," she said with a small rueful smile. "But, I know you never did believe it would work out, did you?" Her smile was quickly replaced with a look of fear as she began to cough harshly, bringing up blood to tinge her lips. "I don't want to die," she managed to choke out between spasms.
"Robin –" Amon began earnestly, wiping the blood away from her mouth gently with his thumb.
"It's alright, Amon," she smiled, "you don't have to say anything." She paused. "There was…was something I wondered if you could do for me, before I..." her voice trailed off.
"What is it?" he asked softly. He could hear the men moving steadily closer to their location.
"W-would you kiss me?" Seeing Amon's surprise, she hurried on. "I-I'm going to die and I've never been kissed," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I will never get to be w-with somebody and before I die, I just want to be kissed – by you. It must sound so juvenile, but –"
Robin didn't finish as Amon pressed his mouth firmly to hers, muffling the words still coming and tasting blood. She exhaled and murmured into him. It was too little, too late, but that mattered little to either of them at this point. He pulled back and looked into her surprised face, tears beginning to pour anew from her eyes.
"I love you, Amon," she whispered.
"Robin –"
"You need to leave," Robin said suddenly, eyes determined. "If you leave now, you have a chance of survival."
"No, Robin," he shook his head firmly. "There isn't any time."
"But you need to survive," she insisted. "At least help Nagira get out to –"
"Nagira is dead," Amon cut her off.
Her eyes widened, filling with pain. "He...is?"
"Yes."
"Wh-when?"
"Just a moment ago. The witch's reinforcements have come and that's why I can't escape."
"You still have to try –"
"I don't want to, Robin. There's no point if everyone I care about is dead – if you're dead." Amon stared at her, trying to convey the seriousness of his statement.
Robin looked back at him in disbelief, hopelessly unable to comprehend what he had just insinuated. "I can hold them off as long as I can," she whispered finally. "It would be my last gift to you, for all you gave me."
Amon grey eyes saddened. "That is your decision, but you are very weak now and I don't want you to strain yourself."
She smiled serenely and snuggled into his chest, her delicate face ashen. The clothes she wore had nearly become crimson, coated as they were with her blood. Robin's small body slowly relaxed as her life fully drained away, finally freed from the heavy and unfair burden of her destiny.
A shadow covered her face, then just as quickly, fled away. Confused, Amon lifted his head upwards. Directly overhead, a single light bulb blinked, growing dimmer every time it glowed back to life. As Amon stared at the fading light, he finally understood why the harbinger of a blinking bulb had followed them every where they traveled the past week. He clutched Robin's small body tightly to his chest and buried his face into her hair.
He didn't need to look behind him to know that two of the reinforcements had finally discovered their location. He didn't need to turn around to know that one of the men had aimed and cocked his sidearm at them. And he didn't need to look to know that in a few moments, a single bullet would pass from the gun's barrel through both of them, finally uniting their souls with death.
For just a moment, when I was with you, I really did believe that everything would work out in the end.
Thank you, Robin.
I love you.
Clink, clink.
Clink.
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Author's Notes:
The main question for myself is: how did my little one-shot turn into an 18,000+ word story? I'd hate to see what I'd end up with if I tried writing a short story…
Boy, oh boy, is this frightening. I didn't actually think that anyone would take interest in the story when I began writing it months ago. I admit that it's very difficult for me to write a story with an ending such as this. Truthfully, I had severe reservations about it when I first began to run through this story in my head. In fact, I even came up with an alternate ending where Amon manages to drag Robin from the chapel and get her to a hospital in time. However, I had wanted the challenge of writing a story in which Amon and/or Robin die; I just could never come up with anything decent. I happened to be daydreaming one day about possible Amon/Robin plotlines and had been toying around with the idea of the two meeting up with Touko and well, this just happened. I was working on several different stories at the time, but I just had to yank out the old laptop and start typing. I simply wrote the story as it needed to be told.
There is an element of something so cruel with this story that has been lacking in my other works. I don't like to think of the two dying or not ending up with each other and though some of my stories have many unfortunate events happen to the two (eh, not all of these have been published), it just wasn't on the same level as death. In truth, I was kind of tired of writing all the lemons with the happy endings (another will be out shortly, actually) and wanted a "challenge." Hopefully, this wasn't a too painfully horrible experience for everyone. I actually managed to unnerve my husband with the ending, so I feel I have done my job as an author. We always have arguments over movies/series where people die. I think the ending for Wolf's Rain is sad, for example, but he disagrees. So, I was quite content that he didn't like the ending. Twisted, I know.
And to be crystal clear, yes, they both die. So no asking for more chapters or anything.