--Book of Shadows: Sanctuary-
"For not enlightenment but darkness is given to the understanding for the performance of evil works; and such is the function not of good, but of evil spirits."
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Chapter V
Amon leaned against the wall across from Zaizen's desk, his face fixed into its usual stoic mask. Zaizen folded his hands on top of the desk and stared back at the Hunter."You mean she just . . . ran out?" He asked incredulously.
"She is just a child." Amon replied calmly.
"That isn't important. It is well-known that if a witch is put under a high amount of stress, their powers become harder to control. Don't let her get involved in such things. It could have . . . unhealthy consequences." Zaizen instructed sternly. Amon did not reply, staring past the Director and out the large window behind him.
"In fact, it's probably best you don't allow her to have too much information on anything. She can't be trusted yet."
"Robin's job is to hunt witches. Keeping her out of things isn't going to help her, or us."
"She is also a Craft-user from Solomon Headquarters. Continue to keep a close eye on her."
"Yes sir," Amon replied, a bit reluctantly. He turned, his back rigid, and left Zaizen's office, a grimace of disdain spreading across his face. Robin had been sent as a replacement, so why did he have to hold back instead of using her to her full advantage? And Zaizen had even gone so far as to call Robin a witch. Amon had admitted to himself that he sometimes didn't trust Robin's power, but she had never even once displayed any sign of misusing her Craft. She was certainly no witch. He suspected Zaizen's distrust went further back than what the man had led on, but he was the Director of the Solomon Japan branch, and so Amon could not question his motives. He just wished he knew his intents.
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Robin handed Michael a plastic bag filled with snacks from the nearby convenience store, and he accepted it gratefully, peering inside and giving her a thumbs up. He typed a few more commands into his computer, then leaned back in his chair and began cramming cheese puffs into his mouth by the handful.
"Those can't be good for you, you know," Karasuma remarked as she entered the office with Sakaki. Michael turned and smiled, shrugging his shoulders before popping another one into his mouth. Sakaki made a grab for the bag, but Michael held it out of reach. Dejected, Sakaki slumped into a chair, pouting and muttering under his breath. Doujima rolled her eyes at him as she approached.
They all turned as Amon stalked into the room, an angry aura swirling around him so thick it was almost visible. Doujima took an involuntary step back as he directed them all to enter the briefing room. One by one they filed past, hanging their heads like prisoners heading to their death sentence. Or witches being burned at the stake, Robin thought grimly. She didn't know what had Amon so vexed, but she would have preferred not to find out. Anything that had him visibly displeased couldn't bode well for the rest of them.
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"It turns out, there were two other people from Spain who entered Japan two years ago." Michael intoned as he pulled up the information. "Luis Menendez, age thirty-one, and Miguel Rodriguez, twenty-five. What's more, they arrived on the same day, and on the same flight as Cortez."
"That can't be just a coincidence," Karasuma noted. Michael nodded in agreement as he opened files on the three men, lining up their pictures on the monitor.
"It isn't," he replied, "they were all suspects for an infiltrated arms deal in Spain a few months before they came here, and Cortez and Rodriguez are cousins."
"Cousins?" Doujima echoed in surprise.
"So, where are the other two guys?" Sakaki inquired thoughtfully. "Maybe they know something about what happened to this Cortez guy."
"Perhaps," Amon's deep voice intoned from the corner. "Michael, do you know their current whereabouts?"
"I'm digging up that little tidbit right now," the hacker replied with a smirk. In a few seconds, another window of information popped up.
"Alright. Karasuma and Sakaki, you check out Menendez. Robin, come with me. Robin!"
Robin's eyes flew open as she jerked her head up, still in an exhausted daze. Was she really so tired that she'd fallen asleep at work? It seemed to be happening a lot lately.
"Robin, this is the second time in a week you've dozed off," Amon scolded, glaring down at her from the hazy shadows of the room. "We have a job to do, the least you can do is keep your eyes open."
"I. . .I'm sorry, Amon," Robin said quietly, hanging her head apologetically. He turned and walked out of the room without another word. This case was getting to Robin in more ways than one, and now she had another black mark on her name in Amon's eyes. She followed quietly a few steps behind him, trying to hide her humiliation.
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A/n: A long time between updates, I know! School had been pretty hectic, so you'll just have to forgive me. Plus this story is getting more complicated than I'd originally planned, so it's taking longer to sort out. But I'll try to have more up soon, and hopefully, the next chapter will be a bit longer.