Author's Note:

I'm glad people are enjoying my fic! Thanks for reviewing!

Yeah, I'm making Zaizen into a real bastard. But, like I mentioned at the my note for the last chapter, I was intrigued by that scene in episode 14, "Loaded Guns." I just couldn't help wondering why the hell someone who's as much of a bad ass as Amon would put up with Zaizen beating the crap out of him. I figured Zaizen had to be holding something over his head or something. Just what that thing is though . . . well, I can't tell you because I haven't told myself yet. I try to keep major plot points hidden from myself as I write so I have the enjoyment of being surprised along with everyone else when they come out. Do you think I'm insane yet? Lizalou42 understands what I'm talking about. No spoilers! Not even when you're the one writing the story! :)

Anyway, on to the chapter!

Chapter 3

Rain

The sound of the windshield wipers lulled Robin into a state of half-sleep as Amon pulled his Audi to a stop in a shadowed alleyway. Blinking lazily at the reflection of streetlights on the wet roads, Robin rested her head against the window and tried to ignore the silent presence of her partner in the seat next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him lean forward in his seat and rest his arms on top of the steering wheel after turning the car off, staring intently at the building they were staking out. He was always completely noiseless, and yet, she had never found a quiet presence to be so distracting as his managed to be. Thunder rumbled quietly, accompanied by a soft flash of lightning in the distance, too far away to be threatening, while the presence in the car felt threatening without a word or a glance in her direction.

In general, Amon was cold and apathetic to everyone, but he reserved a special sort of indifference for her. His comments were often cruel and his demands unrelenting, but it wasn't so much what he said that truly made her feel like a nervous wreck half the time she was around him. It was the things he didn't say--the way he watched her like a hawk in complete silence as if he were analyzing every move she made and just waiting for her to make a mistake. Even now, she noticed him watching her in his peripheral vision, watching her at least as closely as he watched the building across the street. He may have started treating her more like his partner by finally bringing her with him on hunts and paying more attention to her ideas, but he was always guarded around her. He always seemed suspicious of her motives.

"He's on the move," Amon commented suddenly, sitting back and waiting until the figure across the street had gotten in his car and taken off before turning the ignition key.

Robin stole a glance at him as he pulled the car out onto the street. He was completely focused on the car ahead of them as they wove through traffic, his dark grey eyes reflecting the glow of streetlights. A strand of unruly black hair fell forward across his face as they turned a corner and Robin felt an urge to push it away. Realizing she had been staring too long, she turned her eyes back quickly to the road, just in time to catch him shooting a quick glance at her. He had felt her eyes on him. He always did. Every time she indulged her wish to watch him as he always watched her, he caught her in the act.

The car skidded to a halt at the gated entrance to a graveyard, which had just closed behind the witch they were following. Throwing off his seatbelt and jumping out of the car bare moments after turning it off, Amon leapt up on the stone wall surrounding the graveyard. A little slower to act, Robin figured he would be out of sight before she even reached the wall, but she was surprised to find him waiting there for her, his hand reaching down to help her up. He paused only a moment for her to gain her footing on the wall before jumping down, but that moment seemed longer than it necessarily needed to be--longer than she'd thought he would take. Long enough to make her blush at their closeness, and wonder at the way he had been encouraging such closeness today, despite the previous night's event.

Then she was shaking her head to clear it as she watched him running off down the path. Hopping down, she took off behind him, though at a slower tempo; the cobblestones of the path were old and loose in places, and her shoes weren't ideal for traversing such uneven ground quickly. She saw lightning from a grove of olive trees up ahead, though this time it was not coming from the sky. A gunshot fired as she stumbled into a clearing just in time to see Amon fly through the air and come to a sliding stop across the grass into a headstone. Why hadn't he waited for her?

She turned in the direction of his attacker, putting on her glasses. The sight of several men standing protectively around a strange dark haired woman made her hesitate. One of the men was their witch, but she hadn't been expecting any others. Lightning flared in the sky this time, and rain began to fall in a torrent, heavy drops splattering off the gravestones. The group of witches, as she was assuming they all were, finally caught notice of her and one of them sent a streak of lightning zooming toward her. Fire flared against the electricity, dissipating it, but she noted that her flame was weak due to the rain.

They were outnumbered, not expecting a fight against more than one witch and not having a chance to call for backup. She saw a gust of air cutting through the rain in Amon's direction and threw up a wall of fire just in time to protect him, but he still looked a bit dazed. He must have hit his head against the gravestone when he landed. She had started to move toward him without realizing it, but a hand on her shoulder shocked her so badly, she spun around and threw a volley of fire at whoever had touched her without a second thought.

The fire evaporated effortlessly it seemed, and Robin's eyebrows creased as she saw the striking woman who had been standing at the center of the group facing her now from less than an arm's length away. Her black dress was reminiscent of Robin's own clothing, though the woman's garment was much more form fitting and made of rich material which glistened in the lightning. Tossing a long lock of hair over her shoulder, the woman regarded Robin with a strange expression, her blue eyes so pale they looked almost silver.

"You could use some practice, fire-witch," the woman stated with an odd accent. Robin's eyes narrowed. "It's too bad you won't get the chance." Robin was mesmerized in spite of herself as the woman raised her hand and gathered a flame in her splayed fingers with such flourish she looked like a dancer.

Hands grabbed Robin roughly from behind and pulled her to the ground as the inferno blazed by her close enough for her to feel the heat. Snapping out of her trance, she looked up to see Amon half-crouching above her, shielding her from the attack. She did not have time to even worry for his safety, though, before he was on his feet again, pulling her behind him with a painful grip on her arm. He dragged her into the nearby trees, zigzagging out of the way of headstones and taking off in an outright run once they reached the path. She had no choice but to follow unless she wanted to rip her own arm off.

Footsteps echoed on the path behind them and Amon increased his pace. A few steps away from the wall, her shoe caught on a loose cobblestone and she tripped with a grimace, hearing the footfalls coming closer. But Amon did not even break stride. As if he had instinctively known she was going to stumble just then, he had released her arm and reached back, scooping her up in his arms as he vaulted up on the wall, not even steadying himself before jumping down again. Placing her on her feet, he gave her an urgent push with his hand against her lower back before diving for the driver's side door.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Robin fumbled with her own door, seeing the group of male witches bounding up the wall after them. An orbo bullet caught one of them in the chest before Amon slid down into his seat and pulled the door the rest of the way closed. Robin was still panting as he threw the car in reverse and floored the gas pedal just in time to avoid a lightning bolt landing on the spot where their car had been with a bone-jarring clap. Glancing back at the cemetery as they sped away, Robin wondered how the hunters had become the hunted so quickly, and why the witches had even pursued them at all.

Amon did not slow down until they were halfway across the city, glaring at the street ahead of them as if it too had somehow thwarted him. Finally breathing easily again, the memories of what had just happened replayed in Robin's mind. Something about that strange woman had frightened her more than witches usually frightened her--perhaps because the woman had similar powers to her own, yet was so much more adept at using them. Then, as the memories of their flight replayed, she remembered the way Amon had looked out for her and made certain she did not fall behind, even going so far as to pick her up. His actions seemed so far out of character that she had a hard time processing that they had actually happened.

She risked a look at him only to find him staring straight ahead, avoiding seeing her even in his peripheral vision. Perhaps he was as shocked by his actions as she was. Nevertheless, her earlier urge to push the misplaced tendrils of hair out of his face had tripled in intensity due to the fact they were now wet and dripping against his skin, causing drops to slide down his cheeks in tiny rivulets. He did not turn to look at her though she knew he had noticed her gaze. His expressionless countenance was set in stone with a steely determination, and Robin shivered as she looked away.

Thunder rumbled as she felt the car come to a stop and looked up to see her apartment building. Surprised it was not Raven's Flat, she looked at him in curiosity.

"Your Vespa's still in the shop," he answered her unspoken question coldly without moving from his position, "and it's raining. You weren't walking home." Realizing he was doing her a favor despite his harsh way of relating it to her, she thanked him quietly, her voice sounding timid. "I'll pick you up for work in the morning," he added matter of factly, still staring straight ahead, and she knew it was her cue to leave.

She stepped out of the car and began trudging through the pouring rain, tamping down on the desire to look back, though she might have been interested by the expression on Amon's face as he waited for her to enter the building before driving off.

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Short, I know, but I have more written. Just have to get it ready to upload!