Author's Note: Remember me? It's been a LOOOONNNG time, eh? Well, I'm not going to even bother making excuses, though I have to admit I enjoyed getting the threats of what you people would do if I didn't update soon. Unfortunately, I was just too distracted with other inspirations and lotsa other crap. And then after it had been so long I kind of got out of the flow of my story and was afraid that if I wrote another chapter it would really suck or something (and I don't know, this chapter may suck too . . .) but anydangway . . . I have a website now. Which I also haven't updated in awhile. Hee hee hee. I've been bad about that stuff lately. Anyway, you might go check it out with the link on my author bio page.

Oh, and something I have been meaning to coerce you all into doing . . . all you Nikita fans, or anyone else who has enjoyed this story and wants to do something that makes me happy, please go to amazon and search for La Femme Nikita the Complete Second Season. Then, ask to be notified when it comes out because supposedly amazon is going to let the publisher know how many people are interested. I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, if enough people show interest, they'll get their heads out of their asses and release the second season despite the supposed setback they had with the license for some music in the show. It's frustrating!!!!! I need more Nikita!!!!

Okay, well I guess that's enough of that stuff. Moving on . . . Here's Chapter 24 finally. I borrowed a technique from Alias at the beginning, mostly because I felt that since I've already borrowed so much from so many other things, I might as well continue the trend. Its one of my favorite Alias tricks, mostly because it cracks me up every time they use it. It's such an old device. But, hey, it works.

Oh, and one last thing before we get started. Though I am grateful to the people who informed me the Master of Harry's was not in fact named "Harry," I have decided to disregard the advice and make a slight amendment to the Witch Hunter Robin universe. It's very slight, especially compared to other changes I have made, so I hope no one will be bothered by it. I just decided I like calling him Harry too much. ;)

Chapter 24

Bad Girls Go to Hell: Part One

Robin could feel the last reserves of her power being ripped away from her piece by precious piece, and she could do nothing to prevent it. This isn't working! She's just too strong. For the first time since the struggle began, she forced herself to consider the possibility they might not be capable of stopping Beatrice. They had done everything they could, and it still hadn't been enough. Utter, heart-wrenching despair washed over her with that realization, and she felt herself slipping beneath the dark waters at the border of consciousness as her mind's protective mechanisms dislocated her from her pain before it became unbearable and drove her insane.

Amon shook her roughly as she began to succumb to the darkness washing over her like a tidal wave. "Robin," he growled in her ear, "Don't you dare give up yet." She felt a new wave of icy energy flow into her through his grip on her arm. The chill of it calmed her and eased the rawness left behind as Beatrice continued to roughly strip away her power. Slightly revived, Robin forced her eyes open and blinked rapidly as she attempted to focus on the boiling miasma of power forming at the lowest point in the valley before her. Beatrice stood triumphantly in front of it, laughing as the doorway at her feet continued to widen inexorably.

Robin felt another touch against her opposite arm, this one sending white-hot, electric jolts of energy though her body, instantly bringing her foggy thoughts into focus with its vivacity. "Just hold on, Robin," Dante murmured, his voice tight with strain. "Let us do the work." Then, in a physical manifestation of his words, she felt both of the energies inside her--a cool howling wind and a bright buzzing spark--combining and reaching out to the force pulling the strings. The flow of power leaving her body slowed infinitesimally, and then reversed, her own energy seeping back into her. A chill wind sparking with electricity whipped around the three of them as the pull of energy turned directions, and she clung to the men on either side of her when the wind picked up speed, tearing her hair loose from its bindings and searing her skin with its raw power.

For the barest of moments, she allowed herself hope that they could still win. The roiling fissure of a doorway closed a fraction, and she nearly cried out in joy to see Beatrice's efforts failing. But then, her fragile gleam of hope tattered and crumbled before her as Beatrice focused her blood-red glowing eyes on them across the field and began resisting their pull of energy. "You're too late!" Beatrice screamed over the roar of the gale whipping around them. At that moment, Robin noticed a thick cloud of black smoke billowing through the opening to the underworld. Straining to see past the wind tearing at her, Robin just barely made out a dark shape scraping at the ground around the opening; it took her several long moments to recognize the shape as a claw.

"No!" Robin managed through gritted teeth, trying to get the attention of her companions. "He's breaking through already! She has the devil's full power on her side now."

"This isn't over yet," Amon murmured weakly. She glanced up at him to see his grey eyes looking at her with determination tinged by desperation, irises cloudy like the windy storm roiling around them. "She won't win."

"I don't know about you," Dante countered angrily, "but I'm running out of steam." Robin almost pulled away from his touch when she turned to look at him and saw that he no longer looked like himself; his skin black and glistening in the dim light, and his features harsher and more angular. He looked twisted somehow, and vaguely demonic as he glowed with a red aura. "We'd better come up with a new plan soon, or this is going to be over before we know it."

Just as Robin was struggling feverishly to think of a way out of their dilemma, she found herself distracted by renewed pain as the flow of energy finally shifted the other way and Beatrice took control over the tide of power again. "I can't last much longer," she gasped, feeling tears escape her eyes and cling to her face for only a moment before evaporating in the fierce wind--but she noticed that even the wind was starting to lose its strength. She squeezed her eyes shut and desperately tried to hold on to as much energy as she could, but her effort was useless.

What they needed now was a miracle.

------

13.5 hours earlier

"Groove evening, viewers, and welcome to Doujima's swingin' report show!" Doujima announced above the sound of funky upbeat music filling the futuristic corridor around her. Marching with snappy strides in her knee high mango go-go boots, she continued to swing her hips in time with the rhythm, her hot pink pigtails bouncing back and forth around her face. An entourage of goofy dancers followed along behind her, mimicking her every move. "I'm here to investigate the totally uncool antics of the so-called demon queen herself, Beatrice Sparda." Static interrupted the broadcast momentarily, but the feed picked back up as Doujima entered a large kiwi colored space complete with lava lamp columns and a dance floor with flashing lights. "I'm entering the dance hall now--looks like one tricked out place to throw a party."

"Keep your focus Doujima!" Chief Kosaka yelled over her headset. "I just picked up the pirate broadcasting ship heading straight for your location."

"A'ight," Doujima replied, pausing as three figures materialized in the air before her.

"Don't let you're guard down, Doujima," Kosaka continued. "They're after a dance battle, no doubt. We can't let them steal away our viewer ship!"

"I'm on it," Doujima chirped in response, swinging her hips and arms in a complicated dance move. "Who are you, anyway?" she asked the handsome, silver haired man marching toward her.

"The name is--" he began, only to be interrupted by the two men following behind him.

"JAGUAR!" they belted out.

"--Dante, actually," the man finished, elbowing one of the men behind him in the gut. "And I'm after this devilish story too, so you'd better cut out of here now, babe, before you fall victim to some of my dance magic!" He blew her a kiss after spinning around and gyrating his hips.

"Oh no, Doujima!" Kosaka warned. "He's using his special dance powers to deceive you! Blast you, Jaguar!"

"I've got it," Doujima answered. "Just repeat whatever combo he throws at me. Piece of cake!"

"Right . . . down-down. Up. Up . . . chu!" Dante said, moving in sync with his words.

"Right . . . down-down. Up. doing chu!" Doujima answered, shaking her shoulders in frustration when she missed the second "up" command. "Ah, man! I've got to get better at this."

"You can do it, Doujima!" Kosaka encouraged her.

"Doujima! Wake up already!" a familiar voice cried suddenly from far away.

"No, you can't!" Dante interrupted. "We have a hostage." A very polygonal Michael Jackson appeared in a cloud of smoke, a ring of pink and yellow stars spinning around his head as he was forced to dance against his will.

"No!" Doujima screamed. "Not Space Michael!"

"Help me, Doujima!" Space Michael cried in between yelping "Woo!" in a high-pitched voice.

"Space Michael? What are you talking about? Doujima!" the other voice repeated, much closer this time. "Would you just wake up?!"

Doujima's eyes snapped open suddenly. "Sakaki?" she asked quietly when she saw his baffled expression inches from her own.

"I guess the caffeine only lasts so long, huh?" Sakaki laughed, leering at her in a disturbing manner. The details of the STN-J came slowly into focus around and she nearly yelped in surprise when she saw the real Chief Kosaka glaring at her from his office. "So, what was all that talk about Space Michael? You're lucky Michael's asleep right now, or he might have gotten the wrong idea." Then, with a mischievous smirk, he added coyly, "Hey, you weren't having a dream about a video game were you, by chance?"

"Yeah right," Doujima snapped. "Only otakus have dreams about video games." Pushing herself to her feet with the help of a nearby desk, she groaned when she saw the clock on the wall. "I guess it's time to go, huh?"

"Yup!" Sakaki replied entirely too cheerfully.

"Go where?" Kosaka demanded. "You're not skipping out early today, Doujima.

"We're just meeting Amon and the others at Harry's for lunch," Sakaki assured him. "It's work related."

"It better be," Kosaka grumbled as he slumped down in his chair. "I swear," he continued in a loud voice to Hattori, knowing Doujima and Sakaki could still hear him and expecting them to listen. "I don't know what's going on around here today. First, over half the employees fail to show up, including Director Zaizen, then they all want to go out for lunch and call it work! I'm going to have to remind them of exactly what work really is."

"Need to get to Harry's soon," Doujima mumbled as she gathered up her purse and the stack of research they had done during the entirely too short night, successfully blocking out the rest of the Chief's rant. "Need more coffee . . ."

------

"Robin. It's time to go."

Robin blinked several times into the bright sunlight flooding though the window above her, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. She had discovered during the brief period of time she had been waiting for Amon to shower and change clothes that the couch in his apartment was above average in comfort and made remaining conscious difficult when one was exhausted. Unfortunately, regaining any level of alertness after such a brief nap was far more difficult than the effort required to let one's eyes drift closed in the first place. In fact, she found that she felt even more exhausted than she had when she first gave in to her body's wishes and allowed the soft couch to lull her into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

Now, she found herself resting her chin on the back of the couch and staring out the window as she forced her eyes open as wide as they would go. Branches lined with buds on the verge of opening swayed outside the window in a breeze, and Robin struggled to focus on them, trying in vain to wake up her sluggish senses.

She could feel Amon's presence at her back. His gaze was settled on the back of her head, and she felt its pressure as surely as she felt the faint, ephemeral tug in her chest toward something in the distance. The pull was so slight it was not so much of a beckoning as the awareness of a connection; there was no force involved. It was like having a string tied to her wrist. She knew the other end of the string was tied to Beatrice, wherever she was, connecting them across the distance, but though she was aware of the "string" itself, it was still slack.

"Is something wrong?" Amon asked in a strictly professional tone, as if he could rewind time and simply recreate the space there had been between the two of them a week ago. He attempted to do so at least, but he no longer seemed completely capable of creating the false distance between them. The difference was subtle, but she could hear the slightest bit of warmth in his voice, the tiniest crack in his cold exterior. "Robin?" he inquired when she failed to answer, his tone still firm, but even warmer than it had been before and colored with concern.

She smiled slightly and turned back to face him, ignoring the way the room swam around her as if her senses were only working at half-speed and couldn't keep up. His hair was still damp and hugged his neck and collar in slick tendrils, but he looked refreshed from the shower. She was pleased to find his wardrobe did not consist entirely of outfits identical to the one he usually wore, though the difference in his current outfit was slight. It maintained the monochromatic theme of his usual clothing, but the black shirt and slacks both hugged his lithe figure in a way his customary attire did not. He wore a black suit jacket to complete the all black ensemble, but she couldn't say she minded the color; she usually wore black herself, after all.

"I'm fine," she murmured finally in response to his question, hoping he would accept her half-truth and simply let the matter drop.

The slight narrowing of his eyes and tug of a frown at the corners of his mouth said otherwise. "We don't have time for games, Robin. Something's obviously bothering you, and I need to know what it is. You didn't tell me about the crystal Beatrice gave you, and it turned out to be important. I need to know now if you're holding anything else back."

"It's nothing important," she sighed, her gaze drifting back to the window. "I'm just uneasy about meeting with everyone after what happened last night."

Silence filled the room for a few long moments as he considered her answer. "Because you're afraid they'll blame you?"

"Because I'm afraid they won't trust me."

Amon sighed quietly in what sounded like relief. "I don't think you need to even worry about that," he commented matter of factly. "They will trust you." The metallic jangle as he scooped up his keys drew Robin's attention; he was already heading for the door and evidently expected her to follow.

"How can you be so sure?" She watched him uncertainly as he paused a few feet from the door to turn back to face her.

"Because they will see that I trust you, and considering how little I trust anyone, they will know you can still be trusted." Hearing him say the words out loud turned out to be all the assurance she really needed, since she immediately felt the dread weighing on her shoulders ease. If Amon, who was skeptical of everyone and everything, still trusted her, then she had nothing to worry about. Even if the others had doubts, they would not question's Amon's judgment in the matter.

"Are you coming?" he prompted after her long hesitation. Her eyes focused on him standing in the doorway waiting for her, his head cocked slightly and an eyebrow raised in impatience.

Reaching for her coat, she hurried to follow him and waited as he locked the door, watching him with an unfocused gaze as she huddled in her coat, her hands buried in its pockets. He turned to pass her and lead the way down the hall, but paused beside her first, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "It will be okay," he murmured, and she looked up at him in surprise.

Then he was gone, striding down the hall and leaving her to follow along behind him, watching his black clad back in amazement, still unable to believe how much he had changed.

------

"No! Master Harry, don't do it!" Sakaki pleaded, tugging on the older man's towel draped arm and looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sakaki, but she did expressly order another triple espresso mocha cappuccino, and I want my customers to be happy--"

"And that would make me very, very, very happy, Master Harry, yes it would," Doujima trilled so quickly that Sakaki was surprised she didn't break the sound barrier. "Oh yes, it definitely, definitely would. Did I say it would? Because it would." Though she was sitting in a chair, she bobbed her head so much and gestured so wildly that she gave the impression she was bouncing off the walls like a cheap rubber ball.

Turning to the Master once again, Sakaki begged, wishing he had the ability to summon tears to his eyes at will (but no, that would require at least another level in persuasion and manipulation before he'd learn that skill) "Please. It's for the good of the universe." As he watched the Master's thoughtful expression in expectation, Sakaki distracted himself by trying to remember the man's real name. Sakaki knew he had one after all and that it was not in fact "Harry," yet despite the fact that "Harry" was not his real name, everyone continued to address him and think of him by that name. Luckily, the Master didn't seem to mind.

Finally, Master Harry sighed with a knowing smile, "Well, if it's for the good of the universe . . ."

"That's right," Sakaki agreed quickly, ignoring Doujima as her face twisted up into a pout and she glared at each of them in turn. "Trust me," he assured her when her glare settled on him for several long moments, "it's for your own good."

"I thought it was for the good of the universe," she snapped back, squinting at him through slitted eyes.

"How about some ice cream, Miss Doujima?" Harry intervened calmly.

"At this time of morning?" Sakaki yelped, feeling his stomach turning at the very thought of eating the fluffy chilled concoction so early in the day. "That's sick!"

"I would love some ice cream, yes I would, Master Harry!" Doujima cried after whacking Sakaki on the arm with her purse. "Do you have any mocha almond espresso flavor?"

Sakaki buried his face in his palms despairingly, shaking his head in horror as the congenial bartender replied, "Certainly, Miss Doujima."

"Master, can I speak with you for a moment?" Karasuma asked. Sakaki lowered his hands enough to peek across the table at his partner as Master Harry leaned toward her, helping her dig through a small bag emblazoned with a prescription drug logo. She whispered something in his ear and slipped a small white pill into his hand. Moments later he disappeared through the doorway.

"What was that about?" Sakaki murmured.

Karasuma glanced at Doujima who was now occupied by examining the frothy leavings of cappuccino in her coffee cup. Then, apparently dismissing her, Karasuma leaned closer to Sakaki and whispered, "I asked him to give her sugarfree ice cream and slip some of the Valium I got from the hospital into the bowl."

Dante, lounging in the chair next to Sakaki, raised a silver eyebrow. "That could create rather a bad reaction with all the caffeine in her system, don't you think?"

Sakaki shrugged. "If you ask me, she's already having a bad reaction. I mean, just look at her." He gestured to Doujima as she began making engine noises and flying her spoon through the air. "I didn't know it was possible to get drunk on caffeine, but we have to get her calmed down before Amon shows up."

"Yeah," Dante agreed with a smirk, "I don't think Mr. Doom-and-Gloom has much patience for altered states of mind."

"I don't know . . ." Trish mused. "Control freaks often have to put themselves into an altered state of mind before they can let go. Maybe he's familiar with such things."

"It's true that Obsessive Compulsives often have problems with addictions," Sakaki agreed.

"So, what are we saying here?" Dante asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "You think Rambo has an addiction to a mind altering drug?"

"Perhaps," Trish answered with a shrug as Sakaki said, "You never know."

"Well, if that's the case," Dante smirked, "he certainly doesn't use it enough. He might be a lot easier to deal with if he did. At the very least he could afford to be addicted to fiber. A little more fiber in his diet would do him good, I think."

"This conversation is ridiculous," Karasuma muttered, shaking her head.

"I agree," stated a very familiar, very annoyed voice.

Sakaki spun around to see Amon standing just inside the doorway with Robin hovering close by his side. "Um, ah, we--" Sakaki sputtered, glancing at Dante to see the demon hunter still smirking quietly. In fact, Dante seemed completely unruffled by Amon's sudden appearance--almost as if he had been aware of it all along, which would mean that he made his comments knowing Amon was listening. Sakaki looked at the half-demon with renewed respect in his eyes; it would take a lifetime of leveling up before he could reach the level of cool Dante had attained.

Amon's frigid gaze swept over the room, settling at last on Dante. "I'm glad to see everyone being so productive and staying so focused on the tasks at hand."

"Ice cream!" Doujima squealed suddenly when Master Harry appeared in the doorway with her treat, effectively pulling the emergency stop lever and halting Amon's guilt trip. She then drew all attention to her completely as she began devouring the ice cream in a very unladylike fashion. Moments later, Doujima's bowl was empty and she was groaning, pressing her fingertips against her temples. "Ungh," she moaned. "Freeze . . . brain . . ." Harry appropriated the empty bowl from her before winking slyly at Karasuma and exiting the room.

"Did you hear that?" Sakaki whispered to Karasuma. "She was speaking slowly."

"The valium couldn't have taken effect that quickly," she whispered back.

Then, as if to prove Karasuma's statement, Doujima's head popped up suddenly, and her eyes focused on Robin. "Robin!" she chirped. "I'm so glad you're here because you won't believe it, but I found a way to stop Beatrice! Really! Oh, and I was the one who found it, not Sakaki, so don't listen to him because he'll tell you he found it himself, but he's just trying to take credit." Her breakneck speed slowed on the last few syllables and her eyelids dropped slightly. "Hmm . . . Amon? Since when did you have a twin brother?"

"What are you talking about?" Amon demanded, glaring darkly at her.

"Woah . . . now there's definitely three of you."

Dante shook his head slowly, "I told you that mixing substances could create a bad reaction."

"She'll be fine," Karasuma answered firmly, though not without a touch of worry in her eyes.

"We don't have time for this," Amon interrupted, taking one of the empty seats at the table. Robin sat down slowly beside him, and Sakaki couldn't be sure, but he thought she hovering rather close by Amon's side--closer at least than anyone normally got to him. Turning to Dante, Amon asked, "Have we located Beatrice yet?"

"She's rented a cabin at a lake not too far from here," Dante answered simply. "The location wasn't too hard to find. Her victory last night made her a little overconfident, it seems."

"Let's hope that's what it is, and not another trick."

Dante met Amon's glare with a slow smile. "Well, if Doujima's research is correct, we shouldn't have any trouble knowing whether its a trick or not. Apparently, Robin should be able to sense Beatrice's presence when she's nearby."

"Which means Beatrice will be able to sense her as well," Amon stated with a frown.

"But, that's why we're going to use her tactics against her!" Doujima affirmed, her eyes focused on the empty space somewhere to the right of Amon.

"And how are we going to do that?" Robin asked quietly,

"By using the same spell she used on you!" Doujima replied happily.

"What?" Amon asked flatly.

Karasuma sighed. "Sakaki, maybe you should take over here. I don't think Doujima's coherent enough to explain, and the rest of us only have a vague understanding of what you found in the first place."

"Hey!" Doujima cried, but fell silent when Amon glared at her with warning in his dark eyes. Considering she seemed to be seeing three of him, the glare was more than enough to mollify her.

"Okay . . ." Sakaki said finally, pulling out the stack of papers they had brought with them. "So . . . we didn't have any luck finding a way to undo what Beatrice did to you, Robin, but we did find out how to repeat it. Our spell is a little different, but it works the same way. This particular spell of binding requires three people to work--like a trinity, you know?" Robin frowned as if she were offended by his choice of words, but he elaborated quickly, "It's like in Kingdom Hearts; there are these places where Goofy, Donald and Sora have to combine their powers and stomp really hard or knock something over to get to like a hard to reach box or to open a locked door."

"You lost me there," Dante stated, shaking his head.

"Who's more coherent?" Doujima muttered mockingly under her breath.

"How do these binding spells work exactly?" Robin asked, her brows drawn together in worry.

"Well," Sakaki replied slowly, glancing down at his papers to verify his answer, "the spell binds one person's power to another person's power, but the binding isn't just a one way street. In other words, Beatrice can draw energy from you, but you could also potentially take energy from Beatrice. The problem is, that alone, you probably don't have enough power to overcome her control of the connection. But, if we use the spell of binding we found to connect two other people to you, then you will have three times the power."

"So, it's like a game of supernatural tug-of-war?" Dante laughed softly. "The more people Robin has on her team, the easier it is to win?"

"Basically," Sakaki answered with a shrug.

"Why only two people?" Trish inquired thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it make sense to connect all of us to Robin?"

"The spell only allows for a connection of three people total."

"Then we could only connect one other person since Beatrice is already connected." Amon concluded.

"Actually, the two connections will be separate, so it shouldn't work that way. Beatrice won't be able to reach the other two people connected to Robin. How did Michael describe it earlier?" Sakaki shook his head, trying to remember what words the hacker had used. "He said it worked like a computer network. Robin is the router connected to the internet--otherwise known as Beatrice--and the other two people will be like other computers on Robin's network. She is the firewall between them and Beatrice." Sakaki glanced around the room only to find a confused expression on everyone's face but Amon's.

"If that analogy is accurate, then Beatrice could potentially still find a way past Robin if she knew what she was looking for," Amon mused. "I don't see how it would be an advantage to give her three people to use instead of just one."

"Hopefully she won't know what she's looking for until it's too late," Dante answered. "And somehow I think this is the last thing she would expect us to do. That is, unless you have a better idea, Rambo."

"Regardless, I still don't understand why you can only connect two people," Trish repeated, ignoring the glaring match between Amon and Dante.

"Because three is a number of power," Robin replied before Sakaki could say a word. "The spell Sakaki and Doujima found--"

"Just me, remember?" Doujima reminded. "I'm the one who found it."

"--must use the number three as part of it's source of power," Robin persevered. "It is a spell used to create a triumvirate."

"How did you know that?" Sakaki asked uncertainly. "Did Beatrice tell you?"

Robin's green eyes flashed with hurt. "No," she answered quietly. "It's a common element in spells. Besides, I don't remember much of anything from the moment Beatrice began controlling me until the orbo broke the connection. Not that I could have done anything about it even if I had been aware . . ."

"No one's blaming you, babe," Dante reassured her, with a disapproving glance at Sakaki.

Sakaki suddenly regretted his thoughtlessness. If it were possible to level down in the role-playing game of life, it seemed like he had just done exactly that. Negative five points in Sensitivity. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay," Robin replied softly, her gaze dropping to her hands clasped on the edge of the table.

"Anyway," Dante said to get the discussion started again, "Since only two of us can connect our power to Robin's, it makes sense that those of us with the strongest powers be the ones to do it. So . . . I guess that means Trish and I would be the obvious choices."

"No," Amon argued evenly. "I will be one of the two people."

"Actually," Sakaki said reluctantly, trying not to waver under Amon's glare, "in order for the spell to work, the people can't just be Seeds. Their power must be active."

Amon's gaze settled on him for several long moments before the older man grasped the orbo pendant hanging around his neck and yanked on it hard enough to snap the cord. Placing the freed pendant calmly on the table, he stated, "I don't see the problem."

"But, Amon," Karasuma said slowly, "I've never seen you use your powers before. How do you know--"

"I know." Amon glared at her with a no-argument expression for several long moments. "What will it take to prepare this spell?" he continued finally, returning his gaze to Sakaki

"Everything's prepared," Sakaki answered quickly. "Doujima and I went shopping for all the supplies before we picked up Karasuma and came here. All we need a dark, quiet place where we won't be disturbed."

"I'm sure Master Harry will let us use this room for a little longer," Karasuma commented. "And we could cover the windows to make it darker."

"Then let's get started," Amon stated gravely. "I'll go speak with Master Harry." Without another word, he had risen to his feet and strode purposefully out of the room, his broken orbo pendant lying forsaken on the table behind him.

"I'm telling you," Dante muttered under his breath, "Bran Flakes and Shredded Whole Wheat. They could work wonders."

------

"C'mon, li'l brother. Pick up the damn phone," Nagira sighed into his cell phone, exhaling another long puff of cancerous smoke as he leaned back in his chair. Despite Nagira's direct order, Amon failed to answer, and after another irritating ring his voice mail finally picked up.

At least that was what Nagira expected to hear. He wasn't so sure that was what he was actually hearing when the lively giggles of what sounded like a multitude of hysterical chipmunks exploded in his ear. "What the hell?" he muttered, dropping his feet from the corner of his desk to the ground and straightening in his chair. Had he dialed the wrong number?

But then Amon's voice said clearly and calmly amidst the giggles, "You've reached Amon's voice mail. I'm on a mission for the cactuar village right now, so I can't answer your call." Though the voice was unmistakably Amon's, it didn't flow quite right, pausing unnecessarily at odd places; Nagira concluded it must have been synthesized. He found himself grinning suddenly. Amon would be so pissed when he found out that his voice mail had been tampered with. "But I'll be sure to get back to you," the recording continued, "as soon as I get this high potion out of my ass. So, please, leave a message after Ifrit's grunt." A strange animalistic sound followed his words, and then, blessed silence.

Nagira paused as he tried to reorganize his shattered train of thought. "Uh . . . right. So . . ." he chuckled, "I'm glad you finally figured up what was up your ass all this time, Amon, though I don't have a clue what a 'hi potion' is. Anyway, I was just calling to let you know it's done--and even sooner than you asked, so I don't want to hear any whinin'. Now, I will be waiting for a call back from you to discuss our dinner arrangements, and you can't use that Armageddon excuse forever, so don't even think about pretending this voice mail somehow disappeared into the vast nothingness of electronica. Unless the world somehow implodes before the end of the day, I will be expecting to hear from you very soon. Tootles."

Feeling vaguely satisfied, Nagira once again leaned back in his chair and snuffed his cigarette into the ashtray on his desk with a smile. He found the mere thought of Amon's face when he listened to his new voice mail greeting to be far more cathartic than tobacco could ever be.

Heh, heh, heh. So there it is. I even worked in the voice mail thing at the end. It was a little disjointed and lacking in a lot of action, but I have to work myself back into the swing of things a little bit at a time, you know? The parody to seriousness ratio was a little tipped toward the parody side, which I hope didn't bother anyone, but I've been in serious need of silliness and laughter lately because work's been very stressful. The angst will pick up again soon, I'm sure. It always does . . .

I don't know if any of you are fans of Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, but you might find my idea of a triumvirate similar to the one Laurell K. Hamilton uses in those books. Next chapter we will explore a little more of the specifics of this spell, and I ask you to just imagine the possibilities as Doujima explains the steps required to make the spell work and fudges a little on the specifics. Am I the only one who can see Doujima having a little bit of fun with this?

I hope no one's too irritated by my Alias inspired trick of showing the climax of the action and then skipping backward. I'm a bitch, I know. But I'll try to update more often!!! :)

Oh my . . . I have a LOT of reviews to reply to. I'll have to be brief if I'm going to get this updated tonight, so I apologize!

To bratinella: Thanks for the review! Yes, Amon and Robin will likely be together in the end. Amon's child doesn't even know he exists, so her existence shouldn't be too much of an issue as far as that goes. Amon's angst is the biggest issue standing in their way. Well, aside from the "goin' to jail" thing . . . If only Robin were older . . . :)

To inu-kag-4evr: Thanks!

To Sweetbox: Thank you! I little bits more Nagira for you. And yeah, see my response to bratinella to alleviate your worries about the daughter.

To Ryuu no Taiyo: Ah the threats. I enjoyed. It does help a bit actually. I've got a guilt complex, I'll admit it.

To Jadewitch: Thank you for the compliment.

To Daedreamer: Thanks! Glad you don't mind my rambling.

To GoWaitInTheCar: I'm telling you. There was, at least at one time, a website for furniture porn. It exists. I enjoy the idea of inanimate objects being personified. And yes, I am a dork. Oh, and thanks for the DMC info. I'm really excited for the next game!

To crystal rose2: I fear the crossover element has not been a plus for my story, and I totally understand why. I'm just glad people have been willing to give it a try despite that deterrent. I appreciate your compliments too! Hopefully I'm over my dry spell in inspiration now.

To Aliora: Thanks! I'm relieved to hear my plot is clever since I feel it is often one of my weak points. I was rather happy with the daughter twist though . . . it took me awhile to come up with something sufficiently messed up to explain why Amon listens to Zaizen. Luckily, I came up with it early enough to throw some hints in. Lately, my plotbunnies haven't been so much the problem as my motivation and energy. Even when I'm motivated lately, I find I'm too tired to focus when I sit down to write. I hope this chapter lives up at least mostly to the other ones.

To AVAAntares: You're hired. You can torture Zaizen any day. And of course fictional characters work as references! They're real enough to us. I'm interested in your "original manga." Is this written only, or have you been drawing it too?

To XtinethePirate: Thank you so much! There will be more hot AxR action, I promise. I just have to work back into it. I am so flattered to hear that my versions of all the characters have taken on a life of their own in your mind and I'm really sorry I've taken so long to update. Oh, and about Fruits Basket … I've recently become obsessed with it all over again since I started collecting the graphic novels (I had them all in Japanese, but since I don't read the language I didn't REALLY know what was going on). I am seriously considering writing a Furuba fiction. But I don't want to neglect this fic anymore by starting a new one and getting distracted. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading all your reviews. They were very detailed and I was so impressed that you actually wrote a review for almost every chapter. Most people who read stories after multiple chapters have been published just write one review for the last chapter because they can't wait (this probably includes me), but it's really nice getting feedback on all the chapters. I applaud you!

To Lucifer's Garden: It's not wrong at all. Thank you so much. But I've had a helluva time avoiding those rabid penguins. Oh, and the imagery you provoked with the "hot naked" couple was quite vivid. Unfortunately, I think I'll be staying away from the shonen-ai in this particular fic. But I still can't help but think about that image and say, "so pretty!"

To minda: Thanks!

To Jcgamer: I'm so sorry to hear about your loss after the hurricane! I hope everything's much better for you by now.

To sailorsaturn12345: Thanks! Yes, Robin does know Nagira in the series, but since my story takes place before that point in the series, she does not know him in my story.

To Moonbeam: Video games rock. I didn't get obsessed until later in life than most people, but I think I'll probably always be a video game addict. I'll be a little old lady playing Mario 3000 and having a blast. Random, huh?

To Tsukinoko1: I was rather proud of the second sentence you quoted, I have to admit. The imagery is very intense.

To Yukari Youkai: Thanks for the sympathy about my cat. It sucks losing a pet. I'm much better with it now, though I would love a new kitty. Ah well, I'll have to wait a little bit longer . . .

To omasuoniwabanshi: Nagira will show up again I've decided. Now that I've brought him in, I can't just leave him out for the rest. Thanks for the condolences for Rumour as well.

To Firebird: Thank you! I like your idea for a future crossover. If you're still inspired you should write it and send it too me. Cross inspiration is always fun.

To AnimeReviewer790: Thanks for the sympathy for Rumour and thanks for the encouragement.

To miuixtli: Thanks!

To BlissfullyInsane01: Thanks!

To AngelD: I understand

To HuNtMeAmOn: The teasing will never end!!!! BWAHAHAHA. No, I'll be nice someday. Just not today.

To Inuki: It's been a long time, girl. What have you been up to? I want to hear from you!

To Tiger of the Wind1: Yes, I know the chapter title is a song. This chapter is too actually. I've been doing that a lot lately. Ah well, song titles make good chapter titles, I suppose. Don't worry, everyone will make it out of the final battle alive . . . I think. Hee hee hee

To lizalou42: Whew, I'm getting tired. This is a lot of reviews. Now you know what the voice mail greeting is. And knowing's half the battle. I suppose you've already read/heard most of this chapter, but not the last part. Hah. And omigod. I just realize I STILL have your Nikita tapes. Doh!! Sorry for no Michael in this chapter. Does Space Michael count? shields self from mallet blow

To Ann: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed the continuation of Doujima caffeine craze as well as the cell phone message. And thanks for the condolences about my cat.

To busoshwe: I've so done the nearly hitting your head on a fan when waking up in the middle of the night thing. Okay, so I actually did hit my head. And it went "dugagagaga." It was a ceiling fan and I was in a bunk bed. Anyway . . . thanks for the sympathy about Rumour.

To Hunter-Robin: Hope you enjoyed the voicemail greeting and thanks for the sympathy.

To PomegranateQueen: Thanks for the condolences and I'm glad you're sharing WHR with your mom. It's always fun to be able to share things like that with your parents. It narrows the generation gap a bit.

To Beautiful Witch Hunter Robin: Thanks for the hug! :) Sorry for the wait.

To bravedragon: Thanks!

To Seashah: Thank you! Yeah, Amon and Nagira's sibling relationship is really crewed up. Thanks for the sympathy.

To Sakura Rain: Thanks! It's always good to have a special moment with your pet before the end. It makes it a little bit easier at least.

To Amon's Angel of the Darkness: I totally understand. Look how long it's been since I've updated! Time is definitely in short supply.

WHEW! Last one . . . I apologize if I missed anyone. Shit. Now my chapter's really freakin' long. Oh well.