Disclaimer: I only own the shame of writing that last Omake Theater…

A/N: Che! It was the end of the semester and thus I had my lazy ass whipped by last minute deadlines and the like. Sorry about the lack of updating. This one may be a bit short, but another chapter will be up very soon.

Meant to Live

by ShiroKitsune

Chapter 6 : Strength of a Woman

Amon was not a morning person. Or at least not during the first ten minutes of morning. In fact, if you were to administer a small IQ test to him in those first ten minutes, most likely the results would list him as being on par with a tomato, or perhaps a rutabaga. Amon was aware of his waking deficiencies and had successfully hidden them by making sure he was the earliest to rise. He had come to a point where an alarm, while in the presence of another person, was utterly unnecessary. A kind of sixth sense for when it was time to wake up had developed in him as a result. It was because of this that Amon arose at 6:18 the next morning, without use of an alarm.

His awakening was not a gentle float back to consciousness but rather an abrupt jerk that would have been quite uncomfortable for anyone other than him. Indeed, his awakening was uncomfortable to him as well, but his years of waking that way had made him somewhat used to the uncomfortable feeling and general haziness of waking. It was then short work for him to fight his way out of bed, allow the tangled sheets to fall vanquished to the floor, and still with eyes closed, grab his clothes and shuffle to the bathroom.

Amon's shower took exactly 5.43 minutes with the water at 168 degrees Fahrenheit. He stepped out of the shower, left foot first and wrapped the towel more securely around his waist. It took Amon exactly 2.14 minutes to dress. Remove towel from waist and hang over shower curtain. Black boxers, enter left leg first. Then black pants, enter right leg first. Then pull on a dark gray wife-beater. Finally a black shirt to complete the outfit. Run hands though hair to remove tangles. Then gather old clothes and return to room.

It takes Amon at least ten minutes to fully awaken. The trip to and from the bathroom totaled 1.16 minutes. This left Amon with 1.27 minutes to awaken. As Amon neared the room, he was accosted by Zakuro and told shortly that breakfast would be ready in five minutes. It only took Zakuro .42 minutes to relay this information before walking off.

So, using mathematics, one can easily see that Amon was still not fully awake when he returned to the room he was sharing with Robin. Indeed, Amon would still be asleep for .85 minutes or fifty seconds more. How then can we really blame him for what occurred next? For all intents and purposes, at that moment, Amon's brain, and a zucchini were interchangeable.

It took Amon .58 minutes from that point to return his clothes to their appropriate location. Then he turned to the other task at hand.

"Robin," Amon said sharply into the silence of the room. "Wake up. Breakfast is in five minutes."

It took Robin .17 minutes to startle awake and fully upright. The remaining .1 minute was spent as Amon blankly stared at Robin, and Robin, just as blankly, stared back. And then…

Amon woke up fully.

It would, of course, be beneath Amon's dignity to blush. And so we will say that he did not do so. And we shall also aver and swear upon our deaths, that he didn't manage a stuttered half-apology as he hurried out of the room.

Robin was staring rather despondently at her burgundy book. It had been nearly three hours since Amon had left with Zakuro to go shopping. Robin had spent the first hour and a half in the kitchen reading the paper, drinking tea, and listening to the cook and her assistant argue passionately about the merits of paprika verses crushed peppers. Eventually the heat of the kitchen and it's occupants grew to be too much for Robin and she retired to the study she and Amon had first come to. She had made her attempt to finish the paper there, but found her desire and concentration lacking. So she had fetched her unfailing relaxant and sat down with her burgundy book. She lifted the cover gently, careful to avoid pressure on the spine, lightly so not to crumble the edges of the brittle pages. Her eyes fell upon the image of the woman and the man. She traced the lines of the figures with her right hand onto her thigh. Then retraced them sharper with her nails. Again, sharper. Now the thumbnail, shade it in. Again the fingernail, retrace the details deeper. Add a little more pressure for the trees.

And then, a sharper pain, a wetness as skin breaks.

Then startled eyes fall upon the spot. There, in the black skirt, a slit continuing through the skin. It was a little cut. Almost not there.

And after all, black doesn't show blood.

Robin, snapped the book closed and sneezed at the decay thrown in the air by her violence.

For a moment, she wanted the book to burn. She wanted free from the decay.

But there was no more freedom for her.

She was now tied to Amon and his will.

Liar.

What?

Amon is the one tied. Just like a watchdog.

I didn't ask him to watch me. He can leave if he desires.

He promised you death if you loose control.

…

A child's selfish request, no? A child's need and his freedom is the price.

No.

There is always a price, little Robin.

Robin.

…

Robin.

"Robin!" Amon said louder. He wanted so bad to grab her shoulders and shake her back to reality. To shake her until her eyes focused on him. She gasped and unclenched her fists as though throwing something away from her.

"Pack your things," Amon turned away. "We will be leaving after dinner." He walked out of the room before any reply could be made. Robin lifted her eyes to the immobile form of Zakuro leaning against the wall beside the door. Green and blue met for a moment. Just a moment, and Robin shivered. Zakuro cast her eyes from Robin to the burgundy book laying on the floor. Her eyes cataloged the length of Robin's skirt, pausing if ever so briefly, on the tiny slit made by Robin's nail. Without looking at the girl again, she turned and walked out the door.

Robin found her appetite, formerly so persistent, to be undeniably weak against the broken silence of Zakuro. The pale woman had simply taken, perhaps a dozen bites, of her meal, then suddenly stopped as another fork full neared her mouth. She said nothing, simply laying down her fork and covering her plate with a napkin. Robin's appetite took a sharp plunge at that point and as she glanced sideways, she noticed the similar effect on Amon.

Amon, impatient and still wary, broke the silence roughly.

"You said you had a place for us to go?" It was not a question.

"Mandarin," it was not an answer. "Follow me."

And once again, Robin found herself in the study. Zakuro had pulled out a map of Honshu, the main island of Japan.

"Quite frankly," she said. "I would not even attempt to escape to Hokkaido, or Shikoku. We are here," she said and stuck a red tack in Matsuyama. She stuck another red tack in. "Nagira is here. Now Mandarin, is here," she stuck a green tack in Osaka. "Actually, he is in Amagasaki. But he will meet you when you get off the train." She paused for a moment and a wicked smile flitted across her features. She stabbed two dozen white tacks into the map. "These are the secondary hideouts." Robin's mouth opened in disbelief. Zakuro smirked and grabbed a handful more of black tacks. She stabbed another couple of dozen tacks in the map. "These, are satellite locations. Last resorts."

She paused for a moment, then tore the map from the tacks. She crumpled it viciously and tossed it into the fireplace.

"Robin," she barked. Robin startled.

She wanted her to light the map? With her fire?

Robin looked pleadingly at Amon. He was staring evenly at Zakuro.

And so, Robin lit the map.

Whatever thoughts Amon may have had, as he eyed Zakuro, scattered with that flash of fire. He turned to Robin, about to rebuke her for her act when he stopped.

Her arms were wrapped around herself and her brows contracted in pain. As he turned toward her, she flinched and took a step away from him. He stopped and opened his mouth.

"Why?" He asked. The rest remained unspoken.

"The map needed destroyed so that the network would be safe," Zakuro spoke, answering the wrong question. Amon looked at her in irritation then tried to catch Robin's eye again. Her slim shoulders were pulled up as she hunched in on herself, protecting herself from... what? Was she really afraid of him? Did she really think he would hurt her?

His hand was moving through the air before he knew its path. He lightly rested his hand on the crown of her head. Her eyes jerked upward and captured his for a moment before he turned to look at Zakuro. His hand stroked down the side of her head to rest comfortably on her shoulder.

"We are ready to leave," he said. Zakuro watched coolly for a moment. Her broken eyes again measured the pair before her. The equations, the values shifted, and she nodded. She walked up to Robin and grabbed the fire-user's hand. She placed a cellular phone in her palm and wrapped her fingers around it.

"If anything happens, you can reach me using this," Zakuro released her hand.

"You aren't coming with us?" Robin asked. That wicked bitter smile reappeared on Zakuro's face. She turned and looked out the window at the late afternoon sun.

"That would be, at this time, quite unwise." Zakuro lifted her chin slightly.

"Are you… running?" Robin asked. Amon looked at her curiously, then with the realization that his hand was still on her, removed it and stepped away. Zakuro lifted her eyes to him and though it may have been a trick of the light, it seemed as though a hint of emotion, of amusement, flashed through them. Robin, confused by his actions stepped away.

"Ah, the hunt is on." She laughed. "They are coming tonight." Robin walked to the window and placed her hands imploringly on the glass. Zakuro came to stand beside her. The pair stayed silent long after Amon left to gather the bags.

"How long… are they all witches?" Robin asked looking at the lights in the apartments and the people along the alley.

"No," Zakuro sighed. "Some are unfortunates, some are witches, and some are merely plants."
"Plants?"

"Sympathizers. Humans who understand witches. They help keep the secret of those at 'dulcis domus'."

"'dulcis domus?'"

"Ah, domus, dulcis domus," Zakuro smiled. "Home, sweet home." She turned around as Amon entered the room. "Are you ready?"

He nodded and looked to Robin. She looked again at the pale woman beside her then nodded. Zakuro, her face again a blank mask, walked out of the room, with Amon and Robin following quickly. She led them through the building until they reached the basement. She stopped before a heavily locked wooden door and sighed. Her hand dipped down the front of her dress and pulled out a key. It was quick work to unlock the door. Robin shivered as she followed.

Once again she was escaping through a tunnel. Heading into the unknown.

A sleek black sedan sat at the other end of the tunnel. Zakuro opened the door and spoke to the driver. She looked at Amon questioningly and he nodded then climbed inside. Robin was about to follow when Zakuro reached out and placed her hand on Robin's cheek. Robin stopped and looked wide-eyed as Zakuro's face moved dangerously close to hers. When the two women were only breaths apart, Zakuro spoke.

"ne cede malis, nil desperandum. rara avis, nolens volens, quaere verum," she said and stepped back quickly. "Get going. Mandarin will know what to do."

"What? What did you say?"

"Go to Mandarin," Zakuro looked away. Robin lifted the edge of her black skirt and slid into the sedan.

After all, black doesn't show blood.

ne cede malis, nil desperandum. rara avis, nolens volens, quaere verum -(Rough Translation)- Do not give in to misfortune, do not despair. Rare bird, whether willing or unwilling, seek the truth

A/N: Next chapter we get some action!

Q & A session and thanks ahead:

DragonLordess - Actually, the picture in her book is quite important and him holding his hand out to her and helping her up was important. It wasn't the "funny metaphor" but it will come into play later on.

j.b Raven - My apologies about your monitor. I cannot say I have had the pleasure of doing the same. Your review brought a little grin to my face and a little flush of happiness. Anytime a reaction is felt in the gut, whether positive or negative, is a strong response and a sign of success.

Yumeko, Priestess of Dreams - My apologies for your tea. I'm glad to hear the story is still keeping your interest. I can't guarantee future Omake Theaters will be as funny. But I will try to make them so.

Weirdo's Rule - Thank you for sticking with me and my little story so long. Who doesn't love Robin x Amon? I pity those fools.

VG Terra - I think you may be my oldest reader. I thank you for keeping with me and letting me know what you like and don't like. I adore the Amon x Robin pairing. I truly cannot see either of them with anyone else.

PomegranateQueen - It's good to hear that you like the symbolism. I tend to use it in most, if not all, of my writing quite heavily. As for Omake, don't worry, not all will be so wrong as that. I have some intentions for several 'G' rated ones.

Toadsly - hugs I love your reviews (I believe I tell you that almost every time I see you, no?). Thank you for telling me so specifically what you liked and didn't like. I'm going to send you a copy of "Playing Me" (my novel [wickedly unfinished]) sometime soon. There is a lot of imagery in that and it features very strongly my 'Sarcasta-bitch' voice.

keistje, Pline, Ramen Noodles, ChocolateEclar, Avid, yamiyumetenshi, Inu-Aisuru, Rashaka, silverpuppy99, Rageful Jewel, just4ubaby, VenusDeOmnipotent, Elyndewen Startree, ladyeclipse, Trekgirl01, Jen23, xXxMysticalDreamerxXx, mokusei, Da Freak, Seed-of-Flame, Puni Puni, Mini Nicka, AllHart, punkchick16, Shigure's lover, Cali1043, Insane Dragoness, mikoxhanyou, Sorrow in Shadow, infinite entropy, Riz-chan, RedWolf, Hanako110, alesca munroe and others, InuGurl2188, Querida, Sarah Kerrigan, Paris, LionHeart823, Marikalay, Crystal, Bana, Angel in the Night, and everyone else who's read:

Thank you very much for your support and reviews. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of them and I thank you for taking the time to tell me what you thought. I hope the story continues to hold your interest. All loves!