Chapter 2 : The mind is separate
The sounds of water running, brought Amon out of his sleep. He opened his eyes, and found that he had fell asleep on the sofa sometime last night. The tv was still going, as the announcer was talking about some local news in Tokyo for the morning. He snorted, as his mind cleared the sleep fog he felt in, thinking that the announcers voice was just too irritating for morning time.
He sat up and rubbed his neck, feeling the many kinks that had developed in his neck from sleeping sitting up like he had. Lighting a smoke, he sat back again as he expelled a plume of white, as he realized that Robin has woken up and was bathing before work. That was the reason for the sounds of the running water. He sighed with this not so surprising move by the girl, as this was her usual routine.
In his mind's eye, his vision of the half naked girl in the bed came to him, then the image changed. It was now of the young hunter girl laying naked in the tub, the water barely covering her sleek body lines and perky boobs. Her skin was wet and sparkling with water drops and slightly reddened, and steam came off of the water. It was almost as if he was in the bathroom with the girl right then and there. He felt himself sweating all over again, as the vision was so lifelike.
The man snapped himself out of it then scolded himself, at the perverse thoughts he was having. He was forcing them all to just go away, but they were not going away fully.
Amon stood up and went into the kitchen to make some coffee, doing whatever it took to get the visions to stop coming. He had to, they were making him feel like a dirty old man, so to speak.
There was over nine years between Robin and himself chronologically. That alone, told him that it was not right for him to be lusting over this teenaged child. The fact also came to him that though nearly sixteen, she did not look or act like the typical teenager anyway. That was the one thing that made him love her even more than he actually admitted to himself, she was more mature than most adults he knew, proving that fact time and again.
He just shook his head a little, and just continued to make the coffee while he forced all of this frustrating thinking out of himself. He hated that he could slip into the thoughts so easily, so suddenly and just without any forethought. He just hoped to find the way to stop it once and for all. With a scowl, he refused to think this way any longer.
Amon was done making the pot, had it all brewed and was on his second cup of the day when the girl came into the kitchen from the bathroom. Amon looked up and nodded, as robin smoothly moved into the room.
Her hair was down around her shoulders, hanging almost fully straight as it was still mildly dampish still from her bath. Even with her hair down and not up in her trademark style, she was a vision of beauty. Her skin glowed from the cleaning it gotten in her cleansing ritual, and her fresh face held the natural beauty that never ever needed make-up or anything else Amon never showed what he was thinking, and gestured for her to take a seat. She nodded and moved across to the table.
The young hunter gave the man a small still sleepy smile, as she took her seat beside where he usually sat at the table.
" Good morning, Amon." She said, her voice soft and musical, a polite bow of the head followed.
" Morning!" He grunted, setting down a piping hot mug of coffee in front of the teen.
The girl took a sip out of the mug and smiled. She seemed to really like the coffee that he had given to her, judging from her smile. He just took a seat and proceed to start to read a newspaper that he had set out on the table, beside his own steamy mug. The girl sat silently, as her large green eyes looked at the man beside her who was seemingly hiding behind the newsprint barrier he held.
She sipped at her coffee again, then looked back up at the man.
" Why did you not wake me?" She asked softly, almost not wanting to say anything. " Did you not see the note I left you?"
" I saw the note, and read it. Was it important for me to wake you, Robin?" He asked with a sharp tone.
" I just thought we could... talk for awhile..." She replied, as if she was hesitating to say even those few words. " It was just nothing..."
He looked around the corner of his paper at the young girl, seeing that she was not telling the entire truth.
" It was nearly two when I got back, and you were sound asleep..." Began the man. " I just sat up watching television, and apparently I fell asleep on the sofa." The man then looked into the face of the girl. " What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
The girl turned her head and seemed to be blushing, Amon noted. She bowed her head a little, not making any eye contact.
" Just to... talk.." She restated unconvincingly
Amon realized that she was not going to say a word about why she wanted him to wake her up when he came home. That was her prerogative not to say , he said to himself. He just grunted a little, going back to read his paper. Robin just let herself become silent again, sipping on her coffee in the stillness of the kitchen.
An hour later, Amon arrived at Raven's Flat right on time. He made his way to his desk, as Michael peered over his workstation to look at the tall man.
" Hey, Amon." He said, very chipper like.
" Morning." Was all Amon replied back to the youth.
The lad looked around, as if looking for someone in particular. He snuffed and turned back to Amon.
" Where's Robin?" He asked. " Didn't you both come in to work together this morning?
" She decided to ride her Vespa in to work." He said, looking at the young hacker lad " She said that she was going to be leaving sometime after I did."
The lad rubbed his hands together with a giggle like a schoolboy with a secret. Amon saw this action the youth had done, and thought it was rather strange.
" Good." The lad said, standing up and coming over to where the man was. " We have some news for you... We are going to have a surprise birthday party for her this coming Monday."
" We?" Questioned the man, looking at the youth out of the corner of his eye. " What are you meaning when you said 'we'?"
" Simple." He said, gleefully. " Doujima and Karasuma are in on it. The Chief has given us the green light to do it here in the office and everything, and Haruto is going to make sure of some sort of cake being here.. Or is that Doujima who is bringing... anyways, there is a cake coming."
Amon nodded, as he understood. He though this idea was good for moral here, even though normally he would avoid parties at all cost. Things had been pretty hectic lately for all of the STN-J, a diversion such as this would work wonders for everyone.
" Anything I could do?" He said, knowing that the lad was waiting on him to ask such a question.
" Just make sure she is occupied for awhile that afternoon, so we can set it all up. Even Master will be here... he's offered to supply all the food and drinks at no charge, which made the chief very happy that it was not coming out of our budget... or his wallet." The youth hurried back to his seat, as the noise of the elevator came, still giggling.
Amon just sat there, looking at a file. He looked over at the entrance to the office, and saw Robin coming in with her Vespa helmet tucked under one arm.
He found himself looking at the girl like he had the before, noticing that the young girl was not such a young girl anymore. Those urges were somehow coming back to him once more, and was possible that they had grown. He snuffed and pushed it all away, getting a handle on whatever his mind was doing to him.
Amon caught her looking at him, and she turned away with a snap of her head. He surmised that she still wanted to talk about the something she had passed over this morning, but just was not wanting to for now.
Curiously, Amon just wondered just what was on her mind, but put it out of his mind. Now was not the time to figure out the girl's thoughts now. They had to set up for another hunt, and there was not much time to do it in.
