Chapter Four: The Broken Circle Mended
"Worried?" Nagira asked quietly of Amon as they sat reading their menus.
"Why would I be worried?" Amon shot back without looking up.
"Because, your little Robin is out on a date with some punk," Nagira retorted with a roll of his eyes.
"Robin is free to do whatever she wants."
"Except be with you."
Amon's eyes flashed in anger, but he did not give Nagira the satisfaction of a response. "I trust Robin," he said instead.
"Trust her not to screw around?" Nagira replied mockingly.
"Trust her not to do anything that would get herself into a bad situation."
Nagira sighed and resumed his menu reading. After learning of Robin's plans for the evening, the other three had decided to go out for dinner. In truth, Doujima had announced that they were going to eat at an upscale restaurant she had heard about prior to her arrival. Nagira had agreed merely to make her happy, while Amon frankly didn't care, having more important matters on his mind. At the moment, Doujima had excused herself to the restroom, leaving the brothers alone for the first time since the girls had returned from shopping.
"I can't believe you're here having dinner with us and not out spying on Robin," Nagira commented after a moment.
Amon frowned at his menu. "Yeah, well Robin is angry enough with me as it is. I don't need to do anything that would break her faith in me more - unlike you," he couldn't help but add.
Nagira let out an exasperated puff of air and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. "Jesus Christ, you just can't ever let anything go, can you? You are such the model of maturity." At Amon's pointed glare, Nagira leaned forward. "Get over yourself. You got yourself into this mess all on your own. For God's sake, you are having such petty fights with a girl ten years your junior. You are, and have always been such a child, consistently relying on your past as an excuse for your behaviour. Well guess what? You didn't make an oath to me and I don't have to take your shit."
Before Amon could reply, Doujima returned to the table. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped after she caught sight of Nagira and Amon's irate expressions. "Did I miss something important?" she asked with a nervous smile.
"Nothing that you didn't already know about Amon from working with him those years at the STN-J," Nagira replied dryly.
"Oh?"
"There's nothing wrong, Doujima," Amon insistent tersely, still glaring at his brother.
"Of course there's nothing wrong," Nagira said with a grand sweep of his hand. "There's never anything wrong with you, is there Amon? Everything is always fine, no matter what new stupid shit you're trying to pull."
"Nagira, stop," Amon commanded sternly.
"No, you stop," Nagira returned, pointing his half-finished cigarette at his younger half-brother. "You stop getting yourself into these messes and expecting me to help you fix the problem. I'm not putting up with this if you're not going to actually acknowledge my help. In the future, you can save yourself a trip to me by not kissing Robin in the first place if you can't handle the ramifications of such actions."
Amon said nothing, staring furiously across the table at Nagira. The two brothers faced off as Doujima shifted her gaze between the two men.
"You kissed Robin?" she asked of Amon, openly incredulous at this bit of news.
"Yes, last night," Nagira answered without a glance in Doujima's direction.
"Shit! So that's what was going on with Robin this afternoon." She smacked her forehead. "I thought that Amon was just being a dick like usual." Amon broke his glare at Nagira by shifting two steely eyes to Doujima. Immediately, she became sheepish. "Well, you do have a habit of being...dickish." Doujima waved her hand in the air and shook her head to regain her train of thought. "Anyway, she told me that there was a boy at the hotel and that's why I got her all of those outfits and short skirts. If I had known what was really going on…" she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders in a helpless gesture.
Nagira inclined his head, his eyes sympathetic. "It's not your fault. You had no idea what had happened."
Doujima nodded and looked at the table. "But why didn't Robin say anything to me?" she asked dejectedly.
"She's just upset and not thinking straight," Amon said with a frown.
He ignored the angry ensuing looks and turned his glare to the menu instead. It, at least, couldn't protest at his behaviour.
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Robin glanced about the restaurant with a smile, before looking down to her nearly empty plate. She gave a contented sigh as pushed the item away. Klaus' head came up at the sound and sent a smile her way.
"Was it good?" he inquired.
"Oh, very," Robin enthused, her cheeks growing warm as she blushed.
"You eat very well for someone of your size," Klaus teased, laughing at the sheepish expression on her face. He moved his hand across the table, gently brushing his thumb against Robin's skin. "I know I've said it before, but you look stunning this evening."
"Th-thank you…again," Robin stammered as she pulled back her hand. "What did you think of the dinner?" she added quickly.
"Well, it was good, but I think I prefer authentic Italian food," he answered with a smirk. "You must feel the same."
Robin hesitated. "Yes, Italian food is generally served differently in other countries than Italy, but it was a good attempt on the part of the chef."
Klaus nodded. "It seemed a little more ornate than traditional Italian food." He glanced around for a waiter. "If the Japanese spent as much time on war tactics as they do on food preparation, they might have had a chance during the last world war." He shrugged. "I guess they're all too busy cutting carrots into little flowers."
Robin paused, her ice water stopped halfway to her mouth, and cocked her head at his words. "I'm half-Japanese," she pointed out with a frown upon her lips.
Having signaled a waiter, Klaus turned back to face her in surprise. "Really? But you're so pretty."
Before Robin could determine what to make of his words, the waiter approached their table, ready to take their order for dessert.
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The threesome decided to walk home from the restaurant rather than taking a taxi back to the hotel. They remained more or less silent as they continued, the brothers still quite angry with the other. Doujima had hoped the walk would help the men could cool off, but thus far, no such luck. The two remained distant and refused to look at the other fully.
A few blocks from their hotel, Doujima spied what looked to her a fun looking bar. After some persuasion and empty arguments, she managed to get them into the establishment and seated at the bar. It wasn't only the brothers who needed a little alcohol. With great relief, Doujima took a large swig of her drink.
"Come on you two," she said in exasperation after they had sat in silence for nearly ten minutes. "You can't still be mad at each other."
They merely glared at her in lieu of a response.
"Shunji?" she pleaded.
He shrugged. "What do you want me to do? It's Mr. Ice Man over here that is the root of this problem."
Amon snapped his head around to glare at Nagira. "You really believe this is entirely my fault? You and Robin have nothing to do with this, whatsoever?"
Nagira slammed down his glass onto the bar. He lifted his other hand to point a finger at his younger brother. "Do you want to know what your real problem is?" he asked, not answering the question. Amon stared back disinterestedly. "You need to get laid. Big time."
"With whom?" Amon answered disdainfully. "Should I just randomly ask one of these women here? I don't think that would work very well."
Nagira laughed aloud. "Are you kidding me? You are like a total chick magnet." Amon's expression became doubtful at this. "Amon, you had a fifteen year old falling all over you," Nagira added.
Seeing that Amon remained dubious at his assertion, Nagira set his drink on the counter and hopped off of the stool. He cleared his throat to get the room's attention and pointed at his brother. "Excuse me, patrons of this fine establishment. Who here would like to go home with this man?"
Immediately, the sound of female giggling and excited whispers - as well as a few hopeful male faces - filled the room. Most of the women, even those who were already sitting with their partners, looked eagerly to Amon.
"Stop it!" Amon hissed, visibly horrified at Nagira's antics. He violently yanked the hand still pointing at him, forcing Nagira to sit back down at the bar.
"Is my point made?" Nagira answered smugly.
"Can you two just stop this shit for just one night?" Doujima moaned. "One night. That's all I ask."
"It's not my fault," the brothers answered in unison, staring each other down.
Doujima rested her head on the bar counter, giving up her futile peacemaking endeavor.
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"It's a beautiful night," Robin commented, gazing up dreamily at the sky as the two walked aimlessly along the main road. Klaus looked down at her briefly before glancing upwards, following her gaze to the stars.
"Yes, although it's a little difficult to make out any constellations due to the bright city lights."
"True," Robin agreed, her eyes taking on a far away look. "Where I grew up in Italy, one could easily see all the constellations and sometimes even the Milky Way."
"Really?" Klaus responded, his interest piqued. "How long did you live in Italy?"
Cautiously, Robin glanced back to the young man. "Until I was fifteen."
"Then you came to Japan?"
"Yes," she replied carefully.
Klaus leaned against a railing. "And now you have a bodyguard?"
"You mean Amon?" He nodded, not looking at Robin, his gaze transfixed on the stars. "Amon was assigned as my guardian by my father," she explained, reciting the rehearsed lines easily. "My father isn't around much, so he wanted someone dependable to care for me."
"Hmm," Klaus replied. "I'm surprised your father didn't choose someone older for the job." He continued quickly before Robin could respond. "Would you like to see a movie?" Klaus offered hopefully.
Robin hesitated, glancing down to her watch. "It's getting late and I didn't get much sleep last night." She blushed slightly and dropped her gaze, recognizing the double meaning of her words.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at her explanation, but didn't push the matter. "Then I'll take you back to the hotel," he nodded with a smile.
Once the two had arrived at the hotel's lobby, Robin turned to Klaus with a twinkle in her eye. "Since you're staying at the floor below mine, I should walk you to your door - to make sure you get back safe," she insisted playfully.
A curious look came over Klaus's face at the suggestion. "That sounds very nice," he said slowly.
With a genuinely happy smile and her thoughts far from her guardian, Robin led Klaus to the elevator and through the various hallways to his room. He stopped at a suite, hesitating a moment after he had opened the door.
"Would you like to come inside for a bit?" he offered.
Robin's breath caught as her stomach inexplicably tightened. She peered around him into the partially opened doorway. "Not tonight," she said.
"I have an espresso machine. We can have a little bit of coffee before you leave tonight," he said with an easy smile.
Despite her misgivings about the situation, Robin's face involuntarily perked up at the idea of freshly made espresso, but she shook her head. "No, I think I need to get back to my room. Amon will start to worry if I'm gone much longer."
Klaus moved forward quickly to close the gap between them, one hand reaching out to rest upon her waist. Robin froze as his free hand reached up to caress her cheek. Klaus smiled briefly before pulling her chin up to meet his mouth. She relaxed as he kissed her, pressing against the warmth of his chest. But still, there was something different…missing. Something unlike the brief kiss she had shared with Amon the night before. Breaking off, Robin took a step backwards from Klaus.
"I'm sorry," she began as she turned away, her finger resting against her mouth, "I don't think this is going to work between us -"
A hand like a vice landed on her upper arm, spinning her around. Robin winced as the pain shot up her arm and she found herself face to face with a furious Klaus. In vain, she sought to pull away, sudden fear and panic rising in her stomach.
"What?" Klaus asked in an icy tone.
"I-I think I sh-should go back to my room now," she stammered.
"Why don't you stay?" Klaus asked menacingly, his face inches from hers.
Robin lifted her chin defiantly, meeting his glare. Still, her voice trembled. "N-no."
The hand released her arm only to reconnect with her cheekbone. Robin let out a cry as she fell backwards, her elbow painfully hitting the corridor wall. Sliding to the ground in shock, her longs legs beneath the short skirt partially coming open to reveal the pair of panties Doujima had helped pick out for her that day. She slammed her knees together as she huddled on the floor and lifted her frightened face.
"You little whore," Klaus spat furiously, his hands clenched at his side. "You must take such pleasure in being a tease."
Whore. Tease. Robin's mind reeled. Amon would never speak to you in that manner, a voice whispered.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Robin managed to choke out, a trembling hand reaching up to her cheek where Klaus had struck her.
"Look at you. Your slutty clothes and those panties," he insisted, pointing at her. "Do you act like this to make up for not getting enough of your daddy's love?" He leaned over, reaching for her again.
Robin tugged her skirt down with one hand, fighting back stinging tears. "Stop," she pleaded weakly, futilely fending of Klaus' hands.
Use you craft use your craft use your craft her mind chanted. Another part screamed back. No! He's human. I don't use my craft on humans.
"You are a tease. No wonder you have your guardian falling all over you. It's a miracle you haven't seduced him yet." A sudden look of understanding fell over Klaus' face. "Or maybe you already have," he said, yanking Robin to her feet.
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"Damn, we got off on the wrong floor." Doujima looked grumpily around. "The floors in hotels always look the same." The threesome had managed to stumble around the wrong floor for nearly five minutes before the simple realization that they had left the elevator a floor too soon had fallen upon them. "If we keep walking, there should be a staircase on the other side. Our room should be closer to those stairs than the elevator anyway."
"You think Robin will be back yet?" Nagira asked as they continued through the labyrinth of hallways.
Amon shrugged. "Maybe, but I doubt it. It's still early in the night."
"And we're already hammered," Doujima commented with a roll of her eyes.
"Maybe you are," Amon snorted. "You both had far more to drink than I this evening." He ignored the miffed expression Doujima threw over her shoulder.
"You had your fair share," she shot back petulantly.
"Worried yet?" Nagira interjected.
"About Robin? I wasn't," Amon replied tersely. "Should I be?"
It was Nagira's turn to shrug. "Beats me. I'm no father."
Amon sighed. "Neither am I."
"You two are funny," Doujima commented with a drunken giggle. The two brothers stared back dubiously as they watched her attempt to walk forward while smiling at them over her shoulder. "The stairs should be just around the corner to the right if I remember correctly." She stumbled slightly as she pointed to her left.
Being the first to round the corner, Doujima's smile froze as her eyes landed on the sight of Klaus attempting to bodily drag Robin towards the doorway of a suite. Robin fruitlessly fought back, dropping to the ground in an effort to twist away from his grasp.
"Amon!" Doujima screamed, standing rooted to the spot.
Before his name had finished passing through Doujima's mouth, Amon had already raced past her, sprinting down the hallway at an alarming pace. He reached Klaus a moment later, his fist connecting with the boy's cheek with a sickening crack. Klaus' hand at last released Robin's arm and she tumbled free to the floor, scurrying away to the side as she looked up to Amon in momentary surprise. Her guardian's hands closed around Klaus' shoulders and slammed the boy against the wall, his head bouncing off of the hard surface from the force of impact. Klaus' began to quake in fear at the deadly expression upon Amon's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Amon's fist came up again, cutting him off with another strike. Nagira and Doujima had managed to reach Amon by this point, the former struggling to pull his brother off of the frightened Klaus. Already, the boy's face was bruised and bloodied from Amon's assault.
Nagira yanked Amon back. "Stop it!" he hissed, barely managing to contain Amon within his arms.
Robin slowly pushed herself upwards against the wall until she had managed to stand, her legs shaking with the effort. She stood there a moment, silently watching the scene unfold before her in shock. She clenched trembling hands at her sides, still paralyzed by fear. Slowly, her feet began to move backwards a few paces, before she turned suddenly to flee down the hallway. Robin pushed past Doujima, managing a quick clip even in good-sized heels down the corridor and towards the elevator.
"Amon, stop!" Nagira hissed into Amon's ear. "You can't draw too much attention to yourself." At his words, Amon stopped struggling against his brother's arms. Nagira pointed a thumb over his shoulder back down the way they had come. "Robin's already gone. You should get moving if you want to find her."
Amon turned his head to the spot against the wall where he had last seen Robin, his eyes merely finding a vacant spot where she once stood. He returned his attention to Nagira who had grasped Klaus by his shirt collar and effectively pinned the boy against the wall. Amon shifted his weight, unsure of how to proceed. Nagira nodded to him.
"Go to her."
Nodding once, Amon quickly turned and sprinted down the hallway. After Amon had passed from view around a corner, Doujima and Nagira exchanged glances before turning their menacing eyes upon Klaus.
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Just as Amon rounded the last corner leading to the main entryway of the floor, he saw the elevator doors begin to close with Robin inside. He hastened his pace, struggling to reach her before the doors shut fully. Backlit by the harsh interior glow of the elevator light, Amon could barely make out her frightened face staring at him as she stabbed the inside buttons. The doors closed a moment before Amon collided with the hard metal surface. He leaned his head against the doors to collect his breath and thoughts before sprinting a few paces to the left. Yanking open the door to the stairway, Amon tore up the steps to the floor above. He opened the door of the next floor, catching sight of Robin in the distance as she turned a corner into the corridor leading to their room.
Damn, she's fast, Amon grimaced as he resumed his chase. Robin may have had a head start, but Amon was a much faster runner and he easily closed the distance. He quickened his pace as they reached their common room, nearly overtaking her, but Robin managed to reach their room first and slammed the door shut behind her. The clinking inside told him that she had also secured the chain lock.
Breathing heavily from the sprint, Amon extracted the key card from inside his coat. It hovered above the lock as he hesitated, weighing his options. Opening the door when Robin clearly did not want him to would further harm their strained relationship. He would also be unable to fully unlock the door with the security chain in place. With a sigh, Amon replaced the key and rested his hand against the doorframe. Just inside, he could detect the sounds of Robin standing a few feet away, sobbing quietly. His mouth tightened into a line as he lifted his hand to knock softly on the door. Immediately, the crying stopped.
"Robin," Amon called softly, "open the door." His ears strained to hear any sound from within. While Amon couldn't hear footsteps coming closer, she also didn't seem to be moving away either. He tried again. "Robin, please." Amon paused. "I need to make sure you're alright," he added.
Faintly, the soft sound of Robin's feet approached the door. There was a moment of silence as Amon listened tensely for the rattling of the chain and watched the door handle for movement. He nearly sighed aloud from relief as he heard the rustling inside and a final click as Robin opened the door. She only pulled the door open a fraction before hurrying back inside a few paces, turning away and clutching her arms around herself. Amon took a few cautious paces inside, watching Robin closely. The last thing he wanted to do was to spook her. Turning the deadbolt, Amon closed the door until the lock hit the doorframe, preventing the door from closing fully. Now that he had caught up to his ward, he stood awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to do as he watched her wipe a few silent tears away and sniffle loudly. After a moment, Amon took a step closer and cleared his throat.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
Robin shook her head, her hair swinging across her face. "No. Not really."
Amon dropped his hands to the side and walked closer to Robin. "Are you hurt?" He extended his hand and lifted her chin with a couple of fingers. Her head came up, but her eyes remain dropped, staring vacantly off to the side. Amon's mouth dropped open a little as he spotted the red spot on her cheek. Immediately, his brows creased and his mouth tightened. "He hit you," Amon whispered, his free hand clenching at his side. "That-" He stopped himself. There were more important things at hand, namely restoring his relationship with the person before him.
Robin bunched her eyes together, hot tears leaking from beneath her lashes and running down her cheek. Amon's stomach turned just watching her and his thumb strayed upwards to brush away the tears. He took another step forward, encircling Robin within his arms. She was stiff at first, lightly pushing against his chest to prevent direct physical contact. Amon didn't allow her to push him away, holding her tightly against his body until she finally relented and melted into him. Robin cautiously wrapped her arms around his waist and began to cry again.
A sound at the door caught Amon's attention. He turned his head to find the heads of Doujima and Nagira peering around the doorway, blinking in surprise at the scene before them. Robin had heard the door open as well, but buried her face into Amon's shirt instead of turning around to look at them.
"Is she alright?" Nagira asked lowly. Amon nodded his head in lieu of reply. "Alrighty then, we'll leave you be," Nagira announced. With that, he shoved Doujima back through the doorway. Amon heard her give a sound of indignant protest as Nagira swiftly undid the deadbolt and swung the door shut.
Taking a hold of Robin's shoulder, Amon gently pushed Robin back from his body. She didn't speak as she gazed at him questioningly while he led her by the hand to one of the beds. At his command, Robin sat down, appearing uncomfortable as she squirmed and tugged at the hem of her skirt. Bending over to the small hotel refrigerator, Amon extracted a few pieces of ice. After he quickly located a suitable towel, he folded it neatly over the ice as he walked back to the bed. Robin grimaced as Amon lifted the ice pack to her cheek, but she didn't pull away. Each attempt by him to look Robin directly in the eye was swiftly avoided on her part. At his direction, Robin took the ice pack, flinching away as their fingers brushed together. With a methodological thoroughness, Amon grasped Robin's free arm and began to search her skin.
"What are you doing?" Robin asked, obviously uncomfortable with his close scrutiny and proximity.
"Making sure you aren't seriously injured elsewhere," Amon replied without looking up.
She slid her arm from under his fingers. "I'm fine," she asserted quietly, turning away from him as she had done earlier.
"Are you sure?" Amon insisted.
"He just hit me," Robin mumbled.
Amon frowned again. "Let me see your face again." Grudgingly, yet obediently, she did as he commanded. The hand holding the towel fell limply to the bedspread as Robin tilted her head upwards to allow Amon a better view of her face. He was heartened to see her glance at him from the corner of the eye. To his surprise, however, her face flushed. Belatedly, Amon realized that he had drawn closer than was necessary to examine the mark on her cheek. He didn't move away, instead raising his fingers to caress the red spot. At length, he pulled back.
"You should be fine. It will be bruised by morning." Amon's face changed as he gazed at Robin, taking in the bright red mark and the odd clothes she wore. Both served as reminders of his mistakes between them. Without thinking, Amon lunged at Robin, pulling her back into his arms. Distantly, he heard her gasp as his arms tightened around her back. The only thing Amon had focused upon was their hearts beating together, a comforting sound to his mind.
After a few moments - and once Robin's heart had stopped racing - Amon kicked off his shoes and scooted backwards on the bed until he rested comfortably against the headboard. Confused, Robin merely stared at him. Amon didn't bother with words as guided her body until she was lying on him, her head comfortably nuzzling into his chest. He heard her sigh as his hand fell over her back. Reveling in the feel of her body atop his, Amon closed his eyes and ran his hands through her hair. Despite everything that had occurred this night, Amon felt strangely giddy and his body tingled with anticipation. Above him, Robin's heartbeat had increased again.
"Robin," he began hesitantly, interrupting their silence, "why didn't you fight back?"
"I did," she murmured into his chest.
Amon frowned. "But I've never seen you in a position like that before. You don't usually allow anyone to come so near you."
"I-I don't know." By the tone in her voice, Amon could hear that she was truly perplexed by her own inaction. "I was frightened. It was…different from when others have attacked me."
"Why didn't you use your craft?" he asked lowly, hugging her closer.
"He's human," came the muffled reply.
"And?"
Robin pushed back, her face confused. "And what?"
"Is the fact that he's human the only reason you didn't use your craft?" he asked specifically, growing increasingly perplexed by Robin's answers.
"Yes."
Amon sighed and took her face into his hands. "If anyone ever tries to hurt you again - whether that person may be witch or human - you will use your craft to defend yourself." His face was serious. "Do you understand?"
"But-"
"Do you understand, Robin?" he repeated, cutting her off before she could protest fully. "I don't want this to happen again." His thumb ran over the mark on her cheek.
A look like relief crossed Robin's face. "Yes," she whispered. Once more, Robin laid her head upon Amon's chest, her body melting into him.
Most likely due to the alcohol Amon had consumed earlier, time began to lose form and Amon drifted into sleep. His body jerked suddenly, startling Robin in the process, and his head spun to look at the clock on the nightstand. Amon found that he had apparently dozed off for a little over an hour. He deduced that Robin had also fallen asleep, judging by the bleary look in her eyes. Fortunately, Amon hadn't had too much to drink at the bar and it felt to him that most of it had already left his system. His eyes moved down to mark on her face, finding that it had already begun to discolour in the lost hour. In the pit of his stomach, Amon could feel the despair, a feeling of impotency arising both from being unable to spare her this pain and also for being the root cause of this situation.
Robin dropped her eyes and lowered her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered so lowly, Amon could barely hear her.
He creased his eyebrows in confusion. "For what?" He shifted Robin so that he could free a hand to touch her cheek. She winced at his touch.
"You...look so," she dropped her gaze, "um, I think you look upset with me."
Amon's eyes softened. "I'm not upset with you Robin. Far from it." He sighed aloud. "I'm just upset with myself for putting you into this position." Robin didn't say anything, but she met his gaze fully this time, her eyes taking on a hopeful look. "I don't want anyone else to touch you again." His other hand lifted to her cheek. With Robins' face cupped in his hands, Amon stared seriously into her eyes. The expression on her face changed slowly as she seemed to grasp the thoughts circling within Amon's head. Robin's hands pushed against his chest as she moved upwards to get into a better position to look evenly into his face. As she readjusted herself, her knee slipped on the bedspread and she fell to press pleasurably against the lower portion of his body. Amon's eyes strayed from Robin's face down to the legs straddling his body. The pent up and forbidden desires from within struggled to surface.
"Is something wrong?" Robin whispered.
Amon's eyes returned to hers. He could read both the wanting and worry in her eyes, of the fear that she would push him too far and he would reject her. Amon wanted to tell her that nothing was wrong. Everything was fine, in fact more than fine. The girl – woman – he wanted was right on top of him, pressing her body against all the right places to make him feel very good.
But nothing came. Though Amon may have wanted nothing more to take what had been his for nearly two years (as he had recently come to understand) there was Robin's emotional well-being to consider. She had nearly been sexually assaulted a mere hour earlier. He suspected that it was hardly a good idea to move their relationship forward too quickly after such trauma. However, it didn't help his conundrum the way she looked up at him, biting her lip in her unassuming yet tempting way. Robin began to stiffen when Amon still didn't respond.
"A-Amon?" Her face was full of fear as she scrambled away. His hands came up quickly, grasping her forearms before she could fully leave. Amon shook his head.
"It's not what you think. I don't know how to comfort you or how to rectify the situation." He closed his eyes, head resting against the headboard. "The only thing I can think of to do is make love to you, but that's not what you need now." Amon grimaced, unsure of why he had blurted out that, of all things.
"What?" Amon hazarded a glance at Robin, finding her more than a little surprised and caught off guard at his frank admittance. She leaned forward until her face was dangerously close to his. "Is that really how you feel, Amon?" she whispered.
His breath caught, heart racing as Robin lifted her small hands to caress his face with soft fingers. Amon could do nothing but stare at her, frozen as he was by the sudden change in mood. With a simple admittance on his part, Robin had managed to take complete control, effectively pinning him beneath her only by her touch. Part of Amon's brain excitedly wondered what she would do next as she regarded him coolly. Before the thought had completed, Robin closed the small distance between them, her mouth capturing his for their second kiss. Amon let her take full control, not wanting to interfere – or even move – lest he ruin their moment. She slipped her tongue between his lips seeking his. Amon supposed it had grown obvious to even Robin that he wanted her, considering their close proximity. Lifting his hands, he grasped her arms tightly. She broke off the kiss, looking apprehensive at first, then relaxing as she caught the expression on his face.
"Not so fast," he whispered.
"Oh?" she replied, struggling not to sound as breathless as she obviously felt.
"Yes, you need to slow down a bit." He gazed seriously at her. "Are you sure this is what you want and not simply a knee-jerk reaction to tonight?"
"I'm sure. I knew the moment he kissed me that I didn't want to be with anyone else."
Amon froze. "He kissed you?" he growled.
"Yes." Robin dropped her eyes.
His grip on her arms tightened. "Did he force you?"
Robin shook her head.
"I see." His voice grew lower as his hands slipped over Robin's back and slid downwards until his fingers connected with the skirt's zipper. "And you're sure this is what you want?"
Her lower lip trembled slightly as she nodded to him.
"This skirt doesn't suit you very well," Amon said, his fingers deftly pulling down the zipper. God help him, he couldn't keep the mischievous glint out of his eye. Robin's face flushed as Amon pushed the skirt over her hips. His hands managed to tug the skirt about halfway down her incredibly smooth legs before Robin took over and kicked it off the rest of the way. Her flush increased as Amon's hands traced up her legs and over her bottom. He paused, then one hand came up to finger a button on the front of her shirt.
"This shirt isn't really your style either." With that said, Amon began to quickly undo the buttons. Checking first to make sure Robin had another garment beneath, Amon pushed the shirt over her shoulders and tossed the article to the floor beside the bed. He stared at her breasts a moment, his hands hovering just above the lacy fabric, heart racing in his chest. Robin inhaled sharply as his hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs caressing the skin above her bra. His arms came up then and encircled her, pulling her body hard against him. As a loud moan escaped Robin's lips, Amon instinctively pushed upwards, the sound nearly driving him mad. He swiftly rolled Robin over and pinned her beneath him, hungrily moving forward to plant kisses on her chest and neck before she could protest. Amon moved beneath her breasts, his mouth traveling over her stomach. A sudden hand on his arm stopped his lips and he raised his head to give her a questioning gaze. She frowned at him, biting her lip.
"Is there something wrong with what I was wearing?" A depressive look had changed her face. "Did I look like a whore?"
Amon sat back on his heels, pulling Robin with him. "You look beautiful, Robin. You look like a woman."
At his words, she turned hopeful. "Doujima told me that she wouldn't buy me anything that you would disapprove of, so I didn't think so, but..." She trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence.
"She did?" Amon asked, caught off guard slightly by Doujima's rare show of considerateness. Of course, right now Robin was in clothing that had not been meant to be viewed in his eyes. Robin nodded.
His hungry gaze traveled over her body. Amused, he noted that Robin had not yet removed her high-heeled shoes. Amon's eyes returned north to the tattoo of the oroborus on her arm. Thoughts returning to the girl on the bed, he leaned forward to guide her hands to the buttons on his shirt. She was unable to mask the trembling in her hands as she clumsily unbuttoned the shirt. Amon nearly lost his patience as she fumbled, but with great relief, she undid the last button, her hands lazily drifting over his chest and pausing at his shoulders before pushing it off. Amon didn't bother asking for help as he hurriedly removed his undershirt with one hand. He reached out for Robin, pulling her against his body tightly and reveling in the feel of her skin against his.
"Am I a tease?" she asked slowly.
"No," Amon replied, exhaling in frustration. He took her chin with one hand. "There is nothing wrong with you, Robin," he said firmly. "There is only something wrong with that boy."
Robin bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "I think this was my fault, though."
"And why do you think that?"
"I offered to walk him to his room." She dropped her head and stared at his bare chest. "I was just having fun with him. I didn't mean for it to turn out like this..." her voice broke and she trailed off.
Amon took her into his arms as the tears began to fall again. "Going to his room alone probably wasn't the best idea, but Robin, if I had thought this guy would have done something like this to you, I never would have agreed to let you go by yourself."
That seemed to comfort Robin and the tears stopped. The contentment was obvious in Robin's sigh as she snuggled into him. That the night was just getting started made Amon's head spin. It had been far too many years since he had felt this way about a woman.
"I don't want anyone else to touch me again," Robin said, cutting through Amon's thoughts. "Even if I have to wait, I only want it to be you who touches me."
Amon's hands trailed over her back, wondering with a pang if she was could really be so naïve. Damn convent training to make this moment so difficult. "I don't think you'll be waiting for much longer, Robin," he commented sardonically.
The look of assuredness was so strong in her eyes when she tilted back her head that it caught Amon off guard. Arms still wrapped tightly around her waist, he bent down to kiss her. This time, he didn't stop Robin as her tongue connected with his. He allowed her to explore the kiss, letting her control the pace at times while at others, he took over.
Resting his hands on both sides of her head, he paused, breathing heavily as he stared down at her. A bead of sweat collected on his cheek and plopped quietly onto the bed. Growing impatient with Amon's gazing, Robin reached her hands upwards. They pushed along his chest and over his face before pulling his head down to meet her mouth. Amon came willingly, his fingers roving over her skin, desperately wanting to know her body. His hands trembled with excitement, the moment he had desired these past years so close at hand. Before he could bother asking Robin is she was ready, she had resumed control, hands and mouth eagerly pulling him down to her. The intensity of her actions caught Amon off guard, but he barely had time to acknowledge such thoughts.
As the night progressed, time no longer held meaning for Amon. Nothing that had plagued him about their relationship mattered anymore. There was the ever-familiar sensation of guilt as he searched her expression for signs of regret, but her face remained relaxed and content. Belatedly, Amon realized he hadn't turned off the light beside the bed. Not that he minded. The lamp bathed Robin in a light that was pleasant and warm. He must have hurt her somewhat, considering his crushing grip around her body, but Robin didn't protest. All of the hell the two had been through over the years was safely buried in the past as their old relationship swiftly concluded and a new, altogether different, one began.
Lifting his head away from beside her face, Amon found Robin smiling sweetly up at him. Looking at her now, Amon couldn't remember why he had kept himself from her for so long. Deciding not to release Robin from his grasp just yet, Amon rolled them over in the bed until they were both lying on their sides.
"Do you want to take a shower?" Amon asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.
Robin rubbed her forehead against his chin affectionately. "No, I just want to stay here with you, like this."
"Alright, that's fine," Amon responded, his arms tightening protectively around her body.
She gave a contented sigh. "You're not going to leave in the middle of the night, are you?"
The hand trailing over Robin's back stilled, feeling despicable to make her worry so. Amon gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Of course not," he whispered into her hair. "I won't ever leave you."
Robin lay still for a moment, leaving Amon to assume she had fallen asleep. He was thus startled when she pushed from his chest and stared seriously into his face. Amon waited patiently for Robin to speak, but she still hesitated. She suddenly looked unsure of herself and apprehensive. He lifted a hand to her cheek.
"It's alright, Robin," he said lowly. "You can say it."
"I love you, Amon," she whispered, a tear leaking from her eye.
Amon gave her a small and reassuring smile as he lightly brushed away the tear. He moved forward to kiss her gently. "I love you, too."
Robin collapsed against Amon's chest, sniffling a few times, then slowly relaxed in his arms. Amon smiled slightly as the sound of Robin's light snoring reached his ears. Feeling more relaxed and at ease than he had in years, Amon quickly joined Robin in sleep.
----------
The familiar and reassuring sound of a repetitive thudding reached through Robin's dreams and withdrew her from sleep. Slowly, her eyes opened. She blinked a bit, feeling out of sorts at first. Directly in her line of sight was Amon's bare chest. Robin raised her head slightly to look around the room, noticing that the lamp on the bedside table was still lit. Realizing that was what had awoken her, she snuggled back into Amon's arms. Still deep in sleep, Amon shifted his leg and tightened his grip on her body. Experimentally, Robin raised her hand to run along Amon's arm. When he didn't stir, she reached up her hand to stroke his face.
Biting her lip, Robin blushed, thinking about the experience they had shared a few hours earlier. Part of her wondered how much their relationship would change from this day forward. At least Amon had kept his word and not left in the middle of the night out of guilt. Admittedly, Robin had feared that she would awaken to find herself alone in bed. Despite his reassurances, he was Amon and that fact alone carried with it a lot of baggage.
Sensing that she would not return to sleep any time soon, Robin slowly climbed out from under Amon's arms, being cautious not to wake him. It was not that she wasn't ready to face him yet, but rather that she wanted a bath and preferred bathing alone. Robin paused as she perched on the edge of the bed, studying Amon's bare chest. During their time together, she had only seen him completely without a shirt twice - this night and that of the tattoo. Her eyes traveled over Amon's skin, taking in the many scars dotting his chest. It shouldn't have surprised her, considering how much combat experience he had with Solomon; not to mention that in time Robin had known him, Amon had been shot twice on her behalf. Still, her gaze lingered until Amon startled her by suddenly rolling onto his chest.
As quickly and quietly as she could manage, Robin made her way to the bathroom. She squinted at the harsh fluorescent lighting assaulting her eyes, before stepping into the cold bathtub. Glancing down to herself, Robin frowned at the dried blood on the inside of her thighs. Stepping back out of the bathtub, she moved towards the stand-alone shower instead. Robin turned the water on, pulling the single knob to the near hottest setting, then hopped out quickly before the frigid water could hit her. Gingerly, she held out her hand, waiting for the water to heat up before stepping back inside. Amon's shower supplies still lined the shelf within the shower from the morning before. Deciding that she didn't want to leave the warm sanctuary of steam and water just to collect her things, Robin opened a bottle of Amon's shower gel, inhaling the familiar scent before squeezing a bit on a washcloth. She had always assumed Amon to be a bar soap sort of man, but when she had mentioned this once to him, Amon had merely replied that bar soap didn't travel as well as bottled soap. Whether this indicated that he normally used bar soap, of this she was still unsure.
After Robin had finished with the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped delicately onto the bath mat. Now that she was all nice and clean, she could enjoy a relaxing bath. It may have seemed like an odd practice to others, but Robin thought of bath soaking as something meant to be enjoyed and lingered in as long as possible. Amon certainly didn't feel the same, given the occasional frown she caught him sending her way when she had taken too long of a bath for his liking.
Robin exhaled and she sunk under the water, the sounds of the water sploshing against the sides of the bathtub resounding oddly in her ears. She held her breath as long as she could before surfacing. Scooching upwards slightly, Robin rested her head against the edge of the bathtub and let her thoughts wander. She had nearly fallen asleep again when a rustling outside the bathroom made her pulse quicken. Bolting upright, Robin clasped her knees to the chest as she watched the knob of the bathroom door turn. She shivered in the cold bathroom air.
Amon poked his head inside the door, only part of his bare chest visible and looked questioningly to her. "Are you alright?" Robin was surprised at the concern in his voice. It occurred to her that Amon was most likely worried that she might have regretted their night together.
She smiled to reassure him. "I'm fine."
He nodded, looking relieved. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"No, I don't mind," Robin replied, knowing that her face had turned beet red at the thought of sharing her bath with a naked man. Her eyes widened then were quickly averted when she realized Amon hadn't bothered to clothe himself before checking on her. Robin furiously tried to brush away her embarrassment and act unaffected. This was not how she needed to behave to prove Amon that she was mature enough to handle a relationship with him and not some inexperienced, little Catholic girl. Still, Robin couldn't stop herself from pulling her legs further into her chest and nearly burying her face into her knees. Amon didn't comment on her odd behaviour when he slipped into the warm water behind her. Instead, he placed his large hands around her hips, pulling her onto his lap as he rested his head against the wall behind the bathtub.
"Couldn't sleep?" Amon asked, his amusement of her plain in his voice.
"The light woke me up," Robin explained, managing to keep voice somewhat neutral.
"I see," he responded, pushing aside her hair to nuzzle her neck. Robin bit her lip hard not to squeal, but she supposed the gooseflesh that had broken out over her body gave her away. Amon's hands paused. "How do you feel?"
"Um, fine."
"Do you hurt?" Amon prodded cautiously.
Robin scooted about a bit. "A little, but not much."
"Is there anything on your mind?" he asked after an awkward moment of silence.
"What are we going to do now that we're...together?" Robin blurted out, reddening further. "Are we going to order only one bed at hotels from now on?"
Gentle hands turned her around to face him. Amon watched her carefully. "Is that really what you're thinking about?"
Robin ducked her head slightly. "Yes," she responded slowly, her eyes moving to the side and away from his face. Amon extended a finger and pulled her chin back. Robin looked up to him, finding an amused expression. "Is there something wrong asking these questions?"
"No, not wrong." Amon's face took on a devious look. "It's just not exactly what I was thinking of at this particular moment."
"Wh-what are you thinking about?"
Amon appeared ready to laugh out loud at her naïveté and Robin nearly fled the bathroom from humiliation. He pulled her closer before she had a chance to escape. "I was thinking about you and me," he began slowly. As Robin tensed in his arms, Amon's face suddenly sobered. "Unless you don't want to…" he trailed off, one finger tracing down the discoloured bruise on her cheek.
"It's not that," Robin hurried to assure. "It's just-" she broke off, unsure of how to explain her discomfort.
"I understand," Amon broke into her jumbled thoughts. "It is often very difficult for two people to make the transition into a romantic relationship."
Robin relaxed in his arms and leaned forward to lay her head on Amon's chest. She closed her eyes as his arms came around her shoulders. Beneath her ear, Robin could once again hear the comforting beat of Amon's heart. Another small sigh escaped her lips. Impulsively, she sat up and kissed Amon fully on the mouth, startling him.
"You have so many scars," she murmured, running a finger down a particular nasty looking wound on his shoulder.
"That was from when Zaizan shot me with the orbo gun," Amon replied, barely looking down to the spot she had indicated.
"You were shot for me," Robin commented.
Closing his eyes, Amon exhaled and leaned back fully. "Yes."
"Amon?" Robin hesitated, heart racing at the thought of the answer for her question. "Did you always have feelings for me? Or did they come later - after we left Solomon?"
His eyes opened slowly, but his head remained tilted to the side, staring at the wall of the bathtub. At first, Robin assumed he would skirt the question as he often did inquiries that proved too personal. After a few moments of silence, she began to think he would not answer at all.
"Yes."
Confused, Robin searched his face. "Yes, what?"
Amon turned to face her fully. "Yes. I always had feelings for you."
Robin stared at him, completely shocked by both the revelation and Amon's blatant honesty. "You did?"
He nodded slowly, then let his head fall back to the side to study the bathtub tiles. "I think I felt something the first time I laid eyes on you." He gave a half smile. "It would be easy to call you a temptress."
"You think I'm a temptress?" Robin repeated curiously.
This time, Amon smiled all the way. "Sometimes I think so." He sat up suddenly and Robin was pushed onto her heels. "However, I don't think convent raised girls are qualified to be true Lolitas." Amon paused, watching her in interest. "Did you really plan on becoming a nun?"
"Well," Robin stammered, "I mean, I thought so at one point, but I was fairly young at the time…"
"And what about now?" Amon quirked an eyebrow, unable to keep the amusement off of his face.
"How can you ask me that sort of question?" she asked in exasperation.
Amon merely smiled at her as he pulled her close and kissed her long and hard. Robin melted at his touch, thoroughly glad she had not remained at her childhood convent home in Tuscany. She had the suspicion that she would have been a bad nun indeed.
---------
In the morning, it was Amon's turn to rouse first, though this was hardly unusual since it was usually he who awakened first. Amon found Robin comfortably tucked under his arm, their bodies tangled beneath the sheet. This morning, unlike the other days of the past few years, was not accompanied by the usual guilt and paranoia. In fact, Amon felt very good. He hadn't felt this good in years…or this worn out. For someone who appeared so sweet and innocent, Robin could be very demanding. Amon couldn't help wishing for the next encounter when he would be able to teach her more about the forbidden fruit. He stood at the side of the bed watching her sleep until he finally tore his eyes away and headed for the shower.
Part of him was still in shock, Amon realized as he groped for his shower gel. He frowned when his fingers met nothing but air and squinted to the ledge. Looking around, he located the container in an altogether different spot than he usually placed it. His mind went to Robin. He smiled, remembering that as he held her in the bathtub she had smelled faintly like him. At the time, he had brushed it off as being due to their close contact from the time before and not from the simple fact she had just used his showering items.
Amon thought back to his old life under Solomon's grasp. When was the last time he had actually lived with someone as lovers? The sad truth was that it had never been. In fact, the closest he had ever come to living with anyone in that manner was with Robin after they had fled Solomon's control. Amon hadn't really lived with Touko, even though at one time he had suspected that she would have been his eventual wife. There were a few nights here and there when he had slept over, but nothing more. He felt a pang at the thought of his ex-lover. Touko was someone Amon didn't like to think of much. He had never learned what had become of her after he had left. But his thoughts had been far from Touko since the day Robin was assigned to him as a partner. Amon sighed, knowing there was little he could do for Touko at this point. Further, thinking such thoughts could pose problems for an already insecure Robin. It was ironic to Amon that Robin so often turned to him for physical protection, considering her power so outweighed his own. Sure, he was physically stronger than she, but that mattered little given how much raw power she possessed in her craft. Over the years, Amon had grown less frightened of her power, but there were still times it took his breath away to see the strength of her elemental fire. In the end, Robin was his protector, not the other way around.
A knock on the door interrupted Amon's thoughts and he startled slightly at the sound. He finished buttoning his shirt, then left the bathroom. Cautiously, Amon checked the peephole and frowned when he didn't see anyone. Despite his misgivings, he opened the door.
"Hi there!" Nagira's irritatingly cheerful voice called to him. "And how are you doing this fine morning?"
Amon's stomach dropped at the sight of his nosy brother on the other side of the door. He rested his arm against the doorframe in an attempt to block Nagira from entering the room. "Fine," he answered in his usual condescending tone.
Nagira held up a bag to Amon's eye level. "Yurika wanted me to give this stuff to Robin this morning." His face sobered slightly, beneath the grin. "Oh, and I have something to tell you, too."
"Robin's asleep right now," Amon said pointedly, hoping that his brother would get the hint and leave.
"That's alright," Nagira responded with a bewildered expression, trying to push back Amon. "I'll just leave it beside her bed."
"I don't think it's a good idea to disturb her after what happened last night." He gritted his teeth, hoping Nagira wouldn't get the double entendre. Fortunately, for Amon, he didn't notice that anything was amiss. Unfortunately, it didn't stop Nagira from pushing his way fully into the room.
"Don't worry, I'll be quiet," Nagira said with a wink.
Sighing, Amon leaned against the wall and dropped his head, waiting for the inevitable. A moment later, Nagira reappeared, sans bag, with an odd expression. He studied Amon closely a moment before speaking.
"Are you aware that there is a naked Robin in your bed?" Amon merely nodded his head once. "Oh good. I just thought you should know."
Before Amon could think of a suitable explanation, Nagira grabbed his arm and yanked him through the room's door. The older brother led the two down the hall until they reached a large window overlooking the grounds below. Amon decided it would be best to remain silent. Nagira lifted a hand to his forehead.
"I can't believe this," Nagira began, a gigantic grin on his face. He shook his head. "I can't believe it. You two…actually…"
"You were the one who encouraged me," Amon shot back defensively.
Nagira looked to Amon, the grin still in place. "That's true, I did. However, I think it got to the point where it didn't seem like it would happen anymore." He looked out the window, studying the sunrise. "I'm reckoning by the fact that you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night with some sort of bitching about what a horrible person you are for defiling an innocent girl that it was a good night."
Amon struggled to hide a satisfied smile as he stared out the window. From the corner of his eye, Amon could see Nagira turn halfway to study him closely. He decided that his silence was answer enough.
"Well, aren't you the pervert," Nagira commented with a sardonic smile. "You must have worn her out last night for her to still be asleep at this hour."
"Doubtful. Robin usually sleeps in." Amon snapped his head sharply to the side. "And again, I will remind you that it was yourself who encouraged me to become involved with Robin."
Nagira smirked. "It doesn't change the fact that you're sleeping with a seventeen year old."
For once, Amon did not let his brother's teasing affect him. "I suppose you're right," he said airily, turning his attention back onto the rising sun.
He could feel Nagira's intense stare at the side of his face. "If I knew you were going to act like this after getting laid, I would have encouraged you to sleep with Robin years ago."
"I think a few years ago would have been pushing it."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Nagira crossed his arms. "Anyway, back to the reason I'm here." Amon tilted his head towards Nagira and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "First of all, Yurika and I contacted the hotel manager and got Klaus kicked out last night." Nagira dropped his head and sighed. "It's too bad with the situation you two are in that we couldn't press charges. Of course, he's a foreigner and I'm not sure what exactly would have happened to him legally. But anyway, Yurika and I roughed him up a bit before we took him to the hotel manager. The kid was scared out of his mind. Probably thought we were Yakuza." Nagira chuckled.
"I think that will be more than enough for Robin," Amon assured. "She understands the limitations of our situation."
Nagira nodded. "Now, the other thing I want to say." Amon's attention caught at the sudden shift in Nagira's tone. "There's a surprise that I want the two of you to be present for, so you and Robin have exactly ten minutes from when I drop you back off at your room until you have to be at our room. Got that? It means no funny business." Amon looked incredulously at Nagira, as the older brother began to lead them back to the room. "If you two aren't at our door in exactly ten minutes, we're going to haul you out manually."
"You're serious," Amon stated, still in disbelief.
Nagira nodded once emphatically. "Yes. We're all going to have a very nice meal at a restaurant Yurika has wanted to go to for awhile and they won't be open for breakfast much longer." Amon looked up to the door, then back to Nagira. "Ten minutes," Nagira repeated.
Slightly irritated at the change in his morning plans, Amon grumbled as he headed into the room. He stopped suddenly when he found Robin sitting upright in bed, rubbing at her eyes. Relief flooded her face as her eyes fell upon him.
"Good morning, Amon," she said, stifling a yawn. "I didn't know where you were."
"I was just in the hall for a few minutes," he replied, trying to decide how to tell her about the new deadline.
"I had this odd dream that Nagira came into our room," she commented.
"He did."
Robin stopped, mid-stretch, her eyes riveting to him. "What?" she asked blankly.
"Nagira stopped by." Amon pointed to the side of the bed. Her gaze followed his hand, fingers clutching the sheet closer to her body. "He came to drop off that bag. He said Doujima wanted to give it to you."
Her eyes slowly returned to him, her body self-consciously shrinking beneath the blanket. "He saw me like this?" she whispered, green eyes growing large.
"Well, yes," Amon admitted. "I tried to stop him from entering the room, but he was rather insistent," he added as an afterthought. Robin covered her face with her hands, moaning. "It's alright, Robin," Amon assured, coming to her side. "He was going to find out one way or another. Anyway, we have ten minutes to get ready." Robin peeked out from between her hands, looking quizzically at him. Amon hung his head. "It's more explanation than we have time for, so just hurry."
On cue, Robin began to move, suppressing her embarrassment as she headed for the bathroom completely unclothed. Amon appreciatively watched her go, then ran a hand over his face, deciding there was still time for a shave. He entered the bathroom, finding Robin already in the tub and shampooing her hair.
"Robin?" he began slowly as he rummaged through his shaving kit. "Did you use my shower gel last night?"
Her hands paused as she stared at him. "Um, yes. Was that wrong of me?"
"Of course not," Amon replied with a shake of his head. "I was only curious."
"Oh," she replied. "I used what I found in the shower."
"Just so you know, Nagira and Doujima had Klaus kicked of the hotel last night. Given our situation, we aren't able to press charges," he added apologetically.
"It's alright," Robin assured. "I know that we are limited by our status."
Amon leaned forward as he carefully drew the razor down his neck. "You don't have to worry about him anyway," he continued. "If he ever comes near you again, I will kill him myself."
Robin hands paused in midair as she stared at him with eyes as wide as saucers. "Are you serious?" she asked with awe.
His eyes drifted to hers in the mirror. "Of course I am."
"I think that's a little excessive," she said flatly.
"I don't."
In the mirror, Amon thought he caught a small smile on Robin's face. Amon turned fully as he heard a particular noise to discover Robin completely submerged under the water. He watched her, transfixed by the sight, the hand holding the razor paused in midair. Amon felt himself become distracted from the task at hand as she shimmied about under the water, amazed she could hold her breath for so long. Eventually Robin came up for air, wiping the water from her eyes. She stopped, her face like a deer caught in the headlights when she noticed that he was watching her. It occurred to Amon that he had lived with her for years and didn't know anything about how she bathed. On the other hand, Robin had been unaware of the numerous scars over his body. He wondered what other secrets he had yet to learn of his new young lover and vice versa.
"Is this your usual morning bathing routine?"
"Yes," she replied hesitantly, her eyes inquisitive. She reached out to take a washcloth resting on the edge of the bathtub. Amon bit back the urge to help her soap up and instead turned back to shaving his face.
"It's very intriguing," he said, looking at her in the mirror.
"It is?" she asked doubtfully.
"It is if you're a man," he commented drolly.
"I see," Robin replied, standing up in the tub. Before she had managed to completely wrap a towel around her body, Amon had enough time to take a glance down her firm body.
"You bathed fast," Amon commented.
"I usually do."
"Then why do you usually take so long?" Amon snorted.
"I'm soaking during that time," Robin corrected. He looked at her reflection blankly in the mirror as she turned to leave the bathroom. She reappeared a few moments later fully dressed in her usual long skirt and long sleeved shirt. His eyes traveled down the length of her body once before returning to her face. Clearly uncomfortable, Robin tugged on the edges of her sleeves. "This covers the bruises on my arms," she explained. "I'll start wearing something with shorter sleeves after they're gone."
Amon rinsed his face and reached for a towel. When he had finished patting dry his face, he reached out a reassuring hand to Robin's shoulder. "You look fine as you are," he stated with a warm smile. The doubt began to disappear from her eyes at his words. He pulled Robin close, kissing her while simultaneously cursing his brother for interrupting his morning plans for her. With much regret, Amon pushed her back. "We need to get going. Are you ready?"
Robin's eyes widened as she frantically rushed towards the bathroom. "Wait, I still need to put on a little makeup," she protested. She pawed through a bag on the counter, overturning another bag holding her toiletries. Hurriedly, Robin began scooping the spilled items back inside, but not before one item in particular caught his eye.
"What is this?" he asked of her, quirking an eyebrow in amusement as he held up a pair of familiar looking glasses. "You told me you had gotten rid of these since you don't need them anymore to use your craft."
Reddening, Robin reached forward and snatched the glasses from his hand, shoving them back into the bag. "I have my reasons," she said without looking at Amon. He only smiled at her knowingly as she reddened further and reached for a lip-gloss.
Exactly ten minutes later, the two knocked upon the door of Nagira and Doujima's room. Amon wasn't surprised to see that the room was already a mess. With a bit of annoyance, Amon noted that Doujima looked particularly excited to see them and steeled himself for the inevitable.
"Good morning, Robin!" she squealed, enveloping the girl in a large hug. "Did you get the bag Shunji gave you this morning?" Robin nodded. "Good." Doujima giggled like a schoolgirl. "So, how was your night?" she asked, conversationally. At this, Robin turned completely beet red.
"Doujima," Amon and Nagira said sternly in unison.
"What?" she replied innocently.
"Oh, Robin," Nagira called suddenly. "Before we head out to get some breakfast, I need to give you something." Robin stared at him blankly for a moment as he rummaged through his suitcase. He held out a manila envelope. "With all of the excitement that's happened since I've seen you, I neglected to give you the information on the microfilm." Nagira looked at Robin in bewilderment as she recoiled from the envelope. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head violently. "I don't want to know what's on it."
Nagira stared back dumbly. "Why not?"
"Do you know what it contains?" Amon interjected, looking at Nagira.
"Of course not. This is only for Robin." He looked indignant at the insinuation.
Amon took Robin's face into his hands and looked at her seriously. "You need to know what's on that piece of microfilm. Whatever it says will not change anything between us."
"But-"
He shook his head, cutting off her protest. "Nothing will change. The information may even be of great use to you."
Amon reached over and took the envelope from Nagira, then pressed it into Robin's hand. She stared at it a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. With the envelope in hand, she made her way over to the nearest bed and sat down. Hands shaking, she extracted the unrolled microfilm and the transcribed information. Robin squinted at the microfilm, then laid it carefully upon the bed. Taking a deep breath, she lifted up the paper to eye level and began to read. Her face froze a second as the trio exchanged looks in the ensuing silence. Tears began to well in Robin's eyes as she skimmed the words again and buried her face in her hands. Concerned, Amon sat down beside her and took Robin into his arms, fearing the worse. He reached up to extract the crumpled paper from her hand. The right hand side was transcribed in Italian while the left had been translated into Japanese. Immediately, Amon could see that the microfilm held not highly secretive information, but rather something entirely different.
My Dearest Robin,
If you are reading this message, then I am at peace knowing that my pendant is safe with you and that you are able to read my final thoughts. This pendant was the only gift that I thought was fitting to serve as a reminder of me. As you must have discovered by now, it also helps protect you from those who desire to harm you.
It is my wish that you will become a beacon of light to unite the humans and witches in what often seems to be their eternal struggle for power, a source of hope for the future. You are so much more than a womb to generate future witches and restore our broken line. Your purpose is far greater than this. Your power extends beyond a craft or perfect genetic information. It will be your love and spirit that will most influence those around you. As I write this letter, you as an unborn child have already deeply affected your grandfather. I know he will help raise you in my place with kindness and love in his heart.
Robin, I hope you are one day able to understand why I gave my life to birth you. It is a great sacrifice which comes too soon for either one of us. My single regret is that I will never see you grow up, but I believe it will be a worthwhile sacrifice for the good of God's children. I only desire that you will find a man who brings as much joy and love to your life as your father did mine. In the end, true love is one of the greatest gifts God has given us and I want you to experience this joy first-hand.
Remember, what you choose to do with your life is up to you alone and I know you will make the right decisions.
I love you very much,
Your mother
Swallowing hard, Amon handed the note to Nagira. Doujima clutched his arm, her eyes peering over his shoulder to read the letter. She wiped a tear away after she had finished reading the message. Nagira picked up the microfilm and placed it along with the letter inside the envelope. He sat down on the other side of Robin, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"See Robin?" Nagira began with a warm smile. "You have nothing to worry about. We'll always be at your side."
Robin lifted her tear-stained face from Amon's chest, delicately dabbing at her cheeks. Amon's thumb came up to help brush away some of the tears. Doujima knelt down in front of Robin on the floor, looking up seriously.
"I feel very bad about what happened yesterday," she began earnestly. "I want to make it up to you by taking you out again, but this time going to places that are more Robin-friendly, alright?" Doujima looked hopefully at Robin. The younger girl managed to smile and nod her head.
"Should we have breakfast now?" Amon interjected. He cleared his throat. "We should leave soon to get to the restaurant in time."
"Jeez, Robin, what did you do to Amon?" Nagira asked incredulously. "He's like an entirely different person. Being so thoughtful and considerate and whatnot."
Robin blushed slightly and she stood up. Amon put his arm protectively around her, giving her small shoulders a squeeze before letting her go again. She paused as they reached the door, the group looking to her questioningly. Self-consciously, Robin placed a hand on her cheek to cover the mark.
"It's very noticeable," she said uncomfortably.
"Oh, I can take care of that easily," Doujima commented in a snappy tone. "Do you have any concealer or powder?"
Robin fumbled through her purse, pulling out a small makeup bag. Before she had partially managed to unzip the bag, Doujima had already snatched it from her hands and busied herself sorting through the contents. In a matter of minutes, Doujima had expertly painted over the bruise as well she could and applied a generous coating of powder to Robin's face to blend the work.
"There isn't any way to get rid of a mark this dark, but this should at least cut down on the staring." Doujima pushed Robin over to the mirror hanging above the low dresser, looking quite pleased with her handiwork. Robin nodded approvingly.
"It does look much better," she said, reaching up a hand to her cheek. Doujima roughly swatted it away.
"Don't touch it!" she exclaimed. Robin stared back in surprise. "You will rub it off if you touch it," Doujima explained in a calmer tone.
"Are we ready to go now?" Nagira asked impatiently, still standing by the room's exit.
"I think so," Doujima replied. Robin nodded and slung her purse over her shoulder.
"Good, I'm starving," Nagira said as he yanked open the door.
As the group waited downstairs in the main lobby for a taxi, Amon spotted a familiar face. He quietly slipped away from Robin's side and walked to the other side of the lobby. A woman surrounded by luggage glanced up at him.
"You look much happier this morning than the last time we met," Janet commented, studying his face. She was smiling, but there was a sadness to her eyes. Her glance traveled to Robin, standing in the distance. "She looks happier as well."
Amon's eyes slid to Robin as well, but didn't comment. He glanced down to the numerous suitcases at Janet's feet. "Are you leaving Japan?"
She nodded. "Yes." There was an awkward moment, then Janet smiled sadly again. "You should get back to your group there before they leave without you." Amon had begun to walk away, before Janet spoke again. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for."
Amon paused and tossed a questioning look over his shoulder, then quietly returned to the other three. Robin glanced up to him as he stepped to her side, her green eyes suddenly distrustful as she realized he had been away. Doujima and Nagira had begun to argue amongst themselves, each talking over the other.
"Where did you go?" she asked warily. Her eyes widened when she saw Janet sitting in the other side of the hotel lobby. Amon waited until her face snapped back to him.
"Nowhere important."
His words seemed to reassure Robin and she smiled at him as their taxi pulled up to the curb outside the hotel. Doujima and Nagira managed to stop arguing long enough to tell the driver where the restaurant was located before returning to their dispute. Suddenly relaxed, Robin attempted to hide her laughter with a delicate hand, but failed, buried her face into his coat sleeve.
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"...and I will take the fruit bowl," Doujima concluded as she primly handed her menu to the waiter.
Nagira whistled as the young man walked away. "You are one expensive woman to feed," he grumbled.
"Hmpf." Doujima returned indignantly. Before long, a smile began to crack through her grumpy façade. "Don't we have something to discuss?" she said pointedly to Nagira. Suddenly, she didn't appear her usual cheerful self that she had been a moment ago. In fact, there was a very serious look in her eye.
"Ah, yes," Nagira agreed, interlacing his fingers on the table. He gazed between the two new lovers across the table. "Amon, Robin, we have some news for you."
"You're engaged," Amon supplied dryly.
"Actually, no." Nagira chuckled at Amon's surprised face. "That's what we suspected you would think, but that isn't why we're here today." He slipped his hand over Doujima's. "Tomorrow, Yurika and I are taking a chartered flight to the British Virgin Islands and we won't be coming back."
Robin shot a confused look at Amon. He turned back to Nagira. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.
Nagira leaned forward and lowered his voice. "What I mean is that the private plane we are going to be flying in tomorrow will have engine problems and crash in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving no survivors."
Amon sat back in his, stunned by the news, ignoring Robin's blank face. "You can't be serious," he said flatly.
"We are." Nagira squeezed Doujima's hand and gave her a sad smile, which she returned.
"Running from Solomon is a very dangerous, full-time effort," Amon said, leaning forward once more. "You do understand the sacrifices that running entails?"
Nagira sighed. "We do. I'm already at odds with Solomon considering how all of the witches I've helped over the years. I also know how to fly under Solomon's radar. Everything has been switched for months, including rerouting all of my banking information. This has been in place for the past year."
"But it's more than just financial information-"
"I can't do this anymore, Amon," Doujima broke in suddenly, the sadness in her face catching him off guard. "After knowing what Solomon is and does - I can't work for them anymore and as a seed, I can't just get up and leave the organization either." She shook her head. "No, there's only one way out at this point."
Amon regarded her silently for a moment, then nodded his head. "I suppose there will be four people on this flight, even though the records will only list two?"
The two nodded hopefully. "We want to help you both," Doujima said enthusiastically. "We want to stay with you."
"You're really alright with this, Amon?" Nagira interjected. "Honestly, I expected you to fight us to the death for such an idea."
Amon's eyes slid to Robin before returning to the two across the table. "I know what it's like to not want to work for Solomon."
"So, are you going to come with us?" Doujima asked hesitantly.
Robin looked up to Amon, hopefully. She was startled when he rested his chin in his hand and looked back to her. "What do you think, Robin?"
"Me?"
Amon nodded. "Yes. You should start making some of the decisions from now on."
She sat back in her chair, glancing at the three faces around her. Amon knew she was weighing her desire to be with friends against the safety of all involved. They waited silently for her decision as the waiter came to serve the food. Robin leaned forward after the waiter had left, frowned, then glanced at Amon again. He nodded to reassure her. Robin took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I've always wanted to go to the West Indies."
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Up Next - Epilogue