Disclaimer: I do not own Witch Hunter Robin or Harry Potter...otherwise I would have made a second season of WHR.
Chapter 1: Arrival in London
Even in business class, the seats on the airplane were unbearable. A non-stop flight from Tokyo to London involves a lot of sitting and cramped leg room for someone who clocks in at 6' 1" tall.
Not that any of this showed on his face. Ever since he was 8 years old, he had been trained to sit with incredible (almost Victorian) posture with an unreadable facial expression. The enemy cannot read you and will underestimate you, believing that you've relaxed. Even if there were no immediate dangers on the flight, one could never know. He was already aware of the safety instructions in case of an emergency and knew where all the emergency exits were located. The stewardesses did not seem to carry any weapons, though the sloppy attempt at spilling a drink on his lap earlier almost ended with her being physically ejected out of business class, if not the plane.
Even if he now tensed his muscles and heightened his senses every time a stewardess stopped to ask him something, STN-J squad leader Amon had an air of tranquility, especially when in comparison with the other team members.
"Are we there yet?" Haruto Sakaki groaned in the most childlike whine he could muster. Amon had to turn around in order to identify that it was in fact not a 4-year-old girl who had just uttered those words.
"The ETA to London is approximately an hour," Amon said in his trademark deadpan voice, completely unfazed by the fact that the question was rhetorical.
"If you're that bothered by sitting, you could take a walk around the aisles and stretch your legs," Miho Karasuma added. Amon had a sneaking suspicion that although the suggestion was reasonable, it would also get her away from her partner for a few minutes. Apparently the most patient woman in the world can only stand listening to a one-sided conversation about video games for so long. And Sakaki wondered why he didn't have a girlfriend.
"Are you kidding me?" Sakaki yelled incredulously. "I tried that before and everyone stared at me as if my death could get them into the business class section. Vultures."
"Then stop complaining if you don't intend to do anything about it," Yurika Doujima interjected. Amon was wondering when she'd chime in. She loved an argument, especially when there was an easy target like the rookie hunter involved.
"C'mon guys," Michael Lee said, trying his best to soothe his friends' growing distaste to close proximity with one another. "I think we're all a little tired of sitting for eight hours straight with nothing to do but eat stale food." Michael quickly ducked away from the death glare sent his way from a stewardess taking a break from fawning over Amon.
"Oh, don't get me started on the food," Doujima said, almost instinctively putting her nose in the air.
"All of you should be contemplating the assignment at hand," Zaizen snapped. "We only have an hour left and I'm positive none of you have read over the material."
The boss literally looked like he was going to explode. For one reason or another, Zaizen had insisted on accompanying the team instead of Chief Kosaka and Hattori, which made Amon even more wary about the case. None of the evidence was matching up.
He'd heard of the type of wizadry in England and various pockets of Europe and America. They use wands to channel their crafts and rely on casting spells and charms instead of developing a craft in a certain field of expertise. Because these witches used this method, they needed specific wands that could be used alongside their natural craft without disastrous results. While he had always thought of Karasuma's power as empathy, it is apparently a strong version of the power occlumency, though her's was restricted to touch.
However, none of the spells and incantations that he had researched could possibly result in the massacre in the report. The pictures were of obvious paranormal activity. No swords or knives could cut so cleanly, but Amon was certain that no spell could do that either. On one hand, there had been a witch's symbol cast in the sky, but only crafts he'd seen in Japan and in Solomon corresponded with the type of injuries suggested by the report.
Amon had been increasingly wary of Solomon lately. They had seemed a little too overjoyed by his hunt of Kate and not worried enough by the fact she had turned against them. He had also recently been given notice by Zaizen to pay close attention to Robin, who was supposedly a witch and no longer just a craft-user.
He never really saw the distinction between the two categories - only that one aided Solomon's efforts and one did not. A typical response from a man who has lived by Solomon regulations, he supposed, but Amon wasn't quite sure what to make of this new revelation.
Without moving noticeably to the naked eye, he shifted his attention partially to his papers in front of him but also to his partner on his left. She seemed engrossed by the clouds outside, oblivious to not only her work but also to the mini-argument that had just passed minutes earlier. She rested her head on her hand, leaning on the side of the plane and unconsciously playing with a loose thread on her already frayed pilgrim's dress. The handlebars were gone momentarily as pigtails aren't comfortable while sleeping on a non-stop flight.
Robin didn't seem any different from the moment he had met her two months earlier, albeit she had grown more powerful and more able as a Solomon hunter. She was still naive and innocent. Karasuma had reported to him about the girl's tearful reaction to the new assignment - mainly to the graphic pictures. He tried to ignore the pointed comment accompanying the report about laying off her for a while, but decided that the only thing he would hurt by holding his tongue would be his cold image - which he can always solidify again in future circumstances.
He couldn't gauge whether she was still in the funk or not, but realized that if she was still depressed, this wasn't the job for her. He'll have to say something to her when Karasuma was out of ear shot.
Robin suddenly jerked from her daydreaming and managed to swing her elbow into Amon's forearm. The unexpected resistance made Robin jump entirely out of her seat and start profusely apologizing to him. She talked so fast he couldn't make out any of the words.
Not wanting to be the center of attention for the airplane's crew nor a distraction for Sakaki and Doujima to talk about, he pulled Robin back into her seat and handed her the assignment folder.
"We have about an hour," Amon said without raising his voice. "Look over the material so you're ready for the investigation at the crime scene."
Amon didn't miss the downtrodden look nor the rising blush from her previous embarrassment. It was all for the best anyway. The girl was eating away at his brain and making him questioning a loyalty he's held for 13 years. The further he pushed, the less likely his confusion will get the better of him.
Acting oblivious to her obvious discomfort, he leaned back into the chair and blindly read the notes he'd taken on the crime. His priority now was getting off this plane as quickly and as calmly as possible.
The investigation at the crime scene was not soothing Amon's suspicions. Zaizen had sent Karasuma and Sakaki to interview the constables who had found the bodies and the eye witness who saw the perpetrator. Amon had argued the decision with Zaizen (as much as one can argue with a superior) and plead his case for Karasuma to stay and scry the scene. Zaizen had been particularly stubborn and refused the suggestion outright.
Zaizen had never been one to ignore Amon's comments before. The man usually knew that Amon's instincts were usually correct, but now he was acting as if Amon were a rookie hunter.
Amon kneeled next to one of the blood stains on the floor near the wall. Taking out one of the pictures in the file, he found the one that showed a body, or rather group of limbs next to the wall. The brutality of the crime was not corresponding with the evidence he held in his hands.
Motivation behind dismembering the Solomon agents was a no-brainer. Witches have always been violently hostile with them when they realize how many of their kind they had killed. Though it may be easy to pin a motive, the physicality of the crime did not match the usual protocol for witches.
Amon had read the autopsy report on the STN-E agents, but still couldn't shake the strong possibility that these cuts were post-mortem. Under normal circumstances, post-mortem cuts would not bleed, but the blood spills on the floor and walls were saying otherwise. Amon had been in enough hunts and operated in more than enough torture scenarios to know that the splatter on the wall didn't quite match what would happen if one chopped off an arm. Even if it were magic, the blood in the meeting room resembled more of a Quentin Tarantino movie than real life.
The bruises on the head that were identified on the report seemed to pinpoint an awkward fall, as if the person had stiffly fallen backward. The fact that all bodies showed similar markings would also indicate that dismemberment had occurred either when they were on the ground or already dead. People don't simply fall in the same manner in seven separate situations when they are being brutally attacked. Since there was no evidence of bound limbs, the others could not have waited on the ground while the culprit butchered them. With all evidence pointing to a cover-up, Amon became very suspicious of Zaizen's deliberate movements across the flat.
He was giving orders to some of the other officers on the scene. Similar to the relationship among bureaus in Tokyo, the other branches of law enforcement seemed puzzled by the STN-J and looked awkward as their jaws dropped at every sign of expensive equipment. The boss seemed to be placating them. Sugar-coating any situation was a forte of Zaizen, not of Amon, who preferred being direct and blunt.
"Amon?" He turned to his 15-year-old partner, waiting patiently at his side. He hadn't even heard her approach or knew how long she'd been there. Her ability to do so unsettled him, almost as much as the reverent tone with which she always seemed to say his name.
"Michael found the most recent files that the STN-E was working on," Robin said quietly.
Amon rose to his full height and walked over to Michael, who sat at one of the computer stations. He rested his hand on the back of the boy's chair and leaned forward to get a better look at the computer screen. "What did you get?"
"Only a list of names as of right now," the American boy said, obviously happy that he was immersed in the English language again. "We can cross-reference the names with the database and the hard copies in the storage area. The most recent file is on someone called 'Sirius Black.' Apparently he's been wanted within the wizarding community in London for two years."
"We'll start with him for now," Amon said. "He is the most likely to be our suspect, and if he isn't, he will most definitely point us toward the right direction."
He looked to Zaizen who nodded in approval and left the work stations to talk to the chief inspector in the meeting room.
"Michael," Amon said in a hushed voice, leaning closer to the boy's ear, "I want you to check the camera system and get me a copy of last night's murder." Michael furrowed his brow and glared at Amon, obviously unwilling to have to look at the footage. "Don't argue. Do as I say and if I'm right, the results will tell you why I'm telling you to do this." Amon straightened and raised his voice. "Robin and I will head into London. Karasuma, Doujima and Sakaki will join us en route."
Amon swiftly walked to the exit while Robin hurried to catch up with him.
"Amon, where are we going?"
"Shopping."