Disclaimer: *shrugs* I can’t believe I still have to say this: I don’t own Witch Hunter Robin.
Amon:…
Kitsune: Aren’t you going to say something really cold and rude right back at me?
Amon: …
Puff: Kitsune, I’m worried now.
Kitsune: Yeah, maybe we should leave him alone. *scampers out*
Puff: *follows*
Amon: Peace and quiet, after all this time.
The Joys of Parenthood
Chapter Forty-Two: Of Shock and of Loss
“Robin,” Amon called out sharply, spotting the craft user wandering near the edge of the park as she waited for the two men to arrive. She immediately looked over, revealing that her luminous green eyes were clouded over with a thick coating of worry mixed with a hinting of relief. Javan clutched at Robin’s hand, her small fingers wound as tightly as they could go.
“I’ve been trying not to attract attention,” Robin said softly, after she ran over, “There’s a lot of people here today and I don’t want to get them needlessly involved. As it is, quite a few people have stopped to ask me what or who I’m looking for.” She pulled Javan closer to her as a passerby brushed her sleeve. Amon and Sakaki nodded, their eyes darting around as they glanced over the crowd.
“We’d best start searching for Bryton,” Amon stated calmly, watching Robin out of the corners of his near black eyes, “We should start where you last saw him.” Robin smiled grimly and gestured for her friends to follow her through the park, leading them to a very quiet and rather secluded part that was kept hidden from the main pathway by a section of overgrown trees. She pointed to a sharp curve in the path that would quickly hide a person from sight.
“He went around there. I don’t know where he could have gone to, though. I looked and it’s a dead-end. There’s not even a bench or a water fountain,” Robin said slowly, soothingly running her hand over Javan’s raven locks when the small child began to whimper. Amon looked over at his daughter, trying to ignore her seemingly pointless fear. Her blue-gray eyes were fixated on the shadowed blind alley, as if she could easily see past the thick gloom to something that was hidden behind the black veil.
“I don’t want to stay here,” Javan said forcefully, turning to bury her face in Robin’s long skirt, “That man scares me.” The trio of hunters looked around at one another, bewilderment plaster across their faces.
“What man, Javan?” Amon asked quickly, crossing his arms over his chest, “Where is he?” Javan, refusing to look up, pointed towards the alley with a tiny slightly chubby finger.
“He’s there. But not now; he was there a long time ago. I can still see him,” Javan whimpered, tugging on Robin’s hands so the craft user would pick her up.
“Javan, there’s no one there,” Robin soothed, whispering softly and calmly to the child, “Your father will even go look to prove it to you.” Robin shot a piercing look at Amon, who wasn’t too pleased with how he had been volunteered by the girl. Nonetheless, he walked into the shadows and pulled out a small lighter. As the flame shot through the darkness, the emptiness of the alley was revealed.
“See, there’s no one in there. You just have an active imagination,” Sakaki teased brightly, hoping to distract the toddler. Javan’s blue-gray eyes narrowed sharply, her glare almost as dangerous seeming as her father’s. Sakaki stepped back out of pure instinct, his eyes widened slightly with a touch of shock.
“He went away when Daddy went to look. I don’t think he likes the light,” Javan said darkly, her face void of almost all emotion.
“Let’s just find Bryton,” Robin said quickly, gently setting Javan back down on to the ground, “We’re wasting time.” The two men nodded their agreement, both quite willing to put that particular alley as far out of their minds as was humanly possible. They all hurried back to the main pathway and selected a way to go, their trained eyes darting over the people that brushed past them or those that were lounging on the cool green grass.
They searched nearly all the park and the light was beginning to fade from the sky when Javan stopped walking, flat out refusing to take a step farther. She all but ran back to the closest bench and climbed up onto it, tightly wrapping her arms around her legs.
“Javan, do you want me to carry you until we get back to the office?” Robin asked sweetly, smiling as she offered her arms to the sulking little girl, “We’re almost done here.” The craft user’s face fell slightly as she realized they had almost gone completely through the area without find a trace of their new friend. She forced her smile back onto her porcelain features and took a step closer toward Amon’s daughter.
“He’s cold and weak,” Javan said flatly, her smoky blue eyes glazed over, “The other one is going to kill him very soon. You have to stop the other one.” As the last syllable escaped her lips, her head slumped forward as she lost consciousness. Robin carefully cradled her, searching in her coat pocket for her cell phone.
“There has to be something the doctor missed,” Robin said sharply, starting to punch in a series of numbers into the phone’s keypad, “A healthy little girl just doesn’t lose consciousness for no good reason.” Before the last few digits could be entered into the phone, a weak cry of pain echoed through the air and caught the trio’s attention.
“Stay here with Javan. Sakaki and I will be right back,” Amon said immediately, pulling his Orbo gun from its holster, “In ten minutes, if we’re not back, I want you to get to the office as quickly as you can.” Robin nodded her head softly, letting her cell phone click shut before she slipped it back into her pocket. She pulled Javan closer to her as she watched two more of her friends disappear behind a bend in the path.
“Where do you think that noise came from?” Sakaki asked quietly, straining his eyes to spy past every single thing that was in that area of the park.
“Somewhere up ahead, I’d think,” Amon responded, signaling for Sakaki to be absolutely silent from that moment on. They stealthily wound their way along the path, but not on it; darting in and out from behind trees they tried to keep themselves hidden for as long as they could.
Finally, the pair found themselves in a small clearing in the middle of a tightly enclosed circle of trees. Lying prone on the crisp grass was Bryton, the area around him coated heavily with frost and traces of frozen blood. Sakaki was about to dart forward, to see if the teen boy was still alive, when Amon grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a chunk of dark shade.
“The frost, Sakaki, the frost. It’s not cold enough to be freezing the grass,” Amon hissed, shaking the other slightly, “This has to be some sort of trap. We’ll wait here to see what happens.” Sakaki gulped as he realized that he had almost committed what could have easily been a fatal error. The two didn’t have to wait long, as a hooded figure soon strolled languidly back into the circle of trees.
“Hunters, there’s absolutely no point hiding,” a male voice called out, the hem of his cloak swaying in the gentle breeze, “I’ve been watching you since you stepped into my lovely clearing in the grove of trees. Why don’t you come out and let me see you?” Amon growled vaguely and stepped out into the light, not looking back to see if Sakaki had followed suit.
“Don’t look at me with those dark eyes that way,” the cloaked figure ordered sharply, gesturing with a gloved hand at Amon, “Just so you know, I’m not going to harm you two, the child bride, or the little girl. Unless you provoke me; then, I’ll be allowed to disregard my orders to protect myself.” Amon smirked, his finger twitching on the trigger of his gun.
“Then what are you going to be doing?” Amon asked coldly, raising an eyebrow at his foe. Sakaki was practically bouncing on his feet, desperate to find a moment where he could run out and take down the hooded figure.
“I’m going to be teaching this idiot a lesson,” the witch explained, waving his hand with disgust at Bryton’s body, “And you’ll be getting a demonstration you’ll not soon forget. Feel lucky. Not many get this close to me, especially for long enough to have a conversation, and get the chance to live.” He laughed darkly, drawing a glinting silver blade from underneath his cloak. His long gloved fingers wound around Bryton’s mousy brown hair and held the nearly unconscious teen in a kneeling position.
“This is what happens to those who betray us, Bryton,” the witch whispered coldly into his victim’s ear, his words just loud enough to drift to the hunter’s ears, “There’s just a small catch. Our boss, our beloved leader, is offering you a chance for life. You just have to swear, on the promise of torture beyond human comprehension if you break this pact, that you’ll never leave us or give information out again.”
“I’d rather die here and now than to sell my soul back to you,” Bryton spat, his eyes half shut and unfocused.
“Then I promise to personally deliver your broken bloody body to your sister. I can’t wait to see her face when I drop your corpse in front of her,” the witch said with obvious hatred, twirling the blade with his free hand. He paused, heavily pressing the cold metal down into Bryton’s arm. The boy cried out in pain with all of the energy he had left.
“I can’t allow this!” Sakaki yelled, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. He drew his Orbo gun and began to run forward, trying to find a place where he could aim and not risk hitting Bryton.
“Wait till you’ve grown up and practiced for several years, hunter, before you even attempt to face me,” the witch snapped, vaguely gesturing with his hand that held the blade. Sakaki stopped in his tracks and started to claw at his arms, his flesh cooling painfully. Mere seconds later, he collapsed as he froze.
“Are you going to try something that stupid?” the witch asked, not even waiting for Amon to respond, “I’m going to make sure you don’t interfere, in any case. Don’t worry; this will melt the moment you won’t have a chance of finding me. Until then, not even a bullet can get through.” Before Amon could move, a thick walled box of ice had encased him entirely, except for a tiny air hole at the very top. His near black eyes lit with anger as he growled and smashed his fists against the ice.
The witch readjusted his stance and the way his victim was arranged, tightening his grip on Bryton hair. He kissed the cold silver of his blade and placed it high above his head, bringing it back down in a sharp arc. Stopping just as the tip drew a single drop of blood from Bryton’s neck, he flicked his wrist and forced the knife to cut deeply across the flesh. Bryton gurgled softly as the warm crimson liquid poured into his windpipe.
“Such a good boy,” the witch said quietly, not bothering to wipe the blood off before the put the blade back where it belonged, “Goodbye, hunter. I’ll be seeing you in the near future, I think. Oh, and you really ought to get your friend to a hospital; he has frostbite.” He laughed and scooped Bryton’s still warm corpse into his arms, walking off slowly back into the trees.
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