Disclaimer: I don’t own Witch Hunter Robin, you all should know that after six chapters. Those dim-witted, annoyingly persistent creatures called lawyers force me to say it though. I do own Reika and Javan so in your face, lawyers.
Amon: It’s not wise to provoke them.
Puff: They couldn’t touch me if they wanted to.
Amon: *shakes his head*
Puff: Well, they can’t.
Amon: They don’t have to touch you to hurt you.
Puff: Did you hit your head when we fell? You’re kinda chatty and all wise sounding; it scares me.
Amon: *raises eyebrow*
Puff: Gah!!! You’re acting like Aoshi!!! (Not much of a difference, but still…)
Amon: …
Puff: No! I liked you the other way. Not all Zen-ish-acting. Go back to being mean and ignore me some more.
Amon: Alright. Type or die.
Puff: Wait, you don’t really want me to write do you? I’ll probably just end up torturing you again.
Amon: *thinks for a moment before walking away haughtily*
Puff: *turns to readers* Makes ya all feel warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? Okies, I’m doing this to see who actually reads my disclaimers. If you read this, type ‘Puff-chan’ in your review.
Chapter Seven: The Hand You’ve Been Dealt
“Yes, right away. Just let me find them,” Michael mumbled over the connection as he shifted papers that rested on his desk. Amon sat impatiently, suddenly and extremely aware of the fact that the hacker needed a filing cabinet. Steely eyes bored into the blue-lit screen of the phone, not quite noticing the outside world for a few minutes. Nothing else was more important than finding out the results of the genetic scan at the moment.
“Aha, got ‘em. Are you sitting down?” Michael questioned teasingly, “Now, I haven’t looked at the results yet. So forgive me if I falter.”
“Just tell me,” Amon growled brusquely. He wasn’t in much of a ‘chit-chat’ mood at that point in time and the fact he had been subdued by a little heat, forcing him to sit out on what could have been one of the best battles ever, did nothing for his current mood.
“I need the specific page,” the hacker muttered as the flipped through the unnecessarily thick folder, then gasped sharply. Amon was on the edge, nearly crushing the tiny phone in his fist.
“What? The child isn’t mine?” Amon inquired tersely, his eyes flashing with all sorts of crazy things. So absorbed was Amon in his conversation, he didn’t notice a certain blonde slacker casually slide down a few chairs so she could sit and listen in. Doujima was wishing Robin hadn’t been called yet; this could prove to be an emotional moment for Amon.
“Javan is yours alright. I didn’t think you had it in you,” Michael stated mischievously, his eyes dancing behind his amber glasses.
“What do you mean by that?” Amon asked sharply, not fully realizing the impact of the hacker’s words. His brain was whirling just as fast as it could go, but he was having a slightly difficult time with the new part of the equation of his life that had just been added.
“Nothing. Can I be ‘Uncle Michael’?” the hacker asked, all too willing to change the subject. He didn’t want to offend the older hunter, because that would practically mean a death sentence.
“I want to be ‘Aunt Yurika’!” Doujima exclaimed cheerfully, restraining herself. In most cases, she probably would have thrown herself headfirst into a crushing hug to congratulate the new parent; for the dark-haired, dark-eyed man sitting next to her, it just didn’t seem to fit.
Their exuberant happiness soon faded when the hunter didn’t respond in the slightest. His head was bent forward, letting the black silk that was his hair shade his face. Dark eyes were semi-glazed in thought, though they darted around rapidly. Gloved hands rested in his lap, holding the phone precariously.
*Inside Amon’s head*
I’m a father. I have a kid. It’s so real. When Robin spoke to me last night about how Javan looked like me, it meant nothing. Even the thought that she is my daughter did nothing. Now, it’s here and there’s nothing I can do. Reika’s dying and I don’t know the first thing about kids. What if I mess up?
*Normal View*
Doujima waved a hand in front of Amon’s blank eyes. She had never seen the older hunter so out of it, and she was a touch scared. ‘Amon has always been in control and for something of this magnitude to be sprung upon him so suddenly, it must be nerve-wracking,’ Doujima thought.
Amon stood abruptly, his black coat rustling loudly as he set off down a brightly lit hallway. Doujima watched his form rapidly disappear down one of the side halls before falling backwards to rest in the uncomfortable chair.
“Wonder where he’s going,” Doujima thought out loud as she settled into the under-stuffed, plastic-covered chair. She let her eyes wander towards the chair where Javan lay asleep, innocently sucking on her thumb.
*Robin’s hospital room*
“Does this hurt?” the doctor asked politely, poking Robin’s ribs for the twentieth time. The craft user’s porcelain face twitched in pain, her patience for getting poked running quite thin.
“Yes, and it will hurt the next time you poke me as well,” Robin snapped succinctly before she realized how offensive her words were, “I’m sorry, doctor, it just hurts a lot.” The doctor nodded understandingly before moving on to examine her wrist. He twisted it this way and that way, Robin nearly breaking the hand of the nurse each time he moved the joint.
“I’m going to take a few x-rays, just to make sure nothing’s broken,” the doctor explained as the nurse helped Robin into a wheelchair, “It shouldn’t take more than a half an hour to get the results and then you’ll be able to go home. Wait, before we take x-rays, are you pregnant?”
“No,” Robin replied, her face burning hotter than her flames out of embarrassment, “I’m only fifteen.”
“I know, but girls today…you just have to be careful,” the doctor elucidated, her uncomfortable state not even ruffling his feathers in the tiniest amount, “See you in a few minutes.” The doctor left the room quickly, rushing off to attend to another patient. The nurse was grinning widely at Robin’s extreme reaction to the doctor’s inquiry.
“It’s nothing personal,” the nurse gently told Robin as she wheeled her out the door. The craft user nodded her head, her half un-done pigtails bobbing up and down. Vivid green eyes darted speedily around the waiting room, looking for Amon and Doujima. Robin quickly spotted her blonde friend lounging, but her partner had all but vanished.
The nurse soon turned down a narrow hallway that was lined with dark wood doors, hung with brightly colored caution signs. As they went along, Robin started to get claustrophobic; it seemed that the hall had no end and where they had entered was simply a pinprick of light. The only sounds that existed were the reverberating footsteps of the nurse and the slight creak of the wheels on the chair.
“Where are we going,” Robin asked softly, carefully measuring her tone of voice.
“You’ll see,” the nurse responded flatly, casting sideways glances at the shiny signs. The lights seemed to be getting dimmer as they ventured further into the very heart of the hospital. Robin began to pray silently that this nurse was a friend and not a foe. The craft user knew she couldn’t fight even if she wanted to.
*Intensive Care Unit*
Amon had very effectively intimidated the pair of interns watching the ICU and was now being led to where Reika lay. The hunter was faintly overwhelmed by how many needles they had in her arms and how many machines were clicking, beeping, or whirring around her. It was shocking how quickly her health deteriorated; she appeared to be half-dead. Reika’s skin was near pure white, sweat poured from her pores like Niagara Falls, and her breathing was shallow. With each breath the girl took, a sound like a death rattle was produced.
“Reika,” Amon said softly, sitting down in a chair next to her bed, “Can you hear me?” A faint moan was all he received in response.
“You may go,” Amon said coldly, waving the interns away. He wanted privacy for this conversation and he was going to get it.
“Sir, we weren’t even supposed to let you in. We have to stay,” one of the interns responded nervously, her eyes wide. She knew, after only a few minutes around Amon, that he was not a person you wanted to see irate. Her associate was already backing up, quite content to let his friend take the full force of the impending wrath.
“I assume that your parents paid a lot of money to put you through medical school,” Amon said offhandedly, not letting his obsidian orbs wander from Reika’s pale face. He knew he needed to tell her what needed to be said before she slipped away.
“Yes,” the speaking intern said cautiously, wringing her hands till they were near purple.
“I suggest you leave before it goes to waste,” Amon threatened, his voice low and dangerous. The interns’ eyes widened as they scampered out of the ICU, nearly tripping over wires as they fled.
“Amon, did you have to be so cruel?” Reika questioned softly, her eyes still closed. Her voice was barely audible, the machines virtually drowning her faint whisper. The hunter didn’t respond; he was busy trying to paraphrase his jumble of thoughts.
“Why are you here?” Reika asked, coughing slightly. Amon looked back up from his hands to meet Reika’s cool blue eyes.
“I’m going to take Javan,” Amon said emotionlessly, his tone expressionless. Reika smiled as well as she could, before her eyes went cold. She tried to sit up, but her weakness and many tubes forced to her remain on her pillow.
“Are you going to love her?” Reika inquired sadly, her eyes filling with tears. Amon’s gray eyes melted just a touch, not enough to be noticeable. He looked away, feeling rather uncomfortable with all the emotions that had attacked him that day.
“Because if you’re not, it would be best to place her with an adoption agency so she could go to a family that would love her,” Reika said, her tears rolling down her cheeks like clear pearls. She coughed violently, blood spraying from her mouth. Amon reached to hand her a glass of water, but the girl knocked his hand away. The glass shattered on the floor, sparkling in the sunlight like a fractured diamond.
“I don’t know,” Amon said coolly, bowing his head so his eyes could hide behind his dark hair. He could feel Reika’s eyes settle on him, like a laser burning into his flesh. He didn’t look up to meet her eyes.
“Amon, did you ever love me?” Reika asked gingerly, “Don’t worry. I won’t have time to tell anyone how you betrayed your emotions today.”
“No,” Amon said pithily, not bothering to dress his answer behind excuses and explanations. To his surprise, Reika didn’t start crying again; instead, her face held a sort of heaven-sent glow. She smiled and reached over to pat his arm.
“I thought so. It will just make things go more smoothly when you figure out your heart. Blackened and scarred as it may be,” Reika teased, trying to ignore her ever-increasing fatigue so she could finish what she had to say. Amon was confused, as most girls would have been crying their hearts out at that moment; to him, it just proved that girls are the most confusing creatures on the planet.
“Amon, remember my words. The time will come when you’ll be forced to reveal the contents of your heart. You may not even know what you feel right now, so this should prove to be especially difficult for you. Fates hang in the balance, Amon. If you can’t bring yourself to accept what hand you’ve been dealt, only God knows the consequences of your actions or inactions,” Reika warned, “Now will you hold my hand until I go?” Amon placed his hand over hers, trying to work out her words.
“Amon, you have an angel to guide you,” Reika whispered, squeezing his hand. The machines all flat-lined as her hand relaxed. The interns ran in and began resuscitation procedures.
“No, let her go,” Amon ordered sternly as he carefully placed Reika’s hand back onto the bed sheet. The interns watched as he left the room, his demeanor somehow different.
Author’s Note: Oh, wow, I hope I did well on the death scene. It was meant to be, so don’t hurt me. On the brighter side, I received twenty-three spiffy reviews from y’all for the last chapter. I only wish that one more freakin’ person would have reviewed ‘cause then I would have had 100 reviews!!! I beseech thee all, honor this humble Puff in the highest manner attainable and leave thy much-adored words yet again. Do not strike me down with a flaming dagger to my heart and not review!!!
To the reviewers:
FieryDemonFox: Once a week, I emerge from my darkened abode and grace ye all with my presence.
MalletWielderofDoom: My precious little Kitsune-chan (Puff’s twin and opposite; You’ll meet her in later disclaimers and get to know the girl real well…) could have sliced that fool into lunchmeat in a fraction of a second. *is proud*
Haruya: Oh, please, don’t sound so downtrodden. It doesn’t suit you well. Just like no normal human being can look good in chartreuse and burgundy, you shouldn’t sound humble. ‘Sides, I kinda enjoyed coming up with new and inventive ways of telling you to wait till Sunday. ^_^
Inu-Aisuru: Why, thank thee. Um, fluff? Maybe in later chapters, ‘cause I’m not so good with fluff. >_< I’ll try my very hardest to work in lots o’ cute scenes. I swear it upon my honor.
InuGurl2188: I absolutely refuse to post anything remotely substandard. Like this one time, I re-wrote over ten paragraphs because I wasn’t quite pleased with the way Robin said something.
Natsumi Akimoto: Well, you have to see it from my POV. How would you feel if you had a truckload of reviews one chappie and the next you get shunned? It degrades the quality of my work and it takes me longer to write because my heart is distracted.
Wake-Robin: *bows* Well, you know now. The mayhem begins!
Suki1: I’m glad you anticipate my updates.
Cali1043: Hm, I didn’t notice they left Javan on the floor. I swear they picked her up, but I just didn’t write it in.
Infinity Dreamer: I try my very hardest with details, but I believe that it is better to give your reader a semi-vague description than to overwhelm them with so many details their heads’ swim. My one-shots are usually more detailed; I don’t worry about the printout getting too long… If you want more details, I am currently endeavoring to produce a new one-shot. It should be up in a few weeks, but I hardly ever keep a schedule.
Yamiyumetenshi: I hope I gave you a good impression, for a first story.
Ryuichi T.: Well, now you know.
Allhart: My violent alter ego, Kitsune. She writes my battles. If you want a nice gory descriptive writing, try scanning over my Star Trek fic or read my unfinished one-shot that shall be posted in a few weeks.
Xueyan: *edges away* I never thought about it that way, but in no way is Javan Robin’s kid.
Somewhatdamaged: I like it. The nice feeling of knowing that you know what happens, but not another soul does. That, and I am a touch rude if I want to be.
CuriousDreamWeaver: I can’t stop writing. If I do, my emotions might resurface. *shivers*
TheUniverseBeyond: No, I’m afraid to say. Not in the near future, maybe in much later chapters. Thank you for sharing. I feel enlightened.
Slysilverinu: *smiles* Can I have copies of Amon’s baby pictures. All I have is a few pics of him sucking on his thumb in his sleep and an image of…I’m locking that one in the wall safe.
Draco MalfoyGirl 16: My dear, the next creepy thing doesn’t come out till chappie fifteen. But I have plenty to keep you entertained in the meantime. *laughs manically*
XXxMysticalDreamerxXx: *laughs* I’m not quite sure where this is going either. I write as I go, whatever mood I’m in or what every whim strikes me influences each chapter. Though, I do have the ending planned and a general outline of how to get there. I just like to take detours on the route.
Ibpapasgirl: One chapter a week, every Sunday. I’m glad I’m so rapidly gaining new readers.
Dreamangel1130: You sound like my mum, she says the quality of my chapters never wavers. I think I’m improving, personally. Hey, cliffies are fun!
Kagome_robin_sindra: All right, as soon I post this chapter, I’ll email you.