Disclaimer: I don’t own Witch Hunter Robin. Really. *looks around to check for lawyers*
Amon and Kitsune: Shut up, Puff!
Puff: *stumbles backwards* Are you saying this isn’t about me?
Kitsune: Yes, it isn’t about you.
Puff: Then who is it about?
Kitsune: Amon and I.
Puff: Oh, my bad, I didn’t realize it was a lover’s quarrel.
Amon and Kitsune: o_O
The Joys of Parenthood
Chapter Forty-Eight: The Training Begins
“Amon, I really don’t think that you should do this,” Robin said tensely, practically running to keep up with her hunting partner’s long strides, “It’s too early for this yet. You could end up doing more damage than good to her at this point.” She jumped backwards when Amon stopped and whirled around to face her, his near-black eyes glittering with a dangerous light.
“Why would you say that, Robin?” Amon asked coolly, shoving his hands into his pockets and starting back down the hallway at a much slower pace, “Do you not trust my judgment?” The blonde craft user walked behind him and toyed with her bangs nervously while she thought of the best way to present her feelings to the coldhearted man.
“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, it’s that I think you’re blinded by the fact Javan’s abilities scare you and you’re not planning everything out properly,” Robin explained carefully, meticulously keeping her tone perfectly measured. She smiled weakly when Amon glanced at her over his shoulder. He sighed and stopped by a door, leaning lightly against the cold metal frame.
“In other words, you’re saying that you don’t think that I can make appropriate decisions for my own daughter,” Amon said sharply, his hair falling over his eyes. Robin’s small smile slid off of her porcelain face and her emerald gaze followed it to the tiled floor. She shook her head slowly, causing her pigtails to sway, and folded her gloved hands together.
“I didn’t say that, Amon,” Robin said softly, fiddling with the folds of her dress, “I know that’s one way it could be taken, but you really ought to think of how this could adversely affect Javan. It could literally break her spirit.” Amon reached out and pushed her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, taking Robin by surprise. He pulled his hand away quickly after a split second, recoiling like he had touched a scalding flame.
“You’re right; this could shatter her,” Amon conceded, pushing a lock of ebony hair away from his near-black orbs, “But it could also strengthen her. It could give her something that most children don’t even start to acquire until grade school.”
“What you’re planning could be considered torture,” Robin muttered, glaring as Amon turned around and reached for the silver doorknob. He massaged his temples slowly before letting his gaze flick back to the craft user.
“Robin, don’t forget, you agreed to put this in the training plans when we were talking with Dr. Takahashi,” Amon stated brusquely, put up his hand to silence her as she opened her mouth to speak, “I expect you to go along with everything. If you don’t, you’ll end up frightening Javan more than she needs to be. We both know that’s not what you want at all.” Before the blonde girl could protest any further, Amon swung the metal door open to reveal a stark room. The dark haired toddler was seated on a small wooden chair in the middle, the only other contents of the room consisting of machines set into the walls.
“Daddy, you took a lot longer than the doctor said you would,” Javan said softly, staring at her white shoes, “I’ve been lonely.” She looked up at the pair of hunters and her piercing blue-gray eyes burned into them accusingly. Her tiny fingers fiddled absentmindedly with the hem of her plain dress while the pair of hunters each tried to think of something to say to the little girl.
“It can’t have been that bad,” Robin said sweetly, smiling as she leaned down to smooth down Javan’s already immaculate hair, “Didn’t Dr. Takahashi give you something to do while you waited?” Javan gestured offhandedly at an elegantly dressed doll that lay abandoned behind the chair and a simplistic puzzle that was off to the side.
“I don’t like it here at all. It’s scary and people I don’t know keep poking at me,” Javan whispered, clinging to Robin’s hand like a lifeline, “I want to go home and for things to go back to normal.” The craft user looked pointedly at Amon, who was pretending not to have heard anything at all. Robin sighed inaudibly and kneeled down on the floor in front of the small child, staring directly into Javan’s innocent gaze.
“As much as your father would like to take you home now, it isn’t possible. We still have some things to figure out before that can happen. If you just keep being a good girl and cooperating with everything that Dr. Takahashi says to do, it will all progress more smoothly. You’ll be back home in no time, Javan, I promise,” Robin said firmly, squeezing Javan’s hands tightly before she stood up, “I promise that nothing bad will happen to you.” The toddler nodded cautiously and slid off of her chair, quietly walking over to where Amon stood. She tugged on the side of his long coat until he looked towards her.
“What do I have to do now?” Javan asked politely, folding her hands together the way Robin normally did.
“We’re going to go for a little walk,” Amon said blankly, his eyes focused on the rows of machines that lined the room, “Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to see anything while we’re going there. I’m just going to blindfold you.” He pulled a wide silk ribbon out of one of his pockets and gently tied it over Javan’s eyes, adjusting the cloth so that not even a trickle of light could slip past it.
Amon scooped his daughter into his arms and walked back into the hallway, continuing in the direction that he and Robin had been going originally. Javan held tightly to her father but didn’t make a single sound of protest. Robin silently walked behind them, shaking her head sadly the entire time.
“It took you long enough to get here,” Dr. Takahashi said softly, adjusting a few levers on a metal box he carried, “I was starting to think that you changed your mind on doing the procedure today.” He set the box on a nearby table and turned his attention towards a heavily locked door, punching in codes on a glowing keypad.
“I apologize, doctor, for any inconvenience,” Amon said coolly, passing Javan over to Robin and leaning closer to the doctor’s ear, “My hunting partner chose to put up a fuss and I had to calm her back down.” Dr. Takahashi paused in his task of opening the door and smirked at the dark man who stood next to him. He patted Amon on the shoulder and laughed softly.
“What a miracle it is, that you’d waste your precious time soothing a girl who is simply a co-worker for you,” Dr. Takahashi teased, undoing the final deadbolt and letting the thick door swing open under its own weight, “I never thought that I’d live to see the day.” Amon rolled his eyes and shot the doctor a murderous glare; a glare that the doctor let slide away like water off of a duck. While lightly chuckling at Amon’s response, Dr. Takahashi pried Javan from Robin’s death grip and set her inside of the pitch-black room that had been revealed when the door opened. He yanked the blindfold off and slammed the door immediately, lest Javan see where she was.
“Is she going to be safe?” Robin asked worriedly after Dr. Takahashi had set each lock back into place, “There’s nothing dangerous in there, right?” The doctor flipped on a series of monitors and nodded while he meticulously focused the images on the screens.
“All that’s dangerous in that room is Javan’s imagination, her emotions, and her currently un-controlled abilities,” Dr. Takahashi explained, intently trying to watch every screen at the same time, “That room is specially designed to focus even the slightest bit of energy into whatever the wielder happens to be thinking about at the moment. If she’s frightened, something horrifying is going to appear. To overcome the room, she has to control her emotions.” He pointed at an almost blank screen, where the fuzzy outline of the small girl could be seen if you stared for long enough.
The trio watches the monitors for thirty minutes before the images began to slowly shift. Over the speakers, Javan’s soft cries for help could be heard. The fuzzy outline that was the toddler crawled around on the invisible floor, her hands shakily reaching out into the unknown. As her weeping grew louder, a soft glow started to form above her head.
She watched the light shift and expand with rapt attention and her tears were momentarily paused by her curiosity. The peaceful silence was short lived; horrified screams soon echoed off of the cold walls. The delicate radiance had morphed into a fanged creature that clawed viciously at Javan, reaching with its glittering nails at her slender neck.
“I can’t watch this,” Robin muttered, closing her eyes and turning her back to the screens, “She can’t handle that.” Robin covered her ears in an attempt to block out the heart-wrenching pleas for help. Amon’s visage was void of emotion but his hands were curled into tight fists, his near-black eyes pinned to his daughter’s image.
“She’s going to be fine,” Dr. Takahashi yelled, making sure that Robin would hear him, “If things get too intense for Javan, we can always intervene.” As he took in his next breath to say more, his features contorted awkwardly and he started to press at his skull with the tips of his fingers. Amon watched with confusion for but a moment before he, as well, was overwhelmed with terror. The pair of men collapsed onto the floor as the painful emotion drowned them.
“Oh God, Javan, what are you doing?” Robin asked shakily, the fear pouring over every inch of her body. Her green eyes became unfocused and she let herself drop to the ground. As she slipped into darkness, the last thing she saw was Javan sitting peacefully on the floor while the monster hovered above her.
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