Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Bewitched ❯ Candle ( Chapter 4 )

[A/N]

Yume: OMG! How long has it been since I was last here?

CF: (looks at calendar) Too long, Yume.

Yume: Wai! I'm sure you all want to kill me, but I had writer's block for this fic, still do. But I'm willing to face it now. Not to mention, having my account taken off of ff.net and all…

CF: Yays! This chapter in Robin's POV!

[Disclaimer]: All not mine. Never mine. Damn.

===

Bewitched

By: Youkai Yume

Chapter 4: Candle

The setting sun tinted the evening sky a brilliant orange, sending dim rays through the windows of the shop. Her slender fingers brushed away stray strands of golden locks as she swept the broom from side to side, collecting the meager dust off of the mahogany floor.

Her emerald eyes stared almost in a dull state at her feet, continuing her task in a slow stupor. The musty, yet pleasing smell of scented candles wafted through her nose, soothing her somewhat from her troubled thoughts. Despite this, Robin could not help but let out a rather tired sigh.

"Is everything okay, Robin?" A soft voice asked.

She turned around, a small smile on her face as she looked at her employer, and friend, nodding politely.

"Hai. I'm fine, Kiyoko-san. Just thinking is all," Robin answered as cheerfully as she could, then turned back to sweeping the shop. Mrs. Kiyoko's look of concern did not leave her face, but she knew that the young girl did not want to talk about whatever it was she had on her mind, so she would leave her be.

Pushing her half-mooned glasses up the bridge of her nose, Kiyoko turned her heel to go into the back room.

"I see, I'll be in the back if you need me, Robin."

"Alright, Kiyoko-san."

The young witch watched out of the corner of her eye as the older woman disappeared behind beaded curtains, her smile fading when she was sure Kiyoko was out of sight.

'How ironic,' the young witch thought, a smile upon her delicate lips. 'That I would be working in a makeshift Magic Shop of all places.' She chuckled. She didn't know what had drawn her here, but it made her feel at home almost-mind you, the shop of course did not carry real magical items, spells, or witchcraft products.

Just little trinkets and herbs and such that are more for those believing in the superstitious, palm readers and fortune tellers, or those just in there for laughs. Either way, Robin found it to be very quaint, and peaceful, and she enjoyed working there.

Not to mention, there was something mystical about Kiyoko herself that added to the shop's charm. However, despite the little happiness that her new life had given her, she had never ceased to lick old wounds that refused to heal.

Robin ceased her languid movements, seemingly frozen as she stared almost longingly outside the shop window.

It had been nearly a month since she had the little run in with Amon, the dark, ex-hunter that seemed bent on finding her. It had been rather peaceful as of late, she hadn't had any trouble with any people that seemed associated with Solomon, and definitely not Amon.

Still…

'Even though I don't want him to find me…I want to see him again…"

If I was born blind

Perhaps I would never have seen you

A vivid picture of the man's face flashed through her mind, the pain that she could've sworn flickered across slate orbs as the fire lit in between them, separating them…

Then I wouldn't be plagued by your face,

Haunted by your eyes

It had taken all of her will power to run away then… 'I don't know if I can do it again…' Every step that she took day by day, lead her farther away from him; and every step seemed heavier, more painful to take. But perhaps she had been walking for so long that the pain seemed numb almost, yet still ached from time to time.

The farther away I run from you,

The closer to you I feel

But at night, unbidden and unprotected from the veils of her conscious, she would find him there, waiting for her, as if he knew in a way that no matter how much she denied his arms, in the end, she would run back into them. Hungry, desperate, and longing his embrace.

And then the pain would become unbearable, and she would wake to an empty world, her reasons for running blurred, and her will to go on weakened. And for the majority of her day, she would spend her time forgetting the pain, until she slipped unwilling into the confinements of her dreams, and the cycle would begin anew.

I wish I was not burdened with this…

Knowing that the source of your pain is none other than myself

'Sometimes I wonder…why I'm trying so hard to get away…What am I running from? Do I want to get away? And if I don't, then why am I so desperate to escape something I want so badly?' Her eyes suddenly began to burn, and Robin blinked back tears as she felt them welling up.

'Tis better this way, my love

That I admire you from afar

"Robin-san? Are you sure you're okay? Do you need a break?" Kiyoko appeared from the back room, a look of concern on her pale, twinkling eyes. Robin nodded, rubbing away the tears from her irises and tugging at her ponytail nervously.

Of course, had I been blind,

I needn't admire at all

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess." She smiled weakly at Kiyoko in reassurance. "Really, I'm fine."

The woman just frowned at her, not fooled by Robin's words, but sighed and went to her desk to continue with her duties nonetheless.

"You know I still don't believe you, Ms. Robin. But I won't pry, though if I were to guess, it's about that man again, isn't it?" She said almost blandly. Kiyoko looked up at Robin, who was avoiding eye-contact. 'Bingo.' "What was his name again? Amon?"

Yet even now, I would not trade the memory of you

For anything in the world

Robin did not answer, and the unhappy look came back on her young face. Kiyoko felt slightly guilty for pressing the matter onto her, and chose to change the subject for Robin's sake.

"The shop has been very quiet lately," She commented. "Not too many customers these days…"

"I suppose," Robin replied, relieved at the turn of conversation. "But then again, not too many people are into this kind of stuff, are they?"

"Well, teenage girls come in here from time to time for some good luck charm or the classical love spell/potion." Kiyoko shrugged. "But your right, not too many people are interested. They'd rather look at anime."

Robin giggled, causing the woman to smile somewhat. Then her pale eyes widened and she straightened up as she looked out the window.

"Oh wait, perhaps I'm wrong!" She smiled. "Look, we have a customer coming. And it's a man," She laughed. Robin quirked her head to the side and stared in the direction that Kiyoko was. Her emerald irises widened as well, her mouth dropping some.

A dark figure, clad in black was looming ever closer towards their shop, his pace brisk and his aura dangerous. 'Amon…'

Kiyoko looked at Robin in surprise as she ran past her, taking off her shop apron with a panicked look in her eyes. As she haphazardly threw the apron onto the counter, Kiyoko caught her arm, pulling the witch back from her sudden bolt.

"Robin! What's wrong?"

"I-It's him!" She all but choked. "It's the man I told you about! Please, let me go! I can't face him Kiyoko-san…" Robin pleaded, looking at the window as the dark figure approached.

Kiyoko's face seemed to fault for a second.

"Are you sure that's him?"

She nodded.

"All right. Go to the backroom quietly, and sneak out from the back door. I'll try to drive him away," Kiyoko whispered, pushing Robin away.

"Arigato, Kiyoko-san!"

"Go!"

With that, the young witch slipped away into the dark shadows, willing herself to run away a second time…

===

The door rang with a light jingle, and the dark hunter stepped into the dim shop. The flowery scent from the scented candles filled his nostrils, and his cold, slate eyes flickered around his surroundings.

'Robin,' he thought, her name echoing in his head almost fondly. 'Out of all places to hide…'

It had only been a month, but to Amon it had been agonizingly long since he last saw Robin. When he had seen her in that bar, he was so close to reaching out and…

But it didn't matter, she had escaped with a flicker of her irises and her burning flame. But the image of her haunted him still, in his waking moments as well as the dark confinements of his dreams. And it frustrated him to no ends knowing that he had been only a breath away from having Robin in his grasp.

And all traces and signs of her even existing had been disintegrated in a ball of fire, and he had been forced to start the search for her anew. He had followed many leads, looking for her after, like he had done so many times before. But more times than one, it would turn out to be a dead end.

Amon sighed. She was elusive as water, but it would not douse his determination to find her. 'And when she is here with me once more…' His chest clenched almost painfully, despite all his might that he tried to suppress it, 'What then?'

"Welcome, to our humble magic shop," A silky voice called out, and Amon turned to stare impassively at a woman slightly older than himself behind the counter. He narrowed his eyes, observing her.

The woman was almost as mystical as the shop itself, her attire seemingly antique, with a violet shawl around her. Her pale eyes seemed soft, yet at the same time piercing as she gazed back at him through half-mooned spectacles, tucking a stray strand of hair into her bun.

"My name is Kiyoko, and how may I help you?"

Amon stared at her for a while, then looked around the shelves and displays. Trinkets of every strange witchcraft practice-crystal balls, spell books, potions, and more. He doubted any of them worked, but that wasn't the point of why he was there.

"Do any of these items interest you, sir?" The woman asked in a friendly tone. The hunter approached her, his eyes not betraying any of his emotions as he stared down stoically at her. She only stared back.

"No, there is nothing here that interests me, but there is someone."

Kiyoko visibly tensed at this, and it didn't go unnoticed by Amon.

"I heard that a girl named Robin is working here," He said rather bluntly, getting straight to the point. He was expecting an answer from the woman, but Kiyoko only smiled and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is no one here by that name. In fact most of the time, I run this magic shop by myself," She said coolly. However, Amon was not going to give up so easily.

'This is the best lead I've had in a month…I'm not going to let this go.'

"Are you sure? She's about 16 years old, blonde hair, green eyes, dresses in black most of the time?"

Kiyoko began to shift uncomfortably on the spot, and shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, but like I said before, there is no one here by that name, nor fits that description. Perhaps you've mistaken us for another magic shop."

Amon narrowed his eyes dangerously at the woman, except this time, she neither flinched nor showed signs of backing down under his gaze. He let out an internal sigh. 'I'm not going to get anything out of her,' He thought disdainfully. 'Perhaps I can come back and search this place later for clues…'

"I see, I'm sorry to have bothered you then," He said briskly, turning to leave. Amon was very disappointed, he had not wanted another dead end…he wanted…some sort of sign…any sign…that told him that Robin had been here.

Yet even as he walked towards the door, he found himself freezing in the middle of the room, as if he couldn't find himself the will to leave. As if he was missing something crucial, leaving something precious behind. He stared back at the woman, who was watching him closely, and then back to the trinkets around the shop.

Instinctively, his hands came up to grasp the red pendant around his neck for what seemed to be the hundredth time, and again, the unexplainable pain came to his chest. 'Why Robin?' He found himself asking again. 'I don't understand why you're running…you said it was for me, but what does that mean?'

His cold, slate eyes settled upon a decorative candle. It was a plain white candle of course, yet it's holder was an intricate design of leaves and vines, at the base, a carefully crafted fairy held onto the metal holder. For some reason, the candle held his interest…

Then, it happened. In a wild second, and from seemingly no where, the candle became alit with a small flame, as if it sprouted from no where. Amon's eyes widened, watching as the flame danced almost mockingly, yet glimmering with a tiny piece of hope in front of him. There was his sign.

A rush of excitement had filled him like never before, and he looked around the room frantically, with only on thought resounding in his head. 'She's here…'

Quickly, he grabbed the candle-with its fairy holder and all, and paced up to the counter again. Kiyoko watched him with surprised eyes, pushing her half-mooned spectacles up her nose and pulling her shawl closer to herself.

"Ah, you have changed your mind? You wish to purchase something after all?" She asked with a no doubt fake smile.

"Where is she?" Amon asked in a harsh tone, his eyes flashing dangerously as he hovered over Kiyoko.

"Where is who?"

"Don't play games with me, I know she's here!" He was tired of being yanked around by his chain. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. Kiyoko glared at him yet she still continued to play the innocent card.

"If you are talking about this Robin, then I have told you before, I don't know anyone here by that name!"

"Oh? Then what the hell is this?" He growled, practically shoving the still lit candle in her face. Kiyoko looked at the candle with a startled expression, and she continued to do so for several moments. Amon gripped the handle harder; he was growing impatient. Each second that he was wasting with this stubborn woman, Robin was probably slipping away.

'She knows about Robin, I know she does,' Amon clenched his teeth. After several moments, Kiyoko regained her composure and scoffed, laughing some as she adjusted her glasses.

"Why, I hardly think a candle is anything to get worked up over."

"It lit up by itself. Robin was a witch, who could light up fire at random," He pressed.

"Please, Sir…you are getting excited over nothing. Look around you!" She gestured slender arms to indicate her store. "This is a magic shop! Anything can happen here," She smiled wryly at him.

Amon's anger flared, he had had it with her. It had not been a very good day for him, and normally he was not one to lose his temper. But when it came to Robin, crossing paths with him was unwise. He grabbed Kiyoko roughly by the shoulders, startling the woman with a loud gasp.

"I told you, I'm not going to play your games anymore. WHERE ARE YOU HIDING ROBIN?" He hissed threateningly, his grip on her shoulders becoming so tight she began to wince. He could see it in her pale eyes now, she was afraid.

She looked defiantly up into his eyes.

"L-Like I'd tell you," She spat, now angry as well. He growled under his breath.

'So, she did know about Robin.'

Just when he was about to force the information out of her, a flicker of golden strands caught his eye from the door behind her. Letting go entirely of Kiyoko, Amon made a run for it, pushing past the beaded curtains with the gentle clattering sound it made.

"Robin!" He called out, leaving a rather stunned Kiyoko slumped against her counter. She rubbed her shoulders, mentally wincing when she saw the mad yet determined look in the man's cold eyes. And she feared for her…feared for Robin.

"Run, little Robin, fly away…" and tears began to form on her aged, pale eyes, slipping down her cheeks as she realized it was probably the last time she was ever going to see the charming girl in her shop ever again.

And upon her table, the flickering flame that had lighted on the candle slowly burned out.

===

Amon cursed again and again under his breath, leaning against the wall as he was only met with the wind and an empty street. He had followed her, ran through the back room of that magic shop and through the wide open door…only to be met with an empty street.

There was nothing there, nothing. He was panting for air, gripping tightly onto the pendant as if it were a lifeline. His heart was racing for some reason. The image of the candle lighting itself, the flicker of golden hair that barely disappeared behind the door.

'She was there…I know she was…'

His fists clenched by his sides, almost trembling with anger. 'She got away from me…again."

How many more times, he thought, until Robin would finally fly back to him? His grip on the pendant loosened, and now Amon held the jewel to his eye level, watching it bask in the evening sun as he so often did. 'When will you sing for me again?'

The hunter felt it once more, the deep unmistakable longing that filled him. He had gotten used to it now, as the feeling haunted him every night. But the pain never lessened. No, it always gets worse, more painful…

And the hunter knew that only Robin could make these damned feelings go away.

'And if that's what it takes to soothe my restlessness, so be it…' He thought bitterly, looking to the orange sky. 'I suppose I'm not searching for her to keep my promise to her after all…It's because I want to be at ease…'

Yet, as he stared at the horizon, the color so reminding him of her kindling embers…he could not help but feel that even when he DID find Robin…

These feelings would not fade. They would grow stronger. And he didn't want that. No, he wanted to be rid of it…

'Don't I?' His chest throbbed even more. 'Robin…'

===

The room was dark, and empty, just like her torrid emotions. Robin sat huddled in the corner of her dingy makeshift hotel room, her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared blankly with emerald eyes at three candles propped up on a nearby chair.

Her eyes narrowed, her lip trembled. She wanted to cry, but tonight, she swore she wouldn't. A flame flashed across her eyes, and the first candle on the chair lit up immediately, giving a small light in the darkened room.

Like a Beacon in the dark night

I call out to your soul with my cries

'Why did I do that? Why didn't I just run like Kiyoko told me? Why did I light that candle?' Robin mentally screamed. She knew somewhere she had made a mistake, when she ran into the backroom, she was intent to get as quickly as she could out of the shop and away from Amon. Another flicker, the second candle lit, burning just as brightly next to the first one.

And like a Sailor drawn to a Siren

You followed my song

But when she had heard the sound of his voice, she had found every part of her being frozen, compelled to stay. And stay she did, hiding in the shadows, knowing she was taking the biggest of risks just to be there. 'I couldn't help it…I had to see him…just once…just one more time…'

If I could just have held you for one second

Touched you for but one moment

I would be content

And surely, there he had been, not changed in the least since she had last seen him. Still dark, brooding, strong, and silent…He was still Amon. Except the fire of determination, almost of madness was still there. And what's more, the hunter was still searching for her. 'After all this time?' She had caught the glitter of red hanging from his neck, and realized that it had been her red pendant.

She was not sure if she should've been overjoyed that he still held it so dear, or crestfallen that he refused to let her memory go.

The thing is, I don't think you would've

Been satisfied with just one moment

When he turned to leave, Robin knew she should've been relieved that he would not find her. But at the same time, as she watched him take hesitant footsteps to the door, she felt a deep longing. A pain engulfed her chest at seeing him walk out of her life once more. After all, she spent day after day forgetting…

She had wanted to cry out to him, to tell her that she was there and forget her pact to protect him from herself. She wanted to throw everything away and run into his arms. It had taken all of her will power and strength to stay in her little corner, watching in the shadows as her heart broke piece by piece.

I wanted you to know that I was here…

Waiting for you the whole time

That was when she saw it, the candle sitting on the table not far from where Amon stood. A little voice in her head told her to reach him. Just a little flame, to leave him a trace, let him know his search was not in vain. 'He might not even be paying attention.' Robin had reasoned with herself.

"I'm so stupid," She muttered to herself in her room, still staring blankly at the two-lit candles across the room. A dull look came over her eyes, and the third and last candle lit; all three flickering eerie shadows across the room.

I'm still waiting

Come find me

Come save me…

From this blinding loneliness

Before she could stop herself in that one moment, Robin had lit the candle in the shop, and Amon had seen it. It was all he needed, all the proof he wanted to confirm that she was there. Like a scared child, all of her courage was lost. She couldn't face him, didn't know what to say nor what to do if he caught her. So she did the one thing that bitterly, she admitted she had grown very good at.

She ran.

If only it were that simple

To let you reach out to me…

To end this pain

And thus, the cycle begins anew. How it will begin, again…and again…and again…

As if unable to hold up her frame anymore, Robin fell to the side, lying limply on the ground in a dazed state, the shadows dancing across her body. From her position, she spotted the phone lying not far from where she was.

Emerald eyes locked onto it for several moments, not knowing why she was thinking so much about the object, when suddenly she found herself sitting up again, crawling to it, and picking up the receiver.

===

"I'm leaving now." She said briskly, tossing red hair out of her eyes and glancing back over her shoulder. She glared at the boy still tapping away on his computer, headphones still firmly on. "Geez, you don't always have to ignore me you know!"

Michael looked up from the screen, sighing at her.

"Close the door on your way out, Aya," was all he said, turning back to his computer in a second, sipping some coffee occasionally. Aya scowled.

"Don't mind, him. Michael's always been that since…"

"Yeah, I know, since that Robin girl left." She sighed, turning with a small smile to Ms. Kurasama. "Can you please take me home? I would've asked Sakaki, but he and Dojima went off together." The older woman nodded, ushering out the door.

Before she left, she glanced back at the hacker, who did not even bother to look up. Kurasama shook her head. 'Open up to us Michael…' She thought. 'It'll hurt a lot less if you talk about it.'

His brown eyes followed the two women as they left the room. As soon as the lights turned off, and the door clicked close, Michael let out a sigh of relief, pulling off his headphones and slumping against his chair.

'Finally,' He thought. The hacker stared at the flickering screen. It wasn't as if he didn't like them all anymore. But after the phone call he received from Amon a month ago, he had been plagued by the thought of the young fire witch as well.

And lately, he found himself wanting more and more time to himself. He didn't want to talk to anyone, because every time he brought up Robin, they'd dodge the subject like jackrabbits. The only one he COULD talk to about the situation was Amon.

But then again, how far can you carry a conversation with that man? Not to mention, the hunter would call him completely out of the blue himself, and their talks were brief. Amon was only interested in talking if Michael found any good leads for him to follow, other than that, it's a;

"I see. Well then, keep searching. Bye."

Michael groaned, turning off the computer. For once, it was hurting his eyes. 'I'm worried about her too, you know…' He thought bitterly to himself. 'It's killing me too not knowing what happened to her…At least Amon saw her once…'

Just then, he was brought of his gloomy thoughts when the phone rang. The moonlight filtered through the window, and all was silent save for the ringing phone. Michael was brought back with a sense of déjà vu. He could guess.

'It's probably Amon. Only he would call this late…'

Almost reluctantly, he picked up the phone, placing it haphazardly against his ear.

"Hello? STN-J. Michael speaking."

"M-Michael?"

This time, he REALLY fell out of his chair. Landing with a thud, he lay sprawled across the floor, phone still clutched firmly in his hand as he nearly choked.

"M-Michael! Are you alright?"

The soft feminine voice on the other line called out to him. He sat up. 'Could it be? Is this a dream?'

"I-Is this…are you…"

Laughter.

"I've missed you too Michael…"

"Robin…" He whispered, a smile curving on his lips truly for the first time since the collapse of the factory. "I can't believe it…It's so good to hear your voice again…" He said almost fondly

"Please don't be mad that I didn't tell you where I was…"

"I'm not. I was just worried about you was all…"

Sniffling could be heard, and Michael felt a sudden clenching in his chest. 'I-Is she crying?!'

"Robin, what's wrong?"

"I just needed…to talk to someone that's all. And you were the…only one…"

Michael smiled, feeling a lump form in his throat. To know that she was calling out to him in her time of need, to just hear her voice, it meant more to him than anything…

"I'm here, Robin," He assured.

"Michael? Do me a favor…"

"Anything," he murmured softly, quick to agree with anything that his long lost friend requested. A long pause, and then she continued.

"Don't tell Amon."

End Chapter

===

[A/N]

Yume: Sorry for the long wait! And yeah, I'll try to update as soon as possible!

CF: Just as soon as Yume fixes everything on fanfiction.net. We are now under a new pen name since we got kicked off, everything got erased, and yeah.

Yume: the new name there is Youkai no Yume. It will be a while until new chapters are up on that site, but new chapters will still be added to mediaminer.org, A Single Spark, and The Killiing Perfection. If you wish to know when I will update, contact me, and I shall add you on my mailing list.

CF: READ AND REVIEW! No flames please. AND THANKS FOR ALL OF OUR REVIEWERS FROM BEFORE!