Witch Hunter Robin

Fire and Rain

Chapter VIII - Past Problems, Present Predicaments

Rated : PG-13 for Mild Violence, Mild Profanity, and Mature Content

Summary : After the bout with Nobunaga, the STN-J is under review from Solomon Agent Saunders and his deputy, David Rica, but is there more to Rica than meets the eye? And what about Robin and Michael's unfolding romance?

Disclaimer : I do not own Witch Hunter Robin® or any characters. They are registered Trade Mark™ of Sunrise® and now apparently Sci-Fi™. If I owned WHR it wouldn't have just been 26 episodes.

Nor do I own the song Fire and Rain ; I just borrowed its title.

Storyline, Plot, Calypso © and the Evil David Rica © are all my property.

Author Notes :

Well here's the next chapter, and it's not a cliffie so you all can rest at easy.

This one goes more in depth with David Rica's disturbed past.

And a lil' bit of Amon's past too.

-------------------

Haruto Sakaki had only just drifted off to sleep. It was nice to get some actual shut eye after being beaten, thrown from a boat, and had flirted at least twice with Yurika Doujima, which was enough to make any man tired and confused. Not that he had really found flirting with his blonde co-worker a bad thing, it was actually pretty fun. He wouldn't mind doing it once again, but unfortunately that was not to happen, at least not yet.

The sleep was short lived, however, because he suddenly felt hands on his chest, shaking him violently trying to wake him up. His eyes opened to see the still-swollen face of Doujima. The first thought that crossed his mind was that she was back for more of her odd flirting style, but the second he saw the look of pain in her eyes he realized something was very wrong.

“What happened?” He asked.

”It's Amon.” She choked. “He's here. In surgery.”

----

It seamed like the entire STN-J was now at the hospital. Kosaka was in surgery to remove the bullet that had been shot into his shoulder by David Rica. Zaizen was being treated in the trauma center for extensive cutting wounds, which had also been inflicted by David Rica. Karasuma, Sakaki and Doujima had all been there already for the injuries they had gotten on the boat, by none other than David Rica.

And now Amon and Robin were here. Amon, lying on a table as surgeons in white masks and rubber gloves attempted to save his life. His life blood was flowing from the wound on his throat like water from a faucet. Robin sat outside the room, looking in the tall glass window as the doctors raced against time.

“Robin!”

Robin spun around quickly, finding Doujima and Sakaki running towards her. Both of them were in the hospital gowns with their pants on underneath. Robin felt a kind of relived feeling inside her as she saw them. She had been worried about their lives for a while, but had been much too busy with her own life and Michael and Amon's as well to really give them her full attention.

“What happened?” Sakaki asked as he looked into the window to see Amon lying on his stomach with doctors poking at his neckline.

“Rica.” Robin whispered.

It was all that needed to be said. They were all thinking the same thing, really. David Rica had beat Amon. That made him the most dangerous Witch they'd ever fought. Robin was thinking these very things as she stood in the white ward when Michael's voice drifted to her ears, accompanied by the voice of someone she did not know.

“You can fix my arm later damn it!”

”But sir you can't --“

“Get. Out. Of. My. Way!”

Robin, as well as Doujima and Sakaki turned around to see Michael pushing his way past a nurse. His arm was still horribly crooked and beaten, but his face looked worse for the wear. Robin began to walk forward but Michael had arrived before she could. He slumped up against the wall, using it to support his balance.

“Michael.”

Michael shook his head. “I know, I promised to stay but -- damn .” He said, noticing who was inside the hospital room and what was happening.

“Is he gonna die?” Doujima asked quietly.

”The doctors don't know.” Robin responded, even quieter.

“Listen.” Michael said, causing the three of them to look away from Amon and back to him. “I know Amon is important to each of us, but we still have a job to do. We have to find Rica.”

”What's so urgent?” Doujima asked. It was clear she wanted to kill Rica as badly as any of them, but her health and Amon's was higher on her priority list.

”He just bought an Airplane ticket on the phone.” Michael explained. “He's heading back to America.”

----

The world is a great place when all you need to buy an Airplane ticket with is a phone and a credit card number. David Rica was now on his way to the airport to pick up his ticket and get across the ocean.

Of course, Doctor Calypso wouldn't be happy that Rica had failed to retrieve even one set of eyes, but perhaps the knowledge that Amon was dead would spare Rica from any punishment.

After jumping from the roof of the STN-J's headquarters at Raven's Flat he landed on the ground with enough force to kill any human being, but not him. Calypso's power made his body heal in an instant. He jumped up from the smashing fall and quickly made his way to a nearby store, killed the owner, used his phone and credit card to buy the ticket, and then stole the man's car.

They'd never catch him.

----

Amon was currently in surgery, his body was anyway. As his life drained slowly from its vessel his mind was miles away. Years away.

Amon's mind was reliving that day five years ago.

The building was ominous and dark, black and shadowy. The STN-J agents moved like swift dots in the darkness, guns drawn, ready to fire at the first glimpse of Charles Calypso.

The team leader was running down the pitch-colored corridor with his gun aloft, his rookie partner Amon tagging along at his heels. Suddenly the corridor ended and they were out in the greater blackness of a larger room in the warehouse.

“Hello Hunters.”

The STN leader spun around and aimed his gun but Calypso was too quick. Short, skinny with gray matted hair on his balding head and a matching gray goatee. He held an old cane in his hand, it was black and made of oak, except for the handle which was silver and made of steel. With a clicking noise Calypso slipped the black oak away to reveal a long sword blade.

Calypso stabbed with the sword blade and slashed it against the leading agent's palm, causing his hand to drop the gun before he had the slightest chance to fire. Calypso then slashed with another cut and it scrapped across the leader's chest, causing him to fly back to the ground.

Amon held his gun aimed, but he hesitated as Calypso looked into his eyes. The Witch jumped forward and stabbed with his sword, but Amon's finger pulled the trigger. The bullet flew into Calypso's cheek and up through his skull.

Calypso had the power to take the eyes of witches and the bodies of humans and united them into one collective creature. Unfortunately the host vessel body would sometimes reject the eyes and memories, causing insanity and death. That was why he never used his powers on himself.

And now he was dead because of it.

It wouldn't be for another couple years until David Rica, who had been given one of Calypso's eyes by Calypso a year before his death would bring Calypso back.

Past had caught up with Amon.

And it may cost him his future.

----

The STN-J was in shambles, Zaizen and Kosaka were both out of commission, and even Amon had bitten the dust and was unable to lead the team. The doctors predicted that he had a 40% chance of survival, but that meant little to Michael right now, who had assumed the job of getting the STN-J into shape.

Sakaki and Doujima were still wounded but otherwise than a few bruises they were good enough to go after Rica, so Michael made quick work of sending them to the airport that Rica's flight left from.

Robin, who was better off than any of them, was sent with Karasuma (who had to use a wheelchair) to Rica's hotel room so that she could use her powers to learn anything they could that might help them.

The trip to Rica's hotel room was done fine, but still it made Robin worry a bit. They had no headsets and it was impossible to contact the others right now, meaning if anyone ran into any trouble they'd be on their own.

Robin was able to stop at Harry's Place on the way, and it appeared Master Yuji had been able to pick up some Orbo Guns from the Flat in the time since Rica left and Saunders died.

Now that Karasuma was armed they made their way to the old hotel. It was difficult to get Karasuma's wheelchair up the stairs to the room (which was on the top floor) but they made good time. Robin's mind blazed a bit as they walked under the bright oak doorways and red carpeted halls until at last they arrived at the room.

Once inside Robin went and sat down at the bed and Karasuma wheeled herself over to the bedside stand. Her blue eyes scanned around until they fell on something, a broken shard of silvery glass that lay under the bed.

Her hand reached down and picked it up, and the moment her skin touched the watery shard, red with the cold dried blood from when Rica had smashed it out of the mirror, memories flooded her mind.

Memories that made her want to scream.

Peter Pummel, a young man with short brown hair and a matching mustache was dressed out in his blue police uniform, his Billie club in hand. It was Mardi Gras, and in New Orleans it was the most festive day of the year.

He was on duty that night. Between drunks, flashers, drug dealers and plain old party animals the night was far from just harmless fun. He himself was on the case tracking some Marijuana smoking teens he had spotted from his horse down on the street. He had to ride the horse during Mardi Gras since the cars wouldn't make it through the crowds.

He was now in an old, abandoned loft above the street where cops, partying people, and dangerous men and women all trying to find great fun, even if it is illegal.

“Hold it kids.”

He had entered the room and found three young women and two young men, all of them looking like they were in college, sitting on a stool. The narcotics were clearly in their hands. They were, what was it called he wondered, ‘smoking a joint'?

That's when the sixth person, a boy he had not seen, smashed a beer bottle down on his head from behind. Pummel fell out cold and the teens thought it would be funny to tie him up in an old chair with their beads. Then when they were done they slapped a Mardi Mask on his face and pushed him out the window.

They though he'd land in the crowd of people beneath them and be fine, all in harmless fun. But he smashed into a parked car and when his face smashed the glass in it slit his throat.

Peter Pummel had died, but his memories, his eyes, lived on after Calypso put them into David Rica's body.

The memories of death and pain were burning inside Karasuma's mind.

She knew now.

----

“You see him yet?”

Doujima and Sakaki were under cover as an old married couple sitting on the bench outside Gate C7. The Airlines had told Michael that this was the only gate that had a flight to Louisiana was this one.

They both wore gray wigs; Doujima was in a horrible yellow dress, while Sakaki wore an ugly green suit. They had Orbo Guns tucked away ready to be drawn and fired at the slightest sight of Rica.

“Nope.” Sakaki said with a sigh.

”This is boring.” The blonde pouted.

”You won't be saying that when we find Rica.” Sakaki smirked. He knew Doujima had a personal feud with the smug smiling American and she would follow him to the ends of the earth if it meant a chance to get him once and for all.

”True.” She responded honestly. “He just ticks me off.”

The Airport security knew the STN agents were here, but why they hadn't been told. So at the security tunnel when David Rica showed up and flashed them a STN-J ID card, they let him through the security tunnel with his gun still in his pocket.

“Thank you gentlemen.” He said politely. “I'll just take a look for my partners.”

Rica walked over to Gate C7, looking at the faces of so many people. Mothers with their children, Brothers with their Sisters, Rich old men who were flying overseas, tourist going home. So many of them. He could use them as hostages if he had too, but he didn't want to make a scene.

He made his way quickly and quietly over behind the bench where the two of them sat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gun, pressing it against Doujima's back. She gasped and turned around, as did Sakaki, but Rica cocked the gun.

”You try anything lil' puppy and you'll die faster than a toad in a snake farm.”

Neither of them spoke or moved, but the look on their faces was far from happy.

”Naw if you try to stop me from boarding that plane I'm gonna open fire, but not on you, on all these nice civilians, you got that? Maybe I'll shoot some babies in mommy's arms.”

”You sick son of a bitch.” Doujima spat.

”I know.” Rica spoke fondly. “I love you puppies too. Now be good, I'll come back and kill you some day.”

Rica then stood and boarded the plane; the two STN agents were unable to stop him without risking the lives of everyone around him. Once Rica was out of sight Doujima stood up and walked towards the plane on-ramp.

”Doujima, what do you think you're doing?” Sakaki asked, following her.

“We're going to get on that plane.” Doujima explained. “And we're going to America with Rica.”

Sakaki shook his head. It was probably a huge mistake, but he was all game.

So the two STN-J agents boarded the plane, determined to follow David Rica at any cost.

And that was exactly what Rica had been planning on.