Witch Hunter Robin
Fire and Rain
Chapter XI – Born on the Bayou
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, the STN-A© , Calypso© and the Evil David Rica© are all my property.
Author Notes :
Well, it's decided then.
I'll be an innovator. I looked and looked and I haven't seen one Amon/Karasuma story on here, so I suppose I'll either help create something new, or I'll be making a huge mistake like Lucas when he did Phantom Menace.
Well if it doesn't work out I'll just remind people it originally wasn't my idea, and if it does work out I'll take the credit.
^_- (Only joking)
Anyway, I guess I'll do some Miho/Amon.
Oh and as for this chapter, the entrance of an original character based on myself, as well as the entrance of Nagira.
Oh and yes, this chapter is a day early, ain't I nice?
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The STN-J?
So far since Haruto Sakaki and Yurika Doujima had arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, they had found themselves with painful cramps from a over-night ordeal in a airplanes bathroom, in a high speed cab chase, and then shot at by unknown assailants, but now Sakaki was lying on the ground, a drip of red blood sinking down from his damaged nose, and sharp pains cutting into his stomach.
The unknown cab driver, who had shot at him and now kicked him, was pulling himself up to his feet, a great black eye forming where Sakaki had punched him. He was staring at the reddish-brown haired girl who had appeared along with Doujima, now he was speaking, Sakaki didn't hear the words but a strange look crossed the cabby's face.
“Doujima, what's going on?” Sakaki asked, looking over at her. She flashed him a sly smile and then began to dig around her pockets; with a sigh she shook her head.
”Sorry, no napkins. Better hold your head back.”
Sakaki scowled. “Doujima!”
She laughed. “Now, now, what did we discuss in the bathroom?”
Sakaki wasn't amused. “Doujima, what is going on?”
”I'm not talking to you until you call me by my pet name.”
”This isn't time for your stupid flirting dammit!”
Sakaki knew at once he had gone too far. Doujima said nothing but her eyes filled with a mixture of flames and tears, and she looked deadly. Sakaki knew that there would be hell to pay later, but he was in far too bad a mood to care in the least bit.
“Hey.”
Sakaki turned his head around to where the ginger haired woman and the cab driver now stood. They didn't look dangerous anymore, on the contrary, they looked a lot friendlier than Doujima did right now.
“Err… sorry about that mate.” He said awkwardly. “Though you were a pair of witches Mr. Rica told us to hunt.”
Sakaki's blood began to boil the second Rica's name slipped off the young man's tongue. He was already looking at being suspended by Kosaka when they got back to Japan, Doujima looked murderous because of him, and the mention of the smug smiling American was enough to send him over the deep end.
Before Sakaki could speak the ginger haired woman wrinkled up her nose and suddenly the strange darkness that had appeared all around them was gone, and it was back to being a sunny blue sky in the late morning. Sakaki recognized it as a craft now, and he knew these people were the American version of his own organization.
But why are they helping Rica?
It was then the thought struck Sakaki that they had no clue about David Rica being the murdering bastard he really was. His face contorted into a look of mixed understanding and he stood up.
”Where's Rica?” He asked at once, his hands flailing out and grabbing the cab driver by his shirt. He seamed surprised by this.
”Wait, you are after Rica? But then –“
”I'm right hyah, Puppy.”
Sakaki didn't release his hold on the cab driver as he looked over to his left. David Rica stood, wearing his smug smile, a nine millimeter sidearm in his hand and a malice coming from his voice that chilled to the very marrow of the bone.
“Mr. Rica, what's going on?” A voice asked. A second man had appeared, much broader and bulkier than the cab driver. He had dark skin and wavy black hair and slung over his shoulder was a sniper rifle; obviously he had been on of the unseen snipers across the street.
”Oh just a little problem from my trip to Japan.” Rica said his smirk widening. “That and I am an undead zombie witch who's had a really bad day.”
The man with wavy black hair didn't have time to find out if this was supposed to be some kind of joke or not before Rica turned around and fired three shots into his chest. The cab driver and the ginger haired woman both screamed and Sakaki realized it was now or never.
He had lost his Orbo gun in the struggle but his left hand shot out towards the ginger haired woman's waste band, where her own gun was tucked into her jeans. He grabbed the gun, spun, and fired at Rica before anyone could react.
The shots flew into Rica's chest and while his face contorted into a sneer of pain he didn't slow down in the least as he brought his own gun up aiming it at the four people before him.
”Eyes!”
He heard Doujima scream out and Sakaki remembered what Michael had told them about Calypso and about Rica. He aimed the gun but before he could fire a jet of water came from out of nowhere and smashed into Sakaki's hand, causing him to drop the gun into the dirt.
”Bye puppy.” Rica laughed as he squeezed his trigger, his gun aimed directly at Sakaki's chest.
----
”Miss. Karasuma?”
Karasuma's eyes shot open as her name was called. Her dark red hair was knotted and tangled against her sweaty forehead. She had dozed off not long ago, still sitting in her wheelchair outside the operating room where Amon's life was hanging in the balance. Her eyes shot to the man who stood not far from her, and then at once to the glass that separated her from the room where Amon lay.
And then she gasped.
The doctors had all gone, the web cam link to the American hospital, John Hopkins, was turned off. And lying on the operating table was a body, covered by a tall cloth. Only the man's feet stuck out from beneath the long cloak.
The man under the cloth was dead.
Amon was dead.
“Karasuma?”
Miho Karasuma's eyes, which had immediately filled with rare tears upon seeing the body under the cloth and closed, shot open and darted to her left. She had thought she heard Amon's voice, but it was only the doctor. No, upon closer inspection the man standing beside her wasn't a doctor. He was a tall, brown haired man in a white coat. She didn't know him.
”Are you Miho Karasuma? Touko said she was in a wheelchair…”
Karasuma was taken aback. Touko had said? It then occurred to her that Touko had been here with her when Amon was still in surgery. Was this some message from Touko about Amon's death? Her eyes wandered back to the glass separating her from Amon's dead body.
They were moving the body now. She could see the man's face.
It wasn't Amon.
“Okay, sorry I bothered you.”
The man had begun to walk away.
”Wait! Yes, I'm Miho Karasuma.”
The man gave an annoyed sighed and turned back around. “Why didn't you say so?”
Karasuma ignored him. “Where did they take Amon?”
The man gave a small sigh. “They moved him over to the intensive care ward. He was awake for a little while, but he went back under. Touko was smart enough to call me and tell me what happened, and then she wanted me to come see if you were still asleep and wake you up. She's down the hall visiting her father.”
Karasuma may have found this information mildly interesting if the circumstances were different. But there was something else she wanted to know. Many things.
”Hold on.” Karasuma snapped angrily. “What happened to Amon? And who the hell are you?”
The man laughed. “I'm Nagira, and Amon was taken out of surgery after they stabilized his condition. You were asleep. Touko tried to wake you up but you just kept sleeping.”
Karasuma was thoroughly confused on most of what Nagira said, and she wished she could just go see Amon now and find out from him what was going on, but she knew she couldn't.
Still it didn't matter.
Amon was alive.
----
The bullet flew from Rica's gun, and it would have killed Sakaki, but a moment before it would have struck him and killed him, everything went dark again. His first thought was that he had been killed, but suddenly he felt arms pulling him away and he realized it was that ginger haired woman and her craft once again.
“Hurry!”
Sakaki could hear more shots in the dark, but Rica couldn't see them, and his bullets were confused by the blackness and sailed harmlessly away from them. Even the shot that had been inches from Sakaki's chest had missed. He was being dragged by someone now, maybe the cab driver or perhaps Doujima, he couldn't see them to know as they ran.
”I'll kill you damn puppies!”
Sakaki felt himself suddenly being pushed into something, and then he felt himself connecting with someone else, who gave an “oww!” and he recognized the voice as Doujima.
He realized they must be back in the cab because they were speeding off down the road, and a moment later he realized he was right. The darkness vanished and he found himself crammed headfirst into the moldy brown leather seat of the cab. Doujima was sitting next to him, but not looking at him. In the front he saw the cab driver, driving the cab and the ginger haired girl sitting in the passenger seat breathing heavy.
”What the hell was Rica's problem?” The driver asked angrily.
“He's a bastard.” Sakaki said simply as he sat up in the seat.
“Well we know that.” The ginger haired woman said shortly. “But why did he go from bastard boss to homicidal psycho?”
“Beats me.” Doujima said, her eyes focused intently on the two STN-A agents and not looking at Sakaki in the least. “But he tried to kill every last member of the STN-J.”
The driver cussed and the ginger haired woman sighed. Sakaki was still confused.
”Well, we have to report him to the boss.” The driver spoke simply. “Mr. Kauffman will want to know what's going on.”
”Who?” Sakaki asked.
”Hmm? Oh, Kauffman, the Manager back at HQ.” The driver spoke, and Sakaki realized that Kauffman had the same job as Zaizen back home.
The driver reached down and began to fiddle with the radio, there was static, a country song, and then a moment later a female voice spoke.
”Hello?”
”Amy, tell Kauffman that Mr. Rica just tried to kill us.” The driver said.
”What? Oh my God, Rica is back? Already?” The woman's voice sighed.
”Yeah, why?” The ginger haired girl asked.
”Michael over in Japan warned me about Rica earlier, but I didn't think he was back yet.”
“Michael?” Doujima mumbled quietly.
“Well just great.” The driver spat bitterly. “You could have warned us.”
“You could have called me and told me he was back in this country!” Amy's voice spat.
“Can we argue later?” The ginger haired girl asked nervously. “Mr. Rica is going to follow us.”
As if this were the cue, the window behind Sakaki and Doujima suddenly exploded, a jet of water moving at least seventy miles a hour burst through and smashed forward through the front windshield. Four sets of eyes turned around to see a yellow taxi cab speeding behind them, Rica obviously inside launching his craft at them.
“Under the seat.” The driver shouted at Sakaki, who looked confused. Still, he blinked and reached under his seat, and pulled out a long black box with the letters “B. G.” Engraved on the top of the box in large, golden letters. Sakaki opened the box to find a sleek black handgun and matching silencer.
He quickly picked up the gun, ignoring the silencer, and turned to aim at the cab behind them. A second jet of water smashed into the back of the cab causing the people inside to be sent upward with a jolt. Doujima cried out as her head hit the ceiling, and Sakaki lost his aim.
Trying his best to take focus, the rookie witch hunter aimed the gun, not at Rica who would have been impossible to hit, but at the cab's front hood. He fired four shots, three of which pierced the hood and into the engine below, the fourth missed completely.
There was a moment in which time Sakaki wondered if the shots had done any good, but in a split second later a bright orange flame shot up from beneath the hood of Rica's cab. Water quickly shot out from the middle of the air to extinguish the flames, but it didn't matter because Rica's car was already slowing down.
“Good shot, err, what was your name again?”
”Sakaki. Haruto Sakaki.”
”Brandon Gold. Now hang on, eh?”
And the car sped off as fast as it could, flying from the dirt roads from the construction site right into the busy traffic of New Orleans main streets.
Back at the New Orleans field office, Amy had just received a email from Michael telling her that a third STN-J agent named Robin Sena would be landing in a few minutes. . .
----
Robin had finally drifted off to sleep peacefully when she felt a soft thud and opened her eyes in time to realize the plane was now landing. She quickly flipped open the window and looked out onto the streets and lights of the New Orleans airport and she gasped in awe.
She had never been to America before, though she had learned to speak English while in Italy. She had been taught while she was still young, both English and Japanese simultaneously, because at the time it wasn't known if she'd be sent to one of the five STN-A offices (based in New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco) or one of the three STN-J building (which of course she was sent to the main STN-J office in Tokyo).
She really would have enjoyed seeing the sights America had to offer if not for her overwhelming tiredness from the past few days and worry. Instead all Robin wanted was to find and stop Rica and get back to Japan, back to Michael . . .
Robin waited for the traffic at the door to thin before she stood and made her way off the plane.
”Thank you for flying with us today.”
Robin nodded politely to the stewardess. “Thank you as well.” And then headed off the plane and towards the very terminal where only hours before Sakaki and Doujima had arrived at.
”Robin?”
She turned around to see a woman with light blonde she didn't know. The woman wore a light blue dress beneath a dark navy jacket like the one Rica wore. She was out of breath and clutching her knees with her hands, but between her right palm and her right knee was a small sheet of paper that contained Robin's picture and some words.
”Yes. . .” Robin said hesitantly.
”I'm . . . Amy Adams . . . Michael sent me . . . here.” She panted.
Robin's eyes widened at the mention of Michael.
”What is it?”
Amy reached out and handed Robin the crumpled paper, which was a copy of Michael email. Beneath Robin's picture were words.
Dear Amy,
This is Robin Sena, she's with the STN-J.
I sent her to help Sakaki and Doujima, who I told you about before.
Help her in any way you can, alright?
If she needs any proof of who you are just show her this letter.
And Robin, if you're reading this than you should trust this woman. She's my friend.
Now go stop Rica and hurry back so we can go get some Miso Soup at Harry's.
Robin read over the letter twice and realized that it was really Michael, the comment about Miso soup couldn't just be a coincidence. She looked up at Amy, who was still breathing heavy.
”I'm sorry . . . the letter only came . . . I had to hurry . . .”
Robin shook her head. “It's okay. Where are Doujima and Sakaki?”
Amy shook her own head now. “No . . . clue. They were with friends of mine not long ago . . . but the radio went dead.”
Robin sighed and closed her eyes.
Where were they?
----
Amon's eyes were still closed, though he was now awake once more.
He couldn't lay on his back, of course, since bullets had pierced the rear of his legs and his neck, so instead he lay down face first into a pillow, his dark hair matted with dried blood and sweat still dripping down his face.
Touko had left. She had been here but Amon had no interest in talking to her now, and he was still so weak from surgery to tell her anything so he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. She had left around the same time Nagira had arrived. Amon was surprised to hear Nagira's voice from the hall.
It was about twenty minutes later when he heard both footsteps and the sound of wheels clicking over the floor. He continued to keep up the charade of being asleep, the overwhelming combination of painkillers and lack of real sleep had made him too tired to converse with anyone.
”He's still asleep.”
Amon heard Nagira's voice and wondered for a moment if it was Touko he was speaking too, but a moment later he heard a second voice – Karasuma's.
“I know.” She said. “I just wanted to see him. It's . . . odd.”
”What is?” Nagira's voice asked.
“Amon. Being here. Being like this. I've known him since I joined the STN, and I've never seen him like this before. He looks so . . . normal. So . . . unlike himself.”
“So he's not normally normal, eh?” Nagira laughed.
”Well… yes. Not in a bad way… he just… Amon's never seamed like a normal person to me. He's always been stronger than any of us. Even when we were rookies, he was still the strongest. In fact, the only other time I remember seeing him show the slightest hint of weakness was after the first time we hunted Calypso.”
“Yeah, well.” Nagira said. “I remember him being in a hospital a hellova lot.”
“Let's go.” Karasuma's voice said. “I don't want him to wake up and hear this.”
”Fine.” Nagira said. “You won't want him to know you think he's weak?”
”No.” Karasuma spoke one last time. “I don't think he's weak. I just think he's human.”
Amon said nothing.
----
Sakaki was in a blur, the cab was driving faster than he would have liked.
Speeding down the road on a Motorcycle was one thing, they had maneuverability, they could dodge things, and they could easily work their way through traffic like this, but a big, hulky cab, could not.
He sighed and sunk back down into the seat, casting a look to his left and to Doujima. She wasn't looking at him, and he wondered if she was mad at him from earlier. It was clear that before she had been furious, but in all the craziness she must have forgotten.
”Hey Doujima –“
”Don't talk to me.” She said bitterly, turning her head away from him.
Apparently she had not forgotten.
“C'mon Doujima, now isn't the time to argue.”
”Oh no.” Doujima said, her voice as cold as ice and as sharp as a sword. “Now is never the time for anything. That's all things are to you, eh Sakaki? ‘ Doujima, now isn't the time to flirt, Doujima now isn't the time to argue, Doujima now isn't the time to have any thing close to fucking fun! ' Well when is it time to enjoy life!?”
Sakaki said nothing as she turned around, her eyes were red and dripping silent tears out. She was madder than Sakaki had ever seen her before, and he didn't quite think now was a good time to talk to her.
That's the problem, isn't it? Sakaki thought.
“Doujima, I'm sorry, okay I—“
”No.” Doujima said, turning away from him once again. “No you've made your feelings perfectly clear on the subject, thank you very much.”
Sakaki sighed.
In the front seat Brandon Gold and the ginger haired girl both shook their heads.
Didn't the Japanese Witch Hunters understand that there was a much bigger problem than their shot love life?
And that problem's name was Jackson David Rica.
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