At the End

Michael's voice was the first thing she heard; all high and panicked, drawing her back to life. Everything was so cold, and that feeling was enough to wake her fully. Ever since finding her Pyrokinesis she'd been able to feel the flames keeping her warm. It had to be awfully cold before they weren't strong enough.

She felt the stone next, the weight of it and the solidness. Knew it had to be piled thick because there was no other sound than that of Michael freaking out over her comm.

“Robin-chan? Amon-kun? Please, answer me! Answer me!”

The stones were pressing in on all sides, she could feel them digging into her skin against her back and her palms and the length of her arms. Something shifted above her and Robin closed her eyes, waiting for the end. A hand grasped her shoulder and then she knew.

Amon was there with her, trapped in the cave-in the Witch had created. She heard him gasp for air and shift and the hand that was on her shoulder moved to feel the rock around them.

Michael continued screaming.

“Amon! Robin! Please be there, you can't be dead! Answer me! Whats going on?”

From the noises that Amon was making and the way his hand kept moving around the rocks she knew he was trying to find a way out. When the older man sighed and ceased moving she knew there was no way out.

“Oh, god.” Robin said. “We're going to die here.”

***

They'd foolishly chased the Witch into the cavern, expecting reinforcements to show up at any second, only to see the Witch smirk at the last second, her hands reaching towards the ceiling of the cave. They'd understood to late and even Robin's Fire Power was no match for that much falling rock.

The roaring of the falling stones had gone on forever, until Robin had woken up buried alive. Now there was no sound.

“Robin? Are you alive? Are you hurt?” Michael demanded.

“I'm fine, nothing hurts.” She answered. From the sudden silence on the other end she wondered if that was a bad sign. She shivered in response to the cold coming in from the rocks. Amon ignored the cold like he ignored everything else.

“Where are you?”

“We're buried alive.” Amon said, loud enough that Michael could hear him. His comm had been lost somewhere in the deluge of rocks.

“And the Witch?” Their Director asked, cutting into the channel suddenly.

“She was likely killed in the cave-in.” Amon offered before testing the strength of the rock again.

Robin shivered and turned her head to the side and reaching an arm out to feel for the walls of their confinement. Just before she was able to straighten her arms out she found the edges of the wall, an she sat up, trying to figure out the height of their air space. Her head collided with Amon's chest, making the other Witch Hunter grunt.

“Move over.” Amon ordered and Robin shifted to the side. His clothing rustled and she felt him move to sit beside her on the floor. For a few seconds he felt around the chamber, until he gave up, too.

“Michael?” Robin asked. “Is everyone else safe?” The comm hissed for a few seconds.

“Yeah, Haruto and Doujima weren't in the cavern when the Witch attacked you. Only a few scratches and bruises from flying debris.” The hacker answered and she could hear the sounds of voices in the background, as well as the sound of computer keys.

“Can you light a flame so we can see?” Amon asked, his voice gruff.

“You'd better not.” Michael said, voice in Robin's ear. “I'm not sure how solid that cave-in is; the fire could use up all of your air.”

“Michael says not to.” Robin told her boss and the man sighed. “I'm cold.” Amon didn't respond to that, but she hadn't expected him to. “Are we going to die here?”

Michael babbled in her ear, telling her how the team was ready to go and pull the rock-fall apart, how the factory was on their way to rescue them and the police had been notified. She didn't pay attention to him.

“Probably.” Amon said, his voice flat.

“Oh.” Robin sighed. She reached up and turned her comm off, cutting Michael's voice in half. Accepting her death, she leaned back against the stone wall, feeling the cold seep in through her dress. Amon made a noise of agreement and she wished she could see the look on his face. “Can you see in the dark?”

“A little.” He answered and Robin nodded, before clasping her hands together and beginning to pray. In the middle of her fifth Hail Mary, Amon shifted. “Why did you turn the comm off?” Robin didn't open her eyes.

“Michael was panicking. If we are going to die, we may as well make this easier on him.”

She got the impression that Amon nodded, agreeing with her logic. “He loves us very much.” Robin added, before going back to her whispered prayers.

“I was the one who spared his life.” Amon said, after a few more minutes. “When he hacked the STN.”

“I know.” Robin said. “Michael told me. I brought him dougnuts one night and we sat up talking, watching the moonlight pour in through the window.”

Amon made a noise, sort of a startled, “Hm.”.

“Why doesn't the team know that you're a Craft-User?” Robin asked, letting her hands fall to her sides as she shivered in the cold. He made noises that could possibly have gone with a startled face, but in the darkness she couldn't tell. “Amon?”

“I'm not a Craft-User.” He admitted, producing a noise of hair slithering across the material of his coat. “I am a Witch. I was never formally trained.”

“A Witch?” Robin asked, startled. “How did you get into STN?”

“I saw a few friends die at the Factory's hands and I didn't want it to happen to me.” He sighed. “We weren't even bad Witches and we never stepped out of line, but the Factory murdered every last one of them.” His voice sounded like angry velvet. “I simply hid my talents and applied to STN.”

“I'm sorry about your friends.” Robin said.

“I am not the Amon I was then.”

They sat in silence a few more minutes and Robin felt the pull in her lungs as the air began to grow sparse. It was a good thing Michael had warned her not to use her fire.

“Do you feel it?” Robin asked.

“Yeah.” Amon sighed. “It won't be long until we smother.”

“May I come sit with you?” Robin asked and before Amon could tell her 'no', she was across the small chamber, settling against his side and pulling one of his arms around her.

“If you wish.” Amon allowed, surprising her. He pulled her closer and she rested her head against his chest, under his chin, one of her arms wrapping around his chest.

“Theres something I want you to know.” Robin said.

“Hmm?” Amon asked, the sound rumbling through his chest and vibrating against her face.

“I'm not really a Craft-User.” She admitted, as her lungs began struggling. Amon froze for a second, before he relaxed back against the stone wall. Robin shivered. “I'm a Witch, from the old Coven, the one everyone though was destroyed two hundred years ago. We found out what the Factory and STN were doing and I was sent to stop them.” She gasped for air. “I had friends who died, too, and when I die all of my pyrokinesis will attack the Factory, and with it gone none of the STNs will be able to function.”

Robin felt like everything was spinning, everything except Amon. It was comforting.

“We'll be free. All of us.” Amon said and Robin felt herself die. Amon's lungs gave out moments later, and he, too, died.

Around the world buildings exploded, and locks were thrown, setting free all of the Witches who had only used their powers to defend themselves. And in the darkness, under the ground, two Witches rested in silence, smiles on both their faces.

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