She was sleeping now. For the moment, that was good enough. He didn't want to think about later.

But he didn't really have a choice, and if he just sat here in the dark, guarding the dark hump that was Robin, watching it rise and fall with her breath, nothing would get done. Besides, it would better to get things thought out now, before morning came and he had no time for it.

So he was thinking.

Things had seemed so much clearer in the factory. Strange, perhaps, given they were running and dodging and scrambling for their lives, but action had always been Amon's element. And, of course, there had been Robin…

Robin… Amon's eyes hardened slightly and blinked over at the young girl again, where she lay in a heap, sprawled on the grass. He supposed she must be pretty tired after everything she had been through. Burning your way through fifty feet of concrete had a way of exhausting a person.

Not that he would know.

Still, the way she had blasted their way to safety, punched out a hole in the wall as the entire building came crashing down… Amon wasn't sure how to describe it. It was almost unreal, like a dream or some kind of bad hallucination. You couldn't believe what you were seeing, and yet there was no denying what had been seen. It wasn't hard to see she had used up her last reserves, but the sheer scope of those reserves was frightening.

And that wasn't the only thing. As Robin had collapsed backward, as he and Karasuma grabbed and held her back from falling, the hunters had looked at each other, and without saying a word, knew what had to be done.

No other course was possible. Robin had to disappear. Amon too, to keep an eye on her. Karasuma had to ensure that everyone believed it. Solomon would simply not permit someone to have that much power.

Amon wasn't sure himself if it was such a great idea.

The grass rustled slightly as Robin stirred and sighed in her sleep. Amon's eyes flickered over her for a moment, then returned to the forest. Back and forth went his eyes.

Yes, everything had been clear in the Factory. Get Robin out. Pretend to be dead. Get as far away as you can. Hide, and set her down in a safe place.

Now? Not so clear.

They were not nearly as far from the Factory as Amon would like. Robin had still been too weak, and he was still feeling some affects from the Orbo. But that did not concern him. He was not thinking about the past, nor even about the present. He was thinking about the future.

They would have to get out of Tokyo. Possibly out of Japan. They would probably need new names, and funds. They would need to avoid the Solomon network at all costs, and definitely avoid any unusual event that would bring attention to them.

But what would they do, exactly?

Amon looked down again. Red hair, closed eyes, mouth slowly hissing breath in and out. A little over fifteen, naïve, innocent, and devout. Beautiful, too, he supposed. The Devil's Child. The one who would bring the awakening of the witches, and return them to the gods.

The child named Hope.

Amon closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Witches are evil. They must be hunted. This had been his mantra, his guiding purpose. He had not bothered with any kind of faith or principle.

He had not been blind. He had seen witches, good witches, witches tired of life, and others who did not even want their powers. Some he had let go. Most he had not. But still, there were always more, ones who reigned over others with their powers, or manipulated others, or fulfilled petty desires.

Witches who were evil

And he hunted them.

In a way, he supposed, he would still be doing that. But in a very, very different way, and with very, very high stakes.

He would be traveling with the most powerful witch in the world, walking side by side with a… a… child. One with the ability to vaporize him in an instant if she felt like it. All as insurance, that if her power turned to evil, that he would be there to kill her.

As if he could even get a shot at her.

And this was what truly worried him, what almost… really frightened him, he supposed. That this girl, with all this power, trusted him to do this. Even placed her life in his hands. If you truly believe She had said. That I have become too dangerous, and that I have truly become a witch, then you may shoot me. I will not resist.

Amon's breath hissed through his teeth, and he stared hard at Robin. She would have done it too. He had seen it in her eyes. Doujima would have protected her. Nagira had taken some hits for her. But she herself…?

Not a thing. She trusted him. And that scared him. Scared him, because what would happen if he made the wrong decision? Perhaps the world would die. Perhaps she would. Perhaps he would be too late, and he would die, because she no longer trusted him.

One thing was clear. He was her watchdog now. Whether to defend her, or destroy her, he was not sure, but he definitely needed to watch her.

And, he reminded himself fiercely as he watched the dark hump move up and down, he could not become attached to her. He must remain impartial. If the moment ever came, and she became evil, he would have to kill her.

And he could hardly do that if he fell in love with her.

A/N: Yeah, so I'm completely new to this section. Might continue this, but I really hope not, cause goodness knows I have way too many projects that need to be worked on already.

Oh, and I don't recall Robin's exact words to Amon, even though I saw the episode just yesterday. If anyone wants to correct me, go ahead.

"Amon y Robin," the cover, was drawn by NekoMelchiah