Opposites Attract

Fire. People fear it, yet it is a source of light in their darkness.

People condemn their children for playing with it, disregarding the happiness it brings them.

People gaze in wonder as it burns their neighbor's house, but curse it when if it burns their own as well.

Am I not then, a contradiction to all they know? An innocent child 'cursed' by the power of destructive flames?

A gentle girl, ensnared by her own ability and its burden of judgment?

Is fire truly hideous, if a human like me can manipulate it?

Leather fingers brushed against my shoulder, waking me from my philosophical trance.

If you didn't already guess. It's Amon again.

As his partner, I'm constantly around him.

"I'd like it if you took a walk with me." He said flatly.

"In the rain?" I didn't want to soak the floors of the STNJ headquarters, but he held up an umbrella.

It was warm, pleasant, spring rain in the park, where my partner and I took our stroll under his umbrella.

As I was eyeing the budding branches of the rain dripping trees, Amon asked;

"What does the rain mean to you, Robyn?" The two of us stopped walking, taking a seat in an enclosed booth.

"It's not my enemy, if that's what you're asking." I answered, staring into the rain with a bit of sadness from his question.

"Are you saying opposite elements don't usually rule one or the other into nonexistence?"

"Have I killed you?" I retorted coldly, fire flaring in my eyes. Amon's stoic face held, but seemed softer, somehow.

"I'm sorry." The whole world stopped as he said this, my anger dying inside.

"W-What?" I stuttered, my shocked thoughts verbalizing involuntarily.

"I asked you what the rain meant to you, because I know you understand what it's like to be cursed as well."

The shock inside my veins only deepened. The way he read me was unbelievable. Is his Craft one that allows him to see into my mind? I turned my eyes to the beverage in my laugh, watching the coffee make little circles in itself with the breeze. I then nodded my head, confirming his statement.

"People curse the days when it rains, as if they've forgotten you can't grow a garden without them. That's like a man begging for water in the desert, and then complaining when a cloud appears overhead."

"Life is too ironic." My partner added. We were standing up to leave, but my knees suddenly collapsed beneath me. Amon had my back though, as always, and caught me, leaning me against himself. He felt my forehead with his palm first, checking for a fever, obviously. He then shocked me more than I thought possible, by taking one of my hands, cradling it gently in his, with those beloved leather gloves off. My heart pounded in my chest as I felt his pulse thumping against mine in our palms. Blood rushed to my cheeks as he spread my fingers out, stroking the nail beds, blue with lack of vitality. He then withdrew his hand from mine, and I cursed myself as a sigh of anonymous disappointment escaped my lips, watching him redress what he normally carried a gun in. Maybe he wears the gloves all the time because he doesn't want to feel that instrument of tranquilizer, sometimes death, on his flesh. I realized, feeling bitter towards myself I had resented him, however slightly, earlier in my time with the STNJ. I'd been in the job for the past month.

"You're weak because you haven't been eating right?" I nodded at Amon's somewhat troubled voice. He sighed, in a similar manner to how I had. He then dropped to his haunches, and the weakness in my limbs caused me to fall directly onto his back. I felt like I was being strapped into a roller coaster ride as he drew my legs around his waist and draped my arms over his shoulders, my hands resting at his sternum.

"What are you doing?" I asked, voice pitched normally, but notes of humiliation lining it as my insides exploded with strange excitement.

"It's obvious you're straining your body just by standing. I'm only being the means of travel till we reach headquarters."

"But, Amon, I'm fine, really…" One look in his coal eyes told me to shut up straight away, and I obliged him happily. I held the umbrella in my left hand, making sure it was an angle that would cover us both, but wouldn't be in his way, as he walked. I was only returning the favor for him. The walk, at first, only felt slow. I then knew it was a significantly slower than when I was beside him in previous times, as I was weighing him down, though no strain showed on his face. The people seemed slow too. They looked apathetic, sad, even like zombies, completely unaware of the two fleshlings among them, Amon and me.

Why…? Why does everyone associate the rain with God's sorrowful tears? What if God is crying of joy right now, because so many of his children are okay? Even places like Russia, Moldova, and Mexico… They're all so poor. But they're still okay. Why are some of the poorest nations some of the happiest ones? My questions were still unanswered, even when we entered and identified ourselves at the front desk of the STNJ building.

Even when we entered an elevator, Amon refused to put me down. I knew he cared, but it wasn't like him to be concerned about anyone, especially not me, when I first arrived here. He could have still been holding me up to tease me in a way, just finding amusement in my frustration. Just what was his attitude towards me? My partner and I hit our usual floor in the tall building, and we walked through the doors, heads turning, eyes bulging out of sockets, and gasps filling the room. Stopping dead in his tracks, with me clinging to his back like some endearing child, Amon rolled his eyes at the team.

"Don't you all have work to be doing?" Turning back to their work, probably in fear of getting chewed out to the point his dormant Craft took a chunk out of them, the hunter Seed set me in my usual chair. He then ordered Doujima to find me something to eat, probably because she never did anything productive. She obliged him though, happily even. What a lazy, reliable, no good, faithful, friend. I thought, every adjective contradicting the other, but making perfect sense, at the same time. Amon had disappeared into the briefing room, probably searching for anything the team could possibly investigate. The last few days had been light work. And I hated it every bit as much as my partner seemed to.

Detecting mental possessions, calling exorcists after discovering a Necro Craft User had sicked spirits on them, taking newly awakened Witches to the containment zone. I wondered a moment, if Amon had become a hunter because he wanted to see fear and defeat in a Witch's eyes. He'd had a very negligent, even revolted, attitude towards me as his partner when I first was assigned to the STNJ as a replacement. Before I could get much deeper into my thoughts, Doujima returned with a glass of swirled, mixed fruit juices and a container of sushi with all the usual palette cleansers.

"Sorry if it's not what you'd choose, but it was on the menu in the cafeteria." She apologized, blushing sheepishly.

"No, sushi is one of my favorite dishes." I replied, removing the lid from my sushi and taking the chopsticks inside, pleased. As I began eating, Doujima took the seat next to me, smiling devilishly. I finished my sushi, habit of manners, and asked;

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, just wondering why I saw Amon treating you like such a doll earlier." Using Amon's signature stoic face, I replied,

"I collapsed due to muscle weakness, since I haven't had time for proper meals lately."

"Oh I know." she purred, puzzling me, but I understood as she clarified. "I was driving along a road, right next to the path you and Amon happened to be on. I thought I recognized you guys, so I pulled out my phone to zoom in on you guys, and get a better audio of what you guys were saying."

"So you saw the whole thing?" I moped, cheeks beginning to warm up slowly.

"Yup, and I recorded it!" she answered cheerfully.

"You recorded it?" I echoed, voice rising an octave with anxiety of what she might do with the video.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to show the whole world!" she reassured me, laughing slightly at my telltale expression "I just did it so I'd have a permanent memory of your handsome, merciless partner's fabled soft side." I only nodded at this, not feeling much of anything but curiosity, and stepped into the briefing room. Amon gave me a nod of acknowledgement, knowing I had something to say.

"Why did you treat me like someone you cared about earlier?" Yes I asked it like that! He knew this was out of character for him, and I hated being confused.

"Because even opposite elements don't have to be enemies." He replied, sending me into a new spiral of wonder as I realized he not only wanted to know me, but cared.