Chapter XIII

Robin didn't know which was worse, knowing that she had been right and wronged at the same time. Or the fact her team was still second guessing her involvement in the case. There was a constant thought of doubt and feeling of regret amongst them. Why didn't they check his cup? Why did Robin have to give him a coffee mug instead of a clear glass? How did Amon overlook the detail of a second body? Why didn't they trust her getting near someone like him?

"Robin!" Amon kept her on track,

"Yes," they decided it was best to go in two separate directions, Sakaki and Miss. Karasuma would head off the arresting officers at the police station. Amon and Robin decided to head back to the guilty parties residence. As much as Robin protested to go with Karasuma she was put with Amon. He would keep a better eye on her and was still giving Robin information he received earlier on during his own investigation.

"I've called ahead to the station," Michael's voice came over their radios. "Both Detectives Hideo and Kenta have yet to arrive back."

"Miss. Karasuma, Sakaki!" Amon spoke, "Head towards the station, on the double, Robin and I will head back to Touron's apartment, if he is making a break for it he'll have to go back for some things."

"Are you sure that's wise?" A hesitant voice asked, "We could take the apartment it's only a few blocks away."

"Negative," he turned the car down the crowded streets, "Robin's the only one he's taken an interest in, if we can manage to lure him out without either of them knowing it'll end faster"

"What do you mean, 'without either of them knowing'?" Robin asked, her voice carried onto their radios.

"He's going to be watching out for us, for you!" Amon shifted gears and cleared down a long stretch of road. "The second he catches eye with you or you with him, we'll have a bigger situation to deal with."

"I can stop him!" She argued,
"I've read your history about encountering them..." Amon said solemnly, "You can't make a flame stick onto an Ice Crafter."

"It's been years, I've grown since that history report was written!" Robin started up again,

"The way I see it, he's your antithesis, the complete opposite of you, but for one reason or another you are drawn towards each other. Not the way we are…" Robin turned to look outside her passing window, the crowds of passing people, cars parked and driving along beside them. "Robin," Amon slowed the car for a red light, "I know Ice Crafters can burn you, and I know from past experience they are more troublesome than Water Crafters."

"…" Robin didn't know what to say, flashes of the others came to her mind; The boy from Russia, the Scandinavian Woman, the old man from Northern Canada, all of them Ice Crafters. All of them had gotten the best of her and she could only hinder them slightly. Her flames though capable of burning through thick ice walls, breaking her free of frozen chains, and melting through protective shielding still wasn't enough to set them aflame. If it wasn't for the voice over the radio bringing her back to the present she would've stayed lost in the theater of her mind.

"Amon," Karasuma's voice broke through, "Amon, we've got a situation down here!"
"Tell me," He responded pulling the car away as the light turned.
"Not more than twenty minutes ago," she sounded to be in a rush, "I'm being told that a patch of ice suddenly appeared ahead of traffic sending the vehicle with both detectives and Touron into a nearby storefront and there's a mess of cars piled up blocking our path towards the station…"

"Are they-"
"No," Karasuma sighed, "I'm looking at them right now… He froze them."
"What about Touron?" He had to ask,
"Eye witnesses claim to have seen a man get out of the vehicle and run from the scene." Karasuma's radio went off to the growing silence of Robin.

"If you can get me to them, I can still-"
"They're gone, he's gone…" Amon could see the suspect's apartment in the distance, "Karasuma, I want you and Sakaki to head towards Maria Rose's" Amon started to plan out the next step.

"Of course," she replied, "If he's not headed back for his apartment, he's likely headed towards the last place that has any meaning to him."

"Exactly, he may act crazy but he's got a head for schemes and they're all leading him back towards home… wherever that is." Robin was the first to exit the vehicle as he pulled up to the apartment. What she noticed was the crowd of people growing outside and coming out of the apartment building. "We're headed inside now, ending communication for the time being."

"Roger," Karasuma cleared her throat, "And Robin… Be careful."

Robin walked towards the shaken and worried gatherers, "What happened here?"
"He came inside," an elderly woman spoke, "laughing and walking along the corridors, up the old stairways." She shivered Robin placed a warm hand onto her trembling shoulder. "I never liked him… That young man… He was always glaring at us, those blue eyes of his, I swear child, they had turned red, filled with hatred and cruel intentions."

"Is he still inside?" Robin looked up to the aged and grey building.
"He warned us to leave, and said if we didn't a fire would claim our homes… Only he brought with him cold, not a sign or lighting of fire otherwise."

"Thank you, please stay here." Robin walked away from her reaching hands,
"He is waiting for you, he's going to hurt you, he said so himself, a woman in a black dress, that's you, will be coming for him…"

Robin looked to the rusted door and felt the temperature drop as she pulled it open. Her breath was noticeable in the air, hanging in front of her as she stepped inside. 'He's here; he's waiting, and watching…'

"Robin," Amon came up behind her, breath floating in the air. "He's going to be somewhere on the top floor, likely his own apartment, the landlords already shut down the power to the entire building and police are being informed of our involvement." Standing beside her Amon looked to find two sets of stairways, one to their side and the other to the far back. "I don't want you engaging him unless he's close enough to insult you, we're playing on his field, but we don't have to play by his rules." Checking the pressure gauge on his orbo gun set on ending this quickly. "He's expecting something from you, and if you give it to him… He will win."

"No, he won't," Robin took to the flight of stairs beside them. "I won't let him…"