crossoverfic | [FIC] Something Like Lucky, PG13, Witch Hunter Robin/Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Title: Something Like Lucky
Author:

alesca_munroe
Fandoms: Witch Hunter Robin, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
Rating: PG13, for language
Warnings: Pre-series
Character(s): Sakaki-centric, the rest of the team, the TRC group at the end

Sakaki Haruto chases the witch across the rooftop. It's slick from the recent rain, but the witch is having no problem with it, forcing it to evaporate into steam that obscures Haruto's vision. It's dangerous to be chasing the witch with his backup at least two floors behind him, but he's close, so close to getting this man, and by himself-

The witch suddenly makes a sharp turn, and Haruto moves to do the same, but suddenly there's a patch of ice where there wasn't one before and he's sliding, hits the edge of the roof, and he is free falling. Haruto stares in horror as the ground rushes up to meet him, and he's so busy thinking Michael's going to be pissed at me that he almost doesn't see the tiny blur of white- a feather?

Everything goes black.

~

He opens his eyes to find Karasuma and Doujima crouching next to him, shock and relief on their faces. "I'm alive?" he asks dumbly. It's strange, he doesn't hurt at all.

"You fell twelve stories," Doujima informs him tightly. "You shouldn't be alive!"

"Gee, thanks for caring," Haruto grumbles, though he's as surprised as them that he's alive. A thought strikes him. "Wait, what happened to the witch?"

"Amon shot Aki in the face," Karasuma tells him. "Shame it was with Orbo." She looks at Haruto curiously. "How did you survive?"

"I-I don't know." He shakes his head. "What did you see?"

"We watched you fall," Doujima says. Her hands are in tight fists on her lap. "You were falling, and it's like you just stopped a few inches off the ground, and landed like a feather. You're fine, but your Orbo necklace shattered like it would have if you'd hit the ground normally."

Off to the side, Karasuma joins Amon. "I didn't know Sakaki is a Craft User."

Amon remains silent. Sakaki is a Seed only, a descendant of witches. His power, if anything at all, is dormant. But, Amon thinks as Sakaki stands and shakes it off, like he hasn't just survived a long fall with not even a scratch to show for it, it looks as the power is dormant no more.

~

Haruto doesn't mention the dive he took off the roof, and the higher ups are too busy dealing with the fact that Amon shot Aki in the face-"That's malevolent, even for you, Amon"- to wonder where Haruto was when all this was happening. Michael looks like he wants to ask, but doesn't, won't, just yet. Haruto knows it's just a matter of time before he does.

~

Little strange things happen after that. Sakaki stops getting hurt on missions, which nearly gives the Chief a heart attack, but it also goes for whoever he's partnered with at the time. Witch powers are deflected, bullets fly off target. No one is complaining, but it's curious, and bound to draw attention. Without talking about it, the team doesn't mention the fall Sakaki took that started this, or that they think Sakaki's power is awake. Rather, they all watch for Amon's response-which is to say nothing at all- and follow his lead.

The next big hint that they gets that something has changed is on a mission almost two months later. Doujima is partnered with Sakaki for this, and they're covering the back exit of a warehouse while Amon and Karasuma deal with the Witch up front. "A witch who makes things explode by touching them," Doujima muses, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "It must be very lonely, living like that."

Sakaki looks at her curiously, and opens his mouth to respond, but the wall they're standing next to suddenly glows bright purple. "Oh shit," is all Sakaki has time to say before the wall explodes.

Doujima throws her arms up instinctively, and braces herself for impact- one that doesn't come. She opens her eyes and sees a faint white glow begin to fade between the fire and her. Debris is all around, save for a small circle of cleared ground around her. Sakaki brings up his gun and shoots the Witch just as he tries to run past.

"Doujima!" Karasuma runs over to her. "You're all right!"

"Yeah." She looks around and sees a larger patch of cleared ground where her partner had been standing. "I think we have Sakaki to thank for that."

Sakaki is standing with Amon over the Witch, making sure he isn't going to try to blow up the street, and seemingly unaware of the close call he and Doujima just had. The two women share a look. Just what is going on?

~

Michael guesses at it, since Haruto always looks away when asked how he managed to stay unscathed on some mission or other and answers "Just lucky, I guess". Sakaki Haruto has never been lucky a day in his life, but aparently it's fooling Zaizen, fooling Solomon.

"You could tell me," Michael says without thinking, late in the evening when Haruto is catching up on paperwork and everyone else has gone home already. "I wouldn't tell."

Haruto pauses in writing out a report and gives Michael a long look. He rolls his chair over after a while. "It's like a barrier," he says quietly, though no one but them is around to hear, and he knows Michael turned the security feeds onto a loop. "Protection. I don't really control it, it's just..." He sighs. "It just happens."

The hacker nods. "Okay." And that's really all there is to it.

~

Four days later, the team is in the park, getting in position to capture a Witch. Amon is with Sakaki, and they're keeping a careful eye on the four people in their end of the park who could get hurt in this encounter. There is a tall thin blond with an eyepatch standing next a man who is classically Japanese in looks save for his own height. A teenage boy is looking around curiously, standing a few feet away from a pretty girl with short brown hair. "Careful," the blond's voice drifts on the wind. "Mokona says it's close."

There's barely a chance for Karasuma to shout down the radio before the wind slams into her at the other end of the clearing, and the Witch is flinging stronger wind at Amon and Sakaki. Between Sakaki's power and Amon's Orbo, they're barely touched, and Amon fires a shot that hits the woman in her shoulder. Furious, she lashes out again- but this time at the four civilians.

Amon is ducking tree limbs as he watches Sakaki run toward the four, trying to beat the tree that will hit them otherwise. Sakaki stops right in front of the girl, and two curious things happen at once. The tree stops short, cracking as though it has run into some invisible barrier, and drops. There's a light as something comes out of Sakaki's chest, something white and too far away to see clearly, and goes into the girl.

The Witch is still on a rampage, though, and Amon turns and shoots at the same time as Doujima and Karasuma. She goes down, and he checks on the rookie. Sakaki is looking at the girl, now cradled in the dark haired man's arms, unconscious. "So the feather is hers?" he is asking, touching his chest without thinking. Amon isn't sure, but he thinks they're talking about that white light, and that they should check the database to makes certain these four aren't Witches as well. Given what just happened, though, it's more than just a possibility.

"That's right," the blond confirms with a brittle smile. "Thank you for keeping it safe."

"No." Sakaki looks back at the girl. "I should probably thank her for keeping me safe."

A look is passed among the three young men, and it's the youngest who speaks this time. "Sakura-hime's feathers only amplify a power already there," he tells Sakaki.

Suddenly, there is more wind, and Amon jerks around to look at the Witch. She's out cold on the ground, and the Orbo isn't responding. He turns to Sakaki- only to see the rookie standing alone, with no sign that the other four were ever there. They exchange a look, and Amon decides that this is another thing that they won't be telling Zaizen.

~

The next day, Sakaki sprains his ankle.