A/N: I always try to update at least once a week, but I've been struggling with college and with the plot. I needed some time to think about the direction I want this story to take, but I now have a fairly decent outline… which will probably change in five days or so XD

Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Heritage

My pupils turned to pinpricks when my eyes met those of the Dark Prince. With a wicked grin, he raised his arm and lashed out with the razor-sharp Daggertail. It was coming straight at me, but I was frozen on the spot, my legs feeling like they were made out of cement. I just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, staring paralyzed at the deadly weapon that whizzed in my direction… and stopped mere millimeters before striking my face.

"What… what the hell…?" I stammered in a daze, blinking when I saw that the world had stopped moving, suspended in time and space.

"Sis…"

I turned around when I heard my brother's strained whisper. His eyes were glowing bright, his hair fluttering in a wind I could not feel. I noticed that time had not been frozen, but slowed down. The crowd was still running and the Daggertail was still zooming right at me. It was just happening very, very slowly. I thought back to Warrior Within and suddenly, it dawned on me what was happening.

"Kai… are you using Eye of the Storm!?"

He nodded, his face pale and covered with sweat.

"I don't know how I did it… I saw him attacking you and something just… happened. But I'm losing my grip! I don't know if I can hold on for much longer!"

"Try!" I urged him, diving into the crowd and looking into the purses and backpacks of the fleeing French. One of them had to carry water!

"Robin!" a panicked whimper came from underneath the Tower. "He's fighting me! Dark Prince is trying to break free!"

"Kai, I don't know how you're doing it, but keep that creep where he is!"

"He's too strong! I can't hold him!"

"Yes, you can!" I ordered, swiping a juice box from a woman's purse and turning on the ball of my foot. Just hold on for a little longer… just a little bit longer!

"Sis!!!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled, wrestling my way back out of the frozen crowd and racing the stairs up the Eiffel tower. I got off halfway between the ground and the first floor, climbing over the safety rails and putting my feet on the metal beam that the Dark Prince was still perched on. Almost there…!

I carefully balanced on the beam, slowly closing in on the dark figure. I grabbed the juice box, aiming it at the corrupted royal and preparing to squeeze. But as I was about to squirt him with orange juice, the crowd underneath me started screaming again, and the demon snapped his head in my direction, his glowing eyes boring into mine.

"Close…" he smirked, "but not close enough!"

With lightning speed, he lashed out with the Daggertail, knocking the juice box out of my hand. I glanced own at the ground where Kai stared up at me with wide, fear filled eyes.

"I'm sorry! I think my time powers wore off!"

"Can you do it again?" I yelped nervously as the Dark Prince began to advance on me with a chilling grin on his face.

"I don't know how I did it the first time!" he panicked, waving wildly with his arms. "Abracadabra! Hocus Pocus! Expecto Patronum!"

"Just get out of here and find water!" I yelled, dodging a vicious swipe from the corrupted royal.

"Strange… your grandmother was still human when she gave birth to your mother. I'm curious as to how that little twerp inherited her time powers. Oh well, they do say time is an ocean in a storm, blah, blah, blah…"

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, tired of his weird mind games.

"Ooh, goody, you really do have no idea who you are, don't you?" he snickered. "By the gods, you're even more clueless than your mother!"

"What about her?! Speak up!"

"Humor me, girl; did your parents never tell you how they first met?"

My anger was replaced with confusion at that strange question.

"Eh… it was in a cafe, I think, but why do you want to know?" I scratched my head at the demon's inquiry. I had asked mom how she and dad got to know each other, but she would just smile and say that I wouldn't believe her. Then she told me a cheesy story about a coffee shop and said that, if anyone asked, I just had to stick to that one. Dad wouldn't spill the beans either, believing that it would be better if Kai and I never knew about our 'heritage' so we could 'grow up human' and lead a normal life… whatever that meant.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" I snapped when the demon laughed at my confused expression.

"Well, if your parents never told you about their history, then they obviously wanted to keep it a secret from you brats," he rolled his eyes dramatically, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. "Who am I to go against their whishes?"

"You're a dead man if you don't tell me where they are!" I hissed, baring my teeth. "It was you who took them from our house, wasn't it? What have you done to them?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm getting tired of this small talk. Fight me, girl! You still owe me that warm-up!"

"Just use tiger balm like a normal person!" I protested, but he already lashed out at me and I nearly lost my balance.

I knew the Dark Prince wasn't lying about my parents: if he had done something to them, he wouldn't pass on a chance to brag about it. But he did seem to know them somehow… or maybe the Prince had?

I looked at the demon, wondering if maybe spitting on him could make him change back. I decided against it when I saw traces of blood on his hand: if that couldn't make him transform, then the same probably went for other bodily fluids as well.

Dark Prince grinned at me and prepared to attack, but we were suddenly interrupted by a startled yelp and a gruff voice that did not sound human.

"Get back here, you pest! You shall bow down to Zervan!"

My eyes widened when I looked in the direction of the noise and saw Kai running back to the Eiffel Tower with a shitload of guards on his tail.

"You're gonna get it now!" he shouted at the sand creatures, smirking cockily. "My sister knows karate!"

My jaw dropped and I fell over animestyle when I heard him boldly threaten the armed guards… all twelve of them.

"Robin! What are you waiting for?!" he yelled up at me. "Kick their asses!"

I wanted to protest, but a mocking snicker from the Dark Prince caught my attention.

"Ooh, I can't wait to see the boy's face when those monsters rip you to shreds. It should be quite amusing."

"Not if they kill you first," I stated dryly when one of the archers fired an arrow that went straight through his flaming hair.

"How bothersome," he sighed and leaped off the beam, his eyes gleaming with anticipation of battle. I quickly raced down the stairs and bolted over the plaza, grabbing Kai just before a second wave of arrows threatened to turn him into Swiss cheese.

"We need to get out of here!" I hissed, while Dark Prince whipped his Daggertail at the offending archer, then turned around and beheaded two more soldiers.

"Three down," he grinned, "nine to… uh oh…"

"Uh oh?" I repeated, then noticed what had alarmed him. A fresh wave of sand creatures, at least fifteen of them, appeared on the scene. Oh, I so did not need this right now…

"Dammit!" he cursed, growling at the rapidly approaching threat. "There must be a Sand Portal nearby!"

"There must be a what now?" I yelled above the thundering footsteps.

"Sand Portal! The Vizier has set them up across the city; they allow his army to quickly transport from location to location and can be used to call for reinforcements."

"How do we shut it down?!"

"We don't! But only one sand creature per unit can operate it! Look for the red guard! He is the one we must take down first!"

"I have a better idea," I whispered slyly, making him lean in closer to listen. "RUN FOR IT YOU IDIOT!!!!!"

He started when I screamed in his ear, then scowled at me as if I had suggested we'd take our pants off and moon them.

"I fear it is too late for that, girl," he scoffed, pointing at something behind me.

I looked around and saw that guards were approaching from all directions. We were completely surrounded with no possible way of escape. I quickly ushered Kai to seek cover under a gift stand and took on a defensive stance. Though we had never officially agreed on it, Dark Prince and I were now fighting along side each other. It is as they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, especially when facing a hoard of plus twenty rabid sand creatures with swords nearly the size of my arm.

"FOR ZURVAN!" They cried, raising their weapons.

"FOR BABYLON!" Dark Prince roared, readying his Daggertail.

"FOR PONY!" I punched in the air, then sweatdropped when everyone went silent, crickets almost chirping in the background.

"What? They don't have webcomics in ancient Persia?"

My question was answered with an arrow whizzing right past my face. I startled and fell flat on my butt, the highly amused archer moving in for the kill. I turned my head to the left, my eye catching the gleam of a sword dropped by the guard Dark Prince had taken care off earlier. A strange feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach… as if the blade was calling for me. I grabbed the hilt of the weapon, a surge of excitement going through my mind. I had never held a sword before, but it felt right somehow… as if I had been naked all this time without one.

Without thinking, I jumped to my feet and cut off the archers head in one graceful swoop. Instinct took over and without even realizing it, I was once again hovering above the stone tiles of the plaza, glaring at the surprised guards.

"Rise up, soldiers," I heard myself rasp, narrowing my glowing eyes. "I'm not finished yet!"

A/N: Hehe, Robin really is her father's daughter, isn't she? She has her mother's character though! XD

In case you were wondering, by the way: the webcomic I referred to is called 'looking for group'. Go Google it, it's very funny!

In other news, since A/N's at the bottom of the page tend to be read more often: I've started on the first Gamer Within fanart piece for the '100 themes challenge' on DeviantArt. Click on the homepage link in my profile for a link to my DA page. You can see my progress in the journal. 100 drawings… what was I thinking?!