Chapter Four: Maiden of Crystal

(Robyn)

I went home to my apartment after school and decided to have an intimate moment with a half-gallon of ice cream. I found a guy I really liked for once. Even though Cye Mouri shot me down, I could see that he wasn't a cold hearted jerk. He'd been hurt and he was still "licking his wounds", so to speak.

I turned on the boob tube and made myself comfortable. "Static," I said. I flicked the channel. "Static again." After five channel changes no change. "Crap, I'm missing the next part of Tenchi. Stupid TV."

KA-BOOM!

"EE!" I cried, diving behind the couch. In the process, my ice cream dumped all over the couch. "Ah sh-"

WHERP! WHERP!
"What the hell's going on around here!?" I asked. That was when the door to my apartment burst into flames. "FIRE!!!!!"

"Gotcha!" said the voice of a young man. I screamed as I was lifted into a pair of strong arms. I screamed even louder. The person carrying me jumped out of my window. Then, a bright gold bubble surrounded us and we flew to a small, secluded meadow about a mile away.

My "rescuer" put me down. I was on the ground, shaking like a leaf. "Do not fear me, Maiden of Crystal," said the voice. I looked up to see an adolescent teenager in a strange white body armor with silvery spots around his torso, hands, and limbs. He had shoulder length brown, black hair and large blue eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Yuli of the Chrono," said the boy. "You are the destined Maiden of Crystal, an ally of the Ronin Warriors."

"Ronin Warriors? What's a Ronin Warrior?" I asked.

Yuli smiled and tossed me a strange, crystal pendant. "The Ronin Warriors are destined to protect the Mortal World. I am one of them, but my battle is in the Chronos, the Gates of Time itself. If you were to stay in that apartment you would have died. Your time is not up yet. Destiny is not finished with you yet. You must go to North Toyama Elementary School."

"What will I find there?" I asked. What would I possibly find at an elementary school? Milk money?

"Five of the six other Ronin Warriors. The last Ronin is the one you tried to flirt with earlier," said Yuli.

"Cye?" I said. "Well, why, why did he turn me away?" Could his being a Ronin and me being "a normal girl" turned him away? No, that didn't sound right.

"You will know once you meet the other five and Anubis, his father," said Yuli. A golden portal opened up behind him. It shimmered and made a soft tone. Yuli looked behind him at the portal and sighed heavily. "My time here is up. We shall meet again."

"How do I use my powers?!" I asked.

"You will know when the time comes. Good bye!" he said, backflipping into the portal. With that, the portal closed and I was alone. I took the crystal in my hand. "Crystal, guide me to the other Ronin," I said. The crystal glowed and I was surrounded by a flash of white.

I emerged from the white outside of the school Yuli told me to go to. I held a tall, crystal staff with a glowing orbe on the tip. I was dressed in a beautiful silky white kimono and white boots.

"Time to live up to your destiny, Robyn," I said to myself as I boldly walked into the dark hallways of the school. My staff thingy started to glow, and it made me feel safe. "I'm going to assume that the other Ronins are going to look something like that kid, Yuli. So, now where do you think you're going to go, Robyn?"

"No where, Crystal Maiden!" said a voice. I looked over and saw a woman wearing an all dark brown body armor (save for the light down covering her breasts). She had long, curly red hair and bright green eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked, pointing my Staff at her.

"I am Sheila, Dark Warlady of Venom," she said. "Now, let's make a deal. I'll let Cye of the Torrent live if you come with me."

"What!?" I asked as suddenly Cye appeared in front of Sheila. He wore a body armor similar to Yuli's armor, only it had light blue patches. Sheila, literally, had him on a leash. The young Ronin was on his hands and knees, She yanked the chain and he yelped. "That's cruel! Let him go!"

"Come with me and he lives," said Sheila. Cye looked up at me, tears in his eyes.

"Robyn?" he asked.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" I said, twirling my staff around. A glowing white ball of energy collected and struck the chain, breaking it. Sheila snarled. I tossed another ball at her, sending her reeling a few feet. She screamed out. I ran to Cye's side. He hid behind me, shaking in fear. I could see that Sheila was the reason he'd shied away from me. Sheila snarled at me and left.

I turned my full attention to Cye. He was curled into a ball, looking at me with teary eyes. I reached out to touch his shoulder and he quickly squirmed away. "What did she do to you?" I asked.

He didn't answer me, just looked at the floor like he was ashamed. He looked like a victim of some sort of sexual abuse. The leash. . . it hit me like a bolt of lightening. "You've been raped, haven't you?" I said.

Cye slowly nodded. "Oh, you poor dear," I said, giving him a big hug. He looked at me in disbelief, but eventually let me comfort him.

"This wasn't the first time," he said slowly.

"This has happened before?" I asked. "But, how?"

Cye told me about how he and Sheila used to date when he was fifteen and she was sixteen. He told me that when she'd wanted to go to bed and he didn't but she forced him to anyways. About how he hid it from his friends for nine months, and how he ran into her after their baby had been born.

"You're a father?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Ariel means so much to me. I can't let her see me like this."

"We'll give you a chance to calm down. Come on, let's get out of this hallway," I said. I took him inside the closest empty classroom. An art room. I brought him over to the sink and helped him sit up on the countertop. I turned on the faucet and he cupped his hands taking a few good drinks.

"Now, tell me about the Ronin Warriors," I said.

"How do you know what I am?" he said.

I told Cye about Yuli, and he in return told me about the Ronin Warriors. Yuli, it turned out, was on punishment for stopping time so he could save the Ronin of Ice, Kojiro of the Icefire. I shook my head. Perhaps Chronos was over reacting. Yuli had done a good deed. He did not deserve to guard the Chronos for so long.

"I was told that the other Ronins and your father, Anubis, was here," I said.

"They are? Oh, then hopefully at least one of them has run into Ariel and her friends," said Cye.

"You're definitely a parent," I said, smiling. "But, is your special situation why you ran from me this afternoon?"

Cye nodded. "I'm still a little nervous around women. And now that I think about it, you sort of look like Sheila with short hair."

"I feel so honored," I said sarcastically. "C'mon, let's go and find your friends and kid." Cye nodded and we left the art room.