Author's Note: This fic is dedicated to my sister who, even though she acts like she's less perverted than me, came up with the best jokes in this fic.

Ronin Special #1
What Might Have Been
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter 1: Cye- Part 1

Robyn stirred as the morning light slowly filtered into the room and over to the bed where she was slumbering. She yawned and stretched as she drifted back into consciousness. It was so warm and comfortable, she could stay there all morning. Robyn popped open one eye when she suddenly decided this didn't feel like every other morning. Something felt off; and perhaps that something had to do with the extra weight that was on her stomach.

If she hadn't been so concerned about other things, Robyn may have noticed the silk nightie she was wearing despite the fact that she didn't own such a thing. But what caught her entire attention right away was the bushel of rusty brown hair resting on her abdomen. Robyn looked at it curiously. She recognized the top of that head. But what was he doing in her room and sleeping on her bed? Did something happen? Her memory of anything before that morning suddenly became distant and hazy.

"Cye?" she asked, still a bit groggy from sleep. She shook his bare (Why wasn't Cye wearing a shirt?) shoulder in hopes of waking him. Somehow, she was sure as soon as she could get Cye to talk to her and refresh her memory about what was going on, everything would make sense again.

Once shaken, Cye lifted his head and turned it to look at Robyn with half closed eye lids.

"Cye?" Robyn asked again.

He smiled at her, his hair all in disarray.

"Morning," he said in a sleepy voice as he moved up towards her and kissed her on the mouth.

Robyn's eyes shot open to twice their size. It wasn't just a little peck on the lips either. It was a full mouth to mouth, soul shattering kiss. Robyn was frozen in abject shock as Cye pulled away and buried his face in the curve of her neck with one arm around her. It was then that Robyn realized with a wild blush that Cye wasn't wearing anything at all.

"Excuse me!" was the only thing Robyn could think to blurt out as she frantically wiggled out of his arms and dashed for the bathroom.

She slammed the door and locked it behind her, panting as if she had narrowly escaped being run over by a semi. What the hell was going on? She leaned heavily against the sink, trying with all her power to recall what happened the night before. There was no party that she could recall and she couldn't remember getting boozed up, either. Robyn couldn't remember anything for that matter. How on earth did she end up in this situation?

After finally taking a look at herself in the mirror, the previous question was left for a more pressing one. What in creation was she wearing? It was a silky pink night gown that hardly went down to her thighs and was practically see-through. Next she noticed with a sinking feeling in her gut that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Robyn suddenly felt sick to her stomach as her world seemed like it was spinning out of control. What had she done last night? And why, for the life of her, couldn't she remember it?

She spun around like a cornered animal when there was a timid knock on the bathroom door.

"Honey?" came Cye's slightly muffled voice. "Are you okay in there?"

Robyn stared at the door like the grim reaper itself was going to come out of it. What did he just call her? Since when did he think he could start calling her stupid pet names? That was the kind of thing married people did.

Robyn's blood seemed to drain away from her head when she slowly glanced down at her hand to see a perfectly crafted diamond ring sitting on her finger. She held back the scream as best she could. It came out sounding like a range of strangled squeaks. She couldn't stop herself from just staring at her upheld hand in horror. What was she going to do?

"Robyn?" Cye asked again.

Robyn began to panic. That Cye out there wasn't the Cye she knew. This wasn't her house and she wasn't married to him or anybody. This had to be a joke, right? A very, very sick joke. And she needed to get to the bottom of it now before she had a break down.

Grabbing a bathrobe, she wrapped it protectively around her person before easing the door open. Cye was still right there. Though Robyn noticed, with a bit of relief, that he had managed to get some pants on between then and now. The still shirtless young man blinked at her curiously.

"Um...Robyn?" he wondered. "Why are you wearing my bathrobe?"

The color instantly rushed to Robyn's cheeks though she didn't remove the oversized, blue robe and, instead, quickly brushed past him into the bedroom. Cye just turned and continued to blink cluelessly.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah something's wrong!" Robyn suddenly snapped at him as she paced around a safe distance away. "I woke up in a strange house, unable to remember anything of how I got here! I'm wearing practically nothing and you're--well, look at you! What the hell happened to us?"

"Robyn, calm down," Cye said as he moved towards her.

"You stay away from me!" Robyn screamed as she backed up against the wall.

Cye stopped in his tracks, though reluctantly.

"Robyn, please," he coaxed. "Whatever's wrong, we can fix it together. It's not good for you to be like this in your condition."


Cye flinched at the loud words. "You know what I mean," he said, trying to stay calm himself. "Being so hysterical isn't good for...the baby."

A pile of bricks could have fallen on her right there and Robyn wouldn't have felt any different.

"" she squeaked.

Her whole body suddenly felt very light and then everything went black.

Robyn's eyebrow twitched and she felt something cold and wet on her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes to see the same vision that was a cross between a good dream and a nightmare. And she was somehow caught in the middle of it with no way to wake up.

"Robyn?" Cye asked as he removed the cold cloth from her head.

Robyn's first reaction was to make sure she was covered after the horrible memory of seeing herself in that nightmare of a nightie flashed in her mind. Good. She was in bed with the covers pulled all the way up to her neck. She was minus the bathrobe again which made her want to give Cye a piece of her mind about exposing women when they were unconscious. But when she looked up into his face, she lost all her indignance.

"Robyn, are you going to be alright?"

There was so much emotion in his eyes. Robyn had never seen that expression on his face before. How was she supposed to answer him? It was time to play it low key. Give him a response that will settle him down and get him to back off long enough for her to get her head on straight and figure out what was going on.

"Yeah, Cye," Robyn breathed out. She tried to smile calmly, though inside she was still panicking "I'll be fine, I just..." Just what, girl? Think! "...I guess I'm still just a bit overwhelmed about..." She couldn't say the last words, it was still too weird.

"Yes, the baby," Cye smiled in understanding, an even stranger look came over his face then. What was he thinking about? "It's still unbelievable since we only found out about it yesterday. And with our um...celebration last night," his cheeks started to go red. "I guess you may have over exerted yourself. Though I suppose a lot of that's my fault." He scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

All the color drained from Robyn's face. Was he insinuating what she thought he was insinuating? Just the thought of him with her--them doing certain things together the night before made her whole body feel weak all over again.

Cye must have noticed.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked, his face a mask of worry once more.

"Yeah, I think I just need some rest," Robyn forced herself to smile some assurance. And a really good psychologist.

Cye smiled at her again and leaned over to brush some hair from her face and kiss her forehead. Robyn forced herself to stay still and take it. Though sweet and gentle, the loving gesture was still too weird.

"I have to go to work soon. You stay here and rest all you need. I'll leave some breakfast in the kitchen in case you get hungry, how does that sound?"

"T-That's fine." Robyn gritted her teeth together. If he didn't start giving her more personal space, she was going to start wigging out.

Thankfully, Cye got up and left her bedside. He walked over to the closet and flipped through his shirts. Though Robyn tried to fight it, she couldn't help but watch him as he dressed. It strangely intrigued her to watch him do such a thing so casually with her in plain sight. Her eyes roamed all by themselves over the light skin hugging the well chiseled back before the shirt material covered it. As Cye buttoned up his shirt, he glanced back at her. Robyn quickly averted her eyes, but it was too late. She could tell by the grin on his face that he had caught her looking at him.

The smile didn't go away as he came to sit on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes and socks. Robyn's cheeks continued to burn as she tried to look at anything else but him. She glanced back to see Cye watching her with that same stupid look plastered on his face. How she now wanted to wipe it right off.

"What?" she demanded, giving Cye her usual I-DARE-you-to-make-a-comment look.

The usual Cye, HER Cye would have let it drop right there and moved on. But this one definitely wasn't the same. Instead, he rested a hand on her thigh over the covers.

"I would have thought you'd had enough after all that we did last night."

That was almost too much. Robyn bit off the scream that was threatening to erupt by biting on her lip. She reflexively pulled the covers over her head and prayed to God that this stranger Cye didn't come in after her.

She waiting with heart thumping wildy as she felt him remove his weight from the bed. Robyn thought she even heard a chuckle as he moved out of the room and into what was most likely the kitchen. She could hear pots and pans clattering off in another part of this house that wasn't hers. She stayed under the unfamiliar covers as if they would somehow protect her from the insanity that existed on the outside.

"Pleaselethimleave. Pleaselethimleave. Pleaselethimleave," Robyn breathed over and over to herself in a mantra as her heart reverberated in her ears.

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard him moving around the house again. She wondered if she could fake being asleep if he came back into the bedroom. Luckily for her, the next thing she heard was a door opening and shutting. The anticipation rose until, finally, she heard a car drive away.

Instantly, Robyn was up and out of bed. She rushed to shut the bedroom door, even though she was alone in the house now. She had a sudden urge for very protected privacy at the moment. Next, she dashed for the closet and quickly exchanged the skimpy article of clothing for some real underwear. Today she made sure to dress herself in pants and a large sweater. She still felt so exposed somehow. She also needed a scarf and a hat, too. Perhaps a really big coat as well.

Robyn paused for a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She still looked the same, but these clothes weren't hers and this room she had never been in. Trying to control her breathing, Robyn coaxed herself into getting a grip on the situation. She needed to calm down and assess what was going on. And to do that, Robyn decided, she had to get out of this strange house.

After carefully checking each room for any more unwanted surprises, Robyn fled out the front door and sprinted down the walk. She paused several yards away and turned to look at the house from afar. It was small and quant with grass growing around it. A few trees scattered here and there. A meadow spread out behind it and after that, of course, was the sea. Robyn wasn't surprised with that. This kind of place seemed to suit Cye. But HER and Cye?

Robyn made a wide arc around the house to get to the back; as if she were afraid that if she got too close she would be pulled back into even more strange events. Once in the meadow, she let herself slow her pace as she tried once again to recall memories of the night before. But there wasn't any. She remembered her past as a whole, but not yesterday. What was yesterday anyway?

She remembered the others--Kento, Ryo, Rowen, Sage. They had all graduated high school together. Now it was the summer before everyone went off their separate ways. Before nothing would be the same again.

The meadow shied away as Robyn stepped onto the sandy beach surrounding the ocean. The ring still on her hand glinted in the sun and she studied it curiously. The thing fit on her finger, but it wasn't hers. She was just a high school graduate, unsure of what to do with the rest of her life. She couldn't get married yet! And Cye had said something about a baby. Robyn felt her stomach worriedly. It felt the same to her. There couldn't be a fetus in there. Perhaps he was having a baby with someone else, but not her. It was a scientific impossibility. Unless she was destined to be the second virgin mother in all of Earth's history and Robyn highly doubted that.

So what was she supposed to do now? Should she try to explain things to him? He would think she was crazy! And what if she didn't say anything and she remained in this life forever? Cye would soon notice she wasn't really pregnant. Robyn gasped as a thought came to her. Would he want to try again? Robyn's whole being filled with a strange kind of fear at the thought of doing such a thing. Sure, she loved Cye, but not like THAT. She had never even been with a man before and now she had to act like she had been married to one? Impossible!

In a sudden flood of anger, Robyn snatched off the ring and was ready to throw it to the churning, foaming sea. But then she paused and looked at the ring again. No, she would not be there forever, she decided. She was merely holding the place of the person who's life this was, and when they got back, they would want their ring back, too. Yes, she would keep it, and she would live this pretend life--for now.

It was a couple hours of pacing and worriedly waiting by the seaside later. Robyn didn't like the idea, but she knew she would eventually have to go back to the house. She didn't even know where she was. Was this still Japan? It could almost be any place by the seashore. The insistent grumbling of her empty stomach finally forced Robyn back towards the house.

Slowly, she snuck inside the back door. She eased it open and tiptoed inside, listening for any sound which may indicate if other strangers lived here as well. Once again, Robyn searched the house and found it was indeed still empty. Once that was decided, she moved back into the kitchen to see what was for breakfast. Some cold pancakes were in the microwave and Robyn heated them back up and ate them in a flash. All that panicking made her hungry.

Once those were polished off, Robyn put down her fork and just sat at the table. The silence of the empty house floated all around her like a thick cloud. What was she supposed to do now? Cye had gone to his work and left her at home. Did that mean she was supposed to stay home all day? What was Cye's job anyway? Did Robyn have any responsibilities, too? Was she supposed to be anywhere later? Or was she meant to tend the house until Cye got back? What time would he get back? Was she supposed to have dinner ready for him when he returned like in the tv shows?

There were far too many questions and it was making Robyn's head spin. But something had to be done. She would go crazy if she just sat there asking questions she didn't know the answer to. So Robyn got up and decided the first thing to do was to clean up the kitchen. Easy enough task as she had cleaned up several times at the Mouri's house before. Doing something familiar made her calm down a bit. It would have almost been fun if this game of house hadn't been so real.

After that was finished, Robyn decided it was time to search the house again--this time for answers instead of occupants. It wasn't a very big house; only one level and very few rooms. Robyn shied away from the master bedroom, the memories of that morning were still too weird to cope with. Down the hall was a separate bathroom and also what looked like a study room. There was a desk inside and a computer. The place looked pretty cluttered with books and papers and other odds and ends everywhere.

Robyn snuck in as if it were a place forbidden to her. She was careful not to rustle even a single piece of paper as she sat in the worn desk chair and looked around. What was this room used for? She guessed it was full primarily of Cye's things. Probably used in relation with the job he did--whatever that was. With that thought, Robyn decided it was best to leave this room and not snoop. Perhaps it was a place where Cye went for privacy and she wasn't allowed to be there. Plus, there were still other places for her to search.

After leaving the office room, practically all that was left in the small house were a few utility closets and the living room. Robyn felt better looking through this room. She didn't have to worry about nosing around into something too private that she might get in trouble for later. Besides, Robyn suddenly then realized, in a way, this stuff was hers anyway, so why should she worry about being caught going through her own things? It just still felt weird and that's all there was to it. But she had to know. She had to find some kind of information about what this place was and, hopefully, what she was doing there.

There was a single photo album tucked away in the bookshelf. Robyn figured that would be helpful to look through. She opened it and right on the first page was a picture she probably should have expected, but was still very surprised to see. It was their wedding photo; and it almost took Robyn's breath away. It was just him and her and it was beautiful. She looked beautiful. Even at her age, Robyn never wondered about what she would look like in a certain kind of white dress. But now she could plainly see it.

How strange it was to look at. Almost like gazing at your reflection and not recognizing who you saw in the mirror. It was a vision far beyond her imagination. This happy, beautiful couple she saw standing in each other's arms was not a couple she knew. These two in the picture were strangers. She was not the one in the picture. This was not her life which she saw here and this was not her house which she was now sitting in. And she turned the pages and viewed other wedding photos--cutting the cake, dancing together, looking so joyful and fulfilled--Robyn found herself swallowed in the alluring thought of keeping such a wonderful life. Would it really be so bad here? Robyn lightly traced the smiling image of Cye as she let her imagination test the possibilities. Could she really stay and accept this as her reality?

Outside, Robyn heard a vehicle pull up and she quickly slapped the photo album shut and shoved it back where she found it That sound outside could mean that Cye or one of the other guys or anyone in the world had just arrived outside the door. And what was worse, she was alone. Everyone in this world was a stranger to her and anyone in this world could be out there on the porch.

The doorbell rang and Robyn's heart picked up. It wasn't Cye. He wouldn't ring at his own house. Who could it possibly be? Should she answer it? Whether or not she felt she should, Robyn's body moved on its own towards the door. Her hands were shaking and her breathing had stopped as she reached for it.

Courage Robyn, you can do this.

She bit her lip and threw it open revealing the most awesome and fearful form of...a delivery man?

"Hello, how are you today?" the man in uniform greeted politely as he handed Robyn a square, heavy package.

Still too shocked to respond, Robyn didn't. She only managed to put the package down when a clip board was put in her face.

"Sign this please."

With heart slowing and hands still trembling, Robyn took it and the pen extended to her.

"Just on that line there."

Sign her name? She could do that. She knew her name. Robyn Mc--no wait. It was Mouri now, wasn't it? Robyn quickly caught herself and turned the C of her last name into an O and finished off her new married name. Robyn Mouri. It sounded so alien to her.

"Thank you and have a good day."

Robyn nodded as she blankly closed the door again. She leaned against it dumbly as she heard the delivery man drive off. She almost felt numb from her previous fright and it was over something so stupid. How would she survive in such a place if she kept freaking out over every little thing?

The day passed faster than Robyn would have liked it to. So many questions were burning in her head. She knew Cye would surely be back sometime that night; as husbands usually do. But what time? And what would he expect of her when he got back? Was she supposed to have dinner ready or the house cleaned or anything like that? Robyn sincerely hoped she wasn't expected to meet him anywhere.

It was about four in the afternoon when Robyn heard the door open and someone walked in. Luckily, too early for dinner, so she didn't have to worry about that. Now all she had to do was act like a wife and try to figure out what her duties were and what was expected of her. And to do that, for now, she was going to play it safe and play it sick.

"Still not feeling well?" Cye asked as he found Robyn lying on the couch.

"Mmm, on and off," Robyn said, trying to sound sick. Though she really didn't feel like she was lying too much in this case. "I've just been a bit tired today." And scared out of my mind!

"I suppose that's expected," Cye replied, referring to the thing Robyn did not want to think about. "I have papers to go over and then I'll make dinner for us, alright?"

Robyn managed a thank you before letting out a heavy breath. So far so good. But how long would she be able to keep this up? Cye and her other self were married. It would only be a matter of time before he realized she wasn't his real wife. Then what would she tell him?

When dinner came, the two ate silently, sitting across from each other at the small table. Robyn chewed on her food in puzzlement. The food tasted like Cye's. She knew his cooking well and this was his. Why was the rest of him not as familiar as this? Robyn looked up, a bit worried when she realized she had been quiet all through the meal. Would this Cye find that suspicious? Fortunately for her, he seemed to have other things on his mind as well.

Robyn took this time to study his face. It was serious as he had a far off expression. Robyn was used to that. But there was something else. He looked a bit older, that was for sure. There was no way this Cye was still in high school. But more than that, there was a certain maturity to him now. And also, a sense of calm and, perhaps, contentment about him. A peacefulness that she had never seen in him before.

Robyn was caught off guard when Cye suddenly looked up at her.

"Oh," Robyn gasped. "Um...I was thinking that I'll clear the table if you need more time to work on your papers." Papers, right? He said he needed to work on some papers?

Cye smiled at her. "That would be great, thanks."

He got up. But to Robyn's frustration, he didn't leave. Instead, he walked over and placed his hand on hers. Quickly and casually, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Robyn's skin was burning where his lips touched as her heart was doing flip flops. Her eyes were wide as Cye walked off, unaware of the personal calamity he had just caused. Robyn was beside herself. She never would have thought something like that would feel so...intimate. It made Robyn feel guilty. This moment wasn't for her; it was for someone else. Why weren't they here to experience it? Why was it given to her?

It took several more minutes for Robyn to calm down again. Good to her word, Robyn got up and cleared the table. But even as she worked, she could not get her mind completely off that kiss. Every time her thoughts drifted back to it she could feel her cheeks go warm again. This made Robyn frustrated.

'What's wrong with me?' she wondered. That was hardly anything like what had happened and what had been implied earlier. So why was this little peck on the cheek bothering her so?

'Because,' her inner voice told her. 'This one was meant for you. He may have thought you were someone else this morning. But that kiss was given because of something you said right then. It was for you and no one else.'

Thus, Robyn blushed again. This made her even madder. This really wasn't right. Why was she here? Who dared to mess up her life and play with her emotions so? There had to be a cause for this, there HAD to be. But what WAS it?

Robyn felt herself grow tired again. With fatigue came frustration. She had no control over this. What was she supposed to do? How could Cye possibly begin to understand if she told him who she really was? Then again, how could she possibly continue living this lie? Robyn felt trapped with very little options.

Ultimately, she did manage to make one decision. That is that she would let things remain as they were for the rest of the day. She had, after all, woken up to this strange world, perhaps the next morning would let her wake up to her own. It was a long shot, but she decided to give it a try.

But with that came a new problem. Robyn's final worry was that Cye might want a repeat of whatever he and his real wife had done the night before. Though she was sure she could come up with enough excuses not to, she still dreaded the very suggestion of it.

It was a little after ten thirty. Cye was still in his study room and Robyn felt she had dawdled around long enough, pretending she had things to do. It was now time to retire for the night. Slowly, she made her way back to that room she had been avoiding all day. The room where it all started. Robyn had to keep reminding herself that it was just a room and it wouldn't attack her as she crept in. It still felt like someone else's place to her and that she was intruding here most of all.

Forcing herself to somewhat get over it, Robyn started going through the drawers, looking for something suitable to wear for pajamas. She easily found herself a nice pair of pajamas that she assumed to be this world's Robyn's. They were cute pink and white flannels. Robyn opted to get dressed in the bathroom, not caring if Cye came in and found that odd. She would rather have his suspicion than have him seeing her dress.

After changing and brushing her teeth with what she hoped was her toothbrush, Robyn tossed her day's clothes in the hamper and crawled into bed. For a moment she sat there, still sitting in the light and looking the place over. She felt very lost and small just then. Like a child sleeping over at a stranger's house. Suddenly, Robyn was very homesick. But there was nothing that could be done about it. Regretfully, Robyn turned off the light and snuggled under the blankets, hoping for a bit of comfort. The stillness of the house then filled her ears as she lay in the darkness, trying to forget what was around her and just go to sleep.

She almost succeeded, too. How nice it would have been if she had fallen asleep before the "significant other" came to bed. But it was not to be. Before Robyn could completely dose off, she felt someone else enter the room. Cye was very quiet and didn't even bother turning on the lights as he came in. Though Robyn had her back to him and pretended to be asleep, her eyes were wide open as she heard him undress. She felt her cheeks grow warm again as her mind automatically began to picture what was going on behind her. She shook herself as she felt Cye get in bed next to her.

"Are you cold?" Cye asked, referring to the winter pajamas she was wearing.

Robyn had a choice then; either pretend to be asleep or answer.

"A little," she heard herself say.

When Cye moved a bit closer, Robyn suddenly realized her mistake in saying that. Her heart began thudding in her chest; so much so that it was echoing in her ears. She didn't know what to do as Cye came up behind her, resting his chest against her back. He loosely draped an arm over her so he could lightly touch her hand. And that was it.

He made no further move from there aside from letting out a heavy breath and then seeming to settle in and let sleep take him. Robyn hoped he couldn't feel how tense she was at the moment though she was screaming at her muscles to loosen up lest he notice. After her panic subsided, Robyn began to feel another sensation take over. One she wasn't used to.

Here, like this, in this young man's arms she felt safe. Robyn had not been prepared for this. His body was so warm and his breathing and the rhythm of his heart was soothing somehow. Sure, this wasn't her Cye, but it was still Cye. And the universal truth about Cye was that he was always there for her; to protect her. Cye would never hurt her no matter what world he or she were from.

So now here in the darkness, Robyn began to feel herself relax. As she did this, a pang of guilt hit her. Was it right to do this? Could she really accept being in bed with someone else's husband and let herself sleep peacefully? She would have to. It wasn't long until Robyn was fast asleep, feeling very warm and protected.

Robyn woke to the obnoxious ringing of a clock alarm. It wasn't familiar, but it sure was annoying. She cracked an eye open, trying to find it. Her vision tried to focus as she saw the noisy thing staring at her from the bedside stand in front of her face. Robyn was about to reach for it when an arm, a much longer and stronger arm, came from behind her and turned it off.

Robyn was fully awake now. Her eyes were huge as they stared at that clock like it was the death of her.

"Ugh...time to get up," Cye's scratchy voice said behind her.

Robyn was stalk still in bed as the arm moved back out of her vision and she felt the larger body beside her get up.

"I'll start making breakfast if you want to hop in the shower," Cye called as he headed out of the bedroom.

Robyn was beside herself all over again.

'OH CRAP!' She panicked to herself. 'I'm still here! Why is it still like this? Why haven't I gone home yet? Why– wait, did he just say 'shower'?'

Her mind went numb. It was normal for people to shower. But did she dare to do that here? Robyn swallowed. What if Cye insisted on joining her or came in while she was showering. What if she ended up seeing him...NAKED? Robyn's face shot beet red at the thought of it.

"Robyn, you might want to hurry up," Cye called back into the room. "It's Thursday, remember? We're running late if I have to drop you off before I go to work."

Robyn blinked, her past panic attack almost forgotten. Drop her off? Where? Why? Did she have a job, too? Well, she supposed she would learn soon enough.

With a heavy sigh, Robyn pulled herself out of bed. She took a bit of comfort at the fact that Cye didn't seem too interested in the fact that she was going to take a shower. Still, she took a change of clothes in with her and locked the door as extra precautions. She was sure no one would fault her for being over cautious in a situation like this.

Even with the door locked, Robyn did not waste any more time than she had to without clothing in this house. She was as quick as possible at getting clean and then getting dressed. Once covered, she bravely set out into the bedroom again and then out into the kitchen.

"Time to trade off," Cye called merrily as he passed her on the way in.

Robyn curiously watched him head back into the bedroom and wondered what he was talking about. She soon put the pieces together when she saw Cye's dirty breakfast plate and then heard the shower running. Robyn couldn't almost help but smile a bit. That was kind of cute. She wondered if they took turns eating breakfast and showering every morning.

When Robyn was almost finished eating breakfast, she heard Cye's voice call out to her.

"Robyn, do you remember where my robe is? The one you were wearing yesterday morning."

Robyn almost choked on her food as she remembered yesterday. Being in that...that pink slip of cloth. It was embarrassing all over again.


She jumped as her name was said by someone standing in the doorway. She hadn't notice him come up behind her.

"Did you hear me?"

Robyn turned around and cried out, averting her eyes in shock. A dripping wet Cye was standing in the doorway.

'Ah! I'm so glad he's wearing a towel,' Robyn thought. ''s just a towel. He's hardly wearing anything!'

"I asked if you've seen it," Cye tried again, sounding a bit more impatient.

Robyn tried to do anything else but look at the wet, half naked (and quite attractive) man standing in the doorway. His hair hanging in his eyes, beads of water dripping down his chest....Stop it! I have to think! Say something!

"Uh...I don't know. I think you had it last," Robyn floundered. You took it off me when I passed out, you pervert!

"Oh yes, I remember," Cye announced and left the room.

Robyn breathed out heavily when he left, trying to get her heart to stop pounding so hard.

The rest of the morning was spent with Robyn trying to not make a total idiot of herself in Cye's presence. As he hurried about the place, trying to get ready himself, she tried hard not to look at him or bring up a mental picture of what she had seen previously. Even after living in his house for almost a year, she had never seen THAT much of Cye Mouri before. It raised a sort of excitement in her that she had never experienced before; and it was confusing.

After getting ready, Cye had ordered her into the car, which Robyn did obediently. She buckled herself in while Cye got in the driver's seat. He had opened and closed the door for her, how cute was that?

Robyn shook herself as she found she was blushing again. What on Earth was wrong with her? Was she going insane along with the rest of this crazy world? She shouldn't be worrying about such things, there was something far more important going on now. Like where Cye would be taking her.

She watched with a feeling of dread as they drove away from the seaside and more into the city. The buildings grew larger and taller as Robyn felt her fate closing around her. Where was she going? And what was she expected to do there? What if she was going to a job or something and she screwed up because she had no idea how to do it? She would look like a total moron. Not to mention a lunatic when she would try to explain why she was messing everything up. Could it be any worse than that?

Robyn's thoughts of impending doom were interrupted when the car suddenly stopped next to a curbside.

"Well, here it is," Cye announced. "I'll be back here at three to pick you up."

Robyn just starred out the window. Where was she supposed to go from there? Cye wasn't even giving her any hints as to why he was leaving her at this particular place. For a moment, Robyn was considering not getting out of the car.

"Have fun," Cye continued, leaning forward.

Robyn narrowed her eyes. She knew what he was thinking; but she was not having any of it after he pulled that stunt with the towel earlier.

"See ya later," she called, evacuating the vehicle and pretending not to notice he was expecting a good-bye kiss.

She shut the door behind her, leaving the stranger she was supposedly married to inside. Unfortunately, Cye seemed to have automatic windows. She sighed as she heard the passenger window roll down. He has MORE to say?

"Tell Mary Anne I said hi," Cye called before he drove off.

Robyn blinked, not turning around as the car went around the corner and out of sight.

Who the hell was Mary Anne?

"Yoo-hoo! Robyn!"

Robyn turned around at the sound of her name. There, a few yards down the sidewalk, a young woman about her age waved at her. She was thin and blonde and stuck out as horribly as Robyn did among the regular Japanese citizens walking around the place.

Robyn gingerly waved back as the very happy woman approached her.

"Hey girl!" the woman who was most likely Mary Anne said as she hugged Robyn. "It's so good to see you. I know I just saw you last week, but I wish we got to see more of each other. Let's go have some fun!"

Robyn just laughed uneasily and let the blonde woman drag her off down the street.

Mary Anne seemed like an okay girl to Robyn. For some reason, she was less on edge around her. Robyn wondered if it was because she didn't know this person from her previous reality and thus, didn't have any expectations of her. The two went window shopping down the streets, stopping at whatever stores met their fancy. Mary Anne always made small talk, giving Robyn very little to go on as to what sort of person she really was. But this was also good for her. This woman wasn't asking any personal questions her way that she may not be able to answer.

A few hours later, the two stopped to each lunch at a little street corner café. This is where Mary Anne finally dropped the bomb on her.

"So Robyn," she said over her cooling soup. "How does it feel to almost be a mom?"

Robyn's world crashed around her all over again. She had almost forgotten about that. In this strange world, she was supposedly pregnant with Cye's baby.

The blonde woman instantly picked up on her reaction and smiled.

"Scary, huh?"

"A bit," Robyn managed with a weak smile. Scared out of my wits, thanks!

"Don't worry hon," Mary Anne replied as she put her hand on Robyn's. "I'm sure you'll do fine. And I'll be there for you, too."

Robyn's smile grew a bit more confident. "Thanks," she said sincerely. This was the first time she didn't feel completely alone since she got here. It was nice to know someone was in her corner.

"So," Mary Anne said, her smile growing a bit devious. "What did you and Cye do last night to celebrate the good news?"

Robyn's face went pale. Judging from what she woke up to the other morning, she could guess what was done to celebrate. The more she thought about it, the more her face grew warm.

"I see," the blonde woman smirked. "He brings you flowers, puts the lights down low. You slip into something comfortable...and then..."

Robyn's face must have been bright red with the mental images that were bombarding her senses at the moment. She fought hard to get those thoughts out of her head.

"Well that..." she coughed, trying to compose herself. "That's not any of your business what we did."

Mary Anne's grin quickly fell. "Aw Robyn, you're no fun. You never let me in on the juicy parts."

Robyn breathed out. At least she was supposedly still in character for her counterpart.

"You really are lucky, though," Mary Anne sighed. "I can never get my husband to do anything romantic these days."

Robyn raised her eyebrows. Having a married friend was also new to her.

"When he gets home, all he does is plop himself in front of the tv and ask when dinner's ready. What do I gotta do to get some attention, stop feeding the man and walk in dressed as a pot pie?"

Robyn giggled. It was a funny thought.

"Seriously, hon," Mary Anne then said. "You should be grateful for what you've got. There's women out there who would kill for the kind of guy you have. I personally know a few who are more than a bit jealous. Don't let him go, huh? That one's a keeper."

Robyn nodded quietly. She was taken aback at what the blonde woman said, but she also took it to heart.

A while later, the two ended up on the same street corner they started on and Cye pulled up in his car. Robyn waved at her new, old friend Mary Anne before she got in.

"Have fun?" Cye asked as she closed the door.

"Yeah," Robyn answered truthfully. "I did."

"Great," Cye smiled back.

Robyn watched the blonde woman leave as they drove off. She thought again to what Mary Anne had said earlier. There were women out there who were jealous of what she had. Robyn had never had anything worth coveting in her entire life. Now, according to Mary Anne, she had something very good. Yet, she wasn't sure if she wanted it. Didn't that make her kind of crazy somehow?

She glanced at Cye's profile a few times, trying not to look like she was looking at him. He was quite handsome now that she thought about it. And he had always been good to her, and kind. Thinking that other women would love to have what she had made Robyn suddenly like him more. Even want him.

At that thought, Robyn's cheeks grew red again. What was she thinking? Was she serious? Was she really glad she was married to him like this? Is this what she really wanted?

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Cye suddenly asked.

Robyn was thrown out of her daydreams. "Huh?" she blinked at him, only partially hearing the question.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Cye replied. "Remember? We're going to have dinner over at your parent's house tomorrow."

Robyn's world crashed all around her once again. Had she heard right? HER parents? Her whole body suddenly went numb.