The Ronins fought fiercely for what seemed like hours, but the soldiers kept coming. Until, that is, they didn't. One second, the boys seemed to be fighting an unending horde led by Sekhmet. The next, Sekhmet was gone and the soldiers retreated after him. The boys stood in their armor, breathing heavily. Kento leaned on his sanjiegun for support. "What happened?" Rowen asked, looking around in confusion. "Where did they go?"

"I guess they gave up!" Kento said with a grin, standing up straight and spinning his weapon. "They couldn't take the heat!"

"I don't know," Cye said doubtfully, "That seemed strange." Ryo shook his head.

"You're right, it was weird. It could be a trap." His friends agreed. The five Ronins climbed to the top of a building and gave chase to the army, keeping some distance. They watched as Sekhmet and the soldiers approached Talpa's castle, then entered without a glance back.

"They could still come back," Sage said, sounding doubtful.

"This is new. They've never just full-on retreated like that," Rowen said.

"Well, Sekhmet has," Kento pointed out, "But only after we turn his friends into dumpster fodder!"

"Let's go home, rest, and regroup," Ryo said, watching the gate where his enemies had disappeared. "Be on guard, though. Something does seem fishy here." The other four armored friends nodded, and together they turned and headed back to their apartment building, leaping between rooftops.

Their feet crunched onto the pavement in front of the apartment building they had taken to living in. They climbed up the stairs to the third floor, Kento cracking jokes and laughing over their recent victory. Ryo led the group, grinning slightly at his friend's antics. As he reached the third floor landing, he froze.

"No," his whispered, then took off running. "No. NO! Mia! Yuli! MIA!" The other four followed, quickly seeing what had upset Ryo. The door to one of the two apartments they had taken to living in, the one in which Mia and Yuli stayed in, was broken and crashed inward, the frame showing significant damage. Ryo ran inside in a near blind panic, hardly seeing the destruction of the living rom. Furniture was crumpled and trashed, picture frames – hung by the family who lived here before Talpa's reign – were shattered on the ground. "MIA!" he shouted again, running to the back bedroom that Mia and Yuli shared. The others fanned out, searching the apartment for clues as to what had happened here.

They gathered back in the destroyed living room. Ryo was practically shaking with rage, while the others all looked visibly upset.

"What happened here?" Rowen asked aloud, looking around him, knowing no one had an answer.

"Obviously it was Talpa," Kento said angrily, balling his hands into fists.

"Yes, obviously," Rowen agreed, rolling his eyes. "But why? Where are they? And… Dani was with them."

Sage looked up from where he sat on the floor, leaning against a wall, his hands anxiously mussing his hair. "Dani should have protected them," He said quietly. "This shouldn't have happened."

Just then, the TV flicked on, though there had been no cable since Talpa had taken control. "Hello, Ronin scum!" Dais gloated, his face appearing on screen. The five Ronin leapt to attention, holding weapons and glaring at the screen.

"DAIS!" Ryo shouted furiously, "Where are they?"

"Oh, your little friends are here, nice and safe… Well, they're here, at least," he said with a sneer.

"Bring them back, Dais! They've got nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, I think they do. And I won't be bringing them back. However, if you were to surrender and turn yourselves in, then I think we could work something out."

"Never!" Kento yelled at the TV, clutching his weapon. Ryo put out a hand to silence him.

"How do we even know they're alive?" Ryo asked quietly, fixing his eyes on the glowing image of Dais.

"I thought you might like to see them," Dais said with a wide grin. The camera turned showing Yuli, Mia, and Dani, all trussed up and thrown on a dark floor. Yuli was curled up tightly, unmoving. Mia was lying on the ground, her eyes fixed on the camera. She was bound and gagged, but gave a tiny shake of her head, never breaking eye contact with the screen. Dani, also gagged, gave a quick look in their direction. She blinked once, twice, then looked away. The camera turned back to Dais.

"Oh, and find your sixth little friend, too," he said. "Talpa would like to have a chat with him as well. Well, ta-ta for now!" he gave a sarcastic wave, and then the TV shut itself off.

"DAIS!" Ryo yelled, lunging at the TV and grabbing it. But, of course, Dais was not there. He turned and punched a hole in the wall. The wood splintered inward, creating a crack that resonated through the suddenly silent room. Ryo pulled his arm free, breathing heavily, a few chunks of wood and insulation falling to the floor.

"Let's go kick butt," Kento said automatically. Rowen gave him a sharp look.

"Guys, let's get out of here. This place must be bugged," he muttered, then gestured for the door. They left the apartment building in silence, gathering in an alley two streets over, which Rowen evidently decided was far enough.

"Why didn't she help them?" Kento burst out as soon as they stopped walking. "Why did she let them take them? I thought she had armor! She hadn't even summoned it! I would NEVER let them take me without a fight!"

"She must have had a reason," Sage said coldly, his lips tight.

"Yeah?" demanded Kento, "I bet her reason was that she's on their side! I mean, have we even seen her summon her armor? Anybody? This must be an elaborate trick!"

"No," Ryo said, surprising the others. They looked at him. "If it was a trick, then why would they waste it on getting Mia and Yuli?" Kento looked angry, but Ryo kept speaking before his hot-headed friend could cut him off. "Think about it. She was in our apartment. If she was our enemy, she had every chance to take us out as we slept. She could have cut our throats. Probably could have gotten two or three of us if she was good enough, and that's if she DIDN'T have armor." Ryo looked at Sage, who gave a small nod. "Something isn't right here. I don't know why she didn't summon her armor, but I don't think it's because she's with Talpa. Besides, Dais would have been bragging about it if she was."

"You're right, Ryo," Cye said, nodding agreement. "And more than that – they don't know who she is." His friends looked at him blankly. "She was tied up and gagged, right? Just like Mia and Yuli?"

Sage nodded slowly. "Right. And if they'd caught one of us…"

"They'd need way more than a rope to hold us back!" Kento crowed.

"Yeah, if Talpa knew she was a Ronin, he'd have her locked in metal and covered in guards," Rowen agreed.

"Exactly!" Cye said. "So maybe she's planning something. To attack from within."

"Maybe," Ryo said doubtfully, frowning.

"She can't do it alone; none of us could," Sage said, looking at each of his friends in turn. "So that takes us back to the question. How are we going to get them back?"