Disclaimer: *Sigh…* Why is it we must put down disclaimers at every story when we all know I don't own the Ronins? And ask a martial artist what a cat stance is if you don't know if you don't know, I'll go into too much detail and get you confoozled.

Jett's house was in a panic the next morning. Thinking she was going to be late again, her mother had walked in only to find a very cold and empty bedroom. Her father called Jay to see if she was there. Jay in turn called Opal.

Opal was in the middle of another fight with her sister about a ride to school when the phone rang. Before Drew could grab it, Opal dived for it and answered with a gruff, "Hello?" Her face fell from pissed to shock and worry. "What??? What do you mean she's missing?" She let herself fall to the couch. She ran a hand through her short hair.

Shin and Touma came in, hearing Opal's shouts. "What's going on?" asked Shin.

"Alright, I'll meet you at school in the lobby. I'll get mom to write a note." She hung up, ignored Shin and Touma's puzzled faces, and yelled for her mom. A moment later there was a brief argument about writing the note, but Opal came back out of the kitchen with the paper in her hands. She grabbed her keys and jumped into her car.

Twenty minutes later she had handed in her note to the office. Jay was waiting in the main lobby. His face was filled with worry. He didn't have his back with him as usual, but he was carrying pouches of herbs and stones, just in case. Opal didn't object, they might come in handy. She had her backpack, that was holding her athame and several books that told how to hold a demon in place. Just as they were about to leave, when her name was called.

Ryu came running up to her. "What the hell is going on? Seiji just told us Jett is missing. Shin is going frantic."

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to look for her," she said, trying to keep her anger at him from flying out.

"But you don't know where she is," said Ryu. "I want to help."

"We can do this without you, thank you very much." Opal and Jay left the building in a hurry.

***

"Damn…" muttered Jay. "Where can she be?"

Opal had drove around the entire town six times by ten in the morning. She was reluctant to tell Jay to be prepared for a demon attack, as that he wasn't a hunter. Just your normal, everyday witch. Finally they reached the woods. "Let's split up here and search." She said. "We'll cover more ground that way. If one of us gets in trouble," she handed him a flare. "Don't be afraid to use it."

Jay nodded. "Right, be careful."

"As always."

They split, Opal going through one direction, where she heard the Warlords a few nights before, Jay in the opposite direction.

***

Jett opened her eyes. Dammit… why is it these people can't thing of anything original? I hope they don't try burning me… She was tied to a pole, arms above her and legs ties by sticky threads. For some strange reason, she wasn't cold though, despite her short shirt and jeans. Her long brownish/black hair, however, hung in her face and it was annoying her. She managed to get it out of her hair so she could look around.

She was in a clearing of a forest… that much she could tell. Of what forest, well, it wasn't the one by her house that was for certain. On the ground was a strange symbol, probably Japanese or Chinese, she couldn't tell. But it had bad vibes coming off it and that made her feel uneasy. She tried to move her arms and feet, but she was tied real well.

A sudden shadow made her stop moving. She kept quiet, just in case it wasn't an ally. Then torches were lit to make the clearing even more bright and out of the shadows Dais came.

"Glad to see one of our Warriors is awake," he said.

"Yeah? Well I'm thinking of going right back to sleep, so don't get to comfortable."

"Soon your friend will be joining us."

Jett did her best to shrug. It was kind of difficult to do seeing her hands were above her. "And I'm pretty sure you'll regret having to run into her. After yesterday, I feel almost sorry for anyone that pisses her off today."

Dais walked to the bottom of the symbol. "You and Opal are going to help us bring back Master Talpa. You don't have a say in the matter."

"Yes we do, actually. You can't make us do what we don't want to."

"We'll see about that."

****

"Jett!" yelled Opal, throwing out all caution. She was worried and really angry. "Jett! Where are you?" She had been searching for two hours now, and still no sign of her. All the while, she noticed the weather getting colder. There seemed to be more snow on the ground then what was supposed to be. She became wary of an ambush and drew her athame from her backpack.

A few seconds later the ground began to shake and grumble. Opal fell backwards and rolled down the hill until her back rammed into a tree. Her bag and snow cushioned the whack, but not much; her spine was screaming. Slowly she got up when the ground stopped shaking. "What the hell? We don't get earthquakes in New York…" She knew it wasn't a natural earthquake, but usually she had Jett to complain to instead of just herself. She looked around, still rubbing her spine. Yep, there was something crawling out of a crack that appeared where she was standing before the quake. She quietly retrieved her athame that was a few feet downhill. When she looked back up, the demons appeared to have multiplied and were coming towards her. She swore when she realized she had been spotted.

One demon suddenly spread wings and flew at her. Opal kicked at it, hitting it in the stomach. Another extended claws and raced towards her. Opal ducked and the clawed hand went into a tree. Opal stuck her athame into the demon's kneecap. As she got back up, she was hit in the head. Opal stumbled and fell back into the snow. A quick glance around told her she was surrounded; her athame was taken from her. So, this is how I'm going to end up: Demon fodder. Peachy. She was preparing to do her ultimate attack when a voice stopped her.

"THUNDER BOLT CUT!" Lightning rained down from Seiji's sword and the demons were annihilated. Seiji ran over to where he spotted the trouble. "Hey, are you—Opal?! What the hell are you doing here??"

Opal glared at him through her double vision. "Oh just great. It had to be you two that had to save me." She tried to get up but fell back down. "Where's my athame?" she grumbled.

Seiji got a serious look on his face, if not a little scornful. "Answer my question."

"I could ask the same thing about you, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou!" she said angrily, finally getting her vision straight. Then she looked at him. "Oh no… Don't tell me you're one of them! God dammit I knew it!" She took a defensive pose.

Seiji raised an eyebrow. Had his suspicions been true? Was she a Warlady? "What do you mean, 'one of them'? You're working for Talpa!"

Opal spat. "Right. And you're the Queen of England."

"Opal!" Called Ryu. He came running up in his red armor. "I'm so glad you're ok!" He was holding her athame.

Opal looked from Ryu to Seiji, both in armor. Armor like the Warlords, yet different. "Just who are you guys?"

"We're the Ronin Warriors," replied Ryu. He handed her the athame.

"So that makes Touma, Shin and Shuu…"

"Yep," replied Seiji. "Now get moving for home. You're going to get into more trouble wandering around here. We'll find Jett."

"Bite me." Opal spat. "If my estimates are correct she's been taken by the Warlords. And I'm going to get her. She doesn't need help from sickos who humiliate people after the first date, or any date."

Despite her bruised spine and pride, she started up the hill, looking for any more dangers. When she came to large crack in the ground, she leaped across it. But then Ryu and Seiji were on her tail as well. "You're going to need help fighting the Warlords," said Ryu in a firm voice. "Let us help you." He handed her the athame.

"I restate my earlier claim: Bite me. I can handle this myself." She took it and sheathed it.

"You couldn't handle a few demons," said Seiji. "How do you expect to handle the Warlords?"

Opal rounded on him. "Ok, first of all, go sliding down this hill at warp speed and have you spine smashed into a tree. Then get knocked upside the head a few times while you're still down. It's awfully hard to fight demons when you're seeing double!"

"Hey, are you guys ok?" Shin jumped down from a tree along with Shuu and Touma.

"Oh just great." Muttered Opal. "More sickos to fill my day." She was in a really bad mood.

"The city is already changing," reported Touma. "It's like a ghost town."

"Well, the symptoms are usual." Muttered Ryu. "Fine, let's move."

Laughter echoed the woods. "Ronins, Ronins, Ronins. We meet at last again."

Kale appeared in a tree. Immediately Opal took a cat-stance; her left hand was holding her athame and her right hand was flat open. The Ronins prepared to fight also.

"Don't bother, Ronins. I'm here for the Warrior. Master Talpa will deal with you."

"Kale, shove it up your ass," said Opal. "I ain't going anywhere with you."

"But your friend wishes to see you. Are you going to leave her hanging, quite literally?"

Shin, wondering what Kale was talking, suddenly got a nasty look on his face. "What did you do to her?"

The Warlord of Corruption merely smiled. "You will find out soon enough." He made a step towards Opal. "Now, join me."

As Kale took another step, Opal thrust her athame unto the air. "WIND BLAST!" The wind picked up and blew strong gusts of air at Kale, pelting him with sticks, branches, pine needles, and ice shards. Granted it didn't do much against armor, but it distracted him long enough for Opal to swiftly grab a stake from her bag and chuck it in between Kale's armor plates.

The Ronins looked at Opal. She had moved with the swiftness of a cheetah and never faltered. Who was she?

Opal looked at them. "What are you five gawking at? Get moving already! You're better equipped with fighting him then I!"

At this, Shuu launched at Kale. Shuu was knocked aside by the claws on Kale's armor. Seiji and Touma attacked at the same time. As the no-datchi was being swung and arrows flew, Opal prepared to send Kale into the earth. But a hand was clapped over her mouth and her arms were pinned to the sides. She tried to kick backwards, but she was pulled off balance.

Great. One thing after another. Why can't I have a normal life?

******

"Man, this burns me!" exclaimed Shuu. "Where'd he go?" Kale had vanished as well as Opal.

Shin shook his head. "We need to find Jett and Opal. I have a feeling that Kale and the other Warlords will do something stupid with them."

Shuu raised an eyebrow. He was about to make a comment when Ryu interrupted him. "I sense Nether Spirits nearby."

"And I hear chanting," said Seiji. "This way!"

****

"They caught you too, huh?" asked Jett as Opal was being webbed to a pole.

"Only under unfair circumstances," muttered Opal. "After this fight I'm not moving for a week: Smashed into a tree."

"I was wondering why I felt like screaming."

"Sorry."

Dais finished tying up Opal. "Now, you too will help us in reviving Ma—"

"Hey Spider Man wanna-be!" Interrupted Jett. "Can we hold this off for a few minutes? I really have to pee."

Opal started laughing hard at the look on Dais's face. "No!" he replied. "We need to do this now."

"Please?" asked Jett. "Show some friggin' compassion already! I've had to go since last night! I' being a good prisoner. Can't I have a bathroom right? I promise I'll even tie myself back up! Just let me go pee!"

"No!" Dais said shortly. "Now—"

"If you don't let me go to the bathroom, you're gonna have to listen to me whine. And I can get really annoying."

Opal gave Dais a pleading look. "Please let her! She'll do it, and I don't want to hear her whine!"

Dais ignored Opal and the Warlords took their places besides him. Nether Spirits took a random spot above the symbol in the ground and began chanting. Sehkmet prepared one of his swords to cut the girls with. Opal looked at Jett and Jett looked at Opal. They both nodded to each other, understanding each other without words.

"I really gotta pee!" yelled Jett, causing Kale to turn around and give the two a sharp look. "Listen to me," continued Jett. "If you don't tie me right now to let me go to the bathroom, there is going to be Jett goo all over the place because I'm going to explode!"

Still, the Warlords ignored her. Ten minutes later, Sehkmet finally grew tired of hearing about a bathroom break and turned to Dais. "Will you let her go already? I'm getting a headache."

Grumbling about obnoxious girls, Dais finally let Jett go. She promised she'd be right back and ran off to the bushes. Opal smothered her laughter and prepared to do some telepathy.