Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronins, I don't own Mars, and I don't own Milky ways. Yes, I am in a weird mood.

Seiji watched Opal sleep. He himself couldn't sleep much, not with the anxiety of Talpa attacking at any moment. She sighed, turning over. His heart thudded slightly as he looked on her face. I was such a moron, he thought to himself. It figures I'd find someone and not realize it. He looked over at everyone else. Jett had her chest on Shin's chest; Shin's arm was around her waist, cheek on top of her head. Seiji felt a pang of jealousy, so he quickly looked away. Touma was dead asleep. Shuu was next to him, snoring loudly. Ryu was awake also, looking out the window.

"Anything the matter, Ryu?" Asked Seiji.

Ryu shook his head. "I'm worried. Talpa hasn't made a move yet."

Seiji nodded. "But then again, we're in a safe haven, so he shouldn't be able to get here."

"I'm still worried." Ryu looked over his shoulder to his friend. "And you should get some sleep."

"And you also, I'm not tired. You look like you could sleep for a week."

Ryu smiled wryly. "I could at this rate." He found a space on the floor and stared off to the ceiling.

Seiji went back to gazing at Opal. Her face wrinkled, a dream disturbing her slumber. She said something, but he couldn't make it out. What I wouldn't give to have another chance.

***

Jett opened her eyes, wishing she really didn't have to get up. She was too damn comfortable. That, and Shin was still sleeping, judging from his rhythmic breathing. She tried to recall something that had entered her sleep. But whatever had tried to warn her or tell her something had vanished from memory. Oh well. Probably wasn't important then.

Shin stirred, exhaling a deep breath as he raised his head some. "Did I wake you?" He asked softly.

She shook her head and put her finger to her lips, motioning to the others sleeping. He nodded in understanding and put his other arm around her. He looked at his watch. It was three thirty in the morning. He yawned, not tired but feeling like he hadn't slept in a while. Jett's stomach growled. Smiling, she got up and motioned for him to follow her. He did, stepping over Opal who had apparently decided the area by the door was the best place to sleep.

Jett headed for the kitchen and started looking in the cupboards for something to eat. She grabbed a Milky Way bar and tossed Shin one. "Here, eat."

"Chocolate this early in the morning?" He asked, opening the wrapper.

Jett gave a devilish grin. "Hell ya. You should see what I eat for breakfast if I bother getting it sometimes."

Shin laughed quietly. For the rest of the morning, they talked about absolutely nothing, cradled in each other's arms. He could have stayed like that forever, had not Shuu come stumbling down the stairs in search of food. When he saw the two, he pretended to gag in the other room, while Jett threw wrappers at him. Not that they did much good: they didn't fly too far. Shuu began to bug Shin to make breakfast and he reluctantly pulled out of Jett's arms to make it. Jett make dirty faces at Shuu for that, claiming he had two arms and two feet.

***

Ryu announced he was going to go for some breakfast when he woke up, leaving Seji alone with Opal. Opal was awake, just not willing to open her eyes. Seiji stayed where he was, watching her.

"You're going to bore a hole right through my head if you don't stop staring at me," Opal said grumpily as she turned over to look at Seiji.

"I thought you were awake." Seiji quickly found something else in the room to look at.

"Why you insist on staying here while everyone is downstairs is beyond me," she muttered, hiding her under her arms. "I'm not going to forgive you."

"I don't expect you too," he said unexpectantly, even for him. "I admit to being a complete and utter ass."

"Keep going. You're close," she said sarcastically.

Seiji sighed, wishing he had Shin's knack for Shakespeare and poetry. He was about to get up and go downstairs to see about something to eat when Opal started speaking.

"Do you know what it's like, to see something that you know you'll never have?" He didn't know how to answer that, so he stayed quiet. "The moment I saw which crowd you were hanging with, I knew I never had a chance with you because they'd tell you the rumors that fly around me. And I knew that you'd believe them. Then you asked me to the semi." At this point she sat up and looked at him. "I thought I was dreaming until I danced with you. I thought you felt the same thing I did: a sense of completion. Then you pulled that... that..." She couldn't even finish. Seiji moved closer to her to place his hand on her shoulder, but she moved away. "I thought you were different form them. But you proved to me that night that no matter who it is, every man is the same way to me. Cold hearted cowards." Opal got up and left the room, leaving Seiji with a sense of guilt mixed with self-loathing.

***

"Hold still, Kale," muttered Sehkmet. "I almost got it." He smiled with satisfaction as the ropes slid from them, freeing them from their prison. Kale and Dais got up and stretched, every muscle tight from being cramped up in their former position. Dais kicked down the door and blinked in the light that was suddenly flooding the room they had been placed in.

Sehkmet growled. "Let's go. I want to hurt that wench for tricking me like that."

Kale snickered, remembering Sehkmet's trap. He had whined about it the past few hours and Kale thought it very funny.

Sehkmet gave Kale a dark look before trudging off, trying to pick up on their energy trails.

***

Talpa surveyed the mortal realm from his chambers. "Those fools..." He muttered angrily. "They let themselves be caught like that. And those Ronins are keeping the Twin Warriors from coming. Looks like I need to do some things myself..."

***

It was later in the day; the Ronins and the Twin Warriors were working on plans to get rid of Talpa. They agreed that the White Inferno should be used, but Jett and Opal refused to reveal their secret weapons. "That's for us to know, and for them to find out," was their reply. Eventually even Shuu gave up on trying to find out what it was. They discussed what they found in Jay's books and decided that some of it may be useful.

Once alone, Jett and Opal each gave each other a look. It said: "This is one we may not make out of alive." Opal sighed, wishing she would at least have a chance to say farewell to her parents before leaving the physical plane. Jett didn't look too happy either. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Shin and home and the promises they made each other earlier that morning.

The seven helped clean up the mess they made, then started back for the clearing to get rid of Talpa.

It wasn't long before the three Warlords had found them. They had surrounded the group, weapons drawn. Jett and Opal took defensive stances, their athames out and ready for a kill. Without warning, the Ronins struck. Ryu and Shin against Sehkmet, Seiji and Touma against Kale, and Shuu against Dais. Nodding to each other, Jett and Opal took off, the Warlords too busy with the Ronins to notice.

"Ok, now that part A has been accomplished, we go off to find big, mean, and ugly, right?" Opal stated more then asked.

Jett nodded. "I hope the others will get there in time. I don't think we can pull this one of without their help."

"It's a shame too, usually we could have."

Back at the fight, Ryu and Shin had the Warrior of Venom against a tree, but they themselves had scratched armor and a few bruises. "Look out!" Yelled Ryu, jumping out of the way of one of Sehkmet's poisonous swords. Shin just barely got out of the way.

"Figures he'd start growing arms again!" Shin grumbled as Sehkmet suddenly had six arms.

"Weaklings! I shall finish you off!" The battle resumed.

Seiji and Touma had enough of Kale. "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!" The arrow pierced the area between Kale's armor. He pulled it out, growling and now bleeding in the shoulder.

"BLACK LIGHTNING STRIKE!" The black beams struck both Seiji and Touma. They fell to the ground, pain ringing throughout their bodies. Seiji got back up, using his nodatchi to help him up. He pointed his sword at Kale, and started to charge, intending to run him through. Kale stepped back and brought his knee up. Seiji pulled back in time to block the attack. Touma let out a war cry and tried a roundhouse to Kale's head. Kale threw Touma into Seiji.

"How is it these guys are tougher then usual?" Asked Touma.

"I don't know," replied Seiji. "But we better hurry."

Shuu wrapped a chain around Dais's neck and threw him into a rather large tree. Dais sent the illusions of spiders crawling after Shuu. "Ack!" Shuu jumped back, dropping his bo. Using this moment of distraction, Dais took off the chain from his neck and punched Shuu in the face. Shuu retaliated with a kick and a double punch to Dais's gut. Dais growled and backhanded Kento.

***

"It's too quiet," Opal whispered. "I don't like it."

"Me either." Answered Jett.

"Where are the guys? They should have been here by now."

"Leave it to men to drag things out longer then they should." Jett commented. "That's why we usually work alone."

Opal searched her bags to make sure they had everything still. She was nervous, especially knowing that she may not come out of this alive. She readied her athame in its sheath longing to have a demon jump out just so she could draw it. Jett looked over at her. "Calm down," she said. "We don't need to be giving ourselves away just yet."

"Sorry," Opal apologized. Argh... where is he? Why is Talpa being so quiet?

She didn't have to wonder for long. Suddenly the two were surrounded by Dynasty soldiers. Opal mentally cursed. There were too many to fight at once, even with their powers. She held her hands up. "Alright already! We get the picture!"

Jett growled as they were pushed to where Talpa was staying. The area around him was dead. The trees had no life, the bushes were no more, and there was snow galore. Some how there was a fire blazing on top of the snow. Opal didn't know what it was fueled by. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Talpa sat by the fire. Jett and Opal couldn't do anything but gawk. He was huge! Bigger then a giant. So where's Hercules when you need him? thought Opal.

Talpa laughed as the Twin Warriors were brought to him. "So you've finally decided to come and join me?"

Jett made a face. "No, we decided it wasn't worth our time."

"Yeah, I'm more interested in listening to the football coach teach math." Opal shuddered. "And that's saying a lot."

Talpa's eyes grew a light red. "We'll see about that..."