Ryo had made it back to the others and had told them what he had seen.

"That crow was flying fast and hard. It was also heading toward the Shadow lands." Ryo said enthusiastically. "If we go there I just know that we'll find Sakura."

The others quickly prepared themselves and charged out the door heading for the Shadow lands. Ryo in the lead. 'I'm coming Sakura!' he thought as they sped through the forest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aria walked around her now obedient servant. Sakura stared ahead as Aria chortled with pleasure.

"Will she really fight against Ryo?" Alanna asked stunned. "I mean she is in love with him."

"She has no memory of him. When I took possession of her, I banished her memories of him far back into her mind where she can never reach them and replaced them with unwavering loyalty to me." Aria said smugly. "I also gave her magic a boost. She is stronger than she was before and has quite a few new abilities.

Flying in through the window Faust alerted Aria that Ryo and the others were on their way here.

"He always was a persistent little thing." She said annoyed. "But, he shall just meet his end ahead of time, although I must do something about those friends of his." Aria said heading over to the box filled with the crystals.

"Why?" Alanna asked confused.
Aria held up all but one of the remaining empty crystals. "I want Ryo to fight her alone." She said as she glowed with a green light and disappeared.

Aria reappeared in front of where Ryo and the others were. They halted; Ryo's face a mixture of surprise and shock.

"Ar…Ar… Aria?" he stuttered.

Aria smiled evilly, "Surprised to see me Honey? You're going to me even more surprised when you see what I have in store for you, Ryo!" Raising her hand she sucked all the other Ronins souls into the crystals that she had with her. Ryo watched as his friends slumped to the ground, lifeless. Aria laughed evilly as she showed him the crystal containing the smaller forms of his friends struggling to get out.

"What do you want Aria!" Ryo demanded.

"Revenge." She said simply. "I want you to suffer as I did. If you want to save your friends you must come and face me at the Ghost Town." Aria chortled as she vanished leaving a stunned and angry Ryo. 'Now what am I supposed to do? As if it wasn't bad enough that my girlfriend was kidnapped, now my friend's souls are trapped in crystals, by my lunatic ex. As if things can't get worse.' Ryo thought aggravated. Making a quick decision he decided to save his friends first. That way if she needed any help with Sakura they'd be there to back him up, besides how tough could Aria be? IT was Aria, for crying out loud, she never did any kind of physical labor. It never occurred to Ryo that Aria might have gotten someone to fight in her stead. Ryo knew exactly where to go as he headed to the Ghost Town. White Blaze had stayed behind to guard the bodies of his friends.

Aria reappeared with the now filled crystals and allowed them to see the under her control Sakura.

"Now, my faithful servant, it is time for you to prove yourself to me." She said.

Sakura turned and looked at her and nodded, "I will do anything you ask my queen."

"Good, go the Ghost Town and kill Ryo of the Wildfire." Aria commanded.

Sakura bowed low, "It shall be done." Sakura said. Using one of the new abilities she had received from Aria she vanished and reappeared down in the cell she was originally held in. Freeing Talon and Kero she took them with her. Just in case she needed them for back up.  She then appeared at the Ghost Town reacquainting herself with the familiar place. It was dark and desolate. Building everywhere in bad shape needing much repair. No one had lived there for years and people had made up the stories that it was haunted. Sakura had never believed those stories so she felt no fear as she perched herself atop a crumbled building waiting for Ryo to appear.