“There is no way I’m going with them!� She yelled at her father “Let them fight their own battles! It’s Japan’s problem, isn’t it?� She said, red faced in anger. “How can you sit there, act like you’re a caring father, and ask me to give up everything I know and head off with complete strangers? Well? Answer me!�

“But…� Kento said, trying to get her to see what had to be done

“No! I don’t want to be a stupid Ronin Warrior just because you were thirty years ago! Can’t you find someone else to do the job?�

Kento looked at her “I explained to you why you’re the only one that can take up the HardRock armor�

“Then they’re screwed, because there is no way in hell I am following them out that door!� She said, flinging open the lounge door and stomping up to her room. Getting her final word in as she slammed the door shut.

A second later Kento came from the room, looking dejected. “That went well,� He said as he sat down on the couch in frustration.

“It could have gone better� Dais admitted

“Let me talk to her,� Natayla said after a full minute of silence, “I’m usually pretty good at getting people to se sense.�

“Good luck,� Sukaru said.

Natayla headed up the stairs and tentatively knocked on Kyle’s door. A muffled “Go away� came from behind the door, but she opened it anyway.

Kyle looked up, her face blotched with tears. When she saw Natayla her face fell “Oh, it’s you� she said simply.
“I’m Natayla. Look, I know what your dad said was…shocking�

Kyle snorted, “That’s putting it lightly�

Natayla smiled, “Yeah, it is. But we’ve all had to hear that our fathers weren’t who we thought they were. It was like when Uncle Sage told me blue hair was weird all over again�

Kyle laughed. Actually laughed. “I thought that was dye…But these attacks are still your countries problem� She said.

Natayla looked at her. This girl really was stubborn. “Yeah it is. For now. How long do you really think it will stay that way? No, they don’t just want Japan, Kyle. That’s just their starting point. They want the world, and once their done with us, China is just a stone throw away.�

That got Kyle’s attention.

“Plus, your like the final piece to a puzzle that needs to be completed. We can’t do this without you, ya know. Itashi especially is placing every last hope on you right now.

“Why?� Kyle asked, remembering his desperate and hopeful look once they had found her.

“His dad was kidnapped by the very people we’re trying to defeat. Because he used to be a Ronin warrior. He worked alongside your dad and they wanted his armor, so they kidnapped him. I’m pretty sure he was the only one they located, as he was famous.�

Kyle looked down, ashamed “I didn’t know. I guess I really am being selfish, refusing to take up this duty and leaving you all hanging.�

“Yes it is, so do the thing you know is right�

Kyle smirked “You really are good at guilt tripping people, you know that?�

Natayla laughed, “So I’ve been told. But if you agree, we need to leave soon�

Kyle nodded, “Just let me pack my clothes�

In half an hour they were downstairs, and the relief on everyone’s faces was evident.

“Can I at least say goodbye?� Kyle asked.

“Of course you can� Dais said. Kyle ran and hugged her father.

“Bye dad, I’ll miss you,� She said.

“Make me proud, Kyle� Kento said.

After Kyle called her sisters they all headed down to the airport, ,and soon they were on a plane home. They had left very early in the day, so they were back by 9:00.

“Where am I going to stay?� Kyle asked, holding her two suitcases.

“We should all stay together, in the same place� Sukaru said, “It’ll be tons easier when we have to plan, train, or actually fight.�

“My dad would never agree� Shouka said, “I drive him batty as it is�

“My mom could never handle that many kids alone,� Itashi admitted.

“The dojo is big enough for all of us…and we could easily get some training in� Sukaru said, thinking. Until Dais mentioned that the warlord would need lodging with them as well.

“Fine!� Natayla shouted, “We can all stay at my house, but I will not play nanny to all nine of you. You will have to clean up after yourselves and if need be cook your own food�

There was a general murmur of consent, and Sukaru asked “How many rooms do you have?�

Natayla thought for a moment. “Including the basement, attic, and all bedrooms, six.� She said “Dais and Kayura in the attic, since they are married. The other three warlords can have the basement. Itashi and Shouka, you can share a room. And of course I’ll be sleeping in my room. Sukaru already has her own room, so she’ll be staying their, and Kyle can stay in the guest room.�

“That sounds alright, but I will have to call my dad� Shouka said, and Itashi and Sukaru agreed that they had to do the same.

That night they all had a scrumptious dinner cooked by Natayla, and they all got to know better the people they would be fighting side by side with in the fight against the netherworld.

And, Unfortunately, Anubis decided to live up to his name as the old ex-warlord of cruelty, so none of them knew how to get off their subarmor.
__________________________________________________ ____________________________

END OF CHAPTER 4
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Disclaimer – Again, I don’t own Ronin Warriors.

Chapter 5 – Strike 2

When Sukaru woke up the next morning with her back feeling as stiff as a board, she recognized that she was in “her room� at Natayla’s new house. She grumbled as she realized she had been wearing sub armor for three days. Thank god they kept you clean, or she would have some serious complaints to take up with the ex-warlords.

She looked at the light-up face clock in her room and saw that it was 2:00 in the morning. She knew that she usually only needed about four hours of sleep, so she got out of bed and began her day.

After leaving her room she saw a groggy Natayla heading into her room to go to sleep for the night. Deciding, for once, to take pity on her sleep-deprived friend, she let her go.

“Night!� She said cheerfully, not able to help herself, and earning a glare from Natayla in return.

At a loss for what to do next, Sukaru decided to see if anything needed to be done around the house. With five teens, five ex-warlords, and sage helping they had managed to set up the house and get it clean rather quickly, so there wasn’t that much to do. After running to the grocery store and making herself a small breakfast, she decided that she was once and for all going to solve the issue of how to get off their sub armors.

An hour later she had come up with around 50 ideas, each as ridiculous as the next. But hey, you never know what might work.

At that time it was around 4:00, so she decided that it was time to wake up the others.

Shouka and Itashi were fairly easy to wake up, but they were still tired enough to throw Sukaru out of the room.

“Come on guys! Wake up!� She said about a minute later

“Go away, Sukaru! School isn’t until 8:00!� Shouka said from under his pillow.

“Fine, you can explain to the school why you look like you suddenly gained 20 lbs over the course of one weekend! We need to figure out how to get this sub armor off and now!� She said, finally having managed to pick the lock on the door.

Itashi sat up and yawned, “After we find it out, I claim the shower.�

Sukaru looked at him oddly, “The sub armor keeps you perfectly clean. You don’t need to shower when you are wearing it.�

Itashi said, “Even so, you just don’t fell clean.�

Rolling her eyes, Sukaru said, “Fine, but first the two of you have to get out of bed! Be downstairs in five minutes.�

With that, she left them and headed over to her next victim, Kyle. Being Natayla’s adopted sister, she knew to save waking her up for last.

“Kyle, time to wake up! Rise and shine!� Sukaru said with cheeriest voice she could muster.

“Go away.�

“Wake up.�

“No, now go away.�

“No.�

“Demon spawn…�

“You asked for it.�

“WHAT THE HELL SUKARU! THAT WAS COLD!�

“Well it was ice water.�

“Fine I’m up!�

“Good.�

“Go to hell.�

“I’ll save you a seat.�

“At least I’ll be dry…�

Sukaru left the room, leaving Kyle to mumble something incoherent about blonde people and pitchforks. Next stop – Natayla’s room. Natayla, knowing full well Sukaru’s persistence, had two padlocks on her door, as well as a bolt lock from the inside and a combo lock, along with the normal key lock. Sukaru, after a few minutes, figured out the combination to the lock and picked the rest.

Natayla was still sleeping soundly, tangled up in a mound of sheets. Sukaru knew that normal methods of waking people up wouldn’t do any good, so she headed over to the bathroom sink and filled up the same bucket she used on Kyle.

After it was filled, she didn’t waste any time and immediately dumped it over Natayla’s head.

“Sukaru…,� Natayla said in a deceivingly calm voice, like the clam before the storm. “It is 4:00 in the morning on a Monday. I don’t have to be up until 7:00. WHY THE HECK DID YOU WAKE ME UP?�

“Because, oh sister of mine, otherwise we would have to explain to our teachers why we all suddenly gained 20 Lbs, or at least look like we do, over the course of a weekend.�

Natayla, giving her one final glare of death, said, “Fine, I’m up, now let’s figure our how to get this dang sub armor off, since Dais and Anubis won’t tell up and my back fells like I slept on concrete.�

They went down and saw the others waiting in the living room, each seated in front of a plate of scrambled eggs Sukaru made, and a cup of coffee.

“Any ideas?� Itashi asked

“I came up with a list,� Sukaru said, pulling the list from a table drawer nearby.

“Okay,� Shouka said, taking the list from her, “First on the…yell at the armor?� He said, looking at Sukaru as if she were insane, “Yell at it? Just how high were you when you wrote this list?�

“Shut up.�

“Guys, let’s just try it� Kyle said, “I Don’t know about you but I want this armor off and I’m not about to write anything off just yet.�

“Fine. DAMN YOU WILDFIRE ARMOR, GET OFF!� He shouted, tugging at the neckline of the armor. “Well that went well,� he said sarcastically.

An hour later, they still hadn’t still hadn’t come up with anything that worked.

“Okay, so we’re completely out of ideas� Sukaru said, “I didn’t think that would be possible�

“How much hope did you really have for standing on your head?� Kyle said, getting impatient with the lack of success. “Why don’t we just wish it away?� she said sarcastically.

Natayla, however, concentrated and thought to herself ‘Strata, I wish you to return to the orb in which I found you.’ A series of happy yells told her that what she had tried succeeded. Luckily she had been wearing her pajamas, because when the Sub armor came off the other clothes didn’t come back.

Sukaru said “I suggest that the rest of us return to our rooms and take the sub-armor off, to avoid further embarrassment� She joked

They all followed suit and five minutes later all the teens were out of their rooms and in their pajamas.

“I feel like I need to see a cyrpractor after this� Kyle complained, rubbing her knotted shoulders.

“Yeah, I’ve got knots all over� Shouka agreed, “I’m going back to bed�

“I’m taking a shower� Itashi said.

Natayla looked at him oddly, “But the armor keeps you perfectly clean.�

Sukaru laughed “I said the same thing, but apparently his subconscious doesn’t feel like he’s clean�

Itashi laughed “Whatever. I just hope you have a good water heating system�

Kyle went up to bed, and Natayla and Shouka followed her lead. They all had had their sleep disturbed and were eager to get back to the comfort of their beds.

Sukaru, who normally was up around this time, went to wake up the warlords so that they could all get to their jobs on time.

Yesterday, when they had gotten home, all the warlord decided that in order to support the amount of food and supplies that they would need, they would all get jobs. Anubis was working at a bank as a teller, having the talent of being a natural moneymaker he could talk anyone into buying service at the bank. Sekhmet was working in the zoo, near the reptile exhibit. Dais had to put an illusion on him to change his appearance, but it was fine by him. Cale was working in one of the more famous museums as a guide, as he knew the history better then some famous historians, having lived through some of it. Dais had found a job as a stagehand to some theatre, able to make the illusions with absolutely no effort at all. The other people there had just though he was very efficient in creating props.

Having 10 people getting ready for the day in the same house was quite hectic. Somehow they had managed to all be ready by 7:00, though with Itashi taking an hour in the shower, and Natayla waking up finally at 6:50, no one really knew how.

Akira's Castle

While the Young Ronins and the Ex-warlord were getting ready to head off to school or work for the day, Akira and her warlords were also making plans for the day ahead of them, and the tasks they had been assigned – For today was going to be a very special day indeed.

When Akira had heard about how the Ronins had passed down their armor to their children, to say she had not royally pissed off would have been an understatement. Then, after a few hours of though and mediation, she came to realize that this could actually work to their favor.

She knew that the new Ronins would need time to know how to use most of their powers. Time she wouldn’t give them. Plus, as she also knew, their circle was still broken. They didn’t know how to work as a team, or to trust each other implicitly yet. Now was the most opportune time to strike a crushing blow.

“Jade, Orland, you know what you must do. Don’t fail me. Now go!� She said.

Two replies of “Yes, ma’am� were heard, and they both left.

After the two had teleported out of sight she said as her eyes darted around the room, “As for he rest of you, go prepare the accommodations for our…guest.�

Her evil laugh resounded throughout the throne room after the other five had left.

“Ronins, you think this is a game still? Well, let’s teach you just how dangerous a game like war can be�

The Ronin warriors all piled into Natayla’s Navy blue SUV. They had somehow convinced Sukaru to let her drive to school, even though she hated technology in any form. It took Natayla reminding her that she would be late and get a detention if she ran to get her to agree. Even still, she claimed adamantly that she would be walking on the way home.

The car ride there was fairly quick and uneventful, unless you count Sukaru’s chants of “Technology makes people lazy,� and Shouka calling her a pansy who was afraid of cars. They had arrived at Hana High School about three minutes before class had started, due to some insane driving on Natayla’s part.

Since it was the first official day of school for Kyle, she still had to choose all of the classes she wanted to take. The classes Sukaru and Natayla were enrolled in were too advanced for her, so she opted to have the same schedule as Shouka. The five found that they actually shared a lot of classes. They all had the same Phys ed, Japanese, English, and chemistry classes, as well as lunch. Natayla and Sukaru were in AP Math and history, as well as physics. Natayla had a computer class in her schedule, while Sukaru and Shouka opted for a stud hall. Kyle took a chorus class (after admitting she was quite a talented singer) and Itashi took a engineering class.

They all went off to first period chemistry together, which was taught by Mr. Yanoko, a very talented teacher who loved to give practical examples of how chemistry could be applied to everyday life. After that class, they all went their separate ways.

At lunchtime Sukaru and Natayla managed to save a table for the five of them. When Itashi, Shouka, and Kyle came from their history class to lunch, Sukaru and Natayla waved them over.

“Hey, how were classes?� Shouka asked, setting down his tray and backpack.

“They were okay. Hey Kyle, did you enjoy you first day at Hana High?� Sukaru asked.

Kyle shrugged “Not relay, people here aren’t really that nice� She said sadly “They can’t get past the fact that I’m Chinese. I can’t help my heritage.�

Natayla laughed amiably “Believe me, they would look at me that way too if they knew that my hair wasn’t dyed this color�

Kyle seemed to cheer up slightly at this, and the conversation soon turned to other topics.

“What do you think Anubis has in store for us today?� Shouka said.

“Probably the usual – meditation, laps, then focusing on using our armor’s abilities� Kyle said

Natayla sighed “I wish I could get controlling wind currents down, then I could use that ability to fly. That would be so cool!� She finished happily.

“Yeah, I’m having a major block with bending light rays� Sukaru sighed “Dais loves telling me about how I’ll never equal him in creating illusions�

Itashi laughed “Two days ago, if I had heard this conversation, I would have said hat the ones having it were either crazy or had a vivid imagination�

Natayla laughed “Too true�

“Hey! Itashi! Shouka!� A male voice called from a couple of tables over. The five ronins turned and saw a black-haired teenager walking toward them, or rather toward Shouka and Itashi.

“This is our Friend Ringu� Itashi said as Ringu reached their table.

“Hey, why aren’t you guys sitting with us? We though you had skipped� He asked, then he caught sight of the rest of the table – Natayla, Sukaru, and Kyle. “Man, I figured you guys would ditch us to go hang out with a couple of cute girls one day, but not so soon� he joked

“Don’t be like that, Ringu, and let me introduce you� Shouka said, “Ringu, this is Sukaru Date, her father runs the dojo across town. Natayla Hashiba, who is her adopted sister, though she kept her regional last name. This is Kyle Rei Faun, the new girl who just transferred here from China.�

“Nice to meet you� He said, shaking their hands, “But I’m still convinced that Shouka and Itashi aren’t going to come back to our humble group. The tragedy!� He said dramatically, earning laughs from the rest of the table.

Sukaru smiled “Don’t worry, you can keep them.�

Shouka made a face “Hey! What are we, chairs?�

“Yep, though you could do to loose some of the cushioning�

The rest laughed.

“But if we get rid of him , who would we tease?� Itashi joked, and this time Shouka laughed along with the rest.

Just then the five minute bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. They all packed up their stuff for class and headed off to Japanese, where they had just moved onto haikus.

Two and a half hours later, when the final bell rang, all of the ronins headed out of English, much to the delight of Kyle and Itashi.

“I just don’t get all the irregular verb tenses in the present� Kyle complained “It’s so different! Why can’t they just say “goed� instead of “went�, it would be so much easier�

“But your already bilingual, why is English so different?� Sukaru asked.

“Maybe it’s the sentence formation� She admitted “It’s so different from ours�

Natayla nodded “I’d take Chemistry over English any day of the week�

Itashi sighed “Chemistry is my worst subject, especially the lab portion�

Natayla though, then said “Ya know, there is a science library, complete with a chem. Lab for experimentation, a block from my house. I understand chemistry better than most of the students, and go there quite often. Maybe I could tutor you�

“Would you really?� Itashi said, looking much happier, “Thanks, I would really appreciate it!�

Natayla blushed slightly “Don’t think anything of it. like I said, it’s no trouble�

Sukaru, who had been walking behind them, had heard the whole conversation. The somewhat maniacal smirk that appeared on her face was not good news for anyone involved. A plan was forming in her head to get Itashi and Natayla to start going out. She was silent for a while, trying to come up with the details of her plan.

Shouka was giving her an odd look and asked “Sukaru, are you okay?�

Sukaru gave him a overly sweet smile “I’m perfect, why wouldn’t I be?� and after that, she went ahead of him by a few steps.

Shouka shudder. That girl really could be scary when she wanted to be. His theory was further proven by the small bout of laughter that she gave a few seconds later. It was official. He felt sorry for anyone that managed to piss her off.

When they all reached Natayla’s car, Sukaru waved them goodbye. She headed down an alternate route to the house that took her past Kiogawa park, where she could think more on her brilliant idea.

Once she got to the park, she say down in a quiet alcove of trees that was near the koi pond. She sat there a while, and didn’t notice when a little blonde-haired girl had come and sat down next to her.

Sukaru let her thoughts wander still. She put a hand in the pocket of her jacket and felt the cool, clam presence of her armor orb, which she knew was glowing at the moment with the symbol of wisdom in it’s center. She then placed her other hand in her left pocket, and smirked as she felt the warmth of another armor orb. One that would normally have been glowing with the symbol for virtue.

‘serves him right, calling me a pansy. Besides, I like fire too’ She though to herself. She then noticed the little girl who had been quietly sitting next to her.

“Are you lost?� She asked.

The girl, who could not have been older than five, replied “I can’t find my daddy�

Sukaru sighed ‘minds well do the right thing’ she thought, getting up from where she was sitting. “I’ll help you find him. What does he look like?� She asked, hoping that the girl could remember enough to be helpful.

“He’s really tall, and had blonde hair like me!� She said happily, “but he’s got green steaks in his hair. It’s a bit longer than yours. He’s wearing the blue shirt mommy got for him on his birthday, and jeans.� She finished, evidently proud that she could remember so much.

“And what’s his name?� She asked.

“His name is Orland. And mine’s Jade�

“Okay, he shouldn’t be too hard to find. Blonde hair is easy to spot� Sukaru said “Let’s go look near the park.� With that, she picked up her bags and started to walk. The little girl followed her, holding onto a doll.

Around ten minutes later Sukaru spotted the girl’s father. He was about 6’1 and did indeed, have blonde hair with green streaks in it. He looked to be about 30, and was franticly talking to a woman at park security. When he turned toward them, Sukaru saw that he had the most startling green eyes.

When looked their way, he spotted his daughter. Sukaru could see the relief come to his face, and he almost ran to them.

His daughter beat him too it, though. “Daddy!� she shouted as he scooped her up in his arms.

“Jade! Don’t ever scare me like that again!� He said, putting her down on the ground. He then turned his attention over to Sukaru. “How can I ever thank you enough? If it weren’t for your kindness she could have been kidnapped, or lost for another several hours�

Sukaru smiled “It’s no problem. I’m just glad that you found her�

The man shook his head “At least let me pay you for your good deed� He said as he got out his wallet.

Sukaru sighed and said “I was serious when I said that It was no problem. It’s just selfish to expect a monetary reward, and I’m not selfish.�

The man nodded “You parents raised you with good principles� He said, then offered his hand.

As she took it, he muttered “But your far too trusting for you own good�

And before she knew what happened, her world went black.

__________________________________________________ ____________________________

END OF CHAPTER 5
__________________________________________________ ____________________________

Disclaimer – I do not own Ronin Warriors. I do, however own Natayla, Sukaru, Itashi, Shouka, Kyle, and Rose.

Chapter 6 – Strike 2

When Sukaru had been heading off to the park, the others were in Natayla’s car riding home. Natayla hummed to a song on the radio while Itashi and Shouka sat in the back seat, disputing over one thing or another.

What the four Ronins didn’t know was that Akira had been watching them ever since they had gotten out of school, and knew that they would have to pass this street to get back to the main part of Tokyo, which she knew they lived near.

She smirked to herself and said “good, my plan is in action� and then, without flinching, stepped into the middle of the street.

Natayla let out a sudden yell, she slammed on the breaks and swerved the car to the right, out of the way of the person now standing in the middle of the street.

“God, Natayla,� Kyle said, “What are you trying to do, get us killed or something?� She rubbed her forehead, which had a noticeable bruise. “You could have at least warned us.�

Natayla, on her part, didn’t move at all. She just stared out the window at the figure in front of them, who was now moving toward the car. No one else seemed to pay much attention to her.

“Natayla, she’ll be fine, we didn’t hit her� Itashi said, trying to comfort her.

“We won’t be� Natayla said “She’s wearing armor�

Shouka looked at the figure and asked “I don’t think we’ve seen she before, who the heck is she?�

“Don’t know…� Kyle said, “I’ve never seen…wait, I think I saw her in china they day you guys found me!� She shuddered “I remember because she has the creepiest eyes, their completely red�

By this time, Akira had gotten to the car “Hello, nice to finally meet you ronins, can I call you that?� She said with mock sweetness “Come, on I don’t have all day�

Natayla glared at her and said “We don’t go by your schedule, dynast slut. But I agree that we can get out of the car. Much better to kick your ass back to whatever hole it came from� She said as they all quickly got out.

“Such strong words, so little action� Akira said, then looked at her nails “I’m waiting.�

“ARMOR OF TORRENT, DAO SHIN!�

“ARMOR OF STRATA, DAO INOCHI!�

“ARMOR OF TORRENT, DAO GI!�

All of them, except for the noticeable exception of Shouka, were soon in full armor. He inconspicuously tried searching around his pockets, but found nothing. Realizing that the dynasty had never seen him as a Ronin, he decided to play it to his advantage and looked bewildered.

Akira, not knowing who the bearer of wildfire was, looked at him and said “Pity, so defenseless. Hope you friends can protect you. Though I don’ t think they can�

“Care to back up that statement?� Kyle said, getting into full battle stance.

“Sure� Akira said, raising her right hand over her head and beginning to chant a phrase n ancient Chinese. Only Kyle seemed to know what was going on, but was too late to warn them. Soon all of the teens were in what seemed to be a cage of black lightening.

“Just try and escape my prism of black energy. It feeds off the power of those who are inside it, so the more powerful the person, the more powerful the cage. Oh one other thing, I wouldn’t try and mince words if I were you. This cage, once I give it the signal, will drain energy�

Natayla glared at her “What do you want, I highly doubt you came here to trap us just so we could look at you ugly mug�

“Why, you asked� Akira smiled “The same reason why I didn’t just attack you outright. I came here to recruit you�

Itashi rolled his eyes “yeah right, by ‘recruit’ do you mean ‘enslave and turn evil’? because that’s sure what it sounds like�

Akira walked up to the cage and looked them in the eye. Kyle had been right, her eyes were the scariest part, and what made them sure that she couldn’t be human. “Of course not, little ronins. I thought you might need some convincing, though. I am giving you the chance to be one of my generals, and that comes with perks. I’m no fool like Talpa, and I recognize that my resources could be better spent no trying to destroy you. Don’t get me wrong, Your no jewels, just an inconvenience I can turn to my advantage� She smirked evilly “Take your time and make your decision. When you get home you’ll find Halo has already made his. Just call through the armors if you change your mind, I’ll come.

She released them, startled, from her prism. They all got into the car as fast as they could and without another word.

She grinned “One by one, you will cave. I’m no fool…you could all be powerful allies.� And with that, she teleported away.

Akira’s Castle

Sukaru woke up in what she though was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in. Only after a few seconds did she realize that she had been literally kidnapped from the park by that weird blonde guy and his daughter. She jumped out of bed and examined her surroundings. She was in a room lied with a light beige wallpaper, and had a rich green rug that felt made out of some plush material. On the wall to her right was her entire crystal collection, plus a few new rare additions that she had been looking for. A search through the large mahogany dresser revealed that all her clothes were there as well, plus a few new shirts and pants. A small shelf above the bed contained some books for reading, and on the tall wardrobe was an empty birdcage.

“Athene!� She said, letting the snowy owl out of it’s cage. Her next door neighbor when she was little had been working for the wildlife preserve as a bird rehabilitator. The Owl had been deemed unfit to go back into the wild, and so Her neighbor had been allowed to keep it. Since Athene only seemed to respond to Sukaru, their neighbor had given it to her as an early birthday present.

Giving Athene a treat and letting her sit on her shoulder, Sukaru decided to head out of the room and see what was outside.

When she opened the door she entered a large circular room that was decorated with an off-white paint and had a beautiful wood floor. Their were several chairs and one couch, enough for six people to sit comfortably. It also had a grandfather clock, as well as Sukaru’s favorite chase lounge next to a reading lamp, and a large bookcase. eight doors besides Sukaru’s were attached to the room. Five of them were locked, and the other three turned out to be a Kitchen, an extravagant bathroom, and a computer room. The computer room also had one locked door. While searching through the room, she discovered that all of her stuff from Both the Dojo and Natayla’s hose was there, except for her flute. It was a small wooden flute that her father had had growing up, and he had passed it on to her.

The only thing Sukaru really hated about the room was the ninth entrance, which lead out into a hallway. It had bars blocking it, so she knew she was being kept prisoner somewhere.

Only one question was left in Sukaru’s mind – why was the dynasty giving her such nice accommodations?

“Hey, Halo!� A voice shouted from the hallway. She turned and saw the man who had kidnapped her, along with a tall black-haired woman. “I believe you’ve met Jade� He said, gesturing to the woman beside him “Here’s your food for the kitchen. Akira wants you treated good for some insane reason� He said, making a box of kitchen food appear in front of her inside the room, eliminating the risk of opening the bars.

“How do I know it’s not poisoned?� Sukaru snipped back

Jade sneered “Believe me, we would, but she wants you alive. Take that as your only assurance�

Sukaru felt her stomach drop. That meant she would be here for a while.

Akira’s Throneroom

Akira sat on her throne, looking over a set of plans for releasing the dynasty soldiers into mainland Asia, when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in� she shouted, and Orland and jade walked in soon after, bowing once they reached the right spot.

“What news do you have for me?� Akira asked.

“We have given Halo his provisions. He is awake.�

“Excellent, does it look like the dynasty soldiers got everything form the house?�

“Everything halo thinks of as his had been marked and taken.�

“Good, good� Akira said, “The others will find out soon enough. For now, good work�

“Yes, ma’am� they both said as they left.

Tokyo, Japan

When the ronins drove away from where they had meet Akira, they all were shell-shocked. Natayla had asked Shouka to drive, as she was too shaken.

“She can’t have, Sukaru wouldn’t abandon us like that� Natayla said as they headed home.

Itashi, who was sitting next to her, put a hand on her shoulder and said “She probably made it all up. We all know how Sukaru feels about the dynasty. She probably wanted us to agree right there before we knew the facts. Come on, Sukaru’s probably home right now sipping herbal tea or playing her flute.

Natayla nodded, and they continued on the way home.

When they pulled into Natayla’s driveway, nobody really knew what to expect. They all got out of the car and Natayla nervously opened the door to their home. Nothing really seemed out of place. She though she had heard a faint ‘pop’ from upstairs, but that was it.

“Where is the chase lounge?� Itashi asked, pointing out that Sukaru’s favorite piece of furniture was now gone, as well as the lamp next to it.

“It looks like some of the books on the bookshelf are missing too,� Kyle pointed out “though I may be wrong�

“No, your right� Natayla said sadly “All of Sukaru’s favorites are gone�

“Let’s check her room and see if anything is missing from there� Shouka said, mirroring Natayla’s sadness, though he didn’t know why. He had only knows her for about two weeks, but here he was as sad as Natayla, who’s known her for a lifetime. He just couldn’t believe she would turn on them all, ,and a large pert of his mind doubted that it was true. There had to be another explanation. Then he remembered the way she had been grinning before they had left school. How long, if at all, had she been planning this?

They all walked upstairs to Sukaru’s room. Natayla held out a hand to open the door

“I can’t do it� she said after a minute. “Someone else open the door� she looked about to cry, and ran back to where the others were standing. Itashi, for some reason, went over to comfort her and put an arm around her shoulder.

Kyle opened the door, and let out a gasp. The room had been stripped bare. Her crystal collection, the swords from the dojo, and even her clock were gone. A quick search revealed that all her clothes were gone too. The only thing not taken was the bed and the dresser.

“I can’t believe it,� Kyle said, “Akira was right, Sukaru caved.�

“I can’t believe YOU� Natayla shouted, “Taking things at face value. Sukaru would never switch and I know it! there had to be another explanation.�

She was met with silence from the other three. She ran down the stairs and nearly bowled over Kayura.

“What’s wrong?� Kayura asked as the other three came down the stairs, having seen the state Natayla was in.

“All Sukaru’s stuff is gone. So is Sukaru� Shouka said. “We had a run in with Akira, and she insinuated that Sukaru had switched sides. Now we think it might be true.�

Kayura looked worried “I don’t think that’s true, but I can’t prove otherwise. You guys could support her a little more. She might be out back. Just remember. Her best friend is missing.�

“I’ll go� Itashi said “I think that I can do the best job� he left and a few seconds later they heard the door close.

Itashi went and saw Natayla sitting near a swing set that was in their back yard. Not swinging, just sitting there. “Hey,� He said as he came up to her, “How are you holding up?�

Natayla looked up, and he could see she was holding in tears. “How do you think? Sukaru’s gone and you all think she’s evil now.�

“We don’t think that. It’s just one of many possibilities, we just jumped to a conclusion.� He said, trying to not mention what that conclusion was. He’d never had any sisters, so he wasn’t sure what would upset her. He put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner “it’ll be okay.�

Natayla nodded and said, “I just hope…� She couldn’t finish the sentence, and Itashi gave her a hug. He decided that saying anything at this point would only make her more upset, and let her simply cry into his shoulder.

After sitting like that for a while, Natayla seemed to have cried herself out. She pulled away and said weakly “Sorry I got your shirt wet�

Itashi just smiled “It’s ok. Do you feel up to going inside and getting something to eat?�

Natayla nodded “I’ll cook something. It’ll keep my mind off of everything.� And with that they both headed inside.

Soon after the kitchen was filled with the good smells of cooking food, and The other three ronins were in the kitchen too, keeping her company. Dinner was silent, since nobody really knew what to say. The only real conversation was when Kayura told all of the other warlords about the situation. They all agreed that Sukaru, whether willingly or not, was in the netherworld.

None of them slept well that night, but luckily school had started back up on a Friday, so they had a weekend to get Sukaru back.

The Next morning Natayla got up early to wake the warlords up. It wasn’t like her, but she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping anyway, and it needed to be done. At around 4:00 she woke them all up, and decided to wake Itashi up as well so that the warm water would come back for the rest of them.

“Itashi� She said, opening the door to his room after knocking twice. She turned on the lights to wake him up. When she turned around she nearly fell.

The room was completely empty.

“ITASHI!�

The story isn't completely done yet. I still have many chapters to go. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it and i'll get many good reviews and comments on my writing style.