Ever since Leo had left a year and a half ago, everyone noticed the depression Amber was going through. She never left her room, and they practically had to shove food down her throat so she wouldn't starve. The light in her eyes seemed to flicker on only slightly, whenever Mikey unintentionally did something comical or Raph threatened Donnie, which began to happen more often. Donnie often tried to help her with psychology, knowing how worried even Raph seemed to be about her chances of committing suicide. One night, as she tossed and turned in her bed, having another fit, she finally threw off her blankets, exasperated, and was almost tempted to go to Leo's room. 'He's not there, though…'
She sat in a meditative stance on a mat on the floor, her back to her door. When she heard it open, her even shorter temper flared. "Donatello, if that's you with some psychology mumbo jumbo, I'm gonna kick the shell off of you! I'm fine! I'm NOT gonna commit suicide!! GOD!!" "They thought you were gonna commit suicide?" the voice made her head shoot up, and she turned around to see the familiar face, the blue bandanna still around his eyes. "LEO!!!" She was on her feet in a moment, hugging him as tight as she could, crying into his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, saying, "Its okay, Amber…I'm right here…I won't leave again…" "Like we'll believe THAT." He heard Raph snort, and Amber gripped Leo tighter, if that was possible. Leo couldn't help but glare at his temperamental brother, and he led her out of her room. "We're going to go train…you wanna join us?" the others expected her to decline, but she nodded, a smile on her face for the first time in over a year. "Sure. I'll just go get my stuff." She went off to collect them, and Mikey smiled, relieved. "I think our old sister is back…"
"I hope so…it's not the same around here without her trying to keep us in line…" Donnie agreed, and they all fell silent as she came back, wearing a dark red tank top and jean shorts, her large mace strapped to her back as her swords were on either hip. "Let's go, guys. I want to work out a little." Once topside, on top of a large building, Amber couldn't control all her bottled up energy, and began doing some routines with her double-edged swords that she'd been working on.
When she heard what sounded like a roar, she stopped, going to the edge of the building, seeing something going on in a construction sight with the Foot. Mikey, Donnie, and Raph looked at her and Leo, and she could guess that it was their call. They were the oldest, after all, and were the leaders. "I say we go…" she said warily, and got on the edge. "But we're gonna be careful about this, RAPH, and not attack unnecessarily."
She started heading there along a wire, her balance perfect as she practically sprinted across, jumping on a crane. Once they were all there, they saw the Foot fighting what looked like a giant monster, and Amber hesitated. 'I didn't expect THAT…' Mikey seemed to sit back, wanting to enjoy the show, and Amber growled, hitting him over the head.
"Get UP, Mikey! We're going in!" She felt a hand on her shoulder before she could rush in like she always did, and turned her head to see Leo. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" "Of course! You know I'm a fighter!" she smiled. "And I've survived through worse than this…"
She then rushed in after Raph, and the others soon followed. She saw the Foot retreat, but she was a little busy with the mammoth monster before her to really care. She stabbed it in the arm with her swords, though it tried to fling her off. When her swords were ripped out, she back flipped away, putting them away as she pulled out her mace. She hit it over the head, but it swatted her away roughly. She recovered quickly, jumping at it as it broke through the floor, all five of them falling with it. She knew there was no point to cry out in surprise, and merely silenced it as she attacked and blocked, the creature still eager to fight them off.
When they landed on one of the lower floors, Amber flew off, feeling a little dazed, when she saw her brothers covered in rubble, the creature still standing tall. 'Damn it…' She stood up a bit dizzily, but she gripped the mace tightly anyway, and charged at the creature, hitting it solidly on the head, making it back off, it's guard down from the pain. She saw some darts fly into it, and caught one aimed at her own neck, seeing it was a tranquilizer dart. She turned to see the Foot, and lifted her mace up threateningly. 'Stupid Foot and their stupid numbers…' when she saw the leader step forward, Amber couldn't help the growl that escaped her throat, making her look even more menacing.
When she saw what looked like moving statues, she tensed, her eyes growing even harder, like green diamonds. She saw them beat the monster into submission, though she stood her ground. She'd only attack if they went after the others… "Who's this?" one asked, smaller than the others, though not thin or small compared to her.
"None of your business…" she answered coldly, her mace still leaning slightly on her shoulder, ready to strike like a cobra. She saw a stone woman take a step forward, and Amber crashed her mace into the floor, making a crater.
"I wouldn't want to be dust…do you?" Her deadly aura was almost suffocating, even to her, but she refused to acknowledge it. "What do you want it for?" she questioned icily, glancing at the unconscious monster to show her point. "That's none of your business, but it's unwise to leave you alone if you've seen…" "Try and come at me, and I swear, you'll wish you were gone." The malice in her voice was evident, and they almost backed down right then.
The woman charged her, but Amber easily jumped up, hitting the stone woman away with her mace, and swung it in another powerful arc as the large brute of a stone man came charging at her, only to be hit away just as sharply. She took out her double edged swords as the other two charged at her, blocking their attacks before kicking them away.
When police sirens reached her ears, she cursed, and saw them retreat with the Foot. "Until next time then…"
She growled, and they were gone, so she picked up her weapons and went to the others as they climbed out of the rubble. "Come on, slowpokes! The police are on their way!" they immediately got away, and were back in the lair in a moment. When Splinter asked if they were seen, Amber just smiled softly, saying, "You know I wouldn't let that happen, sensei…" He seemed to believe her, but when he turned on the TV, it was on the news…which was on the destruction of the construction sight…
Amber was already in her room, the door locked, before he shouted. She didn't come out, though Splinter was probably ready to break down her door to give the girl a lecture, but she blockaded the door, too. She sat on her bed in a meditative pose, clearing her head.
'I was probably just imagining that they were made of stone…right?' When she heard the door of the lair open, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'Raph had better be safe…masquerading as the Nightwatcher…' she sighed, worry in her eyes as she thought of going after him.
Her decision was made, and she grabbed her mace. Even with this heavy weapon, she was still the quietest and fastest of the six, even Splinter had trouble with tracking her.
When she saw Raph and Casey on a building, talking, she was behind them in a moment, seeing the helmet in Raph's arms. "Hey, 'Nightwatcher'. What's up?" he nearly fell off the building in surprise, as did Casey, though they were able to balance themselves. "Amber! What are you doing here?" "Making sure the 'Nightwatcher' doesn't get his ass kicked too hard to come home later…and 'yes', I know your little secret…the others don't, though…" she smiled slightly at the relief on his face. "You shouldn't be here, sis…it's dangerous…" "I'm older, smarter, stronger, and faster than you…if it's too dangerous for ME to be here, than it's too dangerous for YOU, too."
She smiled mischievously before sitting next to them, saying, "You guys need to relax a little…life isn't all about fighting…" she looked at Raph, continuing. "Don't be so hard on Leo…he left to become stronger…to protect all of us…why are you so mad at him?" "I know WHY he left…but he hurt you! I almost thought you'd never come back!" "I've always been right here, Raph…" she said soothingly, trying to console him.
"It wasn't the same…it's like someone sucked your soul out and left you…and then he comes back, and you're acting like he never hurt you!" she sighed, her eyes softening. "I forgave him because he actually came back…I thought he wouldn't…no matter how hard I kept telling myself he would…but I need to thank you…and Mikey and Don…for staying with me through this little episode…" she smiled softly, a hand on his arm. "And just because I love Leo, doesn't mean I don't have enough room in my heart for everybody else…"
Casey didn't remember having seen one of their heart-to-heart chats, but Raph had often told him how he'd always feel better, lighter, afterwards, like she'd lifted his worries and thoughts off his shoulders, taking it on her own shoulders. When they heard a roar, like a large monster crying out in pain, Amber was immediately on her feet. "Come on!!" she was on the next rooftop before the two started following her, and when she stopped, shocked, they sped up.
Raph heard her whisper, "They really ARE made of stone…" before looking down himself. The strange sight would've made anyone surprised. An unconscious monster and four stone warriors, with the Foot behind them, greeted their eyes, and Amber pulled them back from the edge. "Those guys are big trouble for you two!" she whispered, her eyes serious. "The Foot? Are you serious?" "I meant the stone people, shell for brains!" she whispered hotly back.
That's when she noticed Casey was back at the edge, surprised by something as the monster was dragged off, when a small piece of the edge broke off, alerting the people below. "Move it!" Amber ordered, pushing both across the rooftops, following them until a dart whizzed by, hitting her brother. 'Damn!'
She pushed them into a small closet, closing the door when a familiar voice spoke behind her. "It's the little wolf girl…to what do I have the honor of seeing you again?" she glared hotly, hating that reference. A lot of people, especially Don, had made the connection between wolves and her, but she didn't like it coming from the enemy.
Don had often connected her natural protective of her brothers and other people close to her heart with the natural temperamental, dangerous nature of a she-wolf, and, sometimes, even SHE could see the connection. She pulled out her mace, saying, "Nothing, actually…it's just a coincidence that I dropped by…" she knew that Casey and Raph were listening through the door, and she didn't want to leave Raph alone for too long. He'd get knocked out…if it was really a tranquilizer dart…
She swung the mace at him, though he dodged…barely…She growled slightly, going after him in an attempt to beat him down, when she felt something hard and cold smash into her stomach, sending her flying into the small closet she'd put Raph and Casey in. She coughed up blood, feeling her heart tighten in the all too familiar pain.
She glared at him as he threw his weapon at the door. She knocked it away with her mace, a snapping sound resonating as her wrist, unused to the way she was now holding the mace, seemed to snap slightly. She gritted her teeth in pain, nearly crying out, but she held it down. "Don't you dare hurt them…" she was able to say, threateningly, fighting through the searing pain. "Pretty selfless for a warrior…you should be worrying about yourself…" her glare became more deadly as she sat up.
"I don't care if I die…I'm not letting them get hurt…" she thought she heard someone try to open the door, but it didn't budge. 'Raph…Gomen…' but she was rather glad that police helicopter came at that moment, and he left, not wanting to be spotted. She unlocked the door before standing up, putting her mace on her back before cradling her left wrist.
Raph stumbled out, slightly drowsy from the dart, though she saw the worry in his eyes when he saw her wrist, which was already beginning to swell. "It's probably just dislocated…I'm fine…" she said, trying to soothe him. He seemed to relax slightly, before he was knocked out. "Raph!" Casey lifted him up, and they went to April's apartment, laying him down as April checked out Amber's wrist, confirming it was dislocated, and snapped it, painfully, back into place.
"Try not to use it too much until the pain goes away…or it'll hurt even more…" the girl nodded as the others came, and Casey helped Amber explain what they'd seen. April remembered the legend for the statues they'd gotten for this 'Mr. Winters', and said how a warrior king had become immortal by letting thirteen monsters out of a gate, and it turned his four generals to stone. Amber sighed, leaning back as Raph and Leo started fighting verbally. 'This is gonna be a LONG night…'