The Odd Man Out: Part 3
Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles, or Ranma 1/2. In case you're wondering, you'll see Ranma and the gang in part 4 probably. This is a crossover, but I'm most likely just going to have the Tendos and Saotomes in it. Just to make it simpler. As I said before, Ariel, Victoria and Francis are my own characters. By the way, sorry it took so long for me to finish this part. I just recently started a new job and adjusting to my new work hours. Getting up at 3:30 a.m. really sucks!!! I'll try to do better from now on.
Comments: Please. Also, if you read, please review. I'd really like to know what you think.
Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangello, and the others all sat around the kitchen table of the turtles' home, staring at the bloodied sai that Mike and Casey had found.
"Well, I think this confirms our suspicions about Dragon Lord being up to something." Don said, finally breaking the uneasy silence that had seemed to engulf the room.
"How do we know Dragon Lord was the one that did this? I mean couldn't it have been Silver or Bonesteel instead?" Torrie asked.
"What do you mean 'how do we know'? After that article April showed us about that demon sighting in China I think its pretty obvious who done this to Raph." Leonardo almost yelled. It wasn't often he got this upset, especially towards one of the girls, but this time he just lost it.
He knew that he and Raph had had their differences in the past but that never stopped him from wanting to go off when somebody tried to really hurt him. Or any of his family and friends for that matter.
"Leonardo, its OK. I'm sure Raphael is just fine. I mean, how do we even if its his blood?"
"That's easy Venus, look at all the blood. Raph would never try to seriously injury someone in battle. Not if there wasn't any other way. You guys all know that. I swear if anything happened to him then it'll be all my fault. I shouldn't have gone off on him like I did." Leonardo said, trying to vent his anger and fear.
"Leonardo, you must not blame yourself. None of us could have known this would happen. Your brother will be all right. Right now we must focus on finding him and bringing him back to us. You can settle your differences about earlier today then." Splinter said knowing that that was what they all had needed to hear before resuming their search.
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Several hours later, at the same time the courier sent for the water returned to the hideout, the turtles were starting their search once again for Raphael just one building away. In less than an hour they would soon find their missing friend.
"Master, our courier has arrived with the ingredient you required," one of the Rank army men told his master.
"Excellent. Bring it here immediately. Wick, is everything ready?"
"Yes. All we need to do now is to mix it in with the other ingredients. Then, pour it over the turtles and recite the magic words. Once poured there will be no way to reverse the spell." Wick said as he read how much water would be needed.
"Are you certain the spell calls for so much water? I thought you said you only needed a few drops to complete the spell." Dragon Lord asked, looking cautiously at the three big jugs that his men were carrying into the room.
"Well master, you see, I thought extra water might come in handy. In case something goes wrong with this spell." Wick stammered.
"You fool!!! Get rid of that water now! The last thing we need is to have it falling into the wrong hands. If the turtles' get even a drop on themselves they turn human. Dump it out now." Dragon Lord commanded his men.
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"Ooohhh man. What hit me?" Raph spoke to the empty cell, before realizing at last just where he was.
Groggily he tried to stand, but was unable to do so. He sat back and rested his head in one hand. Every part of his body hurt worse than ever now. He looked down at his injured bloodied, hand. At least it hadn't been hurt too badly again.
Where are the guys? I don't know how much more of this I take. That's it! I have to get out of here. He thought to himself, as he heard footsteps approaching once again.
Thinking quickly Raph laid back down. He closed his eyes and played dead while two dragons opened the cell door.
"Looks like he is out. Grab one leg and we'll drag him into empty storage room to complete the trap." One dragon said as they proceeded to drag Raph away.
Upon entering the room the dragons decided that Raphael would be out for some time longer and decided not to chain him up just yet.
Raph opened one eye and scanned the room he was in. Empty crates and boxes were piled up high along the wall of the room. The only door was the one they had come in from and the only windows were too high and too small for him to reach.
It's now or never, Raph thought as he slowly got up.
Quietly he slunk to one side of the room, he was about to knock a large stack of crates on the two dragons when another came in and noticed the shadow on the wall.
"Over there! The turtle has escaped." he called and the other two ran towards Raphael.
Raphael, thinking quickly managed to knock out one dragon using the crates, but wasn't quite as lucky with the other two.
The other dragons were momentarily stunned at first, not realizing that Raphael had awakened so soon. Raphael took full advantage of this and rushed out of the room. He ran as fast as he could knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to take them in battle with wounds he already had from earlier that day.
Turning a corner Raph didn't look where he was going and ran full force into a dragon carrying the water from the cursed springs out to be dumped. The water spilled out, splashing him and in the confusion Raphael knocked the dragon back, onto the floor. He lay there unconscious.
Raph slipped and quickly caught his balance before he fell. He started to feel strange, almost dizzy. His skin began tingle and Raph knew instantly that something wasn't right.
He looked down at his hands and gasped. He was starting to change.
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At the same time outside the next building April looked up. She had heard a loud crash coming from the other building.
"Guys, get out here, something's' going on in the next building. It sounds like there's a battle going on." she said into the walkie-talkie.
"We're on our way April. You, Casey and Splinter stay put. If its Raph, we'll go in together." Leo said as the other turtles hurried towards the nearest exit.
"I've got a bad feeling about this"
"Me too Ariel, but for now lets just get going. If it is Raph, he's probably in serious trouble." Torrie said.
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"Master, bad news. The turtle has escaped!" a dragon said, running into the throne room out of breath.
"What? You fools!!! I thought you took care of him so this wouldn't happen. Get him back and make sure it doesn't happen again." Dragon Lord bellowed.
"Sir, there's more. It seems the other turtles have come looking for him. In fact they're inside already, but they don't know we're here."
"Please tell me that you've at least got everything else in order." Dragon Lord asked. He was getting really upset now.
"Uuummm, well, no. But all we have to do is get them all together and pour the spell over the turtle correct? That won't be so hard to do, as long as we're all out of sight. Don't worry. We'll fix this Master." the dragon said trembling.
"You had better fix this soon. Wick, go with him make sure they don't screw it up this time." Dragon Lord warned.
"Yes Master. We will not fail you this time." Wick said as he and the other dragon left to capture Raphael and wait for the other turtles.
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"all right, lets all split up and look for Raph. We'll have a better chance of finding him that way. If you find him or one of the Rank Army contact us with the walkie talkie immediately." Leonardo instructed everyone.
"We should meet back here by April's van in one hour. With everyone helping to look, it shouldn't take no more than that." Donatello said.
They all entered the building through the back where part of the warehouse once was. Inside they found signs of the struggle that April, Casey and Splinter had heard earlier before, but no signs of any dragons. Or Raphael.
"I think we're on the right track now. If Raph's here we'll find him for sure." Ariel replied.
"Let's all be careful. It could have be a trap." April warned.
"Could be, but if it was, it looks like somebody pulled the plug on it. Raph must've really kicked dragon butt." Casey said as he looked around cautiously for any signs that another trap had been set. He didn't like the looks of the empty warehouse. To him there was just something that he couldn't put his finger on. Casey kept expecting to see dragons jumping out of nowhere at him, but none came.
They were about to begin their search when Casey spotted a shadow overhead in the rafters by the ceiling. He knew it wasn't Raph. The body just wasn't that of a turtle. And it carrying something, but he couldn't tell what it was.
"Guys, look. Up there." Casey called out as the lights suddenly went dark.
They all looked in time for the lights to go out, moments later they felt a strange liquid being poured over them. The liquid didn't seem to have any smell, and felt mostly like water. Immediately after it was poured they heard the voice of Wick, Dragon Lord's master of magic.
He began to speak in language that none had heard or recognized before. Not even Splinter seemed to be able to understand it as the dragon spoke. And no one was able to move, they couldn't do a thing as the spell was being cast.
As Wick finished reading the spell out loud, he heard a noise coming from the hallway as an oriental human boy, with no clothes came running back through the warehouse. As he entered, Wick ducked out of sight as all the turtles, Splinter, April and Casey turned towards the boy.
Almost immediately upon seeing the strange boy with no clothing they all began to feel strange. Each of them felt anger begin to grow towards the boy. But they didn't know why.
"Guys!!! Thank god you're here...." the boy started to say. He stopped. Something was wrong with them all but he didn't know what. They all looked as though they wanted to kill him.
"Leo? What's going on? April, Splinter, Casey, what happened to the guys? Wait, don't any of you recognize me?" the boy asked. What was going on here?
Leonardo was the first one to react. He pulled out his katana blades and lunged towards the boy.
"Hey!!! What are you doing? Leo, stop it man!!! Guys do something he's gone nuts!!!" the human said. But nobody seemed to want to listen to him. In fact, it seemed they were all preparing to fight him, each with a look of sheer rage that the boy didn't understand.
Not knowing what else to do and unwilling to fight, the boy dodged him easily and ran past the others outside into the streets.
"Hey, grab that guy!!!" Casey said as the others followed. But when they got outside they found no trace of the boy. He simply appeared to have vanished. Weird, I just wanted to kill that guy and I don't even know him, Casey thought.
The turtles didn't bother to finish their search of the building for Raphael. Instead they found themselves all caught up in a heated battle with the Rank Army. Moments after the battle ensued they heard the sound of police sirens in the distance and decided it was best to retreat for the night and continue their search in the morning.
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A few blocks down, the boy ran blindly across a darkened street and head on into a car filled with drunken teens. He hit the ground hard and lost consciousness. The car stopped briefly and then took off as a lady working a nearby homeless shelter came outside to check and make sure that no ambulance was needed.
"Marcus, get out here. Some kids' just been hit by a car." the woman called.
A moment later the man named Marcus came out and helped the woman carry the oriental boy inside.
It wouldn't be until the next morning when the boy woke, and realized what had happened to him and realized just who he had become. And why his family and friends didn't know him.