Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nor do I own Inuyasha. I also don't own any songs that may be added into the fic.
AN: WOW! I'm really shocked to see how many people liked this fic… especially when some of those reviewers and subscribers remembered the old cartoon series of TMNT!
Okies, guys remembered from the live movies as well about Oroku Saki (Shredder) and Splinter were originally from Japan, so I thought about Shredder's life after killing Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen.
References from the comics and first 3 live movies will be used about Shredder's past and Splinter's origins while characters from the cartoon series will be used.
And also, S.T. Nickolian helped me with writing this fic.
Hope you guys enjoy this.
Chapter Two
"That's very good, Kagome-san." Splinter smiled kindly at the girl kneeling across from him. Donatello sat studiously beside him, watching him teach their guest English. Raphael was training with Leonardo, and Mikey was off skateboarding. "Now, be sure to say that once my other sons return, ne?"
The miko nodded, a grin spread across her face. The last five days with the turtles and their sensei had been wonderful for her. Mikey's antics made her laugh, Raph was a great sparring partner, Donny liked to learn about her homeland – with Splinter's translations – and Leo made a good meditation partner.
Even though, Kagome thought that she would be a poor student in learning English, she was actually getting the hang of learning the language. Much better than when she was learning back home. Not to mention Donny and Splinter were very patient with her when she made a minor mistake in pronunciation and speaking correctly.
As of now, there was nothing more that Splinter had to teach her, aside from learning to read and write English, and Kagome was already fluent with speaking it with an almost heavy accent in her voice.
"Whoa, dude!" Mickey's voice echoed through the tunnels as he sped into the large chamber. "That was a tight ride!" The orange ninja turtle swerved to a stop and undid his helmet. "Hey, Splinter, Donny, Kags!"
Kagome bit back her grin as she turned on the floor to meet his gaze. "Welcome back."
Mikey froze as he removed his elbow pads. "Uh… say again?"
"Welcome back." She didn't get the chance to laugh at his confusion before Mikey darted across the room and pulled her into an overwhelming hug.
"Yeah! Splinter's not the only one who can understand you now!" She laughed as she heard him pout. "But this means I won't be able to speak the mumbo-jumbo…"
Kagome laughed at this, "You mean Japanese. It's easy to learn to speak it despite what many say about it being hard. The only thing hard about it is learning to read and write it in Kanji." Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Kagome offered, "If you want, Mikey, once I'm done with what I came to New York to do, I can teach you a little of basic Japanese…"
"No way! Really?" Mikey asked, excitedly. At Kagome's nod, he took her in his arms again and thanked endlessly making her giggle at his antics.
Donny laughed at the sight of his brother excitement before turning to Splinter, "I gotta admit… Mikey's really taking a liking to Kags."
Splinter nodded in agreement while also taking notice in how Kagome had taken to them so naturally, not once scared of them or uneasy. Like she had been about beings similar to them…
The old rat could see that Michelangelo liked gaining attention from they young woman and that she was happy to give it.
"What is all the noise in here?" Raph stated angrily from he opening to his training room. Behind him, Kagome could see Leo trying to calm his brother. "We can barely concentrate on training because you're playing frisky with Kagome, Mikey–"
The orange turtle just grinned, his arms still around Kagome. "Aw, come on, Raph! It's not like that! I'm just happy our little Kaggy can speak English now!" He pulled back to twirl in his own little dance. "No more translations through Splinter – wahoo!"
Kagome laughed more quietly as Raph decided that Mikey was still making too much noise and bopped him over the head. These five were really good to her, almost like the others. Her eyes darkened with her mood at the thought.
Her friends from the past were gone, and the few youkai who were possibly alive probably forgot about her – it had been over five hundred years since she left, after all. And the friends she used to have in this time… 'My family dead or kidnapped, my other friends left behind… What kind of hole have I dug myself?'
A shrill beeping sound broke through her thoughts, and the miko looked up to see Donatello answering a… turtle shell. With a small smile, she wasn't sure if she should be surprised about the way of communication or not.
'At least... I've made a few friends here...'
"What happening, April?" Donatello answered, seeing the older woman's face on the screen of the communicator.
"Shredder's men are at it again, guys. But aside from stealing, they're threatening anyone they come across about information." April answered, her voice colored with urgency.
Hearing this caught everyone's attention, including Kagome's just from curiosity. Leonardo came up to Donny and looked at April through the communicator, "Information about what?"
"They keep asking about an Asian girl, demanding if they know about her. And if they do see her, they pass a message to her that if she ever wants to see her brother alive, that she'd better come to the abandoned Warehouses along the port of Midtown West."
Kagome's blood ran cold at the woman's voice and words.
Raphael scowled, his hands reaching to grasp his sais. "Shredder… what the hell is he up to now?" He turned his head sharply to look at his brothers. "Come on. We can't let him get whatever he wants with some Asian chick."
Kagome watched all four of them prepare quickly, and she glanced down to the floor. She didn't recognize the name 'Shredder', but he was looking for an Asian female whose brother he was holding captive; not many fit that bill… 'But I do…'
"Anou…" The turtles looked up at her voice, and the miko grasped Shura-no-Hana. "I'm coming along as well."
Mikey jumped up. "What?" His exclamation nearly shook the sewers. "Nuh-uh! No way! Kags, I know you can fight and all, but Shredder is out of your league! And his clan is–"
"Michelangelo!" Everyone started at Splinter's unusually sharp voice. The rat's eyes glared harshly at his most mischievous son, and the room's temperature seemed to lower by several degrees. "Kagome-san is her own person, and has proven herself able to fight equally with Raphael. If she wishes to fight alongside you, then so be it."
Kagome stepped forward quickly, trying to break the tension suddenly rising between master and student. Normally, all the boys would bow down to Splinter's word without complaint, but this was something that Mikey truly cared about – his friend – and he wouldn't back down so easily. 'Strange how the one that is the most mellowed out that can take the strongest stand…'
"I want to come along, to help." Kagome's blue eyes looked directly in Mikey's. "It's the least I can do to try to repay you." There was, of course, the added fact that this 'Shredder' could very well be Oroku Saki, but that was just a bonus. If she was able to find her brother this way, all the better.
Splinter watched the girl closely, taking in her confident, but more importantly determined, face, a slight frown marring his own. He wanted to agree with his son, that she should not fight Shredder, but... if this was the reason she came to New York... he couldn't hold her back.
The young girl was a warrior by body and soul and was walking down a warrior's path, and Splinter himself couldn't stand in the way of that path when he too is a warrior, along with his sons.
Leaving her trench behind, Kagome tied Shura no Hana to her back and, with much reluctance from her new turtle friends, left with them to head to take the tunnels to Midtown West.
/\/\/\
The abandoned warehouses Shredder was hiding out in were no longer so abandoned, Kagome could see. She knelt on top of a nearby building with the turtle brothers, watching the black-clad men patrol around the buildings – a few were even stationed on the roof. 'Well, if nothing else, he's thorough…'
"Okay, here's the plan." Kagome turned her attention to Donatello. "If we jump from that building to the top of the warehouse, we should be able to take out the guards up there quietly, and then make our way down into the warehouse. Hopefully, we'll be able to get in and out fairly easily, depending on who this boy that Shredder took is."
Kagome's eyes darted to the building again at the reminder, and her hand twitched slightly, eager to take hold of her sword's hilt. If Souta was harmed in anyway, a lot of people were going to be hurt this night.
A three fingered hand rested on her armored shoulder before she turned to see Mikey looking at her with concerned eyes, as if silently asking her if she was okay. Offering a small smile, Kagome rested her own hand on his in reassurance before Leo told them to go with the plan but not before asking Kagome to stay where she was.
The miko gave the turtle in blue a hard look, "Excuse me? Leo, I came along so that I can help you guys. Not sit up here on my ass while you guys take these Shinobi wannabes out."
"Please, Kagome. We're all worried about you and don't want you to get hurt. True, you can fight Raphael on equal ground but these guys are really good."
Kagome shook her head at his observation skills. Really, she hadn't been training as long as these guys in any kind of martial arts and even she can see that all the guards below were amateurs. Motioning for the guys come to the edge, she started pointing out, "No, not that good. The only reason that they are good against you is because they outnumber you. But their skills as fighters are at a very low level; maybe even just a level below you guys. Their postures are sloppy, their footsteps too heavy for stealth. Compared to you guys, they are very lazy."
Mikey watched her closely for a few more moments before sighing and shrugging his shoulders, his typical grin back in place. Kagome could tell that he was trying to hide his real feelings on the situation – he wanted her to stay safe. Of course, she couldn't really blame him. She wanted him to stay safe, too, but she had faith in his abilities. "Alright, let's go kick some evil ninja butt!"
Kagome nodded and followed them as they jumped across the buildings silently. Despite their protests to her involvement, now that she had them convinced, they adapted to her presence easily. Within minutes, the guards on top of the building were disposed of, and Kagome had to hold herself back from killing them – that was a bad habit she would have to work on.
Slipping into the warehouse, the five of them carefully leaned over a railing to observe the bottom floor. Even more of the shinobi-wannabes crowded around, murmuring quietly amongst themselves. Kagome blinked as she looked over to the wall. 'That has got to be one of the most disgusting youkai I have ever seen…'
A pink blob that vaguely resembled a brain with tentacles operated a mechanized human that it obviously used as a means of transportation. On either side of it were two other youkai… Well, they looked like youkai with human souls. Kagome focused on them more closely. 'Corrupted humans, but humans nonetheless. How did they become… a boar and a rhino?'
A muffled cry caught her attention, and her eyes darted to the bound and gagged boy standing beside an armored monster. 'Souta!'
"Okay, Rocksteady, Bebop, and Krang are there… and them having a kid hostage is true…" Leo said in a low whisper before Raph asked with an angry gruff in his voice, "And where's that asshole, Shredder?"
"Any word about her yet?" They heard the familiar voice of their enemy sound throughout the somewhat quiet warehouse. The five of them turned to where Shredder's voice came from as Kagome did her best to keep herself from giving away their position and attacking Saki head on.
The brain-blob grunted in annoyance as he glared at Saki. "Nothing. I still don't see why you're so determined to obtain her, Saki. You're not becoming a worried father are you?"
Kagome felt confusion run through her companions, and she tried not to tighten her grasp on the railing too tightly. "Don't patronize me, Krang. She will be a welcome asset than you can imagine." Saki's voice rang out harshly, and the miko glanced back down at her 'father.' More quietly, probably so none of the others could hear him, he continued. "If what that woman said is true, then she has more power than you…"
Krang seemed to scowl furiously. "If that's true, Saki, then do we really need the boy? It would be easier if we just got rid of him here."
Her eyes widened, and Kagome's hands clenched into tight fists around the railing. No. She wouldn't let him do that. Not to her baby brother. She would slit her own throat before she let him.
A green hand settled on her arm, and she glanced sharply over to Leonardo. The most honor-bound of the brothers smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry," his whisper didn't lessen her tension, "we won't let them hurt an innocent. The four of us will jump down to distract them, and they won't expect someone else to be with us. When no one is paying attention, you can sneak down to get the boy and run."
As much as it irritated her, Kagome couldn't deny that it was a good plan, even if it was designed so she would fight as little as possible. "…Fine."
"Enough!" All their eyes snapped back to the floor, where the argument must have continued while they weren't paying attention. Krang pointed to the rhino. "Get rid of it!"
Rocksteady nodded and began to lumber over to the terrified boy, despite Saki's obvious outrage. Souta's eyes widened in sheer terror, and Kagome felt her heart clench at the sight. Just before she decided to screw the plan and save her brother herself, the turtles jumped over the railing with a loud war cry, courtesy of Mikey.
Kagome ducked out of sight as she ran along the upper level and down the stairs. She managed to stay out of the way of any Foot clan, thankfully, until she was finally on the bottom floor. The boys went through so much trouble to keep her from fighting, might as well indulge them this once.
The miko pressed her back up against the wall next to the opening from the stairwell and glanced in at the commotion. Just as planned, the brothers were effectively creating a diversion, and a fairly clear path was cleared to Souta. Kagome had to hold herself back from running in at that moment, cutting down everyone in her way, and gutting the ones responsible for this mess. 'Deep breath, Kagome… just give it a moment, then Souta will be safe…'
At least… that's what she wished. Deep blue eyes widened in fear, and all action stopped when the hostage's head was pulled back, and the sharp metal claws attached to Shredder's arms were placed dangerously close to his neck. "I wouldn't fight anymore, if I were you."
Kagome froze at the scene before her. The evil monster standing there held a deadly weapon to the neck of the one she cared about most… just like… 'Shippo…'
Suddenly, she was back in the Fuedal Era, watching helplessly as Naraku cackled menacingly, Shippo held threatening in his grasp. "Foolish miko. Did you honestly think you could stand against me? One wrong move… and the kitsune is finished."
Kagome gasped for breath, her vision clearing as she stared at Saki and Souta. She had frozen up back then, and she nearly lost her son. If Sesshomaru hadn't… No. She wouldn't let that happen again…
Metal screeched against metal, and sparks flew from the contact. Kagome's eyes stared deep into her father's as she drew Shura-no-Hana against his armor. Shock registered in his brown irises, and she swept her blade under and out from the arm that held Souta, releasing her little brother using the tip of her blade to cut through the bonds tying his ankles.
Without missing a beat, the miko used her foot to push Souta away and toward her shocked friends. "Go with the turtles." She pushed Saki back before jumping back herself. She didn't have to glance away from the Shredder to know that her brother was still sprawled across the floor in shock. "NOW!"
Kagome locked gazes with Saki for several moments, and she didn't like what she saw in his gaze. Greed and twisted pride shone in his eyes. "So this is how you have grown up, Kagome."
Deep blue eyes narrowed at Shredder as the Foot Clan stood their ground and the Turtles looking on with confusion as she bit back, "I can speak and understand English now, dipshit."
Krag looked on with slight interest as Rocksteady and Bebop watching while almost in awe at Kagome's appearance. The rhino and boar may be mutants now but that didn't mean they didn't feel human lust anymore.
Souta finally got out of his shock and quickly went to the turtles' side, taking refuge next to the one with the purple bandana. He wasn't going to question his Nee-chan on this if she had come with these turtles to save him.
Donny held the boy close to his side while he and his brothers watched, shocked that their friend had attacked Shredder so ruthlessly and quickly. None of them knew what was going on.
Shredder frowned for a moment before chuckling, "I see. You're almost just like your foolish mother in attitude but you're much stronger than she and that crazy old man you call a grandfather."
Saki was really surprised when his daughter really appeared soon after the turtles. And he was more surprised in how much she had grown, not only in strength but in body as well. The last time he had seen her, she was only five years old; just around the same time Souta was conceived. And now, eleven years later, his firstborn was standing before him with a deadly and exotic beauty to her, armed with a long sword and a skintight bodysuit with armor.
"After what you did to them and my brother… you have no right to even speak of them."
Her hiss broke through his thoughts, and he tilted his head to the side curiously. Behind her, he could hear the thorns in his side mutter amongst themselves, wondering if Kagome was the woman he had been looking for. So she had already met the four nuisances. "It seems you don't wish to speak of them either, dear Kagome." She scowled at him furiously. "Otherwise, would you not have told your… acquaintances of our relationship?"
Kagome was ready to spit fire at him. "What relationship, you pathetic waste of martial arts talent?"
Shredder glared at her heatedly. "You dare –"
"This is her, Saki?" Krang, obviously tired of being left out of the conversation, stepped forward, a twisted grin on his face. "This is the one you've been praising so highly for the past four days?" Kagome watched Saki glare at the blob with even more fury "Oh, yes, I'm going to enjoy having one such as your daughter with us."
Kagome reluctantly joined her father in glaring at Krang. She did not want to be associated with him in any way, shape, or form. "What?!" She cringed at the exclamation she recognized as Raph's voice. This wasn't going to be easy to explain. "You're his daughter?"
The miko didn't dare turn from Shredder to answer him, and she felt terrible for not doing so, but she couldn't take the chance of him doing something while she had her back turned. Smug satisfaction radiated from Saki as he prepared to answer for her, but another, unfamiliar voice cut him off.
"I wouldn't push their relationship that far. Seriously, can you call a man who was never there in your life for over a decade and suddenly shows up to kill the people you care for… can you call someone like that 'father'?" Kagome's eyes darted to the smirking redhead leaning against the wall. "I don't know 'bout you, but I'd call him 'coward'."
"Who the heck's this guy?" Mikey asked, forgetting the "Shredder has a daughter who's his best friend" scenario for the moment. The guy was a redhead but had the face of an Asian. Not to mention he was tall; a little taller than Shredder himself. All of that he could tell while they guy was still in shadows.
The new guy got up from his place leaning against the wall before taking a few steps forward into the light so everyone could see him better, giving a smile that could swoon anyone and replied, "Sorry, where are my manners. The name's Shippó. I'm a very old friend of the Higurashi family."
"Shippó… chan?" Kagome muttered, not believing that her son was actually there… and all grown up.
Shippo smiled softly at her. "Yo." He walked around the stunned Rocksteady and Bebop to stand between Krang and Shredder. "Sorry it took me so long, but you kind of ran off to New York before we could catch you."
Shredder turned to face the impudent boy fully. "You're going to have to give me a better explanation than that, boy."
The kitsune turned to Krang, completely blowing off Saki. "What kind of alternate dimensional creature are you? Definitely nothing from the Makai – they would have killed you for being ugly already."
Despite the severity of the situation, the turtles laughed at the comment, and Kagome shook her head. Krang trembled with fury, but remained still since Shredder was stalking up to the redhead, reaching to grab his shoulder. "I demand an answer –"
His hand met empty air as Shippo vanished from his sight. "You're slow." Shock coursed through him as he turned around. "And you were considered a master martial artist? Damn, how standards have fallen." Shippo stood calmly, his hands sitting casually in his jeans pockets, with that insufferable smirk back in place. "Now that I think about it, I owe you a beat-down."
Emerald green eyes flashed dangerously, and Shredder watched in morbid fascination as Shippo mimicked Kagome's loose battle stance. "No one upsets my mother."
Souta heard that last part and was amazed that this red-haired Asian was in fact the kitsune his Nee-chan spoke of all the time and labeled as her son. At first he expected the little guy to be… well, little! But then again, five hundred years had passed so of course he was going to get bigger in size.
Shredder couldn't believe what this boy had said. His daughter and heiress is the mother of this INSULANT boy who looks no older than she is?!
His thoughts were cut short when he heard his daughter speak, "before you ask how what Shippó-chan said is true father, let me just point out to that it's really none of your business. As for that beat down… you're not getting one until I get a crack out of you, humiliating you in front of your so called clan by showing just how much better the daughter is compared to her so called father." Kagome's voice was just dripping with venom before promising, "And once Shippó is done with you, rest assured… I will give a slow and painful death, more painful and much slower than the one you gave my mother as she bled out till her last breath."
Mikey gulped, suddenly not liking how Kags became like a completely different person; a complete opposite of the smiling and laughing human he was used to seeing the last few days.
Kagome felt the rage burn through her veins, and she gripped Shura-no-Hana tightly. A sweet temptation to kill everyone around them clouded her mind, and her blade came up threateningly. "As much as I would love to watch you rip him apart, Kagome," Shippo's voice cut through the haze, and the shadow that had fallen over her eyes lifted. "Killing is messier than it used to be – people ask questions and investigate. Besides, Souta is still here."
The miko winced at the reminder and glanced back at her still-frightened brother. He already witnessed the death of their family… he didn't need to watch her massacre.
"Enough of this." Shredder's enraged voice echoed through the warehouse as he ordered his soldiers. "Capture them!"
Shippo flipped over the group that ran at him, falling back to his mother's side. "Sheath the sword – we can't kill. It would cause trouble for all of us, and Sesshomaru-sama would be… compromised." She didn't get the chance to ask what he meant as he plowed through the so-called warriors to distract the two animals. "You have to take care of your brother!"
Kagome didn't need to be told twice, and she put away her blade, using the sheathed weapon as her means of defense. The unfortunate ones who got in her way may have concussions, but they wouldn't be dead. "Souta!"
"Nee-chan!" She heard him call out to her while Donny and Leo did their best to keep him safe as they fought off the Foot clan that came at them. Seeing one of them about to grab her brother, Kagome dashed forward punched the ninja who tried to grab her baby brother. Her punch was so powerful that you could hear bone crack from the ninja wannabe's jaw.
Once that guy was out of the way, Kagome started helping the turtles protect her brother. From the other side, Kagome could see Shippó really giving it to Saki to the point where the metal mask on his face was getting really dented.
Even though her companions might not trust her anymore and she was fighting for her freedom and her brother's life, Kagome couldn't help but smile. He little Shippo had grown up well. She was a little jealous that she didn't' get to help him in that, but it was out of her hands. 'I'm proud of you, Shippo-chan…'
"We can't fight properly while we're protecting him!" The miko turned her attention back to the fight at hand, trying to listen to Donny as he shouted over the clamor around them. "We need to retreat for now!"
Kagome twirled her sheathed sword around, knocking several heads around her, before planting the pommel on the floor and propelling herself over the crowd. The black-clad drones moved their heads to follow her movement, and Kagome winked at Mikey.
The orange turtle blinked in confusion for a moment before he grinned. "Look out – turtle comin' through!" He rolled into a ball and spun through the group keeping them from the door, knocking them over like bowling pins.
"Alright! Way to go, Mikey!" Donny grinned, gently pulling Souta down the aisle. "Freedom!"
Noticing that his mother, uncle, and her new friends were making a retreat with Kagome picking Souta up in her arms, Shippó turned back to Shredder with a deadly grin, "Know this, underrated Shinobi master, once Souta is safe, you better believe that we'll come back and finish what we started. And next time… I won't stop your daughter from killing you, like she had promised." And with that said, the kitsune summoned his Fox Fire before disappearing without a trace.
Once the blue fire cleared Bebop snorted, "Hey, where'd he go?"
Seething with rage, Shredder ripped off his dented metal mask before throwing it to ground and cursed at the top of his lungs. In the midst of his rage, he ordered every able hand to find his daughter and that he wanted her alive.
/\/\/\
Now away from the warehouse and heading back home, the turtles were silent as they let Kagome, Souta, and Shippó follow them.
Kagome wrapped her arm around her little brother as they walked to the nearest sewer grate, trying to reassure both him and herself that they were together and safe. Behind them, Shippo glanced around at their surroundings, memorizing every sight and scent for future reference. Masked by a powerful illusion, his fox ears twitched as he overheard their companions' conversation.
"I'm tellin' ya, it's a bad idea!" Raph whispered fervently to his brothers. "We can't let them too close anymore! They're Shredder's children!"
"Who just lost their mother recently," Leo's calmer, more empathetic persona kicked in, and Shippo heard him set a hand on Raph's shoulder. "From what we can tell, it was Shredder who killed her. That doesn't sound like the best father-daughter relationship to me. They don't want anything to do with them."
"Yeah, and what kinda father treats his son like that?" Mikey placed his hands on the back of his head and looked up at the night sky. "He was really ready to kill him if we hadn't stepped in… Man, just when I thought I couldn't think any worse of Shredder."
"And you have to admit that Kagome looked pretty ready to kill him." Donny glanced back at the girl they befriended. "I don't think I've ever seen such a hate-filled stare."
"Anger and sorrow can do a lot of crazy things to a person. And when it concerns family who are now murdered, you can't help but want revenge." What Leo had said was true. The brothers felt that themselves when they had believed Shredder telling them that Splinter was dead. So in all honesty, they couldn't blame their new friend for wanting to kill Shredder. "Not to mention, an elder sibling will do anything to protect their younger siblings."
Once they had found a sewer grate, Leonardo opened it and allowed his brothers to get in. Raphael stayed behind for a moment after Donatello and Michelangelo had gone down.
The turtle in red looked at Kagome with almost untrusting eyes. Not that Kagome could blame him… she was the daughter of their enemy. To him, for the safety of his brothers and father/master, he was being careful and he didn't know that there would be a chance of her turning on them.
The miko lowered her eyes to avoid his, too guilty to face him. But then again, how was she to know that they knew her father and that he was their enemy too? She came to New York to save her brother and deal with her father… Kagome never cared about the enemies her father made. Her baby brother was her top priority, above all else.
Souta looked between Raph and his sister, apprehensive of what might happen. He could see that the turtle in red didn't seem to trust his sister… but didn't know why. Could it be because of their father?
Leonardo looked between them and sighed before smiling kindly at Souta and gesturing for him to go down after Mikey and Donny. Raph wasn't going to trust Kagome again until they talked it out, and the most they could do now is give them the space they needed to do just that.
After looking at his sister for a moment, Souta yelped slightly when he was picked up carefully. Shippo walked toward Leo, but his eyes watched Raph determinedly. The turtle in red caught under stood the message he was conveying, and he narrowed his own eyes in a return threat. He wouldn't hurt Kagome is she was truly against Shredder, but he didn't need to be threatened about it.
"Call me if you need anything, Kagome." Shippo finally looked to the sewer grate. "I'll be here before you can say 'fox.'"
Kagome nodded, still looking away from them all as the day's events caught up to her. A weight pressed down on her shoulders, and she wrapped her arms around herself as Leo followed everyone down into the sewers.
Raphael didn't say anything for a long time, merely staring at her intensely. Finally, after several minutes, Kagome gathered the courage and frustration to meet his gaze. "If you have something to say, say it."
His eyes narrowed even more, and he accepted the challenge. If Kagome wasn't so headstrong, she would have backed away. What kind of argument has she gotten herself into?
"Fine, I'll say it pure and simple. I don't trust you. And you know why? None of us know if you'll go stabbing us in the shell and going to Shredder because he's Daddy-dearest." The most Raphael expected was for Kagome to yell at him, trying to prove him wrong about her betraying them. But he never thought that the small girl before him would pick him up by the shell pushed him against the nearest wall.
When he was about yell at her with a glare in his eyes, he stopped at seeing the emotion in her eyes and the anger on her face before she hissed, "Don't you dare, for even a moment, think that I want anything to do with that monster…"
Raph stared into her eyes, watching the deep blue he was used to being filled with laughter swell with tears as she struggled with her emotions and to hold them back. "I hate him… I hate him. I hate him!" He impulsively reached out to catch her as she began to fall against him. "I hate him!" She lost the battle against crying and a sob shook through her body, and the turtle couldn't bring himself to accuse her of anything more. The pain in her eyes was too real.
Kagome trembled as she clung to Raphael, the one who distrusted and disliked her most. She didn't like admitting that she was so vulnerable at that moment, and she would have gladly traded him for Shippo, but he was the only one. "He left… vanished without a single trace, and left us to fend for ourselves… Souta wasn't even a year old… he wasn't even there when Souta was born!" She had thought that she was over the past, but looking into that man's eyes brought it all back. "Mama had to move us back in with her father just so we would have a roof over our heads, because he took everything…"
Her trembling grew, exhaustion coupled with fury as she glared down at her feet. "Then the day he has the gall to come back… He killed them both… I've already lost so much… Kami, what did I do to deserve this?" She pressed her head against his shell almost painfully. "What did I do and how do I fix it?"
Raphael couldn't say anything to apologize, nor did he know what to say… and after hearing what Shredder had put Kagome and her family through, he couldn't help feeling like crap for thinking that she'd go to Shredder because she wanted her father back in her life. Sure, he'd heard plenty of stories about how some fathers leave their families but none of them involved the father coming back to kill said family just to get his children.
Not able to let any words out, Raph wrapped his arms, in what he hoped were a comforting way around the girl's shaking form.
His brothers watched silently, feeling horrible for what their friend and her little brother went through because of their enemy.
Seeing his sister cry over what he knew was their father and for their deceased family, Souta himself tried to hold his tears back. He could only guess that his Nee-chan was blaming herself for what had happened, in not being able to protect their mother and grandfather.
Shippo's thoughts ran along the same lines as his uncle's, and he sighed, looking up at her through the sewer grate. She always placed too much responsibility on herself, and he knew the reason why. Inuyasha never did stop claiming that everything was her fault because she wasn't Kikyo. He still hadn't forgiven the hanyou for all the damage he had done to her self-esteem.
Michelangelo glanced away from the scene in front of them, feeling a sharp pain at her sorrow. How could that and more have happened to such a nice girl? She didn't judge him on first sight, didn't shriek in fear like April had done the first time, and she liked to play with them. With that in mind, he swore to do everything he could not to let anything happen to her again.
After several minutes later, Kagome slumped even more, exhausted from the fight and her tears. No words were exchanged as the turtle in red picked her up carefully and slid through the sewer grate that the others held up for him.
Shippo sighed heavily, hating the whole situation, but when he drew breath back in, he tensed. A low growl began to creep from his throat, causing the others to look at him questioningly. "Who the hell are you?"
A confused gaze answered him. "Shouldn't I be asking you that, pretty boy, and what are you doing with my friends?"
Another chapter finished and posted! Who's the mystery person who's appeared before the turtles? How will Splinter react to the news about Kagome and Souta being Shredder's kids?
Hope you guys enjoyed that. S.T. Nickolian once again helped me get the chapter done. Heck, if this keeps up, I might as well name her my co-author for this fic.
Please leave some nice reviews. Any suggestions and ideas for the fic are welcome.