Author's Note: Donatello and Cheyenne are intruded upon by mysterious home invaders...and they mention people by the names of Hamato Yoshi and Shredder. Who are these people? Whoever they are, they pose a dangerous threat to Donatello. Rate and review.
Chapter 4: Home Invasion
"It's very irritating that it's taken us fifteen years to narrow down their locations! Our master is known for being brutal, but I never imagined he would be THIS brutal! Not taking a break trying to find them…"
"Enough with your griping! Now…where is the closest location?"
"Hmm…somewhere here in Kentucky…actually an address close by. Typical…this one is in the mix with commoners and mountain people."
"The sooner we do this…the more we will please our master. Now get moving!"
"Are you seriously still going to wait for a boyfriend till after college?"
"I told you, education first. I have to make sure I can be independent; I don't need to have a man to take care of myself."
Donatello sighed as he took a bite out of a sub he and Cheyenne bought before coming home from town. She made good on her promise to take him to the library, and he was actually able to find some books on Japan and Ninjitsu. That and there was actually a computer free of the Facebook fanatics, so he was able to print out some articles. He still couldn't explain why he developed such a fascination with ninjas…but he felt like it was in his blood for some reason. He and Cheyenne were teaching each other Japanese, so that amplified it. The turtle took a bite out of a Dorito when he suddenly cried out in pain, placing his finger on his upper gum and drawing back blood.
"Donnie, you need to be careful with Doritos, remember?" Cheyenne lectured. "With your diastema, you get cuts between your teeth more easy!"
"It's just a little scratch…I'm fine. You don't need to worry so much."
"I'm your sister…I'm supposed to worry." She paused and took a bite out of her own sandwich. "Once we're done eating, it's our turn to vacuum and do dishes. We don't want Mom jumping down our throats…"
"Yeah…ever since she hit fifty, she's been unpredictable." Donatello cringed.
Their mother was currently in the bedroom taking a nap while their father did work in the garage, most likely on his beloved boat. Their cats Shadow and Tux were sleeping in their cat furniture, soaking up whatever rays from the sun hit them, while the siblings enjoyed their lunch in the kitchen. Since he forgot to eat breakfast and she only had a crummy protein bar, they practically inhaled their sandwiches, chips, and sodas. Donatello let out a satisfied burp before getting out of his chair to throw away the resulting garbage. Cheyenne also burped, louder than her brother, and threw away her leftover papers and bags.
"So, what do you want to do first?" Donatello asked. "I can take care of the dishes if you want."
"That's fine. We'll have to wait for Mom to wake up to do any vacuuming anyway."
As Donatello got the dishes in the sink and turned on the hot water, Cheyenne grabbed a bottle of Palmolive and handed it to him. He squirted a fair amount of the contents into the water and watched the suds form over the plates, bowls, and cups. He immediately grabbed a plate and scrubbed away the dried frosting as a result of the birthday cake from yesterday. The water was hot, and it usually made his skin dry up easily…but fortunately the dish soap was also good for the hands, so he wasn't worried.
As for his sister, she placed some clothes in the washer, put a Tide Pod in with them, and set the washer for a quick wash, watching through the door as water flooded the chamber. The clothes would be done in less than an hour, so she had time to watch some TV while Donatello finished the dishes. However, as she was about to step into the living room and grab the remote…the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her pupils constricted and her lips rose up to reveal her gritted teeth. When Donatello turned off the water, he noticed his sister in a tense position and went to see what was wrong.
"Chey…w-what's the matter?" The turtle asked. "Why are you tensed up like an angry cat?"
The brunette slowly raised her head in the direction of the foyer, her breaths becoming shallow. "…Something's here…something that's not friendly…" She paused and started to walk to the foyer. "Go get Daddy and go wake Mom up..and then go to your room and don't come out until I tell you."
"W-Whatever you say…" Donatello agreed, confused.
As the turtle went to go get their father, Cheyenne decided to make a quick trip to her room and get something…but she only got but three or four steps before she heard the door being kicked in. She darted to the door to see who dared break into their house…but it wasn't a common burglar or junkie hoping to get a fix.
Two figures in black suits with red headbands came rushing in at her, the noise enough to awaken her mother and cause her to peek out of the bedroom. Cheyenne was distracted by this when one of the figures tackled her and pinned her to the ground. The figure pulled out a kunai knife and held it to her throat while the other started to search the house.
"W-Who are you freaks!?" Cheyenne choked out. "W-What do you want!?"
"Silence, woman!" The figure spoke. "Now tell us where the kame is and we will let you live!"
Cheyenne tilted her head to the side for a second before she realized what he was talking about. Kame was the Japanese word for 'turtle'…so…these guys were looking for Donatello! Why did they want Donatello? Could it be…he had something to do with his winding up with them? But the sounds of their voices…she knew they intended to kill him…and she wasn't going to let that happen.
"Y-You're not…going to hurt…my brother!"
The figure, a ninja, suddenly laughed. "You're brother? You mean you raised it? Master Shredder will laugh at this!"
As the ninja was about to cut her throat, he suddenly felt something slam on his back, causing him to drop to the ground. Cheyenne coughed and held her throat before she saw who came to her rescue. It was Donatello, who was holding a broom but using it as a weapon, similar to something she read in one of the ninja books called a Bō staff. But as far as she knew, he didn't actually USE Ninjitsu…yet he was standing up to the ninja like it was innate. The second ninja came back to see what was going on before he could get to their mother, and their father arrived just in time with his rifle.
"Get out of our house!" Charlie shouted. "Get out and never come back!"
"Daddy…these guys are after Donatello!" Cheyenne breathed out before turning back to the ninjas. "Who is Shredder!? What does this guy want with my brother!? Why are you after him!?"
One of the ninjas laughed. "If you must know…we are here to eradicate the remnants of Hamato Yoshi…but a few casualties won't impede us!"
Donatello stood still and felt his eyes widen and his heart pound out of his chest. Hamato Yoshi…why was that name so familiar? The dreams he had were starting to come to mind again…and he remembered something else in them…the rat was originally a Japanese man…and he and the other turtles were at first regular turtles. But then…some type of bluish ooze splashed on them…and they began to change shape…that's when the rat appeared with the silver-haired girl and the red-haired woman…wrapping them up in blankets, the rat-man having tears in his eyes…
'Goodbye…my sons…'
The ninjas were so caught up in staring at the frozen turtle that they didn't notice Cheyenne running to her room and coming back with two objects…two loaded handguns that Donatello was unaware about. The turtle suddenly regained his composure and held up the broom to use as a weapon once again, and his father cocked his rifle and aimed it at the two ninjas.
"How can you put up a fight when you don't know a single thing about Ninjitsu!?" The first ninja asked. "This will be too easy!"
"If we waste anymore time here, one of them will call the authorities!" The second berated the first before pulling out a needle. "Let's make this quick."
Cheyenne immediately recognized what that object was…a needle filled with poison, a common weapon for ninjas, mostly the kunoichi. Why these guys had them she didn't know, but she knew who that was meant for. She acted fast and pulled out her guns…but unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. The ninja flicked the needle and it landed in Donatello's neck as he let out a cry of pain.
"DONATELLO!" Cheyenne screamed before glaring daggers at the ninja. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
As the ninjas started for the rest of the family, they didn't look to see the brunette aiming her guns at them. They didn't have time to react as she pulled the triggers once on both of them. The bullets went through their necks, causing them to collapse and slowly choke on their own blood. The perfect retribution for invading their home and harming her brother. As their mother got on the phone with 911 and told them they killed two intruders in self-defense, Donatello suddenly started to feel dizzy, not being able to react as he collapsed onto the hardwood floor.
"DONATELLO!" The brunette shrieked.
Their father assisted her in picking him up and taking him to his room. "Let's get him in bed…and I'll look for something to flush the poison out of his system!"
"Daddy…" Cheyenne panicked. "When someone comes to remove these guys…we have to hide Donatello. They…they can't know about him or they'll take him away…"
"I know…"
The police came along with the coroner and removed the bodies from the house, as well as cleaned up the blood. Sandi and Charlie gave them an accurate story: the two men burst into their home unannounced, attempted to kill them, and were shot before they could attack again. It was a good thing they didn't search the rooms…or they would've come across the sickly Donatello. Cheyenne called up her friends Anna and Brenna to see what she could do for her brother. Anna told her that it was most likely a neurotoxin used on the turtle, and Brenna told her that the leaves of plants that grew around her home could be used to draw the poison out through his skin…but she had to be quick. She also made sure to ask Anna to look up information on 'Shredder' and 'Hamato Yoshi'…
The brunette sighed as she tied the last leaf to Donatello's arm before pulling the blankets up to his neck. The turtle was shivering violently and he was starting to have hallucinations. She placed the back of her hand to his forehead and found it to still be hot and drenched in sweat. She hoped that she applied those leaves in time. If she lost Donatello…she honestly felt like she would lose all her will to live.
"Donnie…Bro-Bro…you have to pull through…" Cheyenne whispered as she wiped his forehead with a cloth. "You can make it…you have to…"
"Chey…let's give Donatello some time to rest…and pray for the best." Their mother whispered from the door.
The young woman frowned deeply at her mother and shook her head, fighting to keep tears from flowing out of her eyes. "No…I'm not going anywhere until I know he wakes up…until I know he survives."
"But…"
"Just…just leave us alone!"
With a quiet sigh, their mother left, leaving the two siblings alone in the room. Cheyenne turned her attention back to Donatello, who was still convulsing. Those leaves had to help him…Brenna was an expert on plants and she was hardly wrong about their healing properties, and Anna was the best when it came to identifying bodily toxins. Donatello just had to find the strength to pull through… She suddenly turned away from Donatello, her lips severely trembling, and proceeded to fold her hands and lay her forehead on top of her knuckles.
"Please God…" She mumbled quietly. "Please…please don't take Donatello away from me… I know deep down…for a while…I used him… I used him as a way…to make myself forget about how much like crap I felt…I just used him to help me forget about my problems… I used people period…but I've realized the error of my ways… W-When I was little…I hated the thought of having a brother or sister…but I know…you made it so Donatello would show up on our doorstep"
She suddenly grabbed the turtle's hand and held it tightly. "W-When I first laid eyes on him…everything changed…a-and I realized even though we weren't blood related…even though we really aren't the same species…that he was everything I wanted in a brother…in a person…" She suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore as tears freely poured from her reddened eyes. "Donnie…h-he taught me how much life is worth living…that when things get tough…y-you always have someone to turn to…someone who cares… P-Please God…PLEASE…let Donatello pull through… Please…don't take my only brother away from me…! I love him too much…to see him die so young… LET HIM LIVE!"
Their mother and father peeked in and saw Cheyenne holding Donatello's now-limp hand and sobbing uncontrollably. She suddenly let go of his arm and threw herself over his chest, trying to make sure she could still feel him breathing under the blankets. Her tears started to stain the fabric, but Donatello didn't seem to notice. Charlie held onto Sandi as she started to breakdown in to quiet sobs…
Cheyenne awoke to find herself in her bed at around 8:03 the next day. How did she end up in her room and in her bed? She noticed she was still in her clothes from yesterday…so maybe her dad carried her to her room. Wait…what happened to Donatello!? Did Donatello live…or did he… No…she didn't want to even fathom that possibility. She leapt out of the bed and ran towards the turtle's room, hoping to find him in it but awake or at least still breathing.
The bed…was empty.
The brunette gasped and placed her hand to her mouth. No…this couldn't be. She feared the worst, that Donatello passed away during the night and that her parents called to have the body taken for autopsy. If he died…why didn't they wake her up and tell her to her face? Were they too afraid of how she would react? So much for being great parents… Yet at the same time she didn't hear their sobs coming from the living room. Why weren't they crying? She was about to go into the living room to confront them when she heard noises coming from the kitchen.
"Take it slow…this will be easy on your stomach." She heard her mother say. "Don't eat so much at once."
She suddenly thought of the trash basket next to Donatello's bed. Cheyenne darted towards it and found the leaves…all of them having dark stains on them; was it the poison seeped into them? Feeling her heart race, she ran to the kitchen to see what was going on. When she got in, she failed to hold in a gasp.
There was Donatello, sitting in one of the chair with a blanket draped over him eating some chicken soup. He was still a little shaky and weak…but he was alive. He made it through the night. He made it. The turtle was about to put another small spoonful in his mouth when he caught his sister standing in the kitchen doorway out of the corner of his eye. He stared up at her, noticing her flushed cheeks and eyes, and offered up a tired smile.
"Sissy…I made it…"
Cheyenne stood frozen for a few seconds before her eyes became watery once again and her lips started trembling, forming into a shaky smile. She suddenly lunged forward, almost knocking the bowl of soup over, and wrapped her arms around her brother. Donatello coughed before wrapping his arms around her and allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder and sob. Her tears fell onto his skin and plastron, but he didn't care; he wanted her to know that he was alive and okay.
"…I heard everything you said yesterday…" The turtle whispered. "If you didn't have such faith in me…I probably wouldn't have pulled through… Thanks…Chey…"
"D-Donatello…I…" Cheyenne mumbled through her sobs. "I…I'm sorry…I couldn't protect you in time…"
"We…we saved each other yesterday…" Donatello mumbled in return, tears forming in his maroon eyes. "They…they were going to cut your throat…and I knew I had to protect you…and you…you helped me pull through… T-That's what brothers and sisters do for each other, right?"
The brunette let out a small laugh and sniffled. "Yeah…that's exactly what they do…"