Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles)!
One Purpose
Chapter 7
Mai stood frowning before walking into the street towards the rather large shopping mall. Jim had ordered her to 'go buy some clothes' since she only kept wearing the same clothes every day.
Unbeknownst to her, it was for him a means to get her out of the house and clinic for once, for she didn't indulge herself in what he considered something normal a girls her age were supposed to do. Shopping.
Though the good doctor hadn't really thought the plan through, since Mai was so aware of everything around her, people tend to forget that she was actually blind.
And so, after kicking her out of the clinic in the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon, Jim's face had begun to pale, realizing his mistake once he watched her walk off into the distance.
Now the blind Samurai had to succeed in her greatest task yet, or else be denied her beloved training space.
Sighing, Mai headed in the direction of the mall to undergo this new experience all on her,-
"Mai?"
Having been trained for years to memorize all sounds gave Mai the advantage over her enemies, or in this case, April O'Neil.
April could've spotted Mai from a mile – the redhead couldn't help but think that Mai looked out of place. Even though the city was so big with so many different people, the Samurai had a vibe going that April couldn't quite put her finger on.
Making Mai much easier to spot in a crowd for April's sharp senses.
"April O'Neil" Mai greeted with a nod to the girl she had saved all but a month ago.
"What are you doing here?" April asked and then quickly added "Not that I want to be noisy or anything"
"Jim thinks I need new clothing" Mai sighed, using the elder man's first name after he persisted she should.
"Jim?" April frowned while the two began walking towards the mall.
"Oh" Mai just realized that she had made the assumption that April should have known Jim and blushed slightly in embarrassment of it "My apologies. Jim is…a man who picked me off the street the morning after the fight with the beast. He took care of my wound and took me in" Mai explained.
"You don't have to apologize" April smiled gently as they crossed the street "He sounds like a nice guy"
Now April was the person who assumed too much, Mai snorted "He is an old fart who likes bossing me around because he thinks I am a helpless blind person. He threatened to call the police and have me kicked out of the country if I refused his offer to both take shelter at his home and let him fix my arm" She pointed to the latter which still hung nicely in the sling.
The plaster had been removed just today, but it was still bandaged tightly. Jim had made her promise not to do anything with it yet – like lifting weights or do push-ups.
April raised her brows up high "Wait. So a strange old man has been taking care of you this whole time?" She questioned, shocked and worried at the same time.
Mai raised a single brow, the two girls had stopped walking altogether on the sidewalk beside the mall "Yes"
"Mai! That's incredibly dangerous! Haven't you ever heard about stranger-danger? Or that you shouldn't trust man who offer you cand,-" Somewhere along the line April realized how ridiculous she sounded.
This was a Samurai she was ranting to about not trusting people you just meet because they could have been dangerous. April hung her head in her hands and muttered "Nice going April"
Mai put her hand on April shoulder and smiled her tiny smile "You are forgiven, but only if you help me with something…"
April blinked, did Mai plan on something dangerous "Okay? What is it?" She questioned, not sure of her abilities to fight yet. She had been training with Master Splinter for a while now…did Mai sense that she was ready or something?
"Well I…" Mai's mouth closed for a moment, her face feeling hot with embarrassment over something she hadn't thought possible. Because for this instance, she truly was at the mercy of another person.
Which made her ramble in an awkward attempt to explain it all "…have never done this before – usually I always have gotten clothes from my Master – which were all the same – so I never had to think about what I wore or looked like – actually I never worried about my clothing – though I did like my short jacket – but this is new and I don't know what size I have or what colors would suit me, I,-" Mai hung her head, cutting herself off before she would ramble even more embarrassing things to the girl.
What a mess, here she had been thinking she was such an adult all this time to finally realize she was still a brat herself. She would have to chew Jim out for this later.
April had already realized this had to do something with clothes instead of a dangerous mission and felt equally embarrassed – only difference was that Mai couldn't see that on her face.
So she took pity and smile gently "So this is about getting you some new clothes?"
Mai nodded and, with a taste for revenge upon the man who send her here with his credit-card, she smiled brightly "And perhaps some new training equipment, if it is not too much to ask"
The two walked into the mall "Nah, I didn't have much to do today, so I was going to buy some new socks anyway"
"Thank you" Mai smiled, her embarrassed already gone.
"You're welcome, and hey, it's the least I can do after you saved me" April winked and then face-palmed herself when she remembered Mai couldn't see her do that.
It took less time than April thought to buy clothes for her blind friend, after finding out the girl basically wanted the same that she had, only new. So April took Mai to Mr. Murakami to eat pizza gyoza.
"This is really good, Murakami-san" Mai said, amazed, while throwing another piece in her mouth.
"Thank you, Mai-chan, how nice to hear a new customer likes my food" Mr. Murakami smiled as he continued to work and serve other costumers.
When the two were done, they thanked Mr. Murakami and headed out.
"If you want, I can walk you home" Mai offered, though she didn't plan on letting the girl walk home alone.
"That's okay, I always walk home alone" April smiled and held up her hand in refusal "Besides, wouldn't it be hard for you to find your way back,-"
"Not at all," Mai cut off "either way, I find that I wish to know where you live, in case anything happens"
The way Mai said it, had April's senses sharpened and she suddenly became aware of what was lurking in the shadows.
In an overly acted voice, April hooked her free arm with Mai's good arm and dragged the Samurai with her "Of course! Let's go to my place! There we can watch movies!" and quickly asked quietly while she took out her T-phone and texted Donatello "What do you think is watching us?"
Mai listened. They weren't really well trained, punks, only a small group. "A gang" Mai answered silently clutching the Bokken they had purchased at the martial arts shop.
"The Purple Dragons" April silently growled.
April led them around a corner, where they waited. Mai dropped the bags, holding the Bokken ready. It was way too light for her taste, but perhaps it was a good thing since they were only dealing with a couple of thugs anyway.
Then suddenly, a van pulled up across from them. Mai listened as the thugs stopped in their tracks and deciding against witnesses seeing them mug some girls when the doors of the van opened.
"The Kraang" April said in fear.
"Those weird Robots?" Mai questioned when they started to fire at them or more specifically, at Mai for their objective was to capture April.
Other than having any real weapons on her, Mai's Bokken broke the second she hit one of those robotic bodies, not leaving a scratch on them while April managed to stay out of their grasp. Mai cursed the fact that she couldn't take her real weapons with her.
"April, just run!" Mai yelled, kicking one of the Kraang hard enough that it fell to the ground.
"What about you?!" April yelled back, ducking and rolling to the side.
"I'll be fine!" Mai shouted, pushing two Kraang bots to the side while holding onto the gun which had a knife to it. She used it to make an escape route for April "Now go!"
Feeling like she didn't have another choice, April ran out of the street and into an alley, the Kraang that tried to follow her were cut down by Mai. A second and third van pulled up behind her and metallic arms clamped around her body.
Managing to hide, April saw how the Kraang stunned Mai with electricity and, unable to find her, loaded Mai into one of the vans.
Without a second thought as the last Kraang bot closed the car door behind him, April jumped on the side of the car, holding on for dear life as they took off.
Raphael was leading the way, in a hurry to get to Mai and April. He didn't have the faintest idea why Mai had let April text them about the Purple Dragons – they were small fry.
Suddenly, Donatello's phone rang with April's tone "Hello, April?" Donatello answered it and his confused face turned into full on shock "Mai is captured by the KRAANG?!"
"What? That's not possible" Michelangelo said skeptically and 'pfft-ing' at the sheer notion "I see what they are doing, April and Mai are just playing a prank on us, dudes. She can cut them in half in one blow"
"Shut it, Mikey, or so help me, I will,- " Raphael growled dangerously behind his little brother while they jumped up before he was cut off by Leonardo.
"Quite it, the both of you" Leonardo jumped down and plucked the T-phone out of Donatello's hand "April, listen, you just find a safe place to hide, we will deal with the Kraang"
While his brothers ran, Raphael felt his anger boil. The Kraang had done it this time, he would crush those slimes, if they so much as left a scratch on her…
"April, you have got to stop doing such dangerous things! Just wait until we get there" Leonardo ordered and gave the phone back to Donatello, who pocketed it.
"Where to, Leo?" Donatello asked, running closely next to his elder brother.
"They took her to some old warehouse, April will be waiting for us there" Leonardo informed his brothers and they headed for the location April had given them.
After a moment they found April hiding in one of the alleys surrounding the building.
"April, you okay?" was the first thing Donatello asked, concern and relief written all over his face.
"I'm fine, Donnie, but I don't know what they are going to do with Mai" She answered, guilt in her eyes.
"You sure she is inside?" Raphael asked, a dark tone in his voice.
"Yeah, of course I am" April frowned, but her eyebrows rose high when Raphael suddenly stormed up the building.
"Raph! What are you doing?!" Leonardo shouted after him, as his brother climbed up the building to the window.
"Yeah man! I want to save Mai too!" Michelangelo yelled, recklessly following Raphael.
"Mikey, wait! Guys, we can't go in without a plan! Raph! Stop!" Leonardo yelled, panic overwhelming him as his brothers kept ignoring him. He sighed, both him and Donatello following the two idiots.
"We'll be right back, April" Donatello promised and they disappeared.
"Be careful" April whispered concerned, holding her arms over each other for comfort. Even though she never really interacted much with Raphael like she did with Donatello or Michelangelo, the look he had in his eyes while walking passed her made her realize he wasn't himself at all. And she wondered whether she should worry about that effecting the safety of his brothers…
"Wanting to be a hero, wanting to save others. That kind of arrogance disgusts me…"
The words that were from a long time ago spun under the surface of her consciousness and Mai shook her head and groaned quietly.
She was sitting upright on a chair, her arms bound behind her by chains that also ran along the rest of her torso. The Kraang had not been gentle with her right arm, she felt it ache and throb while she became conscious.
"Kraang, these bags which contain clothes are clothes not suited for Kraang" One of the Kraang told another Kraang that was pulling out a shirt and holding it onto its body.
"Kraang, is wrong, Kraang will look very good in the clothing from the bags which contain clothing which is now of Kraang"
Were they discussing the clothes she and April bought? Why on earth would they take it with them in the first place?
Mai ignored it.
They hadn't removed her sunglasses and so they didn't know she was awake, she doubted she would be saved by the turtles in time and so she would have to seek her own rescue. But trying would cause them to figure out she is awake and shoot her.
Ah, this was frustrating.
This wasn't supposed to happen and with the old memory lingering close to the surface, Mai's thoughts became bitter.
Wasn't she just postponing the inevitable anyway?
"Mikey! Raph!" Leonardo yelled as quietly as he could while he and Donatello followed the trail of empty Kraang bots "If Master Splinter hears of this, we are so not allowed to patrol again!" He hissed furiously.
The building had been bigger than they thought, Donatello commenting that it might be mapped out like a labyrinth, with all the halls twisting and turning leading to the center.
Up ahead they heard fighting and saw Michelangelo rolling and dodging around for his life "Guys!" He yelled in both relief and panic "Raph has gone totally ballistic!"
Though the turtle mentioned was nowhere to be found, leaving the youngest brother to fend for himself.
After dealing with the few Kraang that were left, Donatello helped their younger brother up "What do you mean, Mikey?"
Shaking his head to get the buzz out of his ears, Michelangelo grabbed Donatello's shoulders tightly, pulling the taller turtle close "He has the crazy eyes, D! And I mean waaaaay more than usual! I think he has gone completely mental, bro!"
Leonardo's frown deepened "Then we got to stop him before he does something stupid"
"But how? These hallways go on and on, Leo, I don't think we will be able to catch up to him in time" Donatello stated worriedly.
Leonardo looked around them, his thoughts grim. He mused for a moment when suddenly something caught his eye "Gentlemen, I think I know what to do" He said grinning at his brothers.
Author Comments:
Yellow my lovely's!
UPDATE: Now if you are reading (or rereading the story because of me taking too long to post a new chapter - so, so, sorry) this, it means you are reading my rewritten version of the story (well, rewritten is a big word, more like 'corrected' version) One Purpose.
I am at a stage where I am going to TRY and correct all my mistakes and horrible grammar/spelling in the story, so bear with me for a little while...^^;
So I am busy cleaning the story, if you will, all the way to chapter 12 - after that, I will upload chapter 13 ;)
Anyway, as always, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter so far, let me know what you think and I hope you will also enjoy the rest.
Lots of love,
Siaanna
