A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the REALLY long wait! I had personal stuff going on! But for those of you who were worried about Mikey, here is the answer you were waiting for!
I was actually told y my good friend 'Pen Woman' that I tended to get Mikey into tons of trouble and getting kidnapped! I hadn't noticed until now, which is funny!
Also, I am not shipping Splinter and Robyn, though it would be a very funny pairing!
Special thanks to SMDKFan for helping me, and for everyone else who helped me, and to all those who R&R and Fave this fic, THANK YOU!
Enjoy!
Chapter 8: Reunited
The only thing that the young orange clad turtle, Michelangelo, was aware of when he was finally dragged back to the waking world with a soft groan, was that his head hurt. Like, Raph headlock hurt. Slowly, he opened his baby blue eyes, but the word was still in a blurry haze.
"Ugh…my head," he moaned, blinking several times to clear the haze.
His eyes flew wide open as he caught sight of an ugly, dirty, grinning face behind metal bars.
"'Ello there, little fella!"
Mikey let out a shrill, high pitched yelp as he sat right up, scooting as far away from that ugly human face as possible until he collided with the wall of his metal barred cage, which was when he finally realized that his arms were chained, pinned tightly to his sides. He looked down at the chains with wide panicked eyes, trying to wriggle himself out of them, but to no avail.
"Aw, you gotta be kidding me! Again?!" he cried. He really needed to stop getting himself into situations like these.
The four humans that stood behind the bars began to chuckle evilly at the frightened turtle as he scooted to the farthest corner of his prison cell. The ugly faced one that Mikey had woken up to folded his arms across his chest and stared down at him smugly. "I heard that turtle soup is very popular in these parts," he sneered.
Mikey gulped. "…oh no…" he squeaked.
"Yeah, but the boss said to keep the turtle locked up and don't harm him," said another, moving his arm in front of 'Ugly Face', stopping him from getting any closer to the cell, much to Mikey's slight relief.
"To think there are more little freaks like him out there," breathed a third thug as he stared down at Mikey in slight awe.
"Yeah...I don't know what the boss is gonna do with him, but he said we can't have some noisy mutant freak ruining everything!" piped up another.
"Yeah. This freaky turtle…kid…thing, should have just stayed where he was at and not stuck his noise...err, beak, in other people's business."
"Speaking of which...the boss mentioned something on getting money out of that turtle!"
"Well yeah...the creature looks like a teenager almost," the ugly one said, looking closer at the little mutant, whose eyes were wide and pupils dilated as he quivered in fear, "and even acts like he's human...heck, the freak can even talk!"
"Eh, forget that!" one laughed as they began to walk away, "I just hope he gives us some credit for the capture!"
"Yeah, the little mutant brat nearly bit my bloody hand off!"
"Oh yeah? The other one nearly ate my head!"
"You should've seen what he did to poor ol' Fancy Dan; poor guy didn't make it through the night."
"Yeesh! Poor Fancy Dan…"
They finally disappeared through a flap that hung over the entrance of whatever tiny prison they had thrown him in, still chatting amongst themselves about some kind of large monster, leaving Mikey alone in his cage. He drew his knees closer to his chest, his little body trembling as he began to hyperventilate. Tears of fear began to roll down his freckled cheeks.
This was exactly what they had all been afraid of all along. He was locked up and chained, inside a cage in some kind of large hut, in the middle of who-knows-where, probably about to be sold to a science lab very soon, and worst of all, he was all alone.
His family would have no idea where he would have gone. They would have no idea what happened to him until it was too late.
Mikey bit his trembling bottom lip as he fought back a sob as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He was alone, and he was so afraid. Was this how it was all supposed to end for him? Condemned to die alone in a land he never should have set foot in, simply because he was different?
Why did the world have to be so cruel to them? What had they ever done wrong?
"Do not cry, little one..."
Mikey's eyes widened again as he let out a gasp and a sharp yelp, scooting closer to the corner of his cage as he searched frantically for whoever had just spoken. Was it another one of those human thugs?
Or was it someone much worse?
"W-Who…who's b-back there?" he stuttered fearfully. He really wished that he had his nunchaku with him right now…well, that, and he wished that he could use his arms.
It was then that he noticed the large, slightly boulder shaped figure on the other side of the cage that Mikey was sat in, and the piercing green, seemingly glowing eyes that stared straight at him, and he felt himself go very cold.
The creature rose from where he lay, and stepped out into the light.
Mikey shrunk backwards. "…Eeep."
The creature that shared the same cage with him, his large wrists wrapped in thick, long chains attached to the floor, and staring down at him over his long snout with large, glowing emerald eyes, was a giant mutant alligator.
Mikey's eye twitched ever so slightly as his large baby blue eyes gawked up at the new mutant in a mixture of amazement and fear. The gator only stared back at him, a low grumble emitting from his large, slightly scarred chest each time he breathed out.
An uneasy silence hung over the two of them. Neither mutant knew what to say or do for several long moments.
Mikey swallowed thickly, and he raised his hand as high as the chains that bound his arms to his sides would allow him to, and he gave the alligator a little wave.
"…Hi."
The gator blinked, staring at the younger mutant for a moment longer, and then he rose his clawed, webbed hand up as well, waving it slightly.
"…Hello."
Mikey sniffled a little and smiled up at him, the tears no longer falling.
The gator smiled back, revealing his sharp teeth.
As Mikey looked up at the mutants now smiling face, and looked into his deep, seemingly ancient eyes, he knew that he had nothing to fear. Whoever this gator was, he knew that he would not harm him, even if he didn't have the chains holding him down. He could tell that this was just a kind hearted fellow mutant, much like himself, that had gone through much in his long life, judging by the scars that were littered all over his scaly body.
Besides, reptiles needed to stick together, right?
Scooting closer to the larger mutant, Mikey sat cross-legged in front of him, beaming up at him.
The gator himself sat down also, his tail curling around his feet as he rested his hands on his knees, looking down at the young, curious, and admittedly adorable-looking turtle mutant. It had shocked him, when they had first brought the youngster in, that there were more creatures just like him in this new land.
Maybe in this time period, his kind was treated like slaves? He didn't want to think about what they would do to innocent hatchlings like this one before him.
"My name's Michelangelo!" Mikey piped up enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling in wonder, "What's yours?"
The gator looked down. "I…do not have one."
Mikey's eyes widened as he gasped theatrically. "You don't have a name?!" he exclaimed, and the gator nodded slowly. Mikey's face lit up again as he scooted closer onto his knees, struggling to stand up without the use of his arms. "Ha! Well today's your lucky day, 'cause I'm a genius at naming stuff!" he laughed. Then his face creased in thought as he looked the creature up and down. He looked straight into his eyes. "Let's see…" he murmured, and then hobbled around the creature to inspect his scaly tail, tapping the lumpy spines with his toe. Shaking his head, he hopped back in front of the gator, "Um, can you open your mouth a sec? I need to have a look in there," he asked.
Raising an eye ridge in confusion, the gator complied, opening his large jaws wide. His eyes widened in shock as Mikey suddenly stuck his little head straight inside, seemingly examining his razor fangs with intense consideration.
What did this child think he was doing?! He could easily rip his head off without even trying, and yet he would simply stick it inside his jaws as if he were looking inside a rabbit hole?
Did this little one really trust him that much, even after only just meeting him?
His heart throbbed suddenly. This little turtle was just like how Kenshin used to be; so curious, so young, so naïve…and so willing to trust a gigantic monster like him…
Mikey withdrew his head from inside his mouth, and the gator closed his jaws, looking down at him as if waiting for his next inspection. "Could you bend your head down a second?" he asked, and the gator obeyed. Mikey stood up on his tiptoes as he rubbed his cheek on his scaly head.
The gator couldn't deny it that it felt really good as he let out a low grumble from his throat in mild delight.
Mikey grinned, "You like that?" he laughed.
"…yes," the gator chuckled.
Mikey laughed again, "Me too! It feels like a back scratcher, but for your face! Because, y'know, your head is kinda leathery…" He then pursed his lips in thought. "Hmmm…how about Head Leather… Heather?"
He then let out an excited gasp as he leapt away to stand in front of him, "No, wait! Leather Head! Even better; Leather Head!" he announced happily.
The newly named mutant alligator, 'Leather Head', sat back and smiled softly. "Leather Head it is," he said, "thank you."
Mikey shrugged with a grin, "No problemo! It's what I do," he replied nonchalantly as he sat back down, crossing his legs as he looked up at his new friend. "So…how did you get stuck in this place too?" he asked.
Leather Head looked down again and sighed. "…I had just arrived in this land, looking for a place to hide myself from the eyes of the humans that lived here. I had entered the forest, and wandered too far into this human campsite. They spotted me, and began to attack me. I had tried to defend myself, but I was soon overcome by their spears…and guns…"
He turned slightly to reveal several holes in his left side, congealed blood crusted over the wounds. They were small, but they had clearly done a lot of damage when they had first been inflicted upon him.
Mikey let out a horrified gasp. He had never seen an actual gun wound or had ever been shot himself, but he didn't have to be a genius to know that that must have been bad. "Dude! That's awful!" he cried.
Leather Head nodded somberly, moving back again. "The bullets have still not been taken out. If I were not a mutant, the infection would have already killed me."
"…but, those guys back there said that you almost killed them. Is…is that true?" Mikey probed quietly.
Leather Head's eyes grew wide slightly at that as his head snapped back up to Mikey. "…I did what?"
Mikey nodded, "Yeah, they were saying stuff like how you killed this one guy, 'Fancy Dan' or something like that…they said he didn't make it through the night…"
Leather Head turned his large head to the side and closed his eyes.
Horrid images suddenly flashed through his mind.
Guns shots fired, and his hand clutched the wounds as he cried out in pain. He removed it to find it covered in his own blood, and he gripped his bleeding side again. Confusion clouded his mind as he wondered what he had done wrong to deserve this, and more humans tried to pin him to the ground. He suddenly saw red, and the world was a blurry mess of blood, screams of agony, before another shot fired, and everything went black.
He opened his eyes again to find the young turtle looking up at him expectantly, blue eyes wide with innocence and concern as he awaited his answer. He sighed before he answered, "…there are times when I lose control. When I awaken, I am horrified by what I have done. A monster like me deserves to be chained…" he looked down at the chains wrapped around his wrists.
Mikey stared at the chains, and then looked back up at the gator sadly. "…or maybe you just think you're a monster…because everyone treats you that way…" he said sadly.
Leather Head looked at the young one in mild surprise, before nodding. "…you are wise beyond your years," he alleged.
Mikey shrugged, "Yeah, I get that a lot," he beamed. His smile faltered slightly as he scooted closer to Leather Head's uninjured side, and he rested his head against him. "…I kinda know how you feel…humans don't really like things that're different from them. But I don't think you're a monster; you're just like a…" he pouted as he struggled to find the words, "umm…like a big pussy cat!"
Leather Head looked down at him blankly, raising an eye ridge.
Mikey chuckled nervously. "Well, something like that anyways…" he said, snuggling closer into Leather Head's side. "Don't worry Leather Head. We'll find a way outta here together. I promise!" he beamed again, his eyes twinkling with hope.
Leather Head gazed down at him, and was truly touched by this young one's childlike hope and innocence, and a smile found its way across his features as he lowered himself down, curling his body around the turtle and wrapping his tail around him protectively as he lay down. "In that case, we must rest," he offered, "and wait until the opportunity arises to escape."
Mikey grinned wider, nodding in agreement as he snuggled into the giant's side. He felt safe around this mighty creature, like he was a solid rock that would defend him from anything that would try to cause either of them any harm.
Kind of like Raphael in a way, but much bigger and less cranky.
Before they both dozed off together, Leather Head looked down at the freckled child once more, and a tear threatened to fall from his eye. He was just like Kenshin was all those years ago. It could be possible that he was his reincarnation, as the old villagers of this land had believed happened often; when one dies, they are reborn as someone or something else in another time and place.
It appeared that he had one thing to thank his captors for, which came as a thought as he lay his head down next to the napping turtle, closing his eyes as a small smile appeared.
He had finally been reunited with his old friend.
The sun was at its highest peak that late afternoon as it hovered over the vast forests of Kyoto. It beat down upon the two strange travelling companions like a blazing inferno, much to their dismay. The many cicadas that occupied the trees and bushes chirped loudly around them, as did the birds as they flew above the trees, startling some of the other animals that took refuge in their forest home, but not as much as the pair of odd trespassers that walked through the dirt paths.
"Phew! And I thought New York got hot sometimes, but the weather here is ridiculous!" Casey Jones muttered, wiping sweat off of his brow as he trekked through the thick bushes. Now he wished he hadn't worn his long sleeves.
It's February! It shouldn't be this hot already!
In front of him, Master Splinter chuckled. "Indeed, Mr. Jones. But you will get used to it, I am sure," the rat master reassured, moving large leaves aside to allow the young human to step through first, "though I must admit, whilst having fur does have its advantages, it does little to hinder the heat."
Casey chuckled, "Heh, yeah. I can only imagine what it's like to, y'know, be covered in fur and stuff…" His eyes widened as he let out a shudder. Making a mental note to never think about that again, he continued after the giant ninja master, listening to the sounds of the forest around him.
The two of them had been wandering through this massive forest ever since they had split up from the turtles, finding nothing but a small trail of faded footprints. After spending the night under a fallen tree trunk, they rose early to find the trail gone, covered up by the trails of animals that had meandered past during the night. Luckily enough, Splinter was a rat, meaning he could still catch Robyn's scent amongst the other scents in the forest; she had applied some strong smelling perfume that Splinter instantly recognized.
When Casey had asked him how he knew which perfume se wore, Splinter mentioned how she had actually come to him one day with a handful of perfumes, asked him what perfume smelled better for her (or at least which one didn't burn a hole through his nose).
The two of them often engaged in the occasional conversation, such as what Casey intended to be when he graduated from high school, which he replied happily with either a professional hockey player, or an international bounty hunter.
Well, Splinter mused, with the way he and his hotheaded Raphael interacted with each other, he reckoned the latter was going to be just right for him.
At the thought of his sons, his body suddenly tensed up as they walked. His sons…were they alright? Had they succeeded in finding April and Michelangelo?
What if they had been discovered and captured as well? He could not bear the thought of losing all of them.
He couldn't lose another family.
Though Casey was no ninja by any means, he could see the tension in the old rat's features. It was something, as a son of a slightly overprotective father himself, that he could see as clear as daylight. Hesitantly, Casey reached up and put a hand on Splinter's shoulder. Splinter started slightly at that, and he looked down at the young vigilante with a curious furry brow raised.
Smiling, Casey patted his shoulder. "You shouldn't really worry about them, Master Splinter, sir," he reassured awkwardly, "they're the baddest ninjas I know! Well, besides Karai, but that's not the point. They can handle a rescue mission no problem! Am I right?"
He then sent the old rat master a cave mouthed grin.
Blinking in surprise for a moment, Splinter smiled back, lifting his clawed hand and ruffling the boy's hair. "Indeed, Casey, you are correct," he mused, "and very observant. Thank you."
Casey shrugged. "No problem, rat dude," he smirked, cracking his neck from side to side, "That's Casey Jones right there for ya!"
Splinter shook his head and chuckled again at the teen, continuing on ahead. He had forgotten how vigilant the young lad proved to be at times. In fact, he had seen so first hand, back when he and the young kunoichi, Karai, had broken into the old hideout of The Shredder to rescue him, back when he and his sons had been separated. He showed wisdom beyond his years when he confronted the group of boys that had once followed under The Shredder's command.
He understood what it was like to be part of a broken family, and he used that against the ones who claimed that their so-called 'family' was justified in what their mission had been. Eventually, they had sided with him and his family against The Shredder, and had even cheered for them all after his defeat.
Splinter knew that this boy would definitely grow to become something great. And he would not be alone; he would have Raphael and the rest of his family behind him until the very end.
Suddenly, the ninja master came to a halt, shooting his arm out in front of Casey to stop him. Casey looked up at him in confusion, but immediately understood as the old rat knelt down into the grass, and Casey followed suit, taking out his hockey mask and putting it over his face, and covering his head with his black hood.
Something, or someone, was there.
Splinter pricked his ears, his senses heightening as he crept through the bushes, whilst wordlessly admiring Casey's silent follow.
He heard voices farther down the trail. He also sensed the foul scent of alcohol in the air as they crept closer. They peeked over the top of the bushes, and their eyes widened as they caught sight of a campsite, filled with filthy looking humans. Several men, all of them holding strong British accents, were sitting or drinking, laughing with their partners, or standing guard, holding guns under their arms. But that was not what shocked them the most.
Robyn O'Neil was there, lying down inside a wooden cage. She appeared unharmed, but she was still dressed in her Japanese pajamas, covered in dirt. She didn't move at all, and if it were not from the rise and fall of her chest, they would have deemed her dead.
Splinter let out a soft snarl through his fangs. How dare those brutes treat her like an animal? Had they no honor or even a shred of dignity in them?
Casey seemed to share the same thought as he growled behind his hockey mask. "We gotta get her out of there!" he hissed in a loud whisper.
Splinter nodded. "That is much easier said than done, Casey," he replied lowly, "I cannot allow them to see me, and they are heavily armed."
Casey lifted up his mask so Splinter could see his smile. "Yeah, but so am I! I'll be able to take them down, don't worry!" he asserted confidently.
Splinter stared at him blankly, and then let out a breath. This boy was truly reckless…and admittedly slightly crazy. He was still very inexperienced, and he was up against several armed men, with nothing but hockey sticks, a baseball bat, and his own strength. He would surely end up getting himself badly hurt, or worse.
Splinter was responsible for the safety of this boy as long as he was in his company, and any harm brought upon him would be his fault. He had a family waiting for him back home, and if they should lose him, he could never live with himself.
But Robyn's safety was on the line. And he had seen Casey fight many times before, and he always proved to be as skilled and as strong as any boy his age. He could do this.
"…very well," he finally relented with a sigh, but then held up a finger as he stared at him with a stern expression, "however, if you find yourself unable to continue, you must call for me. Is that understood?"
Casey nodded firmly, his own expression firm as he slipped his mask back over his face and snuck back into the bushes, moving around Splinter as he vanished from his sight.
Splinter shook his head, praying that he had not just made a big mistake.
Casey silently approached two of the guards that stood the closest to where he knelt, circling them from behind, not making a single sound as they remained unaware of his presence. They were the only two armed ones out of all of them, and Casey counted seven goons all together in this single campsite.
Seven against one? Too easy!
First thing's first though, he needed to remember what Raph had told him. Know your enemy; take out the guns first, then go for the sober ones. The drunkards should be no problem.
Well then, time to go to work!
Nodding, Casey dug into his belt pocket and took out two smoke bombs, courtesy of Donatello, and he stood up and tapped both men on the shoulder. They snapped their heads around, and before they could react, the smoke bombs were thrown in their faces, and Casey drew out his baseball bat, clonking them both over the heads as they fell to the ground in a heap.
"Casey Jones one, gunmen zero!" he laughed.
The noise attracted the attention of the other men as they ran (or stumbled) towards him, all of them screaming curses at him. Casey only scoffed as he charged head first into the fray. "GOONGALA!" he shouted as he attacked, his bat never missing his target as he swept the floor with them. The drunkards were the easiest of the lot, of course.
"Eat this, you filthy scum bags!" he cussed, taking out his other hockey sticks and ramming them into his attackers, felling them with several hard blows over their heads and backs. Oh if only Raph could be here to enjoy this with him!
Though they really weren't that much of a challenge; they didn't even land a single scratch on him!
Well, that was until Casey felt a fist connect to his jaw, making him stumble backwards onto his backside.
He glared up at his new foe, only to find a heavily muscled man stood over him, pumping his fist into his palm. "Ya messed with the wrong bloke, kiddy," he sneered as he loomed over the skull masked boy, "ya ready to feel pain?"
Casey scrambled to his feet, standing firmly before the muscle man. He threw down his hockey sticks, and rose is gloved hands close to his face. "Come get some, chump!" he mocked.
The large thug smirked, and with a yell, he charged for the boy.
Casey let out his own war cry as he leapt for him.
But just as the thug rose his fist to strike Casey in the face again, Casey swiftly ducked underneath his fist, and from his left baseball glove, he whipped out a stunner made from a potato masher, and electricity pulsed through the thugs body like lightning as he let out a shrill cry of pain, before falling limp to the ground, still twitching.
Casey stood over the fallen foe, dusting off his hands smugly. "And that is how Casey Jones wins fights, buddy!" he taunted. He turned back to where he knew Splinter was hiding, "It's all clear, Master Splinter! Got 'em all!" he called over.
Splinter emerged from the bushes moments later, his face written with surprise as he looked over the campsite littered with unconscious bodies. He then approached the young vigilante. "Impressive skills, Casey," he praised, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I see you have been taking advice from my sons. It has done you some good; I suggest you keep doing it."
Casey grinned behind his mask, giving the ninja master a thumbs up as his chest filled up with pride. "Thanks! Now, let's get Robyn outta here," he said as they both moved to where Robyn lay unconscious in her wooden cage.
Splinter swung his fist hard at the lock, shattering it to pieces as Casey moved inside and shook her gently on the shoulder. "Miss Robyn! Wake up!" he called.
Robyn moaned in pain for a moment, her eyes blinking open, and the world came back into focus. She let out a scream as she came face to face with a skull face. "AAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she cried, slapping the skull in the face.
Casey yelped in pain at the slap. Jeez, that woman could land a hard hit! Maybe she had been training under April?
Quickly recovering from the hit, Casey both hands firmly on her shoulders to calm the woman down as she began to hyperventilate in fear. "Robyn, it's me! Casey!" he reassured, lifting up his mask so she could see his face. "See? It's just my mask!"
Robyn's eyes widened in disbelief. Her eyes then drifted up to Splinter, who stood directly behind Casey as he gave her a little bow. "It is good to see that you are unharmed, Miss Robyn," he greeted with a warm smile.
Robyn blinked several times. "S-Splinter? C-Casey? You're here? But, how?!" she cried, grabbing Casey and hugging the boy to her chest as tears fell down her cheeks.
Casey let out a strangled gasp as she drove all the air out of her. He awkwardly put his arms around her, patting her back reassuringly as he helped her stand. "Um, there there, Aunt Robyn, you're okay now," he chuckled tensely as she finally released him from her death grip, and he held her hands in his own. "We beat up these goons for you; they won't be going after you again, I promise."
She covered her mouth with her free hand as she fought for control over the sobs. "I-I can't believe it! You actually came!" she wailed, and without warning, she ran up to Splinter and pinned his arms to his side in a crushing hug.
Splinter stiffened upon the sudden embrace, his eyes widening in surprise as the breath left him, but he put a soft reassuring hand on her back and patted it. She had clearly been through much during her imprisonment; though he'd rather not think about what they would have done to her should they have been much longer in their arrival.
"It is alright, Miss O'Neil. You shall be safe with us now," he soothed as she finally let go.
She nodded, wiping the tears off her cheek with the back off her hand and took a steadying breath. "Thank you both so much…I have no idea how, but the fact that you're really here…" she shook her head and huffed a laugh, "April was right…you really are always there for her."
Splinter and Casey both nodded proudly. "That we are. And do not fear for your niece; my sons have already set out to rescue her. She is in good hands," Splinter reassured.
Robyn put a hand over her heart as she sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god…she's safe…"
It was then that Splinter noticed her eyes drooping, and her slight staggering as she tried to keep standing. Of course; she was emotionally as well as physically exhausted. So without a word, Splinter knelt down in front of her. "If you would permit me, I would ask you to climb onto my back," he offered, "you are still weak and weary, Miss O'Neil, so I strongly suggest that you do."
Robyn looked down at him in surprise, a warm blush covering her cheeks. "Oh…thank you, Master Splinter," she smiled, before she moved around and allowed Splinter to hook his arms underneath her legs and hoisted her up onto his back.
She rested her head against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck, finally feeling safer than she had in days.
Splinter made sure that she was comfortable before turning back to Casey. "We must continue onwards, Casey. We must find my sons and April."
Casey nodded, and turned as he led the way out of the camp. Unbeknownst to Splinter, Casey made a face and rolled his eyes. "Adults are so weird," he whispered to himself, shuddering slightly as they reentered the forest, leaving the chaos of unconscious thugs behind.
However, as Robyn allowed herself to rest in the security of the ninja masters' arms, a cruel factor had slipped her mind…
The Scepter that she had carried was nowhere to be seen.
