Episode 20: All's Fair in Love and War – Part 3

Ethan hardly slept all night. Instead, he spent his time lying awake staring at the ceiling. He was waiting or Mikey, Jess, and Raph to return home for the night. They hadn't come back in the last few hours and it made him worry that Shredder had found them. But he was worried about something more – something that made him clench his claws around his dark sheets more and roll over and over and over again.

Karai had reacted just by hearing Leo's name! Any day now she will wake up and they can go on their stupid, perfect relationship that they had, and I get to sit and torture myself by watching it all. The bitterness in his own thoughts surprised him and he knew that Master Hamato would be upset if he knew how Ethan felt. He rolled to his side and tried to tuck the blankets against his hot fur underneath his arm to bundle up more. Lying on his side mad his whiskers uncomfortable as they bent against the pillow.

He glared at the dark of the room as if it had insulted him. The war continued in his mind between memories of their first kiss in the sewers and his missing friends and sister. The sewer isn't too romantic, but still . . . I wonder when those guys will get back? Karai probably won't even remember me when she wakes up. How long does it take for Mikey to grab a pizza?

Eventually he started to drift in and out of sleep, never fully awake, but neither asleep either. Hazy images of Karai played across his mind, along with scenery of green mountains and crashing waves of the ocean. A bamboo built home with sliding screen doors on the edge of thick, emerald forest.

All of that came crashing down at the sound of banging. At first, in a dizzy, sleepy blur, Ethan pulled himself up, his fur feeling stiff on his arms and face, his whiskers popping immediately back into place and his ears perking up from the noise. He groaned.

The smell of metal was in the air.

Ethan snatched up his white bandanna and tied it around his eyes and stood up, adjusting it so he could see through the two eyeholes. The banging vanished as Ethan peeked his head through the doorframe of the lab.

Donnie had a pair of thick goggles on his eyes and had just set down a blow torch. He was holding up a glittering chain, a silver, polished heart glancing in the overhead lights and casting white and yellow specks across the cement floor from the sparkling gold.

Donnie started with a yell as he turned and saw Ethan watching him from the door. He fumbled the necklace but immediately caught it before it hit the ground. "Sorry, did I wake you up?" he asked nervously with a guilty smile, the necklace clasped between his fingers so it couldn't be seen.

"Yeah, but it's fine. I probably should be up."

Ethan could suddenly see Leonardo's form, his head on the table next to Karai's arm, quiet snoring coming from the corner. He probably stayed up all night to sleep through that metal smashing. Ethan thought.

"Then why are you glaring?"

Ethan started and quickly shook his head and forced a smile. "I'm good. Did Jess, Raph, and Mikey come back last night?"

"I didn't see them." Donnie had turned and placed the necklace that Ethan had seen clearly into a box and began wrapping it with white paper, red hearts speckled across it. Suddenly Ethan was relieved that Raphael wasn't here to see the gift Donatello had put together.

Not wanting to be in the lab anymore, Ethan shifted himself slowly over to the doorway, wanting to hold his naginata in his hands and feel the force of the blade against a target. If he didn't get it out of his system, he feared where that energy would end up.

"Hello?"

Apri's voice echoed down the hallway and Ethan ignored Donnie who nearly fell over himself onto the table. Ethan poked his head out from the lab to see that April had stepped in and slung her bag over onto the couch.

A door closed down the hallway.

Ethan winced, knowing that it was Kaela.

He wondered if she would ever let herself face to face to April again.

April had done her hair up into the usual yellow headband and her necklace sat around her neck as it always did, glowing against her yellow t-shirt. "Happy Valentines day!" April said with a smile, holding up a series of bright pink and red cards in her hands as she noticed Ethan. "Is anyone else here, Ethan?"

"I am!" Donnie practically flung himself through the doors, knocking Ethan to the ground. "Happy Var-Valentine's Day!" Each word came out with a serious amount of painful force from his throat that sounded like they cut all the way up from his lungs. He had a grin on his face that made Ethan want to facepalm.

Flipping his tail back out from behind him and rubbing his shoulder that Donnie had struck as he burst past him, Ethan stood back up. A loud snort from the lab clued him that Leo had just woken up. Ethan quickly stepped out of the lab, not wanting to confront him at all today from fear of what would happen. He walked over to the dojo doors and snatched up his naginata from where it had been resting on the awning and nearly stepped into the dojo under the shade of the large tree in the sewer when April cried after him, "Wait, Ethan! I have a card here for you to."

Forcing a smile, Ethan stepped back down the stairs and over to April, flipping himself up over the couch to save time. April smiled and stuck her hands out, offering him a pink card with hearts on it. Donnie was already clutching his like he had just been given a child to take care of.

Ethan flipped it open easily, careful not to let his claws cut the card up. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! THANKS FOR TAKING CARE OF THINGS WHILE WE WERE IN SPACE ;) – APRIL

Ethan smiled and nodded, motioning the card into the air. "Thanks." He said. "Sorry, I didn't get you anything."

April shrugged. "It's okay!"

"I got you something!" Donnie said hastily.

April turned and Ethan paused, trying to figure out what her expression was.

"Oh?"

She almost sounded like Jess on a bad day.

Ethan made a quick nod and slowly inched his way back to the dojo.

Donnie had vanished over to the lab and was gone.

Ethan turned his back and walked back up the stairs to the dojo and then paused at what April said. "Hey, Mikey! Where's Jess and Raph?"

An answer didn't come.

Twisting his head back, he noticed Mikey standing at the entrance of the lair, his form a shadow from the light that blasted from the railway behind him. The second he saw him, he knew something was wrong and he turned back to Mikey. "What's wrong?" Ethan said quickly.

Mikey didn't move at all.

"Mikey?" Donnie had entered the room again, the present clutched in his hand.

Something's off.

Ethan spun his naginata into ready position.

As if he had told a joke, a girlish laugh echoed down the dark subways, reverberating off the walls and resting like fog into their living room. The other cards in April's hands fell to the floor and she whipped her fan out in a ready defense.

"Kawaii!"

At first Ethan thought he was hearing Kitsune and dread gripped him, but then, a figure appeared next to Mikey, as if she had stood next to him the whole time. The first thing he noted was an enormous hat that reminded him of the ones he saw on the Halloween isle during the fall. A cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and went down to her knees like black bat wings. "A red panda and a little red bird." Her gold eyes glanced over Ethan and April, ignoring Donnie entirely. "How cute."

"Who the heck are you?" Donnie asked, stepping down the stairs. "Get away from April."

"I can take care of myself, Donnie." April retorted, her glare solidly on the witch.

"My name is Shinigami." The witch stated. "I'm here to take back Karai."

"You can't have her."

Leonardo had emerged from the lab, both of his katana at the ready.

Shinigami laughed coldly and then shrugged her slim shoulders, the cloak falling behind her shoulders and two glittering crescent blades appeared in her hands, attached by a long cord. "Little Kappa, take them out."

Mikey jumped from the shadows, his nun chucks spinning through the air.

"Valentine's Day sucks." Ethan groaned.

Jess was freezing. She opened her eyes and immediately felt her head throbbing behind her eyes like a drum beating in her head loudly. She could feel snow on her fur, glistening and felt freezing wind biting at her nose. Her kama's were lying on either side of her.

Groaning, she pulled her chest up from the snow, her shirt soaked through and stiff, the folds in it frozen where they were. Raphael was lying not far from her, face down in the snow. "Raph!" Jess stood and nearly lost consciousness again as a her headache burst like a thunderbolt in her head. She kept her feet, stumbling through the winter snow and fell on her knees at Raphael's side. She grabbed his arm and noted it was freezing cold. She shook him and rubbed up closer to him, blushing as she tried to use her to shield him from the cold. "Raph, wake up!"

Raphael groaned and turned his head. The moment he saw Jess he shrieked and backed away from her and then, remembering himself, he jumped to his feet. "Don't freak me out like that, Jess!"

"Sorry." Jess said, feeling her face grow hot despite the weather. "We should probably make our way back to the lair, I don't know how long we've been out here." She was feeling her whole body shake even with the fur. Her head throbbed as she got back to her feet.

Raphael didn't look in any better shape. He coughed and nodded, wincing.

"Here, we can stabilize each other." Jess put her arm around his shoulder, not wanting to make eye connection with him.

Raphael didn't reply, but didn't protest either and so the two slowly made their way through the snow and down the fire escape to the street below.

Mikey's fighting style felt strained, totally unaware of what was going on in his own head. April took the brunt of his attack and backed away. Ethan jumped over the sofa and slashed his flashing blade at Shinigami's head, but she slipped out of the way just in time and with a cackle slammed Ethan backward with the blunt edge of her crescent blade.

Falling backward, Ethan struck Donnie in the shoulder and he yelped as the present fell from his hands and dunked into the water of the sewer. "No!" Donnie shrieked, falling onto his stomach and grasping for it, but it had fallen out of his reach and sunk to the bottom of the sewer pipe.

Leo leaped forward but Mikey had disarmed and thrown April to the side and lunged at Leo, blocking him from Shinigami. "Mikey, get out of the way!" Leo snapped as he shoved Mikey backward.

"Something's wrong with him!" April said, standing. She snatched at her necklace and closed her eyes, reaching out her other hand towards Mikey.

"Bad girl!" Shinigami leaped forward and kicked April's shoulder like a dart and April gasped, falling to her side.

Ethan leaped back to his feet and ran for another attack at Shinigami. Kaela emerged from the hallway. "What the heck is happening?" She asked, clutching her ribbon dart in her hand.

"We're being attacked by one of Shredder's servants!" Ethan cried.

"And why is Donnie in the sewage?"

Ethan turned to see that Donnie had leaped into the water, shrieking again as the gift washed down the drain pipe. "No, no, no!"

"No clue."

"Back off witch!" April reached out to Shinigami and an invisible force threw the over large bat backwards.

"Little red bird." Shinigami hissed as she stood back up. She jumped, vanishing in a blast of red smoke and live bats that flew and shrieked around the room. Ethan slashed at the ones that dived at his head and rolled down the stairs, striking where he knew Shinigami would reappear, right next to April.

He guessed right.

Shinigami fell backward but then dodged Ethan's second strike and moved close range again, slamming him in the stomach with the golden orb at the end of her kusarigama chain. The air blew out of his mouth and nose and he fell to his feet. "How dare you take my friend." She lifted her weapon, the crescent blade ready for a strike to Ethan's neck.

Ethan only had time to gasp as she lunged at him.

"Shini, no!"

A blade appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and blocked the blow before it hit Ethan.

"Karai!"

Ethan heard Leo say it from across the room as Ethan looked up to see Karai was standing over him, blade out, her golden hair flowing into black and her eyes serious as she looked at the witch.

Their weapons were gone in a second and the two were suddenly embracing.

"Uh…." Ethan's mouth hung open.

April quickly stood and reached out her hand again, washing over the room in blue light.

Mikey groaned as the light vanished and fell to his knees, rolling his head dizzily at Leonardo's feet. "What happened, dudes?" he groaned.

"You were just trying to kill me." Leo said, sheathing his swords and folding his arms across his chest, aiming a glare at Mikey.

As soon as Mikey saw Shinigami and Karai embracing he jumped back up to his feet, his face red and he chuckled nervously. The two girls separated and smiled at each other.

Kaela made her way down the stairs. "I don't get it. Did I miss something?"

Ethan shook his head, "I don't get it either and I have been here the whole time."

Karai turned to the group. "Thank you for helping me." She said giving a formal bow tot hem. "Guys, this is Shini. She's my friend from Japan."

"I went to see if Shredder still had you captive," Shinigami said, "But I couldn't find you anywhere in his lair. But a big cat was talking about how you had been stolen in the sewers so I thought I would look for you."

"Karai, I'm so glad your back." Leo stepped forward and his hand touched the side of her forearm. She smiled back and then her eyes caught hold of Ethan.

Hoping that their kiss was forgotten with the brain worm, Ethan cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away.

"Thanks for helping me out, Ethan."

Dang it! She totally remembers!

"So where are Raphael and Jess?" Kaela asked, looking around the lair as Donnie hopped out of the water, crestfallen and dripping all over the floor.

"Oh, the turtle and the artic fox?" Shinigami asked with a guilty frown. "I think I left them in the snow…"

"We're here!"

An echo came from the entrance and Raphael and Jess limped in, Raphael giving long hacking coughs as they walked. "Are you guys okay?" Ethan asked, running up to the two and helping Raph down onto the couch.

"Get away from her!" Raphael brandished his sai at Shinigami.

"Raphael, no! Shini's a friend. She just thought you guys had kidnapped me." Karai retorted immediately.

"Sorry for taking you down." Shini said cockily with a sly smile.

Raphael growled.

"All's forgiven!" Mikey said stepping up to them. "How about a hug of eternal reunion?" He opened his arms expectantly.

Karai raised an eyebrow.

"You're silly." Shini laughed. "I like you."

Mikey grinned.

Donnie walked up to April but she didn't seem to acknowledge him.

"Well, that explains everything." Ethan suddenly said with a quick look in Kaela's direction. "Shinigami must have been doing something to you Donnie to try and start contention in the team. That's why you said what you did."

Shinigami turned to look at Ethan with confusion but Ethan caught her eye and gave his head a quick, subtle shake, widening his eyes to signal to her not to say anything.

She frowned at him, but didn't say anything.

"Oh." April said. "That makes sense."

"Sorry April." Donnie said, "I made something for you but it got lost in the drain pipe."

"That's okay, Donnie. Happy Valentine's day!" She snatched up a box of chocolates that she had dropped and put into his hands and then gave him a quick hug that paralyzed him where he stood.

They all laughed together and Ethan made sure not to glance in Kaela's direction. He didn't want to know if she was being authentic in her happiness or not. This Valentine's day had had enough drama as it was. He couldn't help but notice that Jess and Raph were sitting awfully close to one another, both glaring still in Shinigami's direction.

"Well, Shini and I better get going." Karai said, moving towards the exit with her.

"Already?" Leo asked. "But you just woke up."

"I know. Thank you." Karai said again. "I need to figure some things out and Shini, I am so glad you're here. Will you help me?"

"Of course, senpai." She said, tipping her witch hat with a smile.

"We'll come back when we've figured some things out."

"Bye." Leonardo said quietly as the two vanished. Karai gave him one solid look back and then nodded to the others.

Ethan looked away as the two disappeared into the shadows.

"Well, all's well that ends well." Donnie said with a smile and nudging April's shoulder who smiled back at him.

"Yeah." Leonardo sounded distant as he said it.

The drainage pipe usually spat out nothing but a mixture of water and filth, but deep in the sewers not far from Shredder's lair, a damp white package popped out and drifted in a smooth, resting pool of blackish water. The red hearts had dripped with ink making them bleed across the paper in messy red veins.

A figure paused as they searched the sewers and turned. Lord Dregg emerged with two of his towering green Vree guards and he leaned down, placing his huge claws around the tiny package and he lifted it up to his four green eyes and grinned, his laugh echoing in the sewers as he turned away back towards Shredder's lair.