Don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles –

(*Gasp* I forgot to say this before my last chapter… The Horror.)

-_- Yeah, moving on!

Chapter: 9

Yoshi walked among the underground tunnels, retracing the mental map he had made while following April in. It took about an hour, but finally he made it back to the main section..

As he walked through the crowded under-streets, making his way back to April's hospital. He thought about what he had learned from the three little spirits he'd been sworn to protect.

They had already seen so much darkness and experienced so much pain. His own looked like nothing more than a bee sting in comparison. He found himself getting angry, as he considered; who might have done this to them and why. What reason could there have possibly been to torture children.

He quickly decided that there wasn't one. There was no purpose or reason that could rationalize this. It was just the want to cause pain, the need to exert power. Nothing but pure evil could have organized a life such as the ones they had been forced to live.

These three individual souls were so unique and so rare. That it made his heart soar simply with the knowledge that they existed. But at the same time he felt cold and empty. If they had been given the chance, they could change this world for the better. For they were something it had desperately needed. But instead, that same world had shunned them, hurt them, abandoned them.

He had decided the second he'd seen those young eyes looking at him. That no mater how long it took, he would find a way to gain their trust. He would save them.

But now he realized that far more was needed from him. They had already seen so much hate and so much darkness. It would fall to him, to show them that this world was not all bad. He had to teach them how to live. Not just survive.

It was far overdue. But it was time they saw the sun. It was time they experienced the light.

…

When Yoshi looked up again, he was at the hospital. Walking in, he spotted April almost immediately. As she tended to an older woman, who appeared as some kind of Bird Mutant. Most likely a homeless women, who had been exposed to Mutagen after tending to some pigeons. It was unusually common in large cities.

April talked to her kindly as she wrapped a bandage around her other foot. Being so gentle that the lady didn't even appear to feel it. Which was impressive, when you considered that pain medication was so rare nowadays.

When she was done, April provided her patient with a set of homemade crutches. Giving her some instructions, before turning to attend to her other duties. However she noticed Yoshi and quickly rushed over.

"What happened," She immediately asked, panicking. "Are they ok?"

"They are –" Yoshi started, but was forced to pause, before completing his statement. "Fine."

She quickly caught on to his hesitation and looked at him in concern. He half expected a game of '20 questions' but instead he got only one. "What – happened?"

Yoshi took a deep breath before he told her what he had learned from the young minds. She took it like he had expected. Not well at all.

She looked like she was ready to track down who ever did this, right that second and make them pay for hurting her charges. He had no doubt that she could have done it too. Ever since he had met her, she had proven time and again how capable she was of accomplishing the impossible.

…

(Continued)

…

Ever so slowly she drifted closer, until she was no longer in the closet. She seemed to hesitate here, but he softly guaranteed her that everything was alright. After another minute of hesitation, she reached out for his hand. When they touched, she jumped slightly, but then inched closer and put her little hand in his.

…

Yoshi smiled kindly as he carefully folded his hand around hers. There was only a slight second of hesitation. Before she threw herself into his chest and cried for all she was worth.

He gently wrapped his arms around her small fame and held her close as she walled. It broke his heart to see one so young, in such pain. These were supposed to be the best years of her life.

Now her parents were gone. She was homeless. And everything around her reminded her of what she had just lost. Even the strongest of men, would not have reacted any differently.

In took almost an hour for her tears to dry. All the time, Yoshi rocked her, uttering soothing words. Reminding her that she still had one friend in this cruel world.

When it seemed that she could no longer cry, he carefully positioned her so she would not have to look at the carnage that lay near the door. And gently wiped her face with a clean cloth from his bag.

She looked up at him when he was finished. An obvious question written in her eyes.

"My name is Yoshi Hamato," He answered for her, before she had to ask. Deciding to say his surname in English, so she would not be confused. "What is yours?"

After a minutes' hesitation. She rubbed her eyes and answered in a little voice. "April."

"April." Yoshi repeated. "What a beautiful name." He complemented and for a second he thought he might have seen the shadow of a smile on her face. But it quickly faded. "How old are you?" He asked softly, as she dug her little hands into his jacket.

"Four." She answered quietly, around a sniffle.

"Do you have any family that lives nearby?" He asked after a minute of hesitation. He didn't want to reminder her so soon for her dead parents. But he knew he had to contact her remaining family and assure them that she was alright. If she had any.

"Uncle Augie." She responded, leaning her head against his chest, as a few more tears fell.

"Your Uncle?" Yoshi confirmed, holding her closer. "Do you know where he lives? Can you show me?" He looked down when he felt her nodding into his shoulder. He nodded back reassuringly. Hoping that he was making the right decision and hoping that this 'Uncle Augie' was still alive. "I'm going to carry you. Is that ok?" He asked and she nodded again.

Taking that as his Q, he carefully held her closer and stood up. He was quietly considering how he was going to get out of the room without going back to the door, when he heard a sound coming from the main room.

He looked sharply at the door, instinctively holding the child in his arms tighter and listened. April started whimpering quietly, when the sound of voices drifted toward them from the other side of the blocked door. Someone was there. And they didn't sound like friends.

…

Yoshi stared at the tunnel wall across from the little wooden bench that he had taken up residence on and gently massaged his temple. Trying to force the images away. He couldn't understand why these memories had surfaced now. What was his subconscious tying to tell him?

He looked up when he heard April's fast footsteps and spotted her running toward him. He had assured her that everything with the children was fine. But she'd insisted that she was going to accompany him back to the shelter anyway.

He knew she wouldn't take; 'no' for an answer. And arguing with her would only prove pointless in the end. She was probably one of the most stubborn people he had ever met and had learned long ago not to waste his breath.

"Lets go." She ordered as she rushed by him, not even stopping to see if he was following. He was hard pressed to keep up with her, in her natural environment; among the chaos of the underground city. But he managed.

Before long they were back in the tunnel and he had to grab her arm so she wouldn't sprint the whole way back to the crate. He knew that she had only gained what little trust she had with these young souls by following the rules. If she suddenly barged in on them when they did not expect her. She would likely cause more harm than good. Despite her intentions.

He looked away, allowing her, her pride, when he realized that she was nearly in tears. He couldn't tell if it was from the information he had relayed to her or that she had just never known it before now. Either way, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in support. They would fix this together.

Several minutes later his instincts flared. He stopped in his tracks, as his large ears swiveled around searching for danger. April almost asked why he had stopped, but quickly caught the seriousness in his stance.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, looking around them for any sign of danger. She had been trained to fight and defend herself. But down here that was the norm. There were things in these tunnels that were much more dangerous than them.

Lifting his hand to ask for quiet. Yoshi quickly trained his ears on the sounds ahead of them and focused on it. After a second he registered Humans yelling. And fighting.

Then just like with April. The instinct and desire to protect a child in danger was so strong he could not ignore or fight it. And he bolted down the tunnel as fast as he could toward the children that desperately needed his help.

…

(Continued)

Yoshi ducked back down into the darkness of the room. Gently coaxing April to remain quiet. As the voices drew closer to their safe haven.

After a minute the sounds of things being thrown about and breaking glass could be heard throughout the apartment. As whoever they were; rampaged through the house, caring little for the damage they caused. Not that it mattered now.

When a gunshot split the silence, April jumped and cried out in fear. Clinging tighter to him. He quickly tried to cover the sound but it was already too late.

"What was that?" One of them asked from the other side of the wall. Yoshi was able to make out the sounds of the man stomping around, trying to locate the source of the noise.

He could sense the madness of these people. He knew they would not think twice about killing them and for no other reason then simply being in a Mutant area. He may have been a Ninja Master. But even he could not stop a barrage of bullets.

He had to get them out of there. However the only other door he could see, looked to be to the bathroom. He had hoped to avoid it, as that would only limit his ability to protect them. A small, enclosed room was never a good place for a duel.

But it remained his only option. With a child to protect, his top priority was to get her to safety. And he couldn't guaranty that if he was forced into a fight.

Yoshi carefully held April closer to his body, quietly telling her to keep her eyes closed. They would, unfortunately, be right across from main the door when they got to the bathroom.

This meant he would also have to pass the body there. And he was not willing to let her see that. She would already have nightmares about this event for the rest of her life. She didn't need those kinds of images as well.

Yoshi stealthily made his way to the other side of the room and ducked when he spotted at least 5 other men through the bullet riddled door. They were angrily throwing things around in their attempt to find the source of the sound. Yoshi instinctively covered April's ears so she would at least be somewhat protected from their choice words.

When he reached the bathroom door. He realized that he would have to clear a way in order to open it enough to get inside. He couldn't help but wince as he softly pushed some debris from the door's path and started pulling it open.

However, just when he thought he could get in without incident. "Hey!" The yell caused Yoshi to look toward the main door. Finding a man on the other side, quickly preparing his machine gun.

Instinct took over and he threw himself into the bathroom. Covering April with his own body. As the shots rang out.

He heard the bullets eating into the walls and what remained of the furniture barrier, as he made his way to the bathtub and put it between them and the gunfire. When it stopped, he quickly looked around for an escape route.

He had no such luck. The only window in the room, was too small for even April to get through. But thankfully there was another door.

He heard the men pushing their way into the barricaded room. But didn't wait around to be found. He bolted for the other door and threw his weight into it as he turned the knob.

As he had suspected, like everything else in the building, this room too was a disaster zone. He had to throw himself into the door again to dislodge whatever it was that kept it closed from the other side. But finally he was able to make it through the crack.

April, by now, was crying again and was clinging tightly to him in terror. He could feel her little body shaking in fear and hoped that she was keeping her eyes closed.

When he barreled into the other room. He couldn't help but smile in relief when he saw the window. He was at the broken frame so fast, it could have been mistaken for teleportation.

He quickly wrapped his free arm in his sleeve and punched at the remaining glass, sweeping the sharp edges out-of-the-way. So they could safely make it through. But unfortunately before he could even get one foot on the window sill. Someone barged into the room through the main door.

Thankfully the man's entrance was far from graceful. As he quickly collided with a pile of debris and went down before he could think to use his hands for anything other than holding his gun. Yoshi took his chance and threw April out the window. Where she landed safely in a heap of tattered clothes, within the confines of a large dumpster.

With April now safe, Yoshi quickly turned back to his adversary and charged. Using his superior speed and skill. He reached the man, just as he was about to get his gun up.

Yoshi grabbed the long gun barrel and shoved it into the man's chest. Making sure to move his own body from the line of fire. Winded, the man gasped for air, as Yoshi ripped the weapon from his hands. Bringing it around and effectively wrapping the supporting strap up around the man's neck and chest.

He quickly maneuvered around to the guys back and pulled the gun down in such a way to quickly reduce his opponent to unconsciousness. When the man passed out, Yoshi, unwound him and leaned him silently in the corner. Before focusing on the door again. He could hear more men thumping their way toward the room and swiftly threw himself to the other side of the doorway. When the first one meandered through the door like he owned the place. Yoshi quietly brought his flat hand down on the base of his neck and he slumped like a side of beef.

Quickly he grabbed the second one's arm, pulled him into the room. Turned a full 360 and collided the unfortunate mob member into the wall. Knocking him out cold.

A quick punch to the gut and another to the face and had a third laying at his feet as well. However when a fourth started shooting from the other side of the door, he was forced to duck behind a bed for cover.

He could just make out April still crying from the window. But he knew that the dumpster would protect her from any stray bullets. But he, unfortunately, could no longer escape without getting himself shot.

When the gunfire stopped, he lifted the comforter of the bed. To see the last man, pointing the gun into the room and was swearing up a storm, that would have made a drunken sailor proud. Yoshi clearly spotted the ammo clip in the gun, and realized he still had a ways to go.

"I know you're f*cking in there." The man suddenly yelled. "You f*cking freaks are going down."

"I am not your enemy." Yoshi said back, in a calm voice, somehow able to speak a complete sentence with out the use of swearing.

More gun fire suddenly rang out in the room, but stopped just as suddenly. "You f*ck-faces are all my enemy." The man retorted. "And if you're going to protect those f*cking freaks. Then you can join them."

Suddenly the man threw a small round object into the room. Yoshi could tell that it wasn't a bomb. But at the same time, he didn't know what it was. Though he wasn't willing to wait around and find out.

He was already headed for the window, when the thing hit the floor and shattered. He ducked and put his arms around his head to protect himself. Expecting an instant death. But what he got was pain.

He screamed as a strange glowing liquid, covered his body. It burned and seeped into his skin. Forcing him to the ground, as his body started to change. His bones cracked and popped as they were reformed. His skin bubbled as it morphed into another shape.

He was in such agony he didn't even register that the man had walked into the room. The gun man smirked and held his weapon up to shot him in the head. "That'll teach you to mess with the Purple Dragons. Freak!" He commented, before a shot rang out in the small space.

…

Yoshi pushed aside his fear and memories, as he rounded a corner in the tunnels and darted down the remaining stretch of underground sidewalk. He could feel April right on his tail and knew that she could now hear the sounds herself.

They saw light coming from the little alcove where the shelter lay. And shadows of men meandered across the walls. As a fight ensued on the other side.

Yoshi was around the corner so fast, the black clad Ninja in front of him didn't even register his presence. Before he was knocked out cold on the concrete. April materialized next to him in time to grab the little body the man had been trying to hull away and took the shivering little Mutant into her arms.

Yoshi took only a second to look down at the child. This one was not one he had met. As he had blue eyes and was quite a bit smaller than the one he had only just managed to see. He assumed that this was the 'little one' April had told him about.

Yoshi immediately noticed that the Mutant could not move his hands. As they appeared to be held together by steel cuffs on his wrists. He was bleeding in a few places from being hit, but was trying hard not to cry about it. As he looked around, searching for his older brothers.

Yoshi immediately returned back to his battle and kicked another Ninja in the chest. Sending him flying back into the opposite corner. Where he crashed into what remained of the little shelter, in an unconscious heap.

He took note of the Ninja's garb and the symbol on their chests. The Foot. These were Oroku Saki's Ninjas. But why? What did he have to do with this?

Yoshi quickly filed this information away until another time. He quickly fought his way through the Ninjas and a few people, he could only guess were scientists. As he looked for the other three children.

He spotted one going at it with everything he had, throwing himself into one adversary and kicking another. Able to hold his own rather well, considering he was out numbered, out matched and without the use of his hands.

Yoshi quickly dispatched the Ninja attacking him and turned back to the little Mutant. Immediately recognizing the little amber eyes of the Rebel. The little guy's right eye was swollen and his lip was bleeding. But he still looked as though he was ready for a war.

Yoshi couldn't help but feel proud, this one was certainly a fighter. He quietly leaned down so he could look him in the eye and the child looked back suddenly shocked to see him. It was obvious that he had not been expecting a rescue.

But before any bonding could progress. He spotted his youngest brother and ran toward April to insure his safety. She quickly hugged him as well and proceeded to fuse over his wounds. As Yoshi dispersed the last of the Ninja.

However, doing a mental count and realizing that he was coming up short. He swiftly looked around for the other two children. But did not see them.

"Master Yoshi," April suddenly said, causing him to look around, to see the two other little Mutants, run toward the tunnel entrance and start down the opposite direction from where he and April had just sprinted from.

April was right behind them and Yoshi was not far behind. He immediately looked around the corner and spotted two shadows, that appeared to be carrying something. Rounded a bend far ahead and disappear from sight.

A couple cliff hangers this time… I'll cover everything in the next chapter.

R&R