A/N: Well, I finally got finished after some busy weeks and I'm happy that I managed to get this chapter finished in time. I also have to admit that this chapter actually is one of my own favourites. Thank you all for the reviews! I have really enjoyed reading them. In addition, I just want to say Ramica that I can never thank you enough for your help and your kind words mean much to me. Enjoy the next chapter it is a long one and it takes places a few minutes before the last one ended…
Aki felt horrible when she regained her conscious. She tried to move her head but it felt too heavy as if it was made of cement. She had a splitting headache and her throat was dry as sandpaper. Her body was weak and she tried to recall what had happened to her. She remembered to behavingheard the sound of Leonardo's voice when something had hit her in her neck. His voice had sounded so soothing and reassuring that she hadn't been afraid. Somehow, she sensed that she was in safety though she was unable to open her eyes. A quiet moan issued from deep in her throat and she tried to move her hand.
"Aki, are you awake?"
It was Leonardo and Aki felt that she was going to cry by the sound of his voice. She couldn't explain exactly why she was feeling this way but she was just happy to hear that he was by her side. He sounded so near, and yet so far away, as if she were listening to him through a thick wall of fog. She wanted to give him a response but she didn't have the strength to do it. All of sudden she felt a few finger take around her wrist gently.
"If you can hear me Aki, then try to move your hand," Leonardo asked calmly.
Aki tried to do as he asked her but her whole body was tired and drowsy and it was impossible to move a muscle. She felt exhausted after a few seconds and she let out a soft moan when she didn't have any result.
"Well, I can hear that there is a little life in you," he said and she got the feeling that he was smiling at her. "Can you open your eyes?"
"N…no," she stammered out.
It was true. Her eyes felt like they were permanently glued shut. She could hear Leonardo rose from the mattress and she wondered where he was going. She gasped as she felt the weight from his body when he sat down close to her on the bed. He took a firm grip around her waist and placed her head carefully on his leg.
"Now you have to lie still and don't fight me," he recommended.
His words were calm as he was talking to a child but it made her relax even though she couldn't see a thing. It was a good thing that she couldn't see the expression in his face. Leonardo's heart had been throbbing fast since he had laid her head on his leg and he couldn't understand why he had gotten so nervous after she woke up. Leonardo took a deep breath and looked at the small bottle in his hand. It contained pure water, which would remove the inflammation in her eyes. Leonardo placed his hand protectively behind her head and dropped the water into her eyes with the other. Aki yelled out with fright and started to move when she felt something strange hit her eyes.
"What on the earth was that?"
"Remember what I told you," Leonardo reminded her. "It will clear your eyes . Don't worry, it is just water."
Aki felt silly that she had been startled over the water and it didn't make it better that she had trouble lying still while he cleared her eyes. The water was disturbing for her and she wanted to remove it from her face. Leonardo had set the bottle on his nightstand when her eyes began to open slowly. Leonardo got troubled breathing and he felt his heart stop as she revealed her beautiful green emerald eyes. He had not forgotten them. They were almost mesmerizing and seemed to penetrate his soul.
"Welcome back, Aki," he said and helped her to get up in sitting position. "It is good to see that you have recovered."
Leonardo returned to his place on his bed and Aki looked at him with a faint smile. She noticed that he still held her hand but she didn't want to remove it. It was nice to feel his strength close to her. She had found it strange that she felt safe around him but she trusted him with her life. She glanced at the chair, which was standing next to the bed and raised her eyebrows in wonder.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"You've have been unconscious for three days," Leonardo told her.
Aki removed her gaze away from the chair and faced Leonardo with a questioning look. "Have you been with me for three days?"
Against his will, he blushed but she gave him a grateful smile in return. "It is nice to know that I have a friend to take care of me."
Leonardo felt his heart was knocking faster by every word she said and he turned his gaze away from her so she wouldn't see how happy he had become. He couldn't understand what the matter with him was. When he thought about it, she hadn't affected him much when they met each other for the first time in April's store. It was not until they had fought against Rex that he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind and the last three days had been awful because of the uncertainty about her health. He didn't know how he would have reacted if she hadn't made it and he didn't want to think about it either. He was simply happy that she had accepted his friendship. It was merely April and Casey who had let the turtles get involved in their lives.
"It was a poison which paralyzed your body. You would be dead now if we hadn't brought you down here," he continued.
Aki's eyes widened and she looked for the first time thoroughly around in the room where she was. She hadn't actually noticed it and it wasn't strange when she thought about it. The room reminded her of her childhood in her home in China though it looked more like the Japeneze style. It had a relaxing effect on her and it made her feel safe. Leonardo studied her face carefully. He couldn't explain why but he hoped secretly inside that she liked his room.
"This is indeed a beautiful room," Aki said sincerely and faced him again with a curious look in her face. "You said that I had been brought down. Where am I exactly?"
"You are in safety in our lair, which is hidden in the sewers below the city. It has been our home for sixteen years."
"Are you only sixteen?" Aki said wonderingly. "I thought that you were older."
"What gave you that impression?"
"You mustn't take this in the wrong way but you seem older than your brothers. You are more serious."
"Is that a bad thing?" Leonardo asked and felt a bit nervous to hear her response.
"No, it suits you," she smiled warmly. "It is incredible that you have been living in the sewers for sixteen years. Have you never been discovered?"
"Yes and no," he answered mysteriously and rose from the bed. "But I can tell you the story later. My family wanted to see you as soon as you regained your conscious."
Aki nodded silently and he gave her an optimistic smile before he walked out of the room. Aki stared thoughtfully down at her hands after Leonardo had left her. He had told her that she was in safety but it sounded too good for her to be true. It was dangerous that she was here. Rex could sense her aura and Aki was certain that her enemy knew where she was. Why hadn't she attacked the turtles' lair? Perhaps she didn't consider Aki as a threat anymore now where she had what she wanted.
However, the solution didn't make sense either. Rex had sworn to kill her when she discovered that Aki had survived her attack in China. Why hadn't she found her? Aki turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. A giant rat came into the room followed by Leonardo. Master Splinter rat smiled reassuringly at her and she returned his smile. She had accustomed to the sight of the old rat.
"How are you feeling my child?" Master Splinter asked kindly and sat down on the mattress. "You gave us a serious fright."
Aki looked stunned at him. It wasn't because of him. It was just that nobody had called her a child for a very long time. She was on the same age as Leonardo but she hadn't felt like a child for an eternity. She had lost her childhood when Rex had destroyed her home and her family along with her happy memories. Master Splinter noticed her reaction and sympathized with her. In her eyes, he could read the great burdens, which she was so despairingly trying to hide. Aki raised her gaze and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I'm tired and feel a bit weak," Aki told him honestly.
"It takes a long time before the poison has disappeared completely from your body," Master Splinter said and cast a sidelong glance to his eldest son who stood behind him. "Leonardo, please get some tea for the young woman. It will be good for her."
"Yes Sensei," Leonardo obeyed and left quickly the room.
"Your son is really wonderful," Aki said softly and clenched her hands together on the continental quilt while small tears began to roll down her cheeks. "He has been helpful and very friendly towards me and I don't deserve it. I threatened his life."
"You mustn't blame yourself anything that has happened in the past between you and my sons," Master Splinter said and looked thoroughly at her as he placed his hand gently on her own. "My sons have told me what happened that night and there is no one who will condemn you."
"But a better welcome next time would be nice," Raphael growled fretfully. "If you had told us the truth from the beginning then we wouldn't had gone through this mess."
Aki didn't contradict the turtle with the red bandana. She had blamed herself many times that she hadn't accepted their offer to help her. If she had done it, then a lot a things might have changed to the better and then she wouldn't have lost the… No, she couldn't bear to even think about it. Furthermore, she felt so ashamed about it that she despised herself.
"You're not the one who should throw stones," she remarked sourly and wiped off her tears. "If I remember correctly then it was you who attacked me first and not the other way around."
"That was because you were daring enough to…," Raphael started but trailed off when he received a reprimanding look from his father.
"Aki is our guest Raphael," Master Splinter pointed out. "And you have to treat her with respect."
Raphael seemed liked he wanted to contradict his father on the subject but he didn't say anything. Aki was astonished that the fiery red-masked turtle didn't do anything at all. She had been convinced that he would have objected to the old rat but this was one of the rare occasions whereRaphael had learned in his life, that it was often wiser, to stay silent. Aki realized that he respected the rat and she began to wonder in her mind if he ever was going to respect her as much as he did with his father.
"Wow, who died in here?" Michelangelo asked and grinned when he noticed his elder brother. "Hi dudette, how is it going?"
Aki gave a little wry smile as a response to his question. She didn't even know all the names of the turtles yet but so far, they had given her a positive impression of themselves. The turtle with the orange bandana seemed extremely friendly and cheerful while the purple-masked turtle seemed more reserved. The turtle with the red bandana gave her the creeps with the hard look in his face and Aki turned her attention to the old rat.
"I would like to thank you and your family for coming to my rescue. If it hasn't been for you then I wouldn't have survived the attack. I can never pay you back for your great deed."
"Sure you can," Michelangelo said and smiled modestly. "We take any credit cards or checks."
Aki couldn't help but laugh a little over his quick repartee. He was definitely a person who had humour and it was easy for his good mood to rub off onto the others in the room. Aki was amazed that she already had accepted the turtles in her life but their great personalities made it hard to do the opposite. It was only the turtle red-masked with the dark green skin and the gloomy face, who gave her the shivers. He made her uncomfortable and she suspected that he didn't trust her.
Splinter noticed her shifty glance and looked at her with lenience in his eyes. The old rat could sense that it was Raphael, who was the reason, why she felt insecure. Splinter glanced at his son who had leaned his shell against the wall while he looked at Aki with an expressionless face. Splinter gave a silent shake of his head and faced the young woman again. She looked lost and he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
"You have to forgive my youngest son," the old rat said with a twinkle in his eyes whereupon he looked at the smiling Michelangelo. "What he meant was that he was happy to help you."
"We all are," Donatello added with an assuring smile. "It is wonderful to see that you are fine."
"Why shouldn't she when she received her aid from the four most awesome green ninja turtles?" Michelangelo grinned and winked at her. "We're cool, right Aki?"
"Shut your mouth Mikey! You have no idea what you're talking about," Raphael burst out with an angry gaze.
Aki felt ill at ease but she couldn't decide if it was because of the turtle's raging reply or the dark look in his face. It was an unpleasant situation and she couldn't understand why he had become so upset by his brother. The turtle with the bandana crossed his arms and turned his attention towards her.
"First rule: ignore Mikey then your life gets better," Raphael remarked tartly. "Believe me I know what I'm talking about."
"What is the matter now Raph?" Michelangelo asked in wonder by his brother's fiery comments. "Why are you acting so pessimistic about it? You saved Aki from Rex. Why shouldn't we celebrate it?"
"I will celebrate it when Rex is defeated for good," Raphael hissed and looked agitatedly at his youngest brother. "We have merely saved are ourselves from being destroyed Mikey, and this is the only thing that we have been doing the whole week. Rex is still running out there in the streets and I have no intentions to celebrate anything before she is gone."
"I believe that you're trying to say that we have won the battle but not the war," Master Splinter said patiently.
"We haven't even done that!" Raphael exclaimed and looked furiously at his father. "We escaped from Rex but we barely got away alive. This is not to win a battle. We haven't won anything!"
"Calm down Raphael. I'm well aware of our situation but we're not discussing this subject at this moment. We need to talk about something else and afterwards we can discuss what we should do with Rex," Master Splinter said with a calm voice.
Raphael nodded in acknowledgement and looked down on the floor. It annoyed him that they hadn't been capable to beat her. Aki was about to say something to the old rat when Leonardo entered the room, carrying a tray of six steaming stoneware mugs. Splinter smiled warmly as he took the first mug and passed it on to the young woman.
"Drink, it will make you feel better," he said.
"Thanks."
Aki smiled gratefully and received the steaming mug, which was filled with a hot green tea. Its strong aroma was assaulting her nostrils but it actually felt good to draw in more of the scent. This was what she needed. Leonardo served his family before letting himself have the last mug, setting the tray aside on a nightstand whereupon he sat down on the floor next to Donatello.
Leonardo couldn't take his eyes from Aki when she lifted the mug to her lips, and drank deeply. Though she still looked pale, she was unbelievable beautiful. The room was silent for a while as they all enjoyed the power of this natural elixir. Leonardo shifted the piece of pottery around in his hands a bit but didn't remove his gaze from her. She got colour back in the cheeks and her green emerald eyes shined as she looked at the turtles and the rat that was either sitting or standing in a semicircle around her.
"This tea is delicious," she said and gave a wry smile. "It reminds me of one of the teas which we drank in China."
"It is also one of the famous ones," Splinter smiled and looked gently at her. "My Master Yoshi always made this tea because it clears the mind and brings peace to the body. I decided to be in keeping with tradition and pass it on to my own family."
"Who is Master Yoshi?" Aki asked curiously. "Was he also a big rat like you?"
A smile flickered across the old rat's face by her question. He recalled his memories from the past. As a pet living with his Master Yoshi, he had learned the secrets of the art of Ninjitsu. He had loved his Master Yoshi very much and he was devastated by grief the day where Shredder murdered Yoshi.
"He wasn't a big rat, but a great human with a good heart," Splinter explained and smiled in understanding. "I can see that you are getting confused, my child. Therefore, I think it would be wise if I tell you our story first. Afterwards we can hear your tale but you must promise me one thing before I begin. You must promise never to tell a living soul about our existence."
"I promise," Aki nodded seriously and placed her hand on her heart as a vow on her words. "I will never do it to any of you. I don't even know all your names and yet you have saved my life. I'm grateful for your help and I swear that I won't tell anyone about you."
"I believe you. My name is Splinter," the rat introduced himself. "This is my sons Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. We have been living down in the sewers for sixteen years."
Leonardo smiled to her when his name was mentioned, and Donatello and Michelangelo waved their hands happily at her while Raphael only gave a single nod with his head. Aki turned her gaze towards the rat.
"It is remarkable names," she said gently. "And I understood that you are their Sensei?"
"I am," Master Splinter nodded confirmingly. "Our story takes place a long time ago. It began when I were what you would call normal. I was small rat living as a pet with my Master Yoshi…"
Aki listened intensively to his story about their origin. She raised her eyebrows when he came to the part with the ooze and how it had transformed their bodies to grow into human size. He also explained why they had lived in the sewers since that day. Aki could perfectly understand why Splinter had taken that decision when he decided to take care of the small baby turtles. The human race wasn't kind to creatures that were different from them. She imagined how the scientists would make experiments with her new friends if they were discovered and she didn't like it.
As Splinter told her how he had found out the turtles' abilities to learn the ancient art of Ninjitsu, Aki suddenly realized why the turtles didn't call the him dad even though his had been their father for sixteen years. As their Sensei, it was necessary that there was some kind of distance and respect between the teacher and his students. However, she had to be blind if she hadn't noticed the love and the bonds of kinship in the small family.
"And this is story about our origin," Master Splinter finished.
"Wow, it is amazing," Aki said and gave them a questioning look. "Have you been living here for sixteen years without being discovered once?"
"We hide ourselves in the shadows from the human world," Master Splinter nodded as he looked mildly at Raphael. "But we haven't always succeeded with our task."
"Don't look at me, it wasn't my fault," Raphael growled. "I wasn't the only one who decided to bring April to the lair."
"She is one of our good friends," Leonardo explained. "She was the first human who saw us."
"And it is her flute which you stole when we met you in the store," Raphael said tartly.
"I'm really sorry," Aki apologized. "But she would have been in great danger if I hadn't taken it."
"And April knows that," Donatello said and smiled a little when she looked confusingly at him. "I told her what happened after we brought you down to the lair and she isn't mad at you. Frankly she told me that she was looking forward to see you when you were well again."
"I'm glad that she isn't angry at me. Leonardo said that she was one of your good friends. How many humans know about you?"
"There is only one more except from our enemies," Michelangelo said and laughed by the thought of Casey Jones. "Our friend Casey is crazier than Raph, but he is a great guy."
"Yes he is, but I believe that it is time for the young lady to tell her story now," Splinter said before Aki started to ask questions about their enemies. He didn't want to frighten her. She had problems of her own. "My sons have worried a lot about you since they met you almost a week ago."
"My story isn't an easy one to tell," Aki sighed and looked at them with sorrow in her eyes. "I have never told it to anyone before."
Leonardo clenched hands tight together and looked straight down at the floor. He fought desperately against his desire to get up and take her in his arms to comfort her. He wanted badly to hold her tight and remove all her fears and the angst, which she was feeling now. Unfortunately, he didn't have the courage to do it because he was afraid how she was going to react. Aki tried to hold her tears back, but it was almost impossible. She sniffled and felt a single tear trickled down her cheek as her memories of the past came back to her. A hand was placed consolingly at her shoulder and she looked up at Michelangelo who gave her a warm smile.
"Hey, why are you crying dudette?" he asked gently and wipe off her tear. "You're with friends now."
Leonardo felt like somebody just had stabbed his heart as he watched his brother comfort her and his cheeks flushed with rage. He immediately averted his gaze away from them andgave a silent shake of his head. What had gotten into him? He couldn't understand why he reacted this way but the urge to rip his younger brother away from her had been strong and it frightened him. It wasn't as Michelangelo shouldn't comfort her but Leonardo couldn't stop feeling that it should have been him instead of Michelangelo.
"You have been kind towards me," Aki sniffed. "And I don't deserve it. I treated you badly at our first meeting…"
"Yeah, quit the self-pity," Raphael interrupted and looked at her with a careless face. "I heard you saying that before and we're over it, okay? You don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Okay," Aki nodded and took a deep breath. "Then I won't mention it again. However, I don't know where I should begin with my story. So many things have happened in my life and…"
"You could start with the beginning," Michelangelo suggested when she didn't continue. "You know birth, home country and stuff like that."
"My name is Akira Nakanochi and I was born in Japan for sixteen years ago," Aki told them with a little smile.
"Not that you personal story isn't interesting or anything but can't you skip it and jump to the part with the flutes?" Raphael asked and received a stern look from Splinter. "What? It is the flutes which have giving us the troubles."
"Raphael, have patience and speak properly to Aki. This is the last time I'm telling you to respect her. She is our guest."
In frustration Raphael sighed and turned his gaze away from them. Michelangelo grinned cheerfully at his brother but his smile quickly disappeared from his face when Raphael's eyes flashed with anger. It was the time where Michelangelo was grateful that looks couldn't kill him. He turned his gaze towards Aki, who drank the rest of her tea.
"It is your choice: The story about your life or the story about the flutes?"
"Wouldn't it be the easiest choice to take the story with the flutes?" Donatello suggested softly. "They were the reason why we met each other in the first place."
"That was what I told you," Raphael said tartly.
"It doesn't matter. The two stories is connected to each other but I agree with you nonetheless," Aki nodded in acknowledgement and placed her mug on the nightstand. "When I met Leonardo he told me that you had found some information about the flutes. Many of your suspicions are correct but I'm afraid that you're wrong about one thing: I'm not one of The Five Elements."
"What?" Donatello exclaimed and looked confused at her. "I don't understand. You use the same magic as Rex does."
"Donatello, please be quiet and let her tell story," Master Splinter asked gently. "She can answer our questions afterwards."
"The flutes weren't created by The Five Elements," Aki told them seriously. "And they were found by accident. It is written in our legends about The Five Elements who originally were farmers in a simple village in China. They took care of the rice fields every day until it was time for the harvest. One morning one of them discovered some strange flutes when he was digging in the earth. He couldn't understand the weird symbols on the flutes but he recognized the animals from the Chinese zodiac signs. He considered the flutes as a big treasure and he showed them proudly to his friends. They were just as excided about the flutes as he was and they touched carefully the instruments. The legend says that after they had taken the flutes the heaven became dark as the night and the thunder and the lightning was fighting fiercely around the farmers. They hurried to their home faster than ever to escape from the storm. The next day everything was quiet and seemed dead. The five farmers looked at one another and knew that something had changed."
"Had they gotten their superpowers?" Michelangelo asked eagerly as he got more excided by her tale and he complete forgotten that Master Splinter had told his sons earlier that they had to wait with their questions until she had finished with her story.
"Not yet, but they were surprised to find out that they all of a sudden was able to read the weird symbols on the flutes. These symbols were a gift to the humankind. They could grant the power of the earth to the humans and their descendants, which were predestined to rule over the world. The five friends were curious about this great power and they tried the old ritual, which the symbols were describing. It succeeded and they became The Five Elements, as you know them. They got the power of the earth, fire, water, air and metal, which they would pass on to their children."
"So you have no idea whatsoever who made the flutes?" Donatello asked and Aki shook her head as an answer. "I'm disappointed. I read on the internet that it was this mysterious order which brought them to Asia."
"It is also the common interpretation even today but our own legends tells us something quite different," Aki revealed.
"It that the magic abilities of the flutes then?" Leonardo asked her, frowning. "Can they give humans magical powers?"
"Yeah and moreover they can take them away again," Aki confirmed.
"But Rex has magical powers already," Donatello pointed out. "Why is she looking after the flutes?"
"You're right that it isn't the reason why Rex wants the flutes. They have a special power, which is pictured by the Chinese zodiac signs. They can call the specific animal which you play the right melody."
"The tones of the tiger," Leonardo mumbled quietly and shivered as he thought about the story with the destruction of the Chinese village. "It is a good thing that she hasn't all the flutes yet."
Aki's cheeks colored up at his remark and Leonardo gave her a questioning look. "What is the matter Aki?"
"It is just that she does have them," Aki admitted shamefully.
"But hadn't you hidden them?" Leonardo asked confusingly.
"The store wasn't far away from my hiding spot. After I left you, I took them because I needed to find a safer place to hide them," Aki replied and couldn't bear to look him in the eyes. "I didn't want that Rex should get her nasty fingers on them so I quickly retrieved them to bring them to the other end of the city. The problem was that I still had the flutes in my possession when her men jumped me. I tried the best I could to defend myself and prevent these criminals to get the flutes but there were too many of them."
"So what you're saying is that the bitch now holds the perfect weapon to take over the entire world when she wants to?" Raphael asked annoyed and pointed his finger accusingly at her.
"Look, I'm terrible sorry…," Aki started but she was cut off before she got the time to explain herself.
"Sorry doesn't mean a damn shit!" Raphael snapped and raised his voice. "You have witch power for crying out loud. Why didn't you use them or was it on purpose that you let them get the flutes?"
Aki looked shocked at him with her mouth wide open. She was so astonished by his cruel remark that she was lost for words and couldn't figure out to answer him. Raphael ignored the blaming eyes from his family. Everyone in the room believed that he had gone too far this time. Leonardo was afraid how it would affect Aki's feelings. She was probably hurt or scared by his comment. Raphael had the effect that he often made people uncertain and frightened when he looked at them. Michelangelo and Donatello expected that she would ignore him and continued as if nothing had happened. It was the easy solution to the problem. She could also be forbearing towards him, which Master Splinter hoped that she would do.
Instead, she chose another reaction: she became furious with rage by his words. Raphael's eyes widened as he could see the fire burn in her emerald eyes. She felt an unknown strong power inside of her. She could feel the air around her body and she could suddenly feel the air move as she wanted to. Raphael felt it like strong arms were lifting his body from the ground until he touched the ceiling. Raphael made a wry face and grinded his teeth as he faced her.
"What in the hell are you doing woman?" Put me down!"
"How dare you to indicate that I let her men get the flutes? I'm disgusted that you even assumed that I would do anything like that. I know that you could care less about my feelings which really doesn't surprise me, you insensitive cold bastard! You don't know me!" Aki snarled angrily. "You have no idea what I have been going through the last couple of months so shut your mouth if you don't have anything good to say."
"I do what I see fit and you can't change that," Raphael hissed with his eyes glancing ferociously at her. "You better put me down at this second or I'm going to make you…"
"I won't continue if I were you," Aki warned but her voice was shaking a little as she faced him. "I do not like that you're treating me like shit. I have been through the bottom of hell and I won't put up with your rudeness. As it is, I'm feeling guilty about my mistake with the lost of the flutes and I don't need you to make it worse for me."
Raphael cursed lowly and turned his gaze towards Splinter. "Can you say anything to her? I'm not intending to stay here forever."
"You have made your bed, now you must lie on it," Master Splinter said sternly with a reproachful expression in his face. "I told you two times that you should speak properly to our guest but you didn't listen to me. Perhaps this will teach you to show consideration for people's feelings and treat them with respect."
"I doubt it," Leonardo mumbled and Donatello smiled, as he was the only one who heard him.
"Bloody hell, you got to be kidding me! I'm not spending my time hanging at the damned ceiling all day!" Raphael shouted and tried to move his body. Unfortunately, it was an impossible task, as Aki had no intentions to let him go that easily. The magic power inside of her were strong and furthermore she was angry, which infused her powers even more.
"If you apologize to me, then I will let you come down," Aki said and added with a smirk. "But only if you ask nicely."
"You can't demand the impossible," Michelangelo whispered in her ear. "It is Raph who we're talking about."
"Nevertheless he had learned the word apology, right?"
"Nah, he never had the patience to look it up," Michelangelo chuckled with a wry smile.
"I don't care," Aki replied and gave the red-masked turtle a determined look. "You won't get down before you apologize."
"Then you're going to get old waiting," Raphael said hoarsely. "Because I'm never going to apologize to you."
He couldn't see why he should do it, especially when he knew that she couldn't keep him in the air forever. Raphael had learned a lot from his battle with Rex and Aki and he had realized that their magical powers were based on their concentration. He smiled in triumph as he noticed the dejection in her face. To her despair, she had come to the same conclusion as him and it frustrated her greatly. She could use her magical powers but they won't last forever, as she would get tired after some time. Eventually she had to let him go and Raphael merely had to wait until she got tired of holding him in the air.
"Shouldn't you tell your story?" asked Master Splinter and removed his gaze away from his son.
Raphael stared shocked and irritable at his family who didn't made a single movement to help him getting down from the ceiling. He hated the times where the whole group was against him. It was unfair and he got angrier by the fact that they hadn't even tried to see the things from his point of view. Raphael knew perfectly that he had been rude but he had his reasons. Raphael trusted only his family and though he also had been worried about her when she was attacked by the poison dart he didn't believe that it was reason enough to trust her completely. As Raphael had walked to Leonardo's room, he had considered the possibility that Aki could be tricking them all. It wasn't as if he really believed that she had made a conspiracy with Rex but Raphael wouldn't have forgiven himself if he hadn't tried to remove his last suspects about her. Why couldn't his family see that?
Splinter silently closed his eyes before giving a shake of his head. When Raphael had gotten to this stage of rage, he would refuse to listen to reason and therefore they couldn't explain their reasons why they won't help him. Splinter knew his son better than anyone in the small family did and he had realized that it was Raphael's suspicious nature, which had made him react wildly as he did. However, it wasn't an excuse to his bad behavior and that was the problem. Over the years, Splinter and his sons had gotten used to Raphael's bad language that definitely had gotten worse since he had become a teenager. Splinter hadn't accepted his way of speaking but his attempts to change Raphael's language had been in vain.
Therefore, he didn't normally mention anything if Raphael cursed but he had made one rule clearly to his son that he had to speak properly to their guests and treat other people with respect. If Raphael couldn't accept that then he was going to learn it the hard way. This was the main reason why Splinter wasn't going to stop the young woman though he doubted that it would help on his tempestuous son.
"Unless you apologize to this young woman I won't hear a word coming out of your mouth, Raphael," he stated firmly.
The red-banded turtle gazed at his father with his mouth wide open, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Raphael shook his head refusing to make a response to his father's words. He had no intentions to give in when he hadn't done anything wrong. Leonardo cast a sidelong glance at his brothers who nodded silently in the affirmative that their stubborn brother wasn't going to regret his words. Aki seemed unaffected of the hotheaded turtle but Leonardo wasn't sure if she had realized that he would never make an apology to her. Raphael wasn't exactly the guy who was ready to admit that he had made a mistake, especially if he was angry and well aware of the fact that she couldn't keep him in the air forever.
"I was just thinking…What animals were pictured on the flutes?" Michelangelo asked and tried to change the subject.
"The signs were with an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a rooster a pig and a dog," Donatello informed and felt relief by his brother's action.
"That's a lot of animals," Michelangelo commented and looked at them with a grin. "Well, at least most of them are harmless."
"But in huge herds it would be catastrophic," Master Splinter pointed out and turned his face to Aki. "Rex will be able to control all the animals, right?"
"Yes, the magic allures the animals to the person who plays the secret melody and they will hear her all over the world."
"It would mean total chaos and destruction," Donatello concluded gloomily.
Silence reigned in the room while they thought deeply concerned about the new information. It was horrible that Rex actually had become capable of calling and ruling over twelve different animals on the entire planet. Leonardo gazed worryingly at Donatello who kept staring straight at the floor with an empty look in his eyes. The consequences of Rex's future actions weren't hard to imagine and the sight wasn't pretty. They had been wondering why they hadn't heard from Rex for three days but it was likely because she was gathering her troops of animals to prepare an attack on the city and them. Leonardo rose from the floor and looked at Aki with worry shining in his eyes.
"Isn't there something we can do to stop her?"
"If we could get the flutes back, then I might be able to take her magic powers away from her by using the flutes and some special herbs," Aki answered after a few seconds. "But it is only a slight possibility considering that we don't have the flutes in our possession."
"You said to us that you weren't one of The Five Elements," Donatello reminded her and placed his hand thoughtfully at his chin. "How do you know the solution to the problem?"
"I said that I wasn't one of The Five Elements, yes," Aki agreed but a smile flickered across her face. "But I didn't say that I wasn't a member of the order. Back then I was the apprentice of the air but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish my education."
"What about the other elements?" Michelangelo asked in wonder. "What has happened to them?"
"They were all killed together with their apprentice by Rex," Aki told them and her voice shivered as she recalled her memories from the past. "I'm the only one who survived her attack in Beijing. She found the right time to make her move when we were meeting together at our headquarters."
"Why did she kill all those people? Had they also shown an interest in getting the flutes back?" Donatello asked curious. "The previous royal palace was attacked for fifteen years ago."
"That accident only occurred because her predecessor also had a great obsession about the powers of the magic flutes," Aki told them. "Our legends tell us that many years went after The Five Elements had been banished from China. Afterwards they told their children the truth about their secret powers. The farmers had learned from their mistakes and they demanded their children to make a promise. This was a promise, which they should pass on to make sure that our powers were used for goodness in life and not for destruction. This was the fundamental words for the order, which was hiding among the local civilisation of China. There were merely two persons, who knew the secret location of the flutes in the emperor's palace until they disappeared in 1911 and these were the leader of the order and the person's closest adviser. The leader had since the beginning been the element of water because the person was able to sense people's intentions, good or bad ones. The leader never gave this information to the others in the group because it was important not to wake another person's grief and urge to rule over humanity. Frankly, the leader was thrilled when she heard that the flutes were gone so she didn't have to worry about them. Sadly, that didn't last for long. We never found out how the element of fire discovered that the flutes had been kept in the royal palace but she attacked the place looking for answers about the flutes. At that time, my father was the element of the air and he went to the Chinese government to find out more about the flutes disappearence. They were willing to help him and arrange a meeting for him with a government officer who was a descendant of the emperor. His name was Shu Wan and he confided to my father that his family still was guardians of the flutes but that he didn't trusted my father enough to give him the flutes. My father understood his reasons but he explained to him that the flutes weren't safe in the country anymore. They had to separate the flutes so the element of fire wouldn't find them. It was too dangerous if they didn't do anything about it. Shu Wan decided to cooperate with my father and said to him that he would do it if they could find a man who they both trusted enough to get the flutes out of China."
"Was Shu Wan willing to take that risk with your father?" Leonardo asked astonished by her tale. "I don't believe that I could have done it. Why did he decide to trust your father?"
"There were two reasons. The first one was that he was scared to death by the violent attack, which the element of fire had done on the palace and secondly it was because my father found a noble and honest man who Shu Wan trusted enough to move the flutes to a safer place. I can't recall the name of the man but he should have been a great jonin in the art of Ninjitsu."
Master Splinter felt a lump in his throat as he remembered the days where two government officers had been visiting his master. Now he finally knew the reason why they had sought his master's help. Splinter took a deep breath to clear his mind and faced Aki with sadness in his eyes.
"This was Hamato Yoshi," Splinter said and bended his head. "But he was murdered."
"I'm sorry," Aki said sincerely. "I have heard that he was the most righteous and honourable man ever. After my father heard of his dead he convinced Shu Wan to dispose the flutes to New York immediately."
"I don't quite get it," Michelangelo said and gazed resignedly at her. "Does it mean that everybody in the order knew about this? If that is the case, then I'm lost."
"No, the element of water gave this mission to my father because he was the only who she could trust. When Rex attacked us at our headquarters, she tortured our leader until she got the information she wanted. After that, she killed her brutally. It was awful!"
"What about your father?" asked Donatello and looked concerned at her. "What happened to him?"
"My father?" Aki repeated and shook slightly her head. "He died when I was four years old and I was grateful for that when Rex began to kill everybody I knew. I will never forget it. The blood and the horrible screams are haunting my dreams every single night. I was the only person who survived and it was only because I was a pathetic coward who wouldn't accept my destiny. When Rex killed my family, I died inside. I had no feelings whatsoever. I couldn't even cry and my tears wouldn't come out. The sorrow was unbearable and I couldn't face it. I ran to the element of water…and…"
Aki's bottom lip began to shiver and she placed her hands over her face so they couldn't see the tears that finally broke down her self-control. This was tears of shame, regret and deep sadness from her very soul. She hadn't cried for her loved ones since Rex had murdered them but telling the story to friends that cared for her removed the tick wall around her heart. She was vulnerable as she revealed her feelings but Michelangelo placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to assure her that everything was fine. They would listened to her and be there for her.
"She… she was covered in blood," Aki sniffed and the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…I can't…"
"Shh," Michelangelo said comfortingly, taking her in his arms as he stroke her hair softly. "It is okay. You're safe."
Leonardo felt badly as he saw her cry. It was tearing him apart to feel and see the pain in her eyes without being able to do anything. He couldn't remove her horrible memories but he knew that he would do anything to support and comfort her in every way he could. Leonardo walked to his bed and sat on the other side looking at her with a reassuring smile.
"We are here for you Aki. No one will hurt you."
Aki smiled a little when she heard his words. Everybody in the room was looking at her with deep sympathy and sadness, even Raphael who quickly turned his eyes away from her so she wouldn't see it. It didn't change nothing about the apology anyway but he had to admit that he know understood why she had reacted angrily as she had done.
"This was the reason why I decided to go after her to New York. I had nothing to loose," Aki sniffed with a shaking voice as she wipe off her tears. "My father was actually the reason why I got into this mess."
"Why is that?" Donatello asked to start the conversation again. He couldn't see why they had made her more unhappy than she was.
"The Five Elements pass on their magical power to one of their children," Aki explained once again but she seemed glad to talk about something else. "He was a member of the order when he met my mother. At that time, he was a police officer in Tokyo. It was love at first sight and they got me nearly a year after."
"Did your mother know that your father was a member of The Five Elements?" Leonardo asked.
"No, I don't believe that she would have met him in the first place, if she had been aware of it," Aki confided to him and heaved a sigh. "The Five Elements were feared in Japan as well as China though most of the population considers them as a myth."
"Does your father come from a family of ninjas. You know from some kind of a ninja clan?" Leonardo asked again and gave her a questioning look.
"Why do you believe that?"
"My son is thinking of your weapon which you used in the battle. It is an old ninja weapon also known as a Tessen," Master Splinter explained. "The women ninjas used this weapon a lot when they were spies between the noble families in Japan."
"I don't think that I'm descended of a ninja family or a ninja clan for that matter but on the other hand I have to admit that I can't deny it either. I got it from my mother for many years ago. I can't tell much about her because she left me in China when I was four years old to the order. When my father was dying, he told my mother the truth about himself. She didn't want to have anything to do with me after he died and she gave me to The Five Elements when she finally managed to find them. They took care of me and accepted me as the apprentice of the air as they could sense the magical aura around me. It indicated that I was chosen to be the next Element of Air and since my father was dead, it was important to them that I came to live among them. I would become one of The Five Elements when I understood my powers completely. As you can hear from my storytelling, I'm not stronger than Rex."
"But you know how to take her powers away from her?" Donatello asked
"Yes I do," Aki replied firmly. "But I need the flutes to do it."
"Which is a kind of a problem since the wicked witch has them," Michelangelo said and shivered by the thought.
"You mentioned that Rex could sense where you were if she was near you," Leonardo pointed out. "Couldn't you do the same with her?"
"Uh uh," Aki answered sadly. "I haven't learned it. All the Elements were capable of sensing magical auras from themselves and their apprentices, but as an apprentice I never got to learn how to do that."
"Damn," Leonardo muttered and gazed calmly at the others. "What are we going to do now?"
"I suggest that we watch a movie," Michelangelo said and shrugged his shoulders. "It seems like we can't do anything more right now."
"Yeah, you should," Aki encouraged. "And I should be going. I have already stayed here for too long."
"No, you mustn't go!" Leonardo exclaimed in panic before he could stop himself. He noticed that everyone looked shocked at him and he lowered his voice to continue. "Oh, I mean… It wouldn't be safe to leave the lair. It is not safe for you out there."
"And it is not safe for you that I'm in here," Aki pointed out, looking seriously at them. "Rex probably knows that I'm here and she won't hesitate to try come looking for me."
"Yeah, wish her good luck then," Donatello remarked with a wry smile.
"What do you mean?" Aki asked confused.
"My dear lady, let me introduce you to the genius above the genius, the turtle who is wiser than all the science freaks counted together Donatello," Michelangelo cheered loudly as he walked over to his brother, patting him on his shell. "Go tell her Donny."
"Oh, please stop it Mikey," Donatello pleaded but it was obvious that he enjoyed his brother's praise. "I'm not that good."
"You're not only good. You're absolutely fantastic," Michelangelo continued and smiled at Aki. "Believe me dudette, no one would ever find our lair even if they were standing at the front door."
"He is right Aki," Leonardo assured her.
"It is dangerous to have me here," Aki whispered so he was the only one who could hear her.
"Hey," Leonardo said gently and placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "We will protect you from harm. Please stay. Michelangelo has a point. The only thing we can do is to be prepared and wait for something to happen."
"You hate that, don't you?" she asked with little smile.
"More than you can imagine," he admitted. "And you said yourself that you weren't able to find her."
"But…"
"You're welcome to stay in our home as long as you wish," Master Splinter offered, standing with his hands resting on the top of his cane. "I would strongly advice you to get some rest and gather your strength to the next battle with Rex not to mention that it would comfort an old rat's heart if he had a brave woman to look after my sons."
The old rat smiled to her and left the room. Aki looked down at her hands and felt many emotions running through her. She wanted to stay with her new mutant friends but a little voice inside her warned her of danger if she did it. She didn't want the turtles to get hurt because of her. Leonardo took her hand and gazing nervously at her.
"So what is your decision?"
"I would love to stay," Aki replied finally much to his relief.
"This is great," Donatello exclaimed excided to have a new guest in the lair. "There is so many things that we can show you. I have some of my inventions…"
"It can wait Donny," Michelangelo interrupted quickly and grinned. "What about seeing a good movie, huh?"
"It would be nice to see something for fun," Aki said with a faint smile. "I haven't watched a movie in months, but could I take a bath first?"
"Yeah, sure you can. I can bring you some clean towels and call April to hear if she has some spare clothes you can borrow," Leonardo answered gladly and helped her to get up from the bed.
"While you do that, I will find a movie and make us some popcorn," Michelangelo said.
"It sounds great," Aki said gratefully.
Then they left the room except from Raphael who was still hanging in the ceiling. Aki hadn't released him from her spell, which prevented him from making a single movement with his body. He glanced angrily at his brother's shells as he suspected that it was maybe going to take a little more time than he had expected.
"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" he yelled furiously but no one was paying attention to him.
A/N: So, what is the verdict? Please review; I really appreciate your opinions. I just hope that I haven't confused anyone with this chapter. I'm aware that there is a lot going on in my story and I was trying to tell the background of the flutes and The Five Elements as best as I could. The next chapter is going to be there on Friday almost two weeks from now and it is actually a new added chapter, which isn't originally a part of my Danish story. As I'm translating this story, I find new details and scenes to write down. See you soon!