Chapter 29: Children are Treasures and Not Possessions

A/N: The next chapter is here and I really hope all of you like it. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far as your kind words mean the world to me and keep motivating me to write. Special thanks to Illusionna for giving me permission to use her characters and to write this story. This one's going to be a wild ride!

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. The Phoenix, her children, and any other characters from The Other Side of the City are property of Illusionna and are used with permission from the author. I only own the plot and any other characters of my own making.

Phoenix was running across the rooftops in an effort to be alone for once. She really enjoyed the night and felt it was great to be out here by herself. A figure appeared suddenly, and she immediately went for her slingshot, prepared to attack. But as the figure drew closer, she let out a gasp as she saw who it was.

"Ailurosa?" she gasped. Here was the daughter she had so tragically lost looking just as she had before she had died.

"Hello, Mama," Ailurosa said. "It's been a long time."

"Are you a ghost?" her mother asked.

"Not in your dream," she answered. "I'm just as you remember me. I came here to warn you about something."

"What is it?"

"Be ready for anything," her daughter replied. "Stay close to the others because evil is coming."

"What sort of evil?" asked Phoenix. "Do you mean Shredder or Stephane?"

Ailurosa didn't answer. "Be alert," she cautioned. Then she turned and scampered away.

"Ailurosa, come back!" Phoenix begged, but her daughter was gone.

22222

"Ailurosa, wait!" Phoenix cried as she sat up in bed.

Beside her, Splinter stirred. "Phoebe, what is the matter?" he asked.

She sighed. "I had a dream that Ailurosa warned me about something, but she wouldn't say what," she answered.

"She is the daughter you lost, correct?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes. I didn't know what to do. I wish she would have told me what she meant."

"What did she say?"

"She said evil is coming and that I have to stay close to the others."

Splinter stroked his beard as he contemplated her words. "Hmm, that does not bode well at all," he said.

"What should we do?" she asked him.

He looked at her grimly. "We should be prepared for anything."

22222

"Hey, Dus, where are you off to?" Raph asked.

"I'm going to hang out with Karai and Shinigami," she replied. "They asked me to come over and I said I would."

"You think that's a good idea?"

"Are you still hung up on your theory that Karai isn't trustworthy?" Medusa asked him.

"No, but we don't know much about her 'friend' and how she might be," he answered.

"If she's friends with Karai then she isn't bad. I trust both of them."

"Better tell your mom where you're going," Raph cautioned.

Medusa drew herself to her full height. "I already did and she said it was fine."

"Have fun then."

"I will," she promised as she left the Lair. She was happy that Karai was willing to spend time with her and get to know her. Sometimes it was better to hang out with girls than with boys all of the time. These were the times when she really missed having Ailurosa with her to hang out with.

"Glad you could make it, Medusa," Karai said when the snake mutant arrived.

"No problem," Medusa replied. "How are you, Karai?"

"Pretty good," Karai answered. "How are things with you?"

"Not bad, but it's nice to get out and hang with some girls for once."

Shinigami giggled. "Yes, I imagine it is a bit frustrating to deal with boys all the time."

"Tell me about it!" Medusa groaned. "Yesterday, Mikey hogged the bathroom for almost an hour! I swear, sometimes that boy gets on my nerves with how he does that!"

"That definitely sounds like Mikey, though Leo isn't any better," Karai replied. "He spent thirty minutes in the bathroom reading a Space Heroes comic!"

"Are you serious?" Medusa giggled. "I bet you didn't let him live that one down!"

"No, I didn't."

Medusa eyed some of the soldiers who were standing nearby.

Karai noticed where she was looking. "Oh, don't mind them," she said. "They're just here to guard me. Stop staring, you idiots!"

"Forgive us, Karai, but we were just a little surprised that you have befriended a mutant," one of the soldiers said.

"That's because I'm half-mutant now and a snake, too," she answered. "You better learn to accept it!"

"We have no problems with your friend," a second soldier said. "We were merely curious."

"Well, you can stop being curious unless you want me to eat you," threatened Medusa.

"Nice one," Karai praised her. "I should have thought of that."

"So, can you control your transformation now?"

"For the most part," she answered. "I really like this part of me now, though I hated it before."

"You don't want to change back to a normal human?"

"No way! Being a mutant is really cool and helps with certain things. Of course, there is the downside of me craving rats every once in a while, but I really have controlled it."

Medusa nodded. "Yeah, I get like that too. I sometimes have to be really careful around Splinter even though I don't think I'd want to eat him."

"I doubt the boys would let you do that," Karai said. "You seem to have a good grasp on your instincts though."

"It's taken a lot of practice. It also helps that we eat different food now. I never thought I would get so fond of pizza."

"Yeah, it is a good food to eat," Karai admitted.

"Medusa, has it always just been you, your brothers, and your mother?" Shinigami asked her.

"No, before that we had a sister named Ailurosa who was a cat mutant," Medusa answered. "She was killed though and after that, it's just been the four of us."

"Who killed her?" Karai asked.

"I honestly don't remember though I think it was humans," Medusa answered. "I miss her all the time though. She was the best sister I could ask for."

"I can't imagine what that must have been like," Karai said softly.

Before Medusa could respond, there was a commotion near the entrance. All three of them tensed and gasped when Shredder burst through. However, he wasn't the Shredder they all knew as he had been mutated into something very grotesque and ugly.

"Karai," he said.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I wished to see you, my daughter," he replied. "You must come with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she spat.

"You dare to desert your father?"

She looked him in the eyes. "My father is Hamato Yoshi," she declared. She let out a cry and lunged at him, hoping to take him down. He swiped out and knocked her to the ground.

"You will pay, monster, for everything you have done to Karai!" Shinigami cried. She unleashed a group of bats using her magic and tried to attack while they distracted him, but he saw through that and took her down as well.

Medusa hissed and wound around his legs, hoping to bring him down.

He smirked as he looked down at her. "Such a clever trick, girl, but it will not work on me," he said. He grabbed her and unwound her from his legs. Then he swung her around and threw her until she hit the wall. Dazed, she sat up and saw Shredder grab Karai and take her away.

"No!" she cried.

"Medusa, what will we do?" Shinigami asked her.

"I have to go home and warn the Turtles," she answered. "They can rescue her."

"Good luck," Shinigami said.

22222

"What are you doing?" Ichiro asked as he watched Phoenix doing some flips off of the monkey bars in the dojo.

"I used to be a gymnast in my old life," she answered. "I like to keep up with it if I can."

"You move beautifully," he commented.

She blushed. "Thank you," she said.

A commotion brought her out of the dojo as Medusa slithered frantically into the Lair.

"Karai's been taken by Shredder," she reported.

"She what?!" Leo cried.

"We can take him!" bragged Raph.

"No, you can't," Medusa argued. "He's different now."

"How is he different, Curly Que?" Phoenix asked her daughter.

"He mutated," she replied.

"But how?" asked Donnie. "I thought there was no mutagen left."

"Maybe Shredder was able to get more," Leo guessed.

"But why would he suddenly change into a mutant?" Raph asked.

"So he could be stronger," Mikey answered. "That way he would be totally powerful and stuff."

"None of that matters now," Splinter said. "What matters is that we rescue Miwa immediately."

"I'll call Tony, April, and Casey," Leo said. "We could use their help."

"I'll come too," Phoenix offered. "You might need me."

"No, you stay here with Ichiro," Splinter ordered.

Phoenix was offended by his tone. Why was he so adamant on excluding her from things? She was a parent and knew exactly how it felt to lose a daughter. She wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again. But seeing the desperation in Splinter's eyes, she knew she couldn't argue with him.

"Good luck," she said softly.

22222

We hurried through the sewers, hoping to catch Karai and Shredder. Medusa was leading the way since she knew Karai's scent and could track her.

"Man, I hope we can catch her," Raph said.

"Let's just hope we don't have to face Shredder along the way," Leo said.

Medusa flicked out her tongue to catch the scent. "She's this way!" Medusa cried.

But before we could leave, we were surrounded by Shredder's henchmen and they were ready to face us.

"Change of plans," Splinter said. "My students, you fight the henchmen. Medusa, you will lead me to my daughter."

"Sensei, what if Shredder is there?" Leo asked him.

"It does not matter," Splinter answered. "We must do this."

Wasting no time, Mikey let out his battle cry and began attacking Rahzar. The rest of us followed suit while Splinter used a smoke bomb to cover his escape with Medusa. I wasn't sure how smart this plan was, but I hoped Splinter knew what he was doing.

22222

Medusa slithered as fast as she could, following the scent. Splinter kept pace with her though he was very anxious about his daughter.

"Be alert for anything, Medusa," Splinter cautioned her.

"I know," she said. "We're almost there."

They entered a wide area of the subway system and noticed a group of pictures Splinter knew only too well. How had Saki obtained them? There were many pictures of Yoshi with his beloved wife and a few with Miwa in them too. He saw Miwa chained above them.

"Miwa, hold on!" Splinter yelled.

"Father, get out of here!" she yelled back. "It's a trap!"

"I will not leave you!" he declared.

"Such a sentimental fool," a voice taunted as Shredder came out of the shadows.

Splinter gasped at the state the man he called his brother was in now. He had definitely changed and not for the better. "Let my daughter go!" he commanded.

"She is not yours any longer," Shredder growled. "I am going to enjoy destroying you while your precious daughter watches. Then I will take back what should have been mine so many years ago!"

Splinter let out a cry and attacked his sworn enemy. The fight that followed was brutal and all Medusa could do was sit and watch as they battled. She saw Karai struggling as she turned into her snake form and broke free of her bonds. She slithered to Medusa and spoke to her through her mind.

We must help them, Karai thought.

There's nothing we can do now, Medusa replied. Shredder is too powerful.

Karai hissed and changed into her human form. "Then let's follow them," she declared.

Medusa nodded and took off after her friend. She just hoped things would be okay.

22222

I was panting and tired as I faced off with Leo against Tiger Claw, but this wasn't the moment to stop. We continued to fight and were taken to a group of cliffs I didn't know existed. As we fought, I saw Shredder and Splinter appear as they battled. I desperately wanted to help them, but I knew I had to stay with Leo and help fight our enemy. Not long after, Medusa and Karai appeared.

"They're gonna fall!" I yelled as I saw Shredder and Splinter teetering close to the edge.

"We die together!" Splinter shouted as they both plunged over the edge.

"Nooo!" Leo yelled.

"Sensei!" Donnie echoed.

"Father!" Karai cried.

The henchmen were closing in on us and there was nothing we could do about it.

"We have to go on for Splinter!" Karai declared as we made our escape.

"Do you think he could be alive?" Leo asked.

"That drop had to be at least fifty feet or more," Donnie replied. "There's no way anyone could have survived that."

"Hey, he survived getting sucked down a drain," Raph declared. "If anyone can come through this, it's Splinter."

"Let's go home," Leo said. He looked so dejected and broken, not like the stoic leader we were all used to seeing.

The question still stirred within me. Was Splinter still alive?

22222

Phoenix was trying to meditate, but it wasn't working. She opened her eyes and stepped out of the dojo. Ichiro was watching television and seemed oblivious to anything else going on.

The sound of footsteps alerted Phoenix, and she bolted upright, ready to welcome her family back home. As she took note of everyone who came in, her heart gave a jolt as she realized that one was missing from their number.

"Splinter's gone," Leo reported tearfully. "He fell off the cliff just like my dream said."

Phoenix pulled the blue-clad Turtle into a hug as he began to sob. Raph came up and rubbed soothing circles on his brother's shell.

"It's not your fault, Leo," Raph said soothingly. "You didn't know the dream was gonna be real."

"It fits with what Ailurosa said too," Phoenix whispered.

"What do you mean, Mama?" Medusa asked her.

"I had a dream where Ailurosa came to me and told me evil was coming though she wouldn't say what it was. Now I know she meant Shredder."

"April, can you sense Splinter?" Donnie asked her.

"I can't sense him at all," April replied. "But maybe it doesn't mean anything. Maybe he's just unconscious."

"Are we gonna go look for him?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, but it'll take some planning," Donnie said. "I think I have just the tools to do it, but I'll have to work on them to make sure they're in order."

"That can wait until morning," Leo advised. "We need to rest now."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep a wink," Donnie stated.

Leo nodded. "I know, but we have to try. If we don't have the energy to find him, we won't get anything done."

"I'll make all of you some soothing tea," Phoenix said. "It will help you to rest."

"Thanks, Phoenix," Leo said to her.

22222

"Hey, do you remember when we were at the farmhouse and were counting the stars?" Raph asked his brother. He had decided to bunk with Leo because he felt his brother needed some company after what had happened.

"Yeah, and you thought it was corny as hell," Leo answered.

"It was, but it helped you forget your nightmares," Raph pointed out.

Leo sighed. "Can't rely on that now," he said bitterly.

"We can't give up hope," Raph said. "Remember when you told April that about her mom?"

"Yeah, but Donnie said the drop was fifty feet down," Leo countered. "What if he fell on a sharp rock or something?"

Raph rubbed his brother's shell. "Don't think like that, Leo," he said. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Leo nodded, but he really wasn't so sure about that. Still, they had to try. He sighed and closed his eyes as the soothing tea took effect.

A/N: I decided to end the chapter here though I was going to make it longer and add in the rescue for Splinter. I think that will work as its own chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one and the next one will be even wilder than this one though I won't say more than that. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.