"...The worst has come to pass. My son Leonardo was out on a training exercise...when he was ambushed, and chased across the city, by the dark forces of the Foot."
We recall highlights of the events in question, the weather changing from overcast to stormy in mere blinks of the eye as the turtle's safety is steadily thrown into jeopardy, right up to the moment Argon and those other four mysterious ninja appeared.
They would prove to be too much for the worn-down young warrior to handle, the fight ending with Leonardo brutally stripped of his weapons...
"He was returned to us, broken and battered, only to deliver a terrible message."
"H-He's, back...The, Shredder."
At the same time the warning is hoarsely conveyed, the clan leader would have destroyed the turtle's katanas, further adding to the terror of his return...a terror he has only just begun to unleash...
"I had foolishly thought the worst had come to pass...but now I fear it has yet to come."
Now...
We return to our story just seconds after Oroku Saki bent apart the steel weapons of his defeated enemy, and zooming back into April's apartment and shop, everyone was barely coming to grip with both the sight of the badly injured Leonardo...and the terrible warning he barely managed to utter before passing out. The velvet redhead herself could scarcely believe it, nor could Michelangelo.
"What? What did he just say...?!"
"He said, the Shredder's back...!"
Raphael is quick to try and deny the claim, however, recalling the last time his family fought the madman.
"No way! We were all there; we all saw what happened that night on the roof!"
Shiori nods frantically in agreement:
"Yes. Emily, sensei; they sent him to his doom with a water tower, a water tower! How could anyone come back from that?!"
This...This is insane...!
Donatello shakes his head in his own disbelief, looking at the scenario logically.
"There's no way any human could've survived."
Shun points out with a grit in his tone,
"Yeah well, 'human' isn't exactly in Shredder's DNA, isn't it?...If he can survive walking through fires..."
The turtle dressed in orange quips fearfully while looking out the newly broken window,
"I-If you read comic books, you'd know...The bad guy always comes back, always!"
...Emily kneels down beside Shiori and reaches to touch the area where Leonardo's pulse would be, flinching slightly at how weak it was becoming.
Oh no...
"We need to get Leonardo out of here, and make ourselves scarce as well."
Splinter nods,
"She is right. We must leave now," and the boy with curtain bangs adds,
"And we need to find Talon, Ariana, Ortensia and Casey. They could be in danger next."
Guys...
"Uhm, speaking of danger...We've got company!"
Looking over where Michelangelo's eyes were fixated, we spot several dozen Foot ninja soldiers emerging atop the roofs across the way...
"What's the plan? Leo's always the one with a plan, so what're we gonna do without Leo to come up with a plan?!"
Raphael pulls his sais out and replies simply,
"No time for a plan."
"Why not?!"
(CRASH)
Two of the enemy suddenly burst through the previously intact windows, answering the nunchaku-wielder's question. Acting as quick as he's able, he rushes over to the couch and shoves at an angle so he and his family would have more room to fight, a better path towards escape and something to use as a shield...More ninja come flooding in through the windows of the kitchenette, and Donatello brings his weapon out.
"Master Splinter, grab Leo! We'll cover you!"
He then engages in battle with three swordsmen, and his brothers one each, while their father, Emily and April work to lift Leonardo as gently as possible to move him behind the couch temporarily, leaving Shiori and Shun to act as bodyguards.
"...Shun, here."
The teenage girl slips out her tonfas out of their holsters, and hands them to her friend before brandishing out her butterfly swords.
"Now you've got a bit of extra protection."
"Thanks, but I don't know how to use these."
"Just don't throw 'em around like a neanderthal and you'll be fine."
"If you say so...Gh!"
Shun is then forced to jump up and swing in a side uppercut against a Foot soldier coming at them from one side, the blunt end of the tonfa connecting with their skull before the impact sends them to the floor...
"See? You're a natural."
"...Keh, (small smirk) well I have always been a hands-on learner."
Nearby, Raphael succeeds in disarming one of the enemies of their ninjatō blade, sending it flying across the room to slice through the tassels of another arriving body's mask...
Of course, regular Foot soldiers weren't the only opponents to worry about.
"Whoa...Gyuh!"
Michelangelo would meet the strength of one of the more muscle-bound members of the main attack force, their outfit characterized with a balance of grey and black rather than full black. The turtle is unceremoniously thrown to the floor near the couch, and is nearly left wide-open to being cut down...
"No!"
Thankfully, his father comes to the rescue, springing up and delivering a swift kick to the strong-armed ninja's torso. Landing on the ground, Splinter then says to his youngest son,
"I will hold them off. Help the girls and Shun get Leonardo down the stairs, and out through the antique shop."
He then throws himself into battle, taking Foot soldiers down left and right with his walking stick...Emily watches him fight from behind the sofa, her eyebrows knitting with worry.
Splinter...
"N-Nrh..."
Her ears then pick up on the sound of someone grimacing, joining the attention of other four with her to watch the grievously injured turtle suddenly regain consciousness.
"Leo...!"
"Bro, are you-"
"M-My swords. Where, ar' my swords...?"
None of them could answer him since his weapons were nowhere, but Michelangelo chides,
"Take it easy, bro. We're gettin' you out of here."
"First, we need to get the door open."
Shiori turns to Shun, and they nod to one another before sprinting to the side door connected to the shop stairs, practically ripping it open...They poke their heads through the doorway and peer around:
"No signs of a road block..."
"Not yet...I'll guard the top. You go rally the others."
"Right."
The girl with the monochrome paisley bandana turns back to the inside of the apartment while her older teen friend moves to stand guard...
(Swing, CLANG)
"Gh-h!"
She barely manages to block an incoming blade from one of the many Foot ninja, using her own swords to lock them in a stalemate.
Shell...
"N-Nh, Mikey, Em, Ape: grab Leo and get into the hallway! Hurry!"
They do as the girl urges, the first and third named people lifting the katana-wielder so his arms are over each of their shoulders, and begin walking him to the door as fast as they can.
"I can, walk. Grh...!"
"With those legs? Nadda chance, bro."
"Listen to Mikey, Leo. Just lean on us."
"A-April...you should, get away, while you can. This is our fight, not yours."
The redhead fiercely disagrees:
"Not my fight?! Look, Leo, we're all family now. I could never run out on you, on any of you!...Besides..."
(Whzzzz, SLI-SLICE)
She watches her older cousin use one of her shuriken to cut down not one, but two arrows that threatened to take the lives of both her dear friend and his daughter.
"Try that again, scum. I dare you."
The ninja responsible for shooting the ammo become intimidated by her smouldering glare, before preparing another arrow each and aiming her way...Not that they would get a chance to fire, when the rat master springs forward and knocks them out cold...April smiles a little, finishing her case for the turtles listening.
"Hamato or O'Neil, we all share a history. It doesn't matter when it all got knotted together. We're all connected; your enemies are my enemies. Your pain is my pain...and I will fight to protect my own."
Leonardo could only stare at the redhead in awe as he's lead through the doorway.
April...
Popping back into the apartment, Emily picks up her shuriken while sending a slightly pointed expression at Splinter.
"...I could have taken them down, you know."
He sends a stern gaze back and replies,
"Now is not the time for that, Emily."
"For what, fighting for my place as a warrior?"
"...Uhm, excuse me."
They turn to Shiori, who finally takes down the ninja she was deadlocked with before saying to the adults,
"Don't mean any disrespect, but can we please put whatever's going on there away and focus on getting out of here?"
"...Ahm, right."
"Of course...Donatello, Raphael, this way!"
The turtles hurry after their father once they knock away their current opponents, the sai-wielder being the last one to join when he busies himself with keeping the enemy from following...Meanwhile, in the stairway connecting the apartment and shop, the others pause to evaluate their next move...
"Be alert. The shop is our only exit, and they know it."
"No kidding."
Shun suddenly runs upstairs to join them, catching his breath after fighting off some regular Foot soldiers that are now laying in a small pile down below.
"I just, hah, finished clobbering six more. Barely...But, I looked in the shop, and..."
"What's wrong?"
He straightens up and looks Shiori in the eyes before muttering with a bitterness in his tone,
"I saw Argon."
"What?!"
"There's more. He's with these, other four ninja that look way tougher than the others. They've got some serious weapons too; a battle axe, trident, you name it."
"You gotta be kidding me..."
The boy shakes his head and points down the stairs.
"Go see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Shiori looks up at her family, before taking the first few steps downward, though not before Donatello nudges Michelangelo to follow.
"Don't let her go alone."
The orange-masked turtle nods, and he and his sister hurry to the bottom of the stairs...
"They can't be that scary-looking, can they?"
"Considering what the Foot has shown to be capable of, I'm open to anything."
(...Crreeeak)
"It's quiet...Maybe too quiet. (Small grin) Always wanted to say that."
The girl with honey irises shakes her head in slight amusement at her brother...before they both let out gasps at the sight of the five enemies waiting for them!
"...Nice hats!"
Michelangelo immediately shuts the door after making that observation, something his sibling would berate him for.
"Really? Nice, hats?!"
"Well what'd you except me to say, nice weapons-that-look-perfect-for-killing-us?"
"...What's going on down there, you two?"
They turn to see everyone wander down their way, and the turtle replies,
"Major ambush, that's what. Shun wasn't kidding; they're crazy-armed!"
Said boy nods,
"Told ya," but Donatello notes,
"We don't have a choice. They're still pouring in from the windows."
Speaking of which, Raphael calls down from a floor up as he blocks another swipe of steel,
"Hey! Grh, what's the story down there?!"
Shiori calls back,
"Argon's back, bro, and he's brought a strong posse with him!"
"Dat loser?! You're jokin!"
"I wish I was!"
She turns attention back on the others:
"Now what?"
Emily suggests,
"Now we carefully analyze our odds. Shun, you said that two of the warriors with Argon carried a battle axe and trident?"
"Yeah?"
"...I think I may know who they are. (Glance) Splinter?"
The rat nods, knowing what the woman is postulating.
"Yes. They must be the Shredder's Elite Guard...They will prove to be a challenge. They are the deadliest of his warriors."
"All the more reason to get Leo out of here."
He meets eyes with Shiori, who then says,
"I don't care if I have to fight goblins; the Foot's not getting in the way of our survival."
She then turns to head back down into the shop, much to the worries of Donatello and Michelangelo.
"Uh! Shiori!"
"Wait up!"
...Knowing that his worrying nature as their father wouldn't deter them, Splinter decides to turn back and run upstairs to switch places with his second-oldest son.
"Raphael, go and assist your brothers and sister in the shop. I will protect Leonardo."
"Sensei...Alright."
The sai-wielder wastes no time in heading down to meet with his able-bodied siblings, jumping over the other three humans and his injured older brother to get down faster...He'd be taken slightly off-guard by the fierce appearances of the named Elite Guard.
"Whoa! (...Smirk) Nice hats."
Michelangelo chimes,
"That's what I said," and Donatello comments,
"Say what you will about the Foot, but they do not skimp on the headgear."
Shiori adds angrily while glaring at the ninja without the conical hat,
"Nor do they skimp on being as annoying as a rash...Nice wardrobe update, Argon. Finally getting into the role of a villain?"
Said man with the devillock replies in kind,
"I suppose that's one way to put it. I certainly enjoyed making your, brother squirm before we tossed him back to you."
"So you're behind his beating? Good to know..."
(shing)
Shiori brandishes her butterfly swords out again, twirling one around twice before locking her grip on the handles with a new fire burning in her veins.
"For now I know which one of you Foot goons to beat up the most!"
"We'll see about that."
...Panning back upstairs for a moment, we watch as Splinter is surrounded by several of the grunt soldiers from the enemy clan, before getting into a short squabble and beating each one with a few well-timed punches and a sweeping sidekick. One ninja goes flying into the banister, breaking it at the same time the rat is kicked back by another Foot soldier. He somersaults to a stop in front of the damaged railing, before using his enhanced strength to rip off two fair-sized pieces of wood as makeshift weapons.
He uses them effectively, knocking down every ninja that came his way until he had the opportunity to pick up his walking stick...
"Watch out!"
(CLACK)
Shun then pops up from behind a ninja that tries to sneak-attack the rat master, using the tonfas borrowed from Shiori to whack down the Foot soldier, then runs to the door to the loft, and slams it shut before locking it.
(Click)
"Hah, hah...there. That should slow them down for a bit."
(...CRACK)
"Da-ah!"
He jumps backwards when a fist comes firing through the framework, and scrambles to Splinter's side.
"Uhm, then again, maybe not..."
"Master Splinter, Shun!"
The men turn their heads down the stairs to meet the worried eyes of April.
"Leo. He's getting worse...!"
The humanoid rat notes aloud,
"We cannot stay here any longer!"
The boy with the crow black hair nods in agreement.
"At the very least, we need to get out of the stairwell."
'Cause the really important fight's about to begin in the shop...
Back in said area, Raphael says to his siblings,
"So are we gonna do this or what?"
Getting a subtle nod from each of them, the three turtles and one human then make their charge against Argon and the Elite Guard, the latter quintet doing the same. Raphael gets lucky and manages to kick the warrior with the yari spear down, which passes onto Donatello who waits for the ones with the modified monk spade and jūmonji yari to attempt a downward swing at the same time, allowing him to trap the weapons under his feet before kicking their wielders away...
"Hrrrh!"
(Clang, clang)
Meanwhile, ō-naginata and butterfly swords clash as Shiori takes on Argon.
"Hh, hh, you're not gonna beat us! We will win like last time!"
"I wouldn't get so overconfident. Look."
The former does as the latter urges, and widens her eyes when she witnesses the strength in one Elite's kick after Raphael tries and fails to take them down next.
Holy crow...
"Now do you see?"
(Shing, whap)
"Gh!"
Shiori is then overtaken when her opponent shoves their weapons upward, and thrusts one of his palms against her chest, before pulling a disappearing act and reappearing behind her, locking the pole of his weapon to her front and trapping her against his torso!
"Nrh, nnh!"
"Our clan learns from every battle, grows stronger, more skilled."
"Heee-ya!"
(WHACK)
"Guh!"
Argon is suddenly punted from behind by the body of one of his comrades thanks to Michelangelo, allowing Shiori to slip free and run to his side.
"Yeah, well we learn plenty from our battles too, pal. Now keep your grimy hands off my sister."
"Thanks, Mikey."
"No prob..."
Feeling inspired, Donatello gets back on his feet and wordlessly challenges the Elite with the yari spear, their next clash causing some damage to the antiques, including a vase the latter slices in half with his polearm.
(Clatter...)
"Hey! Try not to wreck the shop! At least, try not to wreck it too badly!"
Yet even upon saying that, the turtle with the bō staff couldn't help but think to himself after sweep-kicking the Elite to the floor,
April's gonna need alot of replacements after tonight...
Raphael would've thrown himself into battle by that point as well, though we notice him panting a little as he meets back-to-back with his youngest siblings.
"Hah, hah, I, just need to catch my breath..."
"Yeah. Can we call I timeout or somethin'?"
Shiori scoffs while helping her sai-wielding brother block and kick/punch away the Elite with the monk spade,
"I don't think the Foot Clan's ever heard of a timeout...Uh!"
She then nearly has a heart attack when she sees Michelangelo barely dodge blades behind a suit of armour, before getting harshly kicked down to go sliding to the other side of the room...leaving him vulnerable to that same Elite she just took on.
Mikey!
Timing was on their side, however, when Donatello's weapon is kicked away by the warrior with the ono battle axe, allowing him to turn and see what was going on. Gasping, the turtle then acts fast by grabbing his opponent, then vaulting him over his head in a back-throw to go crashing into the other Elite, saving his brother's life!
"Hah, hah, thanks, Don!...Huh?"
Unfortunately, the victory was short-lived when the two enemies use their vanishing technique to reappear between the turtles, forcing Michelangelo to scramble back before he gets hurt.
"Yikes!"
Geez, what are these guys, demons?!
...As this was going on, Splinter and Shun had finished taking care of the rest of the Foot ninja that were coming from the upstairs windows, and they hurry back down to join the rest.
"Hah, hah...okay. I'll stay here with April. You and Emily should go on ahead, sensei."
"Very well. Be careful."
The two adults then nod to one another, and hurry into the shop to join the others...just as another familiar face emerges from the shadows.
"Mm?...Hh! You!"
"Nice to see you too, punk."
(WHAP)
"Cuh-guuuu!"
Shun is forced to his knees with a very heavy punch, and his attacker - Hun - then snatches Leonardo out of April's arms!
"Uh!"
He tilts the injured turtle's head up with his finger in a mocking fashion, holding him up by his shell.
"Your friend here doesn't look too well. Shall I put him out of his misery?"
"Grrrrh! Let him go!"
Despite the new pain in his gut, the young man with curtain bangs wasn't about to back down anymore than the rest would. In which case, he sucks in a big breath before springing up and lunging forward to jab the tonfas into the bigger man's gut in retaliation. Grunting, Hun forces his heels flat to avoid falling backwards completely, but would be distracted long enough by the boy that April could hurry to pry the Purple Dragon leader's fingers off of Leonardo, yanking him back into her arms.
"Don't you even think about touching him!"
"Why you...!"
(Whap)
"Gah-rh!"
Hun is then slapped across the face by the wooden weapon, and Shun hurries to pull the O'Neil along.
"Come on!"
"Right!"
They manage to get into the shop, and April sets herself and Leonardo down at the wall near the doorway...
"You think you'll get away with that, you pest?!"
Shun, however, wasn't so lucky, and is suddenly yanked backwards by his jacket, harshly disarmed of his weapons with a few whacks to his arms...before-
(KICK)
"UH!"
He's delivered a hard foot to the back by Hun, sending him flying into one of the pipes that was a part of the plumbing system and foundation holding up the roof of the shop!
"Shun, no!"
He barely registers Raphael's cry, his ears ringing as he struggles to get up and stay conscious.
"U-Urh..."
Can't, pass out. Stay-koff, awake...
"I'm surprised you're still able to stand."
Shun looks up, meeting eyes with Argon.
"Hh!"
"Then again, you do have a fire that burns harder than Talon's. That much I've learned from watching all of you."
"...How dare you."
The dizziness disappears near-instantly, and Shun forms a seething glare as he stares down the man with teal-brown irises with his own dark forest green.
"How dare you say his name!...You have no right..."
He then springs forward to send a series of swings with his fist against the more skilled ninja, who blocks each strike with his palms.
"You have no right to speak of Talon, of any of us like what you've done meant nothing!"
"I take it your anger over the past is strongest, then?"
"Damn right it is! Gh!...You could've done something."
Their battle pauses as Shun comes to grip with the new wave of mixed emotions running through his brain, his heart arguably the most wounded out of the five survivors from the Lady Liberty Orphanage tragedy.
"You could've found some way to convince your leader that killing innocent lives wouldn't do squat for his twisted plans. You could've had a chance to redeem yourself...but what did you do?...What did you do?!"
He darts his head up to glare hard at the opposing man.
"Nothing!"
"I did what I had to do to survive, to grow stronger. You can't tell me you don't understand how that feels, as a fellow orphan?"
"Shut up! You and I are nothing alike! You...You betrayed us. You betrayed Derek, betrayed Talon. You allowed innocent lives to be snuffed out; allowed our past to be crushed! (Knuckle crack) And for those reasons, if nothing else..."
Shun rushes forward, a new strength pumping through his body.
"I'm gonna make you pay!"
With that, the fight continues between the former orphans, but this time, it seems the younger man was providing a more decent challenge to the older...But as Shiori ducks and rolls towards her down brother and April, she could sense a dangerous rise in her childhood friend's ferocity.
Shun...
"Ha! And I thought the freak with the sais had an anger problem."
She whirls around to face Hun at the doorway between the stairwell and shop, the latter feeling a new smirk curve forth before he mocks,
"Seems your so-called family's got more issues than you'll admit. Talk about broken."
"Shut your mouth!"
Deciding to go about more bluntly, the youngest of the Hamatos sheathes her knifes before starting her own heated brawl with the bulking blond. They travel around the room like the rest, delivering blows after blows which are barely countered and blocked by the opposing appendages...
"Don't you, (whap), presume to think, (whap), you can get away with slurring my family, (whap) you jerk!"
"Aww, what's the matter? Did I tick the little girl off?"
"Shell yeah you did!"
Shiori manages to get lucky with a flip-kick, sending Hun on a near-trip backwards to hit the wall...
"Mind you, I've come to realize you have a bad habit of ticking everyone off. (Smirk) How'does a volcano like you even have any friends?"
"Huh?"
(...Flash)
"Ha! Wha's your deal, volcano man? You act like you're untouchable; I bet you got no friend to call your own! How are you gonna run the Dragons if all your good at is scarin' people into submission?"
(Flash)
"...Hrrrraaaaah!"
Suddenly, without so much as a warning, the bulked up leader of the current Purple Dragon gang charges forward and snatches up the girl by her shoulders, and pins her hard against the wall!
"Uh!"
"Whyyy?! Why did you have to say that?! (Glance) Why do you have to have his hair?! What are you?! Why are you so much like him?!"
What the shell?!
Shiori tries to pry herself free of Hun's grip, seriously confused by this turn from rational to irrational behaviour.
"W-Wha', are you talking, about?! Nrh...You're not making any sense at all! Mph, (gritted smirk) seriously, has it been that long since you were satisfied or somethin'?"
"Hold your tongue, you little bi-"
"You hold yours, fatso!"
Raphael suddenly comes kicking in from the side, literally using his foot to launch Hun back through where they came, freeing his sister and allowing April to shut the door on the threat...
"Ain't no way I'm lettin' anybody use that word to describe my sister."
He then turns his attention to helping his sibling to her feet.
"You good?"
"Yeah..."
But that was way weird even for Hun...What is it about me that he finds familiar?
...Wait a sec...Could, he have known...?
Before the blackette with silver roots could form a plausible theory, her ears would pick up on a few stifled groans from Leonardo, spotting him trying to move again.
"Uh! Leo..."
"Leo!"
She and Raphael hurry to his side as he drops to his knees, and the other two turtles join them.
"G-Guys..."
"Leo, quit movin' around."
"You'll make your condition worse."
"Let us protect you for a change."
"Yeah! I mean, these guys have gotta get tired eventually, right?"
Just as he says that, Michelangelo would then watch the Foot Elite disappear and reappear at the front entrance to the shop, along with Argon.
Oh great, now what?
...One kick against the door later...and the Shredder would enter the building.
"Oh, crud."
"Dyuh! It's really him, like Leo said...!"
Donatello feels his jaw drop, and Shiori could only stare with horror at the figure highlighted by the next lightning strike.
Shredder...He is alive...!
"You, freaks have been a thorn in my side long enough, (glance) as have the wretches who aid you."
Shun grinds his teeth on the defense, just as Emily and Splinter leap over to stand protectively in front of the young ninja quintet...
"No one opposes the Shredder, and now I will have my revenge for our last encounter! Say farewell to eachother, while you still can."
Michelangelo attempts a comeback statement, weak though it was.
"Oh yeah, Mister Spikey-pants?! Well, you're the one who should be saying, farewell, to, uhm...to yourself!"
"Oooh yeah, Mikey, that got 'im."
He retorts to Raphael,
"Hey! I'm under alot of pressure here!"
"Silence!"
Splinter cuts in before Saki could say further protests, having quite a few words of his own to convey.
"This attack is nothing but a cowardly gambit! Wearing us down by sheer numbers...It is not the way of the true warrior!"
Emily adds just as angrily,
"You're nothing but a conniving snake!"
He only knows how to flood his enemies with fear, and knows nothing about fighting honourably...
Feeling a new fuel igniting his fire, the turtle with the red mask makes a call to arms.
"Guys, I say we shred his butt once and for all, for Leo! Ya with me?"
Donatello and Michelangelo answer as they pull out their own weapons,
"Til the end!"
"Which hopefully isn't gonna be anytime soon, right?"
"No chance."
Shiori stands up and pulls out her blades once again.
"Shredder...you die!"
All four of them charge against the clan leader, Raphael being the first to reach him...Unfortunately, he and Michelangelo would receive painful reminders - in the form of a hard punch and shallow cut respectively - that the Shredder is no more easy to beat now than he was before. Donatello attempts to get revenge for them, leaping down from up high to club his bō staff against the armoured warrior, only for them to dodge and kick the turtle away while robbing him of his weapon, which he uses to block Shiori's blades.
"Hh!"
"It's been quite some time, Shiori."
(Clang, shing, wha-tang)
"Ah-h!"
Saki then swipes away the butterfly swords, causing them and the staff to land near one of the broken display cases, before he seizes hold of the girl and restrains her so her wrists were in one hand while pointing his tekkō-kagi at her neck.
"You may have proved to be too intuitive to join me, but nevertheless, there are other ways to manipulate you."
"Mp-hh, let me go!"
Her brothers cry out her name with worry, and Shredder orders his men while turning eyes on Splinter and Emily,
"Finish them off!...This rodent and the woman are mine!"
Emily's POV
That, coward...Shiori...
I couldn't tell what was making my blood boil more in this moment: this entire attack, or this particular choice of strategy that Saki has chosen to implement. Using Shiori like a life-size doll, he took both of them against Splinter and I, locking her wrists into his hands and guiding their movements like he had tied his weapons onto her arms! I barely manage to keep up with the strikes with my bare hands, while Splinter was forced to use his walking stick to block the tekkō-kagi...
"Hh! Nh! E-Emily, Father!"
The cruel man actually had the nerve to laugh at the poor girl's struggles, before taunting,
"What will you do now, rodent? Will you strike your own child to get to me?"
"Hah!"
(KICK)
"Uh!"
Luckily, I manage to figure out a way to counterattack without hurting Shiori, by landing a hard punt to the enemy's back.
"Shiori, run!"
She squirms loose of his grasp and hurries away, prompting her captor to try and snatch her back up...
"Keep your hands off of my daughter, Shredder!"
Splinter immediately whacks the hand away with his walking stick, and I join him in a two-on-one assault of kicks and punches against our enemy. We're momentarily set upon by some of the soldiers, but easily knock them back before focusing on dodging a few swipes of the tekkō-kagi, then delivering a double-kick against the fiend so he goes flying against the broken display case...
"Of all the nerve, using a child as a human shield..."
"As a father, I share your anger, my friend, believe me."
We take this moment to look around the room, noticing that Shun was once again engaged in combat with Argon, while Shiori - after miraculously swiping up her weapons - was preparing to defend against all four of the Elite stalking towards the injured boys and my cousin...
Oh what I wouldn't give to have another ally...
(SHATTER)
Thankfully, my wish comes true, in the form of that lovable vigilante, on his motorbike nonetheless!
Arnold?!
He revs his ride up again, and charges from the other side of the shop before swerving the entire apparatus sideways, punting out three of the Elite in one shot, before performing a similar act with the last one and crushing them under a china display...I was actually quite impressed with the ingenuity...
"Now dat's what I call crashin' a party."
Raphael and Shiori cheer his name in relief, and Arnold wastes no time in pulling out one of his bats.
"Though I've never seen a lamer party in my life!"
He whacks away two of the Elite without alot of effort.
"Where's the band?"
He then stops near April and Leonardo, though his attention was a little more directed at my cousin, the flirt.
"You okay, babe?"
"Don't, call me babe."
I don't miss the half-smile in the glare, which makes me smile knowingly.
Those two, I swear...
Saki, of course, would not be amused by Arnold's arrival.
"Hrrrrh! Obliterate him!"
The latter remains unflinched as more Foot soldiers come into the shop, switching his bat for a golf club and hockey stick.
"This can't be the band. I wan' rock 'n roll, man! Good thing I brough' my own drumsticks! Now, who wants to be the drum?"
He then lets out a rather, strange warcry, rallying the rest of us able-bodied souls to attack once more...
We won't lose. Not to the Foot, and certainly not the Shredder!
"You want 'im? You have to deal with me first!"
"That's the idea."
As I lock hands with one Foot soldier, I crane my neck over to see Hun had reentered the room, looming near my cousin who was all by herself to defend Leonardo.
April!
"Those green freaks and their brat of a sister feel great affection for you. Using you should take the fight out of them."
Just when I was about to rush over and beat Hun senseless for even thinking about hurting April, Arnold beats me to the punch, using his golf club to stop the large fist.
"Grh!"
"Hun? Never, ever, threaten her!"
They waste no time in getting into their own squabble, ending with my friend whacking the enemy with his hockey stick so hard that Hun would go crashing into a couple ninja before they could join the fight.
Whoa...
"Casey, I...I..."
"Well, I-uh-heheh, what're they, huh? Well, gotta run!"
He hurries back to the sides of Donatello and Raphael, and once again, I fight the urge to laugh.
Not subtle in the least...
"Grrr-ah!"
That's when my attention focuses back on the more, troubling fight, namely, Shun and Argon. I don't really know the boy well enough yet to understand what precisely is driving such a rage in his soul, but for some reason, I feel his wounds received from the tragedy he and the other four share run deeper, perhaps beyond a simple betrayal.
There's something else urging him to fight...but I fear it's not a healthy urge.
My worries would be confirmed when one of Shun's kicks sends the technically fifth member of the Foot Elite to go sliding across the floor and crashing against the frame of the broken window...where we'd all have a perfect view of the man's newly bloodied and bruised face.
"Hh!"
My god...
"Now to finish you off."
With a strength I had no idea the young man possessed, Shun snaps apart the ō-naginata with his heel and kicks up the bladed end for his own hand, stalking towards Argon with a cold and murderous expression...
Oh no...!
He raises the weapon up high, and swings it downward...
"Shun, stop!"
But then Shiori runs over and grabs her friend to stop him from performing an act he could never take back.
"Don't do it!"
"Wha-Let go of me, Yori! He needs to pay!"
"Not like this! You'll never forgive yourself if you do this, Shun!"
I'm forced to turn away to block another Foot soldier, but I felt my heart go out to the children.
Killing is not an act to be done lightly, and certainly not while blinded with rage...
"Noooo!"
I'm suddenly startled out of my thoughts at Splinter's shout, and look to see him kick away Shredder from Leonardo!
Gh! He tried to-
"First you use my daughter as a human shield, and now you attempt to strike my wounded son?! You have no honour!"
"I fight to win."
I couldn't help it: the way that fiend stated his reasons sent blood rushing into my ears, and before I realized it, I took over Splinter's fight and engaged Shredder myself.
"You coward; you fiendish devil! Your quest for victory is sick, and for that, I will vanquish you!"
"Ha! Is that so, O'Neil?"
We clash fist against fist, heel against hips and chest...
(SLASH)
"AAAAH!"
But then, Lady Luck suddenly switches sides, granting Saki a chance to wound me greatly by bringing the blades of his dreaded weapon against my abdomen!...The world seemed to slow down for a moment, as I fell to the ground hard, blood spilling...
"Emily!"
Splinter practically sprints to my side, trying to help me up.
"Emily, you're-"
"It-hh!...It, was worth it..."
Summoning the last of my strength, I then do something incredibly inappropriate and bold, no longer able to fight against these, feelings that have been festering for the last few months...I reach up to cup Splinter's left cheek, and kiss him.
...
...
Again, the world seemed to stop for that instant, as did Splinter...My lips part from his, and I smile sadly and endearingly at him before whispering,
"It was, worth it, to protect you...watashi no ai."
With that, I succumb to darkness.
Splinter's POV
...My beloved...
That was what Emily said in Japanese after, stealing a kiss from me...Of all the times...?
"Emily?...Emily?!"
No...No! Please, not her too!
I've already lost Master Yoshi; I cannot lose Emily too!
"Tuh, how pitiful, to confess something so trivial while on the brink of death. Truly pathetic."
...
...
Of all the things Shredder could have said in response...to call Emily pathetic...I could not hold back my rage, my heart giving into a more savage part of my mentality.
"Grrrrrh, Shredder!"
I waste no time in unleashing a new fury on my friend-no...my, beloved's attacker. I could have tried to deny it...but I would be a foolish man to even try...
"You will pay for this; I swear on my life!"
My next strikes were hard and fast, faster than even the Shredder could predict...until I finally drove the fiend out of the shop with my next kick, sending him through the air and out of the broken window. In a way, I also repaid him for the same treatment his men gave to my eldest son...
"Sensei...?"
My youngest child then appears by my side with Shun, though he seemed slightly reluctant to be with her. I did not miss his brutal exchanges with the one called Argon, and I could sense that his own personal anger has not completely contained itself.
What has you so wounded, Shun...?
"Are you...Is Emily..."
With the fiend temporarily gone, I could focus back on the reason I went into a rage, approaching her side as her abdomen continues to...bleed out.
Emily...
"She's still alive."
I snap my eyes on Shun, who meets my eyes after checking Emily's vitals.
"But she won't be unless we get her help ASAP. (Glance) Same could be said for, Leo..."
Following his gaze, I watch as my other sons and Casey cloister close as they shift positions to defend April and Leonardo...
All of this was getting out of hand...but I refused to let the Foot win.
I will not allow Shredder to destroy my family!
"My children, retreat!"
Raphael calls back,
"Great! (Whap) But where to?!"
Thankfully, April provides a means of escape, pointing towards a metal door near the stairs.
"Back there!"
"You got it!"
Michelangelo hurries to get the door open...
"Everybody in here! We can hold them off!"
So with Raphael, Casey and Shun acting as backup, the rest of us take ourselves and the injured into the apparent storage room before the other three follow, and Michelangelo shuts the door...
"Well dis is great. Small, dark and no way out. Prefect place to make our last stand!"
"It's a walk-in cooler. This place used to be grocery shop, once upon a time."
"...Fascinatin'..."
(Rrrrip)
April would then focus on helping Emily the best way she could, by taking off the latter's unbuttoned shirt and using it to create a makeshift bandage for her abdomen.
"Sorry, couz...Mp-nh!...There. It's not much, but it should slow the bleeding a bit."
She runs a hand over face, clearly trying to stay brave like the others.
"First Leo...and, now my own cousin..."
Casey gently claps a hand on her shoulder and chides,
"Don' knuckle under yet, red. She'd want you to be strong."
"(Sniff) Right..."
Oh April...
My ears then pick up on the sound of my youngest child and Shun barely keeping their own composure.
"...You should've let me finish him."
"Don't, test me, Shun."
"I could've ended it, for all of us-"
"We'll talk about this later!"
Donatello tries to get answers from them regarding the new tension.
"Hey. What's the matter with you two?"
They both reply testily,
"Nothing," forcing the subject to be dropped...for now, at least...
"Kind-a quiet ou' there."
Michelangelo turns to us all with an uncertain expression.
"You think they all just, went home?"
Raphael is quick with a sarcastic reply of,
"Yea'. We scared 'em off by runnin' into a closet and lockin' the door."
...That's when he - and soon the rest of us - picks up on a troubling scent.
"Hey...I smell smoke."
Donatello notes,
"I smell gas..."
"Mikey...!"
"No, not 'that' kind of gas."
Wait...Uh! Did the Shredder-?!
I would receive my answer when Michelangelo checks on the state of the door.
"Hey! This door's gettin' hot. Nrh-hh...It's jammed! I-It won't open!"
Casey puts two and two together:
"Gas, plus, flame, equals...Let's book, now!"
"We gotta get outta here!"
Try hard my sons did, the door refused to open...
He intends to burn us all alive!...No...No, this cannot be happening!
No POV
(...KA-BOOM)
Fuel ignites from the sliver in the gas pipe, and the entire building erupts in an explosion of flames, forcing the police officers that arrived on scene earlier to retreat!
"...Hh!"
A couple blocks away in another seemingly abandoned but familiar structure, Talon, Ariana and Ortensia are startled out of their evening activities by the sound of the explosion.
"What was that?!"
"...It came from down there."
The young man with the flat-cut of green hair rushes to the window, spotting the flicker of embers and billowing smoke coming from the one direction he prayed it wasn't.
"It came from April's!"
Shun, Yori...Everyone...
They weren't the only ones who sensed something wrong. Zooming over to the top of yet another building in the opposite direction, we find the mysterious Tarō and his companion that are affiliated with the equally strange 'Utroms'...
He wastes no time in contacting his three employers.
(Click, ping)
"We regret to report, that we are too late. Shredder is victorious. The mutant turtle creatures, the girl, Shiori...and Emily O'Neil...They are destroyed."
"This is unfortunate."
"Indeed. Our enemy is becoming too powerful. We must,"
"Accelerate our plan, immediately."
"Understood."
Tarō hangs up...before letting out a sigh of remorse and says to his comrade,
"I shook hands with the one called Leonardo, and called him ally, along with his sister...It is a great loss this day. A great, great loss."
...
...
Finally, we turn attention to the top of one more building standing closest to the raging inferno...as a familiar canine-like shape emerges from the shadows, their dark blue-tinged silver white fur almost glowing against the roaring flames, brown-orange eyes shining with emotion.
...The young ones...