A TMNT (2003 Cartoon Series) Fanfiction: Pioneer's Orphan Child

by CroftButler21

The same TV reboot of the famous comics we fans know and love, but with a new member of the Hamato Family entered six years prior to the main events: Shiori, a young orphan whose life changes forever when her home at the L.L. Orphanage is destroyed in an arson fire, and she finds a group of five mutants in the sewers who take her as their own...See my profile for full plot and OCs.

21. Interconnecting Hearts

"...My revenge is complete. My hated enemies thought they had destroyed me...but I am not so easily destroyed."

Fast-forwarding through time after the moment Shredder's tekko-kagi bursts out from the splintered wood of the water tower, we recall when Leonardo was overtaken by Argon and the Foot Elite...

"I was merely biding my time, awaiting the right moment for my ninja forces, to strike...And they struck hard."

The turtle's unceremonious return to his family would be the first trigger to Shredder's grand scheme of revenge, his soldiers flooding April's apartment until she and the others were forced into the shop...

"They herded my enemies to me, like sheep to the slaughter."

We remember that despite not having no hesitation in their jumps against the Foot Clan leader, the able-bodied turtles and their sister couldn't leave much of a mark against him. Shun may have left his own mark and then some against Argon...but at the cost of nearly losing himself...

(SHULK)

"AAAAH!"

The most tragic moment came when Emily is mercilessly cut by the Foot's clan leader, leaving the conscious world after stealing the heart of her childhood friend.

"It was, worth it, to protect you...watashi no ai."

"Emily?...Emily?!"

Eventually, the whole gang would be backed into a corner, specifically, the closet/former walk-in cooler.

"And even though allies foolishly came to their aid, my enemies were forced to make a cowardly retreat...But vengeance was mine nonetheless."

It's revealed that Shredder had used a piece of metal to jam the door, before detonating a bomb to set the store on fire, and slashed open the gas pipe to aid in fueling the flames before turning to walk out and leave his enemies to die!

"At last, the turtles and Shiori are no more!"

Yes, this was indeed a heavy hit to the heart, our heroes and heroines losing their lives to their enemy in such a tragic manner.

...

...

...

Or did they?

Two minutes earlier...

We return to the burning shop just seconds after the people - and mutants - realize their enemy has trapped them inside the storage room. After frantically beating their weapons against the metal door to pry it loose, Michelangelo and Raphael are quickly forced to back away as the fire starts to sneaks its way in.

"Trapped like rats!...No offense, sensei."

The humanoid rat merely nods at the apology from his youngest, his arms still heavy with the weight of the grievously injured Emily. Leonardo, as we recall, is in no better condition, which Donatello would note as he and Shiori hold him up by their shoulders.

"Leo's in really bad shape, (glance) and Emily will need stitches fast. We gotta get out of here."

The sai-wielding turtle tries to bash at the door again.

"Workin' on it!"

...That's when Casey notices April trying to shove away a trunk against the middle of the back wall.

"What're you doin'?"

"I remembered when we first moved in, nrgh!...There was a-hh, hole in the wall, where a cooling unit was removed..."

She succeeds, revealing a medium-sized metal sheet covering the area.

"There."

"Got it."

Shun comes over her way, and uses the tonfas he borrowed from Shiori to pry the cover off.

"H-gah!...All clear; let's go!"

Everyone hurries out of the hole and into the alleyway, before running as far away as they could from the building...

(KA-BOOM)

They make it just as the gas fully ignites and the interior of the shop/apartment loft blows to smithereens, sending a wave of fire out of the window frames and doorways...

Between watching the people she cares about fighting for their lives and witnessing her home and temporary business go up in smoke, April could no longer hold back her tears. Casey immediately plays gentleman and hugs her for comfort, which she gladly accepts...

Swallowing down his own tears with regards to his best friend, Splinter manages to mutter,

"Forgive me, April...but we must leave the past behind for now, if we are to have a future."

...Leave the past behind...?

Something about those words causes Shun to crack his bruised knuckles, an action that Shiori doesn't miss.

Shun...are you thinking about what I think you are? Is that why you...

She tunes back into her father's voice as he reminds everyone,

"Both Leonardo and Emily are badly injured, and will need a safe place to heal."

"What about the lair?"

Donatello shakes his head at Michelangelo:

"Shredder has a whole ninja army down in the sewers, remember, and we're in no shape to fight."

Raphael claps a fist against his other palm and quotes,

"Hey, we don' run from nobody."

But Splinter would place one of his own hands on his son's while gently arguing,

"And yet, we must."

Sniffling, April asks,

"But, where?"

...Luckily, Casey remembers a location that would be far enough from danger.

"Fellas, I know just the pla-...Huh?"

Suddenly, he's interrupted out of his reveal when his ears pick up on the sound of footsteps rushing their way. Whipping his head behind him, the young man with onyx black hair narrows his eyes on alert...before widening them when he sees,

"...Talon?!"

Everyone else look where the vigilante was staring, and coming up from the other end of the alley is Talon, Ariana and Ortensia, having sprinted from their place as soon as they saw the smoke snaking from April's.

Getting a closer look, we see that the man with the bright green hair is dressed in a black v-neck sweater, dark brown chino pants, his black gum boots and a dull yellow raincoat. Meanwhile, the young woman with the mid-back long perm of dark purple-highlighted ebony black hair chose a plum red turtleneck sweater, her forest green flak jacket and a transparent raincoat, black pleather pants and her purple gum boots. That leaves the girl with the Hime cut of deep brown hair, she wearing a pair of stone-wash skinny jeans, a pair of light pink rainboots, and an oversized yellow-olive green hoodie under a fushia raincoat...

"Hah, hah, Casey, everyone!"

The three slow to a halt once they reach the others, the adults bending down to catch their breath as Ariana exclaims,

"We, hah, we heard something blow up, and saw the smoke, so we came running!...Oh my god..."

Her true sapphire eyes lock onto the burning building in the distance.

"The shop...April, your-Oh, April..."

She turns to the teary-eyed redhead with a new expression of sorrow and sympathy.

"I'm so sorry. Your home..."

"(Sniff) I know...But, that's not my biggest concern right now..."

April directs attention to her cousin's injured form.

"I'm, more worried, about Emily...and Leo..."

By this point, Ortensia had already reached Donatello and Shiori's position, immediately gasping over the state of Leonardo.

"Hh! Oh god, Leo...Wha...What happened to him; what happened to all of you?! Who did this?!"

"Shredder."

A collective flinch of fear passes through the new party, and Talon stutters,

"B-But, tha' can't be-Didn't Splinter and Em-?!"

Raphael grimly answers with a bit of bite in his tone,

"That's wha' we thought too, bu' apparently the whackjob's got an endurance the same size as his ego...He sent an ambush party against Leo, then swarmed us with Foot soldiers after throwin' him through the window."

"Holy crap..."

The girl with the black beach waves mutters with a catch in her throat,

"It got shell'a crazy after that, and even though Casey did come to give us an extra man, we...we were overwhelmed by the numbers, and forced to retreat into the storage room. Luckily, there was a way out to the alley...but, if we hadn't found it..."

She raises a first to rub under her eyes and stop herself from crying...

"Okay. I feel like there's more, bu' I'll come back to that later. Let's focus on safety."

Talon turns to meet his hazel brown eyes with Splinter's black-brown.

"I'm guessin' the lair's still a no-go?"

"Not while the Foot ninja remain in the area...Your cousin was just about to mention a place we could go."

"(Glance) Case?"

"Yea'. Remember the old farm in Northampton?"

"...Oh right! The one your ma grew up at before movin' here."

It'd be far enough away that Shredder and 'is Foot goons can't find us.

He probably thinks most of us are dead already, bu', he might come after me and the girls next...

Still, gettin' all twelve of us to Northampton's not gonna be easy...

Unless...I got it.

Nodding to himself as the gears in his brain click over a new plan, Talon then turns to ask Donatello,

"Hey, Don, this might be a long shot question, bu'...is there any chance you have the Battle Shell remote on ya?"

"Uh...Actually, I do."

The turtle slips said device out from under his belt.

"I started putting it here so I'd have it on me whenever I went out. You never know...Hm?"

He's then relieved of the remote by the older male.

"...Talon?"

"Don't worry; you'll get it back...once I'm done."

The male with the stubble beard puts it in the front pocket of his coat, and readjusts the hood so it was covering his head...

"Talon, what're you doing?"

He replies to Ariana,

"I'm goin' to get the Battle Shell. We'll have a better chance of convoyin' to Northampton with it."

"You're gonna go there alone? Are you crazy?!"

"More people means more danger of gettin' caught, and right now, no one's got the stamina to fight a second round. Even we won't provide a good defense for very long...I know I'll be useless in a fight...but I can be useful now by providin' my family a way to vacate from No Man's Land."

A few murmurs of surprise escape into the air, since this was the first time Talon verbally acknowledged everyone as family...He in turn would smile and chide,

"Hey, no worries. Even if I do ge' spotted, with this hood on, they'll just think I'm some homeless guy breakin' into the garage to escape the cold."

"Fair, point, but still..."

He just shakes his head at the woman with the light almond complexion, before wandering over to where Splinter and Emily were.

"(Wince) Tha' is soaked crimson...How bad's the damage?"

"She was struck by the Shredder's tekkō-kagi."

"That'll mean stitches then. (Glance) We should still have sutures in the med kit at home, right?"

Ortensia nods,

"Yeah. We hardly use them, so there should be plenty."

"Good. In that case, you and Ari should head back and ge' the kit, along any other supplies we can take. Think minimal, but definitely grab winter gear; it's gonna be hell'a cold in Northampton...Take Splinter and Emily with you so you can at least get her a proper dressing."

Talon then turns attention to Casey:

"Case, I think the car should still be parked in the empty lo' beside our place, so you and Ape should go with them too."

"Alrigh'."

"(Turn) Then Shun...you and Yori remember the way to the ghost neighbourhood, righ', the one we used to play in when we were young?"

"Easy."

"Good, then you two and the guys go on ahead, and we'll all meet there in an hour."

Readjusting his hood, the man with bright green hair punctuates,

"We're gonna make it through this...Shredder may've won the battle, bu' we're gonna win the war."

He prepares to leave...but pauses when Casey's hand grabs his shoulder.

"Tal?"

"Hm?"

"...Be careful."

"(...Nod) Right. You too."

With that, Talon sprints out of the area to find the Eastman and Laird garage, leaving the others to eventually split into the designated groups to achieve the other goals of supplies, and a safe gathering zone.

Talon's POV

Okay, focus, Talon: jus' get to the garage, rev up the engine, and head for the ghost block.

My heart's racing as I hurry down the city streets, practically skating across the rain-slick blacktop to find the hiding place of the Battle Shell...

I reach the alleyway that would lead me directly to the garage...but slide to a stop when I see,

"Crap!"

Foot ninja!

Thankfully, I duck behind a dumpster just before the three faces would've seen me...

This is bad. This is the only quickest route to the truck, and I don't have the time to go around or fight th'm off.

What to do...Ah!

That's when I remember my special trick, my secret talent in Ventriloquism...
Peeking from behind the dumpster, I think to myself with a newfound confidence,

Another long shot...but if I can make my voice sound like it's comin' from the other end of the street, they might leave.

I take a few seconds to think of the perfect phrase...then suck in a deep breath through my nose, raise my tongue, put pressure into my lower lungs and let it 'belt' so to speak.

[The Foot Clan sucks and the Shredder can kiss my shuriken!]

...

...

To my surprise and relief, my little trick works, and the trio of trouble follows the 'taunt' to the direction I hoped they'd follow...

Yes!

Grinning smugly, I come out of my hiding place and hurry to the garage...

"Hah, hah, made it...Now t' get inside."

I decide to keep things in character, breaking into the place by smashing through a back window and climbing inside. I almost trip onto the floor, but stop myself by grabbing the corner of one of the work tables.

"Gh!...Whew. That was close..."

Looking up, I lock my vision on the tricked-out truck.

"There it is. Mission accomplished...Now, where's that tarp...?"

Ariana's POV

Hrrh, what I wouldn't give to stick a wrench in Shredder where the sun don't shine...

Ori and I don't waste time in leading sensei Splinter, April and Casey back to our home, being extra careful in moving swiftly and quietly just incase those darn Foot ninja were closer by than we can sense. Casey had taken the responsibility of carrying the wounded Emily, since between his sore body and Splinter's, the former wouldn't run the risk of becoming another life on the brink...Plus the poor latter was already emotionally drained...

We reach the building with no problems, surprisingly.

"Hah, hh...So far, so good..."

I walk over to the left side and see that the car is indeed still where we parked it. It's an older model, a 1991 Ford Country Squire LX, one that I recommended to Casey and Talon when they first bought it back when we were younger. How they put enough money together to get it is still a mystery to me.

But well worth it.

"Nice car. Country Squire?"

I turn to nod at April,

"Mhm. Casey technically owns the lease for, insurance reasons, but Talon and I use it more than he does, so it stays here half the time. (Turn) Now the key for it should be hiding over here..."

I walk over to the corner of our home, and nudge out a brick with a painted daisy on it to find the key where it's suppose to be.

Bingo.

Taking the little bit of metal, I then pass it to April for her hands.

"Here. You four get the car unlocked and set Em in the back. Ori and I will join you in a few minutes with the supplies...including the kit."

"Okay."

Leaving them to do their thing, Ori and I hurry to unlock the front door and run upstairs to our cleaned-out pad and gather what we needed for the ride up north. We leave nothing to chance but are careful in avoiding too many materialistic things, focusing on the big med kit, a few changes of clothes for those who would need them, some toiletries, a couple blankets, Ori's knitting/sewing/craft basket, my own special tool kit that Don and I occasionally trade back and forth, and of course our wallets.

I'm not sure what we'll find in terms of shopping in Northampton, but even a roadside stand's better than nothing...

"Think that's everything?"

By the time we're done, Ori and I had stuffed two big duffel bags with our things, except for her basket and the med kit.

"It'll have to do...Let's head back to the others."

"Right."

We each take a bag, and I grab the med kit while Ori takes her basket, before we both bolt back down the stairs and out the door, locking it promptly after shutting.

At this point, I doubt the Foot will try to search here, but one can never be too careful...

We then run for the car where everyone would be waiting, Casey and April remaining outside the open doors while Splinter was already seated in the back and holding Emily's head in his lap...

"Geez, what'd you pack, your closet?"

I smirk-glare at Casey and reply,

"No, doofus, but we wanted to be prepared. Speaking of, I think Tal's got one of your jackets and scarves in the trunk under the extra backseats."

"Gotcha."

I hand him my things to put in the back, then focus on Ori as she sets hers down and climbs into the back to tend to the most injured out of the six of us. I was a little worried for her since this'll be her first time dealing with wounds like this, but one of her growing talents outside of crafting is playing nurse. Looking back, though, maybe we should've sent Emily to a hospital...but with the underlying threat of the Foot, we had no choice but to roll the dice ourselves...

"How's Emily holding up, sensei?"

"I believe the, bleeding has stopped for now...but I am uncertain of how much she has bled."

"Alright. Unfortunately, we don't have the right window of time to stitch her, but I can disinfect her wound and apply a dressing...I'll need your help to keep her still since she's probably going to fidget in her sleep."

He nods, and she takes the bottle of hand sanitizer from my hands to lather her own, then reaches over to the makeshift bandage to begin, untying the knot and peeling it off Emily's abdomen as gently as possible...I barely hold down a gasp at how, deep the two-tine cut is.

Holy hell...

"(Gulp) Okay...We're, lucky. Somehow, the weapon missed full penetration, but it did scratch the dermis. That's why there's so much blood."

Ori reaches behind her for the next item she'll need.

"Ari, the alcohol and a hand towel, please."

I give her what she needs, and she douses the towel with some of the bottle's contents...

"Sorry, Emily."

The second she starts dabbing the item on the wound, Emily would begin crying and gasping out despite remaining unconscious. Splinter hurries to keep the woman in one spot so she wouldn't thrash about, allowing Ori to do the job as fast and as careful as she could, whispering sorry over and over as she did so...With that part done, I trade the towel for a few gauze sponges to wipe away the excess blood and alcohol, then trade again for medical tape and a pair of scissors to secure two layers of gauze pads onto Emily's abdomen...

Ortensia lets out a breath after securing the last piece of tape before muttering,

"There. This should keep her stable until we're out of New York...Once we're at the farm in Northampton, I'll, stitch her."

"I thank you for your service, Ortensia. You and the others are showing a great amount of bravery this hour."

She smiles bashfully at Splinter and replies,

"Anything for family. This, may not be the way I wanna practice my medical skills, but if it'll keep my loved ones alive, I'll do whatever it takes."

Aw, Ori...

Casey calls us to attention on our time crunch.

"We-uh, should probably get'a move on and mee' with the others."

The rest of us nod at him, and we settle into the Ford so that Splinter was still in the backseats holding Emily still with her back against his front, and Ori took one of the seats in the way back with our bags, leaving me to squeeze between April and Casey in the front...

"Alrigh', here we go."

Casey starts the engine and pulls out of the lot onto the road, before turning down the direction that doesn't take us to, where the Second Time Around used to stand...

"You're gonna need t' remind me which way to go, Ari."

"Just head to where Double L used to be, and I'll fill in the rest from there."

I think we might just pull this off...

I just hope the others are having as good of luck.

Shiori's POV

Hah, hah, this is crazy. So crazy...but boy am I glad to have Tal and the others in my life.

Though I was worried about the idea of going our separate ways, even if it was only temporary, I knew that Talon's plan was the best one we had in these current circumstances. Following his instructions, Shun and I lead my bros to the part of town we used to go to as kids to play...which, also meant we had to jog past the site where Double L used to stand...

I barely manage to force my eyes away, not wanting to get distracted by more bad memories...

"Hah, hah, here we are."

The area in question is basically just a rundown basketball court half-surrounded by a few buildings that no one lives in anymore (at least as far as I know), the fencing rusted and falling apart with a few weeds fighting to break through the concrete...

"Soo, how come this is called the ghost neighbourhood?"

I turn to explain to Mikey,

"Because for whatever reason, no one's lived in the area for almost a decade. It's like the old residents just, disappeared. (Small smile) Still, nothing seemed wrong with the court, so Derek used to take us all down here now and again so we could play outside. Heh, we could even go inside the old buildings if we wanted to, as long as one of the older kids went with us and we didn't touch anything dirty."

I turn to look at the court as a few, happier memories come to mind.

"I remember learning how to play basketball, four-square, and this was one of our first dance practice areas...It's one of the few places from, before I was adopted, that I was happy."

Before everything went up in flames...just like now...

"Yori...?"

Shaking my head, I turn back to eye my brothers, specifically, the one being carried piggyback-style by Raph.

"How's Leo holding up?"

Donnie answers while checking Leo's pulse,

"He's stable, for now at least."

"That's good."

"...It's later."

"Huh?"

I turn to Shun, who dips his head up and gives me an intense expression.

"You said we could talk later...and since we'll be waiting a bit, let's talk now."

Oh, shell.

Next thing I knew, he pins me to the metal fence with an arm over my chest and a hand tightly gripping my right arm! My brothers gasp and make the motion to interfere, but I hold up my free hand to stop them.

This needs to happen...

"Why did you stop me back there?! Why didn't you let me finish that traitor off?!"

Channeling my 'inner Leo', I form a stern glare and reply,

"You know why I had to."

"Then you're an idiot."

I twist our positions so he's the one slammed against the fence, much to his surprise.

"Uh!"

"You were the one playin' the fool in there, Shun, a fool that was about to lose his sense of right and wrong! You think you were getting revenge, but you know what I was seeing? A friend trying to beat a man to death!"

"He sold us out to the Foot! He betrayed Talon, betrayed us, and allowed our old home to get torched! Explain to me how he doesn't deserve to pay with everything he has!"

"Right after you explain to me how killing one man's suppose to change what's already happened! How is taking one life supposed to reverse the past?!"

...The area grows silent for a minute, no one daring to make a sound as I let Shun absorb my words...

"Look, it sucks, it hurts. I get it; I feel it too, believe me. The pain is still fresh for all of us even after six years...but that doesn't mean we should allow ourselves to get trapped by it. At some point, we have to try moving forward, or we'll never gain something more from what we lost."

"I-"

"I'm not done yet...There was more you were fighting in there besides Argon, wasn't there? You...You were lost in delusions of, that night, weren't you, when you, Talon and Ariana were escaping through the front."

Shun's breath hitches...before his face relaxes from being angry with me to, regretful and self-berating.

"...I could hear them...As we were, heading downstairs...I could hear their voices through the flames, the ones who, couldn' get out. I still hear them in my nightmares."

Shun...

"I just-Fighting that jerk...you're right. It did send me back to that night and how, useless I felt. I...I could've gone back."

His eyes fill with tears that need to be shed.

"I could've, done something...I could've saved them...!"

My own eyes get a little watery as I relax out of my glare, a huge wave of sympathy and understanding hitting me with full force.

"I know...I know you think you could've, and I hate to say something so cruel...but you-none of us could do anything for those, others. We...We were just too young. Too young to do anything but run unless we wanted to lose our own lives."

The weight of the harsh truth forces the strength out of Shun's legs, and I barely catch him in a hug as we both drop to the ground, he breaking down as I expected him do.

"Hh-h, hh!...Those tykes didn't deserve i'! They didn't deserve to die...!"

"I know. I know..."

It's amazing I didn't break into sobs with him, but someone had to remain strong under the pressure of these emotions. I could hear my brothers mumbling with concern over our mental states, but, somehow, they knew...They knew we had to get this out of our system.

Or we'll never move forward...Shun will never move forward...

Once his sobs die down into hiccups, I then chide with a watery smile,

"Hey...You feelin' a bit better now?"

"(Sniff) I...I guess..."

"Mm, then maybe this'll help...We may've lost our old life and, the lives attached...but look at what we've gained these last six years."

We part so we could look over at my brothers, they being only part of a much larger body of people.

"Someone up in the stars chose to spare us, and after I found these guys and sensei, we found eachother again. Then I introduced you and the other three to them, and before we knew it...we grew closer; we're becoming a clan of brothers and sisters...We finally got what we all wanted."

And that's including Casey, April and Emily...

Our family just keeps on growing, not to mention we're steadily growing a list of allies.

Who knows who we'll connect with next.

Wiping away the tears from his face, Shun manages a half-smile and mutters,

"Y-You're right...We did get what we wanted...We got friends, family that'll never leave."

"Exactly. Contrary to what our enemies may believe, we're not that easily broken...We know how to persevere. Tonight proves that much."

The guys nod in agreement with me.

"Yeah! We're way stronger than the Foot! They're just too dumb to see that."

"And it's because we don' give up on eachoth'a."

"Shun, I dunno when it happened, but, you've become both a friend and another sibling, just like Talon, Ariana, a-and Ori."

...Sooo didn't miss the stutter, bro.

Donnie adds while placing a hand on the other's shoulder,

"And one thing brothers know how to do is provide a listening ear. If you're feeling like this again, don't hesitate to come to any of us...Let your family help you."

"I will...Thanks, Don, (glance) guys, Yori...I'm sorry I lost my cool."

Mikey chimes,

"It's okay. You needed to get that out, like Raph does when he gets angry. No offense, bro."

He waves Mikey off with a halfhearted grunt, but doesn't deny the statement...

That's when a familiar engine echoes from around the next corner, and we look over...to see the Battle Shell coming our way!

Hh! Talon...He did it!

Another echo of an engine sounds from the opposite direction, and I turn to see a car - a Ford, if I'm not mistaken - carrying the rest of our crew...Both vehicles park in front of the sidewalk where we're standing at the same time, and Tal rolls down the window to greet us with a smug smile.

"Yo."

"Talon!"

"Dude, ya did it!"

"Awesome timin'!"

"But, what's with the tarps?"

Don was referring to the two big grey tarps tied so they're covering most of the truck save the front. The one who put them there answers as he gets out of the driver's side,

"Just an extra precaution. I'm not sure if the Foot remembers the Battle Shell, bu' now it jus' looks like a big military vehicle."

"Isn't tha' still a little-wha's the word, conspicuous?"

We turn to see Casey and company getting out of the car (save dad and Emily), and Talon argues,

"Yea', but now it's the kind of conspicuous that's believable."

"Uh, sure...So how're we doin' this?"

"Well, you and Ape can lead the convoy, (glance) while the rest of us pile into the truck. There should be enough room for all of us, the really injured especially."

Nodding, we hurry to organize ourselves in the proposed manner, with Casey and April going back into the Ford after Emily is safely put into the back with Leo, and the rest of us going in with them. Talon takes the driver's seat again, with Ariana sitting shotgun, while my bros, Shun, Ori, sensei and I crowd onto the floor and in the side seats...

"Huh. I'm, actually a little surprised we all fit comfortably in here."

I smile at Donnie and chime,

"Guess we're just that good at organizing."

"Everybody set?"

We all call to Talon,

"Ready," and he calls out to Casey,

"Alrigh', Case, let's move out!"

"Go' it! Here we go!"

Both the engines roar to life once again, and finally, we start our grand escape out of the city...

Goodbye for now, New York. See you in whenever.

Small Time Skip, No POV

After a few hours of driving, the band of twelve eventually crosses the borders of New York and Connecticut, before finally entering Massachusetts. The weather had changed along the way to reflect an early visit from Old Man Winter, the beams from the headlights highlighting the fluffy flakes fluttering down from the night sky, sewing into a white blanket for the coming cold season...

"You're gonna love my grandma's old farmhouse. Me, Tal and my cousin Sid used t' play there all the time when we was kids..."

Not hearing a response, the man with deep blue eyes - now dressed in a jean jacket and tan scarf he got out of the trunk of the car - spares a side-glance at his passenger, she donning a light purple winter coat and off-white scarf Ariana provided her.

"...April?"

"Mm? Oh, sorry...I was, thinking about Emily and Leo..."

"Oh...Hey, don't worry."

Casey reaches his right hand from the wheel to gently hold April's left, and reassures her,

"Leo and Em are gonna be jus' fine...I know they are, (slight smile) and it's because we didn't give up. We all pu' in our effor'...as a family."

The redhead is left in awe by the man's words...before smiling a little herself and squeezing his hand back.

"Right...as a family."

She adds to herself while turning to look out the window again,

And, in our case...maybe...something more...

Meanwhile, in the Battle Shell, everyone else had settled into either sitting in a chair or the floor as the truck continues to follow the Ford as closely as possible. We notice that Shiori has a new slate gray sweatshirt on, and that each of her childhood friends either have a scarf or a neck warmer of similar colour around their necks...Shivering a little, Michelangelo rubs his arms and mutters,

"Man. It sucks being cold-blooded."

"...Then maybe I should give you and the guys your Christmas presents a little early."

"Huh?"

He looks up to see Ortensia holding a bundle of folded orange material to him, while a red one sat in her lap with a purple one.

"I got inspired to make these after the-heh, Turtle Titan adventure. Here."

Taking it for his own hands, the turtle would then form a small smile of excitement when he unfolds,

"Whoa! A sweater?! Awesome!"

He wastes no time in pulling it on as the girl hands Raphael and Donatello their own copies, in their own special colour of course.

"Ortensia, this is...Thanks."

"Seriously, you're savin' our shells."

"Hehee, you're welcome. I have one for Leo too, but..."

Amethyst eyes glance over at the turtle in question, who's currently laying under a violet blue quilt beside Emily, Shiori kneeling by him and her father keeping a vigil over the woman whose head was set in his lap.

"I, think I'll give him his when he wakes up and isn't feeling so sore."

"You continue to find new ways to surprise me, Ori."

She shifts her position so she's sitting closer to Donatello, and lays her head on his shoulder while replying,

"All to keep your attention, for sure."

They let out short, breathy laughs, and the other two turtles and two younger souls smile knowingly at eachother while thinking the same thing.

Somethin's going on with those two...

"Speaking of surprises, Talon...I dunno how many times I'll be thanking you for what you've done."

The turtle in his new purple sweater looks over at the older male currently at the wheel.

"It was really brave of you to take that chance and get the Battle Shell."

His brother in the red sweater adds with a smirk,

"If a little nuts."

Chuckling, Talon replies,

"No problem. Seriously...Like I said, you guys are my family...and I'll do everything possible to protect my family."

Hearts are warmed by the sentiment in his voice...Ortensia then notices another small shiver pass through Michelangelo.

"Still cold, Mikey?"

"A little, but the sweater's helping, for sure."

"Hm..."

The brunette looks up at her secret significant other, who nods with a smile and encourages the former to reach a hand over to grab the youngest turtle's wrist and tug him over their way.

"Huh?"

"Come onto my right side, Mikey."

"Uhm, okay..."

...Watching the interaction, Shun deciphers Ortensia's intentions before deciding to mimic them, shifting himself so he and Raphael were sitting shoulder to shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Don' try and deny it, man. You're still feelin' a chill too...Consider my heat your own."

"Shun...Hm."

Relaxing, the tough turtle allows the boy with curtain bangs to pull the black blanket the latter was using for himself over both of them. A similar action would be done for the other two turtles and Ortensia, the difference being that the quilt they were using is coloured lilac...

Shiori watches her friends' gestures with a touched smile, before she settles herself on the floor beside her eldest brother and under the quilt he had tucked over him.

Don't worry, Leo...I'll keep you warm too...

She then found her eyes on Splinter's form, frowning sadly when she sees how, stressed he looked.

Oh, sensei...

"...Dad?"

He looks up from his thoughts to meet his eyes with hers, and the young lady smiles and whispers,

"It's gonna be okay...Shredder may think he's won, but, the way I see it, we're the true winners. Wanna know how?"

"How, my daughter?"

...She answers while gently grasping the rat's tail that was partially laying on Leonardo's side,

"Because we're all still alive."

Splinter is momentarily stunned by his child's words...before smiling and lightly squeezing her hand back with his tail.

Yes...The enemy can believe what they like, but we are the true victors...simply by surviving.

Eventually, after another forty minutes, the two vehicles reach their destination on the next turn from the main road...

"This is i'! Jus' like I remember...Isn't it great?"

April looks over the, worn-down condition of the larger I-house, built with a front porch and a back shed room, which made the red barn and the weather vane next door look a little better off...She comments to Casey as politely as possible,

"Great...does not, begin to even describe this place."

I, guess it could be worse. At least it looks somewhat livable...

Definitely will need some TLC, though, once we all get some rest.

Making a mental note to create a list of things to fix later, she then gets out of the car and assists everyone in getting themselves settled into the house...Pretty soon, Leonardo would be laying on the red sofa under the blue violet quilt in the living room, while Emily was taken into the master bedroom to receive her stitches from Ortensia without any interruptions. Donatello, Raphael, Shun, Ariana, Splinter and Shiori remain in the living room, while April had gone with the brunette to assist in healing her cousin...

(Ka-chank)

That leaves Casey, Michelangelo and Talon, who went outside again to get some wood for the fireplace...

"Uhm, correct me if I'm wrong, Case, but I remember this house bein' in better shape when we were kids."

"Yea', I know; it needs some fixin' up. The place go' a little rundown since grandma passed away."

Ariana would further prove how long it's been since anyone was last here, simply by emptying the ash deposit in the fireplace and creating a mini smoke cloud.

"Koff-cak!"

"Kuh! When was that, the late Jurassic?"

The man with onyx black hair retorts to the orange-masked turtle,

"Dude, ya live in a sewer."

The young woman with light almond skin calls them to attention.

"Ahem, gentlemen, the logs?"

"Oh, right."

"Sorry, Ari."

The three men set up a fair-sized pile on the left side of the fireplace, and Talon comes to kneel beside Ariana as she busies herself with sweeping up the ashes.

"...You okay?"

"Yeah, just, trying to keep myself from getting too stressed...like all of us are."

"Mm, (nod)."

"...So do you think this old pile of planks can be made livable again?"

Chuckling, the young man with the flat cut of dyed green hair replies as he watches the other people in the room crowd near Leonardo when they hear a few grimaces from him,

"Well, we've got the people power for the job, that's for sure."

'Course, all we can really focus on at the moment is makin' sure winter doesn't sneak in...

We gotta keep our bodies, and our spirits warm.

...

At the same time those twelve were barely settling comfortably into their new temporary residence, back in Manhattan, the Foot clan would be relishing in their victory...Or rather, Hun was beginning to soak it in.

"The Foot's back in business, profits are up, and the turtles and the brat are history...Why are we not celebrating, master?"

Oroku Saki, on the other hand, not so much.

"Where, are, the bodies?...!"

"We burned that building to the ground. I think we can safely assume that-"

"We can assume nothing!"

The clan leader knocks aside an oil lamp for emphasis...

"My enemies had assumed they had destroyed me, and it cost them dearly...I can ill afford to make the same mistake. I require, evidence of their demise."

"...Scientific proof, perhaps?"

Saki and Hun look towards the entrance of this uppermost floor, spotting a familiar scientist that's now forced to use a high-tech wheelchair to move about, not to mention has a new neck brace, and a metal hand - or possibly an entire arm - replacing his left appendage. Barely biting down a scoff, the former says to the new arrival,

"I did not send for you, Doctor Stockman."

"And that, was your first mistake."

The bulked blond makes the motion to stomp over and beat up the weaker-bodied man for their undaunted cheek, but is stopped by his boss.

"Your arrogance is exceeded by your inability to learn from your, punishments...What do you want?"

"A simple exchange of goods and services."

Baxter reaches into his lab coat to pull out a curious-looking scanner.

"I can provide you a sophisticated DNA analysis, of Miss O'Neil's destroyed shop. You'll know beyond the shadow of a doubt, if the turtles, Shiori and their little friends survived or not."

"And, in exchange?"

He wheels over to stop in front of the skeletal metal standing on display in a glass, where Argon had been standing the entire time.

"Full access to this fascinating artifact you fished from the East River. A brief glimpse of its technological secrets allowed me to create the Foot Tech Ninjas...Imagine what I might do where given complete access to it? A win-win proposition, I should say."

The 'Foot Elite' with the devil-lock raises a brow and comments to himself,

But can he really afford another risk, especially with how much he's barely hanging onto?

Saki thinks it over for a moment...before deciding to humour the doctor with the new deal, but not without reminding the latter of the consequences should they blow it (...again).

"Provide me proof that the accursed turtles and Shiori are no more, and you shall be so rewarded. Fail me, and your next punishment, will be your final punishment."

A crack from Hun's knuckles adds to the weight of this new mission on Stockman's shoulders, before he makes his exit to prepare...

That only left one more detail for Saki to address.

"Argon."

His soldier wanders over to stand beside the leader of the Purple Dragons, maintaining eye contact with their shared boss.

"Master."

"Have those, other three street rats been located?"

"Negative. It's possible they may have caught wind of our recent activities, and have fled the city."

"I see..."

Hun scoffs,

"If that's the case, I wouldn't bother worrying. No way they'd be brave enough to try a counterattack."

...Argon is hesitant to agree with him, his eyes reflecting a very faint and old remorse.

I don't know...I remember Talon being plenty brave when we were young.

...Then again, people change...and there's certainly no going back to when.

Clenching his fist, the remorse fades as the man adds to himself,

Should he try to return to New York...he'll meet his end.

...

We return now to Northampton as the night grows a little darker, and Ortensia emerges from upstairs to join the others...

"Hey, how'd it go?"

She smiles weakly at Donatello and replies,

"It was a bit trickier than I expected, but, now I can safely say that Emily's gonna recover. There, might be a scar, though..."

"Any idea when she might wake up?"

The brunette frowns a little as she sighs to Michelangelo,

"That's a little harder to say. She might be up tomorrow, or, it could be a few days. It depends on how much trauma she received."

"Oh..."

"April's gonna stay with her for now, just incase something changes."

Stifling a growl, Raphael slaps a fist on the nearby wall and grinds,

"Then why can't he wake up?!"

He of course is referring to Leonardo, his bruised and beaten form still unconscious on the couch. Splinter - whom had settled to kneeling beside the very injured turtle - explains to his second-eldest,

"Healing takes time, and Leonardo is recovering from more than just physical wounds...His spirit has also been grievously injured."

"...You think he can hear us?"

He turns his head to Donatello and replies hopefully,

"Perhaps," before moving so his son was kneeling by the katana-wielder's head instead...

"Hey, Leo. It's me, Don...Listen: you're gonna pull through this. I know you are...You have to. I mean, you know what kind of trouble we'd get into without you. Like...remember the time I built that remote-controlled car?"

(Flash)

Going back in time, we return to the single-digit days of the two brothers in question, back when the turtles were about four foot two and brainy turtle's projects were a little more towards play than work...

"Check out the turning radius on this thing, Leo!"

...Unfortunately, the next swerve would be a little bit too powerful, causing the toy to fall into the sewer water.

(Splash)

"Awwh..."

"Remind me to never let you behind the wheel of a real car..."

"Hang on. I'll get it."

Handing the remote control to Leonardo, Donatello starts chasing after the little car...

"There was all kinds of debris clogging up the tunnel, and the sewers were overflowing from the heavy rains we just had. But I wasn't paying attention to that; I just wanted my car back."

In which case, as the young turtle tries to pull the toy in with a branch he grabbed mid-run, a pile of junk suddenly floats in and shoves the car forward, taking the stick with it and causing him to lose balance!

"Aah!"

(Splash)

"Donnie!"

Leonardo runs after his brother's barely-afloat form, which travels down the tunnel into a lower section that was quickly flooding with dirty water. Donatello emerges from the depths...but quickly discovers that his foot got caught between some broken planks of wood!

"Ah! I'm, stuck! I can't get my leg free! Leooo!"

Just when it looks like the poor boy was going to drown, his brother finds him and dives into the water to get his leg free.

(...Splash)

They each suck in deep gasps of air as they resurface, and Leonardo manages to paddle them both to the opening of the tunnel so they could climb back up, collapsing with heavy pants in the middle of the waterway.

"Hah, hah..."

"Hah-hh, hah, what? You didn't get the car?"

The older brother gives Donatello a pointed glare of disbelief...before relaxing into exasperation when the latter laughs out,

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!...Seriously, (sincere smile) thanks for saving me, Leo."

"Hauh, (slight smile) of course, Don. Now let's go home and dry off."

(Flash)

"You really came through for me that day, Leo. You always do...and I know you will again."

"Tuh, looks like you got 'im hangin' on'o every word, Don."

"N...M-Mrh..."

Raphael's sarcasm is proven false when everyone picks up on a new mumble from Leonardo...

"Hey. I think he heard ya, Raphie!"

April notes after Casey,

"Maybe talking to him does help."

Splinter nods,

"It is said that the voice of a loved one, can guide a lost spirit back to its home."

Feeling inspired, Michelangelo decides to try and help coax his unconscious brother back to reality.

"Mind if I take a crack at it? (...Kneels down) Listen, bro: just like, concentrate on my voice...Come on, Leo. You know how focused you get when you set your mind on something."

(Flash)

"Like, remember that time you were trying to perfect your katas?"

"Hyahd!...Dyah!"

Another window to the past opens, highlighting the young Leonardo undergoing such practice, before suddenly stopping frozen in a crane stance...much to the slight confusion of a passing Michelangelo.

"Hm? (...Smile) Hey, Leo! You seen my Gameguy anywhere?"

...No response is given, and after peering over his stock-still sibling, the younger turtle attempts to get the other's attention by waving his hand in front of their face.

"Helloooooo? Anyone home?"

"Nothin' in the world was gonna break your concentration, (slight smirk) but that wasn't gonna stop me from tryin'. Heha, you know how I hate to be ignored."

In which case, the younger nunchaku-wielder proceeds to do the following:

Make silly faces

Pop up a balloon with a nail

Place a pair of glasses with a fake nose attached on his face and showing the work with a mirror

And finally, burp a cloud of onion breath into the older sibling's face...

Unfortunately, none of the tricks worked.

"So then I decided if I couldn't make you laugh, maybe I should just make ya say 'ow'."

Twirling out his weapons with a grin, Michelangelo then tries to strike Leonardo...only to get sweep-kicked to the floor and pinned by one of his own weapons!...And while the older brother might've had a glare, the younger one keeps his smile.

"Was I disturbing you?"

"Grh!"

Leonardo raises a fist...but then stops short when he suddenly lets out a chuckle, and before he knew it, both he and Michelangelo were rolling around on the ground laughing like no tomorrow.

"Hehahaha, you're, so ridiculous sometimes, Mikey!"

"Heehee-I know, but at least now we know you can kata through anything!"

(Flash)

Stifling another short chuckle (as were the giggling Shiori and Ortensia), Michelangelo then states with a sad smile,

"Leo, when you put your mind to something, you're unstoppable. So, how 'bout using that famous focus of yours to come back to us?"

"Ha! You ask me, Leo's not comin' back 'cause he's afraid."

He turns to glare at Raphael for the careless comment.

"No one asked you."

But the hotheaded turtle wasn't finished:

"No, he got his butt whooped, and now 'e's too chicken to come back and face it!"

He ignores Donatello's attempt to stop his word vomit, adding,

"Well I say who needs ya?! It's not like we can' get on without ya playin', 'fearless leader'..."

Yet despite the harshness of his tone...the tears forming in Raphael's eyes spoke the truth of how emotional he really was over his older brother's condition.

"...Back in the day, I always figured I was gonna be top turtle. I was strongest, bravest..."

(Flash)

"Remember the time I brough' ya to that closed-off section of the sew'a? We were playin' Follow the Leader..."

"Raph, y' can't go in there!"

The young Raphael turns to the equally young Leonardo to dismiss his worries.

"Hey, it's my turn; you're suppose t' follow my lead!"

He turns to finish ripping off the two-by-fours blocking the tunnel he wanted to go into next, despite his brother's continued protests.

"But Splinter says-"

"Splinter says, Splinter says! When'r you gonna think for yourself? That's what a real lead'a does. (Smirk) Now catch me if ya can!"

...Letting out a sigh, Leonardo kicks down the rest of the obstructing boards so he could chase after Raphael...

"Wha-hooo!"

They end up surfing down the waterway on two of the broken planks, eventually stopping in what was likely a storm chamber.

"Huh? A dead-end? (Scratches head) Must'a taken a wrong turn..."

Raphael then picks up on the sound of something coming up from under the deeper water...

"Uuuh, Leo?"

(Splash)

"Gyaaah!"

Rather than his brother, however, the poor kid turtle would meet eyes with a giant albino crocodile! How it could've gotten down there is anyone's guess...He barely manages to scramble away back into the tunnel, but would rely on Leonardo tackling them both to the side to avoid getting trampled...

"Come on! Let's jet!"

"No way! This walkin' handbag's intrudin' on our turf!"

"You're the intruder, shell-for-brains, now let's get outta here!"

"Hey, I'm the leader this turn, rememb'a?"

With that, Raphael jumps onto the crocodile to fight it, much to Leonardo's exasperation.

"Fine. Handle it your way."

...After a minute or two of watching his immediate younger brother thrash around with the much bigger reptile, the blue-masked turtle tries to subtly intervene.

"Can I offer a strategy tip?"

"No! (Splash) I, got 'im on the ropes! He's, right where I want 'im!"

But even with that 'confidence', Raphael would soon be slammed into the wall, leaving himself wide-open for the gaping jaw coming his way!

"...Right. That's it! Hiyaa!"

In that event, Leonardo stops standing on the sidelines, and leaps onto the crocodile's head before jabbing an area near the right jaw joint, causing the giant reptile to suddenly pass out cold!

"...Wha'd you do? Wha'd you do?!"

Sliding off the head, the blue-masked turtle replies with a smile,

"Pressure points."

"...Croc'idile, pressure points?"

He nods while lifting Raphael to his feet again,

"Little trick Master Splinter taught me...C'mon. He won't sleep forever. How 'bout another round of Follow the Leader, as in, back home?"

Getting over his surprise, the red-masked turtle kid then smiles as he hurries after the other one.

"Lead the way!"

(Flash)

"Nya-I don' even know why I told'ja that story. I-I guess y'r just...I mean...What I'm tryin' to say is..."

Raphael couldn't finish putting together his sentence, but his father knew instantly the point he was trying to get across.

"Your brother hears you, Raphael...He understands."

The usually tough-acting turtle wanders over to the window by the couch to try and collect himself, finally allowing a few tears to release.

...Leo...

Stockman's POV

Once I gathered what little equipment I would require and made the appropriate adjustments to my Mouser search program, I would leave Foot Headquarters to the new pile of destruction that was once my former lab assistant's home...

However, much to my surprise and my fears, I would find no traces indicating that Miss O'Neil and her allies actually died in the Shredder's attack.

"Nothing...I've run every search pattern, every type of analysis, but there's no conclusive evidence that anyone, human or turtle, perished in this blaze."

Does that mean...they're actually alive somewhere?

Certainly not in New York with the Shredder's army still patrolling about...

Still...

"I, can't go back to Shredder with nothing. I-...Huh?"

Before I begin to panic, one of my robots presents me with a ripped piece of red fabric...The same shade of red as one of the turtle's masks...Chuckling, I come up with an alternative.

"If I can't 'find' any evidence...then I'll just have to make some evidence."

I rework the shape of the fabric so it represents the ninja mask, before getting to work on creating a fake DNA analysis...

I'm almost impressed that you and your friends may still be alive, Miss O'Neil, but be aware.

Should you all actually be foolish enough to return to the city someday, I will be no more merciful than Shredder.

No POV

At the same time Baxter Stockman hurries to save his hide, the last sibling of the Hamato quintet was about to start her own attempt to talk to her sleeping brother...

"Leo?"

She kneels beside him, reaching up to readjust the blanket covering his body.

"You can't stay sleeping forever, big brother. You gotta get up at some point...That's what we all have to do when things get rough. We just gotta keep trying, keep searching for that sunshine hiding behind those dark clouds that try to get in the way."

Shiori sneaks her left hand under the cover to grab Leonardo's right.

"I mean, that's pretty much what you and others have done for me. Kept me from wandering back into those clouds, that, smog. (Sad smile) I can still remember clear as day, when you first found me..."

(Flash)

"It was a week and a half after Ori and I got separated, and I had basically hit my low point in believing in the good of regular folk..."

The rattle of a sewer lid echoes inside a random tunnel, and we watch a little body scale down the metal ladder into the underground.

"Hh, hh, hh!...Hah, hah. Nh!"

Clenching their teeth with a hurt expression, they start running down a random direction for anywhere that wasn't near their entrance...

"I also hit my low point in satisfying my stomach, stealing an orange from a fruit stand, then ducking down the nearest manhole, since the sewers by then felt more comfortable than the topside streets..."

We catch up with the small form of life down several winding tunnels, sitting against one of the less damp walls as they gobbled down the even smaller fruit with gusto. Getting a closer look, we see they're a girl just one year away from hitting double-digits, with short wavy black hair cut into a bob, the grease making it shine like her silver roots, and was wearing a somewhat raggedy outfit of a sandy brown polo shirt under a black sweater jacket with a rip in the left elbow and the right cuff, blue denim shorts with black leggings (the former article of clothing having dirt stains), and off-white slouch socks with grey Keds-brand sneakers.

...Soon there'd be only the peel left to litter the damp ground, while the one who reduced the orange to that state found herself curling into a ball, sniffling some quiet sobs into her knees...

"Without Ori or the others, I felt so alone, so, unloved by the city I was born in...Little did I know that the same day I was prepared to give up, was the same day four turtle kids would overcome their fear of humans. Not that you guys were really that afraid to begin with..."

(...Splash, splash)

"See anything good yet?"

Heading around the corner and a few yards away, we spot four familiar turtle kids - also hitting close to double-digits and about four foot four this round - wandering the sewer tunnels for anything that might've gotten washed in with the storm water. Pausing his steps, Donatello replies to Michelangelo,

"Nope, not yet...Looks like this round's mostly made of branches and-elh, wet newspaper..."

Kicking a small rock, Raphael scoffs,

"This is startin' to get boring. Heck, I'd be happy if we find a new book!"

...A chuckle escapes Leonardo as he quirks,

"Wow, Raph. I never thought I'd hear you of all turtles asking for books. That's usually one of Donnie's wishes."

"(Small smirk) Hey, I may no' read as much as brainiac does, but even I can enjoy flippin' pages once in a while."

The young turtle in the orange mask chimes,

"Maybe if we're lucky, we'll find a comic book!"

His brother in purple muses while poking at a box in the waterway,

"I wouldn't mind a new lamp or even a light-bulb. The one back in our room's broken again."

"An' who's fault is that?"

"Yours, Raph! You stabbed your sai into the bulb just this morning, and you're lucky the lamp was off too."

"I was practicin' my skills; how was I supposed t' know that thing would get in my way?!"

As those two continued to argue, the turtle in blue decided to scout ahead...only to stop near the corner when he hears something.

"Huh?"

What's...It, sounds like, crying...

Is someone down here?

"Hey, what's with the slowdown, bro?"

He turns around to shush his approaching brothers, whispering,

"Listen...Do you hear that?"

The other three turtle kids formed confused expressions...until they too picked up on the hushed noise.

"...Now I do."

"Sounds like someone's cryin'..."

Raphael turns to Michelangelo, who holds his hands up and insists,

"Don' look at me, dude; my eyes are dry."

"Mm, jus' checkin'...Hm?"

Both then watch as their older brother pokes his head around the corner...and the turtle almost lets out a gasp when he sees,

Whoa...It's a kid, a human!

"Whaddo ya see?"

He motions the other three to have a peek, and they nearly feel their eyes leave their skulls too, barely remembering to keep their voices quiet.

"No, way...!"

"A girl?!"

"Yeah, and a human at that!...Hm, doesn' look older than we are..."

Raphael would ask the more prudent question during this time.

"But what's a kid doin' down here in the sewers?"

"...I dunno...but, I think I wanna find out."

And before any of his younger brothers could stop him, Leonardo started to cautiously approach the little girl propped against the wall...

"From what you've told me, that was the first time you felt rebellious enough to, take a risk like that. You said that while you were nervous...there was something in your heart that, drew you to me, compelled you to check on me."

"...Hey...Are you okay?"

"(Sniffle) H-Hm?"

The little girl looks up from her knees...and softly gasps when her teary honey irises meet with the malachite green of the turtle child.

"Hh!"

Oh, wow...A me-sized turtle...?

"Wh...Who, are you...?"

"Uh!...Really?...You're, not gonna ask what I am?"

She shakes her head with an innocent expression.

"Uh-uh. I already know what you are: a person...What I don' know, is your name."

"Heh, you'd always tell me how shocked you were that I saw you as a 'who' and not a 'what'...and I'd always tell you that at that point, I was feeling more welcoming to someone who was more human than a human being."

Once the shock did wear off, the future unofficial leader would then form an encouraged smile and answer,

"Well, in that case...My name is Leonardo, but I also go by Leo."

He reaches a friendly three-fingered hand to the girl, who grasps it in return with a half-smile.

"Nice, to meet you, Leo...I'm Shiori, but I'm sometimes called Yori."

"Shiori, huh? That's a pretty name. Japanese, am I right?"

"Uh-huh. A-According to an old name book, it means something to do with, weaving poems, and bookmarks."

"...Seriously?! You're no' scared of 'im?"

"Huh?"

Looking over where Leonardo came from, the blackette's honey orbs widen a little again when she sees three more sets of eyes staring back at her...

"There's more...?"

"Oh, heheh, yeah. Those are my brothers. (Glance) It's okay, guys; you can come over."

Trusting their eldest sibling's judgement, if a little hesitantly, the other three turtles wander over his way, stopping so they're surrounding Shiori...

"Wow, and I though' one me-size turtle was cool, but four's even cooler!"

"Y-You're really not afraid of us?"

She turns to meet eyes with the turtle with coyote brown irises hidden in his orange mask.

"Why would I be scared of my favourite reptile?"

"...You like turtles?"

"Like 'em? I love them! Have since I was really little. Hee, I used to pretend I was a turtle sometimes by using a laundry basket or a box as my shell."

The turtle kid with walnut brown irises camouflaged by his purple mask suddenly lets out a few giggles, catching a joke in the girl's confession.

"Hehaha, box, turtle! Box turtle! That's funny!"

"Hee! Finally, someone gets that!...You must be really smart."

"Mm, I try."

"...Soo, (glance) if his name is Leo, (peers back and forth) then what're your names?"

Michelangelo introduces himself first:

"My name is Mikey, but my full name is Michelangelo."

His immediate older brother goes next:

"And my name is Donatello, but I also go by Donnie or just Don."

...That left the turtle with the red mask and reseda green irises, and though he continued to gaze at Shiori a little funnily, he nonetheless mutters out kindly enough,

"And I'm Raphael...but, you can call me Raph if ya want."

The girl with bobbed wavy black hair smiles at the young terrapin's act of toughness, recognizing the personality from another person.

He, kind-a reminds me of Shun...

"So, Shiori...if ya don't mind my asking, what're you doing down here in the sewers?"

Michelangelo expresses just as much curiousity as Donatello.

"Yeah, I mean, don't kids like you usually hang out, y'know, topside?"

Leonardo then asks,

"And, why were you crying?...Did something happen?"

"O-Oh...Hah, well...I, guess I'm just, feeling sad and sorry for myself, and lately, the sewers have been safer than hangin' about on the streets."

She soon expels the terrible event from a few weeks prior to now...

"No way! Somebody actually burned down your old home?!"

"That's so cruel!"

"Who would do something so horrible?"

The five children were sitting down in a circle by this point, and Shiori shrugs with a dejected frown,

"I have no idea, bu' they must be really evil if they're willing to-(gulp), kill kids. My best friend Ortensia and I were lucky to escape out the kitchen before the fire got worse..."

"And where is she?"

"I'm, not sure about that either. We, got lost from eachother durin' that storm a week and a bit ago...But, I know she's in Manhattan somewhere, and the others."

"Oth'rs?"

She nods at Raphael,

"Talon, Ariana and Shun. My other three friends...We've been good friends for abou' five years now, almost like brothers and sisters. (Slight smile) I, can't really explain it, but, somehow, I know they're still alive somewhere in the city. If they weren't, I would'a felt it in my gut."

"Hm, (...nod) I ge' that. Tha's how I feel abou' my brothers when they get in trouble."

The other three turtles share a knowing smile at their brother's 'rare' show of sensitivity, before focusing back on their new friend.

"Haven't the police tried to figure out who destroyed the orphanage?"

"Tch, they did investigate the scene, but I doubt they'll pay attention long enough. (Glare) As far as I'm concerned, very few grownups actually care abou' orphans, an' most will either feel pity, or just look at us like we're a dirty newspaper on the sidewalk."

"Oh. That's not very nice."

She nods in agreement with Donatello, adding,

"I've even had a few grownups try to call the cops on me, like I was a criminal or something. Shun explained to me that if they catch me, they'd take me away to another orphanage, or something called foster care. I'm not sure how different it is, but, I used to hear some scary stories from some of the big kids..."

A smug smile creeps onto her lips as she suddenly boasts,

"But I've become really good at hiding from grownups. I'm like a roadrunner: you think you see me, and then, zip! I'm gone."

The boys giggle a bit with her, before Leonardo comments,

"Kind-of sounds like what our dad's been teaching us. Staying in the shadows, out of sight..."

"So, you guys are ninja?"

"Technically, ninja-in-training, but someday, we're gonna explore the whole city at nighttime."

"That sounds like fun."

"...My sons!"

Suddenly, the call of a certain humanoid rat comes echoing from the way the turtles came, causing the four to flinch before forming nervous expressions.

"Uh-oh..."

"Sensei..."

"Must'a stayed out too long again..."

Curious, Shiori asks,

"Is, that your dad?"

"Yeah...Uhm, something you should know: he's not a-"

Before Leonardo could finish, Splinter's image comes into view from around the next corner, his eyes instantly locking onto his sons. They immediately get to their feet, and their new friend would slowly follow their example, staring at the new face with interest and confusion.

Huh?...A giant, rat? Didn't see that coming...

"There you are. My sons, I have told you many times to be mindful of how far you can go exploring-..."

Splinter cuts his lecture short when he notices the fifth soul standing with his children...His black-brown irises widen considerably, before narrowing in a calculated manner.

"My sons...who is this?"

Sensing an even bigger lecture coming, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo immediately jump to defend their actions.

"W-We can explain, sensei!"

"We just found her all by herself!"

"We know y' said we're not supposed ta be seen-"

"But she's really nice, and she wasn't scared, and-!..."

Feeling bad that her new friends were about to get into trouble, Shiori softly cuts in before more stuttered apologies and half-explanations could be made.

"...Please don't be mad, sir."

Splinter focuses her way, and she swallows a bundle of her own nerves before saying,

"Your, sons are really nice, nicer than most people I've met, and, I'm the one who shouldn't really be down here...It's just-I've been feeling safer down here, than up on the streets."

The rat was understandably surprised by the child's lack of fear, or rather, her lack of fear regarding his appearance...and her willingness to defend the boys.

(...Rumble)

Suddenly, the girl grasps her stomach after it emits a rather vocal tremor, her face giving way to an uneasy and dare we say, fatigued expression.

"Shh, quiet, tummy..."

Donatello in turn forms a thoughtful and concerned frown.

"...Seventeen..."

"Huh?"

"That's the seventeenth time I heard your stomach rumble since we started talking."

"O-Oh..."

"...Shiori...when was the last time you ate?"

Just when she's about to answer the turtle...the little girl in the lightly disheveled clothes suddenly lets out a small moan, and falls back against the wall.

"Uh! Shori?"

"Hey, wha's wrong?"

"U-Uh...I feel, dizzy...Uuuohh..."

And as her eyes roll to the back of her skull, Shiori collapses into the arms of Leonardo...

"I don't know what you guys said to convince sensei to take me back to the lair. All I do know is that when I did wake up, I felt warmer than I had for weeks."

"...Mm...Mnh..."

Honey irises blearily blink open, and the owner of those eyes found herself staring at some familiar brickwork.

"...W-Where...?"

Am I, still in the sewers?

She slowly sits up, holding in a groan from a new headache...only to discover she was sitting on a pale dogwood and golden brown loveseat, her body previously covered by a semi-worn quilt of off-white that matched the pillow her head was laying on. Getting a better look around, Shiori found herself soaking in the image of a multi-functional open floor plan, she being in the space taking the role of a living room, while the rest served as a bedroom and what looks to be a makeshift dojo.

"Huh?...Where, am I?"

"I see you've awoken, young one."

"Uh!"

Darting her head away from the area where two bunk beds stood, the little girl would meet eyes with Splinter!

"U-Uhm...h-hi, again...You're the, father of those turtle boys, right?"

"Correct. I am Hamato Splinter, a practitioner of Ninjitsu."

"Nin-jit-su?...Oh! That's like, Karate and Taekwondo, right, 'cept you have to be incon-...incon-inconspicuous."

The humanoid rat nods, a half-smile forming at the child's innocent curiousity...

(Rumble...)

Her stomach then lets out another loud growl, causing her to gasp and grab the area with an embarrassed expression.

"O-Oh, sorry. That was kind-a loud, wasn't it?"

"Ah yes...That was something I wished to address as soon as you woke up."

Splinter then sets the tray he was carrying onto the worn coffee table in front of the loveseat, which we see has a small bowl of rice and a cup of green tea...

"Uh! R-Really?...But, I can't just-"

"You are clearly more starved than you convey yourself to be, Shiori."

"...How do you know my name?"

"Because we told 'im."

Shiori turns her head left to see the four humanoid terrapin children, confirming to herself,

So I'm not dreaming after all...

Leonardo and Michelangelo would then move so they're sitting on either side of the girl, while Donatello and Raphael knelt nearby between the corners of the sofa and coffee table...

"We were really worried about you, Yori."

"You were?"

"Yeah! We thought tha' you weren't gonna wake up! Donnie...he said that your ribs were almost showing..."

The purple-masked turtle corrects the youngest brother by saying,

"Well, I actually said they were getting close, but not too close...Still, even I can tell that you haven't been eating very well. Am I right?"

Suddenly feeling guilty, Shiori reluctantly nods,

"It's, kind-of hard for a kid to eat when they don't have money or alot of places to go...I used to head to this soup kitchen not too far from where you found me, but, there's been gang members hanging around the street, and...I'm, too scared to walk over by myself...That was four days ago..."

"So how've you been feeding yourself?"

She answers Raphael while grabbing the bowl of rice and chopsticks,

"Well, sometimes, a grownup will take pity on me and give me one of their muffins or something like that, (munch, munch...). But, today I...did something I never thought I'd do...I stole an orange from a fruit stand."

Swallowing a couple more grains, Shiori then sighs out with a sad frown,

"I know stealing's wrong, but, I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, a-and I didn't know what else to do."

Michelangelo was positively horrified by what he was hearing.

"You went that long without eating?!...I can't imagine goin' without pizza for that long, nevermind all food."

"(Shrug) I dunno wha' to tell you, Mikey. Some kids just aren't that lucky. (Munch, munch...) But I feel really lucky today. I haven't had rice in ages!"

The boys could only watch the girl continue to carefully gobble down the offered food and drink, still reeling over the fact that this may be one of the more decent meals she's had in only god knows how long...

"The boys have told me about your unfortunate circumstances, Shiori. They say you, lost your home recently, and lost contact with a friend who was with you?"

Setting down the small tea cup, the little blackette nods,

"Yes, sir...Ori and I barely escaped out the kitchen with our lives when, Double L burned down, and, though I'm not entirely sure...I just, have this feeling that she and my other three friends, are out in Manhattan somewhere..."

"I see...Have you gone to the authorities to seek help?"

"No...and even if I did, I doubt they could help."

"Why is that?"

"...Because it's impossible to catch fire demons."

The family of five became very confused if slightly disturbed by such a statement.

"Huh?"

"Fire demons?"

"Whaddo ya mean?"

"...Young one...did you see..."

Knowing there wasn't any way she would get around having to explain, Shiori sighs before conveying the other part of her tragic story.

"...I couldn't, really see them too clearly...but, I'm sure I saw a few shadows in the flames that, didn't look like anyone I knew. I think...I think they may've belonged to the ones who set Double L on fire."

"So you saw the arsonists?"

"(Sniff) Mhm...and, not just them...Before I, left through the kitchen with Ortensia...I...I saw-(gulp)...I saw someone kill my old caretaker."

The turtle boys exclaim,

"What?!"

"No way...!"

"Holy shell...!"

"That's...!"

A few tears form in the little girl's eyes as she recalls the moment in question.

"Th-There was a noise, like, scissors cutting into something...I turn around, and...I watched my caretaker, Derek, falling to the ground in front of, a-another man...They were, wearing some kind of armor, like medieval knights, b-but...it looked more like the stuff you see samurai wear."

Wiping away the moisture threatening to dampen her face, Shiori then adds,

"A-And, the wrist the stranger was holding up...had these blades on it, two of 'em. I-I think, he used th'm against Derek, (swings arm) like this."

Splinter's eyes widen, for while it would be years before these five children learn the full extent of the truth, he knew in an instant who the blackette was describing.

The Shredder...

"Th-That's, part of the reason I've been, trying to stay in alleys and sewers...I'm scared that, if I get taken into child services...that, demon man, may find me...I...I'm almost positive, he saw me before I ran out the door."

"Shiori..."

Shaking her head, she adds with the tone of a broken heart,

"Besides, the less people pay attention to me, the less hurt I feel. Lately, whenever people do fix their eyes on me...I don't feel alot of love. (Sniff) I...All I seem to feel, is shame for being alive, and I don't understand why. I'm still a person, aren't I? H-How does, being a homeless kid, make me less human?"

Sensing that the girl was on the verge of a breakdown, Leonardo moves closer to wrap her in a hug. Taken off-guard by a gesture she hadn't felt for a while now...Shiori practically melts into the turtle child's arms, letting her sobs choke through. Michelangelo soon follows his older brother's example, latching onto the girl's other side while fighting a few tears of his own.

"Aw Yori...That's so sad...!"

Once he got control of himself, the turtle with the orange ninja mask then says with a smile,

"But, ya know, I think you're more awesome than all the other humans up there, and I swear I'm not just sayin' that 'cause you're the only human I've really met."

"(Sniff) R-Really?"

"Totally!"

Michelangelo's brothers are quick to add their own praise.

"Yea', you're pretty cool, f'r a girl."

"Smart too. I mean, there's no way you could've survived this long if you didn't have some kind of plan."

"And you have to be one of sweetest kids ever if you're willing to talk to giant turtles like it's normal."

Hearing these kind words etched away some of the ugliness that had developed in Shiori thanks to some rather, negative views from random people on the higher streets...She manages a smile, pulling back a little from Leonardo so he only had one arm around her shoulders and allowing her to dry her eyes again.

"(Sniff) Th-Thank you...I, haven' had anyone be, so nice to me for three weeks, and just hearing you guys say these nice things...It's like the sun's come back."

Shiori then makes the motion to get up from the loveseat, for despite feeling like she's been blessed, she also felt she should move on to other places.

"I, really hope I get to see you all again sometime."

"W-Wait!"

Leonardo was the first to react, almost jumping down from his seat with a worried expression.

"You're gonna leave?"

"Well, much as I'd like to stay a little longer...I shouldn't intrude on your home...I'll be okay. I mean, I've gotten this far, right?"

Slapping her right fist against her left palm, the young orphan adds,

"And if it's my destiny to, meet my end out there, I'll accept it...after I find my friends, and find a way to make sure everyone remembers the name Shiori."

...The blue-masked turtle wasn't fooled by the change in confidence, seeing the fear in the girl's eyes.

She doesn't want to go back...She's still too scared...

Shell, I'm too scared to let her leave.

...I want her to stay.

A new determination fills his veins, and he walks over to put another arm around Shiori's shoulders from her left, before turning to request the following from his father.

"Master Splinter...can we have Shiori live here with us?"

Gasps sound from his fellow terrapin brothers, while the humanoid rat was rather surprised by his son's desire.

"Leonardo..."

"I know what you're thinking, that she'd be better off topside with other humans...but, you heard her story, sensei. Since her home's been burned down and she lost her friends, no one's offered a kind enough hand to her. Most people have rejected her like...like she's a mutant, and she's every bit human as they are!...Plus..."

The blue-masked turtle with malachite green eyes looks down as he adds,

"Something about the idea of her running around up there all alone again, doesn't sit right with me. It, makes me feel nervous, the kind of nervous I feel whenever Raph, Don or Mikey are in danger...And, that's why I want her to stay. I...want to be someone who will be by her side."

Shiori was stunned by his words:

Leo...

"I wanna be by her side too!"

Michelangelo is the second to jump to his feet, rushing to stand on the girl's left.

"And havin' her here sounds like fun. It'd be like, having a sister!"

Feeling just as inspired, Raphael and Donatello nod at eachother with smiles before getting up to join the other three.

"I dunno abou' sister, bu', I kind-a don't like the idea of Yori leavin' so soon either. She'd get the stuffin' beaten out o' her if she comes across a mean kid...Someone's gotta help her toughen up, (cracks knuckles) an' I know I can do that."

"Not just that, but if she's managed to stay out of the eyes of the police, then she must have potential for ninja stealth training. She's definitely smart enough; knows who to avoid, where the best alleys and manhole covers are...And most importantly, she's not scared of us."

All four brothers then plead,

"Please, father? Can we keep her?"

...The lair falls silent as Splinter carefully contemplates his sons' request...His eyes meet with Shiori's, noticing uncertainty and a predetermined acceptance as if she was already preparing for a No...Yet much like the four turtle children, the adult rat also felt his heart go out to the girl.

Hm...I am not sure if I'm prepared to house a daughter...

But then again, I was thrust into the role of a father of four sons rather quickly, and somehow adapted...

And this child...she needs someone to take care of her, an adult willing to show her love.

So with a smile, Splinter nods, causing the boys to cheer,

"Yay!"

"Shiori can stay!"

"Awesomely radical, dude!"

"Maybe things'll finally be less borin' around here!"

...The girl herself is momentarily frozen, scarcely believing that someone, several someones, actually wanted her around...She looks towards Leonardo for help in processing this news.

"...I...I can stay...?"

He's a little confused by her confusion...but then smiles and nods,

"Yeah...You're staying, Shiori. You're our family now."

"...Family..."

Forming a watery smile, the little girl hugs the humanoid turtle with a jubilant laugh, which he returns tenfold.

(Flash)

"You were the first to talk to me, the first to reach out to me, and were the first to defend me staying, Leo...You guided me away from the dark road I was heading for..."

Gripping his hand a little more tightly, our current teenage girl with honey irises then whispers,

"Now, it's my turn to guide you away from that darkness...Let me, my words, help you come back into the sun, bro."

A few tears escape her eyes, and she rises back to her feet to join Ortensia who immediately hugs her best friend to comfort them...Splinter watches his young daughter struggle to avoid breaking down, his own heart under pressure from personal and social stress...He focuses on Leonardo, watching the terrapin shift again in his sleep.

...He is close. The words of his brothers and sister have guided him to the path...

All he needs to do now, is walk the path.

On that note, he kneels beside his eldest son's side to complete the task.

"Leonardo...my son. You must gather all of your strength and confront your fear, just as you did many years ago."

The said turtle's siblings - and to a lesser extent, his other loved ones - are a little perplexed by the humanoid rat's words, Raphael in particular.

"Come on, sensei. Leo's never been afraid of nothin' his whole life."

"Not true, my son. (Looks back) Do you recall, Leonardo, in our early days?"

(Flash)

"We were scavenging for food and supplies..."

Going back to a year or two before the eldest sibling would have a new little sister to look after with his brothers, we observe Leonardo assisting his father with a routine search and salvage in some of the sewer tunnels...

"Come, my son. There are more useful items to be found in the upper levels."

Securing the trash bag of things over his shoulder, the young turtle follows Splinter to and up the ladder into one of several vertical passages leading to a higher section of the sanitation system...

"These tunnels stretch for miles in all directions. To avoid losing your way, you must obverse your surroundings carefully."

...Unfortunately for Leonardo, sparing a glance down where he came wouldn't spark any wise revelations, but something else...

"Come along, Leonardo. We are nearly at the top."

Turning around, Splinter notices a new tremor in his son's body.

...Leonardo...?

"I-I...I, can't."

The rat would backtrack to try and urge the child on.

"Leonardo, you must."

But when the latter makes the motion to climb more, he loses his bag of items, and watches it drop into the darkness of the bottom, fully igniting the new paranoia in his mind!

"No! No!"

Luckily, he wouldn't be left stuck on the ladder, for Splinter grabs and sets him on the latter's back to continue the journey for them...

"It was then that I realized, you had an irrational, and paralyzing fear of heights...In the weeks that followed, I worked with you closely to help overcome your fear, focusing on the Way of Balance, and gradually building your confidence."

To be more specific, Splinter devises a training exercise for Leonardo that involves a steady rise in height with bamboo sticks...until the little turtle was a little over twenty feet above the ground...

"Now, my son, remove your blindfold."

Come the day he would have been cured of his fears, however, the poor kid's fearful fantasies overwhelm his spirit, causing him to fall off the stalks of wood and into a safety hammock set up should things not go according to plan...much to Splinter's worry.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever conquer the dark imaginings of your mind...But I was unwilling to give up."

Soon, life would present a more practical, if peril-ridden opportunity, when the rat and turtle journey out of their home again to search for new possibilities...They eventually enter an area that was flooded with water from another round of heavy rain...

"We must continue on, Leonardo."

The younger male watches his father begin to climb up a pipe to a higher vantage and stutters,

"Y-You go on ahead, Master Splinter. I'll go around the long way."

"That could take hours, my son."

"T-That's okay. I could use the exercise."

...But before the turtle could begin to execute his plan to avoid his fear, the pipe that Splinter was climbing suddenly gives way to the added weight and bends downward!

"Aa-hh!"

"Master Splinter!...Oh no!"

The rat wasn't done for yet...but the ripping cloth of his snared kimono told his son all he needed to.

...I gotta do something, now!

"Master Splinter!"

In a burst of courage, Leonardo jumps from the opening in the wall onto the damaged pipe to help his father...He nearly loses his cool when he glances down at the dizzying height, but then shuts his eyes and crawls forward.

"Don't look down, don't look down..."

He makes it close enough to the dangling rat to reach a hand out.

"Dh, grab on!"

...But while he was successful in pulling Splinter to a somewhat safer position, another dip from the pipe reminded him of the underlying problem.

"Hh! We'll never make it back in time!"

"Then we must forge ahead, my son."

The older male then pulls out a grappling rope from under his robes, and tosses it to hook onto the grate of an opening on the other side of this large chamber. Grabbing his son, he then swings them both to safety into a tunnel a little lower down...

Watching Splinter put away the rope, Leonardo then notes with surprised confusion,

"But...you, could've saved yourself, at any time..."

"And you would still be consumed by your fear."

An enlightened expression spreads into the turtle's face, and the rat adds while leading them on,

"By focusing on the task at hand, you were able to clear your mind of all distractions."

(Flash)

"Do so again, my son. Ignore the fear, and let your spirit heal. Find your way home...Return to us."

"...Mm...M-h..."

A new stir of sounds emits from the turtle's closed lips, causing his siblings and friends to look at one another in anticipation.

"Is he...?"

...And to everyone's relief, Leonardo finally coheres two simple words.

"N...No...f-fear..."

He blinks awake...and casts a tired smile at his loved ones, causing most of them to cheer excitedly, while Splinter expresses a silent tear of happiness.

...Well done, my son.

Meanwhile, April - who came back around the moment Shiori finished her story to check up on everyone - and Casey embrace eachother in their own relief...Quickly cluing into the possible message they could be sending, the pair part as quickly as possible with awkward smiles.

"Oh! Uh, sorry..."

"R-Right..."

Talon and Ariana don't miss their interaction, and smirk knowingly while pulling eachother close.

"You almost hafta feel sorry for how oblivious they are."

"I know, right?...Almost reminds me of us when we were younger..."

Focusing on one of the turtles not laying on the couch, Raphael says to Leonardo,

"We though' you were gone, bro."

"Ah-I was...But...you, brought me back. All of you."

Splinter says to the blue-masked turtle,

"You fought your way back, my son...You have done well."

"Thank you, s-sensei."

The young warrior then closes his eyes again, this time to get a more tranquil amount of sleep...

"The danger has passed. (Stands up) Now, we must let him rest."

...Just as Emily must rest, so she may return to us...

Everyone silently agrees, and they gradually file out of the living room to give Leonardo some peace and quiet...while also thinking about what April had thought about when first arriving to the Jones Family Farm.

"Hey, Case? Let's you an' me head into the shed and see what we can salvage for fixin' up this place."

"Good idea. The barn should have some stuff too."

"Maybe you two should wait until morning? It's gotta be midnight by now."

"Ari, if we don't do it now, we'll forget."

"Not if we all badger you."

"Hey, whose side are you on, Don?"

Raphael is one of the last to leave, shaking his head in amusement at his friends and family before turning to chide to his brother,

"Hey, Leo? If you need anything...I'll be outside."

Nodding, the eldest watches his brother head out the front door, before readjusting himself into a more comfortable position.

Thanks, brother.

"...Make sure he doesn't stay out there too long, okay, little sis?"

Shiori - the only person who didn't leave the living room - nearly jumps in her new seat on the floor by Leonardo's torso, before smiling and resting her head against the blanket.

"Sure thing...Sleep well, big brother."

...

By this hour, Stockman had returned to Foot Headquarters to present his 'findings' to Shredder...

"This, is your conclusive proof?"

The clan leader is currently clenching the 'mask' of one of the turtles, and the scientist smoothly replies,

"That is merely a souvenir of your victory. Consider it a gift."

Stockman then pulls out his scanner:

"This, is my conclusive proof. Telltale traces of mutated DNA, Class Reptilia, Order Testudines, Family Emydidae. Or, in layman's terms...?"

"...Turtle."

"(Smirk) Someone's been doing his homework. No doubt that one as intelligent as you would recognize the sheer amount of DNA evidence recovered can only lead to one conclusion."

"The turtles perished in the blaze."

The handicapped man nods, and clicks a button on his scanner to show another 'report'.

"Not only that, but as you can see, mutated DNA evidence for the rat, (click) and non-mutated DNA of four humans was also recovered."

"Which means Shiori, the rodent and their allies are also no more."

"...So that's what you look like when you're pleased. I've always wondered."

Stockman stows his device away, and rolls over to stop near the displayed artifact.

"Now, about my reward?"

"(Light smirk) I will have a team from Foot Tech Divisions deliver it to you in the morning. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other pressing matters to attend to."

"Of course, master."

...As soon as Saki was gone, Baxter grins and gloats to himself over the success of his ruse.

"Fool. You let your guard down the minute you believed your enemies were vanquished. (Turns) Soon, the technological secrets locked within this artifact, will give me power beyond reckoning...and that's, when Baxter Stockman will stop taking punishment, and starts dishing it out!"

With that promise made, he lets out a crazed laugh, already imagining what his grand revenge will look like...

Unbeknownst to him, a certain ninja with devillock hair had been listening in from the shadows.

...So. They'll all alive...That's where you went, Talon.

Rather than report to his master about what he learned, however...Argon decides to keep this information quiet, interested in how this will all eventually play out.

Heh, much as I should report to Master Shredder...I can't help but be curious to see if he'll be just as ready for their return, like they were unprepared for his.

Time Skip

(Clanck, clanck, clanck)

"Okay, I think that does it for this window shutter."

"And with that, we finished fixing all possibilities of cold drafts...You're pretty good at this stuff, Ariana."

"Heh, what can I say? I'm a handywoman through and through, Donatello."

Four days have passed since our band of twelve arrived safely to the Jones Family Farm, and now that some of the worry has dissipated with regards to the more aggressively injured, attention slowly begins turning towards making this old house new again. Right now, Ariana and Donatello were finishing with patching holes and fixing the more damaged windows.

Setting her hammer in the toolbox they brought out, the woman currently dressed in a wine red parka asks the turtle in the purple sweater,

"So what exactly do you have in mind for the turbine?"

"Heh, oh I've got a few ideas. Shall we?"

"Gladly...and hopefully before Tal and Casey break something trying to fix that stove in the basement."

...Inside, Ortensia and Shiori have been cleaning the glass with washcloths, while Shun and Michelangelo dust away the cobwebs...

"Ah-Ah-hachoo!"

Pausing her work on one window in the living room, the girl with the deep brown hair turns to say,

"Gesundheit," to the poor boy with curtain bangs under fire from his allergies.

"(Sniff) Urgh, damn dust bunnies...How did I get stuck with dust duty? I can't stand anything dust-related!"

Shiori pipes up an answer from her position by Leonardo, he sitting up on the couch wide awake.

"Because the alternative would've involved swearing up a storm downstairs with Casey and Talon?"

"...You just had to come up with a good answer..."

The blackette in the grey sweatshirt shrugs with a cheeky smile, while her brother chuckles slightly before grimacing from a bit of nerve pain in his chest. Getting a closer look, we see he's wearing a new set of bandages around his carapace and shell, his left arm in a sling.

"...Do you need some painkillers, Leo?"

He turns to half-smile at his sister and reply,

"Nah, I'm okay. It's not as bad as before...Thanks, though."

"No prob. Just let one of us know if you change your mind."

The turtle nods...then forms a small frown as he mutters with a sigh,

"I just wish I could help with something. I'm starting to get as bored as Mikey when he's forced to stay off his feet."

Said brother in the orange mask chuckles before calling over his shoulder as he follows Shun to another room,

"Tell ya what, then, bro: if I find a book in one of these next rooms, I'll bring it to ya so you won't get bored out of your skull!"

"Heh, thanks, Mike!"

...In the kitchen, we find Raphael helping April with cleaning the dishes by using some snow they boiled down in a large pot.

"Thanks for helping me, Raph."

"No prob...How's, Emily doin'; any changes?"

"(Frown) Not so far. I mean, aside from a few early signs of physical healing...she hasn't woken up yet."

"Oh...Has, sensei gone up to be with 'er again?"

"Yeah...He seems to be the most effected by her current state, which is saying alot since I'm her cousin."

"Mm, well, (sad smile) he and Em have been through alot. Share history...I actually think he, might'a fallen for her."

"Uh! Really?...And you of all turtles noticed that?"

Raphael turns to smirk-glare at April's teasing smile and argue,

"Hey, I may no' have a lady in my life, bu' even I can see when someone's pinin' over somebody else...An' contrary to wha' dad may think, he's not that subtle around Emily."

"Hehaha, oh wow..."

"...Jus' like you and Casey aren' subtle."

That wiped the smile off of the younger O'Neil's face, an embarrassed blush and glare taking over.

"Wh-What?! What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh come on, April, do I 'of all turtles' really need t' spell i' ou'? You've fallen for tha' bonehead; heck if I know why, bu' ya did."

"I have not!"

"Have so!"

The argument would soon escalate in a slap war with the dish cloths, causing laughter to erupt from the two friends before they refocused on their current task...

A contrast to the more somber atmosphere, upstairs in the master bedroom.

"...So sleep continues to hold you, does it, my dear?"

Zooming inside, we see Splinter sitting on a stool set up on the left side of the bed Emily is sleeping in, hand-carved oak with a headboard, and built to fit a double mattress. Covering the woman is a set of plain cotton sheets and a hand-sewn quilt with various farm-related designs on it, all of which had the dust beaten out of them before she was tucked under them.

As noted by the O'Neil downstairs, Emily's condition seems to be slowly improving based on the returning colour to her porcelain complexion and more comfortable breathing pattern...However, unlike Leonardo, her invitation to dreamland from the Sandman has not yet expired, worrying the humanoid rat greatly.

...A paw-like hand reaches over to grasp one of the waiting human's.

"I seem to recall you being stronger than this. Hardly anything would slow you down when you and I were young. Heh, we certainly kept Master Yoshi busy with our combined energy...You have blossomed into a charming young woman, with a spirit unmatched to any who dare challenge you...So then..."

Splinter's grip tightens a little as he tries to settle the emotions running through his veins.

"What changed four days ago?...How is it that you were caught off-guard by Saki, the man we each swore in our own rights to defeat for our fallen mentor? And why...why would you choose to...kiss me, before you fell on the cusp of death?"

A pair of stray tears fall from his black-brown irises, and a endearingly broken smile forms.

"You must have known what that would do to me, you trickster...You always found a way to leave me breathless, even before I realized what it meant...But, now I finally understand these feelings, and what you were trying to tell me that evening."

And before he lost his courage, Splinter gets up to move closer to the woman...before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"...And I return them...watashi no ai."

"...Jikan ni tsuite mo, kashikoi orokamono."

"Uh-h!"

Suddenly, jade green irises blink awake, the owner of these eyes tiredly smirking in a mix of irritation and tease.

"What, is it about you men, that you like to keep a woman waiting, and force them to do the work...?"

"...Emily..."

A more sincere smile forms on the auburn brunette's face as she mutters,

"But seriously...it makes me happy, that you're the face I get to wake up to, Splinter...I'm sorry if I kept you waiting too long."

She then tries to sit up, but winces and nearly falls back down against the pillow, had Splinter not caught her.

"Careful now. You are still injured."

"R-Right..."

One of Emily's hands gently brushes against her abdomen, picking up on the texture of bandages underneath the loose-fit grey tee she was wearing.

"I almost, forgot about that...How long have I been out?"

"About four days..."

Splinter then moves to sit on the side of the bed, and gently embraces the woman before him.

"Uh!..."

"And I am glad it was no longer than that."

"...Splinter..."

The auburn brunette wastes no time in embracing the humanoid grey rat back, an action that causes both of them to silently release their pent-up emotions through even more tears...Then, once the pair collects themselves, they part to look one another in the eye...before leaning in to steal away in another kiss long overdue...

It was around this time that Shiori had decided to take her window-cleaning duties upstairs, using it as an excuse to also check on her father.

...I sure hope dad's doing okay...

She stops by the partially open door to the room he was in...and would barely stop herself again from knocking, when she sees what her teacher and parent was currently engaged in.

"Hh!"

No, way...!

A grin quickly forms on her face, hardly needing anymore information to know what's going on.

Alright, dad!...You finally gave her your heart. Oh, and good on you too, Em.

Fighting to contain a giggle of excitement, Shiori whirls around and hurries back the way she came, eager to tell everyone the good news...Unbeknownst to her, the two adults in the other room were wise to her presence.

"...Heh, did you also sense your daughter just now?"

"I did."

"Hm...Wonder how long it'll be before the whole house echoes..."

Emily would get her answer in less than thirty seconds, when she and Splinter pick up on the sounds of several voices whooping and cheering.

"...Not very long, I would say."

Such a statement from the rat causes the woman to let out a happy laugh, he quickly joining in before they relax into eachother's hold.

...Now the danger has passed.