Author's Note: What's this? An update on this fic? How is such a thing possible, you might wonder.

Good news is, I intend to post for it more often. We're entering the last part of the story and it's going to be a wild ride!

Previously on this fic: Thanks to Donnie and Mikey's help, Karai read a scroll his father received, warning him about Hun. She tried to learn more about the caravan leader, but her attempt failed. Angel has learned about Karai's firebending and offered to teach her.

Bishop and Stockman are heading for the oasis, planning to attempt something that might, or might not, end up disastrous. Splinter sent a message to the oasis to warn his people.

Welcoming Committee

Saki squinted as he tried to recognize the figures riding towards him.

He and his most trusted men and women had been guarding the well night and day since they had received Splinter's message. Bishop's intentions were concerning enough, but the fact he had abandoned the two boys he was supposed to keep safe inside a volcano infuriated Saki.

They had trusted that man, the caliph's delegate, with the safety of two of their own - including Saki's favorite nephew - and this was how Bishop repaid them?

Luckily, Splinter had found Raphael and Slash in time. Saki knew they would be safe with his old mentor.

Now the riders were close enough that Saki could discern them better. His brother Yoshi and the new oasis leader Bradford came first, followed by a small troop of the oasis' guards.

Saki frowned. It wasn't time for a changing of the guard. Was there trouble in the oasis? Had Bishop already arrived?

"Hello, brother. Hello, Bradford," he greeted them. "Is something the matter?"

Yoshi and Bradford dismounted while the others remained on their horses. Yoshi gave Saki a warning look that Saki didn't quite know how to interpret - except he didn't like it.

At all.

"We've received word that Bishop will arrive tomorrow," Bradford began.

Saki nodded, his expression becoming somber. "And we're ready for him. If he can't be reasoned with, I'm afraid we won't have any other choice than to-"

"And that's what I want to talk about," Bradford cut him off.

Saki stood straight, his warrior training allowing him to hide his irritation at being interrupted so rudely.

Bradford shifted, obviously uneasy. His tone was still determined as he went on.

"It's our duty to obey the will of the caliph, represented by his delegate, Bishop. I don't think we should oppose him."

It took Saki several seconds to fully realize what Bradford was saying.

"What?" he erupted. "He wants to wake up…" He glanced at the soldiers, who were not hiding very well the fact they were all ears, and lowered his voice. "He wants to wake up an ancient evil. He abandoned your own son to die!"

"My son is alive," Bradford said dryly. "And Bishop thought he was dead. It was an honest mistake."

Saki couldn't believe what he was hearing. He turned to his brother, hoping that Yoshi would take his side, but the former leader merely shook his head.

Saki knew Yoshi was on his side, though; they had talked about it long enough. He must believe that Bradford wasn't going to let himself be convinced.

And thus, Saki had only two choices. Either he bent to his current leader's will or he committed high treason and refused to obey, tearing apart the oasis' unity at a time when it was essential.

He could see how uncomfortable the warriors already were at witnessing their disagreement. He knew most of the guards would follow his lead, should the worst happen, but at what cost? He didn't want to drag them into a civil war.

He took a deep breath, locking eyes with Yoshi. His brother was silently pleading him for temperance, he knew it. Did Yoshi already have another plan?

He better.

"What are you suggesting?" he said to Bradford.

"I think it would be better if you took some rest," Bradford said carefully. "You have done a lot these past days."

Saki knew what it meant. He was dismissed, and his moves would be watched.

Well. If Bradford thought it would be that easy…

"I don't see how that's necessary," he said slowly, dangerously.

Bradford took a step backwards and glanced at Yoshi.

The coward, Saki thought. Too afraid to come talking to me without bringing my own brother as a bodyguard.

Yoshi put a hand on Saki's arm.

"How about you have lunch with us? We would be glad to have you by. Especially today."

Saki nodded, filled with compassion for his brother. Today was Leonardo and Raphael's birthday.

But Saki knew Yoshi's words also meant, Please go along with this.

While Saki excelled in the art of warfare, his brother had always been better at politics than him. It was the reason why they had decided to choose Yoshi as the leader during the year their family had to rule the oasis.

If only that year hadn't ended, things would be very different now.

"Very well," Saki said, his voice colder than ice even though his blood was boiling. "I see that my presence here is not welcome anymore."

Bradford averted his eyes, but didn't deny it.

"Why are you letting Bradford go away with this?" Saki exclaimed.

He was pacing back and forth in Yoshi's study, where the two brothers were holding a private meeting.

Yoshi was watching Saki, arms crossed. "Bishop is anything but stupid. He won't rush head in, it'll take him a few days to actually get to… whatever is inside the well."

"You mean the Shredder."

Yoshi shrugged. "I guess. It's hard to believe…" He paused. "Do you seriously think he's still alive? Maybe Bishop will find a corpse. Problem solved."

Saki watched his brother with understanding. Saki had always been the one to believe in the old legends, not Yoshi. Even now that more and more elements hinted at the fact they were true, Yoshi had a hard time changing his views.

"Splinter believes it, as does Bishop," he reminded him. "None of them count as gullible men."

Yoshi breathed a heavy sigh. "Yes. I know. Anyways. I suggest we take advantage of that time to reach out to the other families and convince them to dismiss Bradford."

Saki considered this.

"We'll need a two-thirds majority to put it to a vote," he said. "And a three quarters majority to dismiss him."

"It's our only option if we don't want this to end in a bloodbath. Are you with me?"

"Of course, brother." Saki stopped pacing to look through the window and into the gardens. The scenery was as peaceful as ever. He had made it his job's life to protect that peace. "I've always known Bradford wasn't cut out for the job, but I would never have thought he would give up on our ancestral task so easily."

"I think Bishop corresponded with him," Yoshi said. "Promising him I don't know what."

Saki considered that. "It would make sense," he whispered.

"I honestly believe he's convinced Bishop can take control of the Shredder."

Saki rolled his eyes. "That imbecile."

He finally decided to sit down on one of the comfortable chairs of the study. Yoshi did the same.

Now that his anger had somewhat calmed down, Saki could notice how terrible his brother looked.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

As if it was his cue to break down, Yoshi's shoulders sagged.

"I can't believe that he abandoned the children," he said softly. "I would never have let him take Raphael if I had known…"

"I know," Saki reassured him. "Me neither. But Splinter found them in time, and that's what matters."

Both kept silent for a while, taking some comfort in the other's presence.

"What do you mean, Raphie isn't coming back?"

Donatello was trying hard to keep his voice steady, but he wasn't being entirely successful. Next to him, Michelangelo's face was crumpling.

Tang Shen's heart ached as she watched her two youngest sons. They were still so young. Why couldn't their childhood have been spared for a way longer time?

The whole family - including her brother-in-law Saki and her niece Karai - was sharing an evening meal, and the adults had decided that it was time to tell their children about the imminent arrival of Bishop, and Bishop alone.

As if this day, Leonardo and Raphael's birthday, wasn't sad enough.

"He's not coming back yet," Yoshi hurried to add. "He's safe. He's with Splinter."

"Oh."

Donatello visibly relaxed, as did Michelangelo.

It didn't last long.

"Why isn't he coming back with Bishop?"

Tang Shen exchanged a look with Yoshi. They had decided not to tell them the details - that was, Bishop had brought Raphael and Slash to a volcano and they had been trapped inside.

And Bishop had thought them dead and left.

It had been hard enough to swallow for Tang Shen. She wasn't sure she would be able to control herself in front of Bishop, and she had told her husband so. He had assured her that she wouldn't have to lay eyes upon him.

"Your brother met by chance with Splinter," Yoshi said after a short hesitation. "Splinter thought he and Slash would be better with him, and Bishop didn't object."

Tang Shen's eyebrows imperceptibly rose. While not a lie, strictly speaking, it was still very far from the truth.

Michelangelo fidgeted on his seat. Tang Shen wondered whether his son knew it.

He had always been very sensitive to others' emotions.

"Then when is he coming home?" Donatello insisted, the eager unmistakable in his voice.

"I don't know," Yoshi answered. "Soon, I hope."

"Okay," Donatello said, clearly unhappy about this answer.

Tang Shen related to that emotion. She, too, was very unhappy that her two eldest sons were lost somewhere in the vast world.

She missed them so much.

Bishop watched the welcoming committee. Closed faces and suspicious stares were meeting him and his people.

He had been right to exchange private messages with the oasis' leader, Bradford, before his arrival.

Bishop hadn't expected the two boys to be alive. It was both good and bad news. On one hand, he had never meant for them to die. On the other hand, it meant he had abandoned them, and he could understand the parents' distress.

Good thing that Bradford cared about recognition so much. Bishop had appeased him with promises of increasing his status, including one of making his role as oasis leader permanent.

Bishop had no particular intention to keep that promise. He had labelled Bradford for what he was, a man vain and egoistical, and he wasn't keen on giving him such responsibility.

But Bishop's responsibility to the whole caliphate was more important than the one he felt towards the oasis firebenders, and he would do what he had to do in order to reach his goal.

Bradford, precisely, was maybe the only one smiling. He had taken upon himself to give a speech, and Bishop listened to it with a graceful smile.

Next to him, Stockman was fidgeting in his wheelchair. Bishop knew the earthbender was nervous - they had agreed that he had better not use his bending here, as only some of the oasis people knew about the existence of other bendings. Besides, the long journey through the desert had been especially tiring for him.

"…And it'll be an honor for me to welcome you in my house," Bradford finished.

Bishop knew it was customary for the caliph's delegate to reside in the leader's house, but Bradford was living in the eastern part of the oasis and Bishop wanted to remain as close to its destination, the well, as possible. He didn't intend to lose any time. Today they would rest, but tomorrow they would set up camp in the desert and begin their work.

"I'm grateful for your generous offer," he said. "However, time is of the essence. Is it possible to accommodate us in this part of the oasis?"

Bradford frowned slightly, but he must have considered the request valid because he turned to Yoshi in a silent question.

"We can surely find rooms for you in the village next to the Western Gate," Yoshi said, his tone perfectly neutral.

Bishop guessed it would have been too much to hope that Yoshi would accommodate him once more in his house.

"It would be perfect," he answered with a smile as wide as it was false. "Thank you for your help. I won't forget to tell the caliph how helpful you all were."

Bradford straightened up at these words, adding to Bishop's contempt for him.

Saki suspected his daughter was up to something.

Karai had grown more distant lately. At first he hadn't thought much of it; she was a teenager, and teenagers didn't tell their parents everything.

He certainly hadn't.

But now that he was all but on house arrest, it was easy to observe that she was avoiding him.

Saki had agreed with Yoshi that he better stay in his house today. He hadn't been invited to Bishop's welcome party, which was no surprise but still hurt his feelings more than he would have thought.

After everything I've done to protect the oasis.

He would have enjoyed spending some of his free time with his daughter, but Karai seemed to be avoiding him.

And now she was late for her history lesson, a field that she usually enjoyed.

The teacher was patiently waiting in the living room with a cup of tea and cookies. Saki wasn't in the mood to make conversation, so he had let him in the very capable hands of his housekeeper.

Instead, Saki was waiting for Karai in the entrance hall, whose windows allowed him to watch the road. It wasn't too long before he spotted her running towards the house, and he moved so he wouldn't be within her sight. She paused in front of the door, probably to catch her breath and adjust her clothes.

When she opened the door and came in, Saki was ready.

"Where have you been?"

She started, and her face fell a little when she saw her father.

Saki immediately noticed the bandage on her right arm. Despite Karai's efforts to hide it, it poked out of the sleeve of her tunic.

"Are you injured?" he immediately asked, not giving her time to answer his first question, and moving towards her to take a better look.

Karai reluctantly gave him her arm.

"A stupid mistake. I grazed my skin against rocks," she muttered.

"Let me look at it."

"No!"

Saki watched her, surprised by her outburst.

"I want to make sure it's not infected," he said softly, as if talking to a small child.

Karai blushed. If it was from embarrassment or something else, Saki didn't know.

"I already made sure of that. I… I'm late for my lesson. If you will please excuse me?"

Saki raised an eyebrow. He wasn't fooled, but he was hesitant to call her out on it. His daughter was stubborn, and he didn't want her to withdraw into herself any more than she already had.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, slowly.

"Of course."

She failed to meet her gaze, and all but ran away further into the house.

Saki remained in the entrance hall, frowning. He had always made a point of giving her the freedom he thought she needed, but this was too concerning to be ignored.

What are you up to, my daughter?

Donnie was unhappily sitting in front of Leatherhead's forge. For once, he was unable to focus, and the blacksmith had gently but firmly suggested that Donnie took a break before he hurt himself with Leatherhead's tools.

Karai was spending less time with them these days. She had said that Hun was too dangerous to be investigated about, and that Donnie and Mikey had a very important job helping their mother while Raphael and Leonardo were gone.

But yesterday had been Raphael and Leonardo's birthday, and it had cruelly reminded Donnie that they hadn't made much progress in understanding what had happened.

Donnie could use some cheering up, and he considered meeting with Mikey in the stables. His twin had wanted to talk to Klunk, no doubt to tell him about his disappointment that Raph wasn't going back yet.

Although Donnie didn't especially like horses, at least not the way Mikey did, it was always fun to watch Mikey act out their everyday life for the animals.

They sure seemed to understand him.

His decision made, Donnie stood up and walked towards the stables. He took his favorite shortcut, the one going around the bathhouse. It wouldn't have been a path for anybody else than a child; it required sneaking between the bushes and small trees that had grown in the narrow space between the bathhouse and the house next to it, but Donnie liked it.

He was walking below one of the bathhouse's windows, one floor above, when he heard the voices.

He recognized one of them immediately; it was Bishop's. The other voice was unknown to him.

Donnie stopped to listen.

"If looks could kill, we would be dead," the unknown voice was saying. "I don't want to stay here any longer than strictly necessary."

"We won't," Bishop answered. "Tomorrow, we will set up camp in the desert. It'll be easier for everyone. I had to ensure that we wouldn't be interrupted once we begin. Luckily, this new leader is very receptive to… the potentialities of my work."

"I must say, I was surprised. Isn't he the father of one of the boys?"

Donnie's eyes widened and he pressed himself against the wall, as if it could help him hear better.

"Yes."

"We abandoned them in a volcano eruption. I'd have expected him to refuse to welcome us."

"He knows what's best for him."

Donnie's heart was pounding. So these men had abandoned his brother to a certain death?

And the adults knew? And they still let Bishop and Stockman walk inside the oasis, inside Raph's home, and they let him have baths in their bathhouse?

This was so wrong.

Sounds of splatter and footsteps told Donnie that at least one of the people in the room had left. Donnie wiped away his tears and unclenched his fists.

If none of the adults had decided to take action, he, Hamato Donatello, eight years old, would do it.

He waited for a while to make sure that nobody was moving anymore, then he began climbing. He had plenty of grips, both in the wall and in the vegetation, and it didn't take him long to reach the window. A shutter was preventing him from seeing inside, though, and Donnie shifted laterally until he was under another window, an opened one.

Donnie glanced inside a deserted room. It was a place where people left their clothes and belongings before entering the baths. The floor was approximately ten feet below, the bathhouse having been built to have high windows.

Right now, there was only one set of clothes as far as Donnie could tell, as well as a wheelchair.

Donnie had heard his father tell his mother about the fact Bishop came back with a man in a wheelchair. It must be the one he had just heard, the one who abandoned Raph to die inside a volcano. Yoshi had called him Stockman.

Donnie nodded somberly. This Stockman was going to regret having messed with Donnie's brother.

He grabbed a branch from one of the trees outside and let himself slide inside. He tried to be as silent as possible, but he couldn't avoid his feet hitting the tiles with a thump.

He stopped breathing for a second.

Nothing happened. In the room next to that one, Stockman must still be enjoying his bath.

Donnie made his way to the clothes first, and he methodically tore them apart. When he was confident Stockman wouldn't be able to wear them without some serious mending, he concerned himself with the wheelchair.

It was a work of art, if Donnie knew anything at all about building objects. Donnie would have loved to study it in detail, but time was of the essence. Who knew how long Stockman would stay in his bath?

Using the tools that never left him, he began demolishing the wheelchair.

Stockman breathed a sigh of contentment. The hot water was doing wonders on his aching body.

He had the baths for him alone since Bishop had left, and he rejoiced in the solitude. He wasn't made to interact with people all the time, like he had to when travelling with Bishop's company.

Besides, tomorrow his hard work would begin, and who knew when Stockman would next be able to take a bath?

The sound of metal hitting the floor drew him out of his reverie. Frowning, he dragged himself out of the water. His wheelchair was in the next room, but the earthen floor under the tiles ensured that the earthbender master could move easily. Sliding on the tiles, he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around him before going to investigate the noise.

Stockman pushed the door and entered the room where he had left his belongings. He barely had the time to glimpse a short figure running away before it disappeared outside, leaving him alone in the room with his wheelchair.

Or what was left of his wheelchair.

Stockman yelled in outrage.

"Donatello, what were you thinking?"

Donnie watched his feet, too ashamed to meet his father's gaze.

He had been caught red-handed or almost. He had stumbled right out of the bathhouse, apparently over nothing.

Besides, it had turned out that some of Bishop's people were watching the bathhouse. While they hadn't paid any attention to the child earlier, they weren't going to miss him running out of the bathhouse while Stockman was yelling inside.

They had told the guards and the guards had brought him home, and Donnie had wanted to disappear inside a tiny tiny hole while they explained to his parents what he had done. Then his father had led them to his study so they could have a talk.

"I heard them talking," Donnie said to his feet. "They said they had abandoned Raph and Slash to die." He raised his head, outrage giving him the courage to meet his father's gaze. "And you knew it!"

Next to his father, his mother was watching him with her arms crossed. She didn't look as mad as Donnie would have thought. If it made any sense, he could have believed she was somehow satisfied.

Yoshi sighed and sat down.

"Donatello, come here."

Donnie hesitantly came forward, and his father took him on his lap.

"I don't excuse them, but I do believe they thought Raphael and Slash were both dead," Yoshi said softly. "They didn't abandon them to die. And your brother and his friend both survived and found Splinter. They're safe, my son, I promise."

Donnie's fingers played with the cloth of his father's shirt.

"Really?"

"Really." Yoshi stroked Donnie's hair. "Revenge is a dark path, and not one I want for you," he added, gently but firmly. "You're better than that."

"But I want them to leave," Donnie complained. "They have no right to be here."

"Donnie, sweetie." Tang Shen knelt next to Yoshi and Donnie and took Donnie's hands in hers. "I agree with you, but we can't always have what we want. Your father is taking care of the situation. Can you trust him like I do?"

Donnie nodded hesitantly. He let his father hug him for a while before asking his next question.

"What's my punishment?"

"You'll help Stockman to repair his wheelchair, under Leatherhead's supervision," Yoshi said. "And no sabotaging this time, promise?"

Donnie sighed. "Yes, Dad."

"That child is resourceful," Saki said, grinning.

He had decided to pay his brother a visit with his daughter, in the hope that Karai would open up to Tang Shen, and had been delighted to learn about Donatello's last exploit.

"Can you imagine what he'll be as a teenager?" Yoshi grumbled.

Saki patted his brother's back. "Let's see the bright side. Bishop won't begin to dig before Stockman's chair is repaired. Your son bought us time."

"Don't you dare praise him for that," Yoshi warned. "Although it is convenient." He massaged his temples. "Tell me, brother. Is raising a girl easier?"

Saki shook his head, his concern for his daughter sobering him fast.

"I wouldn't say that."

He sleeps, like he has for decades. Ice is his blanket.

Plunged into a deep slumber, one that he brought on to survive, he dreams.

He used to feel the boy's presence in his dreams, but not anymore. They must have taken him away.

It doesn't matter. He's patient; he'll wait.

One day, he'll have his opportunity for revenge.