Looking back on the memory of the dance we shared beneath the stars above
And for a moment, all the world was right
How could I have known you'd ever say goodbye
And now, I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end
The way it all would go
'cause our lives are better left to chance
I could've missed the pain
But I had to miss the dance.
Michelangelo stirred a makeshift pan of baked beans, warming them on the tiny fire able to light and stay protected in the night winds. It had taken so long to get it going everyone else had wandered off. Somewhere in sight of camp though. Leonardo and Donatello practiced katas on a bridge formed of a series of overturned pillars over a chasm around the bend . They even let Lita join in. Noriko and Erika had climbed their way to the roof of one of the temples, and sat watching the sky. Leaving Michelangelo to sit and stir the beans with a can opener. He was glad they had all left. It gave him time to cry again alone.
After Raph, Lita had been the first one to start crying. Then Noriko and Erika chimed in. So he did too. Mostly because they were, and because Maddie had just died. It wasn't till later it actually sunk in.
They moved the body into a temple and left a torch with it. By that time it was pretty late, so they moved out and found a pretty secluded place to set up camp. Lita's guess had paid off, and thankfully they had some food for dinner that she had packed. Leo made them ration it though. And Mike had to cook it.
Tiny bubbles began to rise to the top off the liquidy sauce, making little sounds as they popped. Mike wiped the tears off his beak and sniffled his nose dry. He might as well get Raph some food first, so he could disapear again to brood without speaking to anyone else.
Where was he anyway. Mike poured some beans into a paper plate and took out a piece of bread from the bag. He put another plate on top of the pan to keep it warm, and placed it on the ground before he set off to find his brother.
Raphael sat on the steps of the temple, his mind a blank screen. His head sagged, almost resting between knees. His arms set on his knees drooped below his legs. He unconsciencely rolled the red crystal in his wrong hand, not even aware it being there. He couldn't hear anything, but the strange silence of the winds. He couldn't see anything, but then the step below him. Nothing really registered other then that. That and the under current of death his mind kept surfacing whenever the pain began to dull.
Lita walked up to the camp site, crossing her hands behind her back and leaning over to look at the pan of beans and bread left. She was so hungry. But where was Mike? She looked around and followed after Michelangelo when she saw him wandering off toward the temple. After practicing katas for an hour with Donny and Leonardo she left to forage for food. She had a feeling Leonardo was pissed when she showed she knew what they was doing. Mike had been training her. Ha ha. But an hour had been more then enough for her, so now she stalked Michelangelo.
Mike stopped when he reached the corner of the street and nearly dropped the things he was carrying. Lita snuck up behind him and looked around the corner. Aye Chiwawa!
Raphael sat on the steps of Maddie's temple, looking at his feet. Behind him Maddie stood, rubbing his shoulder. He didn't seemed to notice for awhile, till he looked up at her. Lita couldn't hear what they were saying very much, neither could Mike she guessed since he walked forward. Something seemed... wrong. duh. She cocked her head to hear some of what the two were saying.
"--Alive!"
"—Would never—love—Honey--"
"—Saw—when?"
"Take me to the others." Lita nearly swallowed her tongue when she heared that. She didn't quite know why, but a disquieted wave swept over her. It grew as Raphael took her hand and kissed her, then lead her down the stairs. Michelangelo was coming up on them now. Lita stuttered for a moment, then took off after Michelangelo.
"Mike!!" Raphael looked up and saw them coming, he grinned exstatically. He didn't know that would be the last time he'd ever smile.
"Mikey! Lita!" He called, as if they hadn't seen him yet.
"Hey Maddie!!" Mike dropped the plate and bread and started running. Shit cakes! Lita ran faster. She wasn't looking, but could sense the displeased look on Maddie's face.
"Mike! Look out!" She reached out to grab him before he reached them, when a funnel of black energy them both, propelling them down the street onto their backs.
Raphael looked at Maddie, her face screwed up into a sneer. She dropped Raphs hand and began to approach Mike and Lita. She didn't want to take them back to camp to kill them. It was upset the others to see her like this. They'd run from her. She would just kill the three of them now she decided.
"You bitch!" Dark energy began to grow around her fists, her eyes sputtered with black electricity. She raised her hands and prepared to shoot another stream of black energy at both Michelangelo and Lita, Mike trying to pull himself back to his feet.
A wave of water came over Maddie from behind and knocked her down onto her face so she kissed the ground. Mike looked between Raph and Maddie before gathering Lita up, hobbling off toward safety. Raph backed away from Maddie and ran off with Mike before she got up, giving one glance back at her.
Leonardo looked out down the street from camp site, Donatello joining by his side. They had been distracted by the rucas going on and ended sparring for a time. When they saw Mike and Raph running their way through shadows they Leonardo signaled for him to find and stay with Erika and Noriko. Donatello took off into the shadows, while Leo went the other way to the row of buildings Michelangelo was running through. Something about the paniced like way they ran instilled him to conceal himself somewhat. Catching him between two colusiums in near pitch black darkness, behind one of the fallen columns, he stopped his brother. "Mike! Hold up." He caught Mike's shoulder before they crashed into each other. Mike panted for frenzied air for a minute, while Leo finally noticed he was carrying Lita with him, a big burn mark on her shirt. "Lita." He took her from Mike. "S'Maddie... she's-"
"Maddie?"
"She's Alive!" Mike spat out. "And she's gone totally psycho!"
"Where." Mike turned back and looked down the street.
"I-I dunno." Across the street a flash of red passed into the temple, and four figures exited hastily through the side into an alley. "There?" Lita stirred in his arms and moaned quietly. "Lita?" She opened her eyes and looked up at both of them.
"Lita, what happened." Leonardo looked down at her.
"raph... where's Raph?"
"There-" Mike looked across the street at Raphael, looking out from behind one of the pillars. Lita struggled to climb out of Leonardos arms.
"I hafta talk to Raph-"
"Mike, get Raph." Leonardo easily subdued Lita while Mike let out a painful moan.
"Gimme a break man, I just got fried." He gingerly touched the black wound left on his plastron. "Ouchie." He whispered more to himself.
"I'll give you something for it later, just get Raph over here, wouldja?" Mike gave him a kicked puppy look, then ran off into the shadows. Leonardo looked after his brother with trepidation. That wound looked pretty bad. "Hey, take it easy." He turned his attention down as Lita kicked around in his arms. She settled down. "Simmer down."
"Maddie... she's... she's"
"Why is she alive?"
"She's not. It's a... a..."
They looked out into the street, where Maddie stood. She stomped her foot, sending vibration waves currenting through the ground. Leonardo held Lita closer and jumped out of the way of crumbling stone. Lita groaned at the disturbance of her wound and curled up in defense.
Raphael crouched low on the stone bridge, looking down on Maddie throwing a fit. He crawled overhead to the other side of the street and climbed down the building silently. He was almost afraid to think of what was going on inside her body. Below him he could see Leonardo, just where Mike said. He shimmied down the wall and snuck over to them, kneeling downin the shadows. Lita began speaking even before he reached the ground.
"Raph-"
"What the fuck is going on?" He cut in.
"You have the crystal still?"
"Huh? Yeah." Lita nodded. "Should I give it back to Mads?"
"No... Maddie's dead. She's been... her body's being used by the ancients. It's not Maddie." She added after Raphaels confused and saddened expression.
"Not Maddie..."
"We... left her body intact... they must've found it..." Raphael looked down. "That was the problem with losing Maddie first." Lita voice turned almost to a whisper. "Fire is the element of destruction. We still need that power."
"What are you saying?" Leonardo broke in and she looked up at him.
"The body has to be destroyed. There's not enough time to explain, can you understand?" She turned to Raphael.
"... what do you want me to do about it." Raphael muttered.
"Without Maddie, her power is defaulted to you. You have to take her place now as guardian."
Erika's voice traveled across to them. Maddie laughed and chased her out into the street close on her heels. Erika tripped and fell, a cry of protest came off in the shadows from Michelangelo. It looked like the end, but reactionarily a wave of water knocked Maddie off onto her side and gave Erika time to escape. Lita put her hand down and looked at Raph.
"Now go."
"But-" She put her hand on his should and gave him a hard a push as she could.
"Go." Raphael disapeared into the shadows again and stepped out into the light. He threw the bands of his bandana over his shoulder and watched Erika run off behind him. Maddie shook water out of her hair and rolled up onto her feet.
"Stupid little sprite." He heard her mumbled. When he cleared his throat quietly she looked up at him. "Ooo, fresh meat." She grinned. Raphael looked down at the red crystal in his hand. "Are you going to come out and play, or will I have to get you?" She giggled and began walking over to him. That's not you in there, is it. The crystal began to glow.
"Suck my dick, hoe." The words felt akward on his lips. He gripped the crystal and felt the hot energy travel up his arm. It burned like all get out. "What the fuck?!" He threw the crystal away. But his fingers clamped around it.
"Hee hee, not this time." Heat grew up his arm and into his chest. His blood was on fire.
"NGGGGHHHH!!" He clenched his chest and grimaced, his knees losing stability. He took a step to the side to keep his balance. The heat spread down his legs and other arm like lava in his veins. He had no control, and was just a conductor for its will.
"What's wrong?" Maddie laughed. "Cat got your voice?" She purred. Sorry Maddie.... The heat grew to all his extremities, then zeroed in on his heart like a bullet.
"RaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!!" He could feel the fire shoot back down his arm and into the crystal. Even before it released he knew it would hit it's target. A beam of fire exploded from his hand, drawing in on a very surprised ancient. She burst into flame instantly, like a car into a cliff. The ground shuttered in quakes as the body fell to the floor. It seemed to burn like a pile of leaves. Raphael loosened his hold on the crystal as the heat drastically left. He huffed and dropped to one knee. Sparks flew off the body, and popped on the ground like fire crackers.
"...Thank you, Raphael." Leonardo's voice came from the shadows.
Early morning hours of the second day on the asteroid were dark and quiet. The winds had ceased and left an eerie void where once noise traveled. This gave space for the tiny fire to grow, spreading at least a little heat and light to the campsite. Most of the group had fallen to an exhausted sleep around the fire, huddled up to keep warm. Leonardo painstakingly applied one of Splinters healing salves to the black burn on Litas stomach, her shirt hiked up below her breasts. Michelangelo had been patched up first, a bandage taped over his chest. The wound thankfully hadn't damaged any organs, only leaving a strange blackened lesion on his chestplate that he insisted hurt like the dickens. Leonardos' med work tuckered to him out enough to send him straight to sleep after he was properly bandaged up, so he could work on Lita in some peace. Lita sucked in her breath when he put a dab of the cold salve on her.
"Sorry." He worked it into the burn slowly. She nodded and rested her head back on the stone block. The dull black skin flaked off with the movement, then laid flat when it was manipulated with the balm. Leonardos' brow furrowed with concern. He didn't want to express this to Lita though, and make her worry as well. God knows the fit she would throw about it. So he turned his mind to more pressing matters to their task. "I was wondering... how you knew about element of destruction... and Maddie." She looked up at him.
"...I dunno. It was mega weird."
"What"
"Kinda like... someone was talking in my ear. But... nah really."
"Hmm."
"It was like I already knew it..." Leonardo warmed salve between his hands and placed them back on her stomach.
"...You already knew it?"
"Yeah... I know... mega weird." She looked away. "Seems that's been happening a lot lately." She added more towards herself.
"I don't know..." He said quietly. "Not as weird as some of the stuff around here."
"Pshhh. Yeah." She watched as Leonardo took out the wide bandages from the pack and put away the jar of balm. "Leonardo, I want you to promise me something."
"Yeah?" He slid his hand under her back and she lifted it up, so he could wrap the bandage around her.
"If I die... I want you to make sure you guys have a really great barbaque." He stopped and looked up at her. "...get it... barbaque?"
"...Barbaque." He looked at her blankly for a few moments. Lita swallowed. He was looking kind of ...sensitive? But he cracked a smile, so it must have been her. "Fine. I get your big mouth." He went back to work.
"Hey!" Donatello stirred at the jolt of noise, Lita quieted her voice. "I do not have a big mouth." She whispered. Leonardo continued to smirk and wrapped the brown bandage around.
Daytime brought little light. None at all it seemed. They wouldn't even have known it was morning if Erika hadn't brought a watch. Back on Earth it was morning. The planet that once was the cause of their lifelong distress and injustice was the safe haven they yearned for now.
The walk began again in silence, people keeping generally close together. Raphael walked behind some yards, Leonardo took point. Lita walked somewhere in between point and the rest of the group, surveying all the buildings they passed.
It had been just over 24 hours on the asteroid, but it seemed like a week. Every corner turned held trepidition of an enemy in wait. Any shadow could be lurking with danger. The purple torches which once held security of light, now threw criss crossing shadows about the ground.
Now random earthquakes shook the land, afterquakes of the death of the fire guardian Lita explained, not expanding on the notion. She had seemed to become more secretive and intense as the day wore on. This perturbed Donatello and Noriko most of all, who felt particularly unsafe not knowing everyones cards.
In fact, each of them became tense and updrawn as the walk continued. Progress was hard to see in mile after mile of near identical scenery. They all inferred the chance of them running into another sorceror like Naiya was increasing. Lita had foretold that at least two more sorcerors there would be to battle. She again dropped that point and let everyone wonder. So when they came face to face with another statue, they stopped for at least a briefing.
It was another woman in stone. With long hair down to her knees, and small petite features. Dust particles swirled around her in a whirlwind, inviting her release. There was no motion from the statue itself, yet an air of dread hovered in the unearthly smile.
Michelangelo looked down as Erika grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. Donatello stepped forward out of the group and looked at the statue.
"Who is it." He said quietly. Lita swallowed then stepped up behind Donatello a few feet.
"Anila, the air sorcoress." Wind picked up upon her words. Erika hid behind Mike, he put his arms around his back and held her. "...Are you ready Noriko?"
"Hey hey hey," Raphael stalked up to the rest of the group. "Who's saying we're fighting it in the first place. We've got enough trouble already!"
"Hee hee! Raphy? running aw-" Mike froze when everyone stared at him. "Oh...right." They looked back at Raph.
"I'm tired of all this 'prophecy psychic shit, Lita!'" He approached her. "Know what I think-" Leonardo suddenly appeared before he reached her and stared him down.
"...Back off, Raph." He pronounced clearly under his breath. Raphael snarled and turned on his heel, walking off a few yards and sulking.
"It's alright," Lita said quietly. "I understand." Leonardo looked back at her, then stepped away. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Raph." He turned around. "But I can't help that."
"Mm."
"This is just something we'll have to do. If we die here, you can be sure this sorceress will be free to come to Earth."
"Bu-" He put his hand forward to interupt.
"You can't understand this. It's fate."
"You saying I -"
"Raph-san." Noriko stepped forward. "Please."
"Noriko, you?" Donatello's face was awash with mild surprise and mild caution.
"I must, Donatello." She took the crystal ball from the pocket of her pants. "I could never accept at myself knowing that I've left a monster free to come to Earth, or anywhere." She looked into the crystal. "Didn't you tell me, to mine own self be true? What of mine own cause?" Donatello looked at her for a moment... then nodded his approval, as if she needed it. "Come Erika, release her from the statue." Erika looked out from over Mike's shoulder like a scared rabbit and he gently pushed her out in front of him.
"Noriko, I don't-" "Do it." She broke in before Erika said 'want to.' "...Alright." Erika said in defeat. She walked passed Noriko and Donatello, up to the stone statue, stopping outside the whirlwind. Everyone backed away again and found shelter as Anila was released from the stone. Winds swirled around into a tornado, kicking up dust. Erika squealed and ran off to hide with Mike and Raph.
Noriko waited with baited breath as the winds died down, into the form of Anila, whispy white strands flowing from her to show where the air blew. She cracked her neck and back and smiled, wasting no time for a monologue. Noriko swallowed and held the green crystal to her chest. Please work. She looked over her shoulder to Donatello. He had been so kind to her. She must be victorious. If not for an honorable goodness, than for him.
Noriko turned back and squeezed the crystal, closing her eyes. Please work. The ground began to tremble softly, and faint steam gases seeped up from the cracks in the stone to surround her. Leafy vines grew outwards from the crystal and formed wide spirals around her, and around the rest of her body, the young light green stems unfurling delicate leaves. It was like a little rainforest. Tiny colored flowers bloomed from the vines with a puff of sweet scent.
Donatello narrowed his eyes, trying to see straight through the haze. It looked almost for a moment that Noriko had wings of some type. White, feather wings. But in a second they were gone, as was the haze. Noriko's clothes had changed... or disapeared at least. She wore a short, sleeveless, very green dress. A fine rope hung around her hips, tied at the naval and hanging down in a single strand with a green bead tied at the end. Her hair was a very short, slicked back with a shard of hair pushed behind her ear. Around her neck was a green choker, the circular crytsal embedded into the center.
Donatello sighed and settled down behind the rabble in the alley way. Good luck, Noriko... I've done all I can for you.
Michelangelo watched blankly as Noriko fought with the sorcoress. She had transformed again into the sprite, her final form. The first act of desperation Maddie had used before. And soon the second followed.
Noriko knelt on one knee and held the crystal to the ground. It began to rumble and rich dirt piled up from below. Pillars of rock shot up from below, hiding Noriko and Anila from their eyes. The pillars grew upwards and arched over, ending any escape of Anila. Her lilthe white arm jutted out from the prison for a moment, before it was covered over with rock.
Stones tumble down here in there as the dome was frozen in a sort of stasis. There was the sound of a few clashes from inside. The caverns began to shiver, and came sinking back down into the ground. Anilas scream were the only thing that emenated from the impenatrable fortess of rock.
Rock and stone came flying up in reaction to the dome crashing into the ground, flinging scrap in all directions. Dust and dirt filled the air, and clouded vision. Bits of pebbles bounced over the ground before settling to their stop. For a brief second one could catch sight of a withering black shadow, disapearing into the air.
When the dust cleared only Noriko was left. Anila was no where to be found.
Donatello stood up with the others, and was the first one to step out onto the streetway. He walked out to the body and knelt by it. Dirt was smeared on her face, her wide eyes closed. The short jet black hair was now dulled with dirt, and rested in disarray. Noriko...... why should I have expected this... still...
"Still what, Don-san?" He could almost hear her voice. "Hee hee, Donny"
"Huh? What?" Donatello looked up, but no longer saw the parthenon pillars, purple torches, or black sky. Noriko sat on the foot bridge of the arboretum, twirling a purple foxsnapper in her hands. "Noriko!"
"Konban wa." She smiled.
"What is this? ...The astral plane?"
"Of sorts." Donatello joined her at the bridge.
"Oh."
"You needent to worry yourself."
"Oh."
"I wanted to say goodbye, Don-san." She clarified almost cheerfully.
"...Oh." He sat down. "Right." Noriko smiled and chuckled to herself.
"Oh Don. You've done so much to me."
"I have?"
"Hai....Your ideals of self-reliance an independace meant very much... And the tech-no-lo-gi-cal" She pronounced "Knowledge you gave me showed me to rely upon myself, not the... how you said... chauvanistic? ...Teachings of the forefathers." Donatello looked at his feet. "I can never express my gratitudes for the kindness you've shown me."
"Oh...well... you're welcome." He watched Noriko as she stood up before him.
"Many salutations." She made a fist in one hand, and placed it against her flat palm, bowing crisply.
"Many salutations..." Noriko smiled and backed away down the path. He could see Maddie waiting at the turn of the corner. She smiled and waved as Noriko joined her. Donatello waved back. "...Bye..."