Disclaimer for this story: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is property of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (the 2012 series made by Viacom) and InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. The author, punkish furball, makes no profit from this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended.
punkish furball – Hey, hey!
Words to Ponder:
It's been a while, hasn't it? All I can say is depression is a bitch, but, with time and effort, it isn't so bad.
This is the first of a couple new TMNT/InuYasha crossovers that I plan to post. I'm also getting reacquainted with my older works to update those as well. For now, enjoy! X3
Chapter 1: Pre-Flop
Slash scowled as he trudged behind the armed trio of Kraangdroids escorting him to a secure cell within the aliens' compound. The metallic restraints around his wrists pulsed with a constant flow of energy rendering any attempt to escape impossible. It was his second detainment after going solo, and Slash was partially grateful no one saw it. Raphael would never let him live this down. At least he was still on Earth and not Dimension X.
'As soon as I get an opening, I'll make a break for it,' he decided.
As they continued down the hall, an abrupt, rattling sound echoed throughout the alien base, originating from the ventilation ducts overhead. Slash and his captors stilled before a large figure dropped down from the ceiling and acted quickly. It knocked out the Kraangdroids with ease, sending their weapons clattering to the floor as the pink masses inside fled the scene.
Although the robots were defeated, Slash remained on guard as the figure, a muscular salamander-like creature with black and orange skin garbed in silver armor, approached him. He then disarmed the shackles on Slash's wrists with a quick strike using a circular-shaped blade from his gauntlet. Slash smirked as the shackles fell then rubbed his sore wrists.
"Thanks. I owe you one," he said. "The name's Slash."
The being before him began to speak, but the sound emerging from his mouth was an incoherent mash up of garbled static and nails on a chalkboard making Slash wince.
"What? I can't understand you!"
The creature grumbled and continued to speak as he awkwardly fumbled with his gauntlet, snarling when whatever he was trying to do failed. He continued messing with the device until he abruptly began to speak in English.
"I had to help you," he stated, his voice rough and raspy. "The Kraang are the most insidious aliens in all the ten dimensions. They imprisoned me, tortured me. I made a vow to never rest until I annihilate them all."
Slash's grin widened as he held out his hand. It appeared he just gained an ally; someone he could truly work with.
"I'm with you, brother. Destroy the Kraang at any cost," he replied. "So, you got a name?"
"I've been called 'Newtralizer' in this world. That will suffice for now," he replied as he tightly gripped Slash's hand. "Let us go. After the alarm is raised, we won't have much time to escape this hellhole."
Slash nodded, and the newly formed duo raced off with Newtralizer taking a slight lead. They traveled through an endless labyrinth of identical corridors, but Newtralizer appeared to know where he was headed. Just as they turned the corner into another hall, someone jumped out of the shadows and dove straight for Newtralizer's tail. The assailant latched onto his fleshy appendage as the large Urodele came to an abrupt halt.
"What the hell?" Slash uttered as he slowed to a stop and stared wide-eyed at his companion viciously shaking his tail.
Whoever ambushed Newtralizer refused to budge. The thrashing appendage was moving so fervently Slash couldn't get a good look at who latched onto his comrade, but this person was clearly a human with a slight frame wearing a white surgical gown and long, greasy hair.
The mutant reptile couldn't help but chuckle as Newtralizer and his assailant persisted. "Didn't know you had a pet."
"This creature is a menace! It's been pursuing me since I escaped my cell," Newtralizer snarled. He stopped moving his tail and glared at the petite human still clinging to him.
"Release me at once!"
"No way!" this person, a female Slash realized, hissed at him. "You aren't the only one who wants to get out of here! You are taking me with you."
When the large salamander continued to ignore her pleas, the human girl growled and dug her nails deeper into the tender flesh of his tail. If it phased him at all, Newtralizer didn't let it show.
"Take me with you or I'll scream," she threatened before she took a large gulp of air and held it in, inflating her cheeks several times their normal size.
"I'll end you before you make a sound!"
"You willing to take that risk?" she challenged, her voice slight muffled.
"We don't have time for this!" Slash insisted over their bickering. "You can come, but you better keep up, human!"
Newtralizer snorted but conceded. The girl let him go and stood in front of them on cracked, bare feet. Now that she was standing upright, the gown swallowed her completely making her appear much smaller than before. Slash didn't know much about humans and their ethnicities, but this girl looked to be around 17 years old and East Asian like Master Splinter was before his mutation with a heart-shaped face, button nose, and deep blue eyes. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about her, and Slash briefly wondered why the Kraang had her here.
The girl glared up at Slash right after he spoke and spat, "Keeping up with a turtle shouldn't be too hard."
"Enough talk! Let's go!" Newtralizer ordered before he dashed down the hall. Slash and, surprisingly, the raven-haired teen were quick to follow, matching his pace. The girl briefly glanced at Slash from the corner of her eye and smirked before she returned her gaze forward.
"Where are we headed, lizard man?" she asked.
Newtralizer answered, "The storage space where the Kraang stores and catalogues everything they confiscate from their detainees. Once I recover my equipment, we'll make our escape."
"Sounds good to me," Slash remarked.
As they closed in on their destination, the trio heard the metallic clang of Kraangdroids pursuing them from behind with their laser guns drawn.
"Shit! They're gaining on us!"
"Just keep moving!"
The trio continued until a translucent barrier of violent, pink energy manifested before them to block their path. The Kraangdroids were rapidly approaching their position from the rear with sirens and alarms echoing throughout the facility.
"Damn!" Newtralizer growled and turned away from the forcefield. "We'll have to fight our way through them and find another way out!"
Slash nodded and joined him in a battle stance to counter the imminent attack.
"Hold it!" the girl insisted. "If we backtrack now, it'll be easier for them to catch us. Our only option is to disable the shield and keep moving forward."
"And how are we gonna do that, human?" Newtralizer demanded to know.
"Just leave it to me! Buy me some time, and I'll dismantle the barrier."
"Are you insane?" Slash shouted. He was all for letting the girl accompany them but not if she became a liability.
"Trust me! I can take care of it," she reiterated. "All you have to do is hold them off until I'm done."
Slash and Newtralizer faltered. They had no reason to trust a human could lower the barrier, but, when the Kraang came into view, they had no other choice.
"You got five minutes," Newtralizer stated. "You will be left behind if you fail."
The girl snorted before she quickly approached the shield and scanned the immediate area with her hands lightly touching the walls. The other two had no time to observe her methods as they engaged in battle. They dispatched with the Kraangdroids quickly and with no injuries, but reinforcements were sure to follow.
"I got it!" the human called out. "Let's go!"
Slash and Newtralizer didn't hesitate, and the latter resumed the lead with the mutant tortoise and tiny human in tow.
"How the hell did you take that shield down so fast?" Slash asked. He dismissed her initially, but there had to be more to this girl than he first assumed. Maybe she was some kind of tech whiz like Donatello?
She smirked and sang, "That's a little complicated to explain right now. Remind me to tell you later!"
"Well, what's your name?" he asked.
"Higurashi Kagome. Just call me Kagome. And yours is?"
"Slash."
"Nice to meet you," she replied with a cheerful grin then glanced up at Newtralizer's back. "And you are?"
The large salamander snorted. "I am called Newtralizer. And be fortunate you've proven yourself useful, human."
"That's all I strive to be!"
Newtralizer continued to lead them until they arrived at the storage area he mentioned. He destroyed the access panel and immediately opened the sliding doors. Kagome entered first, carefully looking through the collection of items confiscated by the Kraang, all organized and labeled in their language. Slash stepped in after her to do the same as she disappeared into the back of the room.
"The exit is not far from here. Move quickly," Newtralizer instructed.
Slash nodded and easily found his weapons including his mace, shouldering it with pride. Kagome then approached them holding up a large duffle bag in one hand, a backpack in the other, and a slender piece of wood balanced between the crook of her elbow and her neck.
"Anyone want to help me carry this?" she requested.
"What's is it?" Slash asked.
"Everything I had on me when those creatures brought me here," she explained. "I can't leave it behind."
"Just grab it and go!" Newtralizer shouted and continued moving.
Slash groaned but took Kagome's duffle bag and followed Newtralizer. Kagome was her close behind with her backpack slung over her shoulders while she clutched the wooden item—a bow Slash realized—in both hands. Surprisingly, she was still able to keep up with the added weight of her pack strapped behind her.
"We can exit this way!" Newtralizer called out from several feet ahead. "The Kraang are waiting for us! On your guard!"
Slash and Newtralizer took care of the droids while Kagome kept her distance to avoid any fighting. When their exit was cleared, the trio burst from compound and continued running out of the lot to the main road. They exited the main gates, travelling down poorly lit alleys for several blocks to relative safety. Their surroundings seemed completely deserted with empty streets and abandoned, graffiti covered buildings. The Kraang were no longer in pursuit, but it wasn't clear how long that would remain the case.
"Where do we go from here?" Kagome asked, panting lightly. Their constant activity was beginning to catch up with her.
"I'm not sure," Slash replied. "We gotta find some cover, or we'll be spotted."
Newtralizer nodded and leapt onto the nearest building's fire escape, scaling the brick structure until he reached the top. Before he did the same, Slash reached out and grabbed Kagome by her backpack. She yelped when he lifted her up with one arm and tucked her underneath the other.
"Hold on, kid!" he warned.
Within seconds, Slash joined Newtralizer on the rooftop with his cargo. He relaxed his arm and allowed Kagome to fall on the concrete surface, snickering when she landed on her stomach with a loud cry. She stood and shrugged off her backpack, brushing the debris from her clothing as she pinned him with a fierce glare.
"You didn't have to drop me!" she protested. "Give me a warning next time!"
"Quiet, human!" Newtralizer snarled before turning his attention to Slash.
"We need to find a place to regroup and lay low from the Kraang. Are you familiar with the area?"
"Yeah, I think we're in the industrial district, probably Brooklyn or the Bronx," Slash surmised as he looked around. "Some of these warehouses still have power. We can stay in one of them for the night until we find another spot."
Newtralizer nodded before Slash shifted his attention to Kagome. "What about you, pipsqueak?"
"Don't call me that! I'll have you know I'm average height," she insisted.
"Whatever. You in or out?" he asked.
The mutant tortoise assumed this is where their tentative partnership would end, and Kagome would go on her way. A human had no business staying with a couple of mutants when she could be with her own kind. The Kraang haven't caught up to them yet making it unlikely she would be captured again. She'd be safe until she was able to get help. Slash would even point her in the right direction.
"Seeing as I have nowhere else to go, I'm in," she answered, startling him. Newtralizer didn't react, but he'd bet he was surprised too.
"Suit yourself," Slash said with an amused chuckle. "I'll give you a lift."
"Fine, but could you carry me another way?" Kagome asked. "I'm not a damn ball!"
"Whatever you say, pipsqueak."
Kagome rolled her eyes but motioned for Slash to lean down toward her. He did so, and she walked around to face his back. He nearly jumped when he felt her clambered onto his back, using his spikes lining his shell for leverage. She settled on top of his shoulder and made herself comfortable.
"I'm ready when you are," she announced.
-O0o0O-
The group traveled for several more blocks until they stopped outside an abandoned warehouse tucked away amongst similar dilapidated structures. Compared to its surroundings, this building was in decent condition with all the doors intact and a few broken windows. Newtralizer easily removed the padlock securing the front door and stepped inside with Kagome and Slash behind him. The former held out her hands as she groped the wall for the light switch. Then, with a single flick, the vacant space was illuminated with buzzing, fluorescent lights.
Kagome grinned. "Guess we lucked out. Looks like the power's still on, and no one else is squatting here."
Newtralizer grunted and held up his wrist to scan the area with his gauntlet. The room where they stood was empty excluding some abandoned metal shelving and scattered debris. "There are no other organic lifeforms are present," he confirmed. "We will stay here for the night and regroup in the morning."
"Sounds good," Slash remarked with a quick nod.
"Same," Kagome agreed. "I'll see you both in the morning then."
Kagome retreated to the corner of the room closest to the door while Newtralizer continued toward the rear of the building. Slash followed her carrying her duffle bag. When she was settled, he handed it off to her, glad to be rid of her cumbersome luggage.
"Thanks, Slash," she said. "If you want, you can sit by me for the night. I wouldn't mind the company."
Slash shrugged and sat down with his back resting against the wall and his mace beside him. It wasn't like he had anything better to do until morning. He watched the tiny human kneel on the floor to open her backpack and remove a laptop, a cellphone, and several chargers. She then found the nearest outlet and plugged each device into the wall. When she finished, Kagome returned to her bag and shuffled through its other contents.
"Hey, pipsqueak," Slash called out to her to break the silence, "how'd a girl like you end up with the Kraang?"
Kagome turned glared at him with an exasperated expression on her face.
"You're a huge turtle," she stressed, "Anyone would look like a 'pipsqueak' next to you."
"Noted. So, what's your story?"
Kagome sighed and began to explain. "About two or three weeks ago, I arrived in New York City from Tokyo, Japan to take part in a study abroad program. I was waiting to be picked up when I noticed a group of men acting suspiciously. I got curious and decided to follow them."
"The men you followed were the Kraang in disguise," Slash surmised.
"That's right. Long story short, they overpowered me and brought me to that facility."
Kagome paused and gently ran her hand over her right arm. Slash noticed fresh scarring along the appendage with bruised skin and small, circular scabs. The rest of her body didn't fare any better, but the track marks along her forearm were the worst of her injuries.
"I don't remember much, but, when I came to, I was strapped down in an examination room with strange machines and IVs connected to my body. I was being moved to a new location when Newtralizer came barreling and destroyed the robots transporting me. Once I was free, I decided to follow him. Anyone who hated the Kraang that much was a good guy to me." Kagome paused and turned to the spot Newtralizer rested in.
"Even if he didn't want me tagging along in the first place."
"What will you do now?" Slash asked.
"I plan to contact my family and my new school first thing in the morning. I was probably reported missing when I was a no show at the airport, and my information was turned over to the police. Luckily, the Kraang left most of my stuff intact, so I still have all my important documents. If I can clear up this whole mess without my student visa rescinded, I legally can stay in the US. After that is taken care of, what happens next depends on what we decide as a group."
"You gonna stay with us?"
"Of course, I am! The Kraang kidnapped and experimented on me. I'm not leaving until they pay for that, and I'm not putting my family in danger by going home before they're taken out."
Slash chuckled. The kid had more guts than he thought.
"So long as you stay useful, I got no problems with ya. Take care of all that other stuff on your time."
"Will do!" Kagome remarked. "So, what's your story, Slash? A seven-foot tall, talking turtle doesn't just occur naturally in the wild."
"That's a bit of a long story."
"We've got the time but let me change first. It's freezing in here."
Kagome stood and retrieved a set of clothes from her duffle before motioning for Slash to turn around.
"Are you serious?" he uttered.
"Just do it! I'm not gonna get undressed in front of anyone, shell or not!"
"Fine, but keep it down, will ya?"
Slash turned his head and waited for Kagome to give him the go ahead to turn look back. When she did, he saw she changed into a pair of gray sweatpants and an oversized black hoodie with a bright red cloth draped over her shoulders.
"Nice cape."
"It's called a 'haori', and it happens very warm."
"Whatever," Slash muttered under his breath. The vibrant color reminded him of Raphael.
"Are you gonna tell me the story or not?"
"Keep your pants on, shorty. I'm getting to it."
Slash took a deep breath to gather his thoughts then began his story starting with what he knew about the Kraang and the Mutagen. Surprisingly, Newtralizer interjected more information on the alien race from his spot across the room, adding more details than Slash knew himself. Kagome listened intently only speaking to ask questions. When his story reached the cause of his mutation, Slash omitted Raphael and his brothers from the story, only stating he was someone's pet before it occurred. That part of his life was no longer relevant.
"What do you think?" Slash asked when his tale was finished.
Kagome hummed thoughtfully. "It's a lot to take in at once, but it's all the more reason for me to stay and fight with you! The Kraang can't be allowed to continue as they have."
Slash snorted. "Sure thing, shorty. Just stay out of my way, alright? I don't have time to babysit a human."
The turtle jumped when something suddenly whizzed by his head and embedded into the brick wall.
'Throwing needles?'
Slash's eyes widened at Kagome standing before him with more of the narrow weapons held between her fingers.
'The kid must have armed herself when she changed,' Slash surmised and glanced at the longbow resting against the wall. 'She might actually be able to use that thing.'
"Don't count me out just because I'm a human. I'm not the best fighter, but I learned enough to hold my own."
Slash begrudgingly agreed. The needles wouldn't be effective against his thick hide and tough shell, but Kagome had the potential to do some serious damage against a more suitable opponent. Also, for a split second, the tortoise thought he noticed a faint hue of pinkish white surrounding the shaft of the needles before fading. He chalked it up as a trick of the light.
"You some kind of ninja?"
"Ninja?" Kagome repeated with a giggle. "Not quite. I guess you can think of me as a novice miko/yōkai tajiya combo!"
"The hell does that mean?" The terms were likely Japanese, but Slash only knew the few words Master Splinter used around the boys. He never heard the words Kagome used before.
"That's something you'll have to find out on your own."
Kagome got settled on the floor, fashioning a pallet on the floor with the contents of her duffle with her backpack acting as a makeshift pillow.
"I'm gonna try and get some sleep," she explained. "Night, Slash. Night, Newtralizer."
Newtralizer grumbled, grateful the human girl finally decided to shut up. Slash made himself comfortable against the wall with Kagome directly in his line of sight. He might as well keep an eye on her until morning. Despite her earlier display, Slash bet Kagome would need him to bail her out of trouble more than once moving forward. A random human getting mixed up with the Kraang clearly had the worst luck.
'If Raph could see me now,' he thought with a smirk.
The last thing he heard over the ambient noise of the outside world was Kagome's gentle, rhythmic pattern of her snores throughout the warehouse.
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – And that's what I got! I've always loved the 2012 version of Slash and felt Newtralizer had the potential to be a more important character in the series. As always, an uncensored version is availabe on AO3, but we haven't gotten to any of those bits yet. Until next time, TCB! XD
(edited 10.27.2022)
