Seth heard Don shout a loud emotional "NO!" He panicked in that moment, not sure what was happening at the other end of the battlefield. Why would Don shout out so anxiously? Had Gabby been hurt? Seth was still affected by the flash bomb and unable to tell what was going on. All he heard was the shouts from various family members and the intruders. He wanted to scream out his own frustrations and fears.
Seth knew that his brother was down; he could hear Devon groaning in agony. He also heard his other comrade-in-arms cry out as well. What was happening to him? Too many questions once again. But if Seth took any aggressive action he knew he could only make things far worse than they already were. With the intruder at his end distracted with the other ninja, Seth concentrated at getting his own sight back.
Seth's co-combatant struggled against the pull from his adversary. The other warrior held firm to the ninja's mask in his attempt to decapitate him. The ninja saw the blade of the opponent's sword rise above him and he knew that if he didn't act quickly, nothing else would matter. He suddenly pushed forward without warning. This caused his foe to lose his balance and his aim. The assailant turned around as his stability faltered, his sword swinging up and harmlessly away from it's intended target. He teetered to one side in his attempt to keep his balance. But despite his situation, though, he did not release his grip on the sword or the ninja's mask.
As the ninja continued his descent towards the forest floor, he turned and quickly threw one leg up around the torso of the other. This forced his opponent to completely lose his balance. Both fell hard to the ground. But, because of his momentum, the intruder involuntarily pulled the mask off the ninja.
Both warriors rolled away from each other and leaped back to their feet. The the head of the one whose right arm hung broken and useless was now exposed for all to see.
Just moments before, Gabby was meeting the advance of her adversary. She knew that she had to equal his force with the swords to keep balanced. As metal clashed against metal and the sound echoed through the forest, Gabby was surprised to find that her effort pushed the other back. He was not expecting it. It gave her courage and confidence. She then intensified her attack on him.
He met her with equal force, but Gabby was up to the task. This surprised him, but he did not fall back. He tried to sweep her legs out from under her. She saw it coming and jumped up to avoid the attempt. Returning swiftly to the ground she observed him coming at her once again with his sword, swinging it around to run it horizontally against her middle. Gabby quickly stepped back and narrowly missed having the blade run across her stomach. Fully aware of what that would've meant had he succeeded, she returned the 'favor' and dug in with her whole being. Before she knew it Gabby was engaged in a savage volley with the intruder. Their swords sang loudly through the forest as they connected repeatedly and swiftly. Pine needles flew in every direction as the combatants moved fiercely along the ground.
Gabby was surprised that she was wielding her weapon like she was. All the many weeks of training was starting to pay off. Instead of worrying about not having any experience with the katana, she imagined it to be one of the bos – but with bite! She also saw Jason's face in her mind. It gave her an edge that went beyond any training she had gone through.
Leo's sight was improving as the seconds swept by. But he was still far from being able to discern where the fallen swords were. He wanted to end it quickly to rescue Gabby from her situation. He was quite angry with her at present for disobeying a direct order from Don. But yet what he was able to observe while slowly refocusing his eyes pleased him greatly. In that moment he knew she had come a long way from being the frightened young girl she was so many months before.
He held his own against his armed adversary, but Leo desperately wanted his katana. He could vaguely discern Don trying to stand back up to help with a sword in his hand. However, he noticed that Don's movements were slow and lethargic; a sure sign of too much blood loss. Leo heard Mike groan a little, but his youngest brother was silent for the most part. He was definitely unable to help.
Leo worried about both his brothers, but there wasn't much he could do except for to stay alive.
Raph grabbed up a sai with his good hand and attempted to get over to where his daughter was. As he searched for her through the haze of light saturated eyes, he knew this day would come when their age would catch up with them. Years ago, he would have wished for an end like this. If not for Gabby and her baby, he would still desire that. He resigned himself to what was possibly his family's last battle. If they survived, he was going to get back in to training; there was no doubt about that.
Suddenly Raph noticed that his eyes were starting to clear up a little more, but it was still very fuzzy at best. He could discern Gabby's whereabouts with the sounds of the swords clashing. He saw a flurry of movement not to far away and then a flash of auburn hair. He was sure it was Gabby. But, she seemed farther away than she was earlier.
What Raph didn't know was that Gabby's adversary had maneuvered her away from the group. She now fought him alone between the two battle fields.
Gabby was tiring, but only because she wasn't used to swinging around such a heavy object as the katana. She realized her combatant was more experienced, However, she also saw that he was just as tired from his previous assault on her family. She waited for an opening as she volleyed over and under with her weapon, matching strike for strike with the other sword. Gabby watched her opponent intently before each swing, anticipating his moves before he made them. It surprised her that she was able to stay even with his pace and executions.
Though she was unaware of it and completely absorbed with her task, Raphael's daughter had finally gone where she originally feared to. Gabriella Perry, in one furious moment, had gone ninja.
Seeing her chance, Gabby suddenly pushed her sword forward against her foe, forcing him back and giving her an opening. As quickly as she could, Gabby performed a tornado kick, swinging around with her right leg and foot while pushing off with her left. She deflected her opponent's sword with her own as it came down to meet her challenge. This enabled her to deliver a resounding wallop to his head with her foot. The force sent him flying back as he let out an audible expression of pain. He landed with a loud thud against the forest floor, unconscious. His sword topplied away from him, useless.
Confident her enemy was now out of action, Gabby quickly looked around. She was momentarily uncertain. She didn't know what side of the battle field to go to next. She saw Seth with Devon, who was injured at the far end. Then she saw Leo without any weaponry going at it with just his hands and feet against an intruder with a sword. She knew they were all in trouble.
Then she saw the first ninja rescuing himself from his intended decapitation and then flipping his adversary over and down to the ground. Gabby turned back and noticed Raph was up and holding his sai.
"Can you see, Father?" she asked him.
Raph replied, "Yeah, mostly. I can see your hair, anyway."
"Can you see Leo?" she asked more pointedly.
Raph turned to where his brother was and nodded, "Yeah I can see him, too – sort of."
"Then I think you need to help him!" she told him. "I'll go and assist Seth and the other fighter. "
Before Raph could dissuade his daughter, she took off running to join Devon and Seth.
Seth's sight was finally coming around. However things were just as dicey for him as they were for everyone else that was affected. He suddenly saw a figure with flying auburn hair running up to him. He nearly cried out in relief to realize that it was Gabby.
"Where's Devon, Gabs? Devon needs help!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her.
Gabby kissed him deep and quick, saying, "He's right over here."
"I love you, Gabby!" Seth wanted to cry he was so glad she was all right. He noticed that her countenance had changed, though. Gabriella was different; more confident and in control. What happened to her since this melee began, he wondered to himself.
Gabby saw that though Devon was injured, the blood flow was not as bad as with Don and Mike. The sword was acting like a tourniquet where it was still sticking out his side. If removed, he would bleed profusely. Gabby took Seth's hand and led him over to their brother. She bent down quickly beside Devon.
"Are you okay?" she asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but she wanted to know about his mental health.
"I can – put up with it for now." Devon grimaced, groaning, "J-just - help Seth and the others." Devon had not yet passed out, but he surely wanted to. It was the most pain he had ever experienced. All he could do was remain in his prone position with the blade of the sword sticking out his side.
"Seth, stay here with Devon until you can see again." Gabby directed. She forced Seth to stoop down to where he could touch his brother's shoulder. "I have things to do. You'd just be in the way, so I want you to stay here." She instructed.
It felt weird giving him orders like that, but it couldn't be helped. Other than Leo, she was the only viable fighter in the family at present.
"Gabby, no, please – you're not that well trained. Things could happen!" Seth begged.
"Things will definitely happen if I don't! There isn't any choice; I have to do this, Seth" and then Gabby was gone from his side.
She ran up towards the other ninja and saw him facing off with one of the intruders. That one still had his sword. But the other ninja was empty handed. She also noticed that he was no longer wearing his head mask. With his back turned towards her, all Gabby saw was his hair. It was light brown, long and curly – and quite familiar. But his identity was still a mystery. However in the next moment as he was forced around by his combatant, his face was revealed.
Gabriella stood there in shock.
It was Cassandra.
However, she recognized that Cassandra had limited use of her right arm. She was trying with all of her strength to stay upright and to keep a safe distance from the warrior pressing towards her. Cassie quickly bent down and picked up a wayward sword with her good left hand, but she was in so much pain with her other arm that her use of it was almost ineffective. She suddenly noticed Gabby's shocked expression and smiled a little.
"Surprise." she said weakly, shrugging her one good shoulder. But the pain and despair in her face was clearly evident.
Gabby wasted no time wondering why her friend was involved in the battle. For a moment she forgot that Cassandra had been the ninja who had first challenged Seth to fight just a little more than an hour ago.
The only thing that mattered to Gabby, now, was to protect her friend.
With her sword, Cassandra tried to deflect a strike from her opponent. She succeeded but the impact jarred her body hard, resulting in more pain for her disabled arm. She grimaced but managed another parry to ward off his attack. Her assailant was putting more pressure on her and because of that was distracted. He did not see Gabriella coming up from behind him.
Gabby charged at Cassie's attacker, coming in with her sword ready. So far she had not killed anyone and she had enough presence of mind to know she didn't want to. However, if she had to make the choice, this one she was running up to might have to pay the ultimate price if it meant saving her friend's life.
Just as Gabby came onto the assailant, he turned and met her sword with his own. The two metals clashed and reverberated loudly through the forest. He momentarily stood there and looked at her. His face and eyes were covered; there wasn't any way for his identity to be known. But in that moment, as Gabby faced him, as she measured his physical height, heard him inhale deeply from his exertion, she knew who he was.
Screaming for all she was worth, she charged him full barrel. Her intensity caught him completely by surprise as he tried to meet her attack. He raised his own sword up quickly to just barely miss getting his head decapitated. He pushed her back with equal force and managed to put a couple of feet between them. But just as quickly, Gabby lunged at him again, her shouts rising above the loud requests from her family to pull back.
She didn't hear them tell her that Leo was coming. Gabby's sole focus was on the one in front of her, He was being pushed back reluctantly as the force of her assault intensified. Yet he met each strike of her sword with his own. In one instant he managed to bend down and swiftly grab up a second sword. Now, he had the advantage as he wielded two simultaneously.
Gabby did not slow her advances.
Cassie stood there with her one sword and when Gabby glanced at her, threw the weapon to her. The enraged girl caught it with her other hand and now was equal in armament with her opponent. However, just as she started to use both of her swords, she heard Leo shout for her to stand down.
Her assailant saw Leo running in his direction. He then saw Seth pick up a sword and join his father. It was obvious that their sight was now fully restored. The two of them advanced quickly in the direction of where Gabby and her adversary were fighting.
Raph was close behind, holding his one broken arm. His intention was to get his daughter out of harms way.
Just moments before, he had been the deciding factor in Leo's situation. He was able to use his sai to successfully rid his brother's combatant of his sword. It was soon after that when everyone's vision returned and the battle field was once again theirs.
Before heading over to where Gabby was fighting, Raph and Leo quickly made sure that both Don and Mike were okay. Don's strength had returned once he had applied a make-shift tourniquet to his wound, successfully stopping the bleeding. He was now looking after Mike. Yet it was imperative that they stop Gabby before it was too late. Don told his more able brothers to do what they had to.
Gabby's fury was beyond control, now. She saw her opponent stumble. It was all she needed. Throwing herself fully onto him, she swung both swords at her target. Her form was awkward and it was obvious that wielding two at the same time took more skill than she had natural ability. Realizing that this would impede her goal, Gabby threw one of the weapons down. She then continued her assault against her enemy. She struck harder and faster, pushing him back and causing him to stumble once again. He regained his balance, but in trying to do so dropped one of his swords. Now, they were equally matched as before.
Her intensity never wavered as she continued her campaign against him. In an uneven part of the battlefield, however, Gabby's own footing slipped and she felt herself go down. Her hands were raw from holding the sword so tight and in one terrifying instant saw the weapon drop to the ground.
Her assailant saw his chance and dove in for the kill.
As his sword swooped down to strike Gabby, it was met with an upper cut by another sword before it could connect with her. This one was held and owned by Leo. Seth joined the fight with equal force and between himself and his father they pushed their combatant back and away from Gabby.
"NO! I want him!" she screamed.
Righting herself to a stand and grabbing up her sword, she started after the trio of fighters. However, a strong arm quickly took her weapon and tossed it and then in the next instant grabbed her up and held her fast. It was Raphael.
"NO… you don't understand…it's Jason!" she screamed, struggling to free herself. She was in the heat of battle and was nearly out of control with crazed lust for vengeance.
"Gabby, we know…calm down…. Let Leo and Seth handle this." He told her calmly.
"No. I want to do it. I want to kill him for what he did!" she bellowed.
"You don't want that on your conscious, Gabs. Trust me on this one. You haven't been trained enough to deal with that kind of burden." Raph continued to hold her despite her ranting and struggle.
Gabby watched in frustration as Leo and Seth both dealt blow after blow against Jason. He was still clad in his uniform, but she knew it was him. She could practically smell him and it was an odor she would never forget as long as she lived. She understood in that moment the value of the lesson Leo had taught her in the darkened gym. Being able to smell your enemy was as important as seeing him. It was a moment of clarity that only added to the many revelations she had experienced during the past thirty minutes.
Leo knew who it was and as much as he wanted to let Seth do the honors, he wanted Jason alive. The boy was supposed to have been in Australia already. Don had checked the flight status when the plane was to have left nearly six weeks earlier. Every indication that Jason was on the plane was evident. How the boy had managed to either stay in the states or return without Don's security detail knowing was a mystery that Leo wanted solved. Where Jason acquired his skills was another matter. A growing suspicion in the back of Leo's mind told him that this young man had some pretty serious help to elude Don's scrutiny. Not to mention his slightly under-developed but capable skills in ninjitsu!
Finally, spent and then losing his last remaining sword, the warrior gave up. He stumbled and fell on his back, holding his hands up in surrender. He shook his head and muffled, "No more, I give up. "
Seth did not want to stop, but he remembered his earlier confrontation with a warrior who wanted to give up, too. Reluctantly he stood his ground, but held his sword at the ready.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Leo turned toward his son, "You need to go back and see to Gabby. She needs you right now, Seth."
"NO, I want to see who this is. I heard Gabby say it's Jason. I need to know, Father!" Seth seethed.
"Look at me, Son. You need to get Gabby back to the others. They are severely injured and you need to see to their wounds. Let me handle this. That is not a request!" Leo demanded. His look was serious and Seth knew not to argue.
Staring long and hard at the fallen combatant, Seth slowly, grudgingly turned around to go back to where Raph was still holding Gabriella.
She was sitting on the forest floor with Raph's arms fast around her. Gabby was still shaking from her experience. Seth saw that the expression on her face was hard and intent. It was apparent that his fiancé' was still experiencing the aftermath of her previous ordeal.
Cassandra was there, as well; talking with Gabby and trying to calm her down. The girl was clearly still very upset but had resigned to her father's embrace. He was talking with her, too, understanding where she was at and trying to get her to come out of it. All she could do was stare at the scene just a few yards way.
Gabby felt denied and unfulfilled of her victory. Nothing her father was saying to her mattered in that moment. She watched as Leo approached her fallen and now subdued enemy. He did not remove the other's mask, though, but seemed to be talking to him. His voice was too low for her to make out what he was saying. But Gabby noticed head movements from her assailant as if he were either nodding or shaking his head in reply. She grounded her teeth in frustration at being kept away from that interview.
Then, Seth approached her and took over for Raphael. His uncle made sure that Gabby would not bolt and go over to where Leo was. Once he was sure that Seth had control of his daughter, Raph went back to his other brothers to tend to their wounds. He saw in the distance Thomas and a host of Don's security detail approaching at a fast clip.
"He must have called in the troops at some point in the ruckus." Raph mused. "Too little and almost too late."
Seth was holding Gabby now, sitting down on the ground and embracing her with Cassandra close by. He looked over at the woman and nodded towards her.
"Thank you for helping. Once this gets cleaned up I obviously have some questions for you." He said to her.
"Obviously." Cassandra smiled. She was holding her arm painfully.
"Why don't you go and get that checked out where my uncles are. Don's probably called in a medic along with his security guys." Seth suggested.
"Ah, I'll wait until Don comes to his senses about me. I did not call this raid, but I don't think your uncle's convinced of that quite yet." Cassandra replied meekly.
"Do you know who they are?" Gabby asked as she composed herself a little more. She had been crying some from the aftermath and the letdown of her ordeal. Now, she wanted some answers – especially form Cassandra.
"I received a death threat about a week ago. I've been on alert ever since then. I honestly thought it would happen at my shop after the holidays. The note said as much. Guess they wanted to distract me." She explained. "They obviously didn't know of my other plans. Must have followed me here and waited until after our little 'dance'!" She smiled thinly as she looked at Seth. "I should have been more careful, but my task was important and time was running out."
Seth studied her and knew she was referring to their earlier conflict before the raid. He then asked her, "Do you know who they are?" He was clearly upset by Cassandra's duplicity. But until she answered certain questions he would hold back his anger from her.
"Yes and no. Right now I think the important thing is to clean this mess up and then start asking them questions." She replied cautiously. "Personally, I don't think this is an isolated problem. Certain issues of the past are starting to regenerate. Your uncle will have to beef up his security measures here at his compound – and soon, I think."
"Great…" Seth muttered dejectedly.
He held on to Gabby and smoothed her hair. It was matted in spots where perspiration had saturated it. He noticed that her breathing was less ragged and edgy. More importantly he sensed her composure returning back to normal.
Seth smiled down at her in admiration for the skill she so effectively used. In that moment he knew that, despite her revulsions months ago to her heritage, Gabby had become clan.
She was ninja.
*******************************************************************************
A/N – My thanks to Splinter for telling me about the tornado kick and to Ramica who enlightened me about certain subject matters. My appreciation to everyone who has remained faithful in reading about Gabby's exploits. I am hoping to conclude her story in the next couple of chapters. Well, conclusion is an ambiguous word at best. Gabby's character opens many more doors to adventure. I am planning to write more about her in subsequent stories; albeit shorter ones, of course! :0) Be blessed.
Seth knew that his brother was down; he could hear Devon groaning in agony. He also heard his other comrade-in-arms cry out as well. What was happening to him? Too many questions once again. But if Seth took any aggressive action he knew he could only make things far worse than they already were. With the intruder at his end distracted with the other ninja, Seth concentrated at getting his own sight back.
Seth's co-combatant struggled against the pull from his adversary. The other warrior held firm to the ninja's mask in his attempt to decapitate him. The ninja saw the blade of the opponent's sword rise above him and he knew that if he didn't act quickly, nothing else would matter. He suddenly pushed forward without warning. This caused his foe to lose his balance and his aim. The assailant turned around as his stability faltered, his sword swinging up and harmlessly away from it's intended target. He teetered to one side in his attempt to keep his balance. But despite his situation, though, he did not release his grip on the sword or the ninja's mask.
As the ninja continued his descent towards the forest floor, he turned and quickly threw one leg up around the torso of the other. This forced his opponent to completely lose his balance. Both fell hard to the ground. But, because of his momentum, the intruder involuntarily pulled the mask off the ninja.
Both warriors rolled away from each other and leaped back to their feet. The the head of the one whose right arm hung broken and useless was now exposed for all to see.
Just moments before, Gabby was meeting the advance of her adversary. She knew that she had to equal his force with the swords to keep balanced. As metal clashed against metal and the sound echoed through the forest, Gabby was surprised to find that her effort pushed the other back. He was not expecting it. It gave her courage and confidence. She then intensified her attack on him.
He met her with equal force, but Gabby was up to the task. This surprised him, but he did not fall back. He tried to sweep her legs out from under her. She saw it coming and jumped up to avoid the attempt. Returning swiftly to the ground she observed him coming at her once again with his sword, swinging it around to run it horizontally against her middle. Gabby quickly stepped back and narrowly missed having the blade run across her stomach. Fully aware of what that would've meant had he succeeded, she returned the 'favor' and dug in with her whole being. Before she knew it Gabby was engaged in a savage volley with the intruder. Their swords sang loudly through the forest as they connected repeatedly and swiftly. Pine needles flew in every direction as the combatants moved fiercely along the ground.
Gabby was surprised that she was wielding her weapon like she was. All the many weeks of training was starting to pay off. Instead of worrying about not having any experience with the katana, she imagined it to be one of the bos – but with bite! She also saw Jason's face in her mind. It gave her an edge that went beyond any training she had gone through.
Leo's sight was improving as the seconds swept by. But he was still far from being able to discern where the fallen swords were. He wanted to end it quickly to rescue Gabby from her situation. He was quite angry with her at present for disobeying a direct order from Don. But yet what he was able to observe while slowly refocusing his eyes pleased him greatly. In that moment he knew she had come a long way from being the frightened young girl she was so many months before.
He held his own against his armed adversary, but Leo desperately wanted his katana. He could vaguely discern Don trying to stand back up to help with a sword in his hand. However, he noticed that Don's movements were slow and lethargic; a sure sign of too much blood loss. Leo heard Mike groan a little, but his youngest brother was silent for the most part. He was definitely unable to help.
Leo worried about both his brothers, but there wasn't much he could do except for to stay alive.
Raph grabbed up a sai with his good hand and attempted to get over to where his daughter was. As he searched for her through the haze of light saturated eyes, he knew this day would come when their age would catch up with them. Years ago, he would have wished for an end like this. If not for Gabby and her baby, he would still desire that. He resigned himself to what was possibly his family's last battle. If they survived, he was going to get back in to training; there was no doubt about that.
Suddenly Raph noticed that his eyes were starting to clear up a little more, but it was still very fuzzy at best. He could discern Gabby's whereabouts with the sounds of the swords clashing. He saw a flurry of movement not to far away and then a flash of auburn hair. He was sure it was Gabby. But, she seemed farther away than she was earlier.
What Raph didn't know was that Gabby's adversary had maneuvered her away from the group. She now fought him alone between the two battle fields.
Gabby was tiring, but only because she wasn't used to swinging around such a heavy object as the katana. She realized her combatant was more experienced, However, she also saw that he was just as tired from his previous assault on her family. She waited for an opening as she volleyed over and under with her weapon, matching strike for strike with the other sword. Gabby watched her opponent intently before each swing, anticipating his moves before he made them. It surprised her that she was able to stay even with his pace and executions.
Though she was unaware of it and completely absorbed with her task, Raphael's daughter had finally gone where she originally feared to. Gabriella Perry, in one furious moment, had gone ninja.
Seeing her chance, Gabby suddenly pushed her sword forward against her foe, forcing him back and giving her an opening. As quickly as she could, Gabby performed a tornado kick, swinging around with her right leg and foot while pushing off with her left. She deflected her opponent's sword with her own as it came down to meet her challenge. This enabled her to deliver a resounding wallop to his head with her foot. The force sent him flying back as he let out an audible expression of pain. He landed with a loud thud against the forest floor, unconscious. His sword topplied away from him, useless.
Confident her enemy was now out of action, Gabby quickly looked around. She was momentarily uncertain. She didn't know what side of the battle field to go to next. She saw Seth with Devon, who was injured at the far end. Then she saw Leo without any weaponry going at it with just his hands and feet against an intruder with a sword. She knew they were all in trouble.
Then she saw the first ninja rescuing himself from his intended decapitation and then flipping his adversary over and down to the ground. Gabby turned back and noticed Raph was up and holding his sai.
"Can you see, Father?" she asked him.
Raph replied, "Yeah, mostly. I can see your hair, anyway."
"Can you see Leo?" she asked more pointedly.
Raph turned to where his brother was and nodded, "Yeah I can see him, too – sort of."
"Then I think you need to help him!" she told him. "I'll go and assist Seth and the other fighter. "
Before Raph could dissuade his daughter, she took off running to join Devon and Seth.
Seth's sight was finally coming around. However things were just as dicey for him as they were for everyone else that was affected. He suddenly saw a figure with flying auburn hair running up to him. He nearly cried out in relief to realize that it was Gabby.
"Where's Devon, Gabs? Devon needs help!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her.
Gabby kissed him deep and quick, saying, "He's right over here."
"I love you, Gabby!" Seth wanted to cry he was so glad she was all right. He noticed that her countenance had changed, though. Gabriella was different; more confident and in control. What happened to her since this melee began, he wondered to himself.
Gabby saw that though Devon was injured, the blood flow was not as bad as with Don and Mike. The sword was acting like a tourniquet where it was still sticking out his side. If removed, he would bleed profusely. Gabby took Seth's hand and led him over to their brother. She bent down quickly beside Devon.
"Are you okay?" she asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but she wanted to know about his mental health.
"I can – put up with it for now." Devon grimaced, groaning, "J-just - help Seth and the others." Devon had not yet passed out, but he surely wanted to. It was the most pain he had ever experienced. All he could do was remain in his prone position with the blade of the sword sticking out his side.
"Seth, stay here with Devon until you can see again." Gabby directed. She forced Seth to stoop down to where he could touch his brother's shoulder. "I have things to do. You'd just be in the way, so I want you to stay here." She instructed.
It felt weird giving him orders like that, but it couldn't be helped. Other than Leo, she was the only viable fighter in the family at present.
"Gabby, no, please – you're not that well trained. Things could happen!" Seth begged.
"Things will definitely happen if I don't! There isn't any choice; I have to do this, Seth" and then Gabby was gone from his side.
She ran up towards the other ninja and saw him facing off with one of the intruders. That one still had his sword. But the other ninja was empty handed. She also noticed that he was no longer wearing his head mask. With his back turned towards her, all Gabby saw was his hair. It was light brown, long and curly – and quite familiar. But his identity was still a mystery. However in the next moment as he was forced around by his combatant, his face was revealed.
Gabriella stood there in shock.
It was Cassandra.
However, she recognized that Cassandra had limited use of her right arm. She was trying with all of her strength to stay upright and to keep a safe distance from the warrior pressing towards her. Cassie quickly bent down and picked up a wayward sword with her good left hand, but she was in so much pain with her other arm that her use of it was almost ineffective. She suddenly noticed Gabby's shocked expression and smiled a little.
"Surprise." she said weakly, shrugging her one good shoulder. But the pain and despair in her face was clearly evident.
Gabby wasted no time wondering why her friend was involved in the battle. For a moment she forgot that Cassandra had been the ninja who had first challenged Seth to fight just a little more than an hour ago.
The only thing that mattered to Gabby, now, was to protect her friend.
With her sword, Cassandra tried to deflect a strike from her opponent. She succeeded but the impact jarred her body hard, resulting in more pain for her disabled arm. She grimaced but managed another parry to ward off his attack. Her assailant was putting more pressure on her and because of that was distracted. He did not see Gabriella coming up from behind him.
Gabby charged at Cassie's attacker, coming in with her sword ready. So far she had not killed anyone and she had enough presence of mind to know she didn't want to. However, if she had to make the choice, this one she was running up to might have to pay the ultimate price if it meant saving her friend's life.
Just as Gabby came onto the assailant, he turned and met her sword with his own. The two metals clashed and reverberated loudly through the forest. He momentarily stood there and looked at her. His face and eyes were covered; there wasn't any way for his identity to be known. But in that moment, as Gabby faced him, as she measured his physical height, heard him inhale deeply from his exertion, she knew who he was.
Screaming for all she was worth, she charged him full barrel. Her intensity caught him completely by surprise as he tried to meet her attack. He raised his own sword up quickly to just barely miss getting his head decapitated. He pushed her back with equal force and managed to put a couple of feet between them. But just as quickly, Gabby lunged at him again, her shouts rising above the loud requests from her family to pull back.
She didn't hear them tell her that Leo was coming. Gabby's sole focus was on the one in front of her, He was being pushed back reluctantly as the force of her assault intensified. Yet he met each strike of her sword with his own. In one instant he managed to bend down and swiftly grab up a second sword. Now, he had the advantage as he wielded two simultaneously.
Gabby did not slow her advances.
Cassie stood there with her one sword and when Gabby glanced at her, threw the weapon to her. The enraged girl caught it with her other hand and now was equal in armament with her opponent. However, just as she started to use both of her swords, she heard Leo shout for her to stand down.
Her assailant saw Leo running in his direction. He then saw Seth pick up a sword and join his father. It was obvious that their sight was now fully restored. The two of them advanced quickly in the direction of where Gabby and her adversary were fighting.
Raph was close behind, holding his one broken arm. His intention was to get his daughter out of harms way.
Just moments before, he had been the deciding factor in Leo's situation. He was able to use his sai to successfully rid his brother's combatant of his sword. It was soon after that when everyone's vision returned and the battle field was once again theirs.
Before heading over to where Gabby was fighting, Raph and Leo quickly made sure that both Don and Mike were okay. Don's strength had returned once he had applied a make-shift tourniquet to his wound, successfully stopping the bleeding. He was now looking after Mike. Yet it was imperative that they stop Gabby before it was too late. Don told his more able brothers to do what they had to.
Gabby's fury was beyond control, now. She saw her opponent stumble. It was all she needed. Throwing herself fully onto him, she swung both swords at her target. Her form was awkward and it was obvious that wielding two at the same time took more skill than she had natural ability. Realizing that this would impede her goal, Gabby threw one of the weapons down. She then continued her assault against her enemy. She struck harder and faster, pushing him back and causing him to stumble once again. He regained his balance, but in trying to do so dropped one of his swords. Now, they were equally matched as before.
Her intensity never wavered as she continued her campaign against him. In an uneven part of the battlefield, however, Gabby's own footing slipped and she felt herself go down. Her hands were raw from holding the sword so tight and in one terrifying instant saw the weapon drop to the ground.
Her assailant saw his chance and dove in for the kill.
As his sword swooped down to strike Gabby, it was met with an upper cut by another sword before it could connect with her. This one was held and owned by Leo. Seth joined the fight with equal force and between himself and his father they pushed their combatant back and away from Gabby.
"NO! I want him!" she screamed.
Righting herself to a stand and grabbing up her sword, she started after the trio of fighters. However, a strong arm quickly took her weapon and tossed it and then in the next instant grabbed her up and held her fast. It was Raphael.
"NO… you don't understand…it's Jason!" she screamed, struggling to free herself. She was in the heat of battle and was nearly out of control with crazed lust for vengeance.
"Gabby, we know…calm down…. Let Leo and Seth handle this." He told her calmly.
"No. I want to do it. I want to kill him for what he did!" she bellowed.
"You don't want that on your conscious, Gabs. Trust me on this one. You haven't been trained enough to deal with that kind of burden." Raph continued to hold her despite her ranting and struggle.
Gabby watched in frustration as Leo and Seth both dealt blow after blow against Jason. He was still clad in his uniform, but she knew it was him. She could practically smell him and it was an odor she would never forget as long as she lived. She understood in that moment the value of the lesson Leo had taught her in the darkened gym. Being able to smell your enemy was as important as seeing him. It was a moment of clarity that only added to the many revelations she had experienced during the past thirty minutes.
Leo knew who it was and as much as he wanted to let Seth do the honors, he wanted Jason alive. The boy was supposed to have been in Australia already. Don had checked the flight status when the plane was to have left nearly six weeks earlier. Every indication that Jason was on the plane was evident. How the boy had managed to either stay in the states or return without Don's security detail knowing was a mystery that Leo wanted solved. Where Jason acquired his skills was another matter. A growing suspicion in the back of Leo's mind told him that this young man had some pretty serious help to elude Don's scrutiny. Not to mention his slightly under-developed but capable skills in ninjitsu!
Finally, spent and then losing his last remaining sword, the warrior gave up. He stumbled and fell on his back, holding his hands up in surrender. He shook his head and muffled, "No more, I give up. "
Seth did not want to stop, but he remembered his earlier confrontation with a warrior who wanted to give up, too. Reluctantly he stood his ground, but held his sword at the ready.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Leo turned toward his son, "You need to go back and see to Gabby. She needs you right now, Seth."
"NO, I want to see who this is. I heard Gabby say it's Jason. I need to know, Father!" Seth seethed.
"Look at me, Son. You need to get Gabby back to the others. They are severely injured and you need to see to their wounds. Let me handle this. That is not a request!" Leo demanded. His look was serious and Seth knew not to argue.
Staring long and hard at the fallen combatant, Seth slowly, grudgingly turned around to go back to where Raph was still holding Gabriella.
She was sitting on the forest floor with Raph's arms fast around her. Gabby was still shaking from her experience. Seth saw that the expression on her face was hard and intent. It was apparent that his fiancé' was still experiencing the aftermath of her previous ordeal.
Cassandra was there, as well; talking with Gabby and trying to calm her down. The girl was clearly still very upset but had resigned to her father's embrace. He was talking with her, too, understanding where she was at and trying to get her to come out of it. All she could do was stare at the scene just a few yards way.
Gabby felt denied and unfulfilled of her victory. Nothing her father was saying to her mattered in that moment. She watched as Leo approached her fallen and now subdued enemy. He did not remove the other's mask, though, but seemed to be talking to him. His voice was too low for her to make out what he was saying. But Gabby noticed head movements from her assailant as if he were either nodding or shaking his head in reply. She grounded her teeth in frustration at being kept away from that interview.
Then, Seth approached her and took over for Raphael. His uncle made sure that Gabby would not bolt and go over to where Leo was. Once he was sure that Seth had control of his daughter, Raph went back to his other brothers to tend to their wounds. He saw in the distance Thomas and a host of Don's security detail approaching at a fast clip.
"He must have called in the troops at some point in the ruckus." Raph mused. "Too little and almost too late."
Seth was holding Gabby now, sitting down on the ground and embracing her with Cassandra close by. He looked over at the woman and nodded towards her.
"Thank you for helping. Once this gets cleaned up I obviously have some questions for you." He said to her.
"Obviously." Cassandra smiled. She was holding her arm painfully.
"Why don't you go and get that checked out where my uncles are. Don's probably called in a medic along with his security guys." Seth suggested.
"Ah, I'll wait until Don comes to his senses about me. I did not call this raid, but I don't think your uncle's convinced of that quite yet." Cassandra replied meekly.
"Do you know who they are?" Gabby asked as she composed herself a little more. She had been crying some from the aftermath and the letdown of her ordeal. Now, she wanted some answers – especially form Cassandra.
"I received a death threat about a week ago. I've been on alert ever since then. I honestly thought it would happen at my shop after the holidays. The note said as much. Guess they wanted to distract me." She explained. "They obviously didn't know of my other plans. Must have followed me here and waited until after our little 'dance'!" She smiled thinly as she looked at Seth. "I should have been more careful, but my task was important and time was running out."
Seth studied her and knew she was referring to their earlier conflict before the raid. He then asked her, "Do you know who they are?" He was clearly upset by Cassandra's duplicity. But until she answered certain questions he would hold back his anger from her.
"Yes and no. Right now I think the important thing is to clean this mess up and then start asking them questions." She replied cautiously. "Personally, I don't think this is an isolated problem. Certain issues of the past are starting to regenerate. Your uncle will have to beef up his security measures here at his compound – and soon, I think."
"Great…" Seth muttered dejectedly.
He held on to Gabby and smoothed her hair. It was matted in spots where perspiration had saturated it. He noticed that her breathing was less ragged and edgy. More importantly he sensed her composure returning back to normal.
Seth smiled down at her in admiration for the skill she so effectively used. In that moment he knew that, despite her revulsions months ago to her heritage, Gabby had become clan.
She was ninja.
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A/N – My thanks to Splinter for telling me about the tornado kick and to Ramica who enlightened me about certain subject matters. My appreciation to everyone who has remained faithful in reading about Gabby's exploits. I am hoping to conclude her story in the next couple of chapters. Well, conclusion is an ambiguous word at best. Gabby's character opens many more doors to adventure. I am planning to write more about her in subsequent stories; albeit shorter ones, of course! :0) Be blessed.
