Dimensional Adventure

"No way!" Raph said.

The guys looked at the huge, 8ft hedged maze in front of them, and groaned. That's just great, they all thought sarcastically. Two starting points were at the side of them, and one was in the middle. There was a stone ceiling above them, so they couldn't jump over or anything. The turtles stepped off the train and looked at the three ways they could go.

"I say that way", Mikey said, pointing to the middle.

"Why?" Donnie asked.

"No reason, just guessing", Mikey said.

"We can't just guess", Leo said, looking down each one. The two at the side of them each turned a corner, so they couldn't see where it led. The one in front of them went so far down and then split itself into a junction, left or right, so they basically had 4 ways to go. They all could be never ending.

"So, leader", Raph said, turning to Leo. "Any thoughts?"

Leo shook his head. "None", he said quietly. A small wind picked up and their bandannas flew around their heads. There was no sky, so the guys didn't know how a wind was created, but they knew nothing was what it seemed. Leo sighed. Suddenly the idea to split up and go separate ways came to him, but he shook it aside, refusing to split his brothers up.

"Could be traps", Donnie said, snapping Leo out of his thoughts.

"You think?" he asked.

Donnie shrugged. "Maybe".

Leo looked at Donnie thoughtfully before looking down each hedged tunnel. Normally, the only way to solve a maze was to get through it, so there couldn't be traps, could they? For the first time, Leo had no idea what to do. Voices in his head told him to stop standing there and find Splinter, but Leo couldn't risk putting himself and his brothers in danger.

"We'll have to just guess, and pray we're lucky", Leo said.

Raph nodded. "Ok then, I guess middle".

"Same here", Mikey said. Next to him, Donnie nodded.

"But that splits up again", Leo said, sighing.

"We don't have much choice, Leo", Raph said.

Leo nodded. It had come to him that those 4 days to find Splinter just wasn't enough, not when they were getting dimensions like this. They would probably need more time, but they couldn't just request it. 4 days was all they were allowed, and it seemed as if they wasted most of it already, even though they'd only been there nearly 2 hours.

Without realising, Leo started to walk down the middle pathway with his brothers. Mikey walked next to him, his tilted down, a small frown on his face. Raph and Donnie walked behind, looking up at the tall hedges as if something might pop out from them.

They came to the junction and looked left and right. Both went straight and also turned around corners. Leo shrugged, thinking he should pick one quickly, and started walking left. His brothers followed, silently agreeing that they should just guess. The train went out of view, giving the turtles just green hedge to look at. They turned the corner and saw a dead end, but next to it was another way that lead right. The guys took that, quietly praying they could find the other side of the maze.

They took many twists and turns as the maze started to form even more. Leo mostly lead the way as he was walking ahead with Mikey, but sometimes they would stop and decide which way to go, even though they were all guessing. The maze seemed to get bigger, and the turtles felt trapped since they could see no sky, just a cold stoned ceiling facing down at them.

After an hour they stopped for a short rest, sitting on the smooth floor. Ahead of them was another junction, but they felt too fed-up to pick a way.

"This isn't fair", Mikey said, sitting next to Leo opposite Donnie and Raph, their shells leaning against the hedge. "They took Splinter so why do we have to rescue him? Why can't Keja just give him back?"

"Keja didn't take Splinter, Mikey", Donnie said. "He said that this world took Splinter and that if we wanted him back we have to rescue him, so we didn't have a choice".

"But it isn't fair!" Mikey moaned.

"No. No it isn't fair Mikey", Donnie said softly. "But what can we do?"

"I thought that Kida was supposed to help us", Mikey said.

"Don't look like it", Raph muttered, folding his arms.

"I don't think she's allowed to actually show us the whole way to Splinter", Leo said thoughtfully. "That's probably why she left us, so she doesn't have to be torn between helping us and obeying the rules of this world".

"Good thinking, Leo", Donnie said.

"Then why did she start us off in the first place?" Raph asked.

"Well, Keja said she was going to make sure the dimensions we go in aren't forbidden. Maybe that's why", Leo said.

"Well maybe she doesn't want to make friends", Donnie suddenly thought up.

"What?" Mikey asked.

Donnie leaned forward and held out his hands. "Think about it. She said that her family died when she was young and Keja took her in. So, she'll have been here a long time. Keja said that so many people have been trapped here before us, but I bet my shell that a fair amount of people has succeeded. But, if Kida BONDS with any of them and they succeed, she'll be hurt badly if they go back home, and she has to stay here. Alone -"

"And without any friends", Leo finished.

"Exactly", Donnie said. "So, I bet that Keja tells her to try and help out as little as she can, because he don't want to see her get hurt when or if they leave. You saw how fatherly he acted towards her. They would have bonded if Kida's been here a long time".

"Your right, Donnie", Leo said, making his brother grin slightly. "That's probably why she hardly said anything to us, and why she left so quickly".

"Well I bet my shell she's watching us now", Raph said.

"What?" Mikey repeated, frowning. All this information was confusing him. He wanted to ask Kida why she wasn't helping them, just in case Donnie's theory was wrong.

"Come on, guys", Leo said, before Raph could answer his brother. "Talking about Kida won't get us anywhere". He got up, indicating for his brothers to do the same. "The sooner we find Splinter the better, even if Kida can't help us. We can't waste any time".

They fell silent again after a small conversation when they reached the junction, wondering whether to go left or right. They decided right, and walked down it slowly. The pathway turned many corners and the turtles realised with a sudden jolt how thirsty they were becoming, in Mikey's case hungry. This sudden jolt expanded, and with a small gasp of horror they realised they'd have to go 4 days without food. 4 days! They would be able to, but it would make them weaker if they had to fight more often to get through dimensions.

"Guys", Mikey said slowly, as if knowing this thought went through all of them like pricks of electricity. "What'll we do about food?"

Leo, who was walking next to him again, shrugged. "I don't know, Mikey. I think we were all thinking the same thing. We'll have to miss out".

"For 4 days?" Mikey yelled, shocked.

"Got no choice, Mike". Raph said, walking behind him with Donnie. They all took another corner, walker at a slower pace than normal.

"But I'm hungry!" Mikey said.

"Yeah, we know", Leo said sadly, more to himself then his brothers. He knew that Mikey ate more than they did and that he could skip a meal, but not 4 days without food. Raph would be able to stand it, but wouldn't admit he was starving if his stomach growled. Donnie would try looking for food in the dimensions, if any berries grew in the forest if they reached it. Me, Leo thought, I'll just have to put a positive side to things, even if I am starving.

()()()()()()()()

"They know about me", she whispered.

Kida sighed, watching the guys from above. She was sat on top of the stone ceiling, looking through it. She wasn't spying on them, just making sure they didn't kill themselves in just 3 hours. Kida was glad that she had the ability to go from one dimension to another without taking a train, and that she knew which ones were dangerous and which ones weren't, since she had been to them all in the years that she had lived here. She sat, crossed legged on the ceiling, her arms leaning on her knees, and watched the turtles turn 5 more corners.

Turtles, she thought. That was strange. She had seen allsorts of beings in this world, so when the turtles came they didn't scare her, but it was the first time she had seen 5ft mutant turtles. She knew each one was different, and knew their names without having to ask them. Leo seemed to be the leader, Donnie the smart one, Mikey the joker of them all and Raph the one who held all his emotions inside, a bit like her, though he held more anger towards her, and she knew that.

Kida was shocked when Donnie had figured out her secret. She knew instantly then that he actually was the smart one. He didn't know if his theory was true, but it was. She wanted to help them but she couldn't. If she bonded with them, and they succeeded, she would be upset if they left and she had to stay here, carrying out her role as the princess of this place. She was also shocked that Donnie got his theory about Keja correct. He always told Kida to try not to help people, as she had bonded with people in the past and got hurt when they left. He allowed her to help occasionally and tried to protect her from getting hurt, as he always felt guilty if she ever did, since he was responsible for taking her family away from her in the first place.

Kida felt her heart skip a beat as Raph looked up at the stone ceiling, but she knew that he couldn't see her, even if he did get a glimpse of her in the ice stadium. Kida felt guilty now that Raph knew she was watching them, even if he didn't know where she was. She had to watch them just in case they went into a really dangerous dimension. This maze one was harmless, but it had taken days for people to get out, as Kida had seen them with her own eyes. It was only small, but took many twists and turns, and a lot of lucky guessing.

Kida gasped shortly when Raph's eyes locked on hers.

No way! She thought, standing up and looking down into his suspicious face. There was no way that he could see her, this was just a coincidence. It had to be, no one else would be able to see her, unless Keja was looking up at her. Kida watched Raph's head turn as Donnie began talking to him. She felt her heart suddenly beating faster than normal speed. Turning around, she ran out of the room she was in. She needed to talk to the turtles. She needed to talk to Raph.

()()()()()()()()

"I'm getting annoyed with all of this", Raph mumbled.

"What?" Donnie asked. They were still walking behind Mikey and Leo, who were having their own small conversation.

"This", Raph replied. "Walking around".

"Well, we can't do much about it", Donnie said. He knew that Raph was annoyed because they weren't getting anywhere, and, judging by the shape and form of the hedges, Donnie had the biggest feeling that they had been down this pathway 5 times already. Maybe I should mention it, Donnie thought. But he wasn't a 100% sure, maybe 75%.

"Haven't we been down here before?" Raph said, looking up at the hedges surrounding them and keeping his eyes on the ceiling for a few seconds.

"No idea", Donnie said, looking at Mikey's shell.

Raph looked at Donnie thoughtfully for a few seconds before looking at the back of Leo's head. Well, he didn't have much to look at, and picturing it as a good target for a pigeon made him smile, cheering him up a bit.

Their feet thudded softly along the paths. The four turtles took many more turns and made small conversation with one another. Mikey and Leo talked the most, either about Splinter or about which way they should go. Donnie and Raph remained quiet. Donnie kept glancing up at the hedges, trying to picture them in his head just in case they passed them again and Raph, with a suspicious face, kept looking up at the ceiling.

"What's so interesting about the ceiling?" Donnie asked, after watching his brother look up at the ceiling for the tenth time.

Raph didn't reply, so Donnie looked up as well, wondering if Raph could see something that they couldn't. Leo and Mikey kept walking ahead and, unaware to them all, a hole appeared in the pathway in between them. Donnie and Raph's shouts were cut short as they fell through it, and it closed up straight after them, leaving Mikey and Leo in the maze alone. Mikey carried on talking to Leo, his brothers' disappearance unnoticed. Leo listened while Mikey talked, turning a corner and observing any danger. Though strangely, it was very quiet, except for Mikey's talking.

()()()()()()()()

"Ahhh! Ooof!" Donnie landed with a heavy 'thud' on his butt. He looked around the dark room he was now in and the ceiling, which showed no sign of a hole or opening. Donnie frowned for a short second, before realising something.

"Raph?" Donnie shouted quietly. "Yo! Raph!"

"'uet - umff - m'!" came a muffled voice.

Donnie's frown curve downwards. He looked around him, but saw no signs of his brother. He knew Leo and Mikey hadn't fallen through because he saw the back of their shells just spilt seconds before he had fallen. It was that stupid hedge-maze ceiling that did it! He thought. But he badly hoped that they would notice them missing. Donnie sighed, he looked at the sitting position he was in, but shot straight up when he realised he had fallen on Raph's head.

"Raph! Sorry! You ok?"

Donnie helped his brother up and looked at Raph. "Sorry", he repeated.

Raph swayed slightly and took in a deep breath. Donnie smiled slightly, but was still sorry for cutting his brother's breathing off for a few seconds. He let go of Raph's arm and felt his way across the walls in the tiny room they were in.

Raph stood up straight and looked around. "Where are we?"

Donnie shrugged. "Dunno", he answered, still feeling his away around the walls. After a few minutes silence, he found it. "Bingo!" Donnie smiled and tried the handle on the door he had just found. It creaked open, letting a small light fill the room.

"Come on, Raph", Donnie said, and walked out of the room, with his brother in red silently following.

()()()()()()()()

"Raph? Donnie? Oh no . . ."

Leo hadn't noticed that two of his brothers were missing until he turned a corner with Mikey and realised that they weren't making conversation anymore. Turning back, Leo and Mikey ran back the way they had just came, until they reached a pathway where they thought Raph and Donnie were with them last. Leo sighed angrily. This was why he didn't want them to spilt up! He'd never be able to find them. But he was positive that Raph and Donnie didn't do this deliberately.

"What are we going to do, Leo?" Mikey asked, his puppy-dog eyes looking at his brother.

Leo sighed again, and then looked at Mikey. "We carry on", he said. "If Donnie and Raph aren't in this maze, then that means they've been transported to another dimension or something, so we've got to get out of here".

"You don't think they're hurt. Do you?" Mikey said, looking down each pathway in the maze, silently hoping that Donnie and Raph were playing a prank on them, though it was hardly likely.

Leo's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't thought of that!

"Hope not, Mike", he said, after a few seconds. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder and took a deep breath. "Come on". Leo smiled slightly. "I bet Donnie and Raph are looking for us right now, so we might as well do the same".

()()()()()()()()

The door that Donnie and Raph went through led to another small room with white walls and a white ceiling. There was a door in that one as well so Donnie opened it and they walked through. The walls and ceiling were black in this room, making in slightly darker, but a door was opposite them. They went through that. Another room with yellow walls and ceiling and a door hit them, and they went through that. Then another room with pink walls, a ceiling, and a door appeared and they went through that. The room now was all red, and they went through the door in there. It led them to a blue room, and they went through that . . .

After room number 7, Raph got annoyed. He punched the purple walls that now surrounded the room they were in, and gritted his teeth when pain shot up his right arm. He sighed, and sat down on the floor with Donnie. There was no door in this room, just a small, old candleholder on the wall where the other doors were normally placed.

They were trapped.

"We could always go back", Donnie suggested quietly.

Raph shook his head. "No point. Not when that first room we fell in had no way out. I can't see any way of getting outta here".

Donnie sighed. "Well, maybe there's a secret passage".

"Yeah right, Don", Raph said sarcastically, getting up. He started to walk over to the old candleholder, grabbing it tightly. "A secret passage. You know, this isn't fairy tale. I can't just grab this candleholder and think, "oh look, if I turn this the wall's gonna open up". To prove his point, Raph turned the candleholder. The wall behind him flew sideways like a side door.

Raph looked at it wide-eyed, and then looked at Donnie.

Donnie smiled. "And I always thought I was the smart one", he said, and walked down the dark tunnel that the passage way revealed. Raph followed him, growling to himself.

()()()()()()()()

Kida ran through all the rooms Donnie and Raph had been through, and stopped when she came to the last one. She breathed heavily, trying to get some of her breath back. She was slightly shocked when she saw the secret passage open.

"Whoa", she said to herself. "It normally takes hours for someone to figure THAT out". But she knew that these guys weren't stupid.

After taking a deep breath, Kida carried on running down the dark tunnel, knowing that Donnie and Raph would be a pretty good distance away from her. She had seen them fall down the hole that appeared in the maze, but felt guilty that they were separated, because she knew where each set of 2 were.

Kida stopped running when she heard voices.

"I don't care what you say, Donnie", Raph voice echoed on the walls in the tunnel. "I still think it's stupid to take Splinter away from us. What has he ever done to deserve this? He shouldn't be trapped here . . . and neither should we . . ."

Kida looked around a corner, leaning on the wall for support. She saw Donnie and Raph sitting down, leaning on each side of the walls and facing one another. Obviously they had stopped for a short rest.

"I know, Raph", Donnie was saying. "I totally agree. But wouldn't you rather have him back instead of being trapped here with him for life? Wouldn't you rather be in the safety of our home right now?"

Raph didn't answer. He looked at the tunnel floor.

"Exactly", Donnie said quietly. "And the only way we can do that is to rescue him. I don't know why this world took Splinter, but it must have been something big".

"But why Splinter?" Raph said, his face unreadable. "I just don't get it, Don . . ."

"Same here, Raph", Donnie said.

They fell silent, and Kida turned back around the corner to lean on the wall. Whoa, she thought, these guys must really care for Splinter. After hearing them speak, Kida felt more guilty every minute, especially now. It wasn't because of Raph seeing her earlier, it was because she knew where their brothers were, and they would work better in a 4 instead of in 2's. Kida sighed deeply. Maybe just this once . . .

Kida turned the corner and looked at the turtles' sad faces.

"Hey", she said, making them both look up. "Watcha doing here?" She already knew the answer, of course, but she didn't want them to know that.

Raph didn't answer her so Donnie did. "We fell down a hole in a maze, Leo and Mikey are still in there, we think, and we came to loads of rooms by going through these doors. The last one led us down here. We just stopped for a short rest".

"Hmm". Kida looked at Raph. "Need some help?"

Raph's face showed anger towards her, but she ignored it. "I thought you wasn't allowed to help us?" he said, getting up along with Donnie.

Kida smiled. "I am", she said. "But not all the time. Besides", she added. "You look like you could use some help".

Donnie nodded and smiled. "Thanks".

"Hey, no problem", Kida said. "I do this all the time".

"Like James Bond", Raph muttered, referring to spying and helping.

()()()()()()()()

(Thanks for the reviews. I did have a good holiday thank you! * smiles brightly * Got a brilliant tan as well! Peace out! Sorry if there's any mistakes!

t-u-r-t-l-e power!

tmnt_luver x)