Dimensional Adventure

"I'm dreaming!" Mikey said, frantically. "This WHOLE thing has been a dream! Theo's not real, Kida's not real, and Keja's not real – neither am I!"

"Mikey, shut up", Raph said, realising with horror that his voice was shaking.

The dragon above let out an ear-piercing roar, making everyone freeze. Kida moved a step closer to Donnie, seeing as he was the only one standing next to her. She was about to grab hold of his arm, maybe to squeeze the life out of it, but he moved away when the dragon moved closer to them.

"Guys . . ." Kida said slowly, but her voice was barely a whisper.

As the dragon got closer, everyone took a step backwards. It was only when it came at them at such a speed that everyone decided to make a run for it. Kida ran around the water, to the back of the clearing, pressing her back against the wall, while everyone else went their separate ways.

Theo stood next to her, grasping at his t-shirt, and the 4 brothers stood on the other side of the water, pulling out their weapons, except for Mikey – who's weapons had been broken.

Splinter and Keja stood not to far away, with a protective glowing orb surrounding them, being powered by Keja himself.

Yeah, sure, Kida thought. Protect him while we're still out in the open!

With a swipe of its tail, the dragon hit the four turtles in their faces, sending them flying into the wall. Kida shouted Raph's name as he hit the floor and stayed still. His brothers landed into the wall on their sides, falling hard to the floor.

Donnie's arm let out a horrible "CRAACCK!" and he knew instantly that it was broken. He gritted his teeth and clutched on his arm, wanting to throw- up at the way it was slightly twisted.

"Donnie!" Leo limped over to his brother, while Mikey crawled over to Raph. "What's wrong? Donnie, what is it?"

"I – I – Leo, I've – broken it", Donnie said through gritted teeth. "I've b- broken my arm".

"You didn't", Leo said, as he gently took hold of Donnie's arm. "He did!!"

Mikey saw what was wrong with Donnie and gritted his teeth in anger at the dragon floating above him. Raph was out cold, so that just made his own anger grow worse – they weren't as strong when one of them was down.

"He hurt them", Kida whispered. "He broke Donnie's arm! I'm gonna kill him!!"

As Kida's sudden outburst echoed around the room, the dragon turned to look at her. Theo grabbed her arm as she moved forward. Leo, Mikey and Donnie looked on with shock, as well as Splinter and Keja, whose protective bubble was beginning to fade.

"I'm gonna kill you!!" Kida screamed, gripping her hands together. A small ball of aqua-colour light glowed between her fingers, and she threw it – like a baseball leaving her hands – at the dragon.

It hit his stomach, and he flew back, flying into the wall, and disappearing in a cloud of air. As soon as it disappeared, it reappeared again, this time above Theo and Kida.

The long tail whipped around Kida's body, pulling her into the air. Another ball of light appeared in her hand, and she through it at the dragon's face, shock as well as thankful that this new source of power came to her. Her breathing became heavier, her body became weaker, but she refused to give up.

A couple of seconds, she thought frantically, that's all I need.

She looked around, spotting Theo standing next to Raph, picking up his sais off the floor. A spark went off inside of her, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Theo!! Raph's sai!!" she shouted. "Throw it! Now!"

Theo frowned, but then obeyed, throwing it as hard as he could into the air.

Kida followed it with her eyes, holding another blue ball in her hands. As the sai came closer, the glowing orb got bigger, and bigger. Kida held it high in the air, and threw it at Raph's sai as hard as she could. The sai shone brightly and flew towards her face. Kida caught it in one hand, and threw it again at the dragon's heart.

His roar became louder, as the sai stayed in mid-air, stabbed through its wind-like body. The red eyes started to fade, and Kida felt herself loosen in the large tail. The dragon disappeared, and Kida fell from the air and into the deep water.

"Kida! No, Kida!" Mikey yelled, jumping up from besides Raph and running into the water after her.

"Mikey!" Leo yelled.

Splinter and Keja ran over to the edge, searching for Mikey and Kida. Leo helped Donnie up and walked over to them, while Theo stayed near Raph, trying to wake him up.

Seconds later Mikey popped out of the water, coughing and dragging a very wet and unconscious Kida out with him. Keja picked her up, while Splinter helped out his youngest son.

"Lets get out of here", Splinter said softly, patting Mikey's shell. "Well done, my son".

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

In the hospital Donnie has met Theo in, Raph and Kida lay in separate beds, unconscious. Kida has a small drip attached to her body, whereas Raph just lay asleep in his own way, having already woken up and been informed of what happened.

In the very same room, Donnie was having his arm taped up by Theo, who proved to be a very good doctor as well as a friend.

Mikey sat next to Kida, talking to her and holding her hand, while Leo stood above Raph, silently watching his brother sleep. Splinter and Keja stood in the doorway, having their own whispered conversation.

"Will she be ok?" Splinter asked. "She's ok, isn't she?"

"I don't know", Keja sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. Opposite him, he saw Theo do the same, and he smiled slightly. "The impact of the water hit her pretty hard, I've tried to get to her mind using magic, but it's as if she's blocking everything out, even your son, Mikey".

"So she can't hear him?" Splinter said, looking over to where Mikey was quietly chatting away to his new friend.

"I don't think she wants to hear him", Keja said, shaking his head. "It seems that she's trying to forget everything, preferring to be alone in her own mind".

"But she'll wake up", Splinter said softly, turning to Keja.

Keja just sighed in reply.

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

"Now that Raph's better and Donnie's arm is secure, you can go home", Keja said, standing outside in the hospital corridor, facing the turtles and Splinter.

"We don't want to go", Mikey said. "Kida hasn't woken up yet".

"I will inform you when she does", Keja said. "This way you can get back to your friends".

"But Kida IS our friend!" Mikey protested. "We can't just leave her in her time of need! If she just grasps onto one of our voices, she'll come around".

"It is not that simple", Keja replied softly.

"Mikey, it's better this way", Raph said. "What about April and Casey?"

"They're not unconscious, Raph!" Mikey snapped.

Raph sighed. "Whatever", he snapped back. "But she ain't exactly sitting at home, drinking a cuppa tea in peace!" He turned his back on his brothers, and walked back into the small room, slamming the door behind him.

"Ooh, yeah", Mikey said sarcastically. "Wake Kida up by slamming the door!"

"Michelangelo", Splinter said softly. "We will stay, but we cannot stay forever".

"Tell that to Raph", Mikey mumbled under his breath, walking into the door on his left, where Theo's own flat-like place was. If Kida wasn't listening to his worries, maybe Theo would.

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

Raph knew he couldn't go back outside, otherwise Leo and Splinter would start nagging at him, and he just couldn't stand any lectures today. So he plonked himself on the chair next to Kida's bed, and watched her breathing pattern. Her freshly washed skin looked a lot better than it did before, even if she was unconscious, and Keja had put her in a pair of grey cotton pyjamas.

Raph smiled slightly. "I don't suppose slapping you will wake you up", he said quietly. "But then again it would pay you back for those times you slapped, punched, yelled at me. I supposed on some I deserved it, but I can't help for being the way I am".

Raph froze. Ok, he thought, I'm talking to a still body. And she can't even hear me!

Raph sighed – not that he would want Kida to hear him. She'd just laugh at the way he was talking to her. They hadn't exactly gotten to like each other. Hate each other was more of a way to describe it. But now that she was out of it, looking so vulnerable, Raph realised that she was like him, but his anger reached a much higher level.

"Keja wants you to wake up", Raph said, not liking the quietness of the room and feeling comforted that his own voice provided sound, instead of the beeping of the machine next to Kida. "And so does Mikey – well, especially Mikey, he's been talking to you for hours. And Theo. He wants you to wake up, too. When I was lying next to you I – I even heard him say he loved you; that you were the best friend he ever had. Disgusting, huh? You're lucky you were unconscious for it".

Raph took Kida's hand, listening to the quiet beeping of her heart.

"Come on, Kida", he said. "You're being a wimp. The Kida I've gotten to know would never give up on the chance of life. I know you want to be with your family, and Tiran, but even they wouldn't want you to give up. You've got so much to live for here. Keja, Theo, this whole place. I know you've helped others out of here, so help yourself. Don't be such a weakling".

Kida mumbled in her sleep, her head tilting to one side.

"Kida!" Raph leaned forward slightly. "Can you hear me? Kida, listen, squeeze my hand if you can hear me. Kida?"

Her fingers moved against Raph's, giving them the tiniest press before lying still in his own hand again.

Raph opened his mouth in shock. His own head throbbed from when he was forced into the wall, but also from the fact that Kida could hear him, and respond back. He'd seen loads of coma-like-stories on TV, and it was always the same. Person wouldn't wake up, turn life support machine off. But Kida wasn't even on a life support machine.

"Kida, come on – fight it!" Raph urged. "Don't give in to stay this way forever. Open your eyes. Do it for Mikey, he's so frightened for you. Please – if not do it for me, just so I can give you a good punch again".

Raph suddenly felt a tiny tap on his cheek, and looked to see Kida's face staring back at him, her hand on his face. He realised that she was trying to slap him, despite her lack of energy, and her hand flopped back down onto the bed. Her aqua eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away, letting them slide down her face and drip on her ears.

Raph smiled and squeezed her hand. "You're still a weakling", he said. "But I'm glad you had the guts to fight back".

Kida smiled back at him. "I – I didn't", she whispered. "But when I hear someone calling me a w – weakling, I refuse to accept that". Her eyes filled with tears once more.

Raph frowned. "What's wrong?"

Kida sniffed. "I saw Tiran", she said quietly.

Raph nodded. "You know he would have wanted you to come back. And you've still got Theo here with you".

"What about you guys?" she asked.

"We –," Raph stopped, trying to place his words. "I think we're gonna go home".

Kida nodded. "That's the plan anyway", she said. "I can't stand you here. Look what you've gotten me into. It's best if you leave".

She smiled slightly but Raph knew that part of that was serious. Letting go of her hand, he walked over to the door. "This talk stays between us, right?" he asked, but his tone demanded it.

"It's blackmail", Kida said, "but it stays between us".

Raph watched her eyes closed again and shook his head in disbelief. She won't blackmail me, he thought . . . or will she? He sighed. She couldn't do that to him, she wouldn't. He stopped thinking to himself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, and went in search of Keja. At least some good news came out of all this.

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

"How?" Keja asked, as soon as Raph informed him of the good news. "How did she do it? How did she wake up?"

Raph shook his head. "Well", he said sarcastically. "Don't get me wrong, but I THINK she stirred and opened her eyes. I can't be sure though – you can never be sure that there's more than one way to wake up. Maybe – just maybe – she was sleep walking!"

Keja smiled. "Ok, ok, calm down, I only asked".

Raph just said nothing and glanced at the floor. "Will she be ok?" he asked quietly, mentally slapping himself for asking, just in case Keja thought he actually cared THAT much.

Keja rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Should think so", he said, and then looked at Raph. "Did you talk to her when you were in there?"

Raph took and step backwards. "No!" he said sharply. "What would I talk to her for? She was unconscious! Not much use if she's knocked out, is there? We never spoke when she was conscious anyway!"

Keja lifted his hands in front of him. "Ok, ok!" he said with a grin. "Only asked!"

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

"Hey".

Kida wearily turned her head towards the person sitting in the chair next to her bed and smiled. "Hi".

Theo smiled back. "How ya feeling?"

"Sleepy", she replied.

Theo laughed. "Yeah, I would be too", he said. "So, er, what happened?"

Kida clumsily sat up, leaning her back against her pillows for support. "I dunno", she said, frowning. "Something just clicked and this orb started to glow in my hand. And I had control – it all just fazed into place from there".

"I don't mean the power", Theo said softly. "I meant the unconscious part".

"I was knocked out", Kida said. "Nothing happened".

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Kida", he said, "we're friends".

Kida looked at him in shock. "Raph told you!!" she blurted. "I'll kill him!"

"Oooh, no, no, no, no, no", Theo said, grabbing her hand as he saw it glow blue slightly. "You've had enough orbs for one day. Look, it's not something to keep to oneself. Raph only told me, I promise you. He thought you might want to talk to someone about it. And since we've been best friends for . . ." Theo paused. "So . . . erm, did Tiran – er – did he – SAY anything?"

Kida shook her head. "No, I just saw his appearance, Theo, and then I heard Raph telling me to snap outta it. And that's it, no words, no nothing".

"That's it?"

"What do you want, a lecture?!" she snapped. "That's it!"

"Don't start snapping at me, Kida!" Theo yelled back, making her jump in surprise. His hand tightened on hers, and she winced. "You're not the only one who misses Tiran, ok?"

"Theo", Kida said, her voice cracking. "You – you're hurting me. Let go – please".

Theo loosened his grip. "I – I'm sorry", he said quickly. "I didn't mean to".

"Don't worry about it", she replied, twisting the material of her bed sheets with her free hand. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Kida shudder, feeling uneasy with Theo standing beside her – as if he was going to squeeze the life out of her hand again.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

"Yes – I mean, no –" Kida said. "I don't want you to go".

"I am sorry".

"I said don't worry about it".

"I didn't mean to hurt you".

"Theo!" Kida said, looking up at him. "I said DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!"

Tears filled her eyes and she sighed. "Look", Kida said quietly. "I can't keep snapping at you, but you – well, everyone – sometimes – you just, well, you kinda won't –"

"I know", Theo interrupted, nodding. "I hate it when people keep going on about stuff to me, too. Especially when I don't want them to".

Kida wiped her eyes roughly. "You're my best friend", she said. "But I can't tell you everything. I'm sorry – maybe someday I will – just not now, ok?"

"Ok".

Kida smiled slightly. "Erm, now you can leave".

"Don't I get a kiss?"

"Theo!!" Kida laughed. "Leave!!"

"Can't blame a lad for trying", Theo grinned.

"Can't blame a turtle for trying either!" a voice shouted behind them, and they both looked up to see Mikey beaming in the doorway.

"KIDA!" he smiled, running over to her and kissing her cheek. "You're awake!" he said, in dramatic drama-acting voice. "I just wanna hug ya and kiss ya! BUT – I won't – don't wanna catch the be-unconscious-for-8-hours bug!"

Kida rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks Mikey".

"Sorry, mate", Mikey grinned, nudging Theo's arm. "She's taken now!"

"MIKEY!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "He blew his chance!"

Kida shook her head. "Where're the others?"

"Donnie's having his arm checked on by Keja", Mikey replied, "Raph's blowing off some steam in one of the rooms – not sure which one. Leo and Splinter are both meditating right on the other side of this wall". Mikey walked over to the wall and banged on it loudly. "Yo, LEO! How's the meditation going?!"

"Go AWAY, Mikey!" came Leo's muffled voice.

Kida frowned. "Erm, are you guys going home?"

"Huh?!" Mikey asked, turning back around. "Er – yeah – yeah, we are".

"Oh".

"We'll visit!" Mikey said, patting her arm.

"You can't", Theo said. "Once people leave, they can never return. Not unless Kida or Keja goes to visit you".

"Will you?" Mikey asked, looking at Kida.

Kida sighed and shook her head, making Mikey frown sweetly at her. She looked up at him. "It's best if we don't", she said, realising that Splinter and Leo were now stood in the doorway along with Raph, quietly listening to her. "You see, so many people come here, and I still have to help them out. I don't have time to go and visit many places. And after what's happened, it's best if we distance ourselves away from one another".

Mikey's eye-ridges tilted up. "But why?" he asked softly.

Kida's eyes glistened with tears. "Because after what I've been through", she whispered, "I don't want to see you guys again".

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

(Ok, sorry for the crappy chapter, but I'm REALLY close to finishing this, and I'm glad. Because a) I'm not proud of this story, and b) I can finally start getting to work on my author fic and get down to some serious must- catch-up-on reading. Well, that's all I have to say ^.^ and peace out!)