Amongst Four
By: Kuroi Neko-kun
Summary: A discovery made by one of the turtles leads the four brothers to a secret of the earth and their place on it.
Warning: Apologies for bad puns and evil kissing scenes. And spoilers…
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wishing I did… Oh well…
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Chapter 3: First Signs
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She stepped into the room, sighing. It had been a long day for her, fulfilling her duties as Gatekeeper to the Guardian. Houki glanced at her purple haired twin who was playing about with tarot cards that she had gave a long time back.
"Back so soon?" she said, flipping one of the cards. Houki smiled sitting beside the sliding door.
"It has been a tiring day… Is there anything you will to tell me, Yumi?"
"He will approach you with his brothers," she said, not turning away," ah…" Her sister raised an eyebrow.
"Something interest you?"
"As I expected, these cards do not show you the future. They raise questions in your life for your path…" Yumi explained, chuckling slightly. Houki shook her head.
"Like why does the chicken cross the road?" Yumi giggled at her sister's joke. And as soon as it started, she stopped. "Yumi?" She looked at her sister who was in a trance. She's got a vision…
"Houki…" she mumbled, slowly awakening from the trance. Yumi glanced at her sister.
"What?" Houki asked," What did you see?" Yumi brushed her off, not wanting to say. She stood up, turning away from her sister.
"It doesn't concern you… Go have your rest, sister. He will call for you soon…" Yumi gave her a look. The other girl could not do anything much but to leave. Once she closed the door, Yumi's tears fell down her face. "Houki…"
~~~
"Just how does this work again?" Donatello asked as he studied the jade necklace. The leader of the four snatched it away from him, placing it around his neck.
"Houki said that my heart would be her guide. So, I guess I have to concentrate on trying to call out for her…" he mumbled, unsure of himself. He concentrated hard for a few seconds, expecting… something. But nothing happened.
"Well?" Don asked arms akimbo.
"Maybe Pokky stood you up," Michelangelo suggested. The red sash turtle hit him on the head.
"Can't you be a little patient?"
"And besides it Houki, not Pokky," came a voice from behind them. They turned to see a purple haired girl, perched on a railing. "Hello, boys…" she said, smiling to them before landing in front of them. Leo covered both Mikey and Raph's gaping mouths.
"You never told me she's a babe…" Leo rolled his eyes before walking to her.
"Houki, these are my brothers… Michelangelo, Donatello and…"
"Raphael," she continued. The turtle in question smiled at her.
"Well, I guess she remembers one of us."
"She never met you, Raph," Leo drawled before turning to Houki," I want to meet your other sister, the one that fought against Shura. I want to know the whole deal about this before I make my choice." The girl nodded. At that, she drew her metal fans.
"I cannot let you enter without you proving your right to," she said, turning to Raphael.
"Me?"
"It is the Gatekeepers' promise. I have to fight you so that your brothers can enter." The turtle smirked, drawing his Sai.
"Let's dance," he muttered. They were about to attack each other when Leo came in between them.
"Stop!"
"Move out of the way, Leonardo," Houki said," this is the only way for you to enter the gate."
"What if Raphael loses? What then?" Leo asked," There's another deal from this."
"If he loses, then the portal can never be opened to any of you," she stated," that is if he survives."
"I won't lose then," Raph said as he spun his Sai," move Leo or I'll just cut through you." Leo smirked.
"So much for watching my back…" he drawled as he jumped out of the way. As soon as he did, Raph jumped up, hoping to perform an aerial maneuver but Houki cut him off by jumping higher. Crap… He thought as he defended himself from the fans. Apparently, the tip could cut and it sliced Raph's arms.
"Raph! Watch your landing!" he heard Donatello yell. Pushing away from Houki, the turtle back up from a wall and launched his body at her again. The pair tumbled to the ground, Raphael above Houki.
"You've got beautiful eyes there, Houki," he whispered. A sly smile was on Houki's face. She pushed him back with her legs. Raphael slammed into a wall.
"Thanks for the compliment. But the Murasakisuishou[1] sisters are more than just eyes," she opened her fan and threw it at Raph. He used his Sai and flicked it away.
"Murasakisuishou?" Leo mumbled.
"Kinda like a tongue twister, ain't it?" Mikey chided.
"No, Mikey," Don said," the Amethyst clan. All of them have purple eyes. I thought they were a dead race…"
"Woah, they're a race? A species?"
"A family that consisted of purple eyed humans. That explains Shura as well," Leo said.
"You met another one of their clan members? And you never told us?"
"So these are endangered species of humans?" Don slapped the turtle's head.
"Do you realize that you asked an oxymoron question there?" Before Meikey or Leo could respond, Raph skidded to a stop in front of them, kicking up dust. He jumped back to fight Houki again. The sound of metal hitting metal became a common sound. Raph found his Sai stuck in a deadlock with her metal fans. Using a quick strategy, Raphael let go of his Sai and swept her legs. When Houki tried to get up, Raphael had her at knifepoint.
"It's over," he muttered, breathing hard. The girl gave him quite a workout. Houki smirked and dropped her fans, a sign of defeat.
"It was a pleasure to fight with you, Raphael."
"You're not bad, Houki," he said, passing her fans to her. She thanked him and belted her fans.
"Now that you have won your right, I will open the portal." She placed her hand on Raphael who gulped. "Don't move. The portal can only open with a part of the person that the gatekeeper had rightfully chosen."
"You really didn't say anything about this," the turtle muttered. Houki smiled briefly before placing two fingers on his chest. The portal opened behind Raph.
"Wow. You have to show me how to do that sometime," Mikey said, overly impressed. Leo just shook his head before dragging him into the portal.
~~~
As they walked out, they found themselves inside an ancient Chinese architecture. Leo was kept his awe to himself as he walked beside Houki, leaving Mikey in the hands of Don.
"So this is the place Shura told me about inside the earth?" She nodded.
"Only I can access this place. I was chosen to become gatekeeper by my predecessor," Houki said as she led them through the corridor," I suggest the four of you stay for the night. I will arrange for Master Splinter to be retrieved from the sewers."
"Hold on!" Raphael said," you know all about us?!"
"Yes, I have been informed of your history and your life…"
"So you admit to spying." Houki laughed.
"I'm sorry, dear Raphael. I do not need to spy." She opened the door, revealing another purple haired girl lying on a pentagon: Yumi. A raven haired girl with the same amethyst eyes as them stood up, greeting the guests.
"Houki, Yumi had another vision. She saw a blood moon and a dead sparrow," the girl said, in a most exasperated voice, confusing the turtles.
"Lirin!" Houki said sharply to her sister," tend to our guests. I will talk to you later." Head bowed, Lirin obliged. Before they left, Yumi slowly rose with her eyes closed.
"A warrior with a purple bandanna…" she mumbled," And the chosen one." Houki realized that Yumi just rose from another dream. A momentary flicker on Houki's face occurred before she turned to the turtles.
"Donatello and Leonardo… The both of you have to stay," she said, softly. "Lirin, take the other two to their rooms."
~~~
They sat in front of Yumi, who seemed to be paler than usual. Houki had a very worried look on her face as she watched her sister. The girl slowly drank her water before addressing to them again.
"We finally meet in person, Leonardo," she mumbled," I am Yumi, one of the last Murasakisuishou… I am also a seer."
"You see the future through dreams, right?" Don said, making a wise observation. Leo sighed, hoping Don would not make him look stupid.
"Yes… I believe that you have questions for Lirin, Leonardo. But I have to meet you first," Yumi mumbled," the red sash one, Raphael, had a few questions about how we know about you. I am the answer. In my dreams, I have encountered your family many times and so, came to know you, all of you." She stopped, waiting for questions. There were none. She turned to Donatello.
"For you a piece of advice, 'in the suffering wake, only those without will lose their minds.' Remember that."
"Is that all, Yumi?" her sister asked.
"Yes," the girl mumbled," I can only have more when you already chose. But make it soon, the first signs of the earth's revolt will show itself to you." Little that they know, it has shown itself already.
~~~
As it was said, Houki arranged for the retrieval of Splinter. It took awhile, but she could create a portal that headed into one of the sewage systems in New York. The problem: she could only bring two of them in. She entered their room to find the turtles enjoying a small meal set by Lirin.
"Can we go now?" was the first thing she heard from Raphael. In response, she picked up a pair of chopsticks and flung a sashimi that was on the table straight into his mouth, choking him in the process. He managed to cough out the raw fish and would have pounced on Houki in sheer anger if he was not held down by Don and Mikey.
"Please don't try to kill my brother," Leo said, taking a sip from his cup of water.
"I don't think he'll like death by a piece of fish," Houki chided as she sat beside him. "I have prepared for the trip. You can bring one person who is deemed helpful to you." Leo turned to his three brothers who was piled on top of each other and sighed. In his eyes, none of them were helpful right now.
"I need out of this hellhole, Leo…" Raph muttered.
"And there's a ton of stuff I need back home!" Don argued.
"Guys, we're going back to get Master Splinter," he glared at them," that's all." Leo knew he had to bring someone without an agenda. Don would take forever with his gadgets and Raph… he could not bring Raph. He seemed to be attracted to Houki and that ticked his shell somehow. Weirdly, Mikey had not complained since they got here. He sighed, regretting his decision of elimination. "Mikey will come with me."
"Mikey? You think that Mikey is deemed helpful than me?" Raph muttered.
"Leo, I think you just insulted us."
"You two have certain agendas beside our master's safety. Besides, Mikey had not complained since he got here." The two stared at each other before turning to Mikey who sat quietly at the side. It was strange though that the young turtle had not spoken much. He just got up and stood beside Leo. Raph turned away, not wanting to say anything. Leo just looked at Don, hoping for the turtle to consult his brother. He nodded before watching the two leave.
~~~
The rat was rather disturbed by the silence in the lair. After all, he was used to four teenagers, be it turtles, making a din in the small lair. They are growing boys. But having so much silence was deafening. Splinter sighed, not able to concentrate on his meditation when he thought the silence would do him otherwise. But it did prick his senses. Cane in his hands, Splinter stood on guard.
"Master Splinter?" The familiar voice let him drop his guard a little. He saw his two sons come in with a purple haired girl.
"My sons, I believe your brothers will return soon." Leo gave a wayward smile as he started rubbing the back of his neck. He only did that when he was nervous about explaining to Master Splinter.
"Actually no," he mumbled," Houki said it was better if we stayed at the center of the earth… That is when she can open a portal there…" Splinter gave the girl regard. She bowed to him.
"Master Splinter," she said," I am Houki." He noticed her amethyst eyes.
"You are a Murasakisuishou…" he pointed out.
"Yes, I am. Though I am not surprised that you heard of us…"
"Only through the words of my master," he said," it is true of what Leonardo had spoken. You will open a gateway to the center of the earth." She nodded.
"But I cannot hold on to it for long," the girl explained.
"Then what are we waiting for?" As Leo said that, a billow of black smoke covered the lair, surrounding them. They realized that they were floating in a black void that was the smoke before, surrounded by floating rocks.
"Illusion of the Eye…" Houki muttered, having gone through this before.
"What?"
"Earth's first sign," she explained," only you can break away from this, Leo."
"Me?" he mumbled," but what…?" Before he could continue, the floating rocks rushed at him in high speeds. In an instant, he took out his swords and slashed the rocks away. "Mikey! Protect sensei!" Not hearing a response, he turned to see that he was alone with Houki. "Where are they?"
"Leonardo!" Houki pushed him away, as the rocks that he had cut headed for him. It hit her full force on the back.
"Houki!" At that point, Leo glowed, causing an effect that blasted the illusion away. He stood up with an injured Houki in his hands. Not sure what had happened, Leo placed Houki down and searched for his brother and master. Mikey belted his Nunchaku and picked up Master Splinter, placing him beside the unmoving girl. He grabbed the older boy's arm and gripped it.
"Mikey…" he mumbled before noticing the cold smile on his brother's face.
"This earth will get his wish," he whispered in his brother's ear.
"Mikey…" Leo saw his brother looked dazedly at him before snapping awake like from a daydream. The grip was lightened.
"What? What happened?" he mumbled.
"You forgot?" Leo asked, looking at him before shaking his head. Maybe this was the reason his brother had been so quiet. Leo could feel that strange aura that surrounded his brother. It had not existed before. Could it be…? Houki woke up then, clutching her body.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked, helping her up. He examined her, noticing that her ribs were broken. "Stay still… Mikey, get the bandages. I'll deal with sensei as well." As soon as he said it, Master Splinter woke up, dazed but unharmed. Soon the three helped to put the bandage on for her.
"Can you still open the portal?" the rat asked as they helped her up.
"Barely…" she mumbled, leaning against Leonardo," I will need your strength, Leonardo. You will be weakened by this…"
"We need to get you back," he said, agreeing.
"This does require some contact between us, unlike how I did with your brother," she explained slightly blushing," physical contact." Realizing what she could mean, the two turtles blushed. Master Splinter huffed and turned away.
"At least one of you will experience in these things…" he chided, smiling. If he was not green, the red cheeks would be more visible.
"O-okay…" the sword wielder mumbled," what do I have to do?" She placed her arms around his neck. He gulped nervously as she placed his arms around her waist. She noticed his nervousness.
"Hey," she whispered in his ear," relax. It's just a kiss."
"Well, I never kissed any type of female before, less a human girl…" he mumbled. She smiled before placing her soft lips against Leo's. Soon, the turtle took over and pressed his lips harder against hers. He felt his ki sapping away but at the same time he enjoyed the lip-lock. She broke away from him and quickly formed a portal.
"Quickly," she instructed as they all entered the portal.
~~~
The teasing never ceased and Leo believed it never will. Mikey, with his senses returned, kept retelling the story over and over complete with sound effects and actions. Don enjoyed the story but Raph was not too happy. As Leo stepped into the room, he noticed the mixed feelings in the room.
"Hey lover-boy," Mikey said, grinning. Leo rolled his eyes and was about to step in when Raphael went out of the room, almost knocking him over.
"Raph…" he could not say much as the turtle left. He sighed as he went in. "I guess it is a bad idea to come here…"
"Not really," Don pointed out," I talked to Yumi just now. Apparently, she enjoys a good conversation and was a bit touchy about the subject of her sisters. She did explain why the four of them survived the Murasakisuishou massacre. The Powers that Be protected them, knowing that they were the candidates."
"Right now I really don't care…" Leo muttered, lying down on the tatami mats. "What's up with Raphael anyway?" Don chuckled.
"Had it occurred to you that he might be jealous?"
"Of what? Me and Houki kissing?" The boy nodded.
"And with brain-dead over here making jokes about it," he pointed to Michelangelo," It's no wonder he left like that."
"Well, it was the reason why I didn't bring him to get sensei…" Leo muttered.
"You were jealous too…"
"Hey," Leo said, trying to defend himself. It was useless as the two younger brothers gave him a look.
~~~
He stood at the door, wondering whether he should go in or not. The turtle paced about before the door opened and Lirin came out of it.
"Oh, Raphael… Are you here to see my sister?" He shrugged before slowing nodding. Maybe he should… Lirin cleared the way and let him in. Houki was lying on a tatami mat, covered with a blanket. She noted his presence as she tried to get up.
"Don't," he mumbled, in a surprisingly gentle voice as he got her to lie down again. "If what Leo told me right what hit you was an illusion… How could you get hurt then?" A weak smile flashed on Houki's face.
"It was a direct hit to the mind… The pain I felt was a mental evaluation. I have no physical marks on it…"
"Your mind was weakened?"
"My inner being is injured. Only Lirin can heal me… she is trying but she's too weak. I need a strong ki point to heal myself and I can't ask Leo…" she mumbled.
"What do you take me for?" he muttered, slightly hurt. She gave him a look.
"Not you. Your role is reliant on your ki," she mumbled touching his face," Your brother will need your help the most…" He could not bear to see the girl so weak. She must have sapped all her power to transport them back.
"At least, let me bear some of your burden…" he mumbled, touching the hand on his face. He closed his eyes, wanting to feel the pain that she felt.
"I am not the one you should bear burden." As much as he tried to comprehend that sentence, he did not understand it. He just sat beside Houki who fell asleep soon after.
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[1] Murasakisuishou – Amethyst in Japanese. Murasaki means purple or violet. Suishou means crystal. There were other meanings for the word 'amethyst' but I preferred this one.
Explanation of the Murasakisuishou clan will come up soon. [I hope] I didn't plan to put the four into a clan but it just fits…