Chapter 20

Into the Water we go

Leonardo had no idea how far he had fallen, or when the fall became more of a floating sensation. His eyes were still closed, He floated along in empty space with nothing around him.

Who are you? A voice that echoed from deep within, asked him. Leonardo wondered at the source of the call. It seemed to come from all around him, but at the same time within him. It was a female voice, but it wasn't the voice of the glowing light in the resting chamber.

I am Leonardo, He answered the voice. "I am a teenage mutant ninja turtle."

Leonardo heard a soft deep chuckle in answer. What does that mean? Teenage, I can see. You are very young. But why do you call yourself mutant?

Because I am a mutant, Leonardo explained. In his mind he could see memories he didn't know he possessed. They were very much like the stories Master Splinter told of how he found them in the sewers as babies covered by the ooze.

I see, the voice said thoughtfully. And why do you call yourself ninja?

Leonardo smiled at that question. Because I am a ninja. My Sensei, Master Splinter, has trained my brothers and I in the art of ninjitsu since we were very small. Again the memories came, happy memories that filled him full of confidence. Uneasily he opened his eyes, and came out of his curled position. He was floating in a sea of blue and turquoise with absolutely nothing around him.

And why do you call yourself turtle? The voice asked.

Puzzled Leonardo answered, That is what I am. What I was before we were mutated.

Is it what you wish to be? The voice asked. The change in subject confused Leonardo.

What I wish-? Leonardo wasn't sure why, but he now felt compelled to answer the voice aloud. "What do you mean? I mean that is what I am. I can't change that."

What if you could? The voice insisted. If you could be human, would you? If I could wash the sea from your blood, would you wish that?

Suddenly the string of questions began to make sense. "Who are you?" Leonardo asked uneasily. "Who are you that you can change what I was hatched to be?"

From all around him he could feel the power of this being hum. I am Gaia, the living spirit of the earth. All things whether they fly, swim, or crawl belong to me. They are a part of my song. Before you even existed, you and your brothers were mine. The mermaids are mine as well. Like the oracle, they are my guardians, and handmaidens. They guard the seas and all who live within from those who would do them harm. They live only to serve my children, and yet you fear them like you fear no living thing.

Guilt flooded Leonardo as he realized why this spirit was questioning him the way she was. The lessons he had learned during the trial welled up inside of him. "It's not them I fear," he tried to explain. "It's the fact that they can control me. That when I look at them, I want to obey them. That they can make me forget everything that I am."

Do you believe that they mean you harm?

Leonardo knew the answer to that instantly. "I know they don't. The problem is inside of me, not them."

What will you do Leonardo? The voice asked gently.

Leonardo took a deep breath. "I don't know," he admitted.

The energy wrapped around him as if in a hug. To comfort your mind and heart I shall tell you why your ancestors and you, in your turn, are driven to love the mermaids. It was not written into your people to do so. It was written by your people, and all children of the sea, to reciprocate the love and devotion that is within all mermaids to the children of the sea, earth and sky.

Leonardo was nearly shocked speechless. "Do you mean that we weren't programmed to love and protect mermaids, but that the mermaids were programmed to love and protect our ancestors? "

And over the eons your people reciprocated until it became as much a part of them as the shells upon your back. The Earth Spirit explained.It was all in love,

Leonardo nodded quietly. Master Splinter always said that love was a force that was even beyond the understanding of the greatest masters. He closed his eyes for a moment and looked inside of himself. He could see now how the bond between the four of them and the mermaids were formed. He still didn't like the fact that it was an overwhelming force, but he could understand and accept it.

And the more you learn of it, the more you will understand. The earth spirit said. Now rise to the surface. There is one more thing that you must know.

Rise to the surface? Suddenly, Leonardo was aware that all the blue he was floating in was water. With a few powerful strokes of his arms, his head broke the surface of the pool. He rubbed the water away from his eyes and looked around at his surroundings. He was in a room of cut crystal and white marble. Most of the room was the fountain of water he was in. One side was deep going under the walls and off into another part of the temple. Above the deep side was a waterfall going further up than he could see. The other side was shallow leading up onto a sandy shore. On the shore was a small fountain that also ran into the pool.

In awe Leonardo swam to the shore, then walked up to the fountain and stared at the water. He didn't even need to be told. Looking deeply into the crystal clear sapphire blue waters, he knew. These were the healing waters that Lillian had used on him and Raphael when they were young.

He didn't drink from the fountain. He knew he didn't need to. The fountain's waters drained into the larger pool. He had swum in those waters, and felt all his aches and pains fade away. He needed no further healing.

Suddenly a cry from above made Leonardo look up. Far above him he saw a small, slight figure falling through the waterfall down into the pool below. Instantly, Leonardo recognized the figure. "Freyja!" He called out.

Leonardo, wait.

Leonardo froze in his tracks, and watched as the girl fell into the pool below the waterfall. As she floated there stunned the healing waters began to take on a strange golden sparkle as they flowed from the fountain on the shore into the pool and over to where Freyja floated. Suddenly the water around Freyja began to glow, enveloping the girl.

"I don't believe this." Leonardo said out loud. He wasn't sure what to think, but the words of the oracle earlier began to make sense. "She really was lost and didn't know it."

Floating in the water was no longer a human being, but a mermaid. Her tail was an iridescent dark green that glistened as light reflected from her scales. Her hair was no longer a tight braid against her back, but it was unbound and flowed freely in the water surrounding her like a halo.

Leonardo waited no longer. He waded back into the water, and retrieved Freyja, dragging her over to the shore line. She was still unconscious. "Freyja?" Leonardo asked uncertainly. "Freyjacan you wake up?"

Freyja groaned, and tossed her head a bit before she opened her eyes, brown no longer, now they were a sparkling ocean green. With a little moan she answered. "Leo...Leonardo? You...you jumped off the rope!"

"And you braved the fire to come after me," Leonardo said with a smile. "You conquered your fear, and boy, that Oracle wasn't kidding when she said you needed healing, look"

Freyja looked down at her tail for the first time. Her eyes widened in shock. What...what happened I...I'm"

"I think you're a mermaid." Leonardo said. "Remember what The Oracle said? You were lost and didn't know it."

Freyja looked at him lost and looked down at her tail again. "But...but I do not understand."

You were stolen from your mother when you were very young. Badb tried to train you to be everything the mermaids fight against. It is her way to harm her enemies to steal what is most precious to them and turn it into a weapon against them.

Freyja stared up and the glowing light alarmed. "It's okay," Leonardo said hastily. "She's some kind of earth spirit." Then addressing the being he said, "I understand now. In the beginning when I couldn't leave Freyja trapped by the first trial. I was acting on instinct. Even though neither of us knew, I couldn't leave a mermaid in danger.

Nor could she leave you in danger once the trials began. The trials call you to learn who you are. She felt compassion for you, as you felt for her. That has beenthe way it has been for both of you for longer than you can possible imagine."

"I'm beginning to get the idea," Leonardo said with a sigh. Freyja was trembling with fear and sorrow.

"All of the horrible things I have done, harming you and your brothers. My whole life has been a lie!"

Leonardo felt sorry for her. He knew how Kurai felt serving the Shredder, but she chose that life. Freyja had been kidnapped and brainwashed, She must feel like her whole world is over.

"It's okay," Leonardo said gently. "I forgive you, and so will the others. I know they will, but you have to help us make things right, Freyja. You have to help us defeat Badb."

Freyja nodded fervently. "Yes, I wish to atone to my people and to this spirit for the wrongs I have done."

Gaia's light shown down on them like a benediction. All will be well then, my long lost child," She said. "But you both must hurry. Badb has taken the Rhinegold from its place, and now places it upon her finger. She will bring death and destruction to the temple, the colony, and your brothers, if you do not stop her now.

Leonardo nodded mentally shifting himself back to all business. "Lady Gaia, how can we leave this chamber? We were told we'd be free if we finished our trials."

Looking around he didn't see any way out of this room.

Look to the waters for the tunnel out, and do not fear to swim long. As long as Freyja is with you, her ability to breath under the water extends to you. Go now and hurry before Badb causes great grief and pain.

With that the greatglowing spirit vanished. Leonardo took in a deep breath before deciding what to do. It wasn't hard. Somehow he knew that Michelangelo and the others were close by, and he knew that they would never leave until they knew he was safe. He looked down at the lost and found mermaid, and gave his friend a grin. "Ready for a swim?" He asked her.

"Yes," she said firmly "I wish to avenge myself against Badb for making me into a weapon against my own people." She offered her hand out to Leonardo who took it in his own. Then he dove into the waters next to her and the next thing he knew he was being pulled through the water at an incredible speed, heading to where he could hear, though the water, the sounds of battle.

Both Leonardo and Freyja popped their heads out of the water. On the far side of the chamber was another pool of water. Along the shore were several mermaids, Donatello, and Raphael. Donatello was helping Raphael up from the ground. Wind was blowing at gale strength around them all, and the water of the pool was whipped up as six foot waves.

Suddenly a small pink object appeared in a wave and was forced to the shore where it got stuck in the sand. As he got to his feet Raphael said, "No! Mikey's pearl!"

His pearl? Suddenly Leonardo remembered something Michelangelo had told him what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

"With this I can breath underwater, she's got more underwater gadgets than Donny does.

Without that pearl Mikey can't breathe. Mikey can't breathe! Leonardo thought. Both Donatello and Raphael raced for the water, but another wave forced all of them back. An elderly mermaid with a trident and Lillian with her knives both dove for the water.

"Freyja with me!" Leonardo called. Freyja nodded and followed him as he leaped from water to shore in one bound. Somehow Freyja managed to turn her tail back into legs and followed behind him. Leonardo raced across the floor, scooped up the lost pearl, tucked it into his belt, and hit the water passing both a surprised Donatello, and Raphael. One of them might have called out Leonardo's name, but he didn't answer as he focused on his brother below the water.

This pool seemed warmer than the cool waters of healing, but Leonardo barely noticed as he focused only on finding Michelangelo. Opening his eyes under the water he saw the dark sorceress inside of a swirling vortex of water. A golden ring rested on her finger, and both she and the ring glowed with a slickly green light. She was locked in battle with Lillian and the older mermaid. Michelangelo lay on the floor of the pool unconscious.

"Mikey!" Leonardo didn't even notice that the magic pearl was working for him. He turned to Freyja and pointed. The new mermaid nodded and pulled Leonardo

along getting him to his brother's side in a heartbeat. "He can't breathe underwater without your help!" Leonardo told Freyja. "Get him to the surface fast!"

Freyja picked up Michelangelo and began to swim to the surface leaving Leonardo behind. Lillian had turned to see him. "Leonardo?"

That made the other mermaid turn as well as Badb launched a ferocious attack at all of them. Freyja well ahead of them was not caught in the wave, but Leonardo would have been lost had not both Lillian and the older mermaid grabbed onto both his arms and dragged him to the surface. Even though he did not have to, Leonardo took in a deep breath of air as they reached the shore. Behind him he could hear Raphael, panicked, as he had never heard his brother before. "Breathe ya goofball! Come on Mikey, Breathe!"

Suddenly a cold chill ran down Leonardo's spine. How long had Michelangelo been without his magic pearl? Could he be gone? Could he have failed? For a second the world around Leonardo began to turn to ice as he thought about having failed Michelangelo.

What god decided that you could never fail?

I can't control what happened before I got here, Leonardo thought to himself as he forced his mind out of it's icy prison. But I can make sure she doesn't kill anyone else, even if I have to cut her hand off to get that damn ring from her! With a renewed energy born of a need for vengeance, Leonardo drew his swords, checked the pearl in his belt, and dove back into the water. Splashes at his side told him that others had joined him in the battle.

Leonardo ignored them as he swam for his goal. Facing the dark sorceress sorceress Leonardo shouted. "Give it up Badb! You're not getting away after what you did to my brother!"

Badb laughed evilly. "Your brother? Your brother? Don't worry about him, you'll be joining him soon enough!"

"Surrender Badb," a strange female voice said. Leonardo turned to see the elderly mermaid who he had seen before. Her hair was salt and pepper, tied in a bun behind her, and she carried a huge crystal trident that hummed and glowed with power. "You have already written your doom by taking the Rhinegold for your own. We only wish to make sure we do not join you in your destruction."

"My destruction? MY destruction?" Badb Laughed insanely. "Benten you naive fool! I will crush all of you under your own waves!" With that she made a throwing gesture and a wave of water sent all of them tumbling back. Leonardo tried desperately to attack but she forced him back with another jet of water that dislodged the pearl from his belt, allowing it to fall to the ground below.

Oh no! Leonardo managed to stop from taking in a breath, but he had no idea how long he was going to be able to hold it with Badb tossing them around like leaves in a storm. Fortunately a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Leonardo's arm. It was Freyja.

"You can breathe with me!" the mermaid announced. "Come on!" She pulled him behind her protecting him. "Badb! Stop! This is wrong! These are my people!"

Unfortunately seeing Freyja as a mermaid set Badb into a raw fury. "You, YOU betrayer! How dare you break the spells I set upon you!"

"You tried to make me an enemy to my own people!" Freyja called out. You are the one who betrayed me, and any who gave you loyalty!"

"FOOLS!" Badb gestured again, driving Freyja and Leonardo back to the shore. Badb now hovered just above the water, glowing with the sickly green power that emanated from the ring on her finger. Just behind her a dark shadow loomed in the water.

Badb cackled as she gestured wildly, sending up sprays of water. Leonardo suddenly had a sinking feeling that they were all going to die, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He could accept failing now, but the only thing that bothered him was that they would never see Master Splinter again, and he would never know what had happened to his four turtle sons.

The shadow moved closer, not disturbing the top of the water at all.

"Fools!" Badb shouted again. "With the Rhinegold, I am invincible! You shall all be crushed by my power! First you shall fall! Then the Foot shall submit to me! Then I shall conquer your sisters across the seas, and when I–"

Suddenly the shadow behind Badb lunged out of the water. For a split second Leonardo saw a flash of huge jaws with jagged teeth followed by a huge flipper passing over his head. A shocked and frightened cry was suddenly cut short. Before he could register what exactly was happening he saw the liplurodon's massive head with Badb's limp legs sticking out of the creature's jaws. Then ancient sea reptile lowered itself below the water and was gone.

Leonardo slowly let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. From behind him he could hear Donatello say timidly. "She's....she's gone?"

Suddenly the water at his feet began to churn again. Leonardo didn't know what to think. He held perfectly stilltoo shocked to even move. Just as he was beginning to think that he was next on the menu, a spray of water arched high above him. As the water fell back to the ground something shiny fell from the air and landed with a plop in the shallows at Leonardo's feet. It was the ring that Badb had worn on her finger.

"Don't touch it, Leo!" Raphael suddenly said, with a slight edge to his voice. He was obviously still shaken by what had just happened. "Benten said that putting that thing on would destroy Badb in the end, and she just became their watchdog's dinner.

Leonardo nodded silently. He was still too overwhelmed to talk. He reached out his hand to where he heard Raphael's voice. Without asking why, Raphael put one of his sais in Leonardo's hand. Very carefully, Leonardo squatted down and fished the ring onto the end of the sai. Then he looked for the elderly mermaid who the others had all called Benten. In her hand was a box of black obsidian lined with red silk. He didn't need to be told what to do. He allowed the ring to slide down the sai into the box. Benten then closed the box and handed it to Lillian.

Coming Soon Chapter 21 Resolutions

Leonardo asked quietly. "You are Benten, the leader of the mermaid colony here?"

She nodded once slowly.

Leonardo nodded back and then took in a deep breath. He drew his katanas and placed them on the floor, and knelt before them. In a voice that only trembled slightly from greif he said, "Lady Benten, Any promises my brother Michelanglo made to you, any debt that he or we might owe you, I hereby vow to fufil ten fold. We...I owe you, and your people, more than I can ever repay."

"I see," Benten said.

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