Echo and Narcissus
Part 7
Disclaimer: I own no part
A/N: As promised, this chapter is much longer. Please R&R and thanks to those who have stuck by this story and have reviewed so far. Although Raph is tough and strong on the outside, we all know that he is he a soft spot for kids and people in need. SO DON'T FLAME ME. Thanks again to those who reviewed!
'He went that way,' Raph pointed out as he waved in the direction just passed the looming Saki HQ.
'He went that way, so will we.' Leo called leaping rapidly off; he was soon followed by Mikey and Raph.
'Last one there hatched from a rotten egg' Mikey called as the three turtles began their rooftop race
'We already know that you did Mike, but you're the only one' Raph called to Mike who was steps ahead of him. Mikey turned to face Raph, but then tripped over a skylight. Raph laughed as he ran by him, he knew it would not take Mikey long to catch up. Years of out running Raph had made Mikey very quick and hard to beat. As if on cue, Raph saw the tails of an orange bandana whip by him. In a green blur, Mikey was close behind Leo. Raph slightly smiled to himself as he poured on the speed to catch up. (Smiling because Mikey was the only person who gave him a good work out)
They were bounding for a few minutes when Leo stopped on the top of a Sony store. Mikey was not paying attention and ran right into Leo, the sudden stop surprised Raph and he knocked into the other two. In a tangled mess, the three brothers struggled to free themselves of each other.
'Leo move your foot, it's in my mouth!' Mikey yelled
'I'll move my foot as soon as Raph gets his shell off my head!' Leo called back
'I'll move my shell as soon as Mikey gets his nunchakus outta my eyes' Raph growled in response
'I'll move my nunchakus as soon as Leo gets his swords away from my ne…' Mikey didn't have time to finish, he was interrupted by laughter. He turned his eyes to face the laughter, there was a girl sitting on the ledge shrouded in shadows watching the commotion.
With a final heave, all three brothers were untangled and were facing the girl.
'And just who the shell are you?' Raph demanded, temper flaring as he saw that beside the girl was an unconscious Donatello and traces of a Foot battle
'Don't I sound familiar to you, Raphael?' The girl replied, fighting off more laughter as she spoke. Raph thought, the girl did seem familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on where,
'Come on, don't I sound even the slightest bit familiar? Your brother knew me, as soon as he knew, I couldn't stop. It was too late, he had already fallen. The Foot nearly had me there, so I had no other choice, your brother understood.' The girl stated monotone like
'Gabrielle?' Leo asked after a moments pause, the girl nodded her head. 'So this is Gabrielle,' Mikey went over in his mind when they first met her, now that he thought; they had only met her voice. The strange voice echoing over New York that had that strange spell tossed into it.
'I am sorry for his current condition, like I said, I had no other choice,' Gabrielle apologized as she motioned at Don, 'I knew you would notice that he was in trouble, so I waited. He is merely asleep, and should regain consciousness in about 3 hours.' Leo stood up and walked slowly towards the shaded ledge where Don and Gabrielle were, he reached down and pulled Don out of the shadow and back to where his other brothers stood watching.
With Don safely between Leo and Mike, and Raph bringing up the rear, they started to leave, when Gabrielle called out to them, a note of panic audible in her voice,
'WAIT! You can't leave me here, my life is in danger!'
'From what? You took care of yourself pretty well up here, what's stopping you from singin' your way out of another jam?' Raph demanded turning about to her,
'The Shredder is after me, and besides, my ability takes up my voice, I can only sing for a certain amount of time and then I have to wait until my voice comes back, please, don't leave me here.' Gabrielle was practically sobbing as she fell to her knees. For the first time, the three turtles could actually see her. She had long raven black hair pulled into a ponytail, and her clothes were torn and dirty, she was wearing a very large black over coat that had silver gems splattered across the back. They stood out in the pale moonlight.
'Why is the Shredder after you? What have you done to him?' Leo asked, a slightly more sympathetic tone than Raph,
'After my parents were killed in a Foot raid, the Shredder took me under his wing. Raised me to be a fighter, when he learned of my ability, he tried to use me to defeat all his enemies. I can't kill people; it's not what I do! I ran away, but he has tracked me down. If he finds me, he will kill me.' Tears running down Gabrielle's face convinced the turtles that Gabrielle was not all bad.
'I thought yer voice only puts people to sleep? What's with all the killin'?' Raph asked
'It depends on what I'm singing, a lullaby will put people to sleep, a song with inner emotions and sadness will make you feel sad. I song about death and destruction can put you into a coma.' Gabrielle's words were hard to make out through all the tears, at this point even Raph's heart began to melt. Raph turned to Leo and the two shared a silent thought.
'Master Splinter is not going to like this, you know that right guys?' Mikey stated timidly, Leo nodded his head and Raph turned back to Gabrielle,
'Alright, come on. We're taking you home with us.' Gabrielle's face lightened as she rushed past Raph and stood beside Leo and Donny.
After the long and tiring walk home, the four turtles and Gabrielle walked into the lair. Gabrielle's jaw dropped as she walked in, she silently floated in awe.
'Welcome home my sons.' Master Splinter emerged from his room, a slight frown visible on his face. His walking stick tapped the ground hard as Leo and Mikey turned so that Splinter could see Don, 'What has transpired in your jaunt to the surface? And who is this?' Splinter walked to Donny as he gestured to Gabrielle, still lost in her own world.
'She did this, Master Splinter. But it was for the good, if she hadn't well, I don't really know what happened. Why don't we ask her?' Mikey piped up,
'When addressing someone, Michelangelo, it is proper to say their name.'
'Sorry Sensei, this is Gabrielle. The foundation of that ominous influence we heard looming above the streets of New York…' Mikey stopped as Leo and Raph faced him, eyes wide in shock, 'What, Donny is the only one who can use big words?' Leo was the foremost to recuperate from Mikey's extravagant use of hefty verbal skills,
'We met her topside, but she is being stalked by the Shredder, so we felt it was best to let her stay down here for the time being, I hope that is okay with you Sensei?'
'Of course my son, she is welcome to stay with us.' Raph silently slipped away and brought Gabrielle back down to earth, actually under earth, you get my drift. He steered her over to Master Splinter,
'I thank you for the chance to prove my honour and trustworthiness, Master Splinter.' She said clasping her hands and bowing in sign of respect
'Of course you are most welcome, but first I would like to know how the Shredder came into your life. Why don't we sit down, Leonardo, Michelangelo, please put your brother down in his room. Raphael, make some tea please,' the three turtles hurried off to do as they were bidden as Splinter led Gabrielle to the sofa in front of the many TV screens. Soon Raph returned with a tray full of teacups and a big pot of tea. He set it down in front of Master Splinter and took a seat across from Gabrielle as Leo and Mikey returned. When they too took a seat, Splinter poured the tea into the cups
'Well, what has happened to you that the Shredder is seeking you?' He announced as he passed the teacups around to the group
'Where do I begin?' Gabrielle wondered as she curled up on the sofa
'The beginning would be best,'
'Okay, as far back as I can remember, I lived with my parents in Japan, but I was born in New Zealand. I was raised in Japan because my father's family lived there. One day the Foot invaded our remote village at the foot of a mountain. My mother told me to run for cover deep in the woods. She gave me a weapon and made me promise to stay hidden. Of course I ran for it, but I loved my family and hid on the outskirts of the forest.
'I could see all that was going on, but I was too afraid to help. My father and his brother were the first to fall under the Shredder's onslaught; my mother and my aunt were next. Then they burned down the house, with my grandparents still inside. I never saw them again, before I knew what was happening some Foot came behind my and took me to the Shredder.
'Then I became his adopted daughter, he trained me in the way of the ninja, but then he learned of my power and tried to use me for evil, I ran away.' At this Gabrielle stopped and pulled her black over coat closer around her. The turtles and Master Splinter were sitting quietly and sipping their tea away slowly
'Sounds like you had quiet the experience,' Splinter said after a long and awkward silence in the group.
'Sounds terrible, I can't imagine growing up with Shred-head' Mikey commented looking shocked
'Sounds a lot like someone else we know, Gabrielle; you don't know Karai do you? She was another person who grew up with Shredder?' Leo asked softly
'Yes, I have met her once in a while. She helped me though,' Gabrielle answered
'Helped you with what?' Raph questioned
'I know that you are the Shredder's enemies, and he has trained me to kill you. Karai help me to understand that you can't judge a book by its cover.'
'Meanin' what exactly?' He pushed
'That I shouldn't kill someone with out knowing their true intentions. When I met you and saw your concern for your family, I knew that this is what Karai meant. The Shredder is the one that should be killed, for he is no ninja, only a dishonourable man hiding behind a metal suit.'
'Hold it,' Mikey interrupted, 'If you can put people into a coma with your voice, why didn't you just stop the Shredder yourself?'
'Well he took that into account and Baxter Stockman gave him a pair of earplugs that stop him from hearing my voice.'
'So now, that brings us here to this moment,' Gabrielle concluded, the three turtles and Splinter sat in silence. Minutes turned to half hours, and the five of them just sat in silence. Gabrielle soon got tired and fell asleep on the couch. Once Splinter had concluded that she was definitely asleep, he motioned to his three sons. He led them to the dojo, once inside; Splinter slid the door shut with a tiny click.
'Well Sensei, what do we do?' Leo asked softly
'We can do nothing but wait. You will take Gabrielle on your rounds, and we will let The Shredder make the first move. Until that time, we will act like she is family.'
'So you don't think she's lyin' to us?' Raph questioned
'No, there was honesty in her eyes, as well as fear, she truly possess great distaste for our common enemy. Of course this matter deserves further insight, I will meditate so more on this issue. Goodnight my sons, and make sure that your brother does not get a 'confusing' revelation, when he pulls out of his sleep.' With that, Master Splinter lest the dojo leaving his sons to ponder the task at hand.
'AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGG' The horrified yell that erupted throughout the lair.