Beginning: Part Eight
Day Four II

Alisa stood stiffly, trying not to let her fear show through. The Japanese man got to his feet with graceful ease, and walked to her. He stopped within a few feet, and regarded her almost thoughtfully. The same slight smile from earlier was on his lips.

"You have managed to elude my men and I for quite some time," he spoke in his accented voice quietly, "I am impressed."

Alisa merely swallowed, and then found the courage to answer. "You killed my family, and you were going to kill me. I don't understand. Who are you to do such a thing?"

"I am Oroku Saki, and it was an unfortunate misunderstanding," he replied, the smile never leaving his face, "I was there only to retrieve you, but your parents, like the fools they were, protected you."

Alisa felt her eyes water with tears, but she blinked them away. He started walking around her in a slow circle, regarding her like a stalking lion would his next meal. She began to tremble slightly in spite of her efforts to remain calm.

"You are unique, young Alisa," he continued, stopping to face her again, "You have a rare gift, a natural affinity for the martial arts, and a strong spirit. You would serve me well."

For a moment, Alisa was too shocked to reply. What did he mean by rare gifts? Serve him? Serve him how? By working for the Foot? She started growing angry now, fury raging inside her at the very notion. She could never be with someone so evil and corrupt.

"I will never serve you," she hissed.

Saki's smile faded into a frown. "You dare defy me?" His voice was no longer quiet. It had changed into a low growl.

Alisa stood resolute, her head held proudly. "I am. I could never serve someone so dishonorable."

His expression suddenly turned into a snarl. "You are like the turtle creature, the one called Leonardo. He also defied me, and he faced my punishment once. You shall have the pleasure of the same."

Saki picked up a metal claw, and slipped the strap of the strange gauntlet onto his hand. Suddenly, he struck out with it, slashing deep in her right arm. Alisa screamed, and fell to her knees from the pain. She clutched at her arm, blood streaming heavily through her fingers.

Saki stood above her, ready to deliver the next blow.

Naturally it was at this moment that the Turtles made their entrance. They crashed through the vent in the ceiling, while L and Casey stayed behind and surveyed the situation. It killed L to see this man do something like that to Alisa, but she knew she had no chance in stopping him. She'd leave that to the experts.

Leonardo unsheathed his katanas the instant he landed. He made a strike at Saki, who defended the blow quickly with his claw. Leonardo swept his other sword, and the blade caught the man in the arm, drawing blood. Saki snarled, and sent a kick at Leonardo, which pushed him back a little. It was enough for the Japanese man to escape, and a hidden chamber opened up in the wall as he ran.

Leonardo gave chase, but with Saki's head start, he couldn't catch up.

"This is not yet over, Turtle!" he roared, as the panel closed, "I will have her!"

Leonardo sheathed his swords, growling in frustration and anger that he had failed to kill him. He then turned to where his brothers, Casey, and L were gathered around Alisa, and his rage gave away to worry. Alisa was sobbing quietly, all efforts to remain brave were gone. Blood was flowing like a river from her arm, and leaving a puddle on the floor. They needed to get her out fast for medical treatment.

"Donny, you take Alisa," Leonardo ordered. "Let's get out of here now."

"Can you... fix her? Shouldn't we take her to the emergency room?" L was trying her hardest not to panic. Instead she turned to Alisa and spoke in the calmest voice she could muster. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry I fell asleep Alisa."

"Come on, we need to get her into the van," Donatello said, he too speaking as calmly as he could. "The cut's pretty deep and she's losing a lot of blood... I'm not sure this is something we can take care of Leo."

Leo was cursing himself inwardly for letting Alisa get hurt. If he'd just moved quicker this wouldn't have happened.

"Leo? Are you coming bro?" Raphael asked before following his Donatello.

He looked up to see the rest of them were already out of the room.

Leo hurried to catch up with them.

"It's okay, L," Alisa answered her, weakly trying to assure her friend, "It's not your fault."

She closed her eyes, feeling drowsy and detached. Donatello's plastron was kind of hard, but it gave her a sort of comfort. She knew she was safe now. A brief thought of Leonardo passed her mind before she was succumbed to darkness.

In the van Casey sped to the emergency room, easily motivated once he saw how much blood Donatello was now wearing. By now L was in the back of the van keeping a close eye on Alisa, whose breathing was steady but becoming shallow. She had no doubt that if they were to make it to the hospital soon she'd be okay but if they took too long...

Involuntarily L let out a sob and once it started she couldn't stop. Her entire body was soon shaking and even she was aware this couldn't be good for Alisa's fragile health.

Knowing by L's reaction to Raph's touch earlier that he'd probably get yelled at, Donatello put an arm around her, gently pulling her towards him while he signaled Leo to hold Alisa.

L didn't struggle; in fact she simply collapsed into Donatello, neither really realizing she was burying her face in her friend's blood. Meanwhile Leo held Alisa in a protective grasp. When he bent down to check her pulse no one heard what he whispered.

"I'm sorry..."

Leo felt bit of relief once he had detected Alisa's pulse, and found it was weak, but still steady. However, it did nothing to ease his guilt.

"She's fighting," he said, softly, "Her spirit is very strong."

The second the van stopped Casey was out and opening the back door, carefully accepting Alisa from Leo's arms. L felt useless watching the limp body of her best friend being passed around like a doll. She made a motion to go with Casey but he was gone as soon as he had a firm grip on Alisa and Raph shut the van's doors.

"What are you doing? I have to go with them!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Raphael said. "Look at yourself."

For the first time L looked down and noticed her shirt was drenched in blood. She was unaware that her face looked quite similar. "So?"

"So they'll ask questions. It's bad enough that they're going to want to know what happened and Casey will have to come up with an answer."

L backed away from Donatello and pressed her back against the van's wall. "She's my best friend..."

"It's not your fault L," Donatello said softly. "And it's not yours either Leo."

"Yeah, we guys can't blame yourself for what the Foot does." Mikey was used to being the funny guy but it was different when you were actually comforting people. He always felt a little uncomfortable in those situations.

Raphael eventually nodded. "They're right you know."

The five waited in silence hoping that Casey would return soon with news.

---

Alisa moaned softly, and slowly peeled her eyes open, blinking them a few times to clear her slightly blurred vision. She found she was in a bed, and dressed in a thin white cotton gown. She looked around the room, but as far as she could tell, she was alone. For a moment, she was confused, and couldn't remember what happened until she tried to move her right arm. Severe pain surged through her nerves, causing her to give a short wail of agony, and the memories came rushing back along with it. She remembered Oroku Saki, and their talk together. Then came the fiery pain, and blood; a lot of blood. She also had a vague recollection of her rescue.

She glanced at her arm. It was thickly laden with bandages and gauze, and nearly covered her entire arm up to her shoulder. Oroku Saki had done this. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she began to sob. At least she was still alive, but the Foot had left their mark on her once again.

---

Casey returned to the van what easily could have been hours later, no one really had any idea how long it had actually been. He slid into the front seat and turned to see those behind him. The back of the van was a mess, blood was smeared everywhere including all over Donatello, Leonardo and L.

"She's gonna be okay," he assured everyone. "They're gonna keep her over night but she'll be released tomorrow as long as her arm isn't infected or anything like that."

L had stopped crying by now but she was still sitting as far from the others as she could, and she stared at him with eyes that looked like they could begin to cry again at any moment. "I want to see her. Is she awake?"

"She wasn't when I was there but she might be now, I dunno. Why don't you come back to my place to get cleaned up and we'll come back then? You shouldn't go in there covered in blood."

L nodded. "I need my clothes... our apartment... it's..."

"It would probably be a good idea to get some clothes and stay with Casey for a little while," Donatello suggested. "If Saki is going to come after Alisa again you two shouldn't be in your apartment."

"Yeah I got a couch you two can-"

"Casey!"

"Er... right, sorry. You girls can take my bed." He sighed. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Thank you," L said quietly. "All of you. This means so much to me, and to Alisa too obviously. It sounds weird I guess but she's really all I have."

"Nuh uh! Now you have us too!" Michelangelo said with a smile.

L smiled back at him, and even managed a tiny laugh.

"You wanna come up here?" Casey asked, motioning to the passenger seat. "It's gotta be more comfortable then back there."

L climbed into the passenger's seat and buckled herself in. Casey started the van and they drove back to her apartment in silence.

---

After a while, Alisa cried herself weary, and fell asleep. When she awakened again, a nurse was pattering around the room. The woman was setting up a wheeled cart near the bed. Alisa watched her quietly as she worked.

The woman noticed the young girl was awake, and smiled warmly at her. "Feeling better?" she asked.

Alisa gave a silent nod, and the nurse looked pleased. "Good. Do you feel well enough to eat? I have brought you some dinner."

Only now did Alisa realize how hungry she was. "Yes," she answered, softly.

The nurse removed the cover off a tray on the cart, and revealed a full course meal from the hospital's cafeteria. It smelled delicious. The woman arranged the food for Alisa to reach easily.

"If you need anything, just press this button here." The nurse directed Alisa's attention on the control box of the bed to the nurse call button. "Someone will come to assist you."

The woman smiled at her, and then walked towards the door.

"Oh, and you have a couple of visitors," she added, as she stepped out of the room.

Alisa looked up as L walked into the room with Casey hanging slightly behind.

"I'm gonna go... see if I can find a snack or something," he said, suddenly feeling like he was intruding. "Want anything?"

"No thank you Casey," Alisa replied with a small smile.

L was too busy trying not to have a total breakdown again to even bother hearing him. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Tired," Alisa sighed.

She closed her eyes then, and used her good arm to cover her face with her hand.

"I'm so sorry, L," she whispered.

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she gasped out a soft sob. "I-I just don't understand why."

"You're sorry? Sorry about what? I'm the one who fell asleep. I'm the one who should be sorry." She laughed, somewhat bitterly. "I guess it's natural to feel guilty. Leonardo is really beating himself up about you getting hurt."

Alisa was surprised at this information, and looked up at L. "Why? It's not his fault."

She shook her head. "It is my fault, and now I've dragged more people that shouldn't be into this mess."

"Babe, I was gonna be in it if you liked it or not. And you didn't drag them into it they got themselves into it... it's what they do, they help people. Hell, by the end of the night even Raphael wasn't giving me a hard time anymore. And Leonardo... he feels like he let you down. I know I've joked a lot about you having a thing for him but I'm serious when I say it seems he really cares for you, even though you guys just met." She shrugged.

"I dunno, maybe it's just me. I'm serious though, all jokes aside. And if so, you're a lucky girl. He'll do his best to protect you from now on."

Alisa looked sad, absently fingering the edge of the blanket. "L, I'm grateful you look out for my best interests, as I do for you, but I don't think Leonardo and I can be anything more than friends."

She sounded certain, but deep inside her heart, she dared to feel a sense of hope it would be otherwise. She sighed heavily.

"I do appreciate that he is worried for me," she said, softly.

She reached for the dinner roll lying in its container on the tray then, and began nibbling on it.

"Well I wouldn't worry about any of that just yet. You gotta get to know him before you start with the 'just friends' bit girl!"

Now she was back to her good natured teasing. "And whether it's this thing with the Foot or the whole different species thing that's making you say that... well either one is just a silly excuse but I'll let you keep thinking it for now."

She looked around the room. It had been the first time she'd been in a hospital since she left her parents house, and she wasn't entirely thrilled about being there.

"Oh, we're gonna be able to take you home tomorrow!"

Alisa smiled. "That's good. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

She took a bigger bite of the piece of bread, and chewed thoughtfully. She glanced at L again.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, "Do you want anything on this tray?"

"No I'm fine, I'm not really hungry. Besides, I shouldn't eat your food, you're the one who got the crap kicked out of you by some eccentric gay bastard. Seriously have you seen the building he lives in? There is no way a man who inhabits a building like that is straight. No freakin' way!"

Alisa laughed. "I think his sexuality hardly matters, L."

She grew quiet a moment later, and her expression turned serious again. "He's an evil man, L. Pure evil."

She shivered as she remembered how frightened she was in his presence.

"Well they'll get him... and if they can't they'll at the very least protect you to the best of their ability, and from what I've seen they're pretty damn able. Oh, and we're staying at Casey's for a little while. It's a bit of a mess but... oh."

She remembered that Alisa hadn't heard what happened to their apartment. "Um... when I woke up and you were gone I went back to our apartment and... it was trashed. The door was open, things were ripped up, broken, thrown all over the place... I don't know if it was related to you disappearing, if someone was trying to make a statement or what. But Donatello thought it would be a good idea if we stayed with Casey for a little while."

Alisa felt she had been punched in the stomach. As if things weren't bad enough already, they no longer had a home to go to. It was just like that night two years ago all over again.

She was so sick of crying, but she dissolved into tears once more.

Carefully L put her arms around her friend, being extra careful not to hurt her. "It's going to be okay Alisa, I promise. Casey's place isn't that bad and hey... he has cable. We were always talking about wanting to find another place to live anyway."

She knew her attempts were horrible but she was trying to make Alisa feel better anyway. "In a few months I'm sure everything will be back to normal, hell a few weeks maybe."

Alisa sniffled, wiping her eyes with the palm of her good hand. She gave a shuddering breath.

"I-I hope so," she choked out.

She wasn't hungry anymore, and set the forgotten half-eaten roll back on the tray. She closed her eyes, and emotionally and physically exhausted, she fell asleep nearly in L's arms.

The last thing L wanted to do was leave, but unfortunately by the time Casey had come back the nurse was insisting that Alisa get some rest. Reluctantly she helped the nurse move Alisa to the bed without waking her, and after saying a quiet goodbye she turned to leave.

"I believe your friend will be ready to be discharged tomorrow morning," the nurse said, catching up with L and Casey in the hall. "She seems to be doing fine, we just wanted to monitor her just in case."

L nodded. "Yeah, she lost a lot of blood... I know."

"Do you know what happened to her? I don't want to pry but... well this sort of thing looks a little suspicious, you understand."

"She's into martial arts and she's learning to use swords... it didn't go so well," L lied. She knew Alisa would be mortified at the tale but hopefully she wouldn't have to find out. Either way it was better than telling the truth. Thankfully the nurse bought it.

L fell asleep in the van on the way home, and Casey ended up carrying her upstairs and putting her into bed. He shook his head and sighed as he turned the light off and headed for the couch. He thought his life was complicated before, now things were getting even crazier.