Dream Walker

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Author's Notes: My thanks to all my reviewers you are appreciated and you spur me on in a good way; Pacphys, Chibi Rose Angel, Lunar Ninja, Reinbeauchaser, Jessiy, Bear, Goddess of Twilight. Thanks ever so much!

Chapter Seventeen- Between duty and love.

Raphael:

It didn't look good for Splintah, not good at all. I just wanted to go out and make Akuma pay for what he'd done to our Master.

I watched as Leo tenderly handed the limp form to Don, "Do what you can for him Don, but do it quickly" he ordered briskly, though I saw Leo swallow hard as he spoke, his voice shook ever so slightly.

Mike bowed his head looking away, and I could see he didn't want to see the blood that was pooling out of our Master.

Jennifer stood up shaking her head "What are you talking about Leo, he is your father, surely you can't possibly be considering going after Akuma," she challenged in disbelief, "If you stay here you might prevent his death, but if you leave" She paused trembling and tears welled up in her eyes a couple fought free rolling down her cheek, "Don't you understand what is at stake?"

"I understand very well" Leo assured her calmly, as he watched Don packing Splinter away, "But we have a job to do."

Poor Jen looked as if Leo had just changed into some cruel heartless vindictive creature, with no feeling, "H..How can you say that? After all he has done for you?" She sputtered, "He is your father and you are going to just leave him here, knowing that without proper care he could…" She paused then choked out the words "die?"

Leo glanced up at her, I could see my brother's pain, we all cared for Splinter, hell how could we not? Her accusations were unfounded and I was feeling the intense urge to put Jennifer into her place, but Leo and Splinter had always shared a special bond.

They were more than father and son, sure Leo was the favoured child, the one who curried our Master's favour and well wishes, but he also had to learn how to lead and take on the burden of things when Splinter wasn't around to do it.
"We have to get rid of Akuma and we must do so quickly" Leo declared, he gave a sad wistful smile, "A dream within a dream, seems you were right again."

Mike shook a bit at his words, "You really did see this happening to him?" he gasped, "But if that was so why couldn't you have, why couldn't we have stopped it?"

"He doesn't have to though, if we leave Akuma alone" Jennifer protested.

Mike's eyes lit briefly with hope but then he shook his head, even he knew we couldn't do that, Mike gave a small faint smile "We can't do that Jen, it isn't what heroes do." He told her.

I looked at my brothers and I knew someone had to lay it on the line and get Jennifer on the same page we were on because we still needed her help in the matter ahead.

"Look Jennifer, Splinter knew the risks of facing Akuma, we all do. But if we stay here then Akuma will end up harming some other innocent and we can't have that. Not to mention if Splintah lives he'll be lecturin' us about how disappointed he is in the lot of us for seein' ta him instead of taking care of business."

"He wouldn't do that" Jen insisted, "He cared for you, now it is time to care for him!"

"We are gonna care for him Jen but the way Splinter wants us ta." I declared simply. "Going after Akuma now has nuthin' whatever to do with whether Splinter lives or dies. It has every thing to do with honour and our way of life. If we honour Splinter we go after Akuma and finish the task we alone can do. If we don't honour him we stay here allowing the demon to grow stronger, and giving it a chance to hurt others." I pointed out sharply, "If we don't go after Akuma we will lose all honour in Splinter's eyes, and I ain't gonna be disgraced that way in front of my father!" I declared as I crossed my arms over my plastron.

"He is family isn't his life more important then killing Akuma? If it was me. I would be doing everything for him" She sobbed, "Akuma can wait, Splinter's life is worth far more then a thousand Akumas."

Leo smiled as he pulled her gently into his embrace, giving me a stern look shaking his head. "You have known him a short time Jennifer, but you care for him. Think then how hard it is for all of us, who have grown up with him, lived with him, learned from him." Leo took a deep breath, "If you think this is an easy choice for us you are wrong, because it is the hardest thing, any of us are going have to do, is to turn our back on the one we care for and leave him to his fate so, we can do what we have to."

"But how can you do it Leo, I don't understand, I don't want to…it was all my fault he was hurt to begin with." Jennifer sobbed as her body slumped in his arms.

"No Jennifer, you are still new to your ability and it takes time to control any new ability. I know this well, everything, whether a hobby or a martial arts move or even an accomplishment of the mind comes only with practice." He assured her, "Splinter knew what he was facing, we all do. But if we leave it now then we may lose far more then Splinter and our own respect, we may end up losing others we care for. This isn't just about duty Jennifer."

Jennifer pulled back seeing that Leo meant to see this insanity of his through, he wasn't going to cave in and back down.

"Mike help them to see reason" She begged, "that…"

Mike shrugged, "I've never been very reasonable." He admitted, "Look at it this way Jen, every since we were kids Splinter has taught us about ninjitsu. Part of ninjitsu is having a sense of honour. If we stay here we might save Splinter, and so honour our father and that would be a good thing" Mike agreed, "But in doing that we allow Akuma a chance to realize that we have a weakness and that by harming those we love can lead us to leave him alone, it can decide to pick us off one by one. Splinter wouldn't be happy to see that."

I grinned "Mikey is right Jen, Splinter knows what he trained us for, if he dies he should die with all the honour and respect a ninja can have, and that means he has to die knowing his death was worthwhile."

"No death is worth it" Jennifer raged whirling on me, her hands balled by her side a hard look on her tear streaked face.

"No but death can be worthwhile if you die saving a life then your death could be worth it, you're a hero then. You give yourself; everythin you are for someone else it can make a difference. If Splinter dies in the battle to stop Akuma then he has died a warrior's death." I explained, "He has died the way he lived and all of us will remember that." I paused, "On the other hand if he dies even after us stayin' here and doing all we can, well then his death don't mean so much. You have taken away his honour and made his death make no difference. Splinter don't look good" I gulped bowing my head unable to go on.

I knew, I think we all knew in our hearts that Splinter was going die whether we stayed here or we didn't it wouldn't matter in the end, because we were going lose him. His death now was inevitable as the changing of the seasons or the night following day.

Mike sniffed a bit and walked away to find a new sword to replace the one he had lost in the dream world; he didn't want to think about the inevitable. I could sense his pain.

Jennifer scowled at the lot of us, "Fine you want to go, then go turn your back on him" She ranted at us, "But I'm staying with him."

Leo got up and he took her by the shoulders turning her to face him, "We need your help Jennifer we can't do this alone. Try to understand that Splinter would want us to stop Akuma. There is little we can do for him, we can ease his pain a bit and bandage his wounds, but he is hurt badly, so whether he lives or dies depends mostly upon him" Leo informed her gently, "Akuma must be stopped. Splinter was sure that the only way to do it was to attack him quickly once in the dream world and once in real life. If we don't move quickly we are back to square one."

Jennifer dropped to the mats in the dojo, huddling into a fetus position and crying in heart breaking despair, "But I can't. I'm not like you. I'm not a warrior."

Leonardo:

I could tell Raph was trying to hide his pain behind the walls he built up around him, I could see Mike doing his best not to cry, not to break down or give in, I knew for once his gift of words and his usual light hearted ways had been dampened by the events of our battle.

My own heart ached and I truly wanted to do nothing more then stay by Splinter's side until he was out of harms way or had slipped once and for all into the other world, but I knew it couldn't be.

I also knew I had to convince Jennifer to stay with us and see things through no matter how callous we must be sounding to her at this point of time.

"You are not a warrior Jennifer, and not trained to be one" I admitted as I dropped to my knees beside her draping an arm over her, "But you have a power and ability all your own that I can only marvel at." I confessed, "In old days the natives often had a shaman or a person in their tribe who understood the ways of dreams, and these beings were held in high esteem by all. The Dream Walkers have always had great power and mystic that no warrior could match." I told her, "In fact many warriors feared the dream walker's power for they seemed to be all knowing. Jennifer, Splinter had faith in you, he saw a great deal in you and he knew you could help us finish Akuma." I paused catching my breath, it hurt to talk this way of Splinter when I knew his life now hung in the balance, "He knew or believed what it would take to finish Akuma, but we warriors can not do it alone. We need your help, and if you truly love our Master, as I feel you do, you will honour his wish to rid the world of Akuma even if it means losing him in doing so." I felt my voice choke up and had to fight to keep my own tears from falling, now was not the time, or place to give into my pain. "Help us Jennifer to honour our Master, in the way he would want us to, in the way that will give him much peace and honour." I offered her my hand.

She looked up her face wet and disheveled from her tears, she looked at my proffered hand staring at it in a dull unheeding fashion as she took long deep breaths.

"We care for Splinter, we do not want to lose him but he taught us, some things are greater in life, sometimes the choice we must make must not be that for our own desires but to do the greater good." I encouraged her in a low voice, "Help us make the greater good Jen, please?"

She trembled and sniffed a bit giving me a sad haunted look as if she had no idea how she could find it in herself to turn her back on Splinter and help us.

"I assure you that this is what Splinter would want from you and us as well. You must trust us and believe in us." I urged.

"Come on Jen we started this together we need to finish it that way. Let's make sensei proud of us huh?" Mike put in, "It is what he would want from us."

Jen reached out ever so tentatively and grasped my hand as she sat up "Leo, Mike, Raph, I can only try." She whispered.

"The journey of a thousand steps begins with just one. Take one step with us" I told her as I helped her stand.

She looked up at me and took a cautious unsteady step forward, I smiled at her "Good, I know you can do this Jennifer, because I trust you and believe that together we can stop Akuma" I told her with great conviction and sincerity.

Don returned, "Splinter is resting in his room. I did all I could for a short time but it…"

"Will have to do" Mike interrupted not wanting to hear whatever else Don might say on the subject.

Don looked towards Jennifer, he went over touching her on the shoulder, "We all want to stay but the sooner we finish with Akuma the sooner we get home." He reminded us all.

Raph smiled, only it looked more like a sneer, "Let's say we do this then. Let's go finish Akuma." He declared.

We left the lair but Jennifer couldn't help but look back once, and I knew her heart like mine was back with Splinter.

"Try to clear your mind of your pain and hurt, it will only make it harder for facing Akuma now and may lead to mistakes." I advised, "You are very strong Jennifer, and I'm glad to have you with us now."

Mike smiled at her, "Welcome to being a hero, it's a hell of a life Jennifer."

TBC