A Sense of Family

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

Chapter Thirteen: Breaking Rules

AIDEN:

Finally I was allowed freedom from the lair, from every tedious, dirty grunt job dad could find for me. All because I had tried to protect my little sister from that Foot Soldier. Some gratitude!

Kali and I had decided to take a walk through the sewers, but I was getting bored of the concrete tunnels, the pipes, the sludge that we had to go through in spots, so I turned and gave a devilish grin to my sister "Let's go topside for a bit" I suggested.

Kali paused in her steps and glared at me, "We aren't allowed Aiden haven't you had enough trouble recently as is?" she protested.

"Sure were 'lowed" I insisted.

"At night we are for training as long as we are with dad or one of our uncles Aiden, but it is only midafternoon" Kali corrected a smug look on her face, "I know what we can do Aiden we can go visit with Rama for a bit."

Kali tried to make this sound like a wonderful trip, like we were going some place fun instead of something that was the exact opposite. I made a face at her suggestion and rolled my eyes. Rama again! I was getting awful sick of hearing about her, and now even mom had fallen under that traitor's spell. "Kali, Rama your so called friend is a Foot. She is loyal to them, not to us. If she was loyal to us she wouldn't be trying to kill dad or uncle Raph all the time" I snapped irritably, "A leopard can't change its spots and Ramiela is never going be any thing more than our enemy" I declared emphatically.

Kali glowered at me, a hard stern look coming to her face, as she crossed her arms over her plastron "You listen to Uncle Raphael far too much Aiden. Give Rama a chance. She did help us escape Yukio, and he was going kill all of us."

"She said she did it for Uncle Mike, and he is the only one she even cares about, the rest of us are nothing to her." I reminded her.

"Aiden Rama is supposed to be part of our family. It isn't her fault she was captured and tortured. She isn't to blame for what she had to do, to live." Kali pleaded.

"She could have committed seppuku" I suggested.

Kali shook her head, "She was seven years old. She didn't know about it. She was just a kid looking for someone to help her, to be her dad, when she knew her own dad was lost to her. She can't help how she was raised or the fact that most of her choices in her life was dictated by obeying her clan leader or suffering the consequences."

I shook my head not wanting to listen to this sob story again, about how Rama had it so hard, about all she suffered. Hell Yukio was rich he had more money then any one person had a right to have, and Rama got to live topside and be given special treatment, I think that was fair payment for all she 'suffered'. Besides we've been through lots too, but nobody seemed to worry about that. I sighed as I looked at my sister she was miffed all right.

"I'll make you a deal Kali, we go topside for a bit, just a few minutes" I pleaded, "and after that I'll visit Rama for a few minutes but if I don't like Rama after that, then you can't bug me about it any more okay?" I suggested in lieu of a compromise.

I saw a spark come to her blue eyes and a large smile crossed her face, "You promise to give Rama a fair chance Aiden?"

"Ninja honour" I vowed solemnly.

Kali beamed "Well...I guess it really wouldn't hurt to go topside, just for a little" she relented.

"Sure just five to ten minutes sis, nothing will happen" I hastened to assure her as I scrambled for the nearest safe exit with Kali close behind.

I knew Kali would agree with me if I promised to visit with Rama. Much as I hated her and wanted nothing to do with Ramiela, I could find a way to keep my word and still avoid liking that Foot Soldier, Kirra, Yukio had called her. I found out that name meant dark lady, Yukio had named her well. I was already formulating a plan for my visit. I could go there and refuse to talk, or spend my time with Uncle Mike, or shortly after getting there find an excuse to cop out and leave. Yeah there had to be plenty of ways to visit Rama and leave shortly after.

Uncle Raphael knew what he was talking about, he knew that all of her training was to hate us and to destroy us, she was a ticking time bomb and one night we might wake up only to find Kirra had changed sides yet again, and this time she would bring death down upon all of us. I often had dreams about just that and I was sure they were trying to tell me that, it was part of our future and not to trust Rama.

We emerged in an alley and swung to a fire escape, going up to the rooftops and making a few jumps to another rooftop, it was a cool fall day but the sun was shining, and it felt good to be outside feel the light breeze and the sun's warmth play across our skin. It felt good to be alive, and have a chance to escape the dire, dank sewers. This was real freedom, a freedom I could get intoxicated on. Kali inhaled and smiled my way, now that she was out here she was enjoying the day, and starting to relax.

Kali was like that, she tried to obey the rules, but she did have a tendency to enjoy breaking them once in a while too. We laid down on a rooftop and talked about school, and life itself and oh all kinds of things, some of it being just nonsense. It was nice, and I felt content.

As the sun began to sink Kali rose from her prone position "Let's get back now Aiden, we've been topside too long" she fretted as if just realizing the sinking sun had betrayed us.

"A few more minutes Kali" I protested, not wanting to head back to the shadows just yet.

"No Aiden it will be dinner time soon. We were only supposed to stay a few minutes, and we must have been up here close to an hour now" she announced, then as an after thought cut in "You owe me a visit with Rama now."

"What right NOW?" I demanded, "Mom and dad will be worried if we aren't back in time for dinner" I stated as I stood up and casually stretched.

"I know that" Kali fumed a bit, " I mean you owe it to me later on and I'm not going accept any excuses or hesitation on your part Aiden" She informed me sharply, sounding like dad when he went on one of his lecturing rants.

"Thanks for the warning" I muttered cynically as we headed back towards the back alley.

Kali paused and glanced back over her shoulder shading her eyes with a hand, as she looked in the direction of the setting sun, as if she was opposed to leaving too, in spite of the fuss she had kicked up about it.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought I saw something, moving" she confessed as she shrugged her shoulders, " I must have been mistaken though. Because I don't see anything now."

I looked in the direction she'd been looking and others as well, I didn't see anything but with the sun in my eyes it was hard to tell, perhaps it was only the suns rays bouncing off something that caught her attention, either that or sister was jumping at shadows. "I don't see any thing" I reported. "Hurry up Kali, I really have no interest in getting grounded again, not when I just got off it." I scrambled down to the back alley with Kali following me.

Soon as I hit the alley floor I sensed something, we had been moving silently enough, but my body tensed as I felt something was, not right. Kali felt it as well, for she instantly stood with her back to mine, and both of us reached for our weapons.

From the shadows of the alley ten Foot soldiers emerged from various hiding spots, a pile of rubbish against a brick wall, from in a dumpster, from out of the sewer. I craned my head upward and saw others coming down from fire escapes and watching from the nearby rooftops. They seemed to be coming out of every where all at once.

"So the information we received was correct" One Foot murmured with delight.

I figured there was only one person who could or would inform on us. Ramiela had betrayed us, and even worse was the fact that she would make Kali and I just disappear much as the Foot had made her vanish as a child. Rama, Kirra had done this. She had warned her comrades where to find us, and how to get a hold of us. Nine times out of ten our bodies would be left as a message or we'd be used to bait a trap to ensnare the rest of the family. I hated Kirra even more now. I would never ever accept her as part of our family.

I glared at the soldiers as they closed in around us and spoke in a low whisper to Kali, speaking in Japanese, in hopes that if any of the soldiers heard my words they wouldn't know what I was saying. Most of the American Foot soldiers, didn't speak Japanese.

"Kali if either of us can get away. Just keep running and go for help as fast as possible." I urged.

Kali shook her head "Iie" she insisted. ( No).

"Kali it might be the only way, we have to do it" I ordered.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat "All right Aiden but I don't like it" she complained.

KALIANN:

My heart was pounding under my plastron and I felt so afraid. Inwardly I berated myself for allowing Aiden to talk me into going topside in the first place, and after getting up here permitting myself to lose track of time. We had fought the Foot before, it wasn't that new to us, it was just Aiden and I had never had to handle them on our own before. We always had a family member backing us up, there to help us or protect us a bit from the main skirmish.

Knowing Aiden he probably felt he could handle these guys alone, but I wasn't that confident.

I knew he had made a valid point about one of us getting away to tell the family, but for one of us to escape would mean leaving the other in the hands of the enemy, and it felt wrong to abandon a family member that way, even if it was just to get help.

I glanced at my four foot jo staff wishing that perhaps it had a spear head on one end or something to make it a bit more handy with the odds. Not that I felt uncomfortable with a staff, I knew I could kill with it. I had before, it was just it took so much more to do so, then with a sword. I focused my thoughts for a moment, trying to concentrate on what was to come, doing my best to recall all my lessons in the final minute before they lunged in closing all around me.

One soldier dropped a smoke bomb and I tried not to inhale, just in case there was something in it that might endanger us, but not them, after all our bodies were a bit different, and the Foot were aware of this and often used it to their advantage. I hoped Aiden was careful about it too.

The smoke was thick and made it harder to see where an attack was coming from or what was going on around me. I didn't have much time to reach out too far with my senses, because it might distract me from the warning bells that chimed inwardly when ever I felt a strike coming. I bumped against the wall of a building realizing that in the fray, Aiden and I had become separated. I turned so my back was against the wall, to face my attackers.

For some reason the smoke refused to leave, but I swore there was less of the Foot hassling or hindering me. I fought back harder, knocking them back where I could. When the smoke finally vanished, I couldn't see any sign of the Foot or my brother having been in the alley. Aiden was gone.

"Aiden?" I called out frantically wondering if he'd gotten hurt in the battle and hidden somewhere. Though a part of me all ready denied that possibility. No most of the Foot had captured Aiden, in a short time of us being separated, and the others kept me busy so I wouldn't follow.

Suddenly realizing how alone I was, I scrambled for the sewers. I wanted to get home and tell my parents. I wanted to run as fast as my feet would take me for I knew Aiden needed help and the sooner we could get organized the better.

My ninja training kicked in though reminding me that a Foot Soldier or two might be lingering in the sewers waiting for the chance to follow me back to the others. That warning was enough for me to catch my breath and realize I couldn't go running home, not just yet at any rate.

I purposely acted like I wasn't paying any attention, trying to act like I was running pell mell thought the sewers towards home, so that any trackers would be hard pressed to keep up with me in my head long flight, but at the same time making it easy for them to trail me. After a while I silenced my movement and cut through a different pipe after laying a false trail, then doubled back around to watch the way I had come. Sure enough two Foot soldiers came slinking along following my trail.

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from crying out in anger and frustration. Aiden needed my help, I had to get home. I didn't have time for this. But I knew I had to make time or anything we might have gained would be lost. It seemed to take forever for me to ditch the Foot soldiers and then to make my way home and know for sure that I wasn't being followed. But I was so jumpy at that point I was quite certain that I was being trailed none the less.

All I could think of was how late it had to be getting, how worried my parents must be by now with both Aiden and I missing and so many things I really didn't even want to begin thinking of. I practically sobbed in relief when I saw our home ahead. I dodged through the door and bumped, literally into my dad, who was suited up and looked ready to come out looking for us.

"Kali where have you been, and where is your brother?" he demanded sharply, and that was the nicest, most welcoming sound I'd heard for so long.

I started to sob in spite of myself, I was unable to prevent the tears, but through my choked cries I managed to inform him "The Foot captured Aiden and took him away."

TBC