Dear Readers,
Hey! What's up everyone? I know, I know. It's been such a long while since I updated; school has been all over me. I think they realize I'm trying to write this. Maybe I stumbled across something they didn't want others to know….EGADS! My School is probably run by The Foot! Save me! TT
Before they come in and silence me for good, I'll relay the next chapter.
Enjoy!
.: KareBear :.
I don't own TMNT…but I sure as hell would love to :3
"Stuck in the Middle with You"
Chapter 6
A shift of a clear H2O droplet, sent sudden vibrations to emanate from the impact and disturb the once still liquid below. The vibrations sent off in a circular pattern till they slowly lessened in power from its initial impact with the fall and the liquid once again became still.
Then the process was repeated once again.
And again.
And again.
Drip
Drip
The water fell, one by one, ever few seconds or so, and hit the clear surface of the collected water that was forming in the sink. The noise could be heard throughout the sewers. Many pipes and drains that carried the same liquid, dripped it's own waters into other unknown puddles throughout the underground system. These 'noise makers' of the sewers couldn't be seen, only heard. The noise vibrating through the many corridors, pipes, and drains of the unknown secret world of the New York sewers.
The air inside was unusually calm. Where once the sounds of a strange, yet happy family filled the sewers with a little more feeling, there was now only stillness and uneasiness.
The presence of only one figure could be felt in the hidden home of the underground vigilantes.
A being, covered in fur, wearing a stain and tattered robe, sat, legs cross, unmoving, on the floor of his sectioned off room. His eyes were shut and his body was still and motionless.
His body shrouding his true motives.
While his body remained still and strong, his mind was combing the astral channels of the mind in search of his lost son, in the hopes of connecting with him and locating his whereabouts.
He knew his son was in great danger. There was no way of truly telling as there was no evidence to prove that was in terrible parallel, but his soul was thoroughly convinced that his young son needed to be found and brought back to the safety of their home.
His mind called to the four corners of the astral connections, and beckoned the deities of the spiritual plane to add him in his search. His search, thus far, had been fruitless, but he would stand for no result but of the one he wished for.
He searched on.
Calling out.
'Michelangelo. My son. Where are you? Hear my thoughts, my son, and answer my call. Let us help you return home. Let us help you return to where you belong.'
There was silence.
Yet…something seemed to answer.
The noises of the sewers suddenly stopped.
The air became suddenly so still and tense, it seemed as death itself had walked into the abode.
'….do….do you think you can help him?'
Splinters heart froze. His mind could make up no figure. Just darkness, that answered his call. He returned the question with an answer.
'yes'
'…are you sure?…'
'yes'
'…then come and save him….save him…'
There was a sudden tightness around his forehead and his eyes snapped up. His breathed became choked, as if someone was strangling him, as he reached with quivering hands to his forehead.
'…come save him…'
With one powerful tug, and Splinters eyes rolled to the back of his head, his body stopped convulsing, and his breathe slide out from his throat like a snakes hiss.
'…from himself.'
A wise person once said that time is irrelevant.
For a child summer vacation may have felt like only a few short hours, while a moment with the girl of your dreams can feel like a lifetime.
Moments passed like centuries to the minds of three turtles that had watched as their fallen brother had been darted away in the hands of someone of dark intentions.
Thoughts ran quickly through each one's head like lyrics to a song of a common theme.
Failure.
Worry.
Self-inflection.
Doubt….
…..regret….
Leonardo was first to snap his eyes open and, with wary limbs, push himself into a standing position.
"We can't waste anymore time" he said in a calm voice that sounded was cloaked in anger. He walked over to where they both sat "Get up, we don't have time for this."
There was a long pause. Leonardo grew frustrated.
"I SAID, GET…"
"Leo,….did you see him?"
Leonardo turned towards the one who spoke. It was Donatello.
Head bent towards the earth and body still, but his eyes were wide and they trembled ever so slightly.
"Did you see him? He looked like he was…"
"Don't say it Don." Leonardo clenched his fists to hold back his anger.
"…he looked like he di…."
"I SAID DON'T SAY IT!" Leonardo's eyes shot open and his voice came out strained and horse. "WE DON'T NEED YOUR ASSUMPTIONS RIGHT NOW DON, GOT IT!"
Donatello was still looking at the ground, his eyes still slightly trembling, but as the words took hold, his eyes turned angry and he quickly stood up to become face to face with his older brother, much to this brothers surprised seeing as this was very unlike him.
"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? LIE TO MYSELF! I was there when they carried him away; I saw his face right up close. While you two were trying to catch up, I was fighting them all off and for a moment; I was able to get a hold of him. I touched his skin Leo…it was cold like ice."
"Well, you didn't do a very good job of hanging onto him did you?"
Donatello drew back every so much as he looked into his brothers darken eyes. How could he be this cruel? His lip quivered and his hands search for his boa staff.
"You….HOW DARE YOU…."
"ENOUGH!"
The word cut the air like a knife. All actions, thoughts, feelings, came to a suddenly halt as a cry came suddenly from beside them. The air was tense as the two waited for their third brother, who was still situated on the ground his eyes peering at them with the utmost contempt, to speak.
"Don't you get it? Or are you both still hang up on your own thoughts to see what's going on?" as he spoke, he slowly drew himself up. "They want you two act like this. They know what will happen when they break us apart, especially like this."
Both stood silent, soaking in this information.
"Leonardo, I know you expect to be able to do everything yourself, but you can't blame others when they tried their best, got it?"
Leonardo neither disagreed nor agreed, but only compelled with his brothers thoughts with understanding silence.
"And Don" turning towards his shaking brother "don't assume the worst. We still don't know what happened here and we can't assume the worst and expect to keep fighting for Mikey."
Donatello starred at his composed brother for a few everlasting moments, before slowly dropping his hands to his sides, his muscles relaxing as he did so.
"…I'm sorry…" Donatello spoke to them in barely a whisper
"…as am I…" Leonardo said with more conviction, his attitude adjusting with Raphael's insight "and I gotta say, I'm surprised at how calm you are Raph." Raphael only smiled as best a smile as he could, given the current situation. "Come on then. Let's head back to the liar and get some equipment, most likely we'll needed it."
The two nodded in unison and all quickly darted for the pipes that would lead them back home. Raphael stopped a moment just outside the pipe as the others went in to take a look at the orange object in his left hand.
And a moment became irrelevant; seeming to last a lifetime as memories of his goofy, kind heart brother came rushing to him.
And water began to rush to his eyes, but he quickly brushed them away as he tied the mask to his upper left arm and raced to join his brothers.
It's so dark. I can't see.
No.
Wait.
Is that a light?
It's becoming so blinding.
Am I moving or is it moving towards me?
It's so bright. I can't see.
With a sudden burst of light, all is lost to the old sensei's senses as he drifts further and further away.
"Michelangelo! Please don't believe what it says! It's trying to deceiving you!"
The angel clung to Michelangelo's chest and cried out in an imploring voice that was lost to deaf voice as the young turtle starred at the sky, listening to the voice of the void that talk of salvation.
"Do you want to trust an angel who tries to help you, but knows not even the full extent of your aliment?"
"Better an supposed angel with a little knowledge and a good heart, then an supposed angel with all the knowledge and destructive intent."
Michelangelo said these worlds with such conviction, that even the angel had to stop her pleas to listen to his words.
"I only destroy the manipulations of this creatures…" the tone directed at the angel "…beautiful prison for your mind."
"Beautiful prison?"
The angel broke out of her stare and began to call to Michelangelo again, but her voice once again fell to deaf ears, as Michelangelo slowly seemed to let his defenses down to this void.
"She may have healed you a small amount, but not even she knows how to cure you completely and what good is healing without the knowledge or power to protect yourself from this…disease again?"
"I don't…"
"You were taught of Trust, Truth, and Love, but what of life's most important lesson?"
"Life's most important…" Michelangelo's voice was soft and dulled.
"It's power! Don't you need power to trust, power to be truthful, power to love?"
"Power?…" Michelangelo was slowly losing his grip on the piece of earth that kept him on the ground as if he was slowly being intoxicated with the voids words.
"Power to trust; the power one obtains so that if trust is broken, one may have the strength to begin again. Power to be truthful; the strength to be truthful to those around you. Power to love; the power you need…to protect the one's you love."
As the void was speaking, a tiny glint of light appeared a few feet from the turtle and slowly becoming visible was the soul like form of the young turtles sensei, Master Splinter.
Master Splinter's eyes slowly peered around as if he had once been blinded and was now given his sight. He turned his slowly to gaze around him, noticing that the very powerful looking gusts of wind that seemed to be pulling everything within it's touch towards a giant black hole within the sky, did not effect him. However, as he began to expect his body and questioned why he was pale blue, white, and clear, he saw two figures, similar in color to his own, clutching to a piece of earth, but slowly one was letting go of the earth.
He starred for what seemed like hours at the two of them. One seemed to be a woman, an angel perhaps?
But the other ones shape struck him as odd, yet strangely familiar.
Still dazed from his travels, he stood in calm thought, but then a voice that sounded too familiar came from that creature's mouth.
"I want…."
Master Splinter's eyes went wide and he spoke just above a whisper. "Michelangelo?"
"I want that…"
With this dawning realization, the knowledge of the current situation came flooding with it.
"I want that power!" Michelangelo cried to the void.
The angel cried in a desperate voice. "Don't do it Mich…."
"MICHAELANGELO!"
The voice drew the attention of both the angel and the young turtle, seeming to break him out of his trance with the recognition of this new voice.
"My son! Is that you?" Mast Splinter run close, but then stopped to wait for an answer before rejoicing.
"Master…. Splinter?" His voice seemed dazed and confused and even though his master had taken on a form similar to his own, he could still recognize his presence as his old master. "How did…"
"Michelangelo, hear my words" The void spoke and Michelangelo slowly turned back to the void, still slightly under it's spell of words, as the angel began to try to turn his attention away. Master Splinter came up and clutched to his arm while speaking of how he had missed him along with many questions, but everything fell to once again to deaf ears. "Your master stands besides you now, but for how much longer? He grows weaker each day and will soon not be able to protect you, his son, your brothers, or himself. Do you wish to protect him, your values, your brothers, your friends, and yourself with your own hands?"
Michelangelo slowly turned to his Master, who seemed to be speaking, but he could hear no words. He saw the love his Master had for him and knew of the unconditional love he had for him.
"…yes…"
"Then let go of everything and come with me, I will give you power and with it salvation. Come with me."
With this Michelangelo completely let go of this earth and as he did so, a large gust of wind, larger then anything before, came to carry him away. His body limply began to float away, completely hypnotized by the beings words, but before it could get very far, hands reached out and grabbed his arms. He looked at them with have awareness as they screamed at him to awaken, and slowly his hearing came to him.
"Please Michelangelo! We've come so far!" the angel implored with what looked like glowing white tears streaming down her face "Your heart is so pure, don't be tempted like this!"
"But…" he spoke in a voice that seemed small and tried "…I want to protect them."
"Yes, you do my son, but we wish to do the same for you!" Master Splinter said in tone that sounded both caring and powerful at the same time "Right now, back on Earth, your brothers are desperately searching for you as was I, they wish to protect you, as I do right now!"
"Master…"
With a sudden burst against them, the wind became too much for them, and suddenly their grip was lost.
Time became irrelevant once again.
As the young soul was taken far away from his grasp, eternity like moments passed filled with thoughts of yesterday with his son and the master felt himself begin to cry.
Soon he was gone, and the wind seemed be getting pulled into the void as well. As it slowly began to disappear, the being in the void spoke.
"Thank you, Old Master. Without your presence, I wasn't sure he would have truly wanted to come with me. However, seeing you, wanting to protect you, has made him truly desire me and for that I thank you. Now your presence is no longer required."
With this Master began to slowly fade away and felt an inescapably strong pull, as if something was trying to drag him away.
"NO! Give me back my son!" The master cried as he tried to free himself from the invisible grasp.
"I brought you here and now I will return you to whence you came safely for servering as an aid to my wish. Besides…" and as he spoke his final words, both the void and Master Splinter disappeared "…he belongs to me now."
And a young angel was left to weep.
"Master Splinter? Master Splinter can you hear me?"
Leonardo was gently knocking on his Master's door. He had important news to tell him, but the sign on his door that told him "Meditating: Do not disturb" made him feel that he should approach him gingerly.
"Master Splinter? We don't have much time, but I have something important to tell you!" Leonardo a tad harder, hoping his Master would hear him. He decided to disregard the sign, as the news was just too important, but just as he went to turn the handle his brother came along side him.
"Leave him Leo. He's meditating, maybe getting some answers. Besides, better to come back with Mikey then to burden him with bad news."
"Guess your right." Leonardo looked at the door once more and turned away.
"Come on! Donny has the van prepped and ready to go!"
With a quick nod, the two were off and on their way to the Foot head quarters.
Time became irrelevant once more as moments passed like lifetimes, and within a matter of a few seconds of leaving, the old Master, who lay conscious on the floor, was filled with life once again. His eyes shot open and he quick gasped for as much air as his lungs would take as if he had drown in his meditative world.
He grabbed his heart and shook while trying to regain his composer. Soon the realization of what had just transpired sunk in and his eyes filled with tears.
A shift of a clear H2O mixed with salt droplet, sent sudden vibrations to emanate from the impact and disturb the once still liquid below. The vibrations sent off in a circular pattern till they slowly lessened in power from its initial impact with the fall and the liquid once again became still.
Then the process was repeated once again.
And again.
And again.
Drip
Drip
End of Chapter 6
Author Notes:
Oh my god! I am SOOOO sorry that took so long to get to everyone. I've had a lot of people tell me to get on the ball with this. You don't know how much that actually helped. Thanks guys!
Well, sorry to say ladies and gentlemen, that we're getting down to the wire here. I only have about two more chapters planned for this story, and then it will be finished.
But hey! Don't be sad!
I've got something awesome planned!
Currently in the works is a story, I believe, will blow this one out of the water! It took me a month to come up with the concept and I've got a lot of characters from the TMNT universe incorporated in it.
Stay tuned as that will actually come out fairly soon.
Well, gotta get going. Talk to you all later!