Chapter 2
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I jolted awake when I felt the hand on my shoulder, realising I must have fallen asleep. I looked up, expecting to see Donnie, or maybe even Leo or one of the girls. Instead...
"Ithiell" I managed to croak out, seeing him smile wryly at me, moving to sit down beside me. I tried to wipe the rest of the tears away, taking in my surroundings. I had run from the base, going and collapsing against a tree, curling up and just crying. I didn't know how long I was like that, but I realised the sun had just passed us in the sky. It must have been early afternoon...
"Saw you leave. Thought you might need some time before I came after you" He finally said, looking at me. He looked beyond exhausted. I felt guilt well up inside me, realising I'd really hurt everyone else by my actions... I'd have to try and make it up to them later...
"I'm honestly surprised you did" I said a little plainly, and he looked at me, obviously too tired to say anything else.
We sat there for a few minutes, before Ithiell sighing made me look up at him.
"Jade, I..." He seemed to reconsider his words, then "I know it's been hard, on both of us, but I didn't realise how hard until I saw... and heard... you earlier. I was so caught up in my own grief that I didn't realise... didn't think..."
My arms were around his shoulders before he could stop me, pulling him close and trying to stop more tears from falling. He made a strange sound, then his hands went to rest on my arm.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I know... she... you loved her so much. But..."
I pulled away, moving to get up but Ithiell gently grabbed my wrist, stopping me from going anywhere.
"Jade?"
"Ithiell, you shut me out. You shut us all out. You... you didn't let us... you didn't let me in... "
I stopped when I realised he was starting to cry, unable to hold my tears in any more and hugging him as close as I could.
We sat like that for a while, both of us crying silently on the others shoulder, holding each other as close as we could and letting out the emotions we'd probably been holding onto for months.
After what seemed like an hour, both of our cries seemed to subside a little, and Ithiell took that moment to slowly pull away from me, and the look on his face shocked me a little.
"Ithiell?"
"I'm sorry Jade, I didn't mean to shut you out. Just... the thought of Amanda being... but, we still don't know. And..." His eyes narrowed, determined now.
I opened my mouth to say something, my mind suddenly blank as I looked at his face. I hadn't seen this face in a long time.
"And doing this to ourselves isn't helping. We need to... we need to be like Robert at a time like this. We need to fight on, and win this war. For them"
He was right. Doing this to ourselves wasn't going to solve our problems, or defeat the Yeerks. As hard as it was...
"No giving up now?"
"Yeah. No giving up now"
We fell silent, and I got caught up in the noises around us, looking around, before Ithiell cleared his throat a little.
I turned to him as he put his hand on my shoulder again, looking straight into my eyes.
"Jade, I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me"
"Forgive you? What...what's there to forgive?" I asked stupidly, hugging him again. I felt like I was finally seeing the old Ithiell again.
"For being so overcome with grief I didn't see the facts. Or... or your pain"
"Don't be stupid!" I pulled back, slapping his chest a little an hearing him grunt "We all deal with things differently. You just... got busy"
"Well... no more" He stood up, a genuine smile on his face for the first time in I didn't know how long, holding out a hand for me to take.
I took it, and he helped me up with strength I didn't know he still had, now looking at me with such determination.
"Jade, I need your help"
"To do what?" I backed up a little.
"To finish the fighter, and... to help kick those nasty little slugs off this damn planet once and for all!"
I couldn't help but smile, putting a hand on his shoulder "All right, I'm in. Lets do this... for them"
He nodded, going to move away, but then turning back to me.
"Oh, but first?"
I blinked.
"Happy Birthday Jade"
I smiled "Thanks Ithiell"
"Now... let's go back and celebrate"
I let out a groan, looking up at him "Only.. if you come too, and take a break from that fighter"
"I... I can live with that" He shrugged, nodding.
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Words couldn't express how sorry I was to the others. Although... I did my hardest to say it to them... to explain and apologise.
To my utter surprise, they all seemed to accept my apology, even hearing Mikey of all people say that he understood why I flipped out like I did. Which was... a little strange coming from him, but I was grateful. They even managed to make a new cake while I was gone, and were all more than eager to still continue with the celebrations. Even though I knew I wasn't in the best mood to celebrate, I had to try for them. And over the next couple of hours, I found I was starting to finally enjoy myself.
I really did have wonderful, amazing supportive friends. Even Ithiell kept to his word, and joined in. We ate, we laughed, we even played a strange makeshift game that Kristiana and Mikey had come up with, eventually both of them getting annoyed with one another, as they couldn't agree on the rules. So, we sat and watched a movie instead.
It was then that I noticed Splinter wasn't with us, managing to untangle myself from Donnie, going to look for him. I went to the makeshift dojo he had put together, finding he was on a small podium at the back of the room. He was facing away from the entrance, arms behind his back and his head lowered.
"Splinter?" I asked, watching as he turned around and went to him, kneeling down in front of him out of respect. He had his arms behind his back, his head down and eyes closed.
"Jade" Was all he responded, and I gulped a little. This couldn't be good...
No. No giving up now. Whatever punishment he had for me, I'd take it. I knew I deserved it...
"Over the years, you have become like a daughter to me. I have cared for you, and respected your decisions as you grew. You are a fine, strong young woman and I could not be more proud of what you have become, given the circumstances we have faced"
Sounded like I was both being praised, and told off. Which confused me more. But I didn't dare ask him about it, instead opting to be quiet, my eyes focused on his sullen form.
"And although I haven't always agreed with your choices, I know you have done your best with each decision. Which is why I now ask you this..."
He finally looked up at me, and I couldn't help but stare, staying as silent and as still as possible.
"Would you consider training under my guidance?"
My jaw dropped. He wanted to train me to...
"You want me to be a ninja?" Was all that came out of my mouth. He nodded, smiling at me now.
"I have seen great potential in you, and with my teachings, I can help you become even greater"
"Oh Splinter, that would be the most wonderful gift" I bowed low, tears springing to my eyes. Splinter was offering to train me?
I felt a hand on my head, and I looked up to see Splinter smiling at me.
"From now on, you may call me Sensei. We will begin your training tomorow"
"Yes... Sensei. But... why not now?"
To my surprise, he helped me up, and turned me around to where Serah and Kristiana were waiting for me.
"Because... your friends have other plans for you tonight"
Before I knew it they grabbed each of my arms, dragging me excitedly out of the makeshift dojo.
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I groaned a little "Now what are you doing?"
"Noooothing" Serah giggled, and I heard make Kristiana make a strange kind of happy sigh. One was putting what I guessed (I hoped) was makeup on my face, and the other was doing something with my hair.
And I had absolutely no idea why. They had said they wanted to pamper me, and they did start off with a small shoulder massage, which got me relaxed in a chair in Kristiana and Mikeys room, before they attacked with makeup and hair brushes.
"Okay, open your eyes" Kristiana said, and I opened them, trying not to cringe back as she brushed away something beside my eye, then smiled at me.
"There, and now..." She put that away, then brought out something else.
"Whaaat is-ow! Hey!" I yelped as Serah yanked a little.
"Sorry, I just had to get a knot out"
"The hell are you doin' back there anyway?" I muttered, trying to turn my head, but Kristiana turned it back, attacking me with another product.
"I saw this really nice hair style a while back, and I've always wanted to try it out on you... it's turning out good!" She giggled again, and I sighed.
"You know it's my birthday, right?"
"We know. It's why you're doing this. You deserve to feel... like a princess... even just for a little while"
"Uh... why-"
"Just trust us, please?" Kristiana smiled sweetly at me, and I sighed, letting them continue to torture me. I guess it would feel good to feel pretty for a little...
After a little what seemed like forever they were done, but instead of letting me look in the mirror to let me see what they'd done, they shoved me into Serah's room.
"Jeez girls, a little rough aren't you?" I muttered, shaking my head at them a little and watching as they dove over to a small cupboard, both of them fussing before pulling out-
"Wh-wait a minute" I pointed at the dress they were now holding "How did you get that?"
It was the pretty purple dress they had brought me for that party. The one that-
"Uh...well... we-"
"Mikey and Leo helped me get it back for you" Kristiana admitted "We all went on a little field trip... and yes, we know that it was dangerous, but... there wasn't anyone around. And... well..
"Kristiana and I have been trying to fix it back up for the last month or so. It was uh... a bit..."
But I didn't let her finish, almost knocking her over in a hug, then hugging Kristiana in the same way.
"You girls are amazing. Thank you so much"
"Don't cry! We don't want you ruining your makeup!" Came Serah's voice from behind me, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Come on, put the dress on. And..." Kristiana moved away from me, pulling out a pair of purple high heels, which had a small heel and straps to go around the ankles. I had do admit, they were pretty like the dress. I was almost afraid to ask them how they'd gotten them.
"Wait... what are we doing?"
"No, it' what you're doing, now hurry!" They both ushered me back into mine and Donnie's room, where I got changed, realising I hadn't seen any of the others for a little while. I wondered what they were doing... if Ithiell was all right...
When I came back out, they pretty much pushed me towards the hanger bay, then one of them opened the entrance and both of them ushered me outside.
"Girls, what the-" They were pushing me towards somewhere, but I didn't know where, and all I could do was follow them as they went to the elevator thing that Ithiell had designed, ushering me onto it then riding it up to the top with me (he'd redesigned it to take us all the way up, then all the way down if you had an entrance key).
It shuddered to a stop, and I blinked, finding something like a small picnic up at the edge where it had stopped, feeling myself pushed onto solid ground before turning to see them wave at me, before Serah used her key and the elevator disappeared, with the girls still on it.
"Hey!" I went to move towards the cliff face, looking down and suddenly feeling the earth under one of my shoes crumble, my arms starting to windmill as I tipped forward.
"Whoa-oh!" I felt a strong hand grab me, pulling me away from the edge, and I half slammed into a strong chest. I looked up, finding none other than my ninja nerd there, shifting his glasses up as he smiled down at me.
"Hey" Was all I could get out, smiling back up at him as he took my hands, leading me towards the little picnic setup.
"Hey" He responded, almost spinning me around and pressing me against his chest, then half spun me away again, making me look up at him.
"What was all that about?" I wondered, feeling him take my hands and move away a little, looking me up and down. The look on his face actually caught me by surprise, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him.
"Donnie?"
"I just... you're beautiful. I mean... well... more... no, wait-"
I put a finger to his lips, and he went quiet, looking down at me.
"I know what you mean. Thank you" I moved back towards him, my hands on either side of his shell, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss, which he happily returned.
"That dress really suits you" He muttered when I pulled away, and I smiled a little, tickling his sides and hearing him protest a little, before pulling away from me, sitting on the blanket and fiddling with something on it. It took me a moment to realise...
"A radio?" Was all I could wonder as I heard some soft sweet song come from it, and he stood back up, grabbing one of my hands in his, and putting his other on my waist.
"I thought we could... I mean..."
It was hard to keep quiet as he stood there, looking honestly lost as he tried to find the right words.
"Jade... may I have this dance" He finally said, and I couldn't help a grin from my face.
"Of course you can" I put my hand on his shoulder, and we started to move awkwardly, suddenly finding he wasn't so bad at dancing.
Shame I wasn't as good. Luckily for me, he was leading.
He spun me around again, pulling me back in against him and I couldn't help but look at him, feeling a little lightheaded. This was...
"Donnie" I managed to get out, making him look down at me.
"Thank you. This is beautiful. You..." I trailed off, putting my head on his chest as we continued to dance more closely, our arms shifting so now his arms were around my waist, and my arms were up against his chest, as he was too tall for me to put my arms around his neck.
"Happy Birthday beautiful" He murmured into my hair, half kissing my forehead, and I couldn't help but look up at him.
"I love you, so much" Was all I got out, feeling surprisingly happy.
"I love you too" He leaned down and kissed me, both of us stopping out strange little waltz on the mountain top.
I knew then, this was what I should be fighting for. For him... for us... even for the others, my friends, who forgave me and took me back in without questioning. They were what I had to fight for.
And I couldn't forget that anymore.
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"Okay, you see how this connects to this?"
"Mmhmm"
"Now we need this one to connect here, to give us-"
I tried to let all the information sink in, but it was harder than it looked. Ithiell was too technical minded for me to follow alot of it, even though he was trying to simplify it to my benefit.
"Wait, so we need this?" I asked, picking up an odd tool, and he smiled at me a little.
"Good, so you remembered" He took the tool, and we both lay our backs on the small trolleys, sliding under a part of the fighter. I watched as he fiddled away with it.
It had been a few days since my birthday, and we had both talked sparingly about where to go from here. Ithiell had decided to power on with the fighter, but I was finding he was at least trying to eat and get more sleep than before. I think it was a relief for Rtaia as well.
My training for the last three days with Splinter was brutal, even though it was only for an hour each day. And each day he knocked me on my ass more times than I could count. I could barely avoid any of his attacks, mainly because he was just so fast. But I was determined to get better, and I knew that with time, I could do it. As Ithiell and I had agreed, no giving up.
This afternoon, I was helping Ithiell. He was trying to include me in the building of the fighter, and although I had trouble picking up the more complex words and jargon, I was sure I was picking up some basics. I knew I'd probably sleep like a log tonight though... Splinter had really done a number on me, and I was left feeling sore after being flipped over his shoulder, and thrown to the ground...
"Okay, done" We finally emerged from under the fighter, both of us surprised to see Donnie there, looking quizzically at both of us. I had a momentary panic, wondering if he thought I was doing something with Ithiell, but it soon passed as he knelt down in front of us, smiling.
"How's it coming?"
"Good, I just explained to Jade the connections-" They went off on their smart techy talk again, and I got lost, instead getting up and grabbing a cloth to wipe my now grubby hands on. It didn't do much good, but I didn't mind. I felt like we were finally getting somewhere, and Ithiell was now opening back up to me. I just hoped I could help him enough to get the fighter moving sooner. If we could, we could strike some bigger blows to the Yeerks, as well as...
I shook my head, moving back over to the two, who were now standing and talking about an interface of some sort.
"You guys done with the shop talk?" I asked them, and they both looked at me.
"Shop talk?"
"We got work to do you know Donnie" I pushed his shoulder playfully, and he grinned stupidly, picking me up and making me shriek as he threw me over his shoulder.
"Donnie!"
"All right, let's get to work!" He turned around, and I saw Ithiell laughing a little as Donnie slowly walked away. I slapped the back of his shell, unable to hold in a giggle myself.
"What kind of work are you thinking!"
"Weeeell..." He moved to go inside the fighter, and my jaw dropped.
"You dirty minded nerd you!"
"Don't even Donnie" Ithiell shook his head, and suddenly I found myself slipping from his shoulder, being dropped to the ground and looking up at Donnie's now mischievous face.
"Have you been taking lessons from Mikey?" I asked him, and he just smiled at me.
"Hey, Donnie, think you could help me set up that interface? I could really-" Ithiell was interrupted when Leo came into the room, closely followed by Serah.
"What's up guys?" I asked, and Leo looked at me.
"We found another Yeerk operation, and it looks like a big one this time. Thought we could get Ithiell and Donnie to have a look"
"Sure, just give us a second" Ithiell moved over to his table, grabbing the cloth I'd just used and wiping his claws on it. I shook my head, wondering if maybe I should get him a new cloth...
When he was done, we all followed Leo down the corridor, and I saw Serah sidle up to him, looking almost upset.
"But, I can-"
"No Ser, it's too dangerous for you. I don't want you getting hurt"
"But I can shift now" She looked at me, and I raised an eyebrow a little. I knew her mum and Rtaia were teaching her, but it took a long time to master. I doubted she had managed to master shifting in a mere few months, when it had taken me almost a year to get anywhere near good at it.
"Serah, please" He turned, taking her arms, and we all stopped. I saw her pout a little as he leaned down slightly, coming eye level with her.
Well, this was awkward.
"Not this time. Maybe next food run, okay?"
She didn't seem to like that answer, but nodded anyway. He pulled away, patting her shoulder before we continued on.
"Uh... huh?" Ithiell seemed to be confused, but then we all came up to the screen in front of us. It looked like a blue print of some sort, up on the screen.
"Ax has just sent us this. Some of the Yeerk resistance managed to sneak this to us, it looks to be-"
"No way" Donnie gaped at it, his hands now flying across the keyboard, seeing another screen come to life.
"Hmm, if I'm seeing this correctly, they plan to level the city and use it to build a large base of operations" Ithiell hummed a little.
"Wait, what?"
"You mean to tell us that now our city is going to be blown up?" Raph didn't look happy at all "What's next? They decide the earth isn't good enough for them, and blow it up?!"
"Pretty much" Donnie was still doing something with the computers, and Ithiell now joined him, grabbing a small object that looked like a mini computer and tapping a way on it.
"Settle Raph" I moved over, putting a hand on his tense shoulder. He glared down at me, but I didn't move. I knew there was no way he'd ever hurt me, no matter how hard he glared. But, if looks could kill... I'd be severely injured at least.
"So... what do we do?" Mihra asked, turning to Ithiell.
To my surprise, he looked at me, a look of determination back on his face.
"We show those little bastards why they shouldn't mess with us"
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