Did anyone translate "amatsu-otome" on his own?

Well, here´s the answer.

TMNT and all fellow characters belong to Mirage, but Tally is mine.

Thanks to Cynlee for corrections and stimulation.

To everyone who read this and is angry that I do never give a review, at least not during the last time: I try to, but my computer always says "Popup blocked" and nothing helps. Sorry, really. But it would be nice if you review nevertheless.

Chapter 8: An Angel

The door opened, a bright light was blinding her in the dark warehouse, but she could see the two black shadows within the elevator.

Two huge black shadows.

Suddenly she was sure that she had made a very big mistake- but now it was to late…

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For a moment, Raphael and Leo stood still and looked at the woman. She had raised her hand to cover her eyes, the light was blinding her. But by the look on her face Leo knew that she saw them.

Finally Raphael lost his patience. He pounced forward and grabbed her shoulders.

"Who are you? Who told you about this address? Why do you know my name? Answer!"

Totally out of his mind because of the fear about his father's's whereabouts, he shook her roughly- so hard, that Leo even heard her teeth chatter. The poor woman did not even have a chance to answer.

Leo stepped forward and freed her from the grip of his brother, before he could really hurt her. If not Casey or April, there was just one person left who could have told her about this place...

The woman took a few steps back, trembling. Leo sighed. Yes, Raphael sure did have a with strangers.

So he tried.

"Hello. My name is Leonardo. I apologize for my brother. He´s a hothead and in a pretty bad mood in the moment. Just don´t get in his way. But… how did you find us?"

He clenched his hands into fists, so hoping, and at the same moment so sure that this was a dead end too. A mistake. A coincidence.

Please…, oh please.

He did not believe in a God, but right now he would swear to absolutely everything if it would improve his chances of seeing his master again.

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OHMYGOD!

Tally was sure this insane creature would strangle her. The other one seemed to be more stable. The look in his eyes after he asked her how she had found them was so desperate. Tally felt pity. She just didn´t know where to start. After all, this was a pretty weird situation. Splinter, okay, but he was hurt, small, and no danger. These two- even in the dimly light she could see how muscular they were.

"My name is Tally Brown, M.D. I think I found someone who belongs to you."

Then everything went very fast.

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They did not even asked further questions, they ran immediately out of the warehouse and to the parked car. The woman- Tally Brown- followed them, Leonardo already activating his shellcell.

"Don, it´s Splinter. No, shut up, just listen. He´s unconscious and hurt. You better bring a barrow, I don´t want to move him that much."

Before Don could say a further word Leo hung up and ignored the beeps.

Raphael carefully examined Splinter.

"He has high fever, and a broken arm. Maybe his ribs are broken as well."

He spun around angrily.

"Are you responsible for-"

"I wouldn´t have brought him to this place, would I?" The woman answered.

Leo silently cheered her. Raph could be really frightening when he was angry. This lady had guts.

"I found him on the beach after a storm and cared for him as best as I could. He had had a high fever, so it was a little bit tricky to get your address. Actually, I was not able to find you in the telephone book," she added a bit sarcastically.

Tally thought it would be better not to mention the circus, afraid of the reaction of the one with the red mask.

"And you two are…"

"Sorry", said Leo. "I´m Leonardo, that´s Raphael. And those two over there are Donatello and Michaelangelo. But let´s talk later. Splinter is more important right now."

Worried he looked into his father's's face. Raphael had taken Splinter's hand and was gently stroking the face of his master. Leonardo knew that Raph would kill him if he would ever dare to mention this. His brother was not as tough as he pretended to be.

Donatello carefully placed Splinter in the barrow, then he and Leo carried him back into the Lair. Tally, uninvited, followed.

When the doors of the elevator opened, she couldn't help but stare. This was unbelievable! Did they actually made this place? She couldn´t believe that.

She followed them to some kind of sick bay. They even had medical equipment! Maybe one of them was even medically skilled. Good! She was so tired that she didn'´t want to care for anyone now.

The Turtles bent over Splinter, and indeed, the one named Donatello began to change his bandages. Tally sat down on a chair. Just five minutes…

She awoke in stages. First she thought that she was dreaming. Then that she had been dreaming and was awake now. Then she opened her eyes. She lay on a futon bed, covered with a blanket. The room was clean, well organized and had a strong asiatic touch.

Splinter´s room, she was sure.

It gave her the same feeling of calmness and serenity she had when Splinter told her about himself and his family. Besides, his "sons" were teenagers and she was sure that they would never have rooms this clean.

She yawned and stood up, feeling dirty. She was still fully dressed and her clothes were stiff with dried sweat. Carefully she opened the paper- stringed door. She walked down the stairs…

"Yaaaah! Got you, Leo! Oh, sorry, Tally!"

Tally fell with a plump on her backside, hand on her pumping heart, seeing a smiling Turtle- Michaelangelo?- running away, followed by a wet Leonardo.

Wet? Seemed to be an interesting morning.

"Mikey! Oh, sh-"

He saw her.

"Sorry."

He opened his hand and showed her the remains of a water balloon.

"That´s so typical Mikey. He is so happy that you brought Master Splinter home, he has to release energy, and he does it this way. Don´t wonder if he tries to fool you as well, but maybe he will a bit restrained with you. I hope so, for your sake, and for his. "

He showed her the bathroom and the kitchen.

"April was here earlier and left some clothes for you, so that you can shower if you want."

"Thank you. Was it Splinter's room in which I slept? How is he?"

"Don says he´ll be fine. We really owe you."

Tally waved it aside.

"Something like this should be natural."

Leonardo looked very serious.

"But it isn´t. The most people would have called the police."

"Again, no need to thank me. May I see him? Besides, I liked his room. It was very calming."

"When Mikey heard that Splinter was back he spilled Cola all over the sofa and we were not able to dry it that fast. Normally we enter his room only at his invitation, but we thought it would be okay. After all, you saved him. Do you want to see him now or do you wish to shower first? He is still sleeping and Don cares for him. He didn´t move away from Sensei's bedside the whole night. Actually ", he smiled sleepily, "none of us did."

"Well, then I would prefer to shower first. And maybe to have some breakfast?"

"Lunch. It´s already noon!"

Wow! She had already forgotten what a good feeling it was to be clean and just to relax. She finally just realized under how much pressure she had been since Splinter came into her life.

Right now, she sat at a kitchen table in a room somewhere in the sewer system of New York - as if she would ever tell that to anyone-, before her set a plate with a very creatively decorated pizza ( a special "Thanks for bringing Splinter home" gift by Michaelangelo, but she managed to eat only the half of it, it was much too spicy) and actually observing four teenage turtles, who were hilariously having lunch.

Well, at least Michaelangelo was hilarious, so much, that Raphael emptied a glass of cold water on his head, but by the reactions of the other two Turtles-- actually, because of no reaction, she could say that this was more or less normal life down here.

Michaelangelo had already allowed her to read all of his comic books - even "the very rare Silver Sentry No. 2, it was reeeeeally hard work to get it, but Raph was angry because I read it out loud and so he wanted to take it, but I wouldn´t release it and so it had a rip in the front cover but I put adhesive tape on it, and hey, you nearly don´t see it, except you hold it against the light and it´s a little bit creased too because I read it so often but´s it´s really totally great because Silver Sentry gets captured by Dr. Doom and ..."

She felt a little bit of sympathy for his rodent father, considering the fact that Splinter has had to live with this for fifteen years now. Even after fifteen minutes without a full stop or a comma she felt dimly lit in her head. But he was great. Call me Mikey, Michaelangelo is much to long. Mostly just Splinter calls me Michaelangelo, or "My Son", of course, but he usually calls all of us "My Son", so it´s not really a difference…. All of them were great.

She nearly wished to be able to stay a bit longer, to spend more time with them, but she had her own life to which she should go back. Her surgery would still be closed for the next five days, but she should reorganize her life, and it would be better with no mutant beings.

After all she heard about their human friends, they had shared hard times with the Turtles. The shop of the poor Ms. ONeil had even be burned down, and this Shredder guy seemed to be that kind of nightmare which always appeared when you think in your dreams that it couldn´t become any worse.

She would stay just one night more, to make sure that Splinter was fine, then she would go. Better for all of them.

Suddenly she remembered something.

"Do any of you know what "atatsu-okome" or something like that--means?"

Four faces rocket upwards and stared at her, astonished. Leonardo finally spoke.

"Maybe "amatsu-otome"?"

Tally gave a shrug.

"Possibly. I do not speak this language."

A slightly amused smile appeared at Mikey's lips.

"Did Master Splinter call you this?"

Tally nodded. The other Turtles started to smile, too.

"Yes, in fever. So, what does it mean?"

Mikey's smile went wider and wider.

"Angel."

"Eh?"

" 'Amatsu-otome' is Japanese for 'angel'!"

And all four Turtles snorted out with laughters, while Tally felt her cheeks glow rosy.

"Be that as it may, did his fever sink?"

But Mikey was not willing to drop the subject. He suddenly got serious.

"No, really. He was right. You was his guardian angel. He might have died at that beach, but you saved him."

Then he smiled again.

"Yes, you were his guardian angel- minus the wings, of course. But we have a few extra eiderdowns, so I´m sure we can wing it and make you a pair, of course, snowy white and…"

"Oh yes, poor Splinter!" she thought again and ignored Mikey's babbling and the laughter of his brothers , but in secret she remembered the expression in Splinter's eyes and the tiny smile at his lips when he called her "amatsu-otome"- Angel.

Half an hour later she sat next to Splinter's bed, eying his sleeping body. The Turtles had told her that he was able to beat all four of them in the dojo, but after she had a look at their training, she was not sure what she should think about their "Master". She had bandaged his unconscious body and felt his muscles, but he looked so small and calm- despite to the agitating behavior of his students.

Every five minutes one of them peered into the room. Obviously they didn´t trust her that much to let her totally alone with their beloved master.

She changed her sitting position. Seconds later Splinter moved in his sleep. She smoothed the blanket, brushing his whiskers while doing so.

"Tschuu!"

He sneezed- and awoke. For a moment they just stared in each other- then Splinter, startled, jerked so abruptly backwards that he nearly felt out of his bed. Tally, too, was startled, but not as much as Splinter, who seemed just now to notice where he was.

Confused, he looked around. Then he tried to stand up, but Tally pushed him back in lying position.

"You shouldn't stand up right now. How are you?"

Splinter ignored her and looked around again. Finally he answered. His voice sounded croaky and weak, but she could understand him.

"Am I… home?"

He stared at her face with widened, still fever- shining eyes. Tally was so touched that she instinctively hugged him. For a moment his body hardened, then he relaxed.

"Yes, you´re safe now. No one will be able to hurt you again. Well, there are a few people which are really eager to see you!"

She saw him smiling and went to the door.

"Guys? He´s awake!"

She hardly managed to dodge them.

For the next few moments, she was not able to come near his bed. All of the Turtles babbled higgledy-piggledy, stroking his fur, hugging him and showing him in every possible way how happy they were that they had him back.

Finally Don chucked them out- and only Splinter himself could forestall a brawl- and only he and Tally stayed. Splinter was half asleep again, but he smiled in their direction.

Don bent over him and carefully helpt him to him a glass of water and medicine. Splinter had problems in gulping and coughed, but this time Tally could see no blood. The fact of being home seemed to help him more than any medicine. After he had fallen asleep, she asked Don about it.

"Well, he´s a rat and no human. He is a lot tougher and not as, ehm, effete as many humans are."

"Thank you, Donatello!"

"I said many humans, not all humans. None of us got much medicine in our lives as a human normally takes, and so our immune systems learned how to deal with infections. Splinter will be okay. I´m worried about his breathing, but his arm and his ribs will heal and it´s not the first time that one of us has had a bronchitis."

He really seemed to be able to care for him, so Tally had no remorse about leaving the next day. Suddenly the door opened. Donatello turned around angrily.

"I told you he needs…Oh! Sorry, April!"

A young, red haired woman entered the room, followed by a black-haired, very muscular man.

"Do we disturb? I closed my shop early this day to come and look after Splinter, but if…"

"No, it´s okay. I just don´t want the others to yak to whole time. He needs to rest."

April had a bunch of flowers, already in a vase and placed them on a small table. The man- probably Casey- felt apparently uneasily. April stepped over to Tally.

"Hello. My name is April O´Neil. You really did a great job!"

Tally smiled. Slowly this became awkward.

"It´s okay. Truly. I mean, it´s my job, isn´t it?"

The door opened again. All turned around… and Tally got the shock of her life. This could not be… She screamed out of terror and fainted immediately.

When she awoke, she lay in a bed next to Splinter's and all views- even his- were aimed at her. She was embarrassed and her cheeks turned rosy. Maybe this …thing…was a friend of theirs?

Donatello sighed.

"Maybe we should have warned you. Leatherhead is a friend, he wouldn´t harm you. He just wanted to check on how Splinter is."

"He apologizes for frightening you and assures that this was not his intention", an unfamiliar voice sad. Tally looked around. There was no one there, too- except…

"A talking robot?"

The droid stretched out his hand.

"Please, call me Honeycutt, Ms. Brown."

It was late evening when she finally dared to leave the infirmary and to go to the living area. But she had no luck. The big walking crocodile was still there.

"Ms. Brown, I´m really sorry. I didn´t…"

"It´s okay."

Tally waved her hand. She had no desire to be long in the presense of this being while hearing his apology. Leatherhead seemed to notice this, smiled calmly (and showed too many teeth in doing so) and went in to join Donatello.

Leonardo and Michelangelo sat in front of the TV, watching the News. Tally sat down next to them and suddenly stared in shock in the TV. The newscaster referred about a fire in a surgery- her surgery! The report ended with the words:

"The proprietress was not available. The police department suspects arson as an act of revenge, based on the fact that nailed to the door was an animal which sources have identified to us as a rat."

Two heads turned around. Mikey lost the grip on his glass and it shattered on the floor. Leo cleared his throat.

"Ehm, Tally? Don´t you think there is some you should tell us?"