Chapter Five- Unexpected Saviour
Kuro stayed deep in the late afternoon shadows, darting out only briefly to follow her targets. Her tired muscles grumbled at her constant movements, but she ignored it for now. She continued to follow the two men until they climbed into a white van and started driving off. Kuro stared after it from her spot until it disappeared. She made mental notes of the logo on the van before standing and dusting off her pants. She wished the van actually had a license plate; it would make it much easier to track.
Guess the Kraang are smarter than I thought. Kuro leaped to the roof of the nearest apartment and started running, leaping across buildings to get home. Don't worry, April. I'll get your dad back as soon as I can. Kuro could only imagine the pain of being separated from her father for so long. At least she could still see or talk to her dad; Shredder lived just blocks away. April hadn't talked to her dad in months. It wasn't until a few weeks ago did she trust Kuro enough to tell her the truth about her dad's disappearance.
If I ever get a hold of those Kraang droids, Kuro promised. I'll run their tiny brain bodies through with my katana.
When Kuro finally arrived home and slipped through her bedroom window, the sun had fully dipped below the horizon. She shed her ninja attire and pulled on an ankle-length, flowing brown skirt and a black tank top. She brushed out her hair and let it hang loose around her shoulders.
"Well, Miss Kuro, you've had a productive evening." She said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "And now, to your normal routine."
Ten minutes later, Kuro was on her couch, her laptop on her lap, the TV on, and a bowl of soup before her. She slurped her ramen and typed away on her computer, writing a story she had been working on for two months. It wasn't really a story as much as it was segments of stories. Kuro was having a hard time connecting all the segments together so the story made sense. She gulped down the last of her broth, shut her laptop, and looked up at her TV as her cartoons continued to play. A glance out the window let her know how dark it had reached into her tank top and pulled out her turtle charm. She rubbed the plastron, where the name was carved, feeling the intricate trench against her skin. She sighed. Time and time again, she had stared at, felt, and spoke the name, wondering where it came from and why it seemed to contradict everything she knew.
"I know who I am." Kuro confirmed aloud. "I am Kuro. Daughter of Oroku Saki. Warrior known as Moon Shadow. Defender of the innocent and soon-to-be destroyer of the Turtles." She stopped rubbing her charm. "And I'm talking to myself...'cause that's not crazy at all."
Mikey's eyes opened groggily and he shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness. He soon discovered his wrists tied tightly behind his back, his ankles bound the same way, and the gag back over his mouth. He looked around and discovered he was still in the van, but it was still dark and the van was moving again. He looked to his right and discovered Splinter, bound and gagged similarly to Mikey, but with a burlap sack over his head. Mikey's eyes widened a little at the sight of the knives still in Splinter's chest and shoulder and the blood soaking through his robes. He struggled to move, trying to break free and...do what? Help his wounded, unconscious master? How? Mikey had no medical knowledge whatsoever, besides putting a Band-Aid on a small cut. Donnie would know how to treat such major wounds. Nonetheless, Mikey tried his best to break free, thrashing around a bit to break the ropes.
"Keep it down back there!"
Mikey froze, cocking his head. Was that...a girl?
Suddenly, the car jerked to a halt. Mikey looked up at the grate that led to the driver's seat, the only source of light. A young Japanese girl's face looked through the metal holes at him.
Mikey gave a muffled shout.
The girl yelped and ducked down.
The girl breathed a little hard. She started up her car again and continued driving—albeit hurriedly—through the parking garage to the fifth floor. She parked close to the door to the apartments attached to the garage and slowly got out of her car. She pulled out a large Swiss Army Knife from her jacket pocket and slowly made her way to the back. It was then that she noticed the license plate, or lack thereof, and realized she had mixed up her keys with the man from the market's. She took a hold of one of the back doors and opened it slowly. She peered inside to find a large turtle in an orange mask and ninja gear and another larger being she couldn't identify. She didn't know what to do: scream and run away or get a closer look.
The girl climbed slowly into the van, crawling towards Mikey. The turtle struggled and kicked a little, scooting closer to Splinter. "No, no. It's okay." The girl said calmly. "I won't hurt you."
Mikey stayed still long enough for the girl to untie the gag from his mouth. "You gotta help me. Please! My sensei's hurt and he might die and I don't—"
"Calm down!" The girl shushed gently. "It's all right."
"Please, I'll do anything." Mikey pleaded. "Just help him." He gestured towards Splinter. The girl finally noticed the knives and the blood and her eyes filled with pity. She took out the knife of her pocket knife and cut Mikey free. Then she moved to Splinter and cut his bonds loose. She jumped a little at the sight of the humanoid rat, but decided that, after seeing a mutant turtle, things couldn't get much weirder.
"You're going to have to carry him, but jostle him too much." The girl instructed as she led Mikey out of the van. "And do exactly as I say." Mikey, too afraid for his father's safety, nodded and gathered Splinter in his arms.
The girl led Mikey into an apartment building, up a couple flights of stairs, down a long hallway, and into a large apartment. Mikey followed the girl into a bedroom and, upon her command, laid Splinter on the bed. The girl disappeared to get her medical supplies, leaving Mikey to stare worriedly at his sensei's still form. He remained terrifyingly still, no doubt from the chloroform's effect on his wounded body. Mikey didn't know what to do; he could see fresh blood slowly oozing from the wounds under Splinter's robes, but he didn't know if he should try and stop the bleeding or take the knives out or just wait for the girl to return. He gently shook Splinter's uninjured shoulder, but the humanoid rat remained still.
The girl returned a few minutes later with a bag about the size of a Pomeranian and a chair. "Here. Sit down." She pulled up her swiveling desk chair next to Splinter's chest and put the extra chair to her left. Mikey sat down next to the girl as she took out a couple sheets of gauze, each square cloth about the size of a standard washcloth. "All right, now remember what I said." The girl told Mikey, keeping her eyes on Splinter. "Do exactly as I say, no matter what happens."
Mikey only nodded. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"We'll find out." The girl replied, taking out a stethoscope. She put it in her ears and pressed the circle on Splinter's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "His heart rate is normal, apart from it being a little fast because of the open wounds." The girl reported to Mikey. "But, based on the size of the knives and where they hit, I think he just has a deep flesh wound. He should be fine as long as he hasn't lost too much blood."
Mikey nodded in response, but his thoughts raced with worry. How long had we been in the van? How much blood did he lose?
The girl put her stethoscope away and handed the gauze sheets to Mikey. "Now, I'm going to take out the knives, and you're going to have to press this over the cuts the second they're all out. Do you get nauseous at the sight of blood?"
"Nope." Mikey shook his head.
"Good." The girl nodded. "Now, don't freak out if he reacts badly to this." She pressed one hand to Splinter's chest and yanked one of the knives free. Splinter's body unconsciously cringed, but his eyes remained closed. The girl pulled out the second, and this time a groan escaped his lips. When she got the final knife free, Splinter's eyes opened a little, just enough to see Mikey's worried face as he pressed the gauze on the wounds.
"Sensei?" Mikey's voice was laced with concern and hope. Splinter tried to speak, but no words came from his mouth. Just as quickly as he had woken up, his mind slipped back into unconsciousness, and he became still. "Splinter!"
"Calm down!" The girl said hurriedly, pulling out a needle, and thread. "He's lost a lot of blood. He'll wake up once he's been well rested. But those cuts are gonna need some stitches if they're gonna heal properly."
Mikey audibly gulped at the sound of stitches, but calmed himself as the girl threaded the needle and resumed her work. He did exactly as she told him as she gave each cut a couple stitches each and wrapped bandages around Splinter's shoulder and chest. All the while, Mikey stared at his adoptive father's still face, praying that he would be alright. He only wished that his sensei give him some indication that he was alright. All Mikey wanted right then and there was for his father to wake up and assure him that everything would be fine, just as he always does. He constantly reminded himself that this was Sensei Splinter. He faced Shredder, Dogpound, Foot Ninja, even Leatherhead when he went berserk, and he lived. Surely, a few knives couldn't take him down.
Right?
When the girl finally finished, she pulled Splinter's bloodied robes back over the bandages and sighed. "I wish I had an extra set of clothes for him. It'll be quite a surprise when he wakes to find blood on him."
"Thank you." Mikey bowed to the girl. "For saving him."
"Of course." The girl nodded with a smile. "Why don't you take the guest room for the night? I bet he'll be up and moving by tomorrow morning."
"Are you sure?" Mikey asked. "I don't wanna be any trouble."
"Not at all." The girl assured. "It's my pleasure to host such strange guests. Besides, he's not going anywhere anytime soon."
Mikey's smile disappeared a little. "I don't wanna leave him."
The girl put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "He'll be fine. I promise."
Mikey finally gave in and followed the girl to the guest bedroom down the hall. After grabbing a pillow from the bed and a blanket from the closet, the girl bid Mikey goodnight and walked off to sleep on the couch.
"Thanks again." Mikey said. "You're really nice. And I promise I'll find a way to repay you."
"You don't have to do anything of the kind." The girl assured with a small laugh. "Just rest. I'm not going anywhere tomorrow."
Mikey nodded and bowed. The girl bowed back and walked off. Mikey crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over him, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He was grateful for the unexpected hero that saved him and Splinter, but something felt…off about the girl. He hadn't noticed it at first because he was so concerned for Splinter, but now that he thought about it, he could remember how she sometimes reacted strangely to Mikey's words, like when he called Splinter "Sensei" and didn't freak out at the sight of the mutants. Then again, he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Besides, the Japanese girl was awfully pretty.
"Do you really think you can stop me?" Shredder demanded as he stood over the turtle's battered and broken bodies. "Do you really think your master will save you? He can't save you! He couldn't save his own family!" Shredder raised the twin blades attached to his fist. "You will die here, and there is no one who can save you!"
He thrust the blades down and—
"No!"
Splinter bolted upright, only to gasp and wince in pain, clutching his chest. He looked down at the knives, but blinked in surprise when he saw the bandages around his chest. He looked down and noticed the human bed he rested upon. The room he was in had jade-colored walls and dotted with Japanese kanji. A desk was near the bed, covered with art supplies, notebooks, sketchbooks, and a laptop just visible beneath the pile. Closet doors, also covered in kanji, rested in the wall across the room. Splinter took a few breaths, trying to gather his thoughts. But all he could remember was fighting Foot Ninjas, saving Michelangelo, taking the knives meant for his son, and then...nothing.
"Morning!"
Splinter jumped, his head whipping around to the door. The door closed as a Japanese girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, stepped inside. She wore green pajama pants covered in shamrocks and a green and white soccer jersey. Her ashen hair had been pulled into two braids, one on either side of her head.
"Well, good to see you're up." The girl noted as she approached him.
Splinter's eyes narrowed and, ignoring the pain from the effort, jumped from the bed and landed in a battle stance. "Where is my son?"
The girl stiffened at the sudden hostility from the rat, but kept calm. "What are you talking about?"
"My son, the turtle!" Splinter repeated, his anxiousness rising. "If you've done anything to him—"
"Hey, listen Rat Boy." The girl huffed, reaching out for Splinter. "Why don't you calm down—"
She barely touched Splinter before he grabbed her wrist first. The girl, out of pure instinct, took a hold of Splinter's wrist and jerked her hand free. Splinter slipped free from her grasp and aimed a punch for her head. The girl ducked and darted in, putting a couple jabs into Splinter's chest, right where his wounds rested. Splinter gritted his teeth and let out a sharp yelp as he stumbled back. The girl took his arm and put it around her shoulders, gently helping him sit on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry I had to do that." The girl said sincerely. "I only wanted to help you. Your son, the turtle I mean, is safe and still sleeping in the other room."
Splinter looked up as the girl moved to the swivel chair and took up a bag from the ground. "Where am I?"
"My home." The girl replied simply. "You and your son where in a van and I accidentally mixed up my keys with the ones to yours."
"What about the ninja?" Splinter asked.
"No ninja." The girl shrugged, rummaging through her bag. "Just you and the turtle in the van. I'm going to track down the guy's van and return it to him. You and the turtle can stay here until you're better." She pulled out a stethoscope. "Now hold still so I can check your vitals."
"How bad is it?"
"Not bad at all. A little deep, but it should only be a flesh wound. Just hold still."
Splinter remained cautious, but allowed the girl to put the stethoscope on his chest and listen to his breathing and heartbeat. While she worked, Splinter managed to get a better look at her deep brown, almost black, eyes. He couldn't help but wonder why they looked so familiar to him. He never met this girl before in his life. But something about the girl's voice and looks made Splinter feel nostalgic.
"So far, so good." The girl nodded, stowing away her things. "I had to stitch up the wounds a bit, but the bandages should be able to come off in about a week."
Splinter nodded a little absentmindedly. "Thank you for your hospitality. But we should be going." He started to stand, but a wave of pain made him double over, and the girl helped him lay down.
"You're not going anywhere with those cuts so deep." The girl reasoned. "Just lie down and rest. I'll get breakfast."
Splinter sighed. "Very well."
The girl smiled a little at the bitterness in Splinter's voice, obviously indicating he wasn't too excited about being stuck in bed. She stood and walked from the room, closing the door softly behind her. Splinter stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts swirling around the girl who saved his life. Her image kept flashing before his vision, again and again until it started changing...into the image of Tang Shen. Splinter's mind raced as the images of the girl and Tang Shen switched back and forth, clearly showing their similarities: their kind smiles, fair yet slightly tanned skin, deep black hair the color of ash. But there was one thing different between them: their eyes. Tang Shen's eyes were chocolate brown, lighter than the average Japanese person's eyes. The girl's eyes, however, were deep dark brown, just like...
"Sensei!"
Splinter's eyes flew open, having just been woken up by Mikey's excited cries. He slowly sat up as Mikey approached him, looking both relieved and like he would start crying any second. Mikey didn't really know whether to hug his father or bow to his sensei, so he just stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. Finally, he bowed respectively.
"I'm really happy to see you alright." Mikey said, trying (and failing) to hide his joy.
Splinter smiled and pulled Mikey into a fatherly embrace. "I'm happy you are safe as well."
Mikey continued to smile as he pulled away and told Splinter what happened after he passed out. By the time he finished, the girl returned with a tray of tea and some rice. She poured each of them a cup and handed out the bowls of rice as she explained her plans for the day. Splinter and Mikey also explained their situation.
"When I get back from returning the van, we can try and contact the rest of your sons." The girl offered. "But I don't think you should be moving when you're injured."
"Very well." Splinter nodded reluctantly. "But I want Michelangelo to accompany you when you search for the others. And it must be at night; they are not allowed on the surface during the day."
"Sounds like a plan." The girl nodded. "There are about five boxes of leftover pizza in the fridge. Help yourself. I'll be back soon." She turned and walked off, leaving the two mutants alone.
Mikey cast a glance at Splinter. "Why are you staring at her? Something wrong?"
Splinter didn't answer at first, his thoughts racing. "No. Not at all."
Kuro couldn't stop laughing. "How the heck do you mix up keys with some random girl?"
"Ask the idiot that I put in charge of the keys!" Dogpound's voice snapped from the other end.
"You're the one that put him in charge in the first place." Kuro noted. She suddenly held her phone out at arm's length as Dogpound started shouting.
"Don't anger me you insolent little wretch! I'll find you and rip out your—"
"Take a chill pill, mutt." Kuro scoffed. "You know that if you lay a hand on me, Shredder will rip you to….well, shreds."
"Is there a specific reason for calling?" Dogpound demanded.
"Yep." Kuro nodded. "I'm patrolling the city right now. Let's meet back at the steps in front of headquarters and I'll explain my brilliant idea to take down the turtles."
"What plan?"
"I've been studying the Turtles' fighting styles. I think I know how to hit them right in their weak spots. Just meet me at headquarters in twenty minutes."
Kuro hung up. She stowed her phone away and stood up, stretching her muscles. Yes, she had a plan; and she knew for a fact it wouldn't fail. That is, unless Dogpound decided to go against her like the idiot he is.
"You got a plan, huh?"
Kuro jumped as three beings landed on the ground, surrounding her. She turned in a full circle and saw three turtles, masked in blue, red, and purple. Though she was able to hide it, she was still very surprised to see them out in the daytime rather than at night.
"Maybe you'd like to tell us about your plan?" the red one called Raph snapped. "Or, better yet, tell us where Mikey is."
"Mikey?" Kuro cocked her hooded head, feigning confusion.
"The turtle masked in orange." The purple one called Donnie growled, spinning his staff. "If you hurt him or Splinter in any way—"
"Splinter?" Kuro asked. "Oh, right, Hamato Yoshi. You're sensei."
"So, you're a Foot Ninja?" the blue one called Leo guessed. "Only someone that knows Shredder would know about Splinter."
"I'm not a Foot Ninja." Kuro chuckled darkly. "I'm much worse." She drew her katana from her belt with a sharp SHING! The three turtles stared at the black steel blade in the konoichi's hand, a feeling of dread involuntarily creeping up their spines. "My name is Moon Shadow. And I'm going to kill you."
She lunged to her nearest opponent, in this case Leo, and their blades clashed with a harsh CLANG!