A/N: Gaahh…bangs her head against the desk. So sorry for the lack of updatage – it's not that I had writer's block (for once) It's that I had no time. I had to graduate, and then pack TWO rooms for college, which I move into in sixteen days- big changes ahead for me. But I really wanted to get this chapter written, so please, enjoy it.
-
The warm glow of the candles bounced off the cement, bathing Splinter and Donatello in a soft light, and giving the room a warm feeling overall. Don felt anything but warm.
"Kneel, Donatello," Splinter said, passing his low table and sitting on the other side of it. Don knelt. The old rat watched him for a few moments before saying, "You have been acting differently."
"Yes, Master. I know."
"Your brothers have noticed as well." Don looked down at his hands, folded in his lap, but said nothing. Splinter continued, "They are worried. I am worried. I trust you, Donatello, but if you are doing something dangerous-"
"I promise I'm not doing anything that could be harmful to this family, sensei." Yet.
Master Splinter ran a gnarled claw over his ears and through his whiskers. He always knew when his sons were lying – but Donatello was not. He was definitely holding something back, though. The vibe that surrounded Donatello was the same, but had changed slightly. Splinter was sure he had felt it before, but couldn't quite place it. In the end he sighed, and scrutinized his son again, before bowing his head. "You may go, Donatello."
His son stood and bowed, turning to leave. Before he reached the door, he turned to face the rat again. "Master, you know I would never do anything to hurt anyone, right?"
Splinter couldn't help but smile a bit. "Yes. Of that I am quite aware."
Don nodded, thoughtful. "Good." Then he left, Splinter's eyes never leaving him.
Leo was waiting for him outside. "So?"
Don blinked. "So…what?"
"Did you tell Splinter what's going on with you?"
"There's nothing going on, Leo." That I can tell you.
"Hmph." His brother gazed at him, but then shrugged, even though Don was sure Leo wasn't going to drop it so easily. "Well, you up for some training topside? Raph and Mike are at Casey's – we're just going to meet them there."
"Yeah, I'm up for it," Don said, thinking that if he tried to skip out on training again, Leo most definitely would not drop it, "I just gotta get my bag."
"Three minutes, Donnie."
"Uh huh," Don answered, already on his way to his room. He entered, grabbed his bag and slipped it over his shoulders. He turned to join Leo, then turned back, curiously heading for the computer. He moved the mouse, disrupting the screensaver. Don sighed in relief – the screen was blank. Finally. A break.
"Donatello!"
"Coming, Leo!"
Don let go of the mouse and raced to meet his brother.
-
A shadow hung underneath the eaves of a small water tower, perched on top of an apartment building. Not so unusual, and yet, the shadow was on the wrong side of the building to be reflected by the setting sun, and there were no lights on the roof that could possibly create it. The shadow was unnatural.
As soon as the sun had set completely, the shadow slid smoothly down the wooden sides of the tower and across the cement roof. Two more shadows hung in the corners. "Moloch!"
The shadow nearest the first one slithered toward it. Together they began to twist and writhe, slowly rising into muscled torsos and heads with sharp beaked faces. The one who had spoken first was considerably more muscled.
"Yes, Raum?"
"Why have you failed to collect any more souls? We need them if we must grow as strong as we once were!"
The grotesque silhouette curled its jet back lips back in a sneer. "It is not our fault that the new one has been more careful since the first time."
"It is!" Raum growled, his rasping voice like aluminum foil on concrete, "He has been more careful, so you must be more cunning! He has been cautious, but he is on the move tonight. I feel it. Deumos!"
The last shadow slithered up to them and began to morph as well – she was obviously female, once her torso had seemingly solidified. Yet it seemed as though she was weaker than the two of them – she was less defined. She looked at Raum, awaiting orders.
"Moloch and I will hunt for souls tonight. It will be your job to distract the Death – and stop him. For good."
Deumos cocked her head. "Raum, to use my skills to stop him, I will need my whole body. If only for a few hours. I need a soul."
Raum growled, but nodded. "Fine. Fine. Take one from our stores, but only one. I shall know if you have taken more."
"As you wish."
"Come, Moloch." Together the two silhouettes seemed to fold into themselves, again and again, until they resembled crows. They spread their wings and jumped off the building, once again becoming smudges in the sky.
-
Don raced next to Mikey, enjoying the feel of the wind on his face and the sound of his bandanna whipping behind him. For the first time in a while, he felt free.
"Hey! You guys wanna play tag?" Casey asked as they slowed to a stop to take a quick break.
Raph chuckled and slapped his friend good-naturedly on the back. "Case, ya always lose. Ya can't beat a ninja at tag, bonehead."
"Well, you can't lose if you don't play at all," Casey huffed.
"I'm up for tag," Mike said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Raph looked at him. "We've been running for two miles – how the hell are you still so hyper?" Mike stuck his tongue out at him.
Don looked at Leo. "So?"
Leo looked as if he were debating, but nodded. "Sure. Why not. Teams or individual?"
"Individual," Raph said immediately. "I don't wanna get stuck wit' Mikey."
"Hey!"
"Okay then." Casey took out a bat, and used it to point to a vent exhaust, "That'll be the starting point. Raph, ya wanna be 'It'?"
Raph shrugged in agreement.
"Right, then, ready set go!"
All five of them took off in a surge, in different directions. Raphael hardly ever started off chasing Donatello, so Don went in the opposite direction than everyone else so he could have a head start if Raph decided to change his mind and come after him.
Deciding to go down to the alleys for a few blocks, Don slid down a fire escape and took off running. Suddenly a feminine scream pierced the air. Immediately Don halted and ran in the direction of the scream, expecting to find a woman in trouble. Instead he found an empty alley.
"Uh, hello?" He asked, cautiously entering but sticking to the shadows.
"Hello," A voice purred. It sounded like it came from behind the trash cans. Don didn't see anyone, yet he moved forward a bit more.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh yes…"
Finally Don saw something, barely. A very tall, very shapely woman with well endowed breasts, ebony skin and jet black hair stepped out from behind the cans. "Everything is fine now," she breathed.
"Oh…well…good." Don turned to leave, but was startled by a hand on his arm. She felt cold.
"You look like you could use some fun," she purred at him, sliding her hand up his bicep. Don stared at her – how could she have seen him?
"Um, no thank you," he said, weirded out by the whole experience.
"Come on…the brave warrior needs to relax." She pulled on his arm and he found himself pressed against her. He tried to pull away, and found she had an iron grip.
"Miss, I really don't think-" Don looked down at his arm, meaning to pry her hands off him. Instead of the elegant hand he had seen before, a black tentacle was wrapped tightly around his arm, and was getting tighter.
A red glint was in her eye now, and she grinned maliciously, pinning both his arms to his sides and pulling him even more uncomfortably closer, defeating his attempts to reach for the shuriken in his belt.
"You must be stopped, Meat," she growled, a definite demonic edge to her voice now. One of her arms-turned-shadowy-tentacle wrapped around his body. The other one turned back into a hand, a razor sharp claw coming out of her forefinger. She jerked his head back and held her claw up to his throat. "Permanently."
She raised the claw, and Don closed his eyes. There was a blood-curdling scream, and the tentacle wrapped around his body loosened and disappeared. Don's eyes opened again – a shuriken was lodged right in her eye, steaming black blood pouring from it. He dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.
Hissing, the demon lady was frantically searching for her attacker with one eye. "Show yourself!" She was screaming, "No one dares attack Deumos! Warriors fear me!"
"Those warriors must have sucked then." Raphael dropped from the fire escape. "And while we're on the subject, no one dares attack my brother!" His voice dropped as he helped Don back to his feet, "You okay?" Don nodded. Raph pulled out a sai. "Good."
Deumos had pulled out an ornate obsidian blade. "You will pay for the damage you have done," she screeched.
Raph pushed Don out of the way as she charged, just barely catching her blade in his sai, keeping it from going through his neck. He pulled out the other one and in one movement, kicked over her head. She ducked, and Raph used the motion to grab her and pull her to the ground, stabbing her right through her belly. She screamed, and more steaming black blood stained the pavement. Finally she lay still.
Raphael stood and turned to Don, putting his arm around his shoulders and steering him towards the mouth of the alley. A small noise sounded behind them, and Don turned. Deumos was rising up off the ground, reaching for her obsidian blade. In a fluid motion she was up and running towards Raph, blade raised over her head.
"Raph!" This time it was Don's turn to push his brother out of the way. He slid his bo out of his belt and aimed a heavy blow towards Deumos' head, connecting hard.
She staggered back, hissing. "You will regret this! You will-" She hissed again as Raph hit her in the arm with another shuriken.
"Get outta here, lady."
Deumos roared at them one last time before retreating to the back shadows of the alley and disappearing.
Raph slid his arm over Don's shoulders once more. "So. Ya wanna tell me what the hell that was?"
