Chapter 4

"So what's a Shinobi anyway?"

Donatello and Leonardo had just finished telling their brothers what Master Splinter had told them about his friend, and Michelangelo sat rather stunned and confused.

"Well, technically, shinobi is another word for ninja," Leo began, pacing behind the sofa in the centre of the room. "But the Shinobi are also an ancient clan of far eastern shamans." Mike frowned. Lo sighed. "Magicians. Sorcerers that can control the elements and such."

"Wait, a clan?" Raphael queried. "There are other magicians?"

"Yes, for thousands of years. History suggests that samurais and shamans used to work together in harmony, both answering to the rule of the region's daimyo."

"But what about Ninja's?"

"Well, ninjas don't exactly have the best track record," Leonardo smiled. "They used be trained solely as assassins. It wasn't until the daimyo's began to unite in peace that the art was learned for self defence and battle, like the samurais. But many still consider ninjitsu as 'dangerous', due to the fundamental lessons of disguise and deception."

"How do you know this and I don't?" Donatello suddenly asked, annoyance clear on his face.

"You do know this; Master Splinter has told us all this loads of time. But you guys just never listen." Leo smiled again as he heard Raphael mutter "Splinter junior" under his breath.

Michelangelo leaned back on the sofa, slightly awestruck. "Whoa, so Splinter was friends with a wizard."

"Shaman." Donny corrected, setting himself on his swivel chair by the computer. "And yes, it would appear so."

"Why do you think he never introduced us to him, or better yet, mention him?" Raph asked, clearly a little hurt by the secret.

"I think it has something to do with this thing that Master Splinter has to find," Leo suggested, leaning against a wall pillar. "But the real question is, what is it?"

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Mei Pieh Chi tried to meditate and stay the hunger that was tearing through her stomach. She hadn't eaten for four days, but what was worse was the lack of water. She considered summoning some, but how would she explain a wet floor without revealing her magic? And as the hours passed, she found herself too weak to command it anyway. Her practising of qigong allowed Pieh Chi to clear her head, and stop her thought from swimming as dizzy dehydration racked through her body. "What should I do? I will not last long without water soon. What would Chung I have me do?" She thought hard, trying to come up with a plan. "It is my fault that he died. If I had been quicker with my herb collection I would have been home sooner, to help. And the Shredder said that he died for me, protecting me. If I die here, then his sacrifice would have been in vain, his death a waste. I cannot allow that to happen."

Her now enemy had asked her three more times for her answer, and she had refused him each time. But now a plan crept into her mind: The Shredder wanted her to join him, and so she would. Not to help assist with his evil, but to survive. If she played along with his game, and gain his trust, then she would get the opportunity to escape, maybe find the 'safety' Chung I had mentioned. "But where would I start?" She would have to think of that later, right now she had to plan how she deceive the Shredder and avenge her master, as was her duty. Suddenly there was a clicking sound from the door as it was unlocked. The Shredder strode in, his eyes expectant.

"You have not eaten or drunk anything for four days now, kame. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider my offer?

Pieh Chi paused, preparing herself for the path that she was about to embark upon. A path full of deceit and trickery. The path of the ninja.

"I have decided to accept," she replied, her voice weak. She avoided her new master's eyes as he clapped his hands for a jug of water and a plate of seaweed crackers to be brought in. But the victory in his voice was plain to see.

"Excellent. It's amazing how a lack of nourishment can soften a person's...stubbornness. Training begins in the morning."

The Shredder walked out, and once she was sure the door was locked, Pieh Chi drank nearly the whole glass and most of the crackers, knowing she would fell peckish and thirsty for the rest of the night. She settled herself back into meditation, determination welling up inside her. She would survive, and she would avenge Chung I. That was the path she now walked.

Sorry for such a short chapter. Just wanted to say thanks to all those reading and following the story and to all those enjoying it! I have really loved writing this piece (this is my first fanfic) and would really appreciate some more feedback :) Next update soon!