Ancient Prophecy.

Chapter twenty:

"How are you my friend?" The Ancient One asked as he sipped his tea accompanied by the old rat and Rose.

"I worry for my remaining sons," he admitted wearily, "I fear that they will become unfocused, Leonardo already has his new son and Serena to worry about."

"I have been meaning to discuss that with you Splinter." Rose interjected before the Ancient One could, "Perhaps it would be best for Leonardo if he were less involved in the conflict, at least until Little Yoshi is older, Goddess forbid this mess lasts that long."

"Leonardo is a capable warrior and is needed to lead the tribunal army!" The portly Japanese human protested scowling at the woman, "It is unlikely he would wish to allow the fighters he has been helping to train go into battle without his keen eye to ensure there is limited loss of life."

"I am well aware of your tribunal's views on their acolytes and their opinions towards those who fight for them and I am sure Leonardo would be more than willing to take on the role of purely sensei." Rose calmly sipped her tea despite her obvious dislike for the man accompanying them, "He adores that child and while a large part of him wishes to fight this battle, another part longs to play the role Splinter played for him. I believe that his place is here teaching those who are in dire need of his valuable experience and caring for his son."

"And Donatello?" Splinter asked not wanting to admit his agreement with her at that point, "What of him? He is not the fighter Leonardo is."

"But he does much to help those who dwell in our safe haven." Rose told them both looking out of the window.

"And your granddaughter grows closer to him every day," The Ancient One said glancing at her, "I suppose you wish her to stop fighting also."

"Certainly not! Elyssa is more than capable of fighting anything those monsters can throw at her, but I do feel that without Donatello this haven would not be as it is now. So my question is this, can we risk losing two young men who can offer this growing community so much, especially when there is a child involved who needs a father?"

"I have asked my children to fight for so long, it is all they have ever done to ensure their survival," Splinter sighed staring out over the veranda when Leonardo and Serena sat on a blanket fussing over his grandson, "I have lost my two youngest to the gods only know what and may never know if they suffered. I wish nothing more than to allow them to lay down their weapons and rest."

"The tribunal will never agree!" The Ancient One protested.

"Then I will make them!" The old witch replied matter of factly, "they are not as powerful as they think they are, they use only chi magic, that which resides within one's self. But my family and I possess true magic within our veins, and that is far more powerful than simple chi magic. They would be foolish to go against my kind as well they know." The ancient one grumbled and waddled away from the woman he had come to hate, "I know he is your friend but I can't stand that man!" She turned noticing her furry friend looking tired, "perhaps we should go back inside, you look like you could use some rest my dear."

"My poor sons, they never deserved any of this." The old rat watched his eldest play with his grandson with a look of love over the boy's features, however it was marred with a sadness he knew was caused by Raphael and Michelangelo's absence, "without their bodies we will never know what happened and I fear none of my family will ever be able to fully move on."

"My dear friend," she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I know you have lost hope for their return but the spirits of this world work in mysterious ways and I believe they will return. You must have faith in their abilities and in the lessons you've taught them over the years." He smiled at her.

"You are right Rose, but I have not sensed either of them in such a long time it is hard for me to believe that they still live. And now we know that Ursa has succeeded in conquering the rest of the planet they have nowhere to hide."

"Have faith Splinter; in times like these it's all we have."

Xxx

Raphael and Archie stood back out of respect as Yuri approached the graves dug beside the ruins of what would have once been a grand house. She had had only one request from them and that was when she was strong enough to travel that she could visit the graves of her family. Neither of her companions questioned the request and instantly agreed, with only a few grumbles from Aradia. So several days after leaving the inn half way up the peak they stood outside the Village of Tengu. Raphael had started at the name and asked why it had been called after demons but she had explained that in her culture it was also the name for a winged woodland fairy. The day was sunny and birds made themselves known despite the desolate feel the ruins gave off and yet Yuri hugged her body as if it were freezing temperatures. She approached the graves slowly noticing that there were two more since she had last been there, it seemed someone had thought to bury her brother Kaoru and his wife there with her parents, probably Azmaria's parents out of respect for her family. Elaborate gravestones had been carved as well, but she couldn't bear to read them. Instead she found where she had buried her mother and knelt down to touch the earth hoping that in some way it might make her feel closer to the powerful and courageous woman that had conquered so much in her life. Sayuri allowed her tears to slowly leave trails down her face.

"Yuri?" Raph approached as the light began to fail and Aradia had begun to grumble. He heard an audible sniff and noticed her wiping at her face so he quickened his approach and knelt down beside her.

"Someone gave them better markers." She told him as she leant into his body covered with the warm travelling clothes common to her world that she had acquired for him, "When it happened there was no one left. I had to dig the graves myself and the only markers I could give my parents were small wooden ones that I'd carved their names in." Looking at the graves of her brother and wife, she smiled, "someone even brought Kaoru and Azmaria here. They both loved this place and Azmaria made sure Alex and Anna visited regularly."

"I'm sorry Yuri." Raph wrapped both his arms around her sincerely wishing he were more like Don who knew how to comfort anyone, even him, "No one should have ta go through what you have."

"He even killed all our horses."

"About that, I was wonderin' why ain't I seen no magical animals here? I mean if this place is a magical version of my world, shouldn't there be like unicorns, dragons and Griffins and stuff?"

"There were, once but they couldn't survive with the worlds separated. The creatures survived whilst your world still believed in and used magic to a great extent but as those users dwindled there was no longer enough magic between the two worlds for them to survive." Yuri finally stood and allowed Raph to lead her back to where Archie still anxiously stood with Aradia in his arms.

"So how come demons still exist in both worlds then?" Raph furrowed his brow.

"Because my friend, demonic power stems from other sources of which we have yet to determine." Archie supplied, "However magical creatures such as dragons, griffins, and unicorns' etcetera draw their power from natural magic found only on our world and to a lesser extent yours."

"Oh okay."

"You still don't get it do you?" Yuri smirked.

"Not a bit." He shrugged.

"Didn't think so." They stayed silent for a few moments after which animals were heard panicking and birds took flight. The ground shook beneath their feet and the three only just managed to stay on their feet. "What was that?"

"No idea?" Archie replied honestly, "do you feel that?"

"What are we supposed ta be feelin' here?" Raph asked feeling as if something wrapped itself around his heart as if he were facing all of his worst enemies at once.

"Maybe we should get moving." Yuri suggested. "The sooner we get back to Earth the better."

"Good idea." Aradia piped up flexing her claws against Archie's arm, "Something does not feel right, as if something has been released that should not have been."

"It's getting late though, perhaps we could find a place to practice Raphael's magic. We may need more than one sorcerer in the coming battles." Archie patted the younger man's shoulder and turned to leave, "Not that you're not a great fighter of course."

"Or course." Raph muttered under his breath receiving a playful nudge from Yuri. The nearest village was over a day's walk away so they headed for the nearby woods where they'd passed a nice clearing earlier in the day. It took them an hour to reach it and the feeling Raph had got progressively worse as the day quickly came to an end. "You get the feeling somethin' bad's gonna happen?"

"It does seem a little quiet," Yuri looked around the clearing feeling the goose bumps appear along her back, "we should stay on guard."

Xxx

"Where are they you insufferable little man?!" Rose bellowed as she searched for any sign of Donatello, Leonardo or the Ancient one. She rounded a corner and found Sophie giving a reading lesson to some of the children that had been brought to the place now simply called Haven, "Sophie dear where are all of the warriors?"

"They were all summoned by those tribunal people, I heard something about a final battle." Sophie frowned, "I hope they're alright, it sounded pretty serious. Did Lysie go with them?"

"Last I saw her she was practising with Serena, the Craft girl's quite powerful." Rose looked around, "How long ago did the warriors leave?"

"Not long but one of the Shisho's opened a portal," the younger woman rubbed her arm, "I didn't worry too much cause they took several of the magic wielders with them." Rose sighed as she rubbed her eyes in exasperation, while she loved her other grandchildren, there was a reason only Elyssa spent any amount of time with her and Sophie's cluelessness was a very big reason for it, she loved all of her grandchildren but there was only so much she could take from dome of them. "Thank you Sophie." She turned and left the girl to teaching the children, she may have been clueless but when it came to teaching, the girl was not all that bad, even if she did only tend to teach the very young. It did not take her long to find Elyssa and Serena in the woods and when she did she cast a spell to deflect both girls' spells. "Well, as predicted, those abominations are leading the warriors they collected to their deaths. Elyssa you need to go after them and bring whoever you can back as safely as possible."

"What about me?" Serena asked looking a little indignant.

"You will go back to the farm house with me and make sure Splinter does not get wind of this until his remaining sons are safely home. I fear losing either of them will be the end of him and I am not willing to let that old ninja go before his time." Rose placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "your skills are improving, but do you really want to risk your son growing up an orphan?" Serena formed an 'oh' with her mouth and looked to Elyssa.

"Of course not, I know how that feels. Please Elyssa bring them home, bring my Leo back in one piece won't you?" The blonde witch immediately pulled her friend into a bear hug and rubbed her back.

"You know it." Lysie turned to Rose, "Any idea where they went?"

"Only that Sophie said they mentioned a final battle, if that's already started then I suggest you use one of your empathy spells."

"Will do, I'm guessing they went back to the city," the blonde said to no one in particular, "or at least the outskirts. I'll start there and work my way back towards here. They can't have gone too far away and Ursa's still in the city as far as we know." The girl turned and grinned at the two still listening, "I'll be back soon, and I promise I'll bring our boys back at the very least."

Xxx

Leo dodged another demon. They were losing, badly and it was all the young leader could do to keep his last remaining brother close to him and in one piece. Bodies of friends, old and new were littered over the battle field and they were fast running out of fighters, not even those who used magic were making any headway. The shisho's and the Ancient One were currently battling Ursa and Hex, whilst his own swords clashed with Zuko's.

"We need to retreat!" Leo whispered in Don's direction as he spied Feragi fall amongst five other fighters courtesy of a fresh batch of demons.

"I'm open to suggestions bro," Don panted blocking another attack from two demons at once, "we both told them it was a bad idea. We should have at least brought Elyssa if not Serena as well!"

"No! Elyssa maybe, but not Serena!" Leo blocked another attack from Zuko and performed a spinning kick, which connected and sent the older man flying. Leonardo found himself silently thanking the tribunal for their extra training they had given him.

"Hey, Serena's just as capable as Lysie and don't forget Elyssa's my girl just like Renie's yours so don't pull the protective thing on me," Don grunted as he dodged another attack and cracked his bo into the creatures neck causing a yelp and the thing to fall only to be replaced by more, "I don't like any of this fighting, you know that, but it will only be a matter of time before these monsters find a way through our defences and then Renie won't have a choice." The fighting stopped as quickly as it had started leaving the two panting and watching the demons, along with Zuko, back away from them to give room for their leader. The winged demon smirked at them as she approached batting Leonardo roughly away when he launched his attacked, as if he were nothing but an annoying insect.

"Your tribunal is dead; you are the last survivors on this battle field." She approached Donatello, ignoring the yelps of pain as her demons used their claws and fists on any exposed skin on the fallen leader.

"Leave him alone!" Don roared and rushed her out of desperation. Leo looked up from where two demons held him down feeling as helpless as he did when he watched Ursa attack Yuri what felt like an eternity ago. She reached out a clawed hand and took his brother by the neck bringing the younger turtle close enough for her to whisper in his ear.

"You would dare to attack me?" she murmured to the now trembling teen, "Don't worry boy, you and your brother are to be spared to act as an example." She turned her head so that she could look at the older still being held down on the muddy ground, "One to be an example and the other to ensure his return home." Leo's eyes widened, "It's a shame that witch of yours is not here, I would have very much liked to have questioned her on a few things, but no matter, you will do. For now." She turned back to Don and caressed his face with her free hand, her eyes glowed red as they had when Sayuri had been taken from them. Leo did not know when he had begun to cry all he knew was that as his brother was consumed with some sort of white light, they fell freely down his face. The light consumed Don's body but instead of the boy disappearing the light began to diminish as if it were working its way up to his head until only a small orb was left. She released him and Don dropped to his knees with a vacant and blank look on his face, where his head had been mere moments before a ball of pure white light remained, it began to solidify until it became a creamy crystal. With a wave of her hand Ursa created a gold casing for it that wove around the crystal and moulded into a chain that she placed around her neck. "A souvenir," she gave as an explaination, "your souls are quite strong for mortals." Leonardo was let go and he all but crawled to his brother, shaking him to try and get the younger to respond in any way, but all he got was that blank look which stayed on the crystal around Ursa's neck.

"Pretty." Don pointed at the necklace then shied away, hiding behind his big brother, "bad monster, stole it. Missing piece, stolen." Leo felt physically sick as Don babbled incoherently and behaved almost like a small child.

"What did you do?" He asked quietly bringing his brother close to him and holding the smaller tightly, "What did you do?!" He screamed.

"Get away from them!" Elyssa yelled from the sky firing off her most powerful spells all at once and hoping at least one of them would do some sort of damage. They at least managed to destroy the majority of the surviving demons, but Hex had protected herself and Zuko. Of course Ursa was unharmed, "Leo, is Donnie okay?"

"I don't know! She's done something to him!" He yelled pulling both himself and Don to their feet and backing away in the direction Elyssa was hovering. "We have to go now!" The witch dodged and cast a new spell she had been working on from their copies of the tomes and a small portal opened up that would bring them close to the magical barrier outside of Haven. However, before she could fly down to join them, Ursa blasted her away and it took all she had not to black out.

"Leo go! Get out of here!"

"What about. . ."

"Please, just help Don!" She began chanting another spell and prepared for the fight of her life. Once the two turtles were safely through the portal she charged at her enemies yelling at the top of her lungs.

Wo hoo, got another one out. Bit of a cliffie! Hope you don't mind but I thought it was a nice evil place to stop it! I will try to get the next chap up soon so you can find out what happened. Please review though cause it encourages me to update sooner. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this, toodles Angel xxx