Episode 8: Vengeance of the Foot Clan – Part 3

A thousand emotions crashed into Ethan, but all he could do is stare in stunned silence as the only person he could ever consider to be a father – his master – his sensei, fell to the ground, blood oozing out from two wounds in his stomach. With a solid thud Master Hamato collapsed, his body prostrate against the ground.

"NOOO!" Ethan, Jess and Kaela screamed.

Shredder raised his head to them and a throaty laugh echoed around the room, the candles flickering. Ethan roared, his mind seemed to burn away in the heat of anger. Fire exploded inside him, throwing him forward, blurring his mind as he ran forward, naginata out.

All forms were gone – all style was gone – the only thing that mattered now was destroying Shredder at any cost. He rammed his weapon on Shredder over and over again, yelling each time he struck. Shredder blocked each one without issue. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Ethan screamed. Each attack he threw ran after the other – not thought behind them.

He's not dead! He's not dead!

Shredder slammed the naginata from his hand it flew across the room, hitting one of the candle's and throwing it to the ground. The flame hit the tatami and immediately spread. Orange flames leaped up the sides of the walls, devouring everything in it's path, reaching the ceiling and spreading. Ash spread through the air in puffs of black that hung in the air.

Ethan didn't care in the least that he didn't have a weapon and jumped into Shredder's inner ring to dodge another stab and he slammed his fist as hard as he could into Shredder's helmet. He cried out in anger, stumbling backward. Ethan knew he had broken several fingers, but he didn't care. He was going to kill Shredder and nothing was going to get into his way.

Kaela knelt at the body of Master Hamato and lifted him up to place his head on her lap. "Sensei!" she cried. Blood spread cross the floor and onto her pants. The two puncture wounds were more than a few inches deep. Dazed and confused, her and Jess knelt in stunned silence, the red lifeblood of Master Hamato leaking onto their pants and the floor around them. Master Hamato looked around the room, clearly dazed, but focusing on random things like the weapon shelf, the table, the tree outside.

"W-we're going to he-help you, Sensei." Kaela stuttered out, tears stinging out from the corner of her eyes that plopped down to the ground. The fire grew around them and Jess turned to Kaela, smoke streaking past them, already spots of ash from the nearby fire had blackened her cheeks. "We need to get out of here, now!" she shouted. Kaela looked up just in time to see Ethan get thrown across the room.

He smacked into the door frame that led into their own room. He tried to stumble back to his feet, but his side hurt, his fist hurt, everything hurt. Shredder stared down at him, his shadow casting blades across the ground and in every direction around him. He raised his gauntlet into the air, ready to kill a second individual and Ethan knew he was not going to have the strength or ability to dodge.

With a crashing noise, Shredder looked up and Ethan followed that same gaze. The beams above had been eaten away by burning fire and were collapsing. Shredder jumped out of the way just as the beams fell, crushing together in a pile, throwing ash and cinders in every direction. Ethan flinched away, holding his arms over to his face to protect his fur from catching flame.

A few feet away, Ethan could see his naginata and he reached out, crawling half the way, walking the other half. He snatched up the weapon, but when he had straightened, Shredder was gone, nowhere to be found. "Ethan!" Jess screamed. Fire was eating more of the home away, the tatami below him was beginning to go up in red and orange. The heat was intense and wafted over him like tsunami waves.

Still feeling like his heart and been clenched tight by a cold fist, Ethan could feel sobs coming up from his throat. Outside, the garden was as black as night. The glass of the nearby window had shattered from the impact of another beam that crumbled and the black smoke began to pour out from the window. Ethan crawled forward, dodging another burning beam of wood. Jess and Kaela were trying to pick up Master Hamato from the floor. His eyes gazed onward, but he blinked and Ethan knew he wasn't dead. Blood had stained his white gi like an angry scar across his chest, dripping down into the flames that were encroaching on them – eating away everything they had known for certain.

Ethan helped them, lifting the other side of their Master and he groaned in agony. They stumbled together, Ethan's vision blurring from the tears that streaked is ashen face. They went into the darkness of the alleyway, now illuminated by the orange glow of destruction. On the opposite wall, Ethan's eyes met a new symbol that had been painted on the old brick. It was the sign of the Foot Clan. Shredder was still nowhere to be found.

Setting him down gently, the three cradled Master Hamato in their laps, red staining their pants where he rested. "Master Hamato?" Ethan suddenly could remember as clear as day every time that he had warned him that he would not live much longer – every time that he had told him that he was going to die soon. Master Hamato had been right after all. He clenched his fist bitterly. "My children," Master Hamato managed to choke out, "There is not much time left for me – but you must not allow m-my death to destroy this team. It was inevitable." Ethan could feel his shoulders shaking and he closed his eyes, not sure if it was from the stinging of his tears or from the black smoke that was billowing into the sky. "Do not become bitter." he continued, for a moment he grimaced in pain and then his eyes opened again and he looked at each of them with clarity still in his eyes, "I am proud of you, my children. You are ready to face the shadows that I could not keep at bay." As he spoke the sturdiness in his voice was beginning to fade.

Then suddenly, he was looking far away into the New York sky – like he was seeing something that they could not and his eyes widened. He then turned his glassy eyes that were already beginning to glaze over and reached out until he grasped Ethan's furry hand in one and a bundle of Jess' shirt in the other. "My children, you must find the turtles and s-st – and stop the Heart of Darkness." He then let out a breath, like he had at last accomplished what he needed to and he closed his eyes, a smile on his face as his pulse vanished away and his hand went limp in Ethan's.

As his fingers slipped through to the ground, Ethan felt his heart smash and sink into the darkness of his soul and he let out a sob. A few moments later, Jess and Kaela and him were wrapped in each others arms, sobbing, their now dead Sensei lying in their lap, as peaceful as if he had just fallen asleep.

Everything inside Ethan felt like it had turned to ice and suddenly, thankfully, all of his emotions came out in the tears that dripped down his face, sinking into his fur. Jess and Kaela's faces were streaked red and black from the tears and the flames. Suddenly, amid the sound of cars just outside the alleyway, they could hear the sound of sirens. Shadows of people were running away, screaming. Someone had seen the fire.

Fright replaced grief for a moment and Ethan wiped at his face with the crook of his elbow and turned to the others. "We have to go." He said. "We need to get out of here."

"W-we can't j-just leave him!" Kaela said through another sob, half out of sadness and half out of terror as she turned to look out at the oncoming red and blue lights that were zooming down the street towards them.

Ethan was already back on his feet and gave one last look at Master Hamato. "We have to." he finally said, hating that it was him to had to say it. A firetruck pulled up to the entrance of the alleyway, dousing the whole place in multi-colored lights.

"Where do we go?" Jess asked hopelessly.

Ethan had already figured that out. He pointed to a manhole that was placed in the middle of the street. "There." Kaela and Jess didn't protest and together they helped Ethan tug up on the manhole cover. It was heavier than Ethan thought and then he motioned for them to hurry in. Dark shadows of men were beginning to pour out of the truck and were unhitching a hose from the side. Kaela and Jess plummeting into the darkness of the sewers and Ethan climbed in, putting both of his padded feet on the rungs of the steel ladder.

He gave one final look at Mater Hamato's peaceful body, as if he had taken a nap in the alleyway. Tears burned on the edges of his eyes and, stifling a final cry, he ducked into the sewers, closing the manhole cover with a slam.

The siblings were all immediately thrown into darkness. Tiny, hardly working florescent lights as the only thing that made them able to see anything ahead of them. "Where are we going to live now?" Kaela asked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, her shoulders still trembling.

Jess reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Probably down here now." Ethan nodded his head in confirmation. That would be what they had to do. Suddenly the weight of leader felt like a crushing boulder on Ethan's shoulders.

"We'll make Shredder pay for what he did." He said quietly to the other two. They all stood in silence for a moment and then turned to the rest of the sewers ahead of them that tunneled further and weaved into darkness. "Let's go guys."

The three walked together, arms around each others shoulders for comfort to whatever new adventures awaited them.

Lights exploded, making fiery blossoms appear in the sky in multiple colors. Huge popping fireworks ascended into the air and a chorus of cheers and hoots of joy rocked the ground. Crowds of people pressed against one another, wearing colorful costumes; some wore animal outfits. The hundreds of people moved like ants, jostling about, some trying to get to concession stands, others trying to get a better view of the fireworks. Some simply tried not to get trampled by others. Traditional music that was composed of an eerie shamisen and a taiko drummer hovered over the crowd from a tower in the middle of the festival. Some people danced traditionally in a circle around it. Others ignored the dancing, wooden sticks covered in takoyaki octopus balls in their hands.

The Asian girls wore long kimono's. Many had colorful festival masks.

All was crammed together in the fields of a nearby community high school, absent entirely of grass like America schools and instead covered in dirt. The shadow of the school made it look like a prison building.

Japan was crazy during it's NinjitsuChi Matsuri. The party was attended by almost everyone in the Nagoya prefecture. EmberEye pushed her way through the crowds. She wore a long black coat to disguise her wings behind her back, but she had no need for a mask. Her hawk-like feathered face looked like one already. Nobody would ask her a question about it. None of these stupid civilians knew that a mutant was walking through their midst. EmberEye half wanted to just cut open all of the civilians in the crowd, but knew that her master would not appreciate that. He had long since taught her temperance. In the shadow of the one, huge, three level boxy school, insanity ensued as the celebratory thousand lanterns were lit. The high school was old and rose out of the fairgrounds as a silent monster, none of the windows were illuminated with light as they usually were after school. No student would be found in there tonight – not with a festival of this magnitude just outside.

EmberEye shoved through a few last individuals ignoring a merchant who shoved a stick of karauge chicken in her face. "Douzo! Tabete kudasai! Go hyaku-en dake de!" he tried tempting her, his portly body swaying around him. The chicken was speared on a long wooden stick and she shook her head no. He continued to try but she broke away from the crowd and walked up the steps to the school entrance. She did a final check that nobody was watching her and then, using her talon like fingers, she pulled open the door and stealthily moved through the crack, shutting it behind her before anyone could notice. Sneaking through crowds this large, undetected, was child's play. Now, finally in the sanctuary of the building, she pulled off her trench coat and let it fall to the ground. It felt good for her to stretch her wings behind her again and she sighed. Having her wings folded behind her during the plane ride from New York to Japan had been agony – the things she did for her master.

The school was silent. Lockers were shadowed in blackness and not a noise could be heard. EmberEye never felt nervous – except for moments right before she spoke with him. She hated that feeling. She slowly walked up the stairs, her talons tapping against the coolness of the tiled steps. It was dark and she was undeniably alone in this huge building. Strange shadows were cast through the window from the party like a hazy nightmare. At long last, she reached the room that she had heard he would be waiting for her in. Room 322. Taking in one long breath of air, she opened the door.

The room was empty. The student desks had been shoved to the far side of the room, the chalkboard lay empty of writing and not a single soul could be seen. The far wall was lined with windows that looked out onto the festival, more fireworks went off and illuminated the room in sharp flashes of red, blue, green, and purple. She looked around suspiciously as she closed the door behind her. The door was blank of any notes of instruction. As she turned a 180, she finally noticed that near the window was a stool. Sitting on it was a old, corded phone, the receiver lie on its side waiting. She quickly crossed the room and with a final look at the moving crowd outside, she picked up the phone. It was so old fashioned that it had the clear wheel that rotated to input numbers. She put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She asked in the quiet, the only sound being that of the chaos outside.

The voice she heard was a smooth as water. Yet, it had so much intent that it was more like poisoned oil. "Hello, EmberEye." The voice said. She immediately recognized it, even over the phone.

When she finally managed to put herself together she replied, "Lord Nightshade. I assumed when you wanted me to come all the way to Japan that I would at least get the honor of talking face to face."

As soon as she said it, she knew she had made a mistake. It was silent on the other end of the phone, although she could hear a strange buzzing in the background, chaotic and all over the place. Finally his voice returned, still silky smooth, but with a sharpened edge, "You question my methods?"

"No!" She quickly corrected, gulping and folding her wings behind her again, "No, not at all, Lord Nightshade."

"Good." He was practically whispering into the phone. "I assume you arranged such a meeting as this that you may report on the task I appointed you with."

EmberEye nodded, "Yes. I believe we have taken enough mutagen for your plan to commence."

"Excellent." Lord Nightshade replied. The strange noise in the background increased.

"The Shredder was easily alluded." EmberEye added with a hint of pride.

It was quiet again on the other end and she looked nervously around the darkened, quiet room. Then his voice returned, quiet, deadly, "And the Hamato Clan?"

"They were not an issue. We didn't see or hear of them."

"That does not mean that they aren't involved." Lord Nightshade quickly corrected.

EmberEye didn't know what to say and felt that her tongue had gone numb as she tried to find some sort of excuse or a reason for her not to be suspicious, but she had clearly overlooked that, and Lord Nightshade specialized in finding oversights. "I am pleased to hear your report, EmberEye." he said and she breathed a sigh of relief. "As a matter of fact, I was counting on it. I even wrote a little memoir for the occasion." He was silent for a few moments. Then he continued. "I want you to hang up this phone in a few moments. Unplug it from the wall and take it with you. Place it in the trashcan three blocks down from the school building on a winding side street. Then prepare for my arrival in New York City seventy two hours from that moment."

"Hai, sensei." EmberEye replied humbly.

"And while you are here, enjoy the matsuri, EmberEye. Don't deny the man with the Karauge a second time, it really is worth the money."

The phone went dead.

In horror, EmberEye turned to look out into the crowd and noticed for as single moment a figure vanishing into the crowd, black scarves trailing behind them and her heart leaped in her chest.

She had not been as alone as she had originally thought.

Quickly, she unplugged the phone from the wall and heaved in under her arm and turned.

A note that had not been there five minutes ago was now pinned to the door. Again, her heart froze over and she quickly strode over, looking suspiciously around the room and unpinned the note from the door. It was the memoir he had written. EmberEye read it, a chill running down her spine.

In the dark of the night,

under the pale of the moon,

the East Wind returns.

Sakura petals blacken

in the shadow of revenge.

To Be Continued . . .