Disclaimer:…. I obviously do not own Ninja Turtles. Peter Lair and Kevin Eastman do.
"Bones shatter, fall apart and hit the floor,
If it doesn't kill you it doesn't matter anymore.
Bones shatter, baby don't go out this time.
No matter, where you've been or who you are, if it doesn't kill you it's sure to leave a horrible scar."
"Bones shatter" -Hedly
"They searched every single inch of that mountain, combed every tree, left no stone unturned…." Leonardo explained to his wife "And yet Michaelangelo was gone, meaning he had left. Where to, we are not sure, but we will follow his trail."
"You had checked his lair as well, correct?" Karai asked.
Leonardo nodded "Yes but… We found evidence that he had not been living alone; his home had been sustaining two for years. And my ninja have told me of a fierce creature with equally fierce, traditional Ninjitsu skills."
"Creature?" Karai inquired, putting a glass of wine to her lips.
"Yes. And I had done some research, there have been numerous sightings over the past decade of a creature with a description matching the creature our Foot soldiers had seen." Leonardo produced a newspaper; there was a story and he highlighted the part that he wanted Karai to read.
the hitch-hikers explain their mysterious rescuer as a creature with 'head of wolf' 'body of bear' and 'face and rack of human woman', they swear it wielded swords. This is the fifth sighting this year
"How old is this article?" Karai questioned.
"A few months."
"How many recorded sightings?"
"About twenty-seven."
"Do you think it is another mutant?" Karai asked – she knew that it was unlikely that the mutagen that Leonardo and the rest of his family were exposed to had affected them only; if Michaelangelo had obtained more of it…..
"If it is, it is most likely female the way it is described; some have reported that the creature talked to them, they say it either had a female voice, or a scratchy one. But it was capable of speaking and understanding English."
"Are you completely sure this is the same creature that had been living with Michaelangelo?"
"It'd be near impossible if it wasn't – in some sightings it was reported to have been seen with a 'giant turtle'."
Karai pondered – a second mutant? What if, for the past twenty years, Michaelangelo had been raising a savage mutant in the ways of Ninjitsu? One of the turtles was hard enough to deal with, two near impossible, but teamed with a creature as vicious as the Foot ninja had explained?
"If Michaelangelo left the mountain, he's likely to return to New York with Venus DeMilo," Karai rationalized "and in twenty years, it would be foolish to assumed they have not sharpened and polished their skills."
"And what do you assume we do?" Leonardo insinuated, his light brown eyes on his wife.
"Our son will take place as an Elite guard, alongside you." Said Oroku Karai, the Shredder "You both will go to the streets and collect recruits to be Foot ninja."
Oroku Leonardo grinned madly "How I love your evil mind, darling." He purred.
"And I, you, Leonardo."
The door was open a crack, and unbeknownst to them, Kai had been listening for a while; hearing his parents mushy talk, he gagged and stuck his tongue out in disgust.
The part about finally being an Elite Guard, though, he was glad to hear.
"Now I remember why I hate traveling!" Venus DeMilo growled.
"Shut your trap and stop moving!" Michaelangelo hissed and elbowed her hard in the ribs, earning him a smack upside the head from his sibling.
"It'd be nice if your shells weren't squishing me!" Moth complained to them both, only to let out an 'oof!' when there was a bump in the road and she was wedged more between their shells and the wall of the crate.
To get to New York on a one-way road, they decided to hitch a ride of a train – however, to do that and ensure that they wouldn't be seen, they had to cram themselves into a stuffy, straw-filled crate which became even more crammed and stuffy when all three of them stowed into it. Moth wouldn't be surprised if she came out of this crate with claustrophobia.
"I can barely breathe in here!" Moth whined when they finally positioned themselves in the least uncomfortable way possible inside of a stuffy crate.
"Then conserve your air." Michaelangelo said and set himself in lotus position "Rest your mind, my child." He commanded and waited for her to get into lotus position "For the rest of the way, we'll be in a Chi Kung session. Lack of oxygen won't be an issue. Now close your eyes, and breath slowly…."
Venus DeMilo was already deep in her session, after all out of her siblings she had always been the most spiritual. Moth closed her eyes and lightened her breathing, and soon she too was deep in a Chi Kung session.
"We're going to New York Jade." Moth told her friend as soon as she appeared in the astral plain; her phantom of a best friend was silent, she never did speak until Moth said fully what she meant "Finally, I can avenge my family and kill Leonardo once-and-for-all. Order will be restored and the dead can rest easy. Finally, the weight on my fathers shoulders can be lifted."
"As can the one on yours." Jade responded.
Moth was somewhat baffled "What are you talking about? I carry no burden on my shoulders."
"Or so you've convinced yourself." Jade interjected with a flash in her green eyes "Face it, Moth; your whole life you've been trained to kill. Your enemies are the enemies of your clan and this war started before you were born. You were brought into this family as a weapon in a mission and it is very possible you can die as just that, a weapon."
"I'm my fathers daughter, not a weapon." Moth argued; one downside to having an ghost as a best friend, is that they always have a clairvoyant infinite knowledge about you. Although Moth would never admit it, she always had an insecurity about being a 'tool'. She knew her father loved her, but sometimes she couldn't help but doubt whether or not he saw her as a daughter or a weapon for him to destroy his enemies with. As mighty a warrior as Michaelangelo was, he wasn't as young or able-bodied as he used to be. So he saw that the only way to defeat Leonardo was to mix wisdom and experience with youth and ability.
"But the reason for your lack of sanity aside," Jade continued "when you arrive in New York, the Foot clan will be recruiting – Michaelangelo departure has lead for Leonardo and the Shredder to believe that Michaelangelo and Venus DeMilo are returning to New York. As a result, they are recruiting, so your plan will go smoothly. And when the Foot ninja saw you, they actually did believe you to be a creature, and Leonardo believes you are a mutant like your father. He will not suspect you as a human."
Moth frowned "Hey Jade, I gotta ask you," Moth asked "not that I don't like you fighting the good fight, but why are you on our side? I mean, the Shredder is your mother!"
"Hush," Jayde said "our visit is over; relax your mind for the rest of the journey…"
Before Moth could argue, Jade disappeared and Moth was left alone in the Astral Plain.
Moth made a face and took out her swords – she found it strange that in the Astral Plain she still had her all of her gear, weapons and everything else she carried on her. "Whatever," she said and practiced her kata's and moves for her remaining time in the Astral Plain.
Venus DeMilo opened her eyes when she sensed that they were in New York; it was either her uncanny spiritual abilities, or just her own intuition from having lived in New York for more than half of her life. She glanced at Michaelangelo and his demon child and pushed the lid off of the crate. She shook the stiffness from her body and walked around the section of the crate; the door of the train-car was open a crack and she could already smell the polluted salt water of the Manhattan river.
Already, their time was starting; the sun was setting and the night was closing in, giving them, as creatures of the dark and ninjas, the comforting pall of darkness to lurk around almost freely.
Venus DeMilo returned to the crate and shook the two other members of her clan awake "Wake up." She said "We are here. We are finally home."
"Five more minutes…" Moth groaned sleepily – only to be punched softly in the shoulder by her father.
"Wake up Moth; we have been resting for days." Michaelangelo scolded, both of them rose from the crate, shook themselves to regain feeling in their bodies.
"I'm up, I'm up." Moth mumbled.
Venus DeMilo leads them to the door and pointed to the darkened city of New York.
"New York, New York." Michaelangelo said "The place I never thought I would return to."
Moth blinked and rubbed her eyes "The big apple." She said in awe, mesmerized by the bright lights and immense size, even from her point of view in the mountains, the counties in the Foot hills that she overlooked were not near this size.
A craze grin filled out her face "I can't wait to paint this place in blood."
Venus DeMilo glared at Michaelangelo in amusement, he put his hands up in front of him. "I have no idea what went wrong with her." He excused.
Trying to focus on the whole 'Moth is nutso' thing.
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