Sorry the last chapter was short, but here's another. And ch. 7 will be coming quick too.

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

Raph's anger was just about boiling over when they stopped at the clearing in the park. "Ok we're here. Now let. Don. GO!"

"No," Shade answered coolly.

More ninjas began to fill the area surrounding them. Some Foot techs appeared on the right and left. And finally the Elite Guard with a puff of smoke on the north end. They each smirked and quickly stepped aside.

Shredder entered the clearing. "I see you have fulfilled your mission."

"As asked," Shade answered.

"Good." Shredder crossed his arms and glared at the three turtles. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely at the moment at the sight of the three turtles in his grasp. "Now to finish off the rest of you three."

"Rest?!" Raph demanded.

"Oh you don't know by now?" Shredder chuckled darkly. "That's rich."

"Then spill it bucket head," Mikey demanded.

"Remember that fire a year ago?" Shredder asked, pausing then going on without an answer. "That fire was no mistake. Leonardo made the mistake of entering the building. It caught fire pretty quickly. And the Elite told me one of the burning beams had fallen on him. By the time he got free, there was no way out. Pity. He was such a good fighter. I still do not understand why he would not work for me." He shook his head. "Such a shame."

"Because you're sick and don't know the meaning of honor!" Raph snarled.

"Oh well," Shredder said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You will join him soon enough."

Raph couldn't take it anymore. He lunged forward without thought of the consequence he would bring.

"Raph…" Don gasped.

Raph skidded to a stop halfway to Shredder and looked back in horror. Shade's blade had nicked Don's neck, digging deeper. He couldn't attack anyone without loosing Don. And he couldn't loose another brother. He couldn't go through that again. But he had to take care of Shredder. For Leo. No matter what. He just had to get Don free first. And he had no clue how.

---

Shade smirks. Raphael certainly was in a bind. His smile fades as he has yet another one of his flashbacks. It used be only once every two days or so, but now... Now they were coming at least twice a day. And this was the first one for the past twelve hours.

He was on the rooftops fighting, no longer wearing his trench coat. Fighting the turtles. But it wasn't a serious fight. Just a sparring match.

Mikey dodged his kick and swung his chucks, grinning playfully, totally at ease.

Shade laughed and flipped over Mikey, swiping his foot in a half circle.

Mikey fell to the ground. "Hey! No fair!" He laughed anyways, quickly getting to his feet.

"It is too fair. You should try thinking faster." Shade grinned.

"I don't think that's possible for Mikey," Raph grunted, but couldn't help a smirk.

Shade double blinks as he came back to the present. Weird. He hadn't had a flashback in hours. He thought they had finally stopped. And he had no idea why in that flashback he had been fighting Michelangelo for fun. The turtle's other brothers had been sparring on their own.

"Don't you think Raphael?" Shredder asks.

Shade refocuses his attention on the events in the clearing, retightening his grip on Donatello. He hadn't realized he had loosened his grip.

"If you wanted to make this any more interesting you'd have to grow a third arm," Raph growls.

"Hmm… now there's an idea. Another arm to take you down with." Shredder laughs coldly.

"Not cool Raph," Mikey complained.

"Fine. You don't want to guess, I'll tell you," Shredder growls. "Or rather show you." He pauses and looks at Shade. "Let Donatello go."

Shade didn't believe his ears at first. "But…"

"I meant it," Shredder barks.

Shade shrugs, removes his tento from Don's neck, and slips it into his trench coat. He takes a few steps to the right of the turtle, clasping his hands behind him, watching what would happen next.

Don rubs his neck and then wrist.

"Seeing as this will be our last fight, I will make it fair," Shredder says.

"You don't even know the meaning of fair!" Raph blasts, venom dripping in his voice.

Shade had to agree. Shredder had brought so many ninjas, the turtles were outnumbered 36 – 3. Clearly not favorable odds.

"You don't call setting Donatello free fair?" Shredder asks, pointing at Don. "Maybe I should have Shade restrain him again. Or just kill him."

Raph grunts.

Shredder chuckles darkly. "Thought so." He raised his right arm, pausing a moment to glare at the three turtles. "Attack!" he finally yelled.

Every ninja jumped forward in a millisecond of hearing Shredder's order, attacking the three turtles all at once, coming at all directions, blades swinging every which way.

Shade stands back a little more and watches as Mikey and Raph duck under a group of ninjas, letting them collide with each other. Shade chuckles then turns his attention to Shredder who was now standing beside him. "I have to agree with the turtle. You have a different view of the definition of fair."

Shredder chuckles lowly. "It depends on whose definition it is."

"Indeed."

The three turtles are separated almost immediately. A dozen each clustered around one turtle. Shade focus his attention on Donatello. He seems to be fighting pretty well for getting threated, and slightly injured. Don swipes to the left with his bo, knocking two ninjas to the ground. Using his bo, he leaps over those two, crashing into another. He stands on top of that one while twirling his bo with one hand. A smile spreads its way across the turtles mouth. Shade smiles too. An ninja sneaks up behind the purple masked turtle, sword raised high.

"Don!"

Shade's eyes search for the sound of the voice. The red banded turtle runs for the ninja behind Don just as the purple masked turtle turns around. Raph and the ninja wrestle across the ground, bringing down Don and Mikey as they roll around. Shade chuckles. One huge pile of ninja failure. This wouldn't take long at all.

"Go find the rat. Bring him here," Shredder says after watching the fight for awhile. "Seeing his sons broken and dead will take the fight right out of him. And then he too will be taken care of."

Shade nods. "As you wish." He turns and heads back into the trees. But he doesn't leave the park. He stays hidden away in the trees watching the fight. Their rat master could wait a few minutes. The rat's downfall was inevitable anyways.