"Ha! We got 'em!" a voice cheered, only to exclaim a moment later, "OW! That hurt, man!"

"Would ya shuddup? You really are an idiot, aren't you? Did ya even look at the thing in the bag? It's furry, and it ain't got no green skin! You knocked the wrong guy out!" a second voice shouted. "But either way, this will work in our favor..."

When you've lived the majority of your life in the sewers, you hear weird things. For Kage, this had to be the strangest. No one goes into the sewer and brags about kidnapping someone, that's just plain weird...

The blue eyed girl was shocked to hear what was being said. Did they say what she thought they said? That couldn't be possible...the only furry thing down here was Mr. Splinter, and they couldn't have gotten him, could they?

The sewer girl peeked out from behind a corner as she watched them retreat, smug as ever. A victory always ends up boosting your ego, Kage mused, thinking back to all the times the four turtle brothers had come home victorious.

And how they had subsequently been knocked off their pedestals at the next battle.

Kage was horrified. How could Mr. Splinter have gotten captured? And where were the turtles to rescue him? They always did! ALWAYS!

"Those green goons are gonna be putty in our hands once they realize who we got," someone snickered, and Kage steeled her nerves to creep quietly behind the band of kidnappers.

"Boss is going to be pleased."

"I'm finally gonna get promoted! No more assistant henchman position for me! Now I'll be a real henchman!"

Mr. Splinter had taught the girl many things, especially when it came to ninja stuff. She may not be a ninja turtle, but she was a shadow girl, and shadow girls, like ninja turtles, were very good at getting what they wanted.

Somehow.

~(0)~

"Whadaya mean Splintah's been 'taken'?" Raph demanded.

"How did this even happen?" Donnie asked, confused.

"I...I take full responsibility," Leonardo hung his head in shame. "I never should have let him go investigate the disturbance, but I think he thought it was Kage."

"Dude, it's over now. We gotta focus on getting Sensei back!" Mikey said.

"I'm going to check if these guys tripped any other alarms, it might just give us a clue to their whereabouts," Donnie spoke, moving towards his computer. A few seconds later he said two words, "Fifth Tunnel."

They had a chance!

"Let's Go!"

~(0)~

Kage knew she would have to come into the light eventually, and it might as well be for someone she cared about. She was going to save Mr. Splinter, she had to!

The kidnappers were almost to a manhole cover, and once they were up in the world above...They were going to be impossible to catch. Kage reached for a rock, and threw it at the group. It missed, splashing into the sewer water behind them.

The group whirled around.

"What was that?"

"There aren't gators down here, right?" someone gulped, and a chuckle was heard throughout the tunnel.

"They do know we have shells, right? Or are they as blind as they are dumb?"

Kage gasped, she knew that voice!

"I don't know, Raph. Coming down here was a pretty stupid move if you ask me," Leonardo smirked. Kage felt her breath catch, they had come! The four turtle boys stepped into the pale sewer light, and Kage wondered how anyone could think they looked like gators.

They looked pretty mad though...

"Put the sack with our Master in it down," Donatello growled. "Now."

The kidnappers gulped. They hadn't expected this.

"Let's get them!"

The ensuing fight lasted less than five minutes. The turtles were angry, the henchmen were totally unprepared, and Kage just felt her eyes go wide at all the madness going on. Eventually, silence reigned in the tunnel, and the four boys went to work freeing their father from his prison.

"My sons..." Master Splinter murmured.

"Sensei! You're okay!"

Kage smiled at the reunion, happy for the little family of five. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to remember the feeling of her mother hugging her. She slowly opened her eyes, the feeling evaporating like a ghost. She felt the necklace under her shirt, so cool, so pretty.

So absolutely tiring.

Maybe it was time to meet her pursuers, give up the fight. What was the point anyway? She had been running for as long as she could remember. It wasn't fun, but then again, it had lead her to this sewer, to that odd family of five, to Mr. Splinter. Kage absently wondered what would they do if she gave herself up. Would they even notice her disappearance? Maybe Mr. Splinter would, or he might still be upset with her for leaving him alone to face the aliens...

~(0)~

To say he was annoyed was an understatement.

Someone had actually captured him.

Him, Master Splinter, former battle Nexus champion!

He had thought it was Kage, afraid, but that she had come back. No, it was some ruff and unruly group of underlings who had come to ruin his day. And they had no honor when they assaulted him from behind, using the dirty tricks that only a low life resorts to.

They had thrown him in a sack, no respect what-so-ever, and had carted him off like he was a sack of potatoes. They kept praising themselves for capturing me, I could hear them gloat from my little prison, and I wanted to be free so I could teach them all a lesson. My claws, although sharp, were having a tough time penetrating the cloth as I was jostled about in their haste to leave my underground home.

But I can always count on my sons.

They are my pride and joy, my shining stars. They had come to my rescue, to save me, and as I was finally released from my prison, I realized things:

The first was simple, I was getting old.

It was so odd to think that, even though I knew I was aging every day. But as my sons were needed to rescue me, I truly understood what was happening. I could not save myself, I was not as young as I used to be.

The second was truly saddening, it was time to give up martial arts.

I was getting up in years, this day would come eventually. I knew it was time to put up my weapons, my warrior's spirit, and my Master title. It was time, I guess I should say, to retire. My boys knew everything they needed to know, and they would learn what they didn't in time. But as for me, it was time to simply sit on the sidelines.

The third was something I couldn't prove, but I knew someone was watching us.

I hugged my sons, so happy and thankful to have them there. I was truly blessed to have such wonderful children...

That's when I realized what the eyes were.

Or, more precisely, whose.

Kage.

I turned my head toward the place I could feel the eyes coming from, and smiled. I took a few steps in the direction of the eyes, and then I called out to her.

"Kage, would you please come out? There are some people I would like you to meet."

For a moment, there was silence. I could tell my sons were questioning my sanity, and for a moment, I was too. The shadows did not let go of Kage, and I wondered if they ever would...

I turned back towards my sons, smiling sadly.

"Never mind, she always was the Shadow Girl. I guess she always will be," I said ruefully.

"Might want to reconsider that, Sensei," Raphael smirked, nodding his head towards the place I had felt watching eyes.

I turned to look, hoping that she was there, that she trusted me enough to come out.

There, hesitantly stepping out from the edge of the shadows was a tiny, little brunette. Her sweat shirt was covered in sewer water and grime, her jeans splashed with all sorts of things. Her dark brown hair was in tangles around her face, her pale face contrasting with the blue of her eyes. She took one hesitant step towards us, and I reached out my hand to her. Nervously, she came forward, taking my hand as her eyes darted from turtle to turtle.

"My sons, I would like to introduce you to Kage," I began. "Kage, these are my sons, whom I'm sure you already know. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello."

"You're real," Mikey gasped, shocked. He was quickly smacked upside the head. "Hey!"

"Forgive him, he's and idiot. Nice to meet you," Donatello smiled.

"I've heard a lot about you Kage, it's nice to finally put a face to a name," Raphael chuckled.

Leonardo was silent, studying Kage carefully. I hoped he wasn't about to do something he'd regret, but with my sons that option was never fully off the table. He opened his mouth to speak as a different voice spoke up.

"FREEZE!"

The group turned to find Captain Mortu and his guardians flood into the tunnel.

"Oh never mind, it seems like you've caught our little thief. By Utromian law, I place this girl under arrest!"