Note: Nothing too graphic, but there are descriptions of wounds here. Mentions of stitches, burns, blood. Also, there is a flashback. I've separated it from the main document, but because it is in italics, I don't want anyone confusing it with psychic conversation between Fallyn and April. Thank you!
Chapter 10: A Question Answered, Another Arisen
Donatello opened the door to his lab in time to hear his sensei say his family was at war. "Well that war is going to have to wait. Because Fallyn needs us more." Everyone stood up. You could practically taste the worry in the air. "You guys should come and see this." He stepped back inside, his brothers, crush, and father following.
As soon as April was next to him, Don laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. "What is it Donnie?" He sighed.
"I just want you to be prepared. She isn't out of the woods yet, and… her wounds are… extensive. Not only that, but… she looks… different." The redhead nodded, squeezing his hand.
"Thanks for that Donnie." Smiling softly, the purple-masked turtle lead her inside. He let her go once inside to return to his desk. He picked up a few supplies before joining the others around the table Fallyn was laying on. Setting the bandages and ointments down on the tray, Don looked up at his family.
Leo was frozen, his sapphire eyes glimmering with tears. Mikey was holding onto Raph, sobbing into the hothead's plastron. He had rested a gentle hand on the youngest turtle's carapace, trying to provide comfort even though the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was rip Shredder's throat out. April clamped both hands over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. Splinter laid a hand on her shoulder, only to have her whirl and latch onto him. He began rubbing her head, whispering calming things to her in Japanese as he looked down at the unconscious girl.
Seven stitches adorned Fallyn's left cheek. Don had undone her gi top to access her other injuries. Thankfully, she had worn a sport's bra underneath, so nothing was too revealed. Her torso was bandaged, even though the right side was slowly becoming more and more red with each passing moment. True to Leo's suspicions, she had torn the stitches in her left arm, which Don had deftly redone and wrapped with an Ace bandage. Her broken foot had been splinted up to her knee, preventing any movement. The rest of her body was decorated with bruises and smaller cuts that had been disinfected and left to heal on their own.
However, the most prominent differences were her ears.
Instead of being on the side of her head, they were on the crown of her skull. Not only that, but they were the same color as her hair, pointed, and striped. To describe them best, they looked like pointed tiger ears. Two black stripes were on each cheek, the curves of her wrists, hips, and her ankles. Her fingernails had elongated to sharp points, as had her toenails. In other words…
She no longer looked human.
Leo shook his head. "I… how did she… Shredder hardly landed a hit on her." Don sighed.
"Well she didn't do this to herself. You and I both saw how well matched they were. Obviously, he landed more hits than we thought. And Fallyn returned the favor at the end." The blue-masked ninja sighed. April sniffed, removing her face from Splinter's kimono.
"So… Fallyn fought the Shredder?" Don nodded.
"Yeah." He looked down at the whitette, smearing some antiseptic on a cut on her arm. "I have to admit, she held her ground well. But… it seems she took more damage than she let on." His free hand clenched. "I knew she was hurt. I shouldn't have let her fight."
April walked over, laying a hand over his fist. "She would have fought either way." She turned her head slightly, frowning when she picked up a tube of medicine. "Donnie? Why do you have burn ointment out?" The scientist sighed.
"I might as well show you. I need to change those bandages anyways. Leo? Could you help?" He nodded, resting both hands on the table.
"What do you need me to do?"
"I'm going to lift her up. You are going to unwrap the bandages around her stomach."
"Okay." Raph picked up Mikey, who was still crying.
"I'm going to take Mike outside." His brothers nodded, knowing that the youngest didn't handle blood well. Splinter stayed with the others, providing support for his sons and April. When he laid his hands on her shoulders, she patted one of them, leaning into him.
Don gently lifted Fallyn, resting her head on his shoulder. Leo immediately set to work, his hands flying as he unwrapped the bindings. Once they were off, he threw them into the trash. April tried not to gag as the scent of burned flesh met her nose. She leaned over Don's shoulder.
"This is why I needed burn ointment." April's eyes widened. A burn in the perfect shape of a hand was over two slashes along her right side. The burn wasn't too bad, but it had temporarily sealed the wound, no doubt letting Fallyn fight longer. The slashes stretched from her side to her stomach, down towards her pelvis. They had been stitched together, each appearing to take at least fifty. The black stripes they had seen protruding from the bandages wrapped around her hips, following the curve of the bones.
April shook her head, brushing some of Fallyn's hair out of her face. "She burned herself so she wouldn't leave you guys to fight on your own." Donatello hummed thoughtfully as he finished applying the ointments, one for healing burns, one for disinfecting.
"I guess I should be surprised, but, to be perfectly honest, I'm not." He glanced up, wiping his hand on a towel. "However, I am a bit surprised that you two" glancing between his brother and sensei, "Aren't either." Leo spoke up first.
"I already knew."
"As did I." The scientist gaped slightly, handing Leo a roll of fresh bandaging. The leader gratefully took them. He leaned closer, making sure he didn't muss up her stitches as he rewrapped her stomach. Donatello continued to look between the two other males.
"Might I ask how?" Splinter glanced at Leonardo, who subtly motioned with his head for the rat ninja to go first this time.
"I asked." April looked up at him.
"That wasn't the only thing you asked about, was it Sensei?" The ninja master sighed, settling down into Donatello's rolling chair. Recognizing the tone of voice, the teens prepared for a recounting. Leo gripped Fallyn's hand as Raph and Mikey appeared, no doubt drawn at the prospect of a story. The youngest ninja had finally calmed down, though his normally baby blue eyes were still red. He settled at Splinter's feet.
"No, it wasn't…"
#~#~#
"I see. Would that include… heartbeats?" Fallyn gaped at Splinter. "I'll take that as a yes."
"How did you know?" He chuckled, amusement glittering in his red-brown eyes.
"I'm not a ninja master for nothing, Fallyn. I pick up on more than I'm given credit for."
"That sounds familiar." Fallyn sighed, resting her hand over her hips. "So… what?"
"You have not answered my question." The girl quirked and eyebrow.
"You asked if I could hear heartbeats, and I said yes."
"That was not the question I was referring to. You have not answered the first one." Golden eyes widened minutely.
"Oh. Well… April just has that sixth sense kind of thing, ya' know? I have it too."
"You mean to tell me you knew the monkey was a human as well?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"I just put the pieces of the puzzle together." Fallyn held up a hand, counting off the clues. "Missing scientist, psychic research using monkey DNA, sudden appearance of a monkey who was man-sized, how the monkey reacted when we brought him back to the lab, the cuffs on his wrists and neck, and then Falco lying." The girl shrugged. "Just seemed kind of obvious." Splinter stroked his beard, thinking.
"Interesting how you figured it out, and yet you didn't tell anyone." Fallyn shrugged again.
"How were they supposed to figure it out if I just told them? There are some things you have to learn on your own. One would be that you can't always take things at face value." She sighed. "What bothers me is the fact that the guysdidn't even question Falco's words. Granted, he is a great liar, but still. At least Don wasn't completely fooled."
"At least." Splinter chuckled. "I am impressed, Fallyn. You managed to get me off course." The girl giggled, glancing at him.
"Guilty as charged." Fallyn looked down at her hands. "Look, I know you want answers. But I just can't give them right now."
"Because you are afraid of your sister finding out the truth about what the Kraang did to you." Fallyn's head whipped up, shock written all over her face.
"How did you…" Splinter tapped his nose. "Oh."
"If I'm not mistaken, you also have an improved sense of smell as well." Fallyn sighed in defeat, crossing her legs so she faced Splinter directly.
"Alright. How much more have you figured out about me?" Splinter studied the girl for a few moments. She stared right back, no longer bothering to hide herself.
"You were taken around the age of eight, experimented on for four years, put through rigorous training for half of that, and escaped at age eleven. Your improved senses are a side effect of the experimentation." Fallyn shook her head in disbelief.
"Not bad. Though you were off on a few things." She held up a hand again. "I was experimented on for one year, and trained for four. During which the Kraang would add more stuff to me, so I guess you could say the experiments went on for five years. I escaped two weeks after I turned thirteen." Splinter thought about the information.
"Does April know?"
"Some." Fallyn looked away. "I haven't told her everything."
"Why not?"
"Trust me. You don't want a play-by-play of what we- I went through."
"We? There was someone else with you?" Fallyn swallowed. When she answered, her voice broke slightly.
"My mother was taken along with me. She… died… two years before I escaped. She never… she never saw her family again." Splinter wrapped his arms around the girl, pulling her to his chest.
"I am sorry, Fallyn. I should not have asked."
"It's alright. You didn't know." The girl sighed, pulling back. "I just wish April could have seen Mom one last time." Splinter rested a gentle hand on Fallyn's shoulder.
"I believe that is enough questions for now."
"You and I both know you have more questions." The whitette looked up at Splinter. "So go ahead."
"Are you certain?"
"Hurry. Before I change my mind." The rat master nodded.
"In that case… might I ask why you bear the scent of a tiger?"
"Because it was tiger DNA that the Kraang spliced into me."
#~#~#
Everyone gaped at Splinter. "So… how does that explain her ability to control her body temperature?" The others whirled on Leo. He held his right hand up in surrender. His other one was still holding Fallyn's pale hand. "She healed me after our battle with Xever and Bradford when they kidnapped Murakami-san."
"I can answer that." All eyes turned to April. "Tigers are afraid of fire, right?" A simultaneous nod answered her. "So the Kraang rectified the situation."
"How so?" April leaned against the table, looking over her shoulder at her sister.
"You can't be afraid of something you control." Leo tilted his head.
"What do you mean by that?" She tilted her head to the side, resting her cheek on her shoulder as she looked at him.
"What do you think?" Donnie gripped his chin.
"If April's statement means what I think it means, then…" He looked up at his crush. "The Kraang gave Fallyn control over fire?" April nodded.
"Uh-huh." She sighed. "She will kill me if she finds out I told you guys this, but… you might as well know." Splinter rested a hand on her shoulder.
"If you do not wish to tell us, then you do not have to." She smiled at him, but shook her head nonetheless.
"You should know. Besides, she'll be mad, but Fallyn would understand." April took a steadying breath. "In addition to controlling it, Fallyn is also able to make fire." Mikey gaped.
"So she's like… like a firebender!? For real?!" The redhead chuckled.
"Yeah. I guess you could think about it like that." Leo shook his head.
"That explains a lot, actually. So… because she's able to make fire… is that why her hands are hotter than yours?" April nodded.
"Yeah." Don stepped up.
"I noticed that her temperature dropped while I was attending to her wounds, but it's, if my research is correct, still at slightly higher temperature than what would be considered normal for a human." He sighed at the bewildered looks he got from his brothers. "98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is normal. Fallyn's is at 99.8." April's eyes widened.
"Yeah. 98.6 is normal for me, but Fallyn's normal temperature is 113 degrees Fahrenheit." Donatello gaped at her, his jaw creating a dent in the floor. Before he could freak out, Leo spoke up.
"Um, I hate to interrupt, but is this really the best time to be talking about this? Fallyn's still unconscious, and her temperature is still dropping." Don facepalmed.
"Idiot!" He rushed over to the girl's side, quickly checked her vitals. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was done. "It's alright, Leo. The sedative I gave her is finally kicking in." He shrugged at the raised eyebrow. "I didn't want risk her waking up while I was stitching her up."
"There's… something else you guys should know." Once more, all eyes turned to April.
"Is this something that Fallyn would be mad about?"
"Pissed off about, actually. But…" April looked at Fallyn once more. "Seeing as how it's you guys I'm telling… I don't think she would mind. It would have come up eventually anyways." Splinter laid a hand on April's shoulder.
"If you are certain, you may tell us April." The redhead nodded.
"You know how, sometimes, Fallyn and I will look at each other after we talk about something, or hug each other for a little while after she's come back from a fight." Raph nodded.
"Or like that time when we went after Murakami-san. You guys looked at each other for a while, and Fallyn didn't leave until you nodded."
"Exactly." April sighed. "Well… we weren't just staring at each other." She looked around the room. "We were talking." Mikey blinked in surprise.
"But how did you talk without saying anything?"
"Because we have a psychic link." Everyone gawked at the redhead, including Splinter. Donnie whistled softly.
"I had had my suspicions, but I didn't think they were right." April stared at the scientist. He merely shrugged. "I pick up on more than I'm given credit for." Leo shook his head.
"How did you get that?"
"In all honesty, I have no idea. We found out about by accident a year after…" April trailed off. Sensing she didn't want to talk about it anymore, Splinter pointedly at the clock.
"As much as I would like to hear more, I believe it wise to take April home." Everyone looked at Splinter. "It is after midnight, and I do not think your aunt will take kindly to you being out all night." All of the turtles facepalmed this time.
"I'm sorry April. I totally forgot." Don started packing things into his bag. "I'll just give you some stuff so you could help Fallyn heal at your place."
"Or she could just stay here." Everyone stared at April. Splinter hummed thoughtfully, stroking his beard.
"I suppose that to be a good idea." Don set his bag down.
"I agree. That way, it'll put less stress on Fallyn's body, and make it easier for me to monitor her healing process." He walked over to stand next to his sensei. "Of course there's the issue of where she'll stay." Mikey tilted his head.
"Why can't she sleep in here?"
"Because my lab has no insulation. Fallyn would freeze to death if she stayed in here." The scientist rubbed the back of his neck. "Which means that she would have to… well…" April tilted her head.
"Have to what?"
"Um… well… she would have to stay either in the dojo, or… with one of us." The girl's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh." They began tossing ideas back and forth, Splinter occasionally placing his input. The whole time, Leo watched in silence. No one had noticed that he was still holding Fallyn's hand.
However, he was done being ignored. "She could stay with me. I don't mind." Everyone stared at the eldest ninja teen. Splinter stroked his beard, his gaze penetrating.
"Are you certain, Leonardo?"
"Yeah." He looked down at the girl before raising his eyes to his sensei again. "My room is closest to the lab, and right next to Don's. Either way, he would be able to get to her faster than if she was in one of the others' rooms or in the dojo." Splinter nodded, turning his attention to April.
"You go ahead and go home, April. You're tired, and you've had a pretty rough day." April nodded, stretching.
"Okay. Normally I'd argue, but I'm too tired too." She timidly looked around the room. "Um… I hate to ask this but… could one of you walk me home?" Mikey jumped up.
"I will." April smiled gratefully at him.
"Thanks Mikey. See you guys later. I'll come back once it's light out." The other teens watched as April and Mikey made their way out of the lab. Once she was gone, Splinter returned his attention to Leonardo.
"If you are certain you can care for her, then I will entrust her wellbeing to you, Leonardo." The blue-masked terrapin bowed his head.
"Arigatō Sensei." He stepped back slightly, thinking. "Okay… now the hard part." He slowly slipped his right hand under Fallyn's knees.
"Hang on! I'll come with." Don grabbed his bag again, throwing a few more things into it. "Okay, you're good." Leo began to gently lift Fallyn off the table. He cradled her to his chest, making sure that her foot wouldn't hit anything. Raph stepped out of the way, watching as his brother made his way out of the lab.
He walked along side Leo's right, while Don walked on his left, continually glancing at Fallyn's broken foot. Splinter followed behind. Once they reached Leo's room, Raph opened the door, running in to pull the sheets back on the bed. Leo nodded his thanks to his little brother, gently setting Fallyn down on the far side. Don kneeled on the bed, inspecting her foot. He frowned, occasionally muttering notes to himself. Once he was satisfied, he stood up.
"I'm leaving these pain meds on your desk, Leo. That way you'll have easy access to them when she wakes up." He looked meaningfully at his brother. "If anything happens, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to come and get me." Leo nodded.
"Understood."
"Night, Leo."
"Night, Donnie." The scientist nodded, backing out of the room. Raph's emerald eyes were glazed over as he stared at the unconscious girl. He soon followed his brother, Splinter closing the door with a soft goodnight. Once everyone was gone, Leo picked up the comforters, laying them over Fallyn's body as he lay down next to her, supporting his weight on his elbow. Not quite ready to commit to sleep, he studied her wounded form better.
The stitches were pink, but nothing was oozing or overly red. Thankfully, if they healed correctly, there would be no permanent damage. There might be a scar, but that would heal as well, if given time. Her breathing was shallow, her ribs and bandages not allowing much expansion. Her right leg was straight from the knee down. Her tiger ears twitched in her sleep, signifying she was dreaming and would wake up. Though, when that happened, no one could say.
Leo sighed as he ran his finger gently down the right side of her stitches, tracing one of her cheek stripes. "You were willing to risk your life for us, Fallyn. I can't tell you how much I'm indebted to you for that." Before he had the time to second guess himself, Leo planted a feather-light kiss on her cheek, directly on the top stripe. "But I promise I won't let anyone hurt you like this again. Not as long as I live."
Fallyn's Revealed Powers: Telekinesis, Enhanced Hearing and Smell, Retractable Claws, Healing, Firebending
I hope it came out okay. I'm trying to hide this from parental units *cough*controlling mother*cough*. They don't approve of language.
See if I care! *Blows raspberry* Yes, I'm a rebel. Deal with it.
I do have a bit of advice for my fellow authors out there: Listen to music. It works wonders for me. What I do (not saying you have to too), is I listen to the genre of music that best fits what I'm going to be writing. For instance, for Chapter 9's fight scene, I was listening to fight music from Fairy Tail. (AWESOME anime, by the way. Go check it out! NOW!)
Obviously, this doesn't take place in any episode. It's set after Episode 9, "The Gauntlet". The next few chapters will be fillers for Episodes 9 and 10.
Next chapter, "Healing Body and Heart"!