Day earlier than I was planning, but hey! better than a day late, right? Hope you enjoy! (P.S. I would love to hear what you guys/girls are doing for Easter tomorrow. You don't have to tell me... I just wanna know... please?)

Chapter 7

April, Taigā, and Vern ran up the stairs. Vern would continually trip over his feet, since he was constantly staring at Taigā. "If my appearance is that distracting for you, I can gouge your eyes out." He blanched.

"Nope!" he squeaked. "I'm good!" They burst through the doors, briefly reading the sign on the wall. They ran inside the lab. Taigā sniffed the air.

"He's here." She pointed through the glass windows. "There!" As soon as they rounded the corner, gunshots were fired. They ducked behind a desk.

"Seriously? You two? You're adorable, really! I could just pinch your cheeks!" Vern peeked out, only to duck again when Sacks fired.

'9mm handgun…' Taigā glanced down at her arm. 'Same as these.' The bullet wounds she had sustained earlier were already starting to heal over. 'Huh. Guess fast healing was something else that was added to me.'

"I understand. A girl with dead daddy issues, I know. But you're not going to stop me." Vern nodded his head towards the abort button on the wall. Taigā nodded.

"This is history. It's a pity. Your father walked in on me April, just like you did. Took a few less bullets to take him down though." April's eyes smoldered. Taigā gripped her shoulder as Vern ran around the other side.

Sacks slowly started to walk over to the desk. Taigā's ears twitched, catching the footfalls' sound. 'Three… two… one…'

"O'Neil!" Sacks whirled to face Vern. April shot out from behind the desk, pressing her whole body into the button. Before Sacks could train the gun on her, Taigā leapt out, burying claw and fang in his arm. He cried out in pain as he ripped his appendage out of her grip. She responded by roundhouse kicking him in the jaw, knocking him out. She spat out the flesh and blood from her mouth, shaking it from her fingers.

Running over to the table, she quickly diverted the mutagen into two separate canisters. Taigā grabbed the case, sticking a canister in it. She closed and locked the lid, picking the crate up. She handed it to April. "You take this to Splinter. Save his life." April nodded.

"What about the other one?" Taigā grabbed the canister.

"Hey. You said you wanted a contingency plan." She began to run towards the exit. "Let's move!"

"Hey!" Taigā whirled to face April. Just as she did so, April wrapped her arms around Taigā's neck. "Just in case, I'm glad to have met you. And... for what it's worth... I love the ears." Taigā chuckled. As the older girl pulled back, the mutant twitched them, earning a smile.

"Thanks. Now get moving!" Nodding, April and Vern made their way to the floor, while Taigā ran to the roof. 'I just hope I'm not too late.'

亀

Taigā hauled herself up on the roof. Her unattended wounds were taking a toll on her body, but she wasn't going to stop. Standing, she saw Shredder punching Leo all over his body. Taigā's heart clenched in anger and fear, but she only let the anger into her voice. "SHREDDER!"

The armored ninja whirled to face her. Behind his mask, his eyes widened when he saw her holding a canister. "This is all that's left." Taigā began to back up.

"Little girl." He jumped towards her. She just continued backwards. "That… belongs to me." Taigā's left ear twitched, catching the guys' words. She gasped when the spire started to fall. Taking advantage of her distraction, Shredder charged.

He tackled her, sending both over the edge. Taigā screamed as she fell, involuntarily releasing the canister of mutagen. She grabbed one of the dishes on the metal scaffolding as the tip of the spire crashed into a building below. Gasping, she hauled her chest over the metal, resting on it.

Sticking the canister on his belt, Shredder dropped down. He sliced at the dish Taigā was holding onto. She dropped, barely avoiding the blade. Her bullet wounds reopened, scarlet staining her porcelain-colored skin. It dripped down her arms and towards the street, several hundred yards below.

"Taigā!" She looked up to see the turtles flip down onto the metal structure.

"No! It can't hold all of us!" She looked between them and the Shredder. Just in time to see him completely slice through the dish. Taigā screamed as she fell.

"No! Taigā!" Raph jumped off the scaffolding, his brothers right behind. He grabbed her hand, Leo grabbing his foot and Don's hand, Don grabbing Mikey's foot, and Mikey holding onto the metal. Taigā screamed again, flinging her other hand up to grab Raph's. "I got ya'. I'm not going to let you fall."

Shredder threw another blade at the turtles, but Mike deflected it with a nunchaku. It lodged in his armor. Taigā looked up at Raph. "Swing me towards him!"

"Do it!" Leo yelled. Raph searched Taigā's eyes for a moment before grunting as he began to move his arm. He noticed Shredder pull out the blade.

"Leo!" Leo threw one of his katana, jamming into the opposite shoulder the armored ninja's blade had been in. Raph continued to swing Taigā. Using her own body weight, the girl finished the arc, slamming her feet into Shredder's helmet. He lost his grip, falling to the asphalt below. Raph smiled softly to himself. "That's my lil' sis," he whispered.

Taigā didn't let on, but she heard him. Loud and clear. Grunting, she climbed up Raph's arm, letting him pull her to his chest as he stabilized himself against the spire. "Well… that was exciting." He chuckled at her. Before he could say anything, the spire began creaking...

Just before it fell.

Raph shifted his stance, keeping Taigā in between his carapace and the spire. Don looked up. "I think this is it guys!" Leo gulped.

"Does anyone have anything they want to say?" Taigā licked her lips nervously. "Donnie?"

"I'm the one that licks the icing off the Pop-Tarts every morning and then puts them back in the box!" Had it not been for the dire situation they were in, Taigā would have burst out laughing.

"I so did not understand the ending of Lost!" 'Mikey…. you adorable little turtle…'

"Raph?" Taigā looked down at the turtle she was currently behind.

"Uh… I just uh… ah… if this is our last moment together… I just want you guys to know I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was so hard on you! Every time I pushed you... I threatened you... I yelled at you... I pushed you beyond your limits... it's because I believe in you!"

'Oh Raph…'

"I believe in each one of you! I believe in your spirit and your intelligence and your potential!" Taigā gripped Raph's shell. "And everytime I talked about walking away... it was because I was scared! I just didn't think I was good enough to stand next to you, and call you brothers! And say to you… I love you!" Taigā bit her lip, trying to keep the tears in.

"I love you guys so much!"

Everything stopped.

Taigā looked up from her perch on Raph's shell. Dust was settling, tickling her nose. Before she could stop herself, she sneezed. "Gesundheit." She giggled at Donnie. 'Donnie….' Taigā looked around. The guys were supporting the spire.

"We made it." Taigā laughed, flinging her arms around Raph's neck. "We made it!" Mikey dipped his head, looking at Raph.

"Are you crying?" The scent of salt said yes.

"Do't tink to. It's just a little dusty out here." 'And there is his adorable Brooklyn accent! Shut up fangirls.' Taigā chuckled, nuzzling Raph's temple.

"Come on guys. We better get going before the police find us." He nodded.

"Right." They threw the spire down, Raph grabbing hold of Taigā. They disappeared down the manhole just as the dust cleared. As soon as they were out of range, Leo collapsed against the wall. Don ran over to him.

"Leo!? What's wrong?" The blue mask moved from side to side.

"We saved the city, but… Splinter…" The guys simultaneously drooped. Taigā slid from Raph's back, ignoring the pain in her feet. She walked to the middle of the group.

"Actually, back up on the roof…" They looked at her. "It was a bluff. It was only half of what was left. April and Vern are taking the other half to Splinter right now." The turtles gaped at her. She just smiled back, nodding her head in the direction of the lair. "So… you wanna go?"

Leo sprang off the wall, wrapping Taigā in a hug. He swung her around, laughing. "You brilliant, beautiful, amazing, wonderful girl!" He kissed her full on the lips, ignoring the muffled shout of surprise from her and the flabbergasted looks of his brothers. Leo pulled back, beaming.

"I love you! Let's go!" Still holding her, he ran down the sewer pipe.

Shrugging, the others followed.

亀

"Okay. The mutagen is now entering his blood stream…" The turtles leaned over Splinter, while Taigā hung back. She had wrapped a blanket around her, to give her some semblance of modesty until April came by with more clothes.

"Master Splinter?"

"Nothing's happening."

"Why isn't it working yet?" Taigā's ears pricked when the sound of Splinter's heartbeat became stronger. He gasped shortly thereafter.

"Mikey…"

"Huh?"

"Mikey come closer." The orange-bandana wearing turtle leaned over his sensei/father, cupping his hand around his ear to hear him better. Taigā snickered to herself at Splinter's words. As soon as Mikey pulled back, Leo pounced.

"What'd he say? What'd he say?"

"He said please get your knee off my chest." The others began to laugh in relief.

"Sensei!"

"You're alive!" Raph grinned, full on grinned.

"It worked!"

"I'm sorry. This was all my fault."

"You were right. We weren't ready." Splinter sighed.

"No. It was I who wasn't ready. To let you go. All you needed, was to discover that your true power lies in believing in one another." The brothers stepped back, looking at each other. Mikey put his hands on his head, removing them and making explosion noises. Taigā chuckled, catching the other's attention.

Leo smiled. Holding his hand out, he beckoned for her to come closer. Tentatively, she did, taking his hand. Leo led her to in front of him so Splinter could see her. "Taigā risked her life for us, Sensei. She doesn't have a home to go back to, and, as you can see…" he gently traced one of her new ears. "I don't think she can go back."

Splinter smiled softly. When he tried to get up, Raphael and Donatello helped him to a sitting position. He nodded slightly at them, before holding a hand out to Taigā. When she looked up at Leo, he smiled and nodded in turn, placing her hand in Splinter's. She looked at the rat. His smile grew as he covered her hand with his other. "You are welcome here… my daughter."

Taigā's own lips turned up in a smile, her emerald eyes shimmering with tears. "Thank you, Master Splinter." Don laid a hand on her comforter-clad shoulder.

"Come on. Let's get those wounds looked at." Leo picked her up, walking with Donnie to his lab. Mikey smiled, making his way to the TV. Raph sighed as he watched them go.

"You know something, Sensei?" The terrapin and mammal looked at each other. "I've always wondered what it was like to have a little sister." Splinter smiled at his hot-headed son.

"Well, we are all about to find out."

*Sniffs* No I'm not crying because this was a tear-jerker. I'm crying because I was remembering the scene while typing this. RAAAAAAAAPHHHHH! *calms down*
Okay... fangirl hormones depleted. Tell me what you think in a review please!