- Chapter 60 -

Happy Reunions

After their initial freakout subsided, Zeck and Steranko angrily glared up at Shredder.

"Look at me!" Zeck shouted. "You... you... you turned me into a damn pig! I don't wanna be a pig! The ladies don't love pigs! Can't you turn me into something cool? Like a mongoose?"

"You mutate me into giant, talking rhino?!" Steranko yelled. "You will pay for me, Shredder!"

Shredder placed his hands behind his back, eyes narrowing at them. "You're free to try, but you will fail."

Zeck and Steranko jumped up to Shredder's level, Zeck powering up his suit. "Eat this!"

He fired several lasers at Shredder, who easily dodged them. He then moved in at lightning speed, kneeing Zeck in the gut hard. The pig mutant fell, and Steranko tried his hand, his brass knuckles now fused to his hands.

He went for a punch, but Shredder uppercutted him before he could even land a single blow. The rhino mutant stumbled back, then charged at Shredder, his horn raised to spear the Foot master. Shredder casually side-stepped, and Steranko, moving too fast to stop, got his horn jammed into the wall.

"Pathetic," Shredder remarked as Steranko got loose. He walked over to them, drawing his blades. "Ivan Steranko, Anton Zeck, you will either serve me... or fall by my hand."

Zeck and Steranko exchanged looks, weighing their chances, and shrugged.

"Bein' a pig does have limited employment options," Zeck confessed. "The bacon's in."

" Da, " Steranko agreed. "We serve you, Shredder. For now. What is you want us to do?"

"You found my daughter once. You will do so again," Shredder ordered. "Fail to do so, and the consequences will be…" he held up his blades for emphasis, "severe."

At the Hamato safehouse, Tai was getting patched up by Erika while Mizuki and the others looked on.

"Tai, I know you're the muscle and Erika's the brain, like you said before…" Mizuki began, "but what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Hey, everyone thinks that Shredder's a spoiled brat in a man's body. I just said it," Tai defended. "And I don't regret it for a second."

"And did you seriously think saying that to his face wouldn't piss him off and lead him to try to kill you?!" Erika demanded. "If that Amaya lady and her pal hadn't shown up, you would be dead!"

"Amaya?" Seiko asked, walking into the room to check on Tai. "You saw her?"

"She fought Shredder so we could get away with Karai," Mizuki explained.

"Of course I did." Everyone but Seiko jumped, turning to see Amaya, Li, and Alopex standing there. "I wasn't going to let that bakayarou (1) hurt my niece again."

Erika raised an eyebrow. "You got away?"

"Of course," Amaya replied.

Tai winced, a hand going to his bandaged ribs. "Thanks for saving us when you did."

"Yeah, thanks for saving my big-mouthed idiot of a brother," Erika added.

Amaya shrugged. "He was right. That's exactly what Shredder is."

"Yes," Li agreed. "Nonetheless, Shredder may be a brat, but he's also a brat who has killed people for less. Watch what you say next time, Taiichi."

Tai nodded in agreement, and at that moment, Splinter entered the room. He stopped short, recognizing Li.

"Li…" he said aloud.

"Master Yoshi…" Li promptly bowed before him.

"Rise, my former pupil," Splinter told him, holding out his arms.

Li did so, and the two embraced before parting. "You look well, so to speak."

"I know my appearance is jarring, but it has allowed me to survive, and to raise a wonderful family." He noticed Amaya at that moment, then froze. "A-Amaya…"

"Yoshi," Amaya nodded to him.

Splinter looked away in shame. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't," Amaya interrupted, gently taking her brother-in-law's hands. "It's not your fault, Yoshi. I don't blame you for what happened to Shen. I never did."

Splinter turned to her, surprised. "But... I failed to protect her. She died because I was not strong enough."

"She died to save you, from what Seiko told me. Her blood is on Saki's hands." After a minute, she decided to change the subject. "Now, I heard tale of five mutant turtles who I can call my niece and nephews."

"Yes, of course. They're in the living room."

"And Project Or-" Alopex cut herself off, clearing her throat. "I mean, Hisako?"

Splinter sighed. "Doing her best to help Karai."

-X-

In the living room, Leo paced around nervously. A loud, snaky shriek came from Karai's room, along with the crash of breaking furniture. Vee adjusted a blanket around Hisako, trying hard to ignore the sweat and the bruises forming on her skin. Midnight was almost continuously whining, licking at Hisako's face to try and console her. Kagome noticed Hisako's discomfort, biting her lower lip in concern.

"Donnie!" she called out. "How much longer?!"

"I'm working as hard as I can!" Donnie called back. "I've been brewing that retro-mutagen since the farmhouse, Kagome. It takes forever, you know that!"

"Well, Hisako doesn't have forever!" Kagome snapped.

On cue, Hisako let out a wet cough. Everyone turned, gasping in shock to see blood pooling on her chin.

"Holy shit…" Raph whispered as he quickly cleaned her face off with a napkin.

"Jesus, it's killing her," Vee let out.

"What do we do?" Mikey asked nervously.

April's expression steeled and she sat down next to Hisako. "I'm going in. She can't do this alone."

Hearing that, Donnie quickly hurried out of the lab. "April, not you too! You're not as strong as her!"

"Donnie, look at her!" April snapped, pointing to Hisako's sweating, bruised face. "At this rate, she's gonna keel over and die long before you finish the retro-mutagen! We gotta do something NOW!"

Donnie looked legitimately torn. "I-"

"I'm doing this, Donnie," April insisted. "Don't try to stop me."

With that, she assumed a similar meditative position to Hisako, closing her eyes and straightening her back. That was when Splinter led Amaya and the others in.

"Tang Amaya, right?" Leo asked, getting a nod. "What Shredder said-"

"Yes," Amaya confirmed. "I'm Tang Shen's little sister."

"Whoa…" Mikey said in awe. "We have an aunt? Awesome!"

Amaya chuckled at that, while Alopex looked over Hisako. "So... this is what became of… of Hisako. I'm glad to see she escaped from Krang."

"And you are?" Leo asked.

Alopex bowed. "In another life, I was Akina Tatsuo. Now... you may call me Alopex."

"Another Krang escapee," Vee remarked. "Good for you."

"Not just any escapee," Alopex sighed. "I'm sure your sister has told you of Tiger Claw's escape."

"She said he slipped away with another mutant," Mikey replied. "So wha-?"

He got it at that, eyes widening. Raph's hands went to his sai, and Leo subtly put himself between Alopex and Hisako.

"Easy now, kids," Amaya warned. "Alopex is with me. She and Tiger Claw had a falling out."

"Sorry," Leo said, relaxing. "Instinct, you know?"

"I understand," Alopex assured. "And I just want you all to know that I wanted to go back for your sister. Tiger Claw refused, insisting we look after ourselves." She shook her head. "I wish I had never listened to him."

"Well, you're definitely better than him in one regard," Raph admitted, removing his hand from his weapons. "You actually have a conscience."

Suddenly, both Hisako and April started coughing, blood spraying from both. They turned to see fang marks on both girls' arms and necks. Midnight barked in distress.

"What's going on?!" Li demanded.

"Karai's losing her mind to the snake half," Donnie explained urgently. "Hisako and April jumped into her mind to help her fight it."

"Oh God, no…" Kagome whispered before calling out. "Erika! We need you NOW!"

Erika rushed in, Tai following close behind. They all stopped, gasping at April and Hisako's conditions.

"Holy shit!" Tai yelled.

"If it's in their mind, how is it hurting them?" Amaya questioned.

"To quote The Matrix , their minds make it real," Donnie replied.

"It was the same with the Rat King," Leo recalled. "Anything that happens to them in there affects them out here."

Erika hurried over to the two girls, focusing and performing the Healing Hands. The girls' wounds slowly disappeared, but unfortunately not completely.

"If they're fighting like that, and it's getting that bad…" Erika sighed. "I don't know how long I can keep this up."

"D, isn't there any way to speed up the retro mutagen process?" Mikey asked urgently.

"My lab's pretty makeshift," Donnie replied. "I don't have the equipment."

"Then who does?" Leo demanded. "Hisako and April can't keep this up forever!"

Donnie sighed. "The only place in the city I can think of is…" he gulped before continuing. "Mirage Industries."

Everyone slowly turned to him.

"Mirage Industries? The biochemical lab Krang runs as a front?" Tai questioned. "The same one where the April clone almost gassed us to death?"

"Hey, I don't like the idea any more than you do," Donnie replied. "But we either take the risk… or watch more of that."

He pointed at the girls sitting on the floor in front of Karai's door. Blood was running down their noses and chins, a testament to their pain.

"He's right," Erika sat down next to them. "I'll stay here, keep them stable."

"I will do what I can to help you," Alopex decided. "Call it my atonement for abandoning her to Krang."

"I'll take all the help I can get," Erika told her.

"The rest of us will head out to Mirage Industries," Leo decided.

"A smaller team would be best," Seiko pointed out. "Less chance of a patrol catching you."

"Right," Leo nodded. "Kagome, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Vee... you guys are with me. Tai's in no shape to come with us, and we need people here in case Krang's patrols find this place…" he jerked his thumb at Karai's door, "or Karai gets loose."

"I will come as well," Splinter said. "I was unable to protect Karai, but I will help to bring her back."

Amaya nodded. "We'll catch up when you get back, Yoshi. Go save your daughter."

Elsewhere, Zeck and Steranko were looking for Karai, when Steranko reached a decision.

"Listen, Comrade Zeck, forget Karai," he declared. "We must destroy Turtles instead for what they did to me. I mean, us."

"I hear ya, man," Zeck agreed. "This is all their fault! If they hadn't messed with the deal at the docks, we'd be human and outta this hellhole!"

" Da, " said Steranko. "So I say we crush their heads like the blueberry, then find snake girl for Shredder."

"Fine by me," Zeck stood on the edge of the building. "My piggy nose is better than a bloodhound's. I just need to catch a whiff, and we'll have 'em."

He let out a few snorts, then smirked. "Got 'em. Follow me, homie!"

He let out a whoop, then jumped off the roof, Steranko following.

Meanwhile, the Hamato family and Splinter lurked on an upper window of Mirage Industries. Leo slowly cut open a hole in the window, then pulled it out, allowing them all to enter.

"Okay, Don," Kagome piped up. "What all do you need?"

"Some proper equipment, for one," Donnie replied. "Mine's all stuff I got from a dumpster."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but Donnie held up a hand. "I wanted to be self reliant, okay? I know you could buy me NASA if I wanted." Kagome rolled her eyes as Donnie went on. "I also could use any chemicals native to Dimension X, as well as a synthesizer, like the one we used for Mikey's shellacne cure."

"Everyone stay sharp," said Splinter. "We do not know who may be lurking in the shadows."

They all spread out. Eventually, Raph found multiple sealed chemical beakers marked "Nyotrinaline", "Taxon-9", and "Bindex3".

"Hey D, will these work?" he asked, holding them up.

"Perfect," Donnie grinned.

"And here's the synthesizer," Vee declared, holding up a centrifuge similar to what they used for the shellacne cure.

She tucked it under her arm, heading off to search some more. Meanwhile, Splinter quickly gathered some basic equipment in a large sack, and eventually Donnie nodded in approval.

"Okay," he said. "That's all we need."

"Good," Leo began. "Now we can-"

"Tuuuurtles!" Zeck called mockingly from outside. "Come out and plaaaaaay!"

Kagome sighed. "Oh, great."

"Michael Jackson and Ivan the Lame. Just what we need," Raph muttered, throwing open the doors to Mirage Industries. "Look, we're in a rush so- HOLY SHIT!"

His jaw dropped at the sight of their mutated appearances. The others came out, their jaws also dropping at the sight.

"So, Saki has taken to mutating those who've wronged him," Splinter mused. "You have my sympathies."

"You Turtles did this!" Zeck snarled. "We had that snake in the can! If you hadn't messed with our bargain, we'd be outta New York and still be human!"

"You messed with our sister, dudes!" Mikey shot back. "You think we were just gonna let you trade her?!"

"Now get out of our way," Leo ordered. "We don't have the time or the patience to waste on you two losers."

" Nyet, " Steranko declared. "You not walking away from this. I will squash you like bug!"

"Bring it!" Raph shot back.

"So... what do we call you guys now?" Mikey piped up. "You need mutant names."

"Mikey, are you shitting me?!" Vee yelled.

"We've got people literally dying at home, and you're wasting time NAMING THE BAD GUYS?!" Donnie screamed.

"I'm so happy you have your priorities straight, Michelangelo!" Kagome added.

"What?" Mikey asked. "Their other names are hard to remember anyhow, and I can multitask. Watch!"

He then rushed forward, vaulting over Steranko and wrapping his legs around his neck. While the rhino bucked and tried to get him off, Mikey thought to himself.

"Hmmm… let's see, there's gotta be something around here." His eye caught a sign on a nearby music store, and he shrugged. "How 'bout… Bebop and Rocksteady?"

Everyone shot him a look, and Zeck, now Bebop, scowled.

"Is that what you do?!" he demanded. "Randomly name enemies based on stuff you see around you?!"

"It's kinda my thing," Mikey said as he flipped off of Steranko, now Rocksteady, causing Bebop to plow into him.

"Hey, it's not so bad," Rocksteady said as he pushed Bebop off of him. "Kind of like the Rocksteady."

"I am not gonna be called Bebop!" Bebop shouted, pointing at Rocksteady indignantly. "That is the dumbest name ever!"

"Then it fits even better," Raph remarked.

"Hey, better than my other choices," Mikey pointed out. "Bacon and Mr. Horny were the others."

The Turtles all gagged, Splinter rubbed his eyes, and Kagome facepalmed.

"Oh my God, Mikey…" she muttered.

"Kids," Splinter grumbled. "Aiyah…"

"C'mon," Donnie insisted. "Time's wasting."

As they turned to go, one of Bebop's lasers hit the ground near Donnie's foot, stopping him cold.

"You ain't goin' nowhere, brainiac!" he shouted. "We ain't done with you!"

"But we're done with you ," Raph shot back. "We'll kick your asses next time."

"A. B. See ya!" Mikey declared, throwing his smoke bomb down.

The smoke filled the air, obscuring the sight of the two mutants as the Hamato family and Kagome made their hasty exit. Bebop coughed, waving a hand in front of his snout.

"Oh I hate when they do that," he grumbled.

"We'll get them next time, Comrade Bebop," Rocksteady assured.

"Don't call me-!" Bebop tapered off, just groaning. "Oh forget it. It's better than Bacon, anyway."

The group quickly hurried back to the safehouse, and Donnie immediately got to work. Splinter went to check on Hisako and April, seeing the two being tended to by Alopex and Erika. Seiko and Amaya were there as well, bandaging wounds the Healing Hands couldn't fix.

"How are they doing?" he asked.

"Not good," Erika sighed. "I've been keeping them stable, but I'm... still kinda new with the Healing Hands."

"And I was never proficient with healing," Alopex confessed.

Amaya turned to Splinter. "Yoshi, you got the equipment they needed, right?"

"Yes," said Splinter. "Donatello should have the retro-mutagen ready in no time."

"Y'know, that reminds me," Erika piped up. "You ever decide on whether or not to use it yourself?"

"I have," Splinter admitted. "And I will not take it."

"You're not gonna use it?" Erika said, confused. "But... you could finally be Hamato Yoshi again! Have a normal life!"

"The life I had is over," Splinter told her. "I have made peace with that. I am content to spend the rest of my days as Splinter. Besides, as Kasumi herself said, no matter how I look, Hamato Yoshi lives on."

Erika nodded, seeing his point. Splinter then sat down next to Hisako, running a paw over her sweat-coated hair.

"My place is here," he said with finality. "With my children."

-X-

Some time later, Donnie hurried out with a canister of retro-mutagen.

"Leo, it's ready!" he shouted, Leo practically snatching it out of his hands.

"Great work, D," he said.

Donnie sighed, deciding to bring up something he had thought of recently. "I... might as well say this now. I'm not totally sure it'll work on Karai. Her mutation is different."

"How so?" Mizuki questioned.

"The mutagen that changed her was meant for the five of us. Pre-mutated cells. So I have no idea the side-effects that would have in Karai's unmutated ones."

"All we can do is try, Don," Leo said. "No matter how it goes, we're not abandoning Karai."

He walked toward Karai's door, Erika and Alopex moving the two struggling psychics gently away from the door.

"Stand guard," he told them. "If Karai gets past me, you know what to do."

They nodded, and Leo opened the door before going in. The room was in shambles, broken glass and shards of wood all over the place. On what was left of the bed was a partially-shifted Karai, hugging her knees and breathing heavily. She looked up at him.

"Ssssstay away…" she hissed. "Can't… control it. Run, Leo. Ssssave yoursssself..."

"No," Leo said, holding up the canister. "Donnie finished the retro-mutagen. I've got it right here."

She looked at it, hissing loudly as her jaw distended slightly.

"Karai, don't fight me," Leo slowly approached.

Karai looked on, clearly using every ounce of strength and willpower she had to hold herself back from attacking him. Her arms extended into snakes and she embedded them in the wall, hoping the physical hold would help.

"Can't… hold it back… much longer…" she managed. "Leo, pleasssse... get out of here!"

Leo unscrewed the lid on the retro-mutagen. "This is gonna hurt. I'm sorry."

He threw the contents on her, and Karai let out a shriek, writhing as it took effect. Eventually, she settled down, still in half-snake form, and Leo gaped.

"No…" he let out. "It didn't work."

"No," Karai said, sounding much calmer. "In a way, it did."

She stood up, shifting back to her full human form.

"I'm still a mutant…" she said, "But the snake, it feels... far away. I feel... better."

Leo stared for a minute, then started laughing before pulling her into a hug.

-X-

Outside, April and Hisako collapsed, and a few minutes later, Leo and Karai came out, Karai supported by Leo as both laughed happily.

"Hey, guys," Karai greeted.

"Karai!" the Turtles and Kagome all said, running over to her.

"I'm so glad it worked!" Donnie cheered.

"Well… kinda," Karai shifted one arm into a snake and back again. "It's still there, but I can control it. The snake isn't there anymore."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Kagome said. "Now you'll fit in with your siblings."

"Wish it would've cured her mutation completely," Donnie mused, before shrugging. "Eh, I'll take what I can get."

Karai nodded, then her eyes drifted over to Splinter, who stared at her with a happy expression.

"Miwa…" he let out.

"Father…" Karai said, tearing up.

Leo let her go, and she stumbled over to him, hugging him and crying into his robe.

"I'm sorry…" Karai wept. "If I hadn't gone after Shredder that night-"

Splinter hugged her. "All that matters is you are here now, safe once more."

They slid to the ground, exhaustion overtaking her as she fell asleep in her father's arms. Splinter scooped her up.

"Come," he said. "We could all use some rest."

"Agreed," Amaya said as she scooped up April, Leo doing the same with Hisako.

-X-

Hisako, April, and Karai were all placed in a spare room, three futons set out. Splinter meditated between his two daughters, Midnight was curled up at Hisako's feet, and Casey was seated by April's bed, gently holding her hand. Along one of the walls, the Turtles and Kagome were in a pile, several blankets set out as a makeshift bed. Splinter's ear flicked slightly, hearing a groan from Karai. His eyes opened as he glanced over, seeing his daughter slowly sitting up.

"Miwa…" he let out.

"F-Father?"

One by one, the turtles began to wake up.

"Karai, you're awake," Leo greeted. "How do you feel?"

"Like myself... for the first time in so long," Karai looked over at Hisako and April. "I... I remember them defending me. Did I-?"

"No," Kasumi cut in. "Don't do that to yourself. The only one to blame is Saki. He is the one who cursed you with that fate."

"Agreed," Donnie said. "I'm just glad I was able to help you."

"So…" Mikey began, "are you… human again?"

"Yes… and no," Karai held out her hand, letting it transform into a long snake. "But this time, I'm in control. The snake is gone… and I don't think it's coming back."

"Well, on the positive side, you'll fit right in with the rest of us."

Raph whacked him upside the head.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times," Vee hissed, "tact, Mikey!"

"No, no," Karai held up her hands. "That… actually makes me feel better."

"That's good…"

Everyone turned as Hisako slowly sat up, Midnight jumping up on her chest and licking her face. April was right behind her.

"Hey, Red," Casey greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a million bucks," April replied. "Stuffed in a blender and set on frappé."

"I was gonna say that I felt like I'd just downed an entire gallon of Mikey's P-shake." Hisako added.

"Oh no, sis," Kagome shook her head. "If you did that, you'd be dead."

"Hey!" Mikey objected.

"Is she wrong?" Raph asked.

Mikey opened his mouth to retort, but just couldn't. Karai chuckled at all of their antics.

" Kami … I never thought I'd ever have something like this."

"Something like what?" Leo asked.

"A real family. It's... I have no idea how to describe it."

"Loving." Hisako reached over, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Yeah…"

There was a gentle tap on the window. Leo went over, opening it to see Alopex.

"I did not want to interrupt your family reunion," she said.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been out there?"

"Since the girls were brought in."

"You've been lurking outside on the fire escape all night?" Kasumi asked.

Alopex nodded. As she did, Hisako looked her over.

"Akina? Is… is that you?"

Alopex looked over to her, giving a bittersweet smile. "It's been some time, hasn't it?"

"You're looking well," Hisako noticed Alopex's belt. "I take it that's natural tiger fur?"

Alopex nodded. "Yes. I got it when I quite literally severed ties with my brother."

Hisako chuckled. "Good on you. You always seemed to be the more sensible."

Mikey blinked. "Wait a sec. Tiger Claw's your brother?"

Alopex shook her head. "We share blood. That is all."

"Blood doesn't make a family, Mikey," Kagome pointed out. "I mean, just look at us."

Mikey nodded. "Believe me, I know."

"I have nothing more to do with Takeshi or his wicked path, Oracle... no, Hisako," Alopex went on. "And my single greatest regret is listening to him and not going back to save you from Krang."

"Ironically, I'm glad you didn't. Because if you had, I don't think I ever would have met my family."

Alopex smiled at that. "I suppose every cloud has a silver lining."

Around that time, the door opened. Amaya entered, followed by Oyuki, who was visibly on edge.

"Okay, I have one very important question," Oyuki began. "It could mean the difference between living and dying. Anyone got a smoke?"

"Got gum." Amaya held out a pack of Big Red.

Oyuki's eye twitched. "That... I…" She groaned, then snatched one of the pieces.

"Bit crabby, Oyuki?" Mikey asked.

Oyuki glared at him. "Don't screw with me, Mikey. Seiko confiscated my lighter. I haven't had a cigarette in days."

"You smoke?" Karai asked.

"Normally, yes." Oyuki groaned and buried her face in her hands. " Kami, I can't wait for the world to be normal again. I go much longer without at least one puff, I'm gonna go insane."

"Honestly, you're already bordering," Hisako pointed out.

Everyone just busted out into peels of laughter. Karai looked around at the warm atmosphere, at all the love and gentleness all around. As she did, she realized that for the first time in her entire life... she finally felt like she was home. As the laughter trailed off, they heard sniffling, turning to see Karai was crying. Immediately, Leo got up.

"Karai, don't cry," he told her, offering her a tissue. "It's okay now."

Karai wiped her eyes. "You dork... I'm crying because I'm happy. This… this is what I always wanted. A real family."

Kasumi sat down on the bed next to her, pulling her into a hug. Splinter was quick to join in.

"Welcome home, Miwa," she said gently. "Welcome home…"

Author's Note:

(1): Japanese for "idiot" or "asshole."

*sniff* Just what we needed after how crazy the past few chapters have been.

Please R&R. Until next time!