Forward And Back Again
Present Tense
Daigo eyed Leonardo curiously as he held his weapon. The strange creature certainly wasn't going anywhere as he and his companions were surrounded.
"A duel for your freedom?" Daigo asked. "Are you certain you know what you're asking?"
"I do," Leonardo told him. "So what do you say?"
"I say you're foolish if you think you can defeat me," Daigo told him. "Do you know what the prophecy has foretold?"
"Prophecy?" Leo lowered his sword.
The other Turtles and Splinter looked at each other in confusion as well.
"It spoke of how an undefeated warrior from my blood and lineage will one day become host to the Tengu Shredder, the strongest force this world has ever seen," Daigo told them. "And I have the honor of being that host to our lord and master."
"You?" Leo stared at him blankly. "You will be host to the Tengu Shredder?"
"Did I stutter?" demanded Daigo. "Or do you need to be told again?"
"This guy thinks he's going to become the Shredder's human host," Michelangelo whispered to Donatello.
"And we all know how that turned out," Donatello nodded. "Considering our adventures against the Demon Shredder."
Leonardo, too, was slowly piecing it together. He and his brothers had trained under the Ninja Tribunal and learned the entire history of the Demon Shredder as well. In all that time, there had been no mention of a man named Daigo who became a host for the malevolent demon.
"You know, I was worried about fighting you for a second," Leo told him. "But now? I think I'm more than ready for this duel. So do we have an agreement?"
"Fine," Daigo conceded. "If you defeat me, you and your companions will be allowed to part from my domain peacefully."
"Good, you ready?" asked Leo.
With a savage roar, Daigo charged Leo with his sword.
The mutant turtle blocked the first three blows with both of his swords and struck back at the cult leader who blocked the first blade with his own katana. Daigo pushed Leo back and struck at his head, forcing Leo to back flip out of the range of the sword.
Immediately, Daigo was on him, swinging at Leo again who blocked the blow and forced Daigo's sword down. In the instant, Daigo took advantage of the momentary opening and elbowed Leo in the face, forcing him to stumble back.
"Leo!" Mikey shouted.
Daigo charged but Leo drew first blood and swung his blade, cutting the demon worshipper across the shoulder before the man could swing his blade again.
"Not bad," Daigo looked at his wound. "You have drawn first blood."
The warrior took his sword and slashed at Leonardo multiple times who was pressed hard by the relentless enemy. Leo was able to block a few of his sword strikes but there were a few others he had to dodge.
Finally, Leo dodged a quick slash by tilting his head back and intended to follow up with an attack of his own. However, another attack came that he did not expect.
With his other arm, Daigo swung his sword's sheath right into the side of Leo's face, dazing him with a powerful blow.
At once, Leo was knocked down.
"My son!" Splinter cried.
As Daigo raised his sword, Leo recovered in time and blocked it. Quickly, he drove his foot into Daigo's stomach, sending the warrior stumbling back.
"Not bad, creature," Daigo complimented. "You clearly know how to fight."
"Do not allow his words to get to you, my son," Splinter told Leonardo calmly. "You know how everything will turn out and you know you need to see this through to the end."
Leonardo took a deep breath and calmly put one of his blades back in its sheath, deciding to focus only on fighting with one sword.
"Let's finish this!" Daigo charged once more.
Leonardo obliged him and attacked with his sword.
oooo
In a flash of light, Raphael and Renet appeared in what looked like either ancient or medieval Japan.
"That's what I call cutting it close," Raphael remarked.
"If I'd been one second late, the Shredder would've destroyed us with that time blast," Renet breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, are we where we need to be?" asked Raph, looking around.
Renet looked at her Time Scepter.
"We're in the exact time alright," Renet confirmed. "But there's just one problem."
"What's that?" Raph raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't have too much time to get your brother's exact coordinates," Renet admitted. "The time era was the only thing I got a lock on before the TriShreddatron tried to kill us."
"Oh great," Raph groaned. "So my family could be anywhere right now."
While Japan was a relatively small place compared to a lot of other places in the world, trying to find his family on foot in the area was still a daunting task, something that could take days, weeks, or months depending on where their exact location was and what directions they were going in.
"On a slightly more positive note, all we need to look for are three mutant turtles and a rat," Renet tried to look on the bright side.
"Yeah," Raphael sighed. "Might as well get started. Let's do this, Renet."
The two of them continued on the forest path to continue their search.
oooo
Both Leonardo and Daigo struck at each other with their swords repeatedly, clashing with one swing after another.
Waiting carefully, Daigo waited until Leo's sword was down after a blow and hit the Turtle with a powerful spinning side kick to the stomach, knocking him down. As Leo flipped back up, he avoided a killing blow and slashed Daigo across the stomach, drawing a cry of pain.
As Leonardo struck at Daigo's skull, Daigo blocked the swing with his blade and pushed Leo back. He kneed Leo in the stomach to knock the breath out of the mutant and as Leo lowered his blade, Daigo head-butted him, knocking him down. As Leo went down, his sword dropped to the floor.
Crawling back up, Leo got on both knees, Daigo raised his sword.
"You gambled and you lost, creature!" Daigo told him.
Daigo brought his sword down but to his surprise, Leonardo caught the blade between both palms, holding the katana back.
"What?!" Daigo cried.
"No," Leo told him. "I think I placed my bets just right."
With that, Leo thrust the blade back with all his might, slamming the sword's handle square into Daigo's throat.
"Ack!" Daigo cried out in pain.
As Daigo dropped his sword, Leonardo was onto him immediately. Leo drove his fist across the man's face. He then spun around and uppercutted Daigo across the jaw before knocking the man down with a spinning wheel kick.
As Daigo coughed and looked up again, Leo had his sword pointed at his throat.
"No!" Daigo cried. "This isn't possible. I was supposed to be the Shredder's vessel! An invincible unbeaten warrior…"
"That's your dream," Leo told him. "Now it's time to wake up and face the music."
Daigo looked all around him. His own warriors now stared at him in shock that their leader had finally been defeated.
"Make a vow that you'll let me and my family go," Leo ordered.
Daigo looked at Leo defiantly and angrily.
In turn, Leo decided something mildly more drastic was needed. He pressed the tip of his sword against Daigo's throat.
"Very well," Daigo finally said in surrender. "All of you! Return to base! Allow them free passage to leave our lands as they see fit!"
One after another, the soldiers quietly obeyed Daigo's orders and marched back to their base. The kappa demons shook their heads in disappointment at Daigo and went back into the river, disappearing beneath the waters.
"A wise choice," Leo told Daigo, lifting his sword.
"Good job Leo!" Donatello walked up to his brother.
"You did well my son!" Splinter complimented.
"Go," Leo told Daigo. "Live with the knowledge for the rest of your life that you will never serve as the vessel of the Shredder."
With his shoulders sinking down in defeat, Daigo got up and stumbled as he walked. Shamefully, he walked off with his head down.
"Well, that settles it!" Michelangelo smiled.
"We're safe for now," Leo conceded. "But we're still no closer to getting back to fixing the mess the TriShreddatron caused."
"I agree," Splinter nodded. "We may not be prisoners to that man… but we are still prisoners trapped in time."
"Let's go then," Leo looked on the horizon. "The least we can do is escape this demon cult's territory. We can regroup from there and figure something out."
oooo
The mood was different in the temple caverns. The troops that Daigo led didn't even want to look him in the eyes.
Worse, there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. It was the realization that he had been defeated and that he was not worthy of the Shredder's unholy blessing.
Daigo stood before the pyre that could summon the Tengu Shredder.
"Master, it is your servant," Daigo said weakly.
"Report," the Tengu Shredder's hideous visage appeared.
"I have failed you, master," Daigo finally confessed. "I was not able to defeat the creatures I pursued. One of them defeated me in combat."
"They what?!" the dreaded Demon Shredder's tone hardened.
"I allowed them to put me in a situation where I agreed to their freedom if their leader was able to defeat me in combat," Daigo bowed deeply. "I was defeated and was forced to allow them to leave. Forgive me for my failure, master!"
"I see," the Tengu Shredder's tone grew a little less harsh. "How unfortunate. Then you are not the man destined to be my vessel anymore."
"Master, no!" Daigo protested. "The prophecy foretold that a man of my bloodline would become your vessel!"
"Yes, a man of your bloodline," the Tengu Shredder confirmed. "But it did not have to be you."
"But who else could it be?" asked Daigo. "My father is dead. As is my brother. I am the only man of my family still alive!"
"You were only there to clear the path for the future," the Tengu Shredder informed him. "In the future, another man of your lineage will become my host."
"You… you mean my son or grandson will be your host?" asked Daigo, feeling some renewed sense of hope."
"Yes," the Tengu Shredder replied. "Since you have served me well for many years, I will grant you the honor that one day, one of your sons or descendents will have the great honor of serving as my human vessel."
"Thank you my lord!" Daigo bowed deeply.
"Here are my final orders," the demon told him. "Henceforth, you are released from your services to me. Go forth and live your life in preparation for my eventual return and train your future offspring to be the warriors I wish them to be. Perfect them in their fighting spirit and their worthiness so that I may one day find them a suitable vessel."
"You have my word!" Daigo promised. "However, what of my men? They have also served you well for many years."
"You were originally going to give me those creatures as a sacrifice," the demon smiled, revealing his teeth. "I believe the appropriate final sacrifice is already before me."
At once, the green flames from the Shredder's cauldron rose up as dark tendrils reached out and consumed the bodies and souls of every last cultist who stood by Daigo's side. By the time it was over, Daigo was looking at a bunch of dried husks all around him.
Fearfully, Daigo looked on in shock at all the bodies that the Shredder had completely drained with his demonic powers, unable to even say anything out of terror.
"That was the final sacrifice I needed to be able to return to the world of the living," the Tengu Shredder informed his remaining minion.
"I… I see," Daigo could only nod dumbly.
"Now, I command you to leave this place," the Demon Shredder commanded. "Live the rest of your life as a warrior and pass on all that you know to your offspring. I will always be watching over you and you have my solemn vow that I will never abandon you or those of your lineage who will serve me in the future, Oroku Daigo."
"Your word is my command master," Oroku Daigo bowed and turned around, walking out of the mountain lair quietly with renewed hope that even if he wasn't going to be the Shredder's host, someone of his lineage would certainly fill that role in the ages to come.
oooo
While they were still trapped in time, the three Turtles and their master found a little bit of solace that night in their campfire, as they were able to set up a makeshift tent and caught enough fish for their dinner.
"That guy was pretty skilled," Leo admitted. "I can see why the Tengu Shredder has him as a servant."
"I think I'm starting to understand where Daigo fits into all this," Donatello took a bite of fish thoughtfully.
Mikey and Splinter continued eating as they listened.
"He said a man of his bloodline would become a vessel to the Shredder," Donnie continued. "Leo, this cult leader you fought is the Shredder's ancestor."
"This has got to be the craziest brush with history we've had yet," Leonardo raised an eye ridge.
From the bushes, a noise was heard.
"Whoa, hear that?" Mikey got up.
"Be on your guard," Leo got up, grabbing his sword as his family got up in anticipation for whatever it was that would emerge from the forest.
Finally, the rustling stopped. From the darkened woods emerged Raphael and Renet.
"Whoa!" Michelangelo dropped his fish. "It's you guys!"
"My son!" Splinter went over to greet Raph.
"We're back," Raphael smiled. "Boy, am I glad all of you survived!"
"I got my Time Scepter back," Renet told the gang. "We're good to go back to the future and fix everything."
"This is it then," Leonardo realized.
"So you guys ready?" asked Raphael.
"You bet!" Donatello agreed.
"Nice to see you again, Mikey!" Raphael gave his younger brother a noogie on the head.
"Haha," Mikey grimaced. "Very funny, Raph."
"Let's do this then," Donatello joined the rest of the group as they gathered around Renet. "And Raph, we've got a real interesting story to tell you when we get back."
"Yeah?" asked Raphael. "And what's that?"
"Let's call it a real brush with history," Donnie told him as Renet's time energy covered all of them.
oooo
"None of you are worth my time," Oroku Daigo said drunkenly.
At the tavern of the town he had traveled to, dozens of thugs and goons were moaning on the ground, injured and completely crushed in a full on brawl.
After having served the Tengu Shredder for a good portion of his life, he was now lost and without a cause. The only slight bit of hope he held in his heart was the possibility that one day, one of his sons or grandsons would become host to the great tengu demon.
But as things were, he'd reached a point of weariness and not even beating up a bunch of local criminals and hoodlums was enough to satisfy him.
"Are you the one who defeated this gang?" asked a strange voice.
Daigo turned around.
"And what of it?" he demanded.
"We were sent here to wipe out this den of thieves who were making life difficult for the people of this town," an attractive woman with her hair in a bun told him.
"But it seems you have made our jobs obsolete," the man next to her told him.
Daigo carefully surveyed the two. On their uniforms was a symbol. It resembled a red dragon's foot with three toes.
"Yes, and have you come to test me like these men have?" asked Daigo drunkenly.
"No, in fact," the man told him. "We were surprised at just how well you handled yourself defeating this gang."
"Perhaps you would be interested in a new career," the woman told him with a smile. "One that would make use of your prodigious fighting talents."
Despite being drunk, Daigo had a moment of clarity and realized that having his fighting abilities put to some use was just the thing he needed during a time like this. He needed direction now that the Demon Shredder had released him from his service. And these two people were providing a new path in life for him.
"Very well then," Daigo put down his drink. "What is your offer?"
"A warrior as elite as you would make a fine choice to serve the Emperor in the royal court," the woman told him. "So what do you say?"
Daigo looked at the woman with great interest as a fiery passionate blaze ignited in his body.
"I say… show me the way then," Daigo agreed.
To be continued.
Author's Note: The people recruiting Daigo at the end of this story aren't meant to be the Foot Clan. They're more of an ancient proto-Foot Clan like what we saw during the Ninja Tribunal season where Oroku Saki and the Tribunal gathered together wearing the "three toed sign of the dragon".