- Chapter 68 -

The Manhattan Ghoul, Part 3

Kieran lunged at the gathered teens, completely lost to his monstrous hunger as all of them collectively screamed. Thankfully, Kagome managed to stop him, looking on in horror. The boy was snarling at her, his teeth now razor-sharp.

"Meat!" he shrieked, trying to bite her. "Fresh meat!"

"Get off me!" Kagome shouted as she struck Kieran in the chin, launching him off.

He rolled across the ground and got up, his joints cracking eerily. He was breathing heavily, grinning like some sort of feral beast.

"Yeeeeesssss..." he hissed. "I remember now… You… You're the sword-girl who cut me open. The one with the fan-girl...and the turtles… Meat-That-Fights. Meat-That-Screams."

Kieran licked his lips and everyone shuddered.

"Oh jeez..." Casey managed.

"Kieran…" April managed.

"No," Hisako corrected. "That's the voice of the Voidworms… The voice of the Ghoul."

"Wait, like a split-personality?" Vee asked.

"No... more like he's possessed."

"That makes sense," Donnie mused. "The worms are parasites. Parasites make their hosts feel and want things that benefit their survival while feeding off of them-"

"How about you save the biology lesson for after we stop him, D?" Raph suggested.

"Let's see...which one of you should I devour first?" Kieran looked at the Turtles, cringing in disgust. "Not you, obviously." He turned to the humans. "But you…?" He grinned, licking his lips.

"How about me?"

At that moment, a kunai came flying in, embedding in his left shoulder. Kieran let out a pained screech as Karai and Shinigami both touched down, the latter looking disappointed.

"This is the Ghoul?" Shinigami asked. "I was hoping for a genuine article. This thing is just some monster."

"Good thing we were in the neighborhood," Karai added.

"You…" Kieran hissed. "New meat… Too much meat…" He looked around before looking up and grinning. "New plan!"

He crouched before leaping high into the air, landing on a nearby rooftop before taking off.

"Quick!" Leo yelled. "After him!"

"Find me, meat! Find the Ghoul!"

Vee turned to Hisako. "Can you sense him?"

Hisako closed her eyes, trying to feel out for him only to get a psychic backlash.

"Damn it!" she cursed. "I hate hive minds!"

"We're wasting time!" Casey insisted. "We gotta go after him!"

"We'll have to split up." Kagome decided.

"Kagome, are you nuts?!" Mikey demanded. "That's exactly what he wants us to do! We split up, we divide our fighting power. Easy pickings!"

"Maybe, but if we don't find Kieran soon, who knows what he'll do."

"Just keep your eyes open and watch your backs." Leo ordered. "Anyone who's not a mutant, pair up with one."

"I've got Shini," Karai said.

"Casey's with me," said April.

"Kagome, come on," Raph insisted.

"Midnight, hunt!" Hisako declared.

"Ready to go reverse-fishing, Don?" Mikey asked.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "Reverse...fishing?

"Fish catches worm instead of worm catches fish."

"Rrright…"

"Guess that leaves you and me." Vee remarked.

Leo nodded. "Alright, let's move out!"

The teams broke off.

-X-

Meanwhile, Kieran ran along the roof, then leapt and climbed onto the top of a crane.

"Hmmm… they split, just as planned. Where?" He closed his eyes before sensing. "Turtle… Turtle…" He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Turtle… why so many turtles?!" His eyes widened. "Wait! Humans!" He grinned before sniffing the air. "Mmmm… pizza."

He clutched his head with a pained grunt, stumbling. "No! I don't want to eat them! I don't wanna eat anyone!" He gritted his teeth. "Will… Must… Hungry!"

He leapt off of the crane.

-X-

Meanwhile, April and Casey were searching.

"Where is he…" April muttered. "Any sign of him, Case?"

"Nada," Casey replied, lifting up the trash can he was looking in. "Seriously, you think someone like him would stand out more."

"I'll try sensing for him," April closed her eyes, trying to feel for him. Unbeknownst to them, Kieran was watching them from the roof, sneaking like a predator. Kieran looked at the two teens and licked his lips. He crouched down before diving at Casey.

"Casey!" April's eyes snapped open. "Here he comes!"

Casey spun around, bat in hand. He slammed it into Kieran's face with all his might, knocking him off course and sending him flying into a pile of trash.

"And he's outta here!"

"Nice one!" April grinned. "I'll call the others."

Before she could even pull out her phone, Kieran let out a choked gurgle before getting up and facing them. The two gasped in horror at the sight; Casey's strike had nearly taken his jaw clean off, leaving it hanging by tendons and a small strip of flesh.

"Oh my God…" April gasped.

"Oh, that is nasty!" Casey exclaimed.

Suddenly, a worm-like tendril slipped out of Kieran's head and reattached it. Kieran's jaw popped and cracked as the injury was healed.

"Scratch that! That's nasty!"

"Kieran, listen to me!" April cried. "I know you're in there somewhere! This isn't you, it's the worms! Don't let them control you!"

"You wanna let him starve then?" Kieran scoffed. "You wanna know what happens to Voidworms like us that don't get to feed, let alone their hosts? Living skeletons. Like famine pictures from those dusty countries, only not half as funny."

"Dude, if it's food you need, we can get you another pizza!" Casey insisted.

" We don't want your greasy pork and cheese bread! We want meat! Fresh, raw, bloody, screaming MEAT! "

Suddenly, April and Casey felt something wrap around their legs. They looked down to see Kieran's stretched out arms grabbing them by the ankles. He had snaked them around while they were distracted.

"Shit!" Casey shouted just as Kieran yanked them to the ground and began dragging them forward, slamming Casey to the wall. April frantically grabbed for her belt, pulling out a kunai before stabbing the arm that had her repeatedly. Kieran gritted his teeth, only to continue pulling. He looked over April hungrily.

"Finally! Food for the Ghoul!" Kieran opened his mouth, revealing his razor-sharp teeth.

"Oh crap…" April managed.

Casey pulled out a can of Raid. "Eat this, creepo!"

He stabbed the can and threw it in Kieran's mouth. Kieran's eyes widened and he clutched his throat, dropping April as he coughed and gagged.

"April, come on!" Casey grabbed her, yanking her to her feet. They retreated as Kieran fell to his knees, coughing.

"Clever meat…" he mused before standing up. "But not clever enough."

His body began transforming. His body and limbs started to stretch out, growing taller and longer, but more muscular. His skin seemed to stretch taut, allowing the muscles beneath to be partly visible. His skin turned a deathly pale shade of blue, and his nails grew sharper. Finally, his hair grew longer. He looked up, and the two teens found themselves staring down the true face of the Ghoul, his long, bluish-black tongue dangling out of his mouth hungrily.

"Oh that is so many levels of wrong…" Casey let out.

Kieran threw back his head and let out a demonic roar.

"Book it!"

Casey and April picked up their pace, while Kieran rushed after them like a wild animal.

"MEEEEEEAT!"

He began galloping after them on all fours, dashing across walls as he went.

"Seriously?!" Casey demanded. "How can something that big be that fast?!"

Kieran lashed out with an arm, stretching it in an attempt to grab them. Casey barely managed to dodge in time.

"Kieran!" April screamed. "STOP!"

Kieran attempted a second grab at April, who narrowly avoided it.

"I wonder, will you two taste like the pizza? Gross as it was, it tasted good!"

"April, any chance we can get some reinforcements?" Casey asked.

"I'm trying, Casey! But I can't focus!"

"Damn it…"

The two attempted to turn a corner, but Kieran picked up the pace and intercepted them.

"End of the line! Nowhere to go," Kieran grinned as he advanced toward them. "Eyes. Lungs. Pancreas. So many snacks, so little time… I think…" His nails shifted into claws. "I think I'll start with Jason over there!"

Kieran swung at Casey, only for April to shove him aside and get clawed herself. April hissed in pain, clutching her arm. After a moment, her eyes lit up, glowing bright yellow.

"The fuck…?!" Kieran exclaimed.

"You want blood, zombie boy?!" April focused, a yellow halo surrounding her blood and forming it into a ball. "Take it!"

She launched it at him, hitting him square in the face. Immediately, the mutagenic blood did its work, Kieran screeching as he clutched his face.

"It burns us! It burns usssss! " he screamed as he fled.

"Gotcha…" April promptly collapsed. "Damn, that was intense. I think… we better sit this one out.

"Good idea." Casey pulled April's arm over his shoulder. "Nice trick with the blood, by the way."

"Thanks, that Raid move was pretty good too."

-X-

Meanwhile, Kieran was fleeing from them all, clinging to his face as he screamed.

"My face! MY FACE!" He lowered his hands, snarling like an animal. "Damn that bitch! "She's poison! Just like the turtles!"

He wiped the rest of the blood off, slowly calming down a bit. "The others...the other humans are probably poison too. Have to get out of here. Find not poison humans. And then, I'll-"

He was promptly hit in the back with several mutagen-laced kunai, screaming and falling over. Karai and Shinigami approached at that, Mikey and Donnie behind them.

"Seriously, this is the Ghoul that's had everyone in the city terrified?" Shinigami asked.

"Looks can be deceiving," Karai pointed out. "And not all of us have living nightmare fuel as a mother, or stolen adoptive father."

"Or blood that contains the one thing that can seriously hurt him," Donnie added.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "Honestly, this is kinda… sad."

"Repulsive turtles! I will use your shells as soup bowls!" Kieran attempted to get up, only for Karai to constrict him with her snake arms.

"Stay down, buddy," she insisted as Kieran attempted to get free.

The others soon arrived, taking stock of the situation.

"Ah good," Shinigami declared as she saw the teens approach. "I was wondering when you all would arrive."

"Damn…" Hisako flinched. "His mind is a wreck. Alternating between hungry and... screaming."

Kieran snarled at them like a wild animal.

"What can we do?" Mikey asked. "Can we cure him?"

"Mikey, he's not a mutant," Donnie told him. "Retro mutagen can't help him."

"Is there anything we can do, Don?" Leo questioned.

Donnie just looked up helplessly.

"You want to do something!?" Kieran snarled. "Release from this toxic, snake-woman and-AGH!"

Kieran shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, visibly struggling with something. "Kill me!"

That shocked everyone, even Shini, causing all of them to gasp.

"No way…" Shinigami gasped. "There's a person in there."

"Kieran?" Kagome asked.

"Dammit, for the love of God and all that is holy, KILL ME!" He was struggling in Karai's grasp, tears in his eyes. "That's what you came here to do, isn't it!? So, do it!"

"You... you want to die…" Hisako whispered, a pang of empathy hitting her while Midnight whined.

"YES! Now hurry!" He stuck his chin up, exposing his throat. "Kill me! Do it before those...THINGS come back!"

"You're still in there... meaning we can save you." Hisako started racking her brain, then she got an idea. "Karai, let him go. I have an idea."

"Hisako, are you crazy?!" Karai shrieked.

"Just trust me. I know what I'm doing." Karai paused for a moment, but slowly acquiesced. "Hey worms, you want meat, right? Fresh, red, bloody meat?"

Kieran panted and slowly nodded, but it seemed...forced.

"Then follow me. And you better keep up!"

She then scooped up Midnight and bolted.

"What is she doing?" Vee demanded.

"Agh!" Kieran clutched his head. "No… No! Not again!" He started breathing heavily. "Get… out… of my… head! Stop... doing this!"

Kieran bit his lower lip with enough force to draw blood before letting out a roar, the Voidworms reasserting control.

"Meat!" He took off after Hisako.

"No!" Karai cried out, instantly terrified for her sister's safety.

"He's escaping!" Raph yelled, about to run after them.

"Hold on! All of you!" Shinigami grabbed their arms. "Trust your sister. Clearly she knows these things. And we have to trust in her plan."

"But...!" Vee objected.

"Vee, let her go," Leo insisted. "She knows what she's doing."

"And if it doesn't work?" Raph asked.

"I trust Hisako." Leo looked out in the direction his sister had gone. "She can do this."

Meanwhile, Hisako ran through the streets, Kieran charging after her like a bull after a red flag. He crushed cars underfoot, plowing through bikes and streetlamps as if they weren't there.

"Meat!" he yelled. "Come back, meat!"

"That's it, follow me. C'mon…" Hisako looked around. "Come on, come on… Where is it?!" She perked. "There!"

Hisako ran toward a building.

"Get back here!" Kieran shrieked. "You wouldn't want me to miss my dinner, would you?"

Hisako headed for the back entrance of the building, quickly using her telekinesis to shatter the lock.

"Alright, you worms!" she shouted. "Eat up!"

She threw open the door, hiding behind it just as Kieran hit the street, pavement cracking on impact.

"Hrrrrrm...where is she?" he looked around. "She's not here."

At that moment, he sniffed the air, catching a familiar scent. "Wait, that smell..." His eyes widened. "...MEAT!"

Kieran dashed into the building. As soon as he was in, Hisako crept in after him, keeping a safe distance as he followed the scent through the building.

"Meat...I smell meat, but where?" Kieran noticed a door down the hall. "There!" He ran over to the door, prying it open.

"Where are you, gir–?!" Kieran stared ahead in shock, finding he was in a meat locker stocked with massive sides of beef.

"Meat..." Kieran's tongue hung out of his mouth, drooling before grinning maniacally. "Meat!"

The minute he charged in, Hisako slammed the door shut behind him, locking it and dropping a massive display piece in front of it for good measure before sagging in relief.

"Thank Bushido..." She could hear Kieran eating, loudly and voraciously. Still, she allowed herself to finally relax, sliding to the ground and fishing out her phone.

"Hey guys. It worked…"

"Hisako, where are you?" Leo questioned immediately.

"Rupert Swaggart's butcher shop. Kieran is…" she cringed a bit at his loud chewing. "He's not going anywhere."

-X-

About ten minutes later, the others arrived.

"Alright, this is the place." Leo cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hisako, can you hear me?"

"In here, guys!" she called from inside the shop.

"Hang tight! We're on our way!"

The group hurried inside, soon finding Hisako in front of the meat locker door.

"Hisako, are you alright?" Leo asked.

"Just exhausted," Hisako assured. "He's really fast, but he's contained now and hopefully sating his appetite."

"Well, only one way to find out." At Leo's direction, Hisako moved the barricade out of the way before opening the door.

"Whoa..." everyone let out at the sight.

All the meat in the locker had been picked clean, nothing left but empty boxes, torn freezer paper, and bones.

"Holy…" Mikey gasped. "He just packed it all away!"

"That is...that's just crazy," Casey let out.

They eventually managed to locate Kieran in the mess, lying against the back wall, asleep and returned to his human form.

"Well I'll be…" Shinigami mused. "It worked."

"Nice thinking," Donnie said.

"Thanks," Hisako smiled.

"Uh... dude?" Mikey began tentatively poking Kieran. "You're not... you know, hungry anymore?"

He poked a few more times, then backed off. "Yup, he's conked out."

"So what now?" Karai wondered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shini replied as she drew her weapon, a deadly-looking kusarigama.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Vee caught the witch's arm. "We are not killing him."

"You couldn't even if you wanted to," Hisako chimed in. "Not like that."

"Then what do you suggest?" Shini asked. "He's down for now, but he's still a threat."

"Well, I know where we can take him." Kagome decided.

Kieran groaned as a distant voice began to call out to him.

"Kieran? Kieran, can you hear me?" He groaned at the voice, not wanting to wake up. "Wake up, Kieran. Come on."

"Ooh!" a new voice cheered. "I know what'll wake him up."

That's when Kieran was suddenly hit with a cup of cold water. He sat up with a start, now wide awake and spitting water.

"Mikey!" Kagome snapped.

"What?" Mikey retorted. "It works on me all the time."

Raph whacked him on the head as April approached Kieran. "Hey Kieran. How do you feel?"

"Ugggh… A...pril...?" He wiped water from his face, finally looking up at her.

"Hey… I'm glad you remember me."

"Agh… I just had the worst dream..." He adjusted himself so he was more comfortable. "I got turned into a hideous, flesh-eating monster and started eating people every night. And I had long, stretchy limbs and sharp teeth… And there were these giant mutant turtle things trying to kill me."

"Yeah...about that..." came Leo's voice.

Kieran turned to see the Turtles.

"Yo, whassup?" Mikey greeted casually.

Kieran's eyes went wide before he screamed in fear, Mikey instinctively doing the same as the worm host scooted back.

"Turtles! Giant! Mutant! Monster! Turtles! Here! Now! With! Me!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Casey cut in. "Easy there, buddy. Calm down."

"Calm down!?" Kieran demanded. "There are giant turtle...things in the room with...wait, where is here!?"

"This is a medical lab at the Techno Cosmic Research Institute," Hisako explained. "Or TCRI."

"TCRI?" Kieran asked.

"It's a safe place," April assured.

"You know that whole thing about you being a monster?" Casey began. "Well…"

"Kieran..." Hisako began. "Do... Do you remember being a prisoner of the Utroms? Specifically... a scar-faced one named Ch'rell?"

Kieran looked completely bewildered. "Utrom? What's that?"

"Perhaps I can explain that," Mortu chimed in, stepping into the room. "No doubt your memories have become rather degraded in the recent months. It's no surprise the first thing to disappear was your trauma."

"Uhhhh..." Kieran looked at Mortu in confusion.

"Ahh yes, of course. Where are my manners?" Mortu then began to unbutton his shirt as Kieran looked him over, very confused.

"Who are you and what are you doing?" He demanded.

"Kieran, I know we're asking a lot, but we need you to stay calm, alright?" Kagome requested.

"About what? What's going on here?"

Kagome was spared the effort of an answer as Mortu pulled his shirt apart, revealing his Utrom body. Kieran's jaw dropped.

"Greetings, young Kieran. My name is Mortu. I am-"

"Alien!" Kieran started scrambling backward, falling off the bed he was on.

"Okay, seriously," Casey began. "Just how fucked up is his memory that he doesn't recognize the Utroms?"

"His mind is mostly worms right now," Hisako pointed out. "He's lucky to remember his own name.

"I'm afraid it's worse than that," Mortu motioned for the others to come closer, bringing up several scans on the computer. "After examining Kieran's bioscans, I was able to find out just how infested he's become, and the results are...unpleasant."

"How unpleasant are we talking?" Raph questioned.

"When Voidworms convert an organism into a nest, the queen burrows into and bonds with the victim's cerebellum and attaches to the spinal cord. This allows the hive to influence the host's mind. Afterwards, she commands any existing worms to devour the victim's flesh to absorb genetic information, which they use to create special 'cell-worms' to replace the host's existing body. Barring the brain and spinal column, as they need the host's mind in order to function. The result is a living nest-puppet that can masquerade perfectly as a member of the infested's species."

"But Kieran's different…" Hisako mused.

"Yes," Mortu nodded. "Somehow, he's managed to retain his sense of self. His own mind, albeit one that's currently in a very fragile state."

"Are you saying he could go Ghoul any minute?" Vee asked.

Mortu shook his head. "No. The meat in the locker satiated the worms… for now. Rather, I'm referring to his...delicate psyche."

"It does feel like it's being held together with duct tape and bubble gum," Hisako noted.

"Exactly. We need to be careful how we break the news to him, otherwise… Well, even if doesn't 'go Ghoul', he likely won't take it well."

"Won't take what well?"

The group turned to Kieran, Mortu shutting down the files.

"Um…" Leo began. "Hisako, you're the best with... fragile psyches."

"Right…" Hisako took a deep breath. "Let's go sit down. We have... alot to discuss."

"Ummm...okay?" Kieran sat down with Hisako on the bed.

"Kieran... what's the last thing you remember before ending up on the street?"

"What do you mean?"

"Before the invasion," Kagome said. "Before you were… away from your family."

Kieran scratched his head. "Well, I don't know about any invasion… But, I remember it was… about a couple months ago. I was arguing with my mom about...something… I don't remember what it was. And I left the house. After that...I was out in the city, trying to clear my head. Then, I remember someone coming up from behind me and..."

He cringed, clutching his head in pain.

"Easy…" Hisako soothed. "Easy. Don't force yourself."

"What about immediately after that?"

"I...I don't know..." Kieran let out. "Everything is...fuzzy. I remember...I was in a room… It was small. And I remember being in another room, like this one. There were lots of machines there. People too. And it was...painful. I remember...pain." He shuddered. "Lots of pain." "But why...?" His face scrunched up. "I feel like I'm missing something important, but I don't know what!"

Kieran sat up. "Dammit, I'm getting hungry."

"Here." Hisako reached into a small bag on her hip, opening a Ziplock baggie with raw meatballs. "I came prepared."

Kieran suddenly snatched the bag out of her hands, tearing it open before eagerly shoving the meatballs into his mouth and devouring them ravenously

"Oh yes! Meat!" Sweet, wonderful..." Kieran's eyes went wide before he spat them out. "What am I doing? I-I just ate a bunch of raw meat!"

"Yes," Hisako said awkwardly. "Yes, you did."

"And...And I...liked it." Kieran realized. "I...liked it. Why did I like-?" At that moment, they heard the sound of something chewing. "What the?"

"Uhhh, guys...?" Vee let out, pointing behind them.

Kieran slowly turned around to see a long, whip-like worm eating the spat-out meat on the floor. He began hyperventilating, even more so when he saw the worm was coming out of his own back.

"Kieran," Hisako began to summon her mist, trying to pour her power over him. " Do not freak out. Calm down. "

Sadly, it didn't seem to be working. "That...That's coming out of me… That...That thing is coming out of my body!"

" Kieran, calm down! "

"It's...It's eating that stuff and...I can taste it! I..." Kieran's eyes went wide. "Wait… I remember… The room… The people that grabbed me...they were...aliens! Tentacled, brain aliens like him!"

He pointed right at Mortu, who couldn't help but cringe.

"They took me to their lab. They...They did things to my body. And then, they took me to this room and the floor was covered in… Worms..." Kieran was now struggling for breath. "Worms...Slimy, black, ugly worms! Everywhere!"

"The Jedi Mind Trick isn't working!" Donnie shouted.

"I can see that!" Hisako shouted back.

"Worms… Crawling all over me! Biting me! E-Eating me! But...I'm alive… Why am I alive? Why are the worms inside...?" His eyes widened in realization. "Wait...my dream… The monster... That was..."

He sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"Kieran…" Casey began. "You okay?"

Kieran let out a scream of sheer horror before jumping up, clutching his head and running around the lab.

"Kieran!" Kagome screamed.

Kieran started stumbling about, knocking things over.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! " He fell over before catching himself, panting. "I'm a monster… A freak… I killed...I killed all those people… I... ATE them."

He gagged before vomiting on the floor, finding it chunky… and red.

"I… I can't… I don't… I..." Kieran looked up, eyes locking on Leo's katanas. He immediately tackled Leo to the ground, trying to grab one of them. "Give me that sword!"

"Not a chance!" Leo insisted, trying to throw him off. "Two attempts at seppuku is more than enough!"

"Kieran, stop!" Hisako yelled.

Leo kicked Kieran off. He landed heavily.

"Give me that sword!" Kieran demanded. "Give it to me!"

He extended his hand, a long worm shooting out of his palm like a tentacle and yanking one of the katanas out of its sheath.

"No!" Leo screamed.

Kieran grabbed the sword in both hands, screaming before plunging it up to the hilt into his chest, black blood oozing out of the wound.

"Kieran!" April cried.

"There...it's over… Nobody else will get…" Kieran paused, realizing he was still sitting up and conscious even with a katana plunged into his heart and sticking out his back. "Wait… I...I don't feel anything. It...It doesn't hurt. Why doesn't it hurt!?"

Kieran removed the sword, seeing his blood. "My… my blood… it's black?!"

"It's not blood," Mortu corrected. "It's… well, it's waste from the worms."

"You're a hive now, Kieran," Hisako told him sympathetically. "Traditional things like that... won't work."

Kieran looked down as the wound closed almost instantly.

"No...NO!" He started repeatedly stabbing and cutting himself with the sword, only for the wounds to seal up every time. "C'mon, damn it! Why can't I die?!"

Finally, Leo grabbed the sword, yanking it out of his hands. "Kieran, that's enough!"

Kieran grabbed Leo in turn, shaking him. "Kill me! In the name of all that's decent and good, please kill me!"

"No!" Leo snapped. "There's been enough death."

"Exactly! That's why you have to kill me! "I know you can! You managed to hurt me! I remember! You used that… The green stuff!"

Seeing the mutagen stockpile in the lab, Kieran immediately made for it, grabbing a canister. "The poison! It can kill me! It can stop me! It can save me!"

Before he could crack it open, a green halo immediately ripped the canister from his hand, and another forced him to his knees.

"Suicide isn't the answer!" Hisako shouted.

"Give it back!" Kieran demanded. "Let me go!"

"I won't!"

"Give it to me! I'm an abomination! I need to die! If I don't, I'll turn back into that...thing!"

"No, you don't," Hisako insisted. She used her powers to pull him closer, hugging him tightly. "Just stop, Kieran. Death won't change what happened, and it is never the answer."

Kieran slowly calmed down, looking at her. "I...I don't understand… Why won't you let me die?"

"Because I've been where you are." Hisako pulled back, lifting her shirt to reveal the katana scar from her failed seppuku attempt five years prior. "Five years ago, I tried to take my own life. And six months ago, I tried a second time. Both times, I was thankfully stopped, and I will forever be grateful to the ones who kept me from dying."

Kieran's eyes widened, seemingly entranced by her words as she spoke. "I know the hopelessness you're feeling, but I promise, we can help you. We'll make sure you never go Ghoul again."

"You can't..." Kieran shook his head. "I… I can sense them… I can feel them… the worms... They're always hungry."

"As someone who was starved before, I can assure you of this. Once they have a steady diet, that hunger will lessen. It won't be easy, but with help, you can return to some semblance of normalcy. You can have your life back."

Kieran looked at her as if she had just grown three heads and a tail. "I'm a living skinbag of alien worms. I need to eat people… kill people to keep living… And the people I ate… if anyone found out… What kind of life could I possibly have?"

"Let us worry about the Ghoul," Leo told him. "It wasn't you. Not really."

"As for what kind of life you could have… Well, that all depends on what you want," Kagome added.

Kieran paused at that. "I… I want to stop eating people. I want...to stop feeling hungry."

"Then let us help you," Mortu rested a hand on the boy's head. "We can keep you safe, and keep people safe from you.

Kieran looked at Mortu, then Hisako and the rest of the strange, new people he's around. He paused before taking a breath.

"Alright… If...If you think you can help me, I'll trust you..."

"Don't worry, Kieran," April promised. "You're in good hands."

At the police station, Leo outlined their encounter with the Ghoul to Chief Vincent.

"Alien... worms?" she repeated.

"A nest of them, but we took care of it," Leo assured. "The Ghoul won't be eating anyone else." "So, you were able to kill it?"

"We did what we had to, and the Ghoul is done."

Rebecca looked Leo up and down, scanning him for any deception. Leo's face was stony and unreadable. After a minute, she sighed.

"Alright then. Thank you again for all your help, Leonardo."

"It's my pleasure, ma'am."

"Just one last question. Did you happen to get a look at the Ghoul? Find out who he was?"

"It was a monster, plain and simple. But like I said, it's done."

"I see…" Rebecca mused. "Guess he was a John Doe too."

"Yeah."

"Alright, that should be enough. You're free to go. And again, thank you."

"Let us know if there's anything we can do to help in the future."

"I will. Give my regards to the others."

Leo nodded before taking his leave. Once he was gone, Rebecca sat down at her desk.

"Parasitic alien worms." She let out a long sigh. "Just when I thought I'd seen everything. Hopefully that's the last surprise that overgrown bag of jelly left behind."

Later, Leo returned to the lair.

"Well, how'd it go?" Raph asked.

"Without a hitch. The Ghoul case is closed."

"Meaning Kieran is no longer wanted," Kagome concluded.

"Thank Bushido," Hisako sighed. "I was kinda worried they'd want proof…"

"So that's it?" Mikey asked. "The whole bit with ol' Wormfood is over and done with?"

"Yes Mikey, it's over," Donnie gave him a dirty look. "Also, will you stop calling him that?"

"Do you think Kieran will be okay?" April asked.

"He's with Mortu, right?" Casey pointed out. "He'll be fine. The guy knows what to do."

"I know," April sighed. "I trust Mortu, but I'm still worried. Especially with Kieran's..." April shook her head. "Well, I'm sure he'll think of something."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will," Hisako agreed.

Meanwhile, Mortu was on the phone with someone, pacing around his office.

"I see...and you're sure you're alright with this? … Oh I don't doubt that, it's just that… the boy's rather...excitable. I fear that he won't be able to handle all the… Yes, that is a good point."

He stopped his pacing. "Very well, I'll send him over as soon as he's ready. Just...try to make sure everyone's on their best behavior. Please?"

He listened for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief. "Very well then, and thank you again for doing this on such short notice… Yes, I'll see you then. Goodnight."

He hung up, setting his phone down on his desk. "Well, that was easier than I'd anticipated. Now to check on our guest."

Mortu entered the lab to find Kieran laying on the bed, staring at his hand. He reached upward, pushing a bit, and his arm stretched a few inches. Afterwards, he flexed his fingers a few times, watching as they shifted into sharp claws.

"Kieran?" Kieran yelped, hiding his hand behind his back as Mortu stepped in. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Mr. Mortu!" Kieran began to fumble for a reply. "Uhhhh… Y-Yes, everything's alright… nothing going on at all..."

"Relax." Mortu held up a hand for a placating gesture. "It's perfectly natural to be curious about your powers and abilities."

Kieran groaned at that. "...you saw..."

"Believe me when I say that you are the furthest from the strangest being I have ever seen. You'd be surprised by the creatures the infinite cosmos will throw at you, especially when you have lived as long as I have."

"I'm guessing that's a long time?"

"Far longer than you could imagine. But I digress. I have managed to secure you a place of lodging, as well as some caretakers uniquely suited to handle someone like you."

That made Kieran blink. "You...You did?"

"Indeed. They're a tad...eccentric… And some of them have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. But they're good people and I think you'd like them."

"I see." Kieran looked down at his hands, picking at his nails. "Honestly, I'm surprised Kagome and the turtle mons… err, the turtles didn't take me in. Not that I blame them… after..."

"It's not that, my boy," Mortu quickly corrected. "While the Hamato Family is skilled, they have their hands full with one traumatized mutant already. While this group… it's their specialty."

"Are they infested too?"

"No, I'm afraid not. But as I said, if anyone is capable of figuring out how to handle your worms and keep you from harming yourself and others, it's them."

"Well, you're the expert. When do I get to meet them?"

"I can bring you to them immediately."

Kieran winced slightly. "I-I don't know about that. How about tomorrow or a few days? Give them time to get ready."

"Whatever makes you comfortable. I'll get in contact and set things up for...how does three days from now sound?"

Kieran thought for a moment. "Sounds good."

"Alright then."

"So, what are my new… uhhh, housemates like?"

"Well… Tell me, Kieran. How do you feel about animals?"

"Uhhh, I think they're alright. Why?"

Mortu chuckled. "Let me tell you about a group known as the Mutanimals…"

Author's Note:

Well... that was bracing. But it's all settled now.

Please R&R. Until next time!