Golden Angel

Her blood seemed frozen, and her skin clammy.

Her grip on her fans was tight enough to hurt, but she couldn’t loosen her fingers.

His eyes were still on her, almost burning her with the cold.

“I will give you one last chance. Join me. As an equal.”

Shaking her head mutely, she hid a bit more behind Leo.

“…Then you will join me as a slave.”

He removed his helmet.

“The time for games has ended. No more charades. You see me as I am, and it is the last thing that you will ever see.”

Smirking, he placed the metal back on his head.

“Now to face your destiny! And your doom!”

“Well…he’s YOUR friend, Leo…” Don muttered.

“And he certainly has a strong sense of personal style…” Mikey added.

Unconsciously, she smacked him upside the head.

“OW!!! ARTIE…”

“Somethin’ tells me ‘e didn’t get all dressed up fer nothin’…”

“Guys…we’re in for the fight of our lives…”

Nodding a bit, her fans opened slowly.

“Foot ninja, attack! Destroy them!”

The ninja charged, and it snapped her back to herself.

Jumping up, she did a split kick, spinning in the air and smacking more away with her fans.

Landing on her hands, she back-flipped to avoid a Bo staff, landing in a crouch.

“Too slow!”

Her fist made him fly back, Bo flying from his hands.

She heard Mikey cry out as he was struck, and whirled around sharply.

The Shredder was taking the others by surprise from behind while they were distracted, and her familiar protective instincts were revving it into high gear.

The ninja that got in her way were dealt with more violently than before, and she took down many more in her blows.

The fighting with the others was fierce, and a fire broke out across the roof.

Wincing at the sudden heat on her skin, she jumped away from the flames and rolled before coming up on her feet.

Unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time…

Leonardo, kicked out of the air by the Shredder, smacked into her plastron and sent both of them to the ground.

“OW…Watch where you’re flying next time…” She muttered.

“Are you okay?”

Not expecting the question from HIS mouth, she just nodded.

“A little surprised…are you okay?”

He was getting up already, swords still in hand.

“You’ve got to run.”

“What?”

Sitting up, she rubbed her head as her other kept a grip on her fan.

“You have to go, Artemis. Now!”

Standing now, she shook her head.

“I can’t…”

“He’s trying to take you away. I can’t let him!”

She grabbed his arm, looking serious.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Her heart warmed at the words that left it, and she almost thought she saw that same warmth in Leo’s eyes.

The air shifted, she felt it in her soul, and her fan came up in time to block a kick.

However, the force was enough to make her stumble back.

Leo was caught a bit off guard, but Foot ninja were there to restrain him.

“LEO-!”

A metal-gloved hand went over her throat, and she didn’t struggle as the sharp blades on the gauntlet stayed over the pulsing vein in her neck.

“Why won’t you join me? You’ll have power…”

“According to YOU, I already have some…” She retorted sharply, wincing as the tip of the blades put more pressure.

“And I can help you find it…”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

The hand on her throat loosened, moving down her skin and leaving her almost shivering.

“You’re beautiful when you’re scared…”

Closing her eyes, she tried to control her heartbeat.

“I’m not scared…”

A kunai slid from her wristband, and she hid it with her palm.

“And I’m not a traitor.”

The knife slipped up, clashing with his gauntlet as she slipped under his arm and jumped away.

The other kunai was pulled out, and she threw both at the ninja holding Leo’s arms.

They were thrown back, and she pulled the projectiles around and back into her hands.

However, as she went to Leo’s side to keep the other ninja at bay, the roof started falling apart.

Stumbling a bit into his arms, they fell over the edge.

Though it was HIS shell that hit the car below, it was HERS that hit the asphalt with a jarring feel.

Groaning a bit in pain, she opened her eyes to see him above her.

The position was rather…COMPROMISING, to say the least…and it set butterflies in her stomach.

He blushed, getting off, and they hid behind the yellow vehicle as Foot ninja passed.

“We have to find the others.” Leo whispered.

Nodding, she strapped her fans tightly to her shell.

Picking up his katana, he sheathed them before jumping over a railing into the stairs leading to the subway.

Following him, Artemis kept an eye on the Foot ninja.

“Well, if we need to find the others, getting caught isn’t an option.”

Nodding, Leo led the way through the shadows.

Slipping around corners and such, they made their way into an alley.

Actually, they were backed up into an alley by evil ninja…

Pulling out one of her fans, she snapped the large weapon open.

Suddenly, a man was among the group before them, wearing a trench coat and drawing a strange glowing sword.

“Um…WHOA…”

The man single-handedly defeated all of the ninja, and she quirked an eye-ridge.

He sheathed his blade as the glow died, and headed towards them.

“OKAY…This is new…” Leo muttered, still looking wary.

“You’re definitely a ninja…but not one of them…”

“I am simply a guardian. Beyond that, I can not tell you anything more.”

“That’s…pretty helpful…”

“If we wanted to be vague.”

“I am sorry, but I can not reveal everything to you now.”

His shade-covered eyes landed on her, and she wondered what everyone else seemed to see when they looked at her.

“You have a hard path ahead of you. And a difficult choice to make.”

“Why me?”

“…That is something fate decided for you. You have great power, the Shredder told the truth about that…But it is your choice what it will be.”

‘What it will be?’

“Just know that you are caught in a battle much bigger than you can imagine.”

“I’ve pretty much heard that already from Oroku Saki.” Leo replied.

“Yes. It was the only truth the Shredder told you. But know this. By rejecting the Shredder and his evil, you have made an ally this day.”

He offered his hand to shake, and the two shared a glance before Artemis took it.

“Alright…But I’m watching you.”

The last part was said with a laugh in her voice, showing she was joking.

The headlights of the Battle Shell fell on the bricks, and Artemis released his hand in favor
of shielding her eyes.

“Dang it, guys! Turn them off!”

“Hey, guys! Need a ride?” Don asked.

“Sure. Guys, I’d like to introduce you to-.”

Leo turned to find the man gone.

“The mystery ninja…”

Shrugging a bit, the gold-banded turtle got into the Battle Shell.

There was a happy bark before Mitsukai tackled her, licking her face and whimpering and nuzzling.

“I missed you too, girl! But I can’t breathe!”

The husky got off, still wagging her tail.

Sitting up, she smiled as the others hugged her, though she had to stand to have Mikey wrap his arms around her.

“My children, now that you are safe…”

Splinter’s walking stick smacked them on the heads, and Artemis pouted as she rubbed it.

“OW!”

“HEY!”

“What was that fer?”

“For being so foolish! You should have never tried to face the Shredder alone! He is too powerful!”

Nodding, the jade-skinned turtle lowered her eyes.

“I couldn’t let them do it alone…”

“You’re telling me! I’ve got bruises that have bruises!” Don stated.

“And did you see the Shredder walk straight through that fire?”

“Yeah! He’s like the Shredi-nator or something!”

SMACK!!!

“OW!!! ARTIE…”

“You have stirred the hornets nest. He will not rest until he finds us.”

“What should we do, Master Splinter?” Leo questioned.

“…Let him find us. I have long wished to avenge my Master Yoshi. Now is the time.”

“But…how do we let him find us?” Artemis asked.

“Sit still.”

“I don’t know, Master Splinter. Sitting still isn’t one of our strong points.”

Mikey caught the glare from his seat…

“Right! Sitting still it is! I like sitting still! Sitting still is good!”

The six mutants headed up to a rooftop, leaning on the metal supports of a water tower.

Mitsukai was leaning on Artemis’s waist as the dark-shelled turtle leaned on a beam.

One hand on the husky’s head and her other thumb hooked into her belt, she tried to calm down.

Her eyes were half-lidded as her senses spread like mist over the rooftop, the shift of a breeze and Mitsukai’s rumbling chest registering easily.

The Battle Shell was parked in the street below, easy to see and a large sign practically screaming ‘WE’RE UP HERE! COME FIND US!’

A screech of metal on metal made her muscles tense, and Mitsukai perked, baring her fangs.

She sensed the ninja before they even jumped up, followed by their leader.

“Let the butt-kickin’ begin…”

Artemis nodded, pulling out her two small fans and snapping them open.

The turtle’s pulled out their weapons.

“Foot ninja, ATTACK!”

The two groups collided with ferocity, and Foot ninja flew through the air from her blows.

“Remember, my children. Even the mighty oak bends before the fierce storm winds.”

“Huh?” Mikey asked, clobbering someone on the head.

“Be careful! And do not become overconfident!”

Artemis spun, hitting away katana before dancing away from a sai.

“I didn’t even see that lesson in the saying.”

Leaning back to dodge a Bo staff, she did a back-flip, catching the ninja’s chin.

Fighting the Foot ninja seemed easier as time passed, and she smiled a bit as sweat started building up.

Mikey was crying out as he used his sprained ankle to fight, but he ran to hide behind Artemis when the Shredder tried to swipe at him.

“Artie!”

“What-?”

She punched a ninja in the face.

“NOW?”

“Shredder!”

Tensing, she turned to see the metal-clad man.

“Mikey…”

“Yes?”

“I hate you…”

Holding up her fans, she blocked his gauntlet and brought her feet up to kick him in the chest.

However, this didn’t work out too well, and she was thrown back into Mikey.

Mikey cried out as he hit the ground, his ankle protesting.

“Oh, shut up, you big baby…” Artemis stated, getting off of him.

“But my ANKLE…”

“It’s your ANKLE! Now if it was your brain-! Wait, what am I saying? You don’t HAVE a brain!”

“HEY…”

While they had been down, the Shredder had taken the time to beat Don and Raph into a wall.

Mikey jumped to help them, his ‘chucks flying.

This, unfortunately, got his shell into the wall.

Artemis went to help, but a wall of Foot ninja blocked her path.

With a snarl, Mitsukai jumped into the fray, fangs bared and ears back.

A path broke through the group, and she saw her brothers, dazed, before the Shredder.

He raised his gauntlet, and her heart pounded.

‘No!’

She was running before she knew it, fan closed.

She was faster than she remembered, but she ignored it.

Her brothers were in danger.

“LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

A force flew from her palm, invisible but quick, that hit him back.

He didn’t seem as surprised as she felt, but the adrenaline was already rushing through her.

Holding the closed fan more like a Bo staff now, she stood between him and the four stunned turtles.

The blades glinted in the light, but her gaze didn’t waver.

“You’ll have to go through me first.”

Her tone was serious, dark, and she wasn’t about to take it back.

If she was a guardian, then she was going down protecting her brothers.

His blades came down for her throat, and she steeled herself.

She wasn’t going to hide from the blood this time…

“NO!”

There was a blur, and crimson eyes widened when she saw Splinter blocking the blow.

“S-Sensei…”

“You destroyed my family once before. I will not allow you to do it again!”

“No man, or FREAK, can defeat me!”

“That remains to be seen!”

Artemis backed up as they fought, Leo standing up to guide her onto the top of the wall with the others.

Once at a safe height, she saw her hands shaking.

Trying to breathe deeply and calm down, she closed her eyes.

Someone put their hand on hers, and the shaking stopped at the warmth.

Looking up at the blue-banded turtle, she sighed.

“I can’t stop shaking…”

“It’s okay to be scared.”

Nodding slightly, she looked back at the fight, unconsciously entwining their fingers.

The water tower was swaying, its supports weakened.

“This is for my Master Yoshi!”

Splinter kicked the last support down, and got out of the way as it crashed down on the Shredder.

Water went flying, and she watched it flow over the edges.

It seemed rather obvious that the Shredder was dead.

It was either that or he wasn’t human…

The family looked down, and Artemis felt tired.

More tired than she’d ever been in her life.

And that’s saying something, considering her illness of Mikey’s gory movies.

“Master Splinter…”

“You okay?”

“…Come. We have avenged my Master Yoshi. Let us go home.”

Splinter turned to walk away, and Artemis nodded, Mitsukai licking her tentatively.

“I’m all over that!”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll tell you what…Home never sounded so good…”

The jade-skinned turtle nodded, smiling a bit.

‘Now I can sleep easier…’

Her heart fluttered, and her brow furrowed a bit.

‘Maybe not…’