Sequel: Angel's Child ›
Golden Angel
Chapter 31
THWACK!!!
“OW!!! Okay, WHO THREW THAT!?!”
Crimson eyes narrowed as Mikey and Raph hid from her sight, and Leo smiled sheepishly.
“…If no one tells me, I’m just going to have to get all of you…”
Mikey’s eyes widened.
“No! NOT THAT!”
“TICKLE FIGHT!”
Tackling all three in her pounce, they all laughed in their ‘tickle pile’.
Mizu and Mitsukai watched the whole thing with amusement, the Waterbender laughing with amusement as well.
The Waterbender looked around, noticing Don wasn’t involved in the play, and stood up.
Walking over to his lab, she peaked in curiously.
“Donnie?”
He seemed a bit startled, and she smiled a bit before the Frisbee flew over her head and knocked over a stack of papers.
“IT WASN’T ME!!!”
SMACK!!!
“OW!!! ARTIE…”
“It WAS you, shell-for-brains!!!”
“Can’t you guys leave me alone?! I’m sick of all these interruptions!! I can’t work like this!!”
Throwing the Frisbee back, Artemis side-stepped it…
To her joy, it smacked Mikey right in the forehead…
“Are you okay?” Mizu asked worriedly, stepping forward.
“Yeah, you seem stressed, bro. You’ve been staying up too late.”
“I’m trying to find a cure for our friends…trapped in the underground city…”
“THAT creepy place?” Mikey asked.
“I’m glad I’VE never went…”
“Lucky…”
SMACK!!!
“OW!!! ARTIE…”
“We made a promise to them to find a cure. And I know the cure has something to do with these crystals…I just don’t know what.”
Mizu seemed to have a thoughtful look, and stepped forward.
“Can I try something?”
Looking a bit curious now, Don nodded, handing the crystal over.
Water went over her palms as she held it, and the Waterbender closed her eyes as it glowed.
“…I think I get it…” She muttered.
Mitsukai rolled over like a cat asking to be petted, and Artemis started scratching the Sky Bison’s stomach.
“…I can help you.”
The Waterbender smiled, putting it down.
“There’s something in there that should help…Probably some kind of liquid…”
The other turtles managed to ‘escape’ as the two started exchanging theories on the crystals composition and how to activate its ‘healing’ properties.
Mizu wasn’t much of a science girl, but she was intelligent and fast enough to keep up rather well as Don ran tests.
It lasted quite a while, maybe a couple days, but she refused to go to sleep.
But when even the purple-banded turtle gave in to exhaustion, she couldn’t help but cuddle up next to him to rest herself.
She was awakened when he shook her shoulder, seeming to have figured it out.
Following him as he woke the others, she rubbed at her eyes tiredly.
Everyone else was just as tired as Mizu, but Artemis seemed cranky.
Mitsukai was still yawning loud enough to rattle bricks, and she stretched like a cat or dog waking up from a pleasing nap.
“This better be good, Donnie…A turtle needs his beauty sleep, you know…”
“No amount of beauty sleep is gonna help you, Mikey…”
“HEY…”
“I’ve been doing some testing, and the crystals react to sound.”
Don turned on a special machine.
“High-frequency disruption to be precise. That will cause the crystals to break down into their purest, simplest form. They liquefy.”
Mizu felt more awake, and held her hand out over the strange liquid.
It moved with her palm and fingers, reaching up like little limbs, and she smiled a bit.
“Like water…”
“And in this liquid form, we can administer a dose of it like a serum. A cure.”
He poured the liquid crystal into a tube.
“Our friends will be able to leave the underground city forever!”
“Don…I gotta say…”
“Way ta go, Egghead.”
“I’m not so sure I deserve the credit…I kinda got the idea…in a dream…”
“Dreams are the window to yourself and to others. Visions are dreams, and they tell the future in some cryptic fashion.”
Mizu smiled.
“I had the same thing before I met all of you.”
“…They don’t sound so crazy anymore…” Artemis muttered, yawning sleepily as she leaned on a more-alert Leo.
“We need to get down there.”
Don and Leo looked at the girls, both of whom seemed dead on their feet now.
“…Maybe you guys should sit this one out…” Leo stated warily.
“I can…do it…”
Artemis yawned, taking a step forward.
She almost fell over, but Leo caught her…
“…Maybe not…”
Holding her close to his plastron, she yawned again and fell asleep.
Mizu was still rubbing her eyes, trying to keep awake.
“I think I can make it…”
Stretching her arms over her head, there was a pop, and a content smile spread over her face.
“I’m good…”
That’s when she fell over asleep…
Don caught her, luckily, and the two turtles shared a slightly exasperated look.
“Didn’t take any sleeping breaks?”
“Exactly. Didn’t go to sleep?”
“Exactly.”
With sighs, the two turtles put the two girls to bed before heading off to the underground city…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artemis woke up feeling refreshed, and stretched her arms above her head.
Looking around at her ceiling, she spotted Mizu in her hammock bed, looking peaceful.
“Mizu?”
“Yeah?”
“Sleep well?”
“Yeah…They left without us, didn’t they?”
“YEP…”
Both sat up, feeling a bit down that they’d been left behind.
Mitsukai roared dully, and they came out to see she was grinding her horns on the bricks.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
Another roar, and the Sky Bison tapped on the elevator door.
“Oh, alright…One little flight shouldn’t hurt…”
Mizu went along topside, and they were soon flying through the air above.
It was a cool evening, starless thanks to the city fumes, and Mitsukai seemed to be enjoying herself now.
“Have you ever felt…lonely?”
Artemis turned to give her friend a slightly-confused look, but still answered.
“Only sometimes…Like when they leave me behind…”
“…Oh…”
Noting the sad, distant look, the gold-banded turtle turned to face her.
“Mizu…I’ve never asked you before, but…what about your family? Don’t they miss you?”
The Waterbender seemed to tense, lowering her eyes.
“I…don’t know…”
“Why not?” Artemis asked worriedly.
“…I haven’t seen them since I was little…”
Making sure the Sky Bison’s course was true, the turtle climbed up onto her broad back.
“Why?”
“…Someone took me away when they found out I was a Waterbender…To train me…They said I can’t see my family again until you mastered water…”
“I’m so sorry…If I had known…”
“I know…”
Mizu gave a watery smile.
“It’s just…Family is important to a Waterbender…it hurts to be away from them…”
“It hurts everyone a little…”
“That’s how I know you have some water in you…staying with all of you…it reminds me of my family…I wish I was a part of it…”
“But you are!” Artemis insisted, grabbing the girl’s shoulder.
“Really?”
The crimson-eyed turtle smiled reassuringly.
“Of course. Once you’re with us, you’re stuck for life.”
“…Thanks…”
The blue-eyed girl hugged her.
“No prob…”
Mitsukai landed on a rooftop, stretching her six stout legs and broad tail.
“You know…”
Artemis smiled.
“I’ve always wanted a sister…”
“Me, too…”
Mizu smiled in return.
“Sisters?”
The gold-banded turtle shook the black-haired girl’s hand.
“Sisters.”
The Sky Bison raised her head to the sky, ears perking.
Taking that as a sign that something might be coming, Artemis slid down to grab the reins and led Mitsukai back into the sky.
The sun was starting to rise, and the crimson-eyed turtle berated herself for having been out longer than she thought.
Mizu was feeling a bit tired again, but watched as the sun started to rise.
They were near the warehouse by now, anyway, so she had no fears of being spotted.
“Artemis…”
“Yeah?”
“What was it like when you…confessed?”
“…We’d been ambushed by the Shredder…Leo and me were knocked out, and we went up to Casey’s grandma’s place to heal…When he woke up…I was so happy…”
A sad, distant smile came over the turtle’s face.
“But he was still hurt…Closing himself off…It hurt…I think it hurt both of us…I went to see how he was doing…”
Mizu sat back, listening as the turtle tried to explain one of most intimate, personal, and important moment in her life.
“I’d been under so much stress…I just couldn’t hold in my feelings anymore…It kind of came out…I was scared, and I almost ran…But, he didn’t let me…I’m kind of glad he didn’t…”
The crimson-eyed ninja smiled back at her new ‘sister’.
“That was also our first kiss…”
“That’s really sweet…”
Mizu smiled back as the Sky Bison landed.
The two jumped off, leading the large creature into the warehouse, and Mizu leaned on the soft fur as her body threatened to fall into slumber again.
‘I hope Donnie’s okay…’
“OW!!! Okay, WHO THREW THAT!?!”
Crimson eyes narrowed as Mikey and Raph hid from her sight, and Leo smiled sheepishly.
“…If no one tells me, I’m just going to have to get all of you…”
Mikey’s eyes widened.
“No! NOT THAT!”
“TICKLE FIGHT!”
Tackling all three in her pounce, they all laughed in their ‘tickle pile’.
Mizu and Mitsukai watched the whole thing with amusement, the Waterbender laughing with amusement as well.
The Waterbender looked around, noticing Don wasn’t involved in the play, and stood up.
Walking over to his lab, she peaked in curiously.
“Donnie?”
He seemed a bit startled, and she smiled a bit before the Frisbee flew over her head and knocked over a stack of papers.
“IT WASN’T ME!!!”
SMACK!!!
“OW!!! ARTIE…”
“It WAS you, shell-for-brains!!!”
“Can’t you guys leave me alone?! I’m sick of all these interruptions!! I can’t work like this!!”
Throwing the Frisbee back, Artemis side-stepped it…
To her joy, it smacked Mikey right in the forehead…
“Are you okay?” Mizu asked worriedly, stepping forward.
“Yeah, you seem stressed, bro. You’ve been staying up too late.”
“I’m trying to find a cure for our friends…trapped in the underground city…”
“THAT creepy place?” Mikey asked.
“I’m glad I’VE never went…”
“Lucky…”
SMACK!!!
“OW!!! ARTIE…”
“We made a promise to them to find a cure. And I know the cure has something to do with these crystals…I just don’t know what.”
Mizu seemed to have a thoughtful look, and stepped forward.
“Can I try something?”
Looking a bit curious now, Don nodded, handing the crystal over.
Water went over her palms as she held it, and the Waterbender closed her eyes as it glowed.
“…I think I get it…” She muttered.
Mitsukai rolled over like a cat asking to be petted, and Artemis started scratching the Sky Bison’s stomach.
“…I can help you.”
The Waterbender smiled, putting it down.
“There’s something in there that should help…Probably some kind of liquid…”
The other turtles managed to ‘escape’ as the two started exchanging theories on the crystals composition and how to activate its ‘healing’ properties.
Mizu wasn’t much of a science girl, but she was intelligent and fast enough to keep up rather well as Don ran tests.
It lasted quite a while, maybe a couple days, but she refused to go to sleep.
But when even the purple-banded turtle gave in to exhaustion, she couldn’t help but cuddle up next to him to rest herself.
She was awakened when he shook her shoulder, seeming to have figured it out.
Following him as he woke the others, she rubbed at her eyes tiredly.
Everyone else was just as tired as Mizu, but Artemis seemed cranky.
Mitsukai was still yawning loud enough to rattle bricks, and she stretched like a cat or dog waking up from a pleasing nap.
“This better be good, Donnie…A turtle needs his beauty sleep, you know…”
“No amount of beauty sleep is gonna help you, Mikey…”
“HEY…”
“I’ve been doing some testing, and the crystals react to sound.”
Don turned on a special machine.
“High-frequency disruption to be precise. That will cause the crystals to break down into their purest, simplest form. They liquefy.”
Mizu felt more awake, and held her hand out over the strange liquid.
It moved with her palm and fingers, reaching up like little limbs, and she smiled a bit.
“Like water…”
“And in this liquid form, we can administer a dose of it like a serum. A cure.”
He poured the liquid crystal into a tube.
“Our friends will be able to leave the underground city forever!”
“Don…I gotta say…”
“Way ta go, Egghead.”
“I’m not so sure I deserve the credit…I kinda got the idea…in a dream…”
“Dreams are the window to yourself and to others. Visions are dreams, and they tell the future in some cryptic fashion.”
Mizu smiled.
“I had the same thing before I met all of you.”
“…They don’t sound so crazy anymore…” Artemis muttered, yawning sleepily as she leaned on a more-alert Leo.
“We need to get down there.”
Don and Leo looked at the girls, both of whom seemed dead on their feet now.
“…Maybe you guys should sit this one out…” Leo stated warily.
“I can…do it…”
Artemis yawned, taking a step forward.
She almost fell over, but Leo caught her…
“…Maybe not…”
Holding her close to his plastron, she yawned again and fell asleep.
Mizu was still rubbing her eyes, trying to keep awake.
“I think I can make it…”
Stretching her arms over her head, there was a pop, and a content smile spread over her face.
“I’m good…”
That’s when she fell over asleep…
Don caught her, luckily, and the two turtles shared a slightly exasperated look.
“Didn’t take any sleeping breaks?”
“Exactly. Didn’t go to sleep?”
“Exactly.”
With sighs, the two turtles put the two girls to bed before heading off to the underground city…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artemis woke up feeling refreshed, and stretched her arms above her head.
Looking around at her ceiling, she spotted Mizu in her hammock bed, looking peaceful.
“Mizu?”
“Yeah?”
“Sleep well?”
“Yeah…They left without us, didn’t they?”
“YEP…”
Both sat up, feeling a bit down that they’d been left behind.
Mitsukai roared dully, and they came out to see she was grinding her horns on the bricks.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
Another roar, and the Sky Bison tapped on the elevator door.
“Oh, alright…One little flight shouldn’t hurt…”
Mizu went along topside, and they were soon flying through the air above.
It was a cool evening, starless thanks to the city fumes, and Mitsukai seemed to be enjoying herself now.
“Have you ever felt…lonely?”
Artemis turned to give her friend a slightly-confused look, but still answered.
“Only sometimes…Like when they leave me behind…”
“…Oh…”
Noting the sad, distant look, the gold-banded turtle turned to face her.
“Mizu…I’ve never asked you before, but…what about your family? Don’t they miss you?”
The Waterbender seemed to tense, lowering her eyes.
“I…don’t know…”
“Why not?” Artemis asked worriedly.
“…I haven’t seen them since I was little…”
Making sure the Sky Bison’s course was true, the turtle climbed up onto her broad back.
“Why?”
“…Someone took me away when they found out I was a Waterbender…To train me…They said I can’t see my family again until you mastered water…”
“I’m so sorry…If I had known…”
“I know…”
Mizu gave a watery smile.
“It’s just…Family is important to a Waterbender…it hurts to be away from them…”
“It hurts everyone a little…”
“That’s how I know you have some water in you…staying with all of you…it reminds me of my family…I wish I was a part of it…”
“But you are!” Artemis insisted, grabbing the girl’s shoulder.
“Really?”
The crimson-eyed turtle smiled reassuringly.
“Of course. Once you’re with us, you’re stuck for life.”
“…Thanks…”
The blue-eyed girl hugged her.
“No prob…”
Mitsukai landed on a rooftop, stretching her six stout legs and broad tail.
“You know…”
Artemis smiled.
“I’ve always wanted a sister…”
“Me, too…”
Mizu smiled in return.
“Sisters?”
The gold-banded turtle shook the black-haired girl’s hand.
“Sisters.”
The Sky Bison raised her head to the sky, ears perking.
Taking that as a sign that something might be coming, Artemis slid down to grab the reins and led Mitsukai back into the sky.
The sun was starting to rise, and the crimson-eyed turtle berated herself for having been out longer than she thought.
Mizu was feeling a bit tired again, but watched as the sun started to rise.
They were near the warehouse by now, anyway, so she had no fears of being spotted.
“Artemis…”
“Yeah?”
“What was it like when you…confessed?”
“…We’d been ambushed by the Shredder…Leo and me were knocked out, and we went up to Casey’s grandma’s place to heal…When he woke up…I was so happy…”
A sad, distant smile came over the turtle’s face.
“But he was still hurt…Closing himself off…It hurt…I think it hurt both of us…I went to see how he was doing…”
Mizu sat back, listening as the turtle tried to explain one of most intimate, personal, and important moment in her life.
“I’d been under so much stress…I just couldn’t hold in my feelings anymore…It kind of came out…I was scared, and I almost ran…But, he didn’t let me…I’m kind of glad he didn’t…”
The crimson-eyed ninja smiled back at her new ‘sister’.
“That was also our first kiss…”
“That’s really sweet…”
Mizu smiled back as the Sky Bison landed.
The two jumped off, leading the large creature into the warehouse, and Mizu leaned on the soft fur as her body threatened to fall into slumber again.
‘I hope Donnie’s okay…’