Golden Angel

“Drop your weapons.”

None of them seemed ready to give up just yet, minds racing to think of some way to help her…

“I said DROP YOUR WEAPONS.”

The blade drew closer to Artemis’s throat, and she flinched.

Weapons clanged to the ground except for red-hilted sai, and the gold-banded turtle ground her teeth.

“Guys, don’t-!”

The tanto threatened to break skin, and Raph growled.

“Uh, Raph? Didn’t you hear the nice lady with the knife?”

Growling deep in her chest at her helpless position, she locked eyes with her hot-headed brother.

“I can’t make you drop your sai, and I probably can’t stop you from hating me, but I just hope whatever you’re thinking of is what you want…”

He seemed to think for a moment, and Leo seemed to fidget in the unsure silence.

When the sai hit the ground, everyone relaxed.

“Good. Perhaps now we can talk.”

“OH, you wanted to TALK. I kinda got the idea you wanted to kick our shells.” Don replied.

“If I had wanted to destroy you, you would not be alive to talk.”

“Well, considering how MUCH I want to talk about with you…” Artemis growled lowly.

“It’s kind of hard to breathe with your blade at my throat…”

Karai backed up, sheathing the blade, and the jade-skinned turtle back-flipped onto her feet.

“Artie…”

Mikey slid into his customary spot behind her shell, and Mizu checked her for injuries when Raph suddenly grabbed his sai and jumped for the older kunoichi.

“RAPH!”

Leo’s katana blocked the assault, and the two strained against each other.

“Raph, NO! She spared Artemis’s life! We need to honor that!”

“HONOR?”

The red-banded turtle broke the lock, backing up.

“Bro, ya are REALLY getting’ under my shell!”

The gold-banded turtle got between them, to make sure there would be no further conflict…

At least physically…

“Come on, Raph. Let’s hear what the pretty ninja lady has ta say.”

Artemis and Mizu both gave Casey a slightly irritated look.

“And what are we? Chopped liver?!”

Mikey grinned.

“PRETTY chopped liver…”

SMACK!!!

“NO ONE ASKED YOU!!!” Both girls shouted.

“OW!!! …And this is what I get for trying to be nice…”

“Don’t make me hit you again…”

“As I told you, my name is Karai, and I command the Foot clan in Japan.”

The kunoichi held up a chain and pendant, gold, that held a red Foot symbol.

“I am here to restore order to the New York faction of the Foot. When you turtles destroyed the Shredder, you threw the city into chaos. We in Japan had hoped the parties would destroy each other, like a snake which consumes itself…Leaving the city once again under the Foot’s control. But we did not expect the city to be consumed in the process.”

Artemis couldn’t help a glare and some unhappy grumbles as she crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.

“If the Foot is to regain control of its New York operations, I will need your help.”

“We done talkin’ yet? Is it time ta fight?”

“You are impudent! If you were my retainer, I would have you beaten!”

“HEY!” The crimson-eyed turtle snarled, fists clenched.

“Don’t threaten my brother!”

Mizu backed up at the hostility in the turtle’s voice.

‘Why is she so mad? It usually takes so much more…’

“Artemis…” Leo said in a soothing tone, taking hold of her wrist.

After a moment, the gold-banded turtle snorted, looking away as if uninterested.

“Lady, even if we WANTED to, I don’t think we can help you.” Don answered.

“This war is out of control. We’re kind of in over our heads as it is.”

“Yes, I know. But I have a plan to stop this war.”

“OH, and what a great plan I’m sure it will be…” Artemis muttered.

Mizu sighed, putting a hand to her head as the Sky Bison, restrained by ropes, pulled herself free and seemed to roar.

“I say we hear her out…”

“Then why do you need us?” Leo asked.

“All plans must have their…contingencies…Make your decision.”

The group huddled, Mitsukai settling between them and the Foot with a determined look.

“Well…what do you think, guys?”

“I think she can swim ‘er butt back ta Japan.”

“I think she’s perfect. Looks, brains…An’ she’s a ninja.”

Casey was startled when Artemis grabbed him by his shirt, a fire in her eyes.

“Excuse me? What are you suggesting? That she’s better than me?”

“…No?”

Mizu slowly unclenched her ‘sisters’ fingers from the cloth.

“Calm down, Artie…He didn’t mean anything by it…You know how Casey SAYS THINGS WITHOUT THINKING…”

The vigilante smiled sheepishly as he backed up, and Mizu sighed in relief.

“There seems to be one thing missing from this equation…” Don muttered, still thinking over their situation.

He turned back to face the Foot ninja as Mitsukai seemed to yawn.

“Excuse me, but what’s in it for us?”

“Three things. One, you can save New York from being torn apart. Two, you can free your streets of the Purple Dragon and the mob. And three, the Foot and the Foot Elite are honor-bound to kill the one who have slain their master. They shall be relentless. They will destroy you, your master, and your comrades. But if you help us, there will be no revenge for the Shredder’s destruction.”

The group huddled again, like a football team before a game.

“This is the chance we’ve been looking for. We can set things right. It might be a deal with the devil, but at least it’s a devil we know.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better…” Artemis muttered.

“I say we play along for now.”

“The turtles team up with the Foot?” Don whispered.

“Doesn’t sound right, does it?” Mizu joked, smiling softly.

“I don’t know, Leo…” Mikey admitted.

“I’ve ‘ad enough! There’s no way I’m teamin’ up wit’ little Miss Foot!” Raph shouted.

“I have to agree…” Artemis grumpily admitted, crossing her arms.

“Listen to me. We know this thing is too big for us to fix-.”

“Listenin’ ta ya is what got us inta this mess in the first place!”

“We have to take this opportunity!”

“OH, is that the HONORABLE thin’ ta do?!”

“WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!?!”

Everyone, surprised, stared at Artemis as she tried to hold back a scream or tears.

“I hate all this fighting! Can’t we all get along for more than two minutes?”

Raph grumped, turning away.

“I’m outta ‘ere…”

“Raph-.”

“Don’t try, princess. Just…don’t.”

The jade-skinned turtle froze, and watched as her brother left them.

‘I shouldn’t have snapped…’

“Well?”

The gold-banded turtle almost growled at the sudden, unwanted presence.

“We accept your offer of alliance.”

“But NO funny stuff!” Mikey added, still behind his sister.

“We’ve never had much reason to trust the Foot before.”

“The Foot has never had to ask for aid before. Now let us begin. We haven’t much time.”

‘I bet we don’t…’

“Listen closely…”

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Watching from above as the scene unfolded, Mizu couldn’t help but fidget, leaning on Don’s arm.

‘What if this doesn’t work out?’

She knew what she had to do, but seeing the Purple Dragons, the Foot, and the Mob below her seemed to shake her confidence.

“Donnie? What if we can’t do it?”

He tried a reassuring smile, and put an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sure everything will work out fine. Besides, we have Artie as our ace in the hole.”

“…I’m just worried…”

“I know…”

He blushed as she leaned on him more.

“…Thanks, Donnie…”

Leo saw the tension in his love’s shoulders, her tight grip on the support beam…

“Love, it’ll be okay…”

“I know.” She replied curtly, sounding hurt.

“Love?”

“Not now.” She muttered as the fighting started.

“It’s not the right time…”

The Purple Dragons turned on the Mob and each other, and the Foot protected their ‘master’ in the crossfire.

Once all of them seemed down, it looked like Karai’s plan had worked, though Artemis still muttered ill-words under her breath at the kunoichi.

“Looks like the plan is going to work after all…”

Then the mob pulled a little trick out of their sleeves…

A small bomb, apparently made by Baxter Stockman, and it knocked Karai back, revealing her identity beneath the Shredder’s helmet.

All shell seemed to break loose…

The five initial fighters jumped down, weapon or water drawn as they plowed into the fight that now only consisted of Foot and Purple Dragons.

Artemis had to watch from above in the shadows, itching to join and kick some butt.

Mizu blasted Purple Dragons back easily, spinning around to make an ice shield, stopping a barrage of bullets.

Rockets were fired, shattering walls and ice, causing the Waterbender to draw back.

Before Casey was caught in a net and they were surrounded by enemies, the blue-eyed girl knew this wasn’t going well…

“Okay, we’re outnumbered and outgunned…What do we do now?” Mikey asked.

Hun leveled his rocket launcher, but the projectile was knocked off-course by a tornado.

The air dispersed to reveal Artemis, cocky little smile on her face.

“Forget about me, boys?”

“ARTIE! You are the TURTLE!”

A shuriken hit the machine in Hun’s hand, and it sparked before the giant threw it.

When it exploded, dust filled the air, and three Foot ninja were taken down.

Someone walked out of the ‘smokescreen’, sai drawn…

“Hey, guys. Miss me?”

“Great timing, tough guy.”

The Foot Elite attacked, and a whip of water flew out to keep them back, a look of concentration on Mizu’s face.

“I thought you were sitting this one out.” Leo stated as they ran back into the fight.

“Well, I calmed down, thought ‘bout it, an’ realized…I was bein’ an idiot.”

“You did that all by yourself?” Mikey asked.

“If only you could…”

“ARTIE…”

“Well…I kinda had a little help…”

Splinter jumped from the dissipating smoke in a kick, knocking down two Elite.

“My children! I was worried we would be too late!”

“Nope! Right on time, in fact!”

There was only one Elite left now, and Mizu pushed him against a column with a blast of water, freezing it fast against its new anchor.

Karai marched up to the fallen ninja, and Artemis couldn’t help a glare.

“Do you not know this seal?”

“Yes…It is the Shredder’s seal…The seal of the Foot…”

“Then you are honor-bound to obey me, as I represent the Shredder!”

“We will not!”

Karai raised her katana, and the crimson-eyed turtle thought she was going to kill the Elite.

Instead, she only cut the strange hat in half upon his head, surprising the others.

Suddenly, Hun lifted a steel beam and smacked Karai away with it like a batter hitting a home run.

Artemis caught it as it swung at her, crushing it under her palm as her eye twitched.

“Wrong move…”

Ripping it from his grip, she smacked him over the head with it, and he fell through a hole in the wall, landing on a police car.

“And it’s OUTTA here!”

“Swear loyalty to me! SWEAR IT!” Karai demanded of the Foot Elite.

“I…I swear, Mistress…”

The Foot kneeled, and Artemis dropped the steel beam in order to relax her muscles.

“Thank you. I am…in your debt.” Karai stated, bowing slightly to the blue-banded turtle.

A fire started in the crimson-eyed turtle’s heart, but she bit it back.

“I shall keep my promise. The vendetta is lifted. The Foot will not take revenge for the slaying of their master.”

“You are honorable, Karai. I know you will keep your word.”

“You all stood with me to the last…All of you have great strength and courage. I hope in the future, when our paths cross, we will not be enemies.”

Suspecting something cryptic in those last words, the jade-skinned turtle narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Oh, really?”

“Only fate can tell.”

“Regrettably, fate is not the only master we must serve…”

The three Japanese Foot ninja left, and Mizu sighed, feeling a bit tired as she leaned on Don.

“Master Splinter, I’m sorry. I just had to do something and I-.”

“It is alright, my son. Sometimes, you must follow your heart, even if others tell you not to.”

“Thank you, master…”

The black-haired girl saw the strange sadness, the strange angry fire, in Artemis’s eyes.

‘…She’s jealous…Because Leo’s cutting her off and starting to open up to someone else…Does he even realize?’