Sequel: Angel's Child ›
Golden Angel
Chapter 60
“I need a break…”
“Being the Avatar sure is no walk in the park, either…”
“I don’t think I can move…”
“Stop talkin’…My ‘ead ‘urts…”
They were all in the room they shared, lying on their beds and trying not to move.
Artemis had suggested some intensive team training, which involved sparring, katas, and free-for-alls.
No actual elements were involved, but the movements and tactics were enough to cause bruises and sap them of their energy.
Don had wanted to explain something going on, astronomy or some such thing, but not even Mizu could get herself up to listen…
The lair shook, and Mitsukai roared as Artemis managed to get to her feet and out the door.
“GUYS!”
Skidding as the ground shook again, she grabbed a column, closing her eyes.
“Are you all okay?”
“Peachy…”
“No need to have an attitude…”
“Maybe there’s something on the news about this…” Leo mused, turning on the many screens.
Apparently, something WAS on the news about the earthquakes…
“It doesn’t make any sense…Something else must be at work here…”
“I TOLD you we should have listened to the guy carrying the ‘End is Near’ sign!”
The other girls came out to see what was wrong just as the power went out…
A flame lit the space, and everyone saw Kasai’s wide eyes as she looked around worriedly.
“Wh-What happened?”
Another glow appeared from Don’s lab, and the purple-banded turtle found his once-drained crystals when he went to investigate.
“Didn’t you say it was burnt out?” Mizu questioned.
“It ain’t anymore…”
The Waterbender glared a bit at the Earthbender as Artemis poked the crystal.
“It looks supercharged-.”
She flinched back, the power sparking over her skin like electricity.
“How?”
“I don’t know…it might have something to do with the alignment…”
Eating sounds made everyone turn, and Artemis quirked an eye-ridge at her youngest brother, hands on her hips.
“What? It’s Pluto. Who cares about Pluto?”
“OR it might have something to do with the Crystal Moon in the underground city.”
Another earthquake…
“I ain’t goin’ down there…”
“I’m with her!”
“No crazy adventures for ME today, thanks…”
“I-I think I’ll stay here with them…”
“We’d better check it out, anyway. You guys better not go topside.”
“Alright, I won’t.” Chi answered.
The boys headed for the Tunneler, and the girls went back to the couch as Master Splinter came out of his room.
“Should I wonder where my sons are going?”
“Do you want to worry, sensei?”
“…That is a good point…I shall be meditating if you need me.”
“Thank you, sensei.”
Once he was gone, Artemis leaned back on the couch and turned on the TV.
Chi smirked, propping up her feet.
“Ya know what? I say we go topside.”
“I thought you just said we wouldn’t…” Kasai noted.
“I said I wouldn’t…I said nothin’ ‘bout US goin’…”
“…Nice loophole…”
“But I’m sure that they had a good reason for wanting us to stay here.” Mizu retorted, glaring at the Earthbender.
“I ain’t gonna be a goody two-shoes.”
“I am NOT a goody two-shoes!”
“Prove it!”
The Waterbender glared, standing.
“I will!”
Artemis shared a glance with Kasai, sighing…
“This won’t be fun…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It’s called 'earin’. Ya should try it sometime.”
“I do, but YOU don’t listen!”
“I listen plenty, ya little jerk!”
“Shorty!”
“Weaklin’!”
“Asshole!”
“Jackass!”
Artemis sighed, looking up at the parting gray storm clouds.
Those two had been going at it for a good half hour…
JEEZE…
Kasai was dozing against the standing turtle’s leg, trying to filter the moonlight from her vision.
As the gold-banded turtle prepared to break the two benders apart before they got physical, she sensed something…
It was like something was ghosting just out of clarity, dancing around her like a beam of darkness as it tried to dampen her senses…
“Guys-.”
“Don’t start wit’ me, girl!”
“I already did!”
“GUYS-.”
“Ya don’t wan’ me ta go o’er there!”
“And you don’t want to come over HERE!”
“GUYS-!”
“Oh no ya didn’t!”
“I just did!”
“GUYS!!!”
“WHAT!?!” They both demanded.
A shadow, graceful as a black cat…
“MOVE!!!!”
With anger no longer clouding her ‘sight’, Chi spotted the figure…
A spiked column shot up, and the shadow jumped away before a whip of water caught them around the ankle.
“Who are you?” Artemis demanded, Kasai hidden behind her.
“I am Kuroneko.”
Stepping out of the shadows revealed long black hair tipped gold, and sharp black eyes.
“It seems the mouse is smarter than I’m used to…None of you fell for the mousetrap.”
“You’d have to get me up pretty early to get me with that one!”
A rope flew for the crimson-eyed turtle, but a blade of water cut it in half.
“How the foolish mouse let the trap snap shut…”
“What’s that supposed to-?”
The dead-looking rope jumped up, wrapping around her arms and legs, causing the she-turtle to fall on her shell.
“ARTIE!”
“ARTEMIS!”
Mizu raised her hands, about to free her ‘sister’, when Kuroneko appeared behind her…
“I don’t think so…”
She struck the Waterbender’s arms, and the latter skidded back.
She tried to bring water up to her palms, but it only trembled.
“Wha-?!”
“I have cut off the flow of chi to your arms. How are you going to fight without your bending?”
Her feet were caught by earth, and the woman turned cold eyes to the blind Earthbender.
“Pick on someone yer own size.”
“Who here is, little one?”
A spike touched Kuroneko’s chin.
“Don’t push me, lady…”
Kasai ran to Artemis’s aid, and pulled on the ropes.
It wrapped around her hands and wrists, and the Firebender pulled back in a panic, fire on her skin…
Breaking free, she fell back on her behind as Chi fought the now-freed Kuroneko.
Mizu grabbed a pipe, and threw it as hard as she could.
The woman caught hold of it, swinging it at Chi’s head.
The Earthbender ducked, and was startled by a kick to the stomach.
She flew back, hitting a wall and causing a crater as the woman stood straight.
She grabbed Artemis by the ropes around her ankles, and punched Kasai in the Solar Plexus when she tried to stop her.
Crying out, the Firebender fell back into Mizu, and the dazed trio could only watch in pain as Kuroneko knocked out the struggling gold-banded turtle, throwing the body over her shoulder.
“And my master thought this would be difficult…”
She smirked, turning towards the edge of the roof…
“Maybe he overestimated you all…”
She disappeared into the night, and Chi pulled herself free of concrete, shaking the debris off…
“…I blame ya…”
“Shut up, Chi…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“How could ya let that damn bitch get ya?!”
“Well SORRY!! It’s not like I WANTED Artemis to get kidnapped!!”
“Could ‘a fooled me!!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“WILL BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!?!?!”
Both stared, wide-eyed, at the normally timid Kasai…
“You two fighting won’t help anything!”
“But she-!” They both started.
“ENOUGH!”
Fire was on her breath, and it frightened the others into silence.
“I’ve never seen ANYONE fight this much! So you two are different, does that really matter? I thought we were family! Sisters! Do Don and Mikey fight this much?”
That seemed to hit a chord with both of them…
“Even if we’re different, don’t we still love each other? Don’t we still care for each other?”
“But…”
“We all have to work together to keep this world in balance. Water and earth have to move in harmony, just as air and fire and every other combination.”
Kasai sighed, that fire in her eyes beginning to dim slightly…
“Artemis doesn’t act like you two. She loves all of us exactly the same, treats us with the same respect and loyalty she gives to her own family. Can’t we follow her example just this once? She needs us…”
She locked eyes with them…
“For once, we can save HER…”
“…You’re right.”
“We shouldn’t be fightin’ each other. We should be beatin’ up Kuroneko!”
Kasai smiled, relieved that the tension was lifted.
“I’ve got a plan…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“OW…” Artemis groaned, opening her heavy lids.
She was chained by the wrists to two opposite walls and her ankles to the floor, and the heavy chains rattled as she tried to lift herself up from her knees.
“Ah, you’re awake…”
The gold-banded turtle glared at Kuroneko, clenching her fists.
“What the hell is this?”
“A…special…spell.”
“For what? Seeing into the future?”
Artemis smirked.
“Gonna see me kick your ass?”
“Fortunately, that’s not what it does…”
Kuroneko smirked, painting strange symbols on the ground around the she-turtle.
“In fact, this is much worse than you think…”
“I’m shaking in my shell…”
A black symbol was wetly written on the jade-skinned turtle’s forehead.
“You should be…”
The woman made a strange symbol with her hands, mumbling a chant.
The letters began to glow, burning red, and the one of her forehead seemed to be reaching into her…
“Wh-What are you…?” Artemis forced out, bucking and arching in pain.
“I’m sucking out your soul, little Avatar…Soon, you’ll be nothing more than an empty husk…”
Another arch, and the turtle let out a scream…
A gold/white smoke was escaping her mouth, though you could see her body struggle to keep it inside.
“It’s pointless to try and fight it…My master is looking forward to keeping your soul in a bottle…”
Another cry pierced the air, and her body convulsed before…
“Leave ‘er ALONE!”
The earth shattered, the symbols broke, and the spell shattered…
As the smoke reentered the turtle’s body, she fell forward, limp and exhausted, panting.
Kasai jumped at the woman, fire on her hands, as a tentacle of water flew through the air.
Kuroneko was hard-put as the two fought against her, and Chi snapped the thick chains holding the Avatar, catching the heavy body.
“Hey, Artie…Ya feelin’ a’right?”
“I’ve been better…”
Kuroneko jumped to a rafter overhead, and smirked down at them.
“You may have won this round, little Avatar, but you haven’t won the war. I will be back, for my master is relentless.”
She disappeared, and the four girls shared relieved looks.
“…Can we go home now?”
“Being the Avatar sure is no walk in the park, either…”
“I don’t think I can move…”
“Stop talkin’…My ‘ead ‘urts…”
They were all in the room they shared, lying on their beds and trying not to move.
Artemis had suggested some intensive team training, which involved sparring, katas, and free-for-alls.
No actual elements were involved, but the movements and tactics were enough to cause bruises and sap them of their energy.
Don had wanted to explain something going on, astronomy or some such thing, but not even Mizu could get herself up to listen…
The lair shook, and Mitsukai roared as Artemis managed to get to her feet and out the door.
“GUYS!”
Skidding as the ground shook again, she grabbed a column, closing her eyes.
“Are you all okay?”
“Peachy…”
“No need to have an attitude…”
“Maybe there’s something on the news about this…” Leo mused, turning on the many screens.
Apparently, something WAS on the news about the earthquakes…
“It doesn’t make any sense…Something else must be at work here…”
“I TOLD you we should have listened to the guy carrying the ‘End is Near’ sign!”
The other girls came out to see what was wrong just as the power went out…
A flame lit the space, and everyone saw Kasai’s wide eyes as she looked around worriedly.
“Wh-What happened?”
Another glow appeared from Don’s lab, and the purple-banded turtle found his once-drained crystals when he went to investigate.
“Didn’t you say it was burnt out?” Mizu questioned.
“It ain’t anymore…”
The Waterbender glared a bit at the Earthbender as Artemis poked the crystal.
“It looks supercharged-.”
She flinched back, the power sparking over her skin like electricity.
“How?”
“I don’t know…it might have something to do with the alignment…”
Eating sounds made everyone turn, and Artemis quirked an eye-ridge at her youngest brother, hands on her hips.
“What? It’s Pluto. Who cares about Pluto?”
“OR it might have something to do with the Crystal Moon in the underground city.”
Another earthquake…
“I ain’t goin’ down there…”
“I’m with her!”
“No crazy adventures for ME today, thanks…”
“I-I think I’ll stay here with them…”
“We’d better check it out, anyway. You guys better not go topside.”
“Alright, I won’t.” Chi answered.
The boys headed for the Tunneler, and the girls went back to the couch as Master Splinter came out of his room.
“Should I wonder where my sons are going?”
“Do you want to worry, sensei?”
“…That is a good point…I shall be meditating if you need me.”
“Thank you, sensei.”
Once he was gone, Artemis leaned back on the couch and turned on the TV.
Chi smirked, propping up her feet.
“Ya know what? I say we go topside.”
“I thought you just said we wouldn’t…” Kasai noted.
“I said I wouldn’t…I said nothin’ ‘bout US goin’…”
“…Nice loophole…”
“But I’m sure that they had a good reason for wanting us to stay here.” Mizu retorted, glaring at the Earthbender.
“I ain’t gonna be a goody two-shoes.”
“I am NOT a goody two-shoes!”
“Prove it!”
The Waterbender glared, standing.
“I will!”
Artemis shared a glance with Kasai, sighing…
“This won’t be fun…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It’s called 'earin’. Ya should try it sometime.”
“I do, but YOU don’t listen!”
“I listen plenty, ya little jerk!”
“Shorty!”
“Weaklin’!”
“Asshole!”
“Jackass!”
Artemis sighed, looking up at the parting gray storm clouds.
Those two had been going at it for a good half hour…
JEEZE…
Kasai was dozing against the standing turtle’s leg, trying to filter the moonlight from her vision.
As the gold-banded turtle prepared to break the two benders apart before they got physical, she sensed something…
It was like something was ghosting just out of clarity, dancing around her like a beam of darkness as it tried to dampen her senses…
“Guys-.”
“Don’t start wit’ me, girl!”
“I already did!”
“GUYS-.”
“Ya don’t wan’ me ta go o’er there!”
“And you don’t want to come over HERE!”
“GUYS-!”
“Oh no ya didn’t!”
“I just did!”
“GUYS!!!”
“WHAT!?!” They both demanded.
A shadow, graceful as a black cat…
“MOVE!!!!”
With anger no longer clouding her ‘sight’, Chi spotted the figure…
A spiked column shot up, and the shadow jumped away before a whip of water caught them around the ankle.
“Who are you?” Artemis demanded, Kasai hidden behind her.
“I am Kuroneko.”
Stepping out of the shadows revealed long black hair tipped gold, and sharp black eyes.
“It seems the mouse is smarter than I’m used to…None of you fell for the mousetrap.”
“You’d have to get me up pretty early to get me with that one!”
A rope flew for the crimson-eyed turtle, but a blade of water cut it in half.
“How the foolish mouse let the trap snap shut…”
“What’s that supposed to-?”
The dead-looking rope jumped up, wrapping around her arms and legs, causing the she-turtle to fall on her shell.
“ARTIE!”
“ARTEMIS!”
Mizu raised her hands, about to free her ‘sister’, when Kuroneko appeared behind her…
“I don’t think so…”
She struck the Waterbender’s arms, and the latter skidded back.
She tried to bring water up to her palms, but it only trembled.
“Wha-?!”
“I have cut off the flow of chi to your arms. How are you going to fight without your bending?”
Her feet were caught by earth, and the woman turned cold eyes to the blind Earthbender.
“Pick on someone yer own size.”
“Who here is, little one?”
A spike touched Kuroneko’s chin.
“Don’t push me, lady…”
Kasai ran to Artemis’s aid, and pulled on the ropes.
It wrapped around her hands and wrists, and the Firebender pulled back in a panic, fire on her skin…
Breaking free, she fell back on her behind as Chi fought the now-freed Kuroneko.
Mizu grabbed a pipe, and threw it as hard as she could.
The woman caught hold of it, swinging it at Chi’s head.
The Earthbender ducked, and was startled by a kick to the stomach.
She flew back, hitting a wall and causing a crater as the woman stood straight.
She grabbed Artemis by the ropes around her ankles, and punched Kasai in the Solar Plexus when she tried to stop her.
Crying out, the Firebender fell back into Mizu, and the dazed trio could only watch in pain as Kuroneko knocked out the struggling gold-banded turtle, throwing the body over her shoulder.
“And my master thought this would be difficult…”
She smirked, turning towards the edge of the roof…
“Maybe he overestimated you all…”
She disappeared into the night, and Chi pulled herself free of concrete, shaking the debris off…
“…I blame ya…”
“Shut up, Chi…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“How could ya let that damn bitch get ya?!”
“Well SORRY!! It’s not like I WANTED Artemis to get kidnapped!!”
“Could ‘a fooled me!!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“WILL BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!?!?!”
Both stared, wide-eyed, at the normally timid Kasai…
“You two fighting won’t help anything!”
“But she-!” They both started.
“ENOUGH!”
Fire was on her breath, and it frightened the others into silence.
“I’ve never seen ANYONE fight this much! So you two are different, does that really matter? I thought we were family! Sisters! Do Don and Mikey fight this much?”
That seemed to hit a chord with both of them…
“Even if we’re different, don’t we still love each other? Don’t we still care for each other?”
“But…”
“We all have to work together to keep this world in balance. Water and earth have to move in harmony, just as air and fire and every other combination.”
Kasai sighed, that fire in her eyes beginning to dim slightly…
“Artemis doesn’t act like you two. She loves all of us exactly the same, treats us with the same respect and loyalty she gives to her own family. Can’t we follow her example just this once? She needs us…”
She locked eyes with them…
“For once, we can save HER…”
“…You’re right.”
“We shouldn’t be fightin’ each other. We should be beatin’ up Kuroneko!”
Kasai smiled, relieved that the tension was lifted.
“I’ve got a plan…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“OW…” Artemis groaned, opening her heavy lids.
She was chained by the wrists to two opposite walls and her ankles to the floor, and the heavy chains rattled as she tried to lift herself up from her knees.
“Ah, you’re awake…”
The gold-banded turtle glared at Kuroneko, clenching her fists.
“What the hell is this?”
“A…special…spell.”
“For what? Seeing into the future?”
Artemis smirked.
“Gonna see me kick your ass?”
“Fortunately, that’s not what it does…”
Kuroneko smirked, painting strange symbols on the ground around the she-turtle.
“In fact, this is much worse than you think…”
“I’m shaking in my shell…”
A black symbol was wetly written on the jade-skinned turtle’s forehead.
“You should be…”
The woman made a strange symbol with her hands, mumbling a chant.
The letters began to glow, burning red, and the one of her forehead seemed to be reaching into her…
“Wh-What are you…?” Artemis forced out, bucking and arching in pain.
“I’m sucking out your soul, little Avatar…Soon, you’ll be nothing more than an empty husk…”
Another arch, and the turtle let out a scream…
A gold/white smoke was escaping her mouth, though you could see her body struggle to keep it inside.
“It’s pointless to try and fight it…My master is looking forward to keeping your soul in a bottle…”
Another cry pierced the air, and her body convulsed before…
“Leave ‘er ALONE!”
The earth shattered, the symbols broke, and the spell shattered…
As the smoke reentered the turtle’s body, she fell forward, limp and exhausted, panting.
Kasai jumped at the woman, fire on her hands, as a tentacle of water flew through the air.
Kuroneko was hard-put as the two fought against her, and Chi snapped the thick chains holding the Avatar, catching the heavy body.
“Hey, Artie…Ya feelin’ a’right?”
“I’ve been better…”
Kuroneko jumped to a rafter overhead, and smirked down at them.
“You may have won this round, little Avatar, but you haven’t won the war. I will be back, for my master is relentless.”
She disappeared, and the four girls shared relieved looks.
“…Can we go home now?”