Golden Angel

Artemis learned something once she realized she and Leo were in heat…

The others weren’t far behind…

Raph came around to it first, and became aggressively protective of Kasai, especially when she was sparring.

Sometimes, when not blushing at the attention, she’d get a little ticked.

The Firebender was known to enjoy her art, and when it was interrupted, she would NOT be someone you’d want to play pranks on for a few days…

When Raph would see that, he’d be almost GENTLE, and she would calm down.

Don came after his older brothers, and became possessive as well.

He would glare at the boys when she went into the lake for some practice, keep her near him when he worked, and would find excuses to tag along on walks through the woods.

This inevitably led to a make-out session…

Chi was a bit more hard-pressed when Mikey came into it, too.

He clung to her like a leech, and refused to leave her be.

He actually handcuffed them together…

Then again, the Earthbender just Metalbended her way out, but that’s not the point!

The three girls, minus their also-in-heat she-turtle ‘leader’, were starting to feel smothered.

Even Artemis was starting to become moody and snappish, and she started purposely avoiding all her brothers for some peace.

They were sure Splinter knew what was going on, but he hadn’t intervened.

He probably COULDN’T, since this was a natural life process and couldn’t be stopped.

The elderly rat probably thought the teens could handle it on their own.

Artemis felt he was just a BIT off with that one…

She was starting to get SORE, damn it!

Finally, the girls stood up and decided some time apart would be good for everyone.

Leo was the first to argue, saying the girl’s were still too weak to fight, but Artemis shot back that she felt perfectly fine.

They’d all healed well since coming to the farmhouse, and Mizu’s wrist was healed fully.

Chi didn’t even have a cast anymore, and Kasai’s ribs had healed sufficiently for travel and mild fighting.

The argument turned to fighting, and their voices rose until April and Casey stepped in.

Once calming both sides, April suggested that being apart for one night wouldn’t hurt.

As long as both groups kept their Shell Cells close and their eyes open.

Reasoning away all the reasons for them to HAVE to go together, the two genders finally split off to pack.

Personally, Artemis was a bit relieved…

She needed a break…

A LONG break, but she’d make due…

Pulling a pack over her shell, she helped Chi choose clothes that vaguely matched before the four girls were ready.

They headed out with Splinter’s blessing, and headed off into the woods.

Whistling, Artemis called her Sky Bison, who gave the four a lift to a river too far off to walk.

They set up sleeping bags and a tent Mizu had brought along, before Artemis went out to find some food for Mitsukai.

The large creature ate quite a lot, and the gold-banded turtle hadn’t expected all of her dinner to be gone already…

The crimson-eyed turtle was picking some berries she knew the Sky Bison enjoyed, when she thought she heard something.

Perking, she looked around warily before deciding it was just the wind.

Besides, it was starting to get dark, and she needed to head back.

The fire was already started, and Mizu was roasting marshmallows as Chi rooted through her pack for the graham crackers and chocolate.

Kasai was watching the bright stars, curious as ever.

She always loved the stars, even though she enjoyed daytime the most.

Mitsukai gave a happy sound as she was given her food, and Artemis took a s’more as she settled.

“Anythin’ interestin’?”

“Nah…Just woods and trees…”

“That’s good for us.” Mizu noted.

“Even if anything DID come, I’m sure we could handle it.”

“Ain’t like we’re sissies that can’t throw a good punch…” Chi mumbled darkly.

“What is UP with them, anyway?” Kasai wondered.

The three girls looked at their unofficial leader, and Artemis sighed.

“See, there are…TIMES…in an animals life when it’s ready to…um…REPRODUCE…”

“…You guys are in your mating season?” Mizu questioned.

“Yeah…”

As this information filtered in, Kasai blushed so darkly Chi thought that the Firebender would faint.

“How long will this last?” Mizu wondered.

“…I don’t know…This is the first time it’s ever happened…”

Chi sighed, almost falling to lie on her back…

“This is gonna be a LONG few weeks…”

Kasai threw her gaze back to the stars, trying to keep her thoughts away from the conversation, when she spotted something…

“A shooting star…”

“Really? Well, make a wish!” Chi replied.

Mizu closed her eyes, doing just that, when Artemis jumped up.

“I don’t think it’s a shooting star…”

“Why?”

“It’s heading that way!”

A crashing sound, and Chi’s unseeing eyes widened…

“…It ain’t a shootin’ star…It’s some kind ‘a robot…”

The crimson-eyed turtle stood up, sighing.

“Let’s check it out…”

“But the s’mores…”

“They’ll be here when we get back, Kasai.”

Hesitantly, the three humans stood, following their ‘leader’.

Mitsukai was left behind, since her large size might bring dangerous attention to them.

By the time they got there, only the remains of a sawmill and the boys campsite greeted them.

“…I HATE our luck…”

“Suck it up.” Artemis advised, seeing what looked like a wounded alien girl on a sleeping bag.

“…Is there a reason you guys are nursing her back to health?”

Leo snapped to attention at her voice, and she realized that only a few hours away may have made things worse…

“She was kind of in a crash…” Don explained as Mizu crouched beside the unconscious girl.

“I think she’ll be fine…” The Waterbender noted, moving glowing hands over the aliens body.

“A dislocated arm, I think…That’s about all…”

A gentle touch on her arm, and Mizu almost shivered…

“If that’s all, we’d better wait fer ‘er ta wake up.”

Mikey grinned suggestively…

“I’ve got a few ideas…”

“If it involves handcuffs, I don’t think so…”

“AWWWWWW…Come on, babe…”

He ghosted a hand over her side, triggering her sensitive sense of touch…

“Let’s have some fun…”

“Don’t make me ‘it ya ‘gain…” She warned.

Kasai sat down on a log, sighing as Chi and Mikey started fighting.

“This might take a while…” Artemis agreed, rubbing her temple with one hand.

If there was one thing the gold-banded turtle knew, it was that Mikey could be the most stubborn turtle when he really wanted something.

Another thing would be that if Chi didn’t want to do something, she was at her most stubborn.

Those two fighting it out with stubbornness alone meant that it would take hours before one of them caved.

The only thing the crimson-eyed turtle DIDN’T know was who would cave…

“…Do you want to spar?”

The jade-skinned turtle thought for a moment…

‘What would happen if I didn’t?’

…

‘Oh, yeah…’

“Sure.”

As Mizu tried to busy herself with the unconscious alien as Don discreetly made advances.

As Artemis and Kasai practiced Firebending, the latter giving advice on technique to help the former get better, they both felt eyes on them.

The sun was starting to rise by the time they started to tire…

Mikey was still trying to convince his girlfriend for make-out session, and Mizu had insisted on only cuddling as they kept watch over their patient.

Kasai signaled to stop, panting as she pulled off the baggy t-shirt she had on over her special exercise training bra.

Raph’s eyes were glued on her as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, following the glistening sweat as it trailed along the gentle curves of her body…

Leo was watching Artemis as she stretched her arms over her head, studied the lean muscles as they tensed, as her skin glistened with a diamond-hue in the dawns early rays…

“Love?”

Brown eyes snapped up to curious crimson, and the gold-banded turtle quirked an eye-ridge.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He had a strange pain in his plastron, but other than that he never felt better…

“Babe, don’t be hasty-!”

BONK!!!

“OW!!!”

Mikey fell back, accidentally landing on the alien…

Who woke up at the sudden weight…

“Uh oh…”

The alien grabbed Mikey’s wrist, and flipped the orange-banded turtle into a tree before jumping to her feet.

Everyone else jumped to the ready, but Mizu insisted they not attack as the alien said something in a language they could not understand.

“We mean you no harm…” Mizu insisted, not bringing water to her defense as she took a step forward.

The blue-skinned alien pulled out a strange device, and it made her strange necklace react.

“Why has Moriah sent her minions to do her dirty work? While will she not face me in fair combat? Speak!”

“When you attacked us last night, we thought you meant us harm.” Leo replied.

“I did. I thought you were my enemies.”

“We’re not.” Artemis assured.

Mikey rubbed his head, making the ‘peace’ sign as well as he could…

“Peace…”

Mizu moved forward as the alien touched her arm gingerly…

“You’re arm is dislocated. I should check it for you.”

“It is just dislocated. How will checking it help?”

Mikey chuckled…

“She’s got you there…”

WHIP!!!

Mikey gripped the back of his head, where the water whip made contact…

“OW!!!”

Mikey moved away from the tree when he realized the alien was heading for it, and she smashed her shoulder against it hard enough to make Chi jump.

“That’s better.”

“YEAH…THAT wasn’t extreme…” Artemis muttered.

“Who are you?” Don wondered.

“I am called Jhanna.”

She explained everything around the campfire as the group ate.

“I was chosen to defeat our current ruler, Moriah, in fair combat so that I might take her place.”

“…Sounds pretty much like the way we do it here…” Mikey noted through a mouthful of food…

“BABY!”

BONK!!!

“OW!!!”

“THAT’S DISGUSTIN’!”

Don sighed, shaking his head even as his hand traveled over Mizu’s thigh…

“Not quite. We…well, not us exactly, but we beings in this country elect our new leader and the old one steps down. It’s a peaceful process.”

“Most of the time…” Kasai admitted.

Jhanna seemed to pace a bit, absorbing this new information.

“Your process sounds fair…if a little boring…But Moriah is not a fair ruler. It was SHE who shot me down before I reached the designated battleground.”

“Wh-What are you going to do now?” Kasai wondered, looking up at the alien with wide gold eyes.

“It will be decided here…”

The blue-skinned alien took out a strange device, pressing a button to make it start beeping…

“Only one must remain victorious…”

Jhanna stabbed it deep into the ground, and straightened.

“And now…I must prepare myself for battle.”

She balanced on her two pointer fingers, taking a meditative stance with her legs as she closed her eyes.

“…That’s ‘ctually kinda cool…” Chi noted.

The group shared a glance, wondering what they should do now.

“…I want to help.” Kasai stated.

“This’ll be dangerous-.”

“I know.”

Raph held his tongue at the fiery look in the girl’s eyes.

“I’ve done far more dangerous things. I want to help her because I know what it feels like to fight for your freedom.”

Artemis nodded in agreement.

“If you’re fighting, so am I. I hate to be left out of the action.”

Chi voiced her own agreement, and Mizu nodded.

The boys shared another look before nodding, seeing as they didn’t want the girls to fight on their own.

“Jhanna, we want to help you.”

“No.”

“But from what you said, how do you know that Moriah will fight fairly?” Mizu reasoned.

“It is a chance I am willing to take.”

The strange beeping took a deeper pitch, and the Earthbender’s eyes narrowed…

“She approaches…” Jhanna confirmed, standing as she ripped out her tracking system.

“Can’t you just tell your people she tried to ambush you?” Mizu wondered, wanting this to end peacefully.

“Get her disqualified?”

“No. This is our way. My honor is at stake.”

“…I understand.” Artemis assured.

“Then I will face her alone.”

Jhanna took a few steps away, and Raph sighed a bit in relief.

“Come on, guys. Ya ‘eard the lady. An alien’s gotta do what an alien’s gotta do.”

A figure came out of the shadows under the trees, and Kasai tensed.

“There you are, Jhanna. I missed you! A mistake I won’t make this time!”

“You face me in FAIR combat now, Moriah!”

“Poor Jhanna…Someone like you will NEVER understand politics…They can get…messy…”

Chi’s head snapped up, unseeing eyes widening…

“Oh hell…”

The ground rumbled beneath their feet, almost like…

Footsteps…

“…Why do we always fight things SO much bigger than us?” Artemis griped.

Four strange aliens crashed through the trees, roaring and snarling and trying to intimidate them.

One of the creatures was made of stone and squat in stature, which made Chi smirk and crack her knuckles, while another looked like a giant purple leech-like fish.

The third seemed like a blob of semi-transparent liquid, and Mizu quirked an eyebrow a bit in surprise as her fingers twitched…

The last looked like a strange swamp-monster from one of Mikey’s old monster movies.

They all roared in unison, charging…

The bender’s were the first to move, not wanting the monsters to keep Jhanna from her actual goal, and attacked.

“Your cowardly tactics will not save you, Moriah!” The alien shouted as she managed to bypass the distracted creatures.

The stone one was lifted and thrown by the petite Earthbender, and the blob was being moved and ripped apart by a focused Mizu.

The reptile-pterodactyl grabbed Don off the ground and started flying off.

Artemis flew up with her large feathered wings as Kasai helped Leo and Raph fight the strange leech-fish.

Once they made the creature crash into the dilapidated sawmill and the gold-banded turtle made sure he was okay, she let him go help Jhanna.

Turning back to see if the others were alright, she noted that Chi and Mizu seemed to be doing perfectly fine, but that her other three brothers and Kasai seemed to be having trouble with the leech creature…

Wait, I need to make a correction…

Leech CREATURES…

Hearing Mikey cry out, Chi ripped the rock creature in half before stabbing one of the creatures through with a column of earth.

Mizu finished off her own opponent before following Chi and Artemis to help the others.

It was rather easy, once all four benders were on the job…

They all pulled themselves out of the dried riverbed and focused on Jhanna’s fight…

“She’s kickin’ ass!”

Unfortunately, Moriah was a cheater, and threw dirt in her opponent’s eyes so she could retrieve her special weapon.

“HEY!!!” Kasai shouted indignantly.

“That isn’t fair!!!”

Though blinded, the blue-haired alien still beat her opponent up almost as well as before.

When defeated, Moriah was on her knees as Jhanna touched her with her glowing weapon.

A strange orb surrounded the dishonorable alien, and everyone looked confused.

“Is she…?” Mizu ventured cautiously.

“No. But she’s lost the election.”

Jhanna swayed, weakened from the rough battle, but Don caught her safely.

The group led her back to their campsite, and everyone slept well that night…

Except Mizu…

She was restless for reasons she couldn’t name, and she watched the bright moon as its silvery light gave her strength.

Artemis’s sleep was just as draining and fitful, but she was still half-asleep…

The Waterbender noted that Jhanna sat up from the sleeping bag she’d leant her, since she could just as easily share one with Don.

The blue-skinned alien heard a deep voice, one that the sleepy-eyed blue-eyed girl couldn’t register, before she stood.

“…Thank you…friend…”

As she finally slipped into a deep sleep, she snuggled into Don’s plastron, feeling his arms tighten around her…

‘Goodbye, friend…’

She knew Casey would be there in the morning, but she didn’t want to think of that now…

She felt safe and warm in her lover’s arms…

‘I don’t want to leave this…’ Mizu decided, nuzzling his neck…

A churr rumbled from deep in his chest, and she smiled…

‘I love you, Donnie…’

He seemed to tighten his arms around her, and she felt his breath near her ear…

“I love you…”