Golden Angel

Leo was always training nowadays…

Artemis would have complained, but he threatened to chain her down if she tried to get off the couch…

Everyone was worried, and even Chi and Raph showed mild concern.

He was using all his free time to train, and the jade-skinned turtle felt a bit ‘pushed off’ at the behavior.

“I’m tellin’ ya, Leo’s gone mental!” Raph grumbled.

“It could be worse…” Kasai tried to reason.

Mizu was still reading up on births, keeping herself occupied and detached from the other’s worried whispers.

However, the sound of a sword cutting something brought her out of her own little world, and there was silence…

‘I hope Raph didn’t see that…’ Kasai prayed…

“MY BAG!!”

‘Never mind…’

“That is IT! Ya’ve ‘ad it, psycho boy!”

“RAPHIE!”

“Raphael, calm yourself!” Splinter ordered as the Firebender tried to hold back her lover.

“We are receiving guests.”

“What do you mean, sensei-?”

A portal opened over the pool of water in the lair…

“…Never mind…”

Usagi stepped out of the bright light, followed by his rhino-friend Gen.

“Hey, Usagi-san!” Artemis greeted.

“I’d get up to greet you, but it’s kind of hard…”

“It’s great to see you both again.” Kasai greeted politely.

“Oh, hey guys…” Mizu managed, only looking up when Don tried to ‘catch her attention’…

“Welcome, friends.” Splinter stated.

“Greetings, turtles. Did you gain some weight, girl?”

“…Might I inform you that I am PREGNANT, Gen? There is a BABY inside of me! Make fun of my stomach, and I shall be forced to cause you pain!”

“How would you manage to do that?”

A sharp whistle…

Mitsukai snorted behind the humanoid rhino, who was obviously frightened now…

“My pet.”

Gen seemed to compose himself…

“Well, you are in luck. I have decided to give you another chance to impress me with your world.”

“…Sorry, but I don’t feel so lucky…” Chi replied.

“You honor us with your presence Miyamoto, Usagi.”

“Thank you, sensei. After witnessing your holiday festivities, I decided that I would like to see more of your world.”

The rabbit rounin smiled politely.

“And congratulations on your upcoming miracle, Artemisia-san. You truly deserve it.”

“Thank you, Usagi-san.”

“You traveled through the Battle Nexus?” Leo wondered.

“No, Leonardo-san. An old friend of mine aided me in the ritual so that we may come directly to this world.”

“We’ll take you on a tour!” Mikey instantly stated, running for the door already.

“I’ll just…sit this one out…You all go enjoy yourselves.”

Everyone did go, except Splinter, leaving Artemis to a good book and a boom box Don had salvaged for her.

She dozed after a while, and was woken up by Leo to head to bed.

He hefted her to the warm nest of blankets, but she couldn’t fall asleep…

All the meditation, the lonely hours, had set her thinking on the past…

The future…

What their baby would be going through in this world, hidden in the shadows, hunted down by countless enemies…

Her sleep, when it did come, was fitful and restless, and she would have tossed and turned if her stomach didn’t keep getting in the way.

She was woken up by the shifting of the mattress, and looked up at Leo with blurry eyes…

“Love?” She slurred sleepily.

“Go back to sleep, love. It’s too early for you to be up.”

“You, too…”

But the jade-skinned turtle was too sleepy to continue pestering him, and was already slipping back into a doze…

“I have my reasons, love…”

When she blinked her eyes open again, it had only been a couple hours, but the crimson-eyed she-turtle managed to force herself into a sitting position.

Rubbing her eyes, she was about to slide out of the covers when someone banged on the door.

“ARTIE!”

“What now?” She wondered groggily.

“Gen’s gone!”

“…That idiot…What did he do now?” She mumbled, throwing off the sheets and getting up on wobbly legs.

“Look, Mikey…Just get the others and go on ahead…”

“But ARTIE…”

“What?”

“We need Mitsukai, and she only let’s YOU drive…”

“I’m coming…Jeez, it’s hard to waddle, you know…”

The girls, once Artemis managed to get out there, took Mitsukai to search from the skies.

They couldn’t find anything, even in the bright daylight, and they regrouped to wonder where the HELL that talking rhino had gone…

“We need reinforcements. Don, get Casey down here now.”

Don pulled out his Shell Cell…

“…You know he’s asleep…Artie, you call…”

Looking a bit miffed from her restless night, she swiped the phone and hit the speed dial for the vigilante.

“’Ello?”

“Yo, Casey. We need your help out here.”

“Now? Ya must be crazy-!”

They saw the irritation flash across her face…

“I didn’t call to hear you bitch, Casey. I called because we need someone streetside to find a giant talking rhino. Got it?”

“…Ya didn’t sleep well, did ya?”

“I also didn’t call you for a Q and A! GET YOUR ASS ON THE STREETS, JONES!”

“Okay, okay! MAN, yer touchy…”

“Of course I am! I woke up at six in the morning looking for a gambling samurai! See you later…”

Snapping the phone shut, she handed it back to a wide-eyed brother…

An innocent look crossed her face as more wide-eyes joined in…

“What?”

A scream, and Mikey smiled a bit…

“See? Follow the screams.”

“Just GO!”

Scrambling back onto Mitsukai, everyone headed for the source of the cry…

But it seemed Casey had it under control by the time the Sky Bison landed on the rooftop across the street.

“Disaster averted! Now how about we get the shell out of here?!” Mikey exclaimed from the top of a fire escape ladder.

“Come on, Mikey! I ain’t exactly enjoyin’ the view down ‘ere!” Raph shouted up.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I-.”

Something hit the edge of the roof hard enough to shatter the concrete and send both falling back…

“BABY!”

Chi leapt forward, grabbing Mikey’s hands and pulling back as Kasai helped her.

“Thanks, babe…” Mikey stated once on the rooftop again.

“No prob…”

Thing was, someone new had decided to join the party…

He was hooded, and removed said cloth to reveal a scarred warthog face…

“DAMN…And I thought MIKEY was ugly…”

“ARTIE…”

“What’s ‘e gonna do? Eat us?” Chi taunted.

It became obvious this guy was here to fight them, mainly Leo…

He threw three smoking bags, pulling off his cape with a flourish…

Explosions, and all four teens near the once-fire escape were thrown back…

“NO!”

A wave of water made the warthog jump back, sizing up the blue-eyed Waterbender.

“Bring it.”

He bull-rushed her, but she side-stepped the attack with a graceful twirl, bringing water up and slamming it into the warthog’s back.

He stumbled, but then turned, blowing dust into her eyes.

Crying out in surprise, Mizu jerked back and tried to clear her sight as the enemy loomed over her.

More water smacked into him, but he was surprised that it came from the she-turtle.

“Leave my friend alone, you cheater…” She snarled.

Mitsukai roared from behind her owner, looking threatening with her sharp horns and angry look…

Before he could charge her, Leo got in his way, katana drawn.

“Leave her alone!”

“Ah, so she is important to you? Lord Hebi DID want you to suffer…”

“Don’t even think about it!”

The two clashed, Usagi joining in to make sure the blue-banded turtle didn’t get hurt, when both were pushed off.

He flew at Artemis, expecting an easy win from a pregnant female, when water smacked him back.

It froze, locking him to the ground, and the gold-banded turtle smirked.

“Too bad you’re slow…”

Leo knocked him unconscious, and everyone crowded around the unconscious body.

“…Let’s head home…” Don advised, helping Mizu as her sight blearily returned.

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Gen had the bound assassin by a glowing portal, intent on leaving to reap the rewards for his capture in his own world.

Artemis had already voiced her immense irritation towards the walking rhino, who had been hidden in a corner as she ranted at how PISSED he’d made her, and fire escaped her mouth.

Once she’d calmed down, she tiredly sat on the couch, reminded how CLOSE she was to her third trimester…

THEN the REAL back pain would begin…

“Artemisia-san?”

Crimson eyes blinked, looking up at Usagi.

“Oh, Usagi-san. Is there something you need?”

The samurai always wondered why that was the she-turtle’s first thought…

Why she would wonder what was required of her to help someone else before anything else…

“I was hoping to see if you were up to a talk…”

“Of course. What’s up?”

“It seems your mind has been unsettled lately…Is there a reason?”

“Not really…Just the impending birth and responsibility starting to creep up on me is all…”

“A child is responsibility, but also a joy. You will see in time what a miracle they can be.”

“…Thank you, Usagi-san.”

She smiled brightly.

“I guess I really needed that…But…”

Worry flashed through her eyes…

“Leo…”

“I shall talk with him, if that would ease your mind.”

“Please…I’d be thankful…”

Usagi nodded, heading off to find the blue-banded turtle, when Artemis realized she hadn’t seen her brothers or the girls for a while…

If she had any guess, Mikey and Chi were probably making out, Raph was probably cuddling up with Kasai…

Don and Mizu…

Well, she didn’t want to think too hard on that one…

Soon, Usagi and Gen were departing, assassin in tow, when Mikey burst out of his room, looking frantic…

“WAIT!!! STOP THEM!!! DON’T LET THEM GO!!!”

The portal closed before anyone could register his loud plea…

“What’s up, baby?”

“My Silver Sentry comics…Gen, he…He took them! All of them! NO!!”

Everyone rolled their eyes, except Chi…

She smirked, pulling him down to her level by his mask tails…

“Then we ain’t got any distractions now…”

‘Oh dear…’