Angel's Child

Angela felt so warm and safe…

Everything was black, but it was strangely comforting.

Like an old blanket…

“Angie?”

That voice…

‘Keishi?’

…Where was it coming from?

“Angie, you need to wake up.”

But she didn’t WANT to…

She wanted to stay in this warm darkness…

“Angie!”

A sharp shake snapped Angela from her blackness, though her vision still blurred a bit.

“Thank kami you’re awake…I thought we’d lost you…”

“We?”

Light jumped to her owner’s face, licking and wagging her tail and making happy little whimpering sounds.

“Hey, Light…”

The tired she-turtle smiled, hugging her dog around the neck.

“Can you walk?”

“I think so…”

The familiar crackling sound of fire reached her ears.

“Ya’d better step ‘way from my cousin…”

“Izzy…”

“You don’t understand-.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Wait, Izzy…”

The dark red-banded turtle froze, eyes locked on her older cousin as she struggled to sit up.

“He helped save me…”

“But ‘e got ya in that mess in the first place!”

“Izzy…”

Trying to contain her fury, the gold-eyed turtle stepped closer.

“If anythin’ ‘appened ta ‘er…”

“I prevented what I could.”

“I’ll take ‘er ‘ome. Ya don’t need ta come.”

Which was Izzy’s way of saying she didn’t WANT him to come.

“Let him…”

“Angie-.”

“Give him a chance…”

Seeing that even Light seemed to tolerate his presence, the dark-skinned turtle ground her teeth, relenting.

“A’right…but ya pull anythin’, I’ll burn ya alive.”

“Fine.”

He helped lift Angela onto her shell before Izzy set off, leading the way.

Before they even got into the sewers, she used her mask to blind him so he wouldn’t know the way.

Opening the door, she pulled him in, legs starting to shake under the weight.

“GUYS…”

Artemis was the first to peek in, and her eyes widened.

“ANGEL!”

Keishi immediately knew this was Angie’s mother.

They looked alike, except for the masks, and she had the worried look of a mother watching over her sick child.

‘Mom used to have that look…’

When the gold-banded turtle noticed him, her eyes narrowed warily.

“Izzy, who’s this?”

“Uh…’E ‘elped Angie…She insisted.”

Artemis walked up to him, looking him in the eyes.

The crimson orbs looked hard and hot and unwavering, maybe a bit intimidating, causing Keishi to almost fidget.

After a moment, the she-turtle pulled back.

“…I trust you.”

He was surprised.

He expected her to see all his sins, and turn him out to the cold.

“I can tell you have a good heart.” She said in way of an explanation, and she turned to lift her eldest daughter into her arms.

She headed for the couch, laying her on her shell upon the cushions, as Izzy went off to get the others from her uncle’s lab.

It seemed Light had taken it upon herself to keep watch over him…

But Keishi was too nervous to notice.

He’d heard a bit about the others from Angie, and the strongest impression he’d gotten was that they were very close.

Overprotective and loving and violent when one of their own is threatened.

He didn’t want to be the target of any wrath today…

“Is she alright?”

Uh oh…

If he remembered right, that was her father…

“Yo?”

He jumped a bit, seeing another girl.

She had dark red/gold hair covering her blue eyes, and green skin.

It must be the one Angie kept calling Z…

She had no shell, from what he could tell, and wore more clothes than the others.

The younger turtles seemed confused, watching him carefully, when he felt someone behind him.

Turning a bit, he nearly jumped in surprise.

It was a petite woman, maybe in her late twenties, with red/gold hair and glazed black eyes.

“Yer pretty jumpy.” She teased, smirking.

“Chi, don’t be rude.” Another woman chided lightly, tall and slender compared to the other girl.

“Guys, leave him alone. You’re probably scaring him.” Another one noted from a table, sipping tea to help disguise her questioning blue eyes.

Angie sat up, gathering her strength, and Leo rushed to her side.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just…really tired…”

“Are you feeling nauseous? Headache?” Mizu wondered.

No one wanted a horrible side-effect from the drug…

“No…”

Lily was by her cousin’s side, glowing hands going over neck and arms and plastron, making sure nothing was broken or bleeding secretly.

“Excuse me?”

Keishi looked down, seeing a young little turtle standing there, light chocolate eyes looking up at him curiously.

“Are you Keishi?”

He sighed, seeing everyone tense.

“…Yes.”

The sound of a katana being unsheathed, and a sharp shout.

“DAD!”

The blue-banded turtle stopped as his daughter’s hands found his wrists.

“Angela-.”

“I gave him another chance.”

Her voice made her sound stronger than she was, but she wouldn’t back down on this.

Not today.

“He doesn’t deserve one…”

“You always said EVERYONE deserved a second chance.”

Their eyes were locked, communicating without words.

She understood his distrust, his worry, his anger…

His guilt…

Leo seemed to have a vague idea of the strange emotion his daughter was feeling, welling up in her chest and making her protect him.

The katana lowered, and the softest of smiles covered her face for the first time in days.

“Good…Now lets all sit down and try talking this out.”

He immediately knew what she meant…

“But you need-.”

“I NEED an explanation.” She asserted.

Artemis sighed.

“…She’s right.”

Carefully, everyone took seats on the couch and recliners, laps and floor.

Keishi hadn’t quarreled about a seat on the floor.

No need to make a fuss.

Ari had taken a seat closest to her sister, and was being held close to the yellow plastron.

The adults seemed almost tired, like the adrenaline that had been keeping them going was gone and all they wanted to do was sleep…

“…We were young back then…” Artemis started.

“We were only your age, Angel, when we started going topside…”

“We went on a lot ‘a crazy adventures in our day…” Chi added.

“But…Most bad guys went down quick, were gone…Except one…”

Mizu had sad eyes, though her son tried his best to snap her out of it.

“We met him long before we even met your aunts.” Artemis explained.

“We didn’t meet them until months after, when I learned I was the Avatar. He was…persistent, to say the least.”

“Only one thin’ on ‘is mind…” Raph growled lowly.

Kasai tried to soothe him, and it seemed to work.

“…In my day, apparently I was the focus of his attention…”

Izzy growled something under her throat, leaning back.

“’E can’t seem ta keep ‘is ‘ands ta ‘imself, I say…”

“I’m wit’ ya, Izzy…He’s a perv…” Z agreed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I thought the same thing, even if I didn’t say it…” Mizu admitted as Don wrapped his arms around her waist.

“We thought we got rid of him…” Artemis stated.

“The Utroms sentenced him to exile on an icy asteroid…”

“How’d he even get OFF that thing?” Mikey wondered.

“Crazy alien spaceship?” His mate offered.

“…Why me?”

“Angela, you don’t-.”

Hot crimson eyes, hard and unyielding.

“I deserve an answer. Why me?”

“…Donnie?” Artemis almost pleaded.

The purple-masked turtle sighed, trying to organize his thoughts…

“…He’s a power-oriented guy. The taking-over-the-universe mentality, you know? Which means dominating. He went after Artemis because she was wild and independent. In essence, dominating on her own. So it became an obsession to dominate something that seemed impossible to dominate.”

“…Then what happened?” Lily wondered, confused.

“Motherhood, I guess. She’s not as vicious as she used to be, as wild. When he realized that, I guess he tried to find something else that was…similar.”

Leo nearly growled, gripping his mate’s hand tighter…

“I guess he saw you on one of your nightly runs, saw the similarities you had with Artemis…And then went in to try and catch you…He tried the same with Artemis, but it didn’t work that well then. So he went for a different approach.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Keishi, who nervously fidgeted…

“How are you involved in this?” Lily wondered.

“…He’s my grandfather…Or at least that’s what my mother keeps saying.”

“Karai…” Raph muttered.

“You’re her kid?” Mikey wondered.

“Yeah…I never knew my father…”

Ari seemed curious.

“…You didn’t want to, did you?”

Everyone cast the little turtle-girl confused looks, but her eyes were locked on Keishi.

“…No…I didn’t…”

“…What was he going to do?” Elie wondered.

“…Bad things…” He supplied.

There were children there, too young to know of the things he’d seen…

“He’s just a big Meanie!” E decided.

Ari didn’t say anything, and Angie tried to comfort her from the horrible nightmares she remembered.

“…This won’t be easy…” Don predicted.

“Never is.” Chi replied.

“Seriously? …I think it’s time we made some rules.” Angela stated.

“An’ dish out some good punishment.” Izzy agreed, a dark smirk on her face.

“Don’t leave ME out.” Z added in.

“Or me!” Lily intercepted.

“But guys…”

“Don’t e’en start, Angie.” The gold-eyed turtle interrupted.

“Ya mess wit’ one ‘a us, ya mess wit’ ALL ‘a us.”

“We won’t take this lying down.”

The sky-masked turtle grinned, pulling her three cousins into a hug…

“You guys are the best cousins a girl could ever ask for!”

“So are ya.”

‘An’ we’re ne’er gonna lose ya ‘gain…’