Lord Warumagi's School For Human Hybrids

O...my...GOSH! Your story is so good I'm dying inside not knowing the ending! One question, and I'm not trying to be a spoiler but I can't help it!Blossem wouldn't happen to be Warumagi's daughter?

Kat: It depends on what Warumagi has up his sleeve. >:]

Leo'sGirl: That would be telling, hehe.

Thanks everyone.

Raphael had the feeling that today was going to be special.

He didn't really know why, but something told him that this day would be one he would never forget.

He hummed, even though he usually hated the sound, as he put on his ninja gear, strapping his pads onto his elbows and knees. He tied his mask around his eyes and walked out of his room. The air was still and silent, so he guessed it was early in the morning. Usually, he would know what the time was because of the alarm clock in his room, but Blossom hadn't replaced it that night.

He went to a nearby window and saw that the sun hadn't travelled very far, but he knew that the weather would be fine. The lack of clouds told him this.

He walked into the lunch hall. A solitary figure sat at one of the tables, who he quickly recognized as Foxglove. Remembering yesterday, he went to sit next to her, forgetting to retrieve some food in his hurry. She heard him approaching and turned around. He hadn't seen her the previous evening and was eager to find out what had happened.

"Why hello," Foxglove said, smirking. "Where's Blossomkins?"

He shrugged his shoulders. As much as the 'Blossomkins' remark irritated him, he had to try to stay on her good side. "In bed, I think. Anyway, ya have ta tell me how it went."

"Shouldn't we wait for Blossom? She'll want to know 'how it went'."

"I can tell her later. I wanna know now," He grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Don't play games wit' me. I'm not in the mood. What was it like? Has it been taken over by the Foot? Or aliens? Did ya see any of my brothers? Did ya find the store okay?"

She wrenched her shoulders away from him, leaving a large space between her and Raph. "Let me breathe! Geez, you don't need to freak out. Hm… It was pretty good, no, no, no and yeah."

"What about April?"

"It's nearly July."

Raph groaned. "No, I meant the red-headed woman dat owns the store I told ya to go to. Did ya see her?"

"Oh… Oh. The person I was meant to run away from on sight?"

"Yeah."

"Ah."

Raph felt his stomach drop and his rage build up. "Ya talked to her, didn't ya?"

"… Maybe."

"Foxglove..." he growled.

She sighed angrily. "Don't get so worked up. It wasn't my fault. She locked the stupid store so I couldn't get in. I began picking it open and then she came along and started asking me what I was doing. I told her I needed to give this to April and she was all, 'You're looking at her.' I gave her the letter and then I ran away from her. She began chasing after me but I teleported back to the school before she got me."

"She has a mailbox on the door to the store."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Amazin', isn't it?"

Foxglove rolled her eyes. "Sore-ree. It was dark. I won't bother going next time, seeing as I'm so useless."

"I never said you were... I take it the Lord didn't see ya," he commented, changing the subject quickly. "What time did ya get back at?"

"Ooh… a bit before seven. I put the teleporter back in his office and went to my room. I was going to find you yesterday, but I thought a more quiet time would be better. Anyway, I was tired."

Raph exhaled in relief, glad that not only had the letter been delivered successfully, but also Foxglove was all right. He realized that he had forgotten to get any food and went to the serving hatch.

The lunch hall began filling up, but Blossom didn't arrive. Raph didn't touch his breakfast, staring fixedly at the door. Blossom was usually one of the first to come here, yet there was still no sign of her. He didn't notice Laurence sit down with them, and he took no notice of the small conversation going on around him until he felt Foxglove poke his arm.

"Raph," she said crossly. "Wake up. Laurence wants to know where Blossom is. Apparently, talking to me isn't interesting enough for him."

"I never said you weren't interesting!" exclaimed Laurence, reddening. "I… I'm just curious, that's all. It's not like her to go off alone without saying anything... to you."

"I don't know where she is," Raph replied, gritting his teeth.

"But… you're her boyfriend," said Laurence. "Surely you know?"

"I ain't her keeper."

"Did you have a fight?" he asked, the concern on his face going unnoticed by the mutant turtle. "I mean, you both get on so-"

"I said I don't know where she is!" Raph snarled, causing Laurence to recoil.

He was beginning to get worried. She should have been there by now. He was tempted to go find her, but he was positive that she would be there at any moment.

The lunch hall began to empty, though Raph didn't pay any attention to this. He continued watching the door, clenching his fists. Laurence stayed at the table with him loyally, despite having finished his breakfast a while ago. Foxglove stayed as well, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. They enviously watching the other students get up and leave, laughing on their way out.

Foxglove didn't know what was stopping her from leaving. She had legs. She knew where the exit was. All she had to do was put the two together and leave… So why didn't she? The only people she had ever willingly stuck herself with were Fang and Silver, but they weren't there. She didn't know where they were. She guessed… that Raph, Blossom and Laurence were her new friends, and friends didn't desert friends.

She smirked. She had never really had proper friends before.

Foxglove waited until the lunch hall was nearly empty before getting up and resting a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Come on, Raphael. She isn't coming."

He glared at her, raising his brow and mentally daring her to provoke him. "What are ya sayin'?"

"Nothing," she assured him, feeling tired. "Just that she's probably skipping breakfast."

"Maybe…" Raph considered it. It wasn't unheard of her. He had often seen her leave all of a meal.

"Yeah," agreed Laurence. "She's probably in the library… or the dojo. How about we go find her now?"

"She would come here," Raph muttered stubbornly, "even if it was to just sit with us."

Nevertheless, he tagged along when the other two left the lunch hall. The first place they decided to go to was the library. They were about to go in when they saw a notice on the door, saying that the library as closed for the day.

"Okay…" Foxglove shrugged her shoulders. "How about the dojo? She might be practicing that silly dance of hers."

However, it turned out that the only people in the dojo was a couple of Human Hybrids sparring with each other.

Laurence and Foxglove exchanged worried expressions behind Raph's back.

"She might have overslept," Foxglove piped up. "Let's check her room."

They sprinted down the corridor and entered one that contained some of the students' rooms, including Blossom's. With Raph at the front, they approached her room. The door was firmly shut and showed no signs of being opened recently. Raph clasped the door handle firmly before slowly opening the door, inch by inch. When it was wide enough for him to get through, he slipped inside.

The lights were off, which meant that she was either not there or she was still asleep. Raph crept across the carpet, studying the room as he steadily made his way across it. It was very tidy and everything was put away, even though there wasn't much space to put things away in. Very quickly, he reached her bed…

And found it empty.

He stayed where he was, surveying the room in case she was hiding. He had hoped that she was in her room. He couldn't think of anywhere else she could be.

"Is she in there or not?" asked Foxglove impatiently, poking her head in. "If the Lord comes by and sees us sneaking around another student's room, he'll go crazy."

The Lord… that gave Raph an idea.

"Maybe he knows where she is," said Raph, leaving the room hurriedly and grabbing hold of Foxglove's wrist. "Come on, he's probably in his office. Let's go find him."

Raph didn't particularly want to pay him a visit, but if anyone knew where she was, it was him. They made their way to his office, the fear slowly building up inside of them making them move quicker. As soon as they were in front of the locked door leading to it, Raph banged his fist against it.

"He might not hear you," commented Laurence, tapping the door with his knuckles three times. "I mean, there's a corridor between this door and the door to his office."

"Really, what kind of headmaster has an entire corridor blocking his office and the door that you need to knock in order to get in?" asked Foxglove, throwing her arms outwards in frustration. "There's no way he'll hear us from here. God, we'll be here all day."

"You could pick it like ya did before," suggested Raph, shaking the door handle violently.

"He'll be so happy, won't he?" she said coldly. "Being there and seeing us break in. Hey, maybe then he'll boost security on it or something, so we can never get in again. What a fantastic idea!"

"He deserves it," snarled Raph, putting one of his feet on the door. "Mikey could design a better buildin' than this."

The door opened. Raph stumbled backwards and landed on Laurence. Foxglove smiled at them before frowning at Warumagi, who was standing in the doorway. The headmaster looked down at them, a bemused expression on his face.

"Yes? What is it that you want to know?" he asked.

Raph and Laurence got to their feet, brushing their legs. Raph looked at Warumagi suspiciously. "We were wonderin'… do ya know where Blossom is? We can't find her anywhere, and we were thinkin' you might be able to tell us where she is."

Warumagi scratched his chin. "Blossom, you say? Hm… I shouldn't think she is anywhere specific. She hasn't gotten detention, and she isn't with me…" He narrowed his eyes. "Have you checked all the places she usually goes to?"

"Yeah." Laurence nodded, counting on his fingers as he said the next bit. "The library… the dojo… her room…"

Raph and Foxglove rolled their eyes.

"… Everywhere! We haven't seen her anywhere, and it's not like her to avoid us," he finished, biting his lip. "We think there's something wrong."

Warumagi turned away from them. "Maybe she went for a walk? It is quite a nice day outside."

"She might be by the lake!" exclaimed Raph, ashamed he hadn't thought of going there before. "She likes goin' there."

Warumagi smiled, listening to their retreating footsteps as they faded away. He re-entered the corridor, locking the door behind him, before going into his office. He reached into his cloak's pocket and pulled out the teleporter.

He chuckled. "I've been waiting for a moment like this. Now that I know where a close friend of the turtles lives… one that doesn't risk revealing any of my plans… I don't need Raphael anymore. I don't need any of them anymore. I can just kidnap this 'April' woman. Besides, my army is big enough."

He put the teleporter on his desk and entered his basement. He smiled, walking over to a large pod. Within it, a murky figure scratched the glass surrounding it. Warumagi watched, his lips forming a sad smile.

"My goal is so close," he whispered, placing his hand on the creature's. The glass exterior was the only thing stopping them from touching. "I can almost taste it. Soon, you will be fixed… and so will Melissa… we'll be a happy family again. But first…" He went to the keypad that was next to the pod. "I need to dispose of them. They don't want us to be happy again."

He pressed a series of numbers. There was a loud hiss, and the glass pod opened. The creature contained inside of it got out slowly, gazing around suspiciously.

"It's time to test you out." He walked to the other side of the room, stopping in front of a pool of water. The creature approached it, lowering its head and staring at its reflection. "Your dinner is on the other side. Go feast."

The creature dived into the water, and the last sound it heard was Warumagi's deranged laughter.

TMNTNMT

"She isn't here," panted Laurence, looking around. "And… and why did we have to… run all the way here?"

The breeze tickled their sweating faces, but it failed in its attempt to make them feel refreshed. Raph shivered, looking at the otherwise deserted lakeside. He felt cold, even though he was standing in the afternoon sunshine.

Foxglove fell to her knees and sat in front of the large tree. "I don't know. I was just keeping up with Raphael. She isn't here… and we'll have to walk all the way back." She groaned, bowing her head. "Wake me up in ten years."

"Did anyone else find it weird when Warumagi said 'What do you wanna know?'" Raph asked, furrowing his brow.

Foxglove gazed at him, shielding her eyes from the Sun with her hand. She frowned. "What's so weird about that?"

"He didn't ask what we wanted with him, but what we wanted to know," Raph elaborated, watching a group of students play football in the distance. "It was like he knew dat we-"

He was interrupted by a series of bubbles that were forming and popping at the surface of the lake. Raph reached for his sai, only to remember he had left them in his room. He cursed loudly as a big, dark shadow crept upwards.

The shadow suddenly disappeared. They stared at where it had just been. After a stunned silence, Laurence said feebly, "I think it's gone."

A huge creature suddenly shattered the lake's surface, spraying droplets of water everywhere as it leaped upwards. Raph and Laurence jumped backwards, barely avoiding being crushed by it. Foxglove staggered to her feet and stared at the creature with a circular mouth, her eyes nearly as wide. The other two non-humans backed away so they were either side of her. In the distance, they could hear the football playing students begin to scream and run towards the school.

The creature inhaled noisily, facing the three of them. Its skin was dark and uneven, the many lumps on its surface preventing it from being soft and smooth. It pointed its long snout down at them, staring at the students with beady, yellow eyes. It opened its mouth slightly, revealing hints of what they suspected were big, pointy teeth. Its faded yellow chest contrasted with its mucky green skin and was a similar colour to its clawed hands and feet.

"Shell…" Raph croaked. He really wished he had his sai. "Another one?"

"Another one?" repeated Charles, his voice incredibly high. "You're saying there are lots of these monsters?"

"We met some before." Raph shrugged, acting like he did so on a daily basis. "All right… don't move and don't scream. That just makes it mad."

"RUN!" bellowed Laurence, sprinting towards the school. Foxglove, seeing that the creature was preparing itself for an attack, spun on her heel and moved as fast away from it as she could.

Raph exhaled heavily. "Does no one listen to anythin' I say?"

The creature tried to slash his face, but he managed to dodge out of the way. Raph rolled sideways as it turned around and swung its rather large tail at him. Raph glared at it before realizing something.

The creature had a shell.

It landed a hit on his chin, knocking him back. Then, it stood over him, growling furiously. Raph groaned, looking up at the creature.

Foxglove paused, looking back. She sighed. "I've been hanging out with Blossom too much."

Laurence saw her running back to the creature and yelled, "Hello? Foxglove? You're going towards the monster!"

"No duh!" she replied, her heart pounding in her ears.

Raph raised his arms to block the creature's attack. It bared its teeth, raising one of its bulky arms. Raph glared at it, determined to keep his eyes on it.

Just before it could lower its arm and strike, Foxglove jumped onto the creature from behind. The creature howled, shaking its body violently. Raph got to his feet, watching the scene in front of him in awe. It threw Foxglove off its back in a matter of seconds, but it gave Raph enough time to ready an attack.

He leaped forward and kicked it in the face before it could harm Foxglove. She swiftly moved around it, so she was standing next to Raph. The creature stumbled away from them and fell into the lake.

"Dat's weird," said Raph. "It seems a lot weaker den the one we saw before."

The creature re-emerged, grizzling loudly. It seemed weaker... but that didn't mean it was actually weak.

"Run?" said Foxglove, widening her eyes.

"Run," agreed Raph.

They ran towards the school, stopping briefly when they caught up with Laurence, who hadn't moved since Foxglove had gone to save Raph.

"Why are you still here?" she asked him crossly, pulling him with her as they resumed running. "You should be in the school."

"I… I wanted to make sure you were okay…" mumbled Laurence, averting his gaze.

"Thanks," said Raph, though he didn't see how watching them had helped in any way. "All we have ta do is get into the school. We can close the door behind us and earn ourselves a few seconds. Dat should be enough time ta lose it."

"Attention students," Warumagi's voice boomed. "The school is being attacked by dangerous creatures of an unknown species. Report to my office and prepare to be evacuated. Lockdown has been initiated."

"Lockdown?" repeated Raph. That sounded bad.

"All windows and doors leading in and out of the school will be automatically locked… in ten seconds."

"Now that's bad," declared Raph.

They sped up, ignoring whatever fatigue their bodies were experiencing. The door was so close… They were nearly there…

Raph got into the building first, and he heard Foxglove jump in shortly afterwards. He held the door open for Laurence.

Laurence widened his eyes, speeding up. The creature was heading towards him at roughly the same speed he was running at, but it would catch up with him if he had nowhere to run to.

"Hurry up!" screamed Foxglove, causing Raph to cover his ears.

Laurence was near the door when he suddenly tripped over and fell forward.

Raph felt the door rip out of his hands and slam shut. As soon as he could no longer feel it, he closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. Foxglove also closed her eyes, raising her hands slowly to her cheeks.

After a moment, she whispered, "It… got him. Oh man… I regret being so mean to him… I should have been nicer to him… I should have told him that he was a good friend… I… I…"

"Really?" a voice from below said.

They opened their eyes and looked down. Laurence gazed up at them, grazed but otherwise unmarked.

Foxglove paused- before kicking him in the face, irritated. "I never said any of that."

He stared up at the ceiling, smiling. "No concussion could ever get rid of that…"

She groaned, wiping the sweat off her face. She looked around. The building was eerily still and dark, so she could only just see. "Hey, why are all the lights off?"

She turned to Raph. The creature was hitting the door loudly, but some metal bars had come out of the ground, strengthening it. Still… she didn't think that the bars would keep the creature out forever. She nudged him. "Now what? Should we evacuate?"

Raph didn't reply, his eyes back on the door.

"Raph?" she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "What do we do now?"

Laurence waved his hand in front of Raph's face. Raph blinked, but instead of looking at him, he looked at Foxglove. "When I first joined, do ya remember the first Human Hybrid that graduated?"

"I'm thinking this is a rhetorical question," she remarked.

"It was King…" Raph began to pace, his face pale. "An' he was a lion hybrid thin', right?"

She nodded slowly, unsure what he was trying to get at. "Yeah. So?"

"The monster we met the night we were put in isolation… What did it look like?"

"You both met one?" exclaimed Laurence. "You mean... when you were punished... you saw a monster like that one? And you didn't tell me?"

He was ignored.

"I don't know," she said, before picturing it in her mind. The dark fur… The claws… The mane… She gulped before whispering, "A lion."

Raph nodded. "An' what is Blossom?"

"A… a turtle hybrid." Foxglove trembled, catching on.

"We haven't seen her all day… and what does that creature remind you of?"

The green skin… The yellow plastron… The shell…

"Oh God," she murmured.

Finally they figured it out! Stupid Warumagi! I hope Blossom´s alright. Great chapter Livi! I want more!

Thank you. :3

It took them a while, didn't it? XD

Ha ha!!!!! I KNEW IT!!!!! OMG I hope Blossom is going to be ok! Poor Raph!
Great chapter Livi!

Thank you! XD And it only gets worse...

NOOOOOO!!!!!!! POOR BLOSSOM!!!!

"Wait…" said Laurence slowly. "You're saying King and Blossom are… monsters?"

"And who's to say it ends there?" asked Foxglove, pacing. "Suppose every graduation… every expulsion are just excuses to… to… dispose students? Everyone we used to know could be like… like them!"

"How do we know it's the Lord doing it to them?" he piped up, his face slightly creased. "Suppose it's someone else. I mean… The Lord wouldn't do that… would he? That's…. that's just wrong."

"Oh sure, the Lord isn't doing it. It's someone else that's keeping them at the school and mutating them. Get real." She turned to Raphael. "We need to do something! Anything! We need a plan."

Raph didn't say anything. He was rarely the one who came up with plans. Usually, back in New York, the plan making was left to Leonardo. He always had some sort of plan up his metaphorical sleeve. He never panicked. He could be tied to a raging moose that was heading towards the edge of a cliff, and he could think of a way out of the predicament before he hurdled to an untimely death. He had the ability to assess the situation and choose the right course of action.

Raph, however, did not. He often did whatever his head told him to do without considering other options. Sometimes this was a good thing, because it made him react quickly. On the other hand, it meant that sometimes he didn't do the best course of action.

He groaned, looking around desperately. There had to be something they could do. Anything would be better than just standing there.

"Well, well; it seems you managed to avoid what I had planned for you," a voice suddenly said over the speakers, chuckling.

"Warumagi…" Raph raised his fist, his face hot. "I have a bone ta pick wit' ya. What the shell do ya think yer doin'? Are ya some kinda lunatic?"

"I don't think he can hear you," Laurence told him. "He's talking to us through the speakers."

Warumagi's voice laughed. "I can hear you very clearly, thank you. And no, I am not a 'lunatic'."

"You didn't do that lockdown to keep those creatures out," Foxglove shouted. "You did it to keep us out. You tried to kill us! You are a lunatic! You're a delirious, raving, psychopathic lunatic!"

"Such big words from such a small, insignificant thing," his voice remarked. "How sad. How very sad. Well, I congratulate you on escaping your fate. But now, alas, you have about… ooh… fifty of those creatures to escape from? And when the other students have 'evacuated', you'll have about one hundred to hide from. Don't worry; they like food that puts up a struggle. I will have the pleasure of watching you become lunch, thanks to the chips in all my students' brains. They let me see what they see on a lovely little screen. Goodbye. I hope you have a nice afterlife."

Apart from the scratching sound originating from the door near them, the corridor was silent. Very slowly, they dared look at each other and saw mirrored expressions of terror.

"They're… going to eat us?" squeaked Laurence, his body shaking uncontrollably. "W-We're going to die?"

"Looks like it," said Foxglove, crossing her arms. "Who would have thought it? I'm going to die as an appetizer."

"No one's gonna die," Raph snapped. He might not have had a plan, but they were looking at him for one and he wasn't going to let them down. "As long as ya do as I say, none of ya are gonna die. There's no way I'm lettin' anyone else get hurt. Ya have ta trust me."

"I trust you," replied Foxglove automatically. Raph raised his brow, so she elaborated, "I haven't died yet, and I don't see what I've got to lose."

"Yeah… me too," agreed Laurence, though he didn't sound too sure.

"Okay." Raph began jogging away from them. They followed him, wondering where he was going. He couldn't think of a way to stop Warumagi, but he had an idea as to how he could keep his promise. He continued, "I got an idea dat might help us stay alive. Okay, ya know he said dat all the students have chip things dat tell him where ya all are and what yer doin'?"

"Yeah, it explains how he caught me and Charles out on all of our pranks," commented Laurence. "So?"

"I don't have one of those in me. Now, the Lord's probably listenin' to this conversation, and I can't risk bein' caught. What I need yer to do," said Raph, "is close yer eyes when I tell ya to. No matter what ya do, don't open them."

"What?" Laurence gasped. "But suppose… suppose a monster comes and finds us? We can't defend ourselves if we can't see."

"If he doesn't know where ya are, he can't find ya… easily," explained Raph, grabbing both of their wrists tightly. "Now close yer eyes and don't open them no matter what."

"But we can hardly see as it is!" piped up Laurence. "Surely it wouldn't make much of a difference?"

"Ya can still see though. It ain't completely dark. Besides, suppose we go somewhere light? Close them. Now."

They reluctantly closed their eyes.

Seeing they were firmly shut, Raph led them down the corridor, his heart thumping. He studied each door and corridor they passed, trying to find the one he wanted. It was harder to recognize where he was without a nearby light source, but he was just able to not get lost and go in the right direction.

He stopped when he came to the one that he thought was the right one… only it didn't have the notice it usually had on the door. He didn't think about that as he opened the door and swung his arms forward, causing the two Human Hybrids to stumble into the room.

"Okay, both of ya have ta stay here 'til I return. I'll be back soon, all right? Just… just keep yer eyes closed."

"Where are we?" Laurence asked, his hands covering his face.

"I can't tell ya dat. Just… just wait for me to come back," Raph told him. He had started to close the door when Foxglove grabbed hold of his arm.

"No," she said. "You're not going anywhere without me."

Raph stared at her angrily, moving his arm out of her grasp. "Ya can't come wit' me. It's too dangerous! There's every chance a monster will come and attack ya!"

"So? I trust you to keep me safe," retorted Foxglove, taking hold of him again. "You said you would and you will. I'm coming with you. The end."

Raph unwillingly gave up. He didn't have the time to argue with her. He walked out of the room with her. "Lezz go, then. Laurence, ya can stay. It'll be safer if we all don't go."

"You're leaving me all by myself?" asked Laurence. "With a group of monsters?"

"Do ya wanna come with us?"

"No! I'll stay. I mean, it's not like I would be able to help."

"Yer right. I'll be back; just stay there and don't open yer eyes," he told him, closing the door and running back down the corridor with Foxglove. He felt slightly bad for leaving Laurence like that, but he didn't really have much of a choice.

"Raph…" Foxglove started.

Raph shook his head before remembering she couldn't see him. "I don't think this is a good time to-"

"I need to tell you something."

He paused. "What?"

"Keep running. I'll tell you on the way."

He did so, his heart racing. For a terrifying moment, he thought she was going to confess an undying love for him.

She bowed her head slightly. "I'm saying this now, because I might not have the chance to later."

She lifted her head, her eyes still shut.

"…Thanks… for everything."

"Oh…" He grinned. "You too."

"No. There's more." She shifted her hand and gripped his tightly. "Ages ago, I told you I went to the toilet and overheard the Lord talking to the servant about your brother. I... didn't let on as much as I said. We're going to die soon, so I might as well tell you all of it."

Raph grunted.

"One of the students had dared me to go into the room we're not allowed to go into. It's... the Lord's wife's room. The student... Fang... dared me to, so a stupid part of me said yes. He told me if I did the dare, people would like me more. I snuck in and waited a bit before leaving. I didn't want to tell you in case you told the Lord and I got into massive trouble. Anyway, I... I heard the Lord talking to the servant and hid..."

"Is there a point to this story?"

He felt her whack the back of his head.

"Fine! I'll leave out the bit where he said... your brother's name."

"Ya knew who he wanted the whole time? Who is it?"

"Oh, now you're interested. I didn't want to tell you in case you left... but he wants Leonardo."

Raph stopped running and stared at her. "You serious?"

"I'm positive. What, you think I'd lie at a time like this? He wants Leonardo. What for, I don't know. He has a blue mask like yours and-"

"I know what he looks like. I have lived with him all my life."

"Do you know why he wants him?"

"... No. Now let's get movin'."

They resumed their journey.

They came to a stop outside their destination- Warumagi's office. Raph put his hand around the door handle and pulled half-heartedly, not expecting it to open. He wished he had thought ahead and thought of a way to open it before going there. However, to his surprise, it opened very easily. Or, as Raph thought to himself suspiciously, too easily.

Behind the door was a large, ferocious creature with brown fur and a pink tail. It growled, its whiskers trembling as it breathed loudly. Everything about it was dirty, from the tip of its large claws to the end of its snout.

Raph was reminded of a seemingly quiet, giggling mouse hybrid.

"I can hear something…" Foxglove said loudly. "Don't tell me that it's what I think it is."

"I won't then," Raph told her, really wishing he had his sai right now. He should have gotten them before coming here, but now wasn't the time to think about what he could have done. He backed away, taking a confused Foxglove with him. The creature stepped towards them, scrutinizing their movement.

He turned to Foxglove. "Ya know how ya said earlier dat ya trust me?"

"Yeah…"

"Ya gonna have ta trust me even more," he said. "Remember the obstacle courses we did in those physical lessons?"

"The ones you did oh so well on?" she remarked bitterly. "Yeah, why?"

He grabbed both of her hands and pulled her onto his back. "Hold on tight."

He bent his legs and jumped over the creature, heading towards Warumagi's office. It roared, spinning around and hitting its tail against the door frame. Raph reached the end and shut the door firmly behind him, prior to frantically searching the room with his eyes. The brightness of the room contrasted with the darkness outside, and it took a moment for his eyes to readjust. His eyes fell upon the Lord's desk, and he spotted what he was looking for.

He picked up the teleporter and stared at it. It resembled a silver pocket watch though instead of numbers on its face, it had a series of buttons and a small, rectangular screen near the top. He held it at an arm's length, trying to make out what the screen was. Near him, he could hear what used to be Squee… no, it was still Squee… trying to open the door. He smiled, glad that she seemed to have difficulty opening them. However, it turned into a frown instantly when he looked back at the teleporter.

It was one of those times he wished that he was Donatello. It didn't take him long to figure out how to use a piece of technology. Don could find something at a junkyard and be able to work out what it used to be in seconds, before fixing it so he could use it. He was practically the internet in the shape of a humanoid. If it was him there, he would be able to function the teleporter in a matter of moments.

But it wasn't Don who was holding it; it was Raph.

He gazed at the unsuspecting Foxglove. She knew how to work the teleporter, but he didn't think that she would desert him. He doubted she would want to leave him in a school of ravenous monsters. Yet, he couldn't leave her by herself either. He looked back down at the teleporter.

"What are you doing?" asked Foxglove impatiently. "That... thing sounds like it's going to break in and kill us at any moment. And next time, give me a bit of a heads up before you take me for a ride. I nearly had a heart attack." She frowned heavily. "Where are we?"

He quickly examined the device. There were some co-ordinates on the small black screen. His eyes drifted down to the bottom of it, where there was a green button. He didn't know what they meant or what they did, but he was about to find out.

"Foxglove?" he said, holding onto it tightly.

"Yeah, what?"

"Ya know how I said I was gonna keep ya safe?"

"Yeah?"

He pressed the green button. In front of him, a strange doorway of colours appeared. He closed his eyes, throwing his arm forward as he did so. Foxglove let go of him and lurched into it. She shrieked in surprise before disappearing through the doorway. It melted away as soon as she was completely through it, meaning that Raph was alone.

For now.

He breathed deeply, staring at where his friend had been standing a second before. All he had to do was to go back to Laurence and get him out of the school. Then… then…

He didn't know what would happen after that, but he would figure out the rest of his plan later.

Squee managed to break down the door and came in, fuming. Behind him, he could hear the door on the other side of the room open. He turned his head and saw that more creatures were coming out. He growled, clenching his fists. Laurence could wait.

He was getting his sai first.

Raph leaped onto Squee's head and pushed off it, leaping out of the room. He ran down the corridor and closed the door behind him. His room was close by, thankfully. Not wanting to hang around, Raph tore down the corridor and rounded the corner. All was going well until he reached his room's corridor… and found two large creatures in it.

They turned to him as soon as he was in their line of sight. He stumbled forward a bit, before standing up straight and stopping in his tracks.

"Ooh… kay," he said, his eyes darting between them and his door. If he ran forward, they would attack him. He couldn't take down one large mutant monster, let alone two. This would take some thinking outside of the box.

If there ever was someone who thought outside of the box, it was Michelangelo. No one quite understood where he was coming from or his thought process, but sometimes this was a good thing. If his brothers couldn't figure out what he was doing then neither could his opponents. Granted, some of his ideas didn't work, but they always put a smile on their faces. A smile was all they needed to get that extra boost and hope needed to win. Also, he was great at avoiding fights. He knew exactly what ticked people off or distracted them, and could use this to his advantage.

Raph walked towards them, his hands behind his back. The creatures watched him guardedly, preparing themselves. He moved so he was standing in between them and grinned darkly. He curled his right hand into a fist and punched one of them in the face.

The creature snarled, lashing out at him. Raph dodged out of the way, watching the creature punch the other one by accident. It barked and jumped onto its comrade, clawing at its face. The two creatures started to have a mad fight on the ground, trying to rip each other's face off.

Raph slipped into his room and caught sight of his sai, which were sitting on his end table. He picked them up and attached the teleporter to his belt. Feeling a lot better prepared, he decided that it was time to get back to Laurence and teleport him home.

He left his room, the two creatures oblivious as they wrestled each other. Raph glanced at them, smiling, before heading to the room he had left Laurence in. He hoped he was all right. He hadn't been gone for very long, but there was still every chance a creature had slipped in and-

He shook his head. No. No. He had promised Laurence that he would make sure he wouldn't be harmed. He had promised him that he would be okay. Laurence had to be unharmed. He just had to be.

Raph rounded the corner and saw three 'students'. He quickly reversed before they could see him. They sniffed the air and left the corridor. When he was sure they were gone, he bolted down the corridor and looked around the corner. The creatures were still there, studying the area. Raph waited until they were facing away from him before going to one of the doors near him and opening it. Then, he shut it as loudly as he could.

The creatures jumped, turning around and running to the source of the noise. They began to beat the door with their fists, snarling viciously.

Raph, who was hiding around the corner, snuck past the distracted creatures and went down the rest of the corridor.

The next few ones were empty; however, the penultimate corridor that led to the room Laurence was in was occupying one of the creatures. Raph curled his mouth. It was standing right in front of the corridor that led to the one Raph needed to go through, like it knew he wanted to go there.

Raph narrowed his eyes and twirled his sai. It looked as though he was going to have to fight this one.

He ran forward. Now wasn't the time to be stealthy. Now was the time for a fast, surprise attack. He kicked the creature in the face, knocking its head against a wall. It howled, trying to grab him. Raph ducked, feeling it break the air above his head, and swung his leg at its chest.

The creature stumbled sideways, relocating its head so it was facing him. It tried to land a blow on Raph's face with its fist, but he caught its hand with his sai. Then, gritting his teeth, he used all his strength to twist the creature's arm. It looked upwards, screaming. Raph jumped back, waiting for it to try and attack him again.

The creature bounded towards him, bowing its head as it made to headbutt him. Raph turned around and sprinted towards the wall behind him. He ran up it before pushing off, zooming over the approaching creature's head. It crashed into the wall and got its head stuck.

Raph turned his sai around in his hands, so he was holding the blades. He went up behind the creature and slammed the handles into its back. It flailed wildly, failing to remove its trapped head. Panting heavily, Raph kicked its bottom, pushing it even deeper into the wall. The creature twitched, before jerking its head back and hitting the wall behind it. As soon as Raph saw the wall crumble and reveal its freed head, he kicked it with his foot and pushed it to the ground. The creature moaned before falling unconscious.

He watched it briefly before heading down the corridor towards Laurence. He reached it and walked into the room, putting his sai away and flicking the light switch. The room lit up.

"Laurence?" called Raph, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "Don't worry, I found a way ta get ya…"

The room was devoid of life.

"…Out."

He ran around the room, opening and closing things. Where had he gone? None of the creatures should have been able to find him. Warumagi shouldn't have been able to locate him. The only way Laurence could have been discovered was if he had opened his eyes, made lots of noise and attracted the creatures or… if he had left.

"Coward!" Raph shouted, punching the bed. The pillow flew into the air and landed on the ground, revealing a piece of paper that had been underneath it.

He picked it up and read it.

I have to know the rest! And fast! Where´s Laurence? And Foxglove? What´ll happen to "the students"? Please, I want to know! *makes puppy eyes*

All in due time, Cat. All in due time. ;)

Oh no! Laurence is a spy for Warumagi, I just know it!

Maybe. :O

Dear Mommy

Daddy says I'm not allowed to go in here, but I ignored him. I know you always told me to do as I'm told, but I had to put this letter somewhere. I didn't know where to leave this because Heaven is too far away, so I left it under your pillow. I hope you can still read it.

Why did you have to die, Mommy? I wasn't ready for you to go away. I never got to say goodbye or tell you how much I loved you. I really hope you know this now, because I don't think I said it enough times when you were here.

We really need you. Daddy hasn't been himself. He spends all day in the basement, and he doesn't teach me anymore. You said I need a good education so I can get a job, but he doesn't seem to care. All I do now is go to the dancing hall and dance. As much as I enjoy it, it can never be as good as the time I spent with you.

Sometimes, I wake up crying in the night. I start to go to your room, only to remember you're not there. I used to do that when I was little. You would tell me that it was all right and there weren't any monsters under my bed, and I would feel better. Now, though… There's no one to tell me there aren't any monsters.

I don't like being with Daddy. He's always angry and snappy. I know he was angry and snappy a bit before you died, but he was never like that with me. He used to think the world of me... of us. He would paint pictures of us all the time, when we were younger. Remember?

I remember the times when you both used to argue with each other. I don't like remembering them. You both tried to do it when you thought I wasn't there, but I sometimes saw you two fight each other. I really hated it when you fought and I always wished you would stop and love each other again.

You were supposed to love each other, yet you did so much fighting with one another.

Maybe that's why you died. Maybe you had a really big fight and that made you sick. I wish I had been there when you died, but I had been asleep in bed.

Sometimes, I go to your room and open your closet. I love the piano music that comes out of it. It reminds me of the times we'd dance to it, twirling and jumping around. It's like you're here again.

I remember you telling me something a few days before you died. 'Look where the piano plays and find your face. There, you'll find the secret of this place.' I never understood that. This place doesn't have any secrets... I wish you had been able to tell me what it means.

I make lots of wishes nowadays… like… I really wish that we could be together again as a family. When I die, I hope I get to be with you forever.

Promise you will wait for me. Cross your heart and swear that you will wait for me to come up to Heaven and be with you.

Love you with all my heart and more,

Blossom Warumagi

Ah! I knew it! Blossom´s Warumagi´s daughter! That poor kid...
This letter was so adorable and it´s really well written! Nice job Livi!

Yep. Poor Blossom indeed. T_T

Thanks. :3

Sigh poor blossom. [img]/users/1512/33/48/02/smiles/35517.gif[/img]

Nice job Livi! Can't wait to read the rest!

It's not going her way, is it? xD

Thank you. =)

The piece of paper fell to the ground.

No…

It had to be a different Blossom. The one Raphael knew and the one who had been Warumagi's daughter… they couldn't be the same person. It didn't make sense. Human Hybrids started off as animals, not humans. Besides, Warumagi's daughter was dead. They simply couldn't be the same person.

Raphael clenched his fists, his hands yearning to wrap around something and hurt it. Warumagi couldn't have turned his own daughter into a Human Hybrid. The Lord wasn't exactly the sanest person, but he couldn't be that delusional… could he?

He hadn't noticed himself close his eyes and opened them. He didn't want to be in there anymore. He wanted to escape, only... he didn't know what lay outside for him. He didn't know what to do next. He felt pathetic; he was a sitting duck while Warumagi took his time doing whatever he wanted. Growling, he punched a nearby wall. Withdrawing his hand, he caught sight of a loose bit part of wallpaper.

Wanting to damage something... wanting to prove that he still had power... he ripped it off. After hearing it tear satisfyingly, he stepped back to admire the result of his action.

Underneath the wallpaper was a dull white wall. However, he was far more interested in the black marks that were on it. He couldn't see them completely, but he could make out the letters 'Look w'. Puzzled, Raph scratched around the tear he had made and began to pull off more wallpaper, so he could see whether there was any more writing.

There was. He scratched around the rip in the wallpaper, revealing more letters and words as slithers of paper fluttered downwards and fell onto the floor. His fingers began to ache, but within minutes he had stripped off enough wallpaper to read the entire message. He shook his hands, wincing, as he read what it said.

Look where the piano plays and find your face. There, you'll find the secret of this place.

"It said dat on the letter," Raph said to no one, his voice a lot louder and gruff than he remembered. He rested his hand on his chin, mulling it over.

There wasn't a piano in the room, and his face was… well, on him. It had to mean something else, but he didn't know what. He had the feeling that it wasn't supposed to be taken literally, but metaphorically. Raph narrowed his eyes. It would take him far more time than he had to figure it out.

Suddenly, the room's door creaked open. Raph got out his sai and held them out in front of him. He was about to pounce on the new arrival when he noticed how short the person was.

"Raph?" Katrina took a few cautious steps forward before catching sight of him. Her eyes filled with tears as she rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso. Raph looked at her, unsure of what she was doing. "It's really you!"

"Who did ya think it was?" he asked coldly, remembering how she had betrayed him. "There aren't dat many non-monsters here."

"I thought… I thought that one of the students had eaten you," she explained tearfully. "When the Lord said he was going to hunt you three down, I was really worried. Then… then Laurence… he opened his eyes and we could see where he was. He ran out of the room, but the Lord knew you would come here. He… he sent me and told me to tell him if you were here…"

"Are ya gonna tell him?" asked Raph.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "I… I can't work for him… not after he turned all those students into monsters! How… How could he do such a thing?"

Raph blinked. "Ya didn't know he was doin' dat?"

She shook her head furiously. "There were… some things he never told me. He told me what he was telling you. He said he graduated them and sent them away. He said… said nothing about destroying who they were and changing them into… what… what they are now! I'm so sorry Raph!" She began to cry again. "I should never have helped him! I shouldn't have ever helped him look for Leonardo!"

Having heard this from Foxglove, he wasn't too surprised. "Do ya know why he wants him?"

She twitched slightly, sniffing. "He didn't tell me why, but he says he needs him. He says that with him, he can fix everything. But I don't know what he wants to fix. It doesn't matter though. I'm not helping him anymore! I… I quit! I just want everything to get better."

Raph gazed down at the miserable little girl hugging him and embraced her, letting her sob into his plastron. She held him tighter, her knees bending and facing each other. She was no longer the serious servant that had been avoiding him for so long. She was broken... a ragdoll in his arms.

"Don't cry," he told her. "Everythin' will get better, ya'll see. Come on." He gently prised her off him. Her lower lip trembled as she let out the tears she had bottled up over the years. He walked away from her and went to the large wardrobe near them. "Lezz see if there's somethin' in here ta mop ya up with."

He opened the doors, revealing the brightly coloured garments stored inside it. Then, after a few seconds, some music began to play. Soon, the sound of a piano tinkling softly filled the room.

Raph widened his eyes and twisted his head around, reading what it said on the wall. It didn't mean a real piano; it meant the wardrobe. It had to.

Katrina followed his gaze and frowned, bewildered. "What… What is that on the w-wall? Is it some writing?"

"It's a long story," he answered, searching through the contents of the wardrobe. "I found it under the wallpaper. I think dat it means this. It wants me to look for somethin' in here, but I don't know what."

Katrina stood where she was for a moment, watching him rummage through the clothes. She didn't know why, but she joined him by his side and reached into the wardrobe. She began to take some of the clothes out, throwing them behind her so the wardrobe began to slowly empty.

"She… has a lot of clothes…" commented Raph, getting his arms tangled in a purple dress. It clung to him like he had glue all over his arms. "How'd she find the time to wear dem all?"

"It might just seem like a lot because you don't wear clothes," Katrina pointed out quietly, tossing a fluffy blue cardigan over her shoulder. She caught sight of something and pointed at it. "What's that?"

At the back of the wardrobe, near the top, was a small porcelain ballerina. It rotated slowly, its tiny eyes gazing lifelessly ahead. Its matchstick thin leg pointed backwards while the rest of its body tilted forward. Its body was white and pink, but it was something shiny that grabbed their attention. Its arms were above its head, forming a large circle, and in the gap between its dainty hands was a silver key.

Raph jumped, grabbed the key and landed next to Katrina. He held the object in his hands, examining it carefully. Was the message referring to the key? It most likely was, but he was still presented with the problem of not knowing what to do next. What was it supposed to unlock? And didn't the next part mention a face? He put the two together.

He had to unlock a face?

He didn't see how that made any sense.

It said that he had to find his face… but his face was on the front of his head. He knew where it was. He didn't need to find it.

It was something he wouldn't be surprised to hear Master Splinter say. He was always churning out proverbs and sayings that didn't seem to mean anything at first. However, sooner or later. a situation would arise where it would mean something to them. Splinter was wise and he always had an answer to life's mysteries. If it wasn't for him, Raph and his brothers would have perished long ago. Splinter could easily make sense of things that weren't what they appeared to be. He could come up with solutions to practically anything. If he was running for president, Raph would vote for him in a heartbeat.

Raph clenched his fist, the key digging into his skin.

What if he thought about it in a slightly different way? If his face was somehow lost, where would he find it? Where would he be able to see his face?

Thinking, he looked away from the wardrobe and surveyed the room. A bed? No… his face wouldn't be on his bed. The bookcase? He doubted that his face would be there. The vanity?

He stared at the mirror on it, his face gazing back at him. He lowered his eyes and saw the vanity's small drawer.

He grinned, not explaining to Katrina as he ran to it. He gave the drawer a tug and found that it was locked. He loosened his grip on the key, before finding the keyhole in the drawer and inserting the key into it. He turned his fist and was rewarded with a loud 'click'. He let go of the key, which stayed in place, and opened the drawer.

Katrina had moved next to Raph without him noticing. She looked down at the single piece of paper inside of it, slightly disappointed. Raph picked it up hesitantly. He hoped that it wasn't a letter of some sort, because he was beginning to grow sick of them. However, it turned out that it wasn't one.

It was an article from a newspaper.

SCIENTIST BURNT ALIVE

Last week (Wednesday), the residence of Julian Walters burnt down. A neighbour reported the fire at 2.00am, and the fire brigade arrived shortly after. Unfortunately, it was too late and although a body was not found in the building, it is believed that he perished in the fire.

Walters, 32, had up until last month been a scientist working for an Animal research clinic that studies various organisms, and tries to find new cures for incurable diseases. However, he was forced to resign after it was discovered that he had been researching and attempting to find out how to create half human, half animal creatures, which went against what the research clinic stands for. He was to attend court a few days after.

The article most likely went onto another page, but the other side of the paper only had an advertisement for a new dating agency. Raph turned the piece of paper over so he could look at the article again. Beneath it was a black and white photograph of a man. He looked young and was smiling slightly at whoever was taking the picture. However, someone had drawn in red ink on the photo, outlining the main features of his face.

The photo was roughly twenty-five years old, but Raph could still see the resemblance between Julian and a certain someone.

"Raph…" Katrina pulled at his arm gently. "Does he… Julian… remind you of someone?"

"Yeah." Raph clenched his fists, scrunching up the article. "It all makes sense now. They are the same people. Blossom… He's sick."

Katrina stared at him. "What makes sense? Raph, what are you talking about?"

"Come on." He walked towards the door.

She went after him. "Where are we going?"

"To see the Lord."

Katrina froze, a horrified expression on her face. "The… The Lord? Why would you want to go to him? He wants to kill you, remember?"

"It's hard to forget."

"So why do you want to go to him? Surely it would be better to hide from him so he can't get you!"

Raph stopped walking and turned to face her, a sad expression on his face. "Kitty, I can't do dat. It wouldn't be right."

"What, dying is the right thing to do?" she asked, a touch of frustration in her tone.

"I never said dat," he told her angrily. "Look, I can't jus' sit here and let him do what he wants. I have to stop him."

"Stop him from doing what? Killing you? Because you can, if you stay here."

"Kitty, stayin' here won't do nothin'. He'll find me eventually, and den what? I have to try and stop him before he hurts anyone else… even if it means hurtin' me."

Katrina realized she wasn't going to win this argument. She lowered her gaze. "I… I understand. If you think it's right… I can't stop you. But what about me?"

"Ya can stay here if ya want. You will be safe until someone finds ya. If ya come wit' me, he'll know about ya double crossin' him, but I'll try and protect ya. It's yer choice. I can't make it for ya."

Raph left the room. He tried to close the door behind him, but something got in the way and stopped him from doing so. A small, black shoe was wedged between the doorway and the door. He raised his head and looked into the eyes of Katrina, who was staring at him determinedly.

"If you're going, then I'm coming with you!" she said, opening it and slipping through the gap. Her body was shaking and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to keep still. "It's the least I could do, for all the bad things I did."

"But the Lord made ya do dem," said Raph. "Yer free now. Ya don't have ta do anythin' ya don't wanna do."

"I want to come with you," Katrina assured him stubbornly. "I… I want to do the right thing too. I want to stop the Lord!"

Raph smiled at her. "Come on, den."

They ran down the hallway and entered another. The creature that Raph had knocked out earlier was still unconscious, its head lying in a small pile of rubble. Raph walked past it, making sure that Katrina was walking very closely behind him. He was clutching his sai, his knuckles a lot more pale than usual.

In the next corridor, there were two Human Hybrids. They saw him as soon as he went around the corner, so he couldn't quickly try and hide. Raph watched them, snarling. He felt Katrina grab hold of his left arm and squeeze it. He looked over his shoulder at her, catching sight of what he guessed was the reason Katrina had tried to get his attention.

Three of them were behind him, moaning as they approached him and Katrina. Raph turned his head to and fro, guardedly watching them. Katrina gulped, holding onto Raph's arm so tightly that he was beginning to lose feeling in it.

He yanked it away from her and shook his arm irately. "Shell, Kitty, I still need it."

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "There's too many of them to fight."

Raph didn't want to admit that she was right. He had taken down one but five at the same time didn't really appeal to him. Unfortunately for him, it didn't look like he had much of a choice.

"Stay where ya are," he told her curtly, before running forward and starting a fight with the two creatures in front of him. The other three bounded towards Katrina and she froze, bracing herself. However, they just went past her and began to brawl with Raph. She relaxed slightly and watched the fight.

Raph kicked one of them in the face, causing the creature to stagger backwards. One of the creatures brought its fist towards his head, but Raph ducked at the last moment, causing the creature to thump one of the others.

It screamed, leaping over Raph's crouched figure so it could pounce onto its attacker. The other three snarled, waving their arms like crazy, most likely saying in monster language, 'We have a turtle to kill, remember?'

The two creatures stopped and nodded slightly, looking back at Raph.

He scratched his head. Why did they attack each other? They obviously knew that they were meant to take him down, yet they fought each other when hit. It was like they had mistaken their attacker for him.

One of the creatures suddenly punched him. Raph flew backwards and skidded across the ground, a long graze forming on the left side of his body. He growled, sitting up and spitting.

The five creatures ran to him. They lurched forward, but he rolled out of the way. They slid across the ground, stopping just before they reached Katrina, and were back on their feet within a few seconds. She trembled, stepping away.

Raph stood up, ignoring the stinging pain in his arm and leg. He groaned, wiping his mouth. His scratched hand had blood smeared across it, which made him remove his gaze from it and look at his opponent.

"There has ta be an easier way," he muttered, looking around. "Argh, why does it have ta be so dark?"

A grin spread onto his face. He looked at Katrina. "Kitty, do ya know a way to get the lights back on?"

"What? Oh, the switch is probably somewhere around here," she said. "They usually aren't on during the day, so now all the windows have been blocked, there's hardly any light."

"Find the switch and turn dem on," he told her.

He ran forward and punched one of the creatures in the face. It absorbed his blow and jerked its head forward, knocking him to the ground. Raph moved away from them, going backwards on his hands and knees. The creatures advanced towards him little by little, grunting. Raph got to his feet shakily, holding up his fists. His sai were somewhere behind him, having been knocked out of his hands at some point.

Two of the creatures attacked him at once, and he only just managed to get out of the way. Another one ducked its head and rammed his legs. Raph moaned as he rolled backwards on the ground.

He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

He could see one of them look down at him, an inhuman glint in its eyes. He held out his hands in front of him. If it landed on him, it would have to go through them first.

It was about to slam into him when the room suddenly filled with light. The creatures reared their heads and howled, clutching their heads. Raph got to his feet and used the last of his strength to let out a mad series of punches and kicks. The creatures, unable to defend themselves, soon lay battered on the ground.

Katrina approached Raph and beamed at him. "You did it! That was amazing."

He shrugged, trying to stay modest. "You were the one who turned the lights on."

"You told me to though!" she said, laughing. "Wow, that was amazing! How did you know they didn't like the light?"

"The one I met about a month ago at night was a challenge, but the one dis afternoon was a lot weaker... and I guessed dat it was 'cause it was out in the light. If he keeps dem in his basement and only lets dem out at night, they ain't gonna be used to the light." He paused, before adding, "If we put on all the lights, we can get to Warumagi's office a lot quicker."

They sprinted down the length of the corridor. Katrina, whose knowledge of where everything was nearly flawless, went into the darkness and turned the lights on. The six creatures that were in the new corridor began to shriek and stumble in random directions. Raph and Katrina went past them.

The same process continued until they were outside Warumagi's office. They stood in front of the door.

Raph looked at Katrina. "Here we are. Once we go in, there ain't no turnin' back."

"And what would I be turning away from?" she asked him, gesturing towards the whining creatures behind her. "This?"

He nodded and opened the door, and the two of them went in.

Next time:

"No offence Mikey, but your aim's really bad."

OYG! It was so turtletastic! The riddle, the secret, the way of fighting the creatures! Livi, this story´s a work of art!

AMAZING!!!! Love this story sooo much! I can't wait until the next chapter. If Mikey's in it I hope that means Leo and Don are too!

Aw... you're both too kind. :)

And as for the quote... we'll see. ;D

C'mon, I must know what's next! Hurry!!

Hehe, I'll be as fast as I can.

There's a few chapters left.

They crept down the corridor, their breath caught in their throats. Before, Raph had found the paintings on the walls disturbing. Now, he couldn't bring himself to even glance at them. It was hard for him to think that the young girl with the bright red hair had once been his best friend.

They reached the end of the corridor. Katrina touched the door that had behind it the Lord's office. What else lay behind it? Her future, most likely... if she even had one. On one hand, if they were to confront Warumagi and win, she didn't know what would become of her. This place had been her life. On the other hand, were they to confront Warumagi and lose, she wouldn't have a life, let alone a future.

But what life did she have here? She was a servant, forced to do whatever her Lord told her to do. She was told to do things she knew were wrong and things she didn't understand. Did she want things to stay the same?

"Yer free now. Ya don't have ta do anythin' ya don't wanna do."

"I want to do the right thing. I... I want to stop the Lord too!"

She scrunched up her face. She had made her choice. She couldn't turn back.

"Kitty." She looked up at the sound of her name, jumping slightly. Raph got out the teleporter and pressed it into her hands. "Put this safe. If somethin' bad happens, I don't want him havin' it. Yer got better hidin' places than me, what with all yer clothes and all."

She nodded, turning away from him and slipping it somewhere.

When she had hidden it, she opened the door and they walked in cautiously. The lights were on and it was seemingly deserted. Raph studied the room suspiciously. "Where are all the monsters?"

"Elsewhere," answered Katrina.

"Yeah, I kinda figured dat out by myself."

"They're around..." The door leading to the basement opened, and Warumagi emerged with a large grin on his face. "... Looking for you. Fortunately, it seems that they can halt their search, seeing as Katrina has brought you here. For once, I'm actually pleased with you."

"What?" exclaimed Katrina. "What did I do?"

"You brought Raphael here so I could destroy him myself," laughed Warumagi, throwing out his arms and looking as though he was hugging a giant invisible ball. "I'm impressed you managed to trick him to come here."

"Oh…" Katrina's face flushed. "Well, um… about that, my lord… You see… I… I didn't really…"

"Take credit where credit is due," he said, standing on one foot and spinning in a circle. He clapped his hands and shook his head, grinning. "And I suggest you do, because before now you have been useless."

"She ain't useless," Raph snarled.

"You sound angry," Warumagi commented in mock concern. "Is something bothering you, Raphael?"

"You tell me… Julian."

Raph had never seen someone's expression change so quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said, his face twitching, "but what did you call me? My name is Benedict, not Julian."

"Dat was yer name after yer burnt yer house down," Raph told him coldly. "I read a very interestin' newspaper article, Warumagi. Or should I say Walters?"

Warumagi remained silent, his eyes bulging and his hands trembling as he resisted the urge to run forward and attack the mutant turtle in front of him.

Raph began to pace. "No wonder Donnie couldn't find out anythin' about ya… Ya changed yer name so you were a nobody."

"What are you talking about?" asked Warumagi, answering a bit too quickly. "I didn't do anything of the sort."

"They never found a body." Raph pointed at him. "'Cause ya never died. Ya lost yer job and you had ta go to court, so ya took the easy way out. Ya pretended ta die and went to live somewhere where no one knew ya."

"Lies!" hissed Warumagi, stamping his foot like a child does when they don't get their own way. "You're lying."

"And then ya met yer wife," Raph continued angrily. "Ya didn't tell her who ya really were and as soon as you could, ya married. Ya married her one year after ya met so you could live here, far away from everyone else. Seems a little suspicious, don't ya think? No wonder ya ripped up her diary."

Warumagi smirked, "I didn't rip it up."

"Ya did."

"No. Rest assured that I did no such thing. I haven't been in that room for years."

"Who else could have done it?" asked Raph. "The only people who knew about the room were you, me, Foxglove and…"

Raph turned his attention to Katrina.

"It… it was me." She scrunched up her fists, gazing at the ground. "When… When you went to the room the first time, I went in afterwards to inspect it and… and saw her diary out of place. I told the Lord… and he told me to rip it up so you couldn't read it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Bad servant," the Lord said coldly, striding forward and picking her up by her right arm. He shook her furiously. "I would have you beaten if you hadn't brought Raphael here."

"She didn't bring me here," growled Raph. "She's with me. We're gonna stop whatever yer tryin' ta do."

"Don't be foolish, she isn't with you. She tricked you," Warumagi retorted. He stared into Katrina's eyes. "You tricked him, didn't you? You're still my servant, aren't you?"

Katrina didn't answer him.

"Answer me!" he demanded, shaking her harder. "It's not a trick question, idiot."

"Let her go!" Raph's arm struck out and hit Warumagi in the face. He let go of her, withdrawing his arm and holding it against his chest. Katrina hid behind Raph, shivering. Raph positioned himself into a defensive stance, willing the headmaster to try and get near them.

"Katrina…" Warumagi gazed at her. "You don't want to be my servant anymore, do you? You want to work against me with him, don't you?"

"I wasn't your servant… I was your slave," she mumbled, only just loud enough for him to hear.

Warumagi's face burned with hatred. "I expected as much from you. You all want to ruin everything for me. I can't do anything without someone trying to stop me. First it was those stupid scientists at the clinic, then Mellissa and then…"

Something washed over his eyes. Regret?

"Then… Blossom got in my way." He lowered his head, his face pointing towards the ground.

Katrina gasped, covering her mouth. Then, fearfully, she looked at Raph. "When he says Blossom… does he mean…?"

"His daughter was Blossom," Raph confirmed, feeling his stomach churn. Saying it out loud, accepting it openly made him want to be sick. "Dat's why she never graduated, even though she was the smartest student here." He stared at Warumagi, gritting his teeth. "She was yer daughter, and ya turned her one of those Human Hybrids! Where'd ya get the other students from, huh?"

"I found them on the streets," Warumagi answered, his head still tilted forwards so they couldn't see his face. "I had such a range of teenagers. You wouldn't believe how many there were. I offered them a good home… ha ha… and I gave them one. All I had to was drive them to this far off place and get them into my special machine. You wouldn't believe how desperate they were… The mutation erased all the memories they had of their previous life, so the first thing they could remember was waking up here."

"Wol isn't a teenager," remarked Katrina.

Warumagi's body shuddered, acknowledging her statement. "He was my first successful test subject. He was an old work colleague… the only person who didn't look down on me because of my research. I took him under my wing." He chortled. "All the others before him had mutated to the extent that their DNA couldn't take it and broke down. He was my first successful test subject. Then, I started collecting other people."

"Where does yer wife come in?" asked Raph, clenching his fists.

"Melissa became suspicious. I admit I had, ah, neglected her and Blossom a bit. I couldn't help it. I needed to work. She went behind my back, scouring the internet and snooping around. She must have discovered that article about me. She must have realized who I was and what I was doing. She confronted me one night. I never thought she would turn on me. I thought she loved me. It went on for weeks, her threatening me. Saying if I didn't stop, she would report me to the police."

"So ya took the easy way out."

Katrina moved in front of him in case Raph tried to attack. And by the look on his face, he was considering it.

"It was not easy at all. I waited until she was asleep before moving her. As I put her into my machine, she woke up. I watched her change. She screamed in agony. It broke my heart... I hadn't expected it to be so horrific. Her reaction was not like the others before her. It was..."

A single sob escaped his body.

"Afterwards. it was just me and Blossom left. I couldn't stand to look at her. She resembled her mother so greatly. She had always been closer to her than me. She kept asking me questions like 'where's Mommy?' and when I said she was dead, she was heartbroken. She wouldn't do anything. She used to love dancing. She'd spend hours in my wife's room, opening her closet and dancing. She stopped doing that. She became empty. She wasn't the little ballerina girl I had always known. She was a ghost. Dead. I couldn't bear to see her suffer, so I thought she could do with a fresh start. She'd lost her mind... I just wanted her to be happy again..."

"What'd ya mean, she lost her mind?" shouted Raph in disbelief. "Yer the one who lost their mind! Ya changed yer family into… into mutants!"

"And I regret it. Melissa, see… it went wrong with her. Her body became unstable… I thought I was going to lose her… I made her a promise. I told her I would look after Blossom and make everything better. I intend to keep that promise... and more."

"More?" asked Katrina, taking advantage of the fact that for some reason, Warumagi was telling them his secrets. "What do you mean by… more?"

"I'm going to punish everyone for what they did to me. My name was in tatters after the press revealed my plans. I had only wanted to extend our knowledge of life so it could be put to good use, but no… Everyone thought I was a monster. Luckily, I had planned ahead, suspecting this would happen, and had this building made with the money I saved up. I will make the whole world pay for what they did to me!"

"And how do ya plan on doin' dat?" asked Raph, expecting a very unsettling reason.

"I am going to unleash my mutation on a large scale!" he explained, not disappointing him. "I plan on setting off a device that will emit the required radiation, causing people for hundreds of miles to absorb it and metamorphose. They will be my slaves, and I shall make them do what I want!"

"But… surely you don't have enough materials to do it on a mass scale?" Katrina said feebly.

"Well… admittedly, that is correct. Right now, its range would only contaminate those inside this building. I would need more materials," Warumagi said darkly. "Oh yes, much more... With a little extra money, I'll be able to afford everything I need. And that is where Leonardo comes in. All I have to do is contact my boss, and he will give me millions… no, billions of dollars!"

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Who wants Leo? Who's yer boss?"

Warumagi smirked, "Oh, don't you know?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be askin' ya, would I?" shouted Raph, his hands shooting out in front of him. Katrina gasped, grabbing hold of one of them. She longed to explain that Warumagi couldn't talk if he was bleeding on the ground, but she didn't want the Lord to change his mind about revealing his plan. She settled on gazing into his eyes pleadingly.

He shook her off, growling. After throwing her a withering look, he turned back to Warumagi. The man's face was still facing downwards, as though he didn't want them to see his face.

"Oh, you do know," Warumagi whispered, trembling. It took the other two a moment to realize he was fighting the urge to laugh. "You know him very well. That's why I know you so well. You and your brother. I know you all."

Raph flinched. Thinking Warumagi was playing with his mind, he snarled, "Ya know nothin' about me. Yer just a whack job."

"Yes," Katrina agreed, staring at the Lord coldly. "All these things you've done... You're crazy. Absolutely crazy. You're... You're inhuman!"

"Look who's talking," Warumagi scoffed, his body stilling. "You're disposable. Shall I tell you why?"

Katrina didn't say anything.

He recognized her silence as a reluctant interest. "I work with... some people. They created you and sent you here. You're not a real person. You were created in a lab with the sole purpose of serving me."

Anger washed over her eyes and when it settled, there was horror. "No. You're lying."

"I haven't lied up until now during this conversation, have I?"

She clutched her mouth, shaking her head. "You're lying. I am a real person. I have feelings."

Raph's eyes darted between the pair, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"You weren't born naturally." Warumagi's voice was quiet. "And once my long journey reaches its end... you have no reason to live. You only exist because of what I seek to do. Look at you. You're fighting against the very reason you are here today."

Her eyes filled with tears, the truth crushing her heart.

"You were created and sent to me, so you could help me achieve my goal. And my goal I shall reach so very soon. They will regret tossing out Julian Walters. They will wish they had never messed with me."

"I have one question," said Raph.

"Yes?"

"Why did ya tell us yer entire plan?"

Warumagi raised his head and grinned maliciously. It was rather startling. "To lull you into a false sense of security until my Human Hybrids arrived."

Katrina gasped as Raph straightened up and widened his eyes. "Say what?"

The lights suddenly went out, and the sound of growling and ripping filled the room.

TMNTNMT

The first thing Raph thought was, 'Am I dead?'

His body felt dead. It felt like he had been stuffed into a washing machine and hung out to dry. His body ached like crazy, but was he dead?

He should have been dead. The whole 'insane ex-scientist sending out monsters to eat him' thing had kind of proved that. Yet here he was, mulling over his existence. If he was dead, surely he wouldn't be able to think about whether he was dead? Of course, he had never been dead and wouldn't know, but still…

He opened his eyes. His surroundings would probably do a good job of telling him where he was.

He was chained to a wall in a dim room. Twisting his head to one side, he saw that Katrina was also tied to the wall. He attempted to break free, but the chains attached to him severely limited his movement. He growled, turning away from the unconscious Katrina and looking forward.

They were in what appeared to be a laboratory. It was stuffed full of complicated looking machines, as well tall forbidding glass pods. Beneath the pods were tubes, which all led to a strange dark green liquid in the middle of the room. The pods reminded him of his last visit to the Foot. Raph's frown deepened when he saw Warumagi, who was kneeling beside the liquid and dipping what looked like a thermometer into it. After a minute, he took it out and put it into one of the machines. He caught sight of Raph and smiled cruelly.

"You're awake," he commented, walking over to him.

"Lemme down," Raph told him quietly, shooting daggers at him with his eyes.

Warumagi raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you're awfully cranky today."

"Shut yer face," snapped Raph, "before I do it for you."

"I'm so frightened."

Raph tried to raise his hand and strike him, only to remember that he couldn't move his arm. Warumagi chuckled, striding away from him and holding his arms above his head.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

"I've seen better."

"Oh yes," sneered Warumagi sarcastically. "There are so many laboratories in the sewer system, aren't there?"

Raph was about to mention Donatello and Leatherhead when Katrina stirred. Sleepily, she gazed around, not taking in her surroundings for a few seconds. Then, she completely woke up and stared, open-mouthed, at her new location.

"Huh?" She tried to move her limbs, only to find that she couldn't. "Where… Where are w-we? Why aren't we d-dead?"

"You are in my workplace," Warumagi announced. "This is where my life's work lives, and it is where you will witness the start of a new dominant race."

"What?" said Raph dryly. "Yer not killin' us now?"

"Raph, don't give him ideas!" hissed Katrina.

"I have only chosen to let you live because death would be too pleasant for you," Warumagi explained. "No… you are going to be part of my new world. You are very lucky. It is such an honour to work for me."

Raph could just feel himself fill with excitement at the prospect of becoming a mindless monster.

"The three of you are going to be given a dose of my new concoction."

"Three?" Raph counted in his head. Him. Katrina… that was it.

"Laurence," Warumagi said, "you can go first."

"Laur-?" Raph saw the lemur hybrid get untied from the wall by Warumagi. He had been in a shadowy corner, explaining why Raph hadn't seen him until then. When he was free, Warumagi led him to the green pool in the middle of the room, before backing away so he could watch the next scene happen.

Laurence gulped, watching his shimmering reflection stare fearfully back at him. He turned to Warumagi, who made shooing gestures at him.

"Go on, I want to see it work," Warumagi said impatiently. "If you don't go in, I'll just feed you to one of my hybrids. They're starving."

Laurence trembled.

"Laurence, don't do it!" shouted Raph. "Ya can't join him. You won't be you anymore."

He looked at Raph, trying not to cry. "What can I do, Raphael?"

"Get us down," answered Raph. "If ya put ma sai in ma hands, I bet I can get myself down and get us all out."

"There's no hope," Warumagi told him.

"There's no hope," repeated Laurence. "You said that if I trusted you, everything would be alright."

"Ya didn't though," Raph retorted. "I said dat ya would be safe if ya stayed in dat room, and ya didn't."

"What? Stay in there?" burst out Laurence, raising his voice for the first time Raph had known him. "Stay in there while everything was getting destroyed around me? Why should I trust you? You said that Blossom was okay, but you lied."

"We didn't know. Me... Foxglove... You... We had no-"

"It wasn't me, you, Foxglove and Blossom. It was you, Foxglove and Blossom. None of you wanted me around."

"We did, it was just-"

"You never told me stuff. You all had your secrets while I was on the outside, all alone," he cut in. "No matter what I did, I just wasn't good enough for you! I wasn't good enough to be your friend."

"You were our friend; it's just dat-"

"No!" Laurence shook his head. "I was stupid. My only true friend was Charles, and he got expelled. It was my fault… I didn't stop him… I ran away like a coward."

"And what are ya runnin' into now?" he asked. "I'll tell ya what yer freakin' runnin' into. Ya runnin' into the worst thin' ya could do."

"Charles doesn't deserve to be one of them," Laurence mumbled. "He didn't break any promises… I was the one that did… I deserve to be one of them, not him."

"No one deserves to be one of them!" Katrina said. She looked pleadingly at Warumagi, "Please tell him that it wasn't his fault."

The Lord said nothing.

"It's time for me to get what was coming," Laurence said, clenching his fists. "It's time for me to be punished."

"Please." Katrina's lower lip trembled. "You have a life. You have a purpose."

Raph raised a single eye ridge. "What would Foxglove say if she saw ya doin' this?"

Laurence's face became apprehensive. "She... Maybe I shouldn't..."

Warumagi, who had moved next to him unnoticed, yawned and pushed Laurence in.

"No!" screamed Katrina, jerking her body towards the pool as he sunk out of sight. She struggled, tears falling from her eyes. "No…"

He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. "He wasted so much valuable time."

"Y-You're a monster," she cried, the tears dripping off her cheeks and onto the cold hard floor. "How could you do that?"

"Well, it was simple. I just pushed-"

"If I could, I would kill ya!" Raph bellowed, struggling violently against the chains restricting his movement. His eyes were murderous.

"I gave him a choice!" argued Warumagi. "He didn't have to go into it. He could have been eaten by one of my minions. I just gave him... a nudge in the right direction."

"I don't know what's wron' with ya, but whatever it is... Yer sick."

"Look, tell you what, you can have the same choice," Warumagi told him. "You can choose to join me… or you can choose to be against me. You can choose to live under my rule… or you can choose to die today. Which one do you want?"

Raph forced himself to talk in as calm a voice as possible, determined not to show any fear or weakness, even during his last moments. "I would rather die than work for ya."

Warumagi looked at Katrina. "I didn't injure you much, because you can still take back your job as my servant. We'll leave everything in the past, if you take back your position. What's it going to be?"

"I've made my choice," she stated. "I'm never going back to you. I would rather have no purpose than work for you again."

Warumagi exhaled. "If you insist. I will just release my army and tell them that dinner is ready."

He went towards a red button that was on one of the walls.

Raph bowed his head. This was it. He had tried his hardest to save the world, yet he hadn't even been able to save himself. Fang… Charles… Blossom… Laurence… Katrina… The school… Everyone. He hadn't protected them. He had had the chance to fix things, but he had messed it up. He had thought that he didn't need his family, but it looked like he was wrong.

He did need them.

He needed them more than ever…

It was just a shame that it had taken him so long to realize that.

Warumagi was just about to press his hand onto the button when something flew past his hand, hitting the bit of wall next to it. He stopped, turning to the door.

"No offence Mikey, but your aim's really bad."