Nothing sucks quite as bad as the life of a hero. Ever wonder how bad they've got it off? Usually, something very traumatic has to happen to them before they even get into the hero business. Once that happens, they have to be constantly on call and be ready for anything that can go wrong. They have to be selfless and help people who may not necessarily deserve any assistance. I can guarantee you that heroes are injured a lot in their line of work—sometimes even killed. Some don't get anything more than a simple 'thank you' for what they do! Hell, some don't even get health insurance out of the whole deal!

But you know what? Heroes keep doing their job. That's commitment for ya.

This was one of those times Leonardo really regretted being the 'leader' of his brothers. He usually kept very close watch on his family at all times, but there were times where he couldn't fulfill his duties. Of course, being captured does through kinks into one's job, but Leo didn't even see this situation coming. He knew that his family often times got themselves into more trouble than they could dig themselves out of, but why did they have to bring April along too? Didn't they think she was safe at home?

Whatever. Leo continued to focus his mind, following his brother Donnie as he began to scope out the location of Stockman's lab. The rage in his lungs and heart just wouldn't leave him alone! He felt even more disturbed than Raphael, who was busy acing Foot Ninja while keeping their flock moving. They only had ten minutes before Hun's threats would begin to take hold, and Leo didn't trust Hun any farther than he could throw him. Mikey and Ninjara flanked the sides of the party, making sure no one else got themselves into trouble.

Don found the entrance to Stockman's lair within five minutes. Raphael did the honors of kicking the door down, blasting into the room like the hothead he was. Casey charged in after him, halting before he ran into a table. Michaelangelo bounded towards Hun, stopping only when the burly man's friends caught him and hurled him into a table. Ninjara, Don, and Leo were much more delicate about approaching the situation, not wanting to stir up any more trouble.

A terrifying scene lay before their eyes. Hun was standing in the center of the room, April held securely in his grasp. She looked like she had given him a run for his money, her hair a mess, but his strength ultimately overcame her struggles. Stockman stood to his right, rather composed despite the situation. Tai-Shen was to Hun's left, the mage's arms folded as he studied the group like prey. A strange glass section of the room had been closed off, blood smeared across the glass along with soot. Splinter lay next to the glass security doors, crumpled against it. Leonardo felt like someone had kicked him in the plastron, his face showing no signs of his internal weakness.

Baxter Stockman scoffed, "Five minutes, thirty one seconds. I thought you boys would be a little faster." The only part of him that remained vaguely familiar to the turtles was his face, the rest of his body a steel replica of something roughly humanoid-like in form. His left hand had been replaced with a gatling gun, a little something he had cooked up in his free time. He was at least roughly the size of a human this time. The last couple of times the turtles tangled with him, he was anywhere from towering over them to nothing larger than a dog.

Raphael crossed him arms, preparing to do the thing he loved best, "Hey, here's a brilliant idea, Stockman. Shut the hell up!"

"Ooooh! Surly!", Baxter hissed, bearing his teeth, "I wondered if you could talk with that pea-sized brain of yours!"

Hun became irritated with the situation, "Can it, the both of you!" He jerked April back over to his side, keeping her from squirming away again. If Hun enjoyed anything, he loved to manipulate a situation using hostages, "Unless, you want me to damage her pretty face . . .I could give her a complete make-over in fifteen seconds!"

Casey was more than willing to comply, which shocked Leonardo, "Look, buddy. We only want our friends back, okay?"

"Fine!", Hun sneered, wrapping his arm around April's shoulders, "First things first. Weapons on the front table, pronto! And the duffel bag!" She shuddered under the smell of his breath, trying to keep calm.

Leonardo was the first to obey, setting his katanas down gently. Raph snorted, then throw his sais into the metallic surface, lodging them in place. Don placed his bo staff on the table, then opened his bag and emptied its contents on the top. Ninjara rolled her eyes, but was willing to get along this time. Casey chucked his table leg in the far off corner—it was little more than garbage to him. Mikey finally relented, kissing his nunchakus as he set them on the table.

Hun's eyes narrowed as he smiled, a rare sight, "Good." Giving a quick glare to Stockman, he murmured, "Deactivate the security devices." He turned his attention back to the turtles, "Because of your cooperation, this will go much smoother."

Stockman grumbled as he went over to one of his many computers, typing in a few commands. The glass shields around the hemisphere portion of Baxter's lab slid back into place, releasing a foul scent like gasoline and dead animals. Leonardo carefully walked over to the entrance, keeping his palms opened so Hun, Stockman, and Tai-Shen would not attack him. He entered the glass hemisphere, picked up Splinter from the ground, and moved back out, making sure not to offend anyone. The rat was unconscious, although Leonardo was foggy about what quite had happened to him.

Stockman complained to himself, "Two weeks worth of work up in flames. Just peachy."

Tai-Shen suppressed laughing at him, his eyes narrowed slightly. Leonardo store back at the warlock, carefully placing Splinter's weapons on the table. Both were cautious about the other, like two stags in a forest. Taking his eyes off Tai-Shen for only a moment, Leonardo nudged his father, "Come on, Sensei. Gotta wake up."

"I'd suggest that you let him rest.", Hun snickered, playing with one of April's locks, "He's not going to fight for a little while, is he, April?"

She bit his hand, then tried squirming loose from Hun's arms. It barely phased Shredder's lackey, his other hand tightening the chains around April's waist. She was forced to stop, the constriction nearly crushing her back. He smiled cockily, hoisting her closer into his grasp once again. Casey nearly charged at Hun, but Michaelangelo held him back.

"Smart boy.", Hun complimented Mikey's thinking, "Wouldn't want to make this any more painful than it has to be, right?"

"Depends how far you want to let this go.", Raphael's eyes pierced into Hun's gaze, "What the hell happened here?"

Hun sighed, trying to control the situation once again, "I'll be asking the questions, freaks. And for the record, let's say your father tangled with . . .an old enemy."

Pausing to make sure everyone was still complying with his orders, Hun commanded, "From here on out, Tai-Shen will be dealing with you freaks. Do as he says, and I'll let the girl go."

Fair enough. Leonardo gave up trying to awaken his father, slinging the rat over his back. Ninjara scratched her nose, slightly irritated from this whole hostage situation, but if it was important to Raphael, she would do what it took. The group listened intently for their next set of instructions, Donnie's brain was furiously trying to come up with a plan. If there was just some way he could distract Hun for a moment so his brothers could get April . . .

Tai-Shen noticed Donatello thinking deeply, "So, you got my spell book, did you?" The sorcerer strolled over to the slightly shorter turtle, grabbing his old tome off the table. He checked it for damage, then threw it at the turtle, "What did you plan to do with this, really? You can't even read it!"

Don shrugged, opening the text again, "I thought maybe . . ." Tai-Shen slammed it shut again, snarling at him, "You thought wrong, freak." The human ripped the book out of Donnie's hands, opening it to the front page.

He explained the importance of the text, "This book has been passed down for generations. It is the book by which all of the Foot Clan Mystics learn their craft. It's a very complicated, shifty piece of work. You read it wrong, you could kill yourself. It's happened many a time." He flipped it to another page, checking for any more tears again, "Only one person can use it at a time, and that person is designated to be the leader of the Foot Mystic division. Guess who that is."

Tai-Shen laughed at Donatello's expression, reading his face like a magazine, "Tell you what, though. Humor me. I dare you to read it."

Leonardo's jaw dropped, almost beginning to argue with the mage. Raph shook his head, trying to avoid any complications. He hated being civil in dire crises, but April needed them to be orderly if they had a chance in hell of saving her. Mikey hid his face, hoping the worst wouldn't happen. Don cradled the book, staring at the text once again. It still was all gibberish to him.

Flipping to the front, he tried finding something in English or Japanese. All of it was still in some orient language, and he was beginning to doubt it was Chinese. There had to be something in the red-inked book that he could use to his benefit. He didn't want to accidentally kill anyone. The struggle for knowledge became much more frustrating than he thought it could be.

One of the lines of text began to glow a soft silvery blue, converting its strange symbols into plain English. Don read over it slowly, analyzing every word on the page like if he were studying for some kind of test. It seemed to call for a small piece of glass, so carefully Donnie picked a shattered piece off the ground from the massacred hemisphere. He looked at the decimated snake that lay inside, shivering for less than a second. He remembered that day too well—it was lucky that this time Splinter didn't need their aid.

All right, Don thought to himself, I can do this. I know I can. He held the piece of glass in between his index finger and thumb, then began to focus his mind. The text in the book kept running through his head, telling him what he needed to think. His brain started to tingle, the magic spell still being explained in his head. Finally, he fully understood the magic in front of him, his eyes opening with sudden surprise.

He crushed the glass in his hand, "Koppamijin!"

Glass begin to shatter all over the room, starting first with Stockman's computers. The hemisphere exploded in a vast shower of fragments, the walls and floors giving way. Lightbulbs above their heads hissed in a display of sparks, singeing Don's skin slightly. April screamed in fear as the room went dark, hoping that Hun wouldn't try to kill her without her friends being able to help her. Something heavy hit the floor underneath Stockman's lab. The snake's carcass had dropped to the next floor, crushing something under its deadweight. Everything became silence.

Someone spoke out of the darkness, "Akari!" Small burning orbs began to light up the lair in a dull orange glow, barely enough for anyone to see. The look on Tai-Shen's face was something of a mystery, a mixture of confusion and disgust. Tsukano's master before him told him that one day he would be overcome, just as Tai-Shen had overcame his own master before becoming leader of the Foot Mystics. Here was a diamond in the rough, and he already had penetrated the secrets from the Mystic clan spell book! What confused Tai-Shen even more was that this turtle, this scum, was pure in heart!

The book had found him worthy!

Tai-Shen snarled, "Hun! Let the girl go, and run. Get yourself, Stockman, and Oruku out of the building." The titanic warrior was confused, hesitating, "What are you doing?" Growling under his breath, Tai-Shen was impatient, "I have seen the sun set for the last time. I will take them with me!"

Hissing once more, Tai-Shen cried, "Eikoudan!" A flash of energy seared out of his hands, slamming backwards into the conscious party of heroes. Hun quickly obeyed orders at the sudden flare of magic, throwing April to the ground and signaling for Stockman to leave. He knew that the sorcerer was stalling so the Shredder could escape—and with any luck, maybe he would destroy one of them. Despite the fact that Hun thought of all the spell casters in the Foot clan were bookish nerds, he couldn't help but feel some respect towards the one that was bold enough to take on the entire group of Turtles on his own. Both the heavyweight and the scientist escaped, locking the door behind them.

Casey dashed over to April's side, yanking the chains loose and helping her untangle herself. He grabbed her off the floor, running behind a table and kicking it up for protection. She hugged his neck, sobbing into his shirt, "Thank you, thank you so much." Casey was a little stunned, unsure of how he should react to this. He gave her a quick hug, murmured, "Stay here.", then yanked a computer monitor out of the wall. Hey, he might not be Bill Gates's best buddy, but computers make great throwing weights!

Leonardo snatched his swords off the table, dragging Splinter next to April. He kept looking around, trying to make some kind of a plan. Mikey was already going offensive, his nunchakus already back in his loving grasp. Raphael was having difficulties yanking his sai back out of the table, which Ninjara snickered at. Don was hanging back for the moment, looking to Leonardo for directions.

Finally, Leo got an idea, "Can you find something in there to protect these two?"

Don nodded, his breath rushed, "I can try, but what else should I do?"

Leo shrugged in a hurried fashion, "I don't know! I've gotta go out and fight!"

Don agreed, his brother flying off in a river of blue ribbons. He sat down next to April, flipping through the text. Another blue line of words popped up out of nowhere, sending him another spell. He studied for a moment, his eyes lighting up with surprise. Touching the table, he whispered, "Kakumau." A soft blue shield wrapped around the table, pushing Donnie out from his spot. That would have to work for now. He went and found another spot to cast spells from, hoping he could continue to help his brothers.

Tai-Shen grabbed onto Michaelangelo's foot, sending a shocking pulse throughout his body. The turtle screeched in pain, dropping to the floor. Leonardo remembered when he had used that attack before to paralyze his master, and a flutter of terror trembled in his heart. He kept the warlock occupied, slashing at him with massive grace. Although he was a rounder man, the wu jen was able to dodge several of Leonardo's slashes, save for a few lucky ones. Leo was getting frustrated quickly.

Raphael tackled into the human in a screaming rage, pinning him to the ground. Ninjara back him up, finally getting a nice slice across his body. In a sudden act of anger, Tai-Shen cast a small fireball at his enemies' faces, both quickly turning away from him in an act of reflex. Ninjara patted the small flames off of her fur, keeping her from becoming a burning candle. She growled, restarting her attacks against Tai-Shen once more.

Casey tried throwing the computer at the wizard, missing him by a long shot. The warlock turned back to the human, slamming the ground with his fist. A large bolt of energy crossed the floor, kicking up debris in its path. Casey's eyes widened, then he dodged the projectile. He still felt something scrape across his shoulder, but he felt lucky enough to be alive.

Unfortunately, the floor began to give way underneath them, the spell totally destroying any support systems left in the room. The entire floor dropped to the ground below them, crushing several vehicles in the process. Leonardo landed gracefully on the new floor, stumbling only over a hunk of mechanical parts. Mikey slammed on top of him, his body still numb. Raphael tumbled to the ground with relative ease, Ninjara landing next to him in a beautiful show of dexterity. He smirked, "Show off." Casey jumped onto a table, barely avoiding the crap along the walls of the new floor. He considered himself lucky. Don was also successful in safely coming down, but he credited that more to his training than to luck.

The strange shield that was around April and Splinter continued to protect them, gently placing them on the ground. It then disappeared, which slightly surprise April. She found another significant chunk of rubble that provided enough cover for them, but she had difficulties hauling Splinter over. She once heard a rumor that being unconscious makes a person a lot heavier, and she was beginning to believe that. Thankfully, she got both of them there in time before the crazed warlock tried to destroy them.

"Enough of this.", Tai-Shen shouted, then created a strange symbol in the air. It burst in a shower of sparks, a feline creature jumping out of the energy. Its fur was white, black stripes ripping across its body. Its eyes glowed a menacing red, slightly intimidating Leonardo. This was a demon tiger, one of which was said to be bad luck for those that crossed it. Of course, there was also a Chinese myth that called it a special guardian creature of the earth or wind, but Leo was more willing to place his bets on the bad for right now.

Raphael murmured, "This just got bad, didn't it?"

Casey didn't bother to ponder the situation, "GOONGALA!" Grabbing another piece of debris, he charged at the demon. The tiger beast barely evaded Jones's bash, a small bloody scrap along its right side. He turned back around, waiting for the tiger to strike back. His eyes burned with an intense flame.

Instead of going after the human, the tiger raked at Leonardo, who stood only inches to Casey's left. The claws raked into his chest, leaving deep scratches down his shoulders and plastron. Thankfully, they didn't penetrate his shell, but it still hurt like knives. Leo wiped some of the blood off his body, then slashed back at the tiger, both swords finding their marks across its chest. Eye for an eye.

April looked to her left, noticing something gleaming out of the rubble. She pulled out her katana, finding it had survived the fall. Splinter's bow laid next to it, still in one piece. Most of his ammunition, however, had broken in the fall. A couple of arrows still remained, so she took that weapon with her. Maybe it would be of some use.

Someone groggily called for her, "Miss O' Neil?" Startled, she found Splinter had woken up. She dropped the weapons down next to her rubble shield, then asked him, "Splinter? You okay?"

The Sensei still seemed out of it, "I've been better. Where are my sons?" He looked out beyond the rubble, watching in fright as some giant white feline swiped at Leonardo. He tried standing up, pain surging through his hurt leg. April pushed him back down, "You can't go out there. Not like this."

He glanced hurriedly at the ground, finding that she had recovered his bow, "All right. I'll stay here and fight."

Her expression dropped, "You know you're going to get yourself killed someday, right?"

He nodded, preparing his aim, "Wise man once said, 'Hope I die before I get old.'"

Ninjara evaded a scalding blast from Tai-Shen, an acidic blob splashing where she used to be. She was sure getting sick of playing dodge-ball. Rolling under another charging creature, she was shocked to find the tiger had almost hit her. She snarled under her breath, turning her attention back to the warlock. The boys could handle the tiger; she was trying to stay focus on the more important thing.

Three more archaic symbols flashed through the air, forming beasts in strategic spots around the trashed room. Tai-Shen had summoned more creatures. This time, however, he had selected three simian demons, placing them around the turtles. Don frowned, bashing one back as he tried to focus on the situation. They needed a plan of attack before they were ripped to shreds!

Raphael decided that the best way to take out his enemies was to get the first strike. He jumped onto the back of one of the apes, slamming his sais in its back. Teeth latched into his left arm, but he barely noticed. He continued to stab the simian, growling with pain. He clenched his teeth together, pulling the ape down to the ground. This was going to get nasty.

Mikey defended Don while he looked for a new spell, the paralysis finally wearing off. Nunchaku drummed into the other two apes' heads, leaving sore bruises in their wake. Both tried swiping at Michaelangelo, the latter much more agile than them. He taunted the simians, yelling back to Donatello, "I hope you know what you're doing!"

Don nodded, then placed his hand out. A dark crackle of electricity shot from his palm, striking one of the demon apes. The simian howled in pain, vampire-like canines gleaming in the faint light. Lightening ran throughout his body, frying out his eyes and ears. Within seconds, it lay still on the ground, vanishing in a small puff of magical smoke. Don was impressed with his work—he always did try to do his best!

Leonardo and the great tiger circled each other, waiting for the other's move. A sort of dull intelligence burned in the tiger's eyes, which was a little unnerving. It finally bolted towards Leo, like a white arrow. The turtle rolled under the beast's claws, slicing at its belly. Blood and other bodily fluids sprayed on the cement floor, the cat glaring at Leo in sudden anguish. It collapsed on the ground, then disappeared like its other fallen comrade. He gasped in relief, then turned his focus to Tai-Shen.

The warlock was growing weary of this game, disturbed at the turtles' talents. Surely this was as good of a group as the Shredder had said. More white crackles filled the air as Tai-Shen's arms began to glow. They burst into blue flame, like a phoenix. Rising above the battle field, he spat a bizarre cold breath at the floor, sheeting everything with a thin lair of ice. He was no longer involved in mere child's play; this was war.

April shivered from the cold, her hands slightly frostbitten. She huddled behind the rubble, watching as Splinter launched another arrow into the hide of a nearby ape. Turning her head, she screamed in fear as another simian came around the back of their debris shield. Hiding her head in terror, she didn't see Casey Jones come to her rescue, knocking the ape back with the metal bar he had found. Opening one eye, she watched him pick up her katana and drive it deep into the ape's body. He yanked upwards and out, effectively exterminating the beast. She dropped her jaw in surprise.

"Casey . . .", she whispered, "I . . .I . . ."

Casey smiled back, "Don't worry about it, babe. I'm here."

Despite the stupid cocky grin on his face, she couldn't help but love him, "Thanks again . . ."

Ninjara took the third ape down to the floor, her fur glistening with snow. She lodged her wakazashi in its back, letting Mikey have the honors of killing it. He whirled his nunchakus quickly, bashing its skull in like a rotten pumpkin. Both now focusing on the sorcerer, Ninjara asked, "Anyone got a revolver?"

Donatello tried to fry Tai-Shen with the lighting attack again, watching it crackle into nothingness against the protection of his new fire wings. Raphael threw both of his sais at the warlock, watching as they both found their mark in his back. To his shock, they came flying back at him! He ducked behind a piece of rubble, barely dodging the blow. Another fireball came after them, blasting Raph backwards into a wall. He moaned in pain, getting back up to his feet.

"All right.", he muttered, holding one of his wounds, "This officially sucks."

The room's temperature kept dropping, more ice climbing up the sides of the walls. Don could see his own breath—definitely not a good sign for cold-blooded reptiles. Mikey shivered, his body twitching from the cold. Casey's hair had a fine frost on it, tingling like crystals every time he moved. This was getting way too chilly for everyone, except the fire-winged warlock that held domain over their health. Leonardo shuddered, almost dropping his katanas. His pulse was slowing.

Hands shaking, Splinter frantically search for another full arrow in his quiver. He found one shaft that hadn't been cracked yet, but its metal tip was missing. Finding a broken arrow, he quickly yanked the arrowhead off it, ignoring the cuts in his fingers. He wound it to the complete arrow, watching in horror as Donatello started to kneel down in defeat. April went over to his side, trying to keep him warm, but it was useless. The cold was freezing the turtles where they stood.

The air in his lungs forced him to cough, slightly setting off his aim. Focusing his will and his body, Splinter kept fighting against the cold, Ninjara finally giving into the chilled temperature. His jaw quivered, still trying to resist the temptation to shriek. Closing his eyes, frost glistening across them, he took aim once more, listening to the freezing world around him. His instincts told him to fire.

There was a deadly silence, every creature silent for over five seconds. Then, something echoed through the frozen wastes like a bullet in an empty hall. Metal pierced through flesh, bone, then muscle, striking Tai-Shen in the heart. He looked down to find the fine feathered edge of an arrow lodged in his chest. He noticed only the warm gaze of amber-brown irises before the world as he knew it became darkness.

As the sun rises, it must also set.

Splinter rose to his feet once more, bracing the side of the rubble. Every step felt like the stabbing of a thousand knives. Reaching Tai-Shen's corpse, he stumbled in shock. He watched the human burn, almost reveling in his victory. The frost began to disappear from his fur, sloshing off in sickening plops. Leonardo began to stir behind him, moving slowly towards the warming center of the room. His breathing regulated, eyes closed in joy. It felt like he had come back from the grave.

Michaelangelo weakly joked, "Dude, that sucked." He rubbed his arms, making sure that everything was working and had feeling again. The four mammals helped the turtles exit the room, warming them up as they went. Throwing themselves into the hallway, Raphael was glad to have feeling back in his toes. Ninjara fetched his sais, shoving them into their holsters along his belt. He felt like he could sleep for a very long time.

The wound in Splinter's leg began to bleed again, the frost agitating it. Never-the-less, he spoke, "It would be a good idea to move before someone finds us."

Leonardo agreed, standing back up. He sheathed his katanas, then helped his brothers get up. Don looked forlorn about having to leave his bag behind, but at least he didn't bring his laptop. Casey grabbed April, laughing despite what had happened. Once again, they had managed to pull their fat out of the fire. Within a few seconds, they were all on the move once again.

Don led them back to Tai-Shen's room, explaining, "A window will be the fastest way out for us." Nobody accosted them in the halls, surprisingly absent. Raphael thought it was a little suspicious, but kept everyone moving. Leonardo decided to haul Splinter, knowing that his leg would only slow them down.

Michaelangelo knocked the window out, bashing the glass out of place so it wouldn't scratch anyone. Raphael estimated the jump out the window, then grabbed a piece of rope from an emergency fire supply box in the hallway. He wrapped it tightly around his sai, jamming it into the window panel. He jumped out the window, sliding down to the backside of Shredder's skyscraper. He called up, then went over to April's van.

Within thirty seconds, all eight of them were on the bottom of the building. April unlocked her truck, taking the driver's seat. Casey stole shotgun, and the mutants all crammed into the back. Don locked the back door, then settled down as April drove off like a bat outta hell. They had made it out alive.

Leonardo suggested, "Maybe you guys should come crash at our place for a little while." April nodded, turning the street towards their home. Splinter sighed in relief, his dizziness starting to set back in. He was lucky enough to have pushed it out for how long he did. The world became increasingly heavy and quiet, blurring into one fuzzy scene.

He barely heard Michaelangelo, "Guys, I think Spli . . ." The world folded black once more. This time, however, Splinter was much more willing to accept it. His sons were safe.

Upset? Of course he was. Depressed? No. Mourning deaths? Absolutely not. Oruku Saki had hired his men to dispose of the turtles—and they had managed to botch the job once more. Saki was much more forgiving to Hun than anyone else. The burly man, although strong, was not good at planning when disasters might strike. Tai-Shen was dead; nothing Saki could do about that either. Didn't mean he didn't enjoy torturing Stockman a little bit more.

Saki had played his cards as well as he could for the moment. Later, he would try again. That is what he did best. The past two weeks had been little more than a lucky fluke on his part, and he rose to the occasion. There would be other chances. Plenty more.

Besides, if it hadn't been for a chance meeting in the sewers, Saki would have accomplished nothing over the past weeks. He was content, for now. Chaos served him as well as law. He would eventually combine both. Saki knew what it took to shatter the turtles, and he would eventually.

All in good time.

Epilogue:

Three days passed. Leonardo kept silent meditation, bandages wrapped around his slash wounds. Candles burned with a warm vanilla scent, helping his mind clear. He untwisted his nerves, slowly regaining his strength. The battle and cold had taken a lot out of him, and he hoped to get it back. Even through the silence of meditation, Leonardo smiled a lot more than he used to. He was happy to be home.

Donatello slept a lot, constantly tired for some unknown reason. When he was awake, he kept studying Tai-Shen's old magic book, learning more and more each day. He thought maybe the constant studying made him tired, but it was better than running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Mikey had that honor, anyway. He was living life to the fullest once again, skateboarding down the paths of the sewer. He was determined to have some fun.

Don also managed to contact Diana Anderson via e-mail one last time. He was stunned by her flat-out response, "I don't need your help." Splinter tried to help him understand that some people didn't really always need their assistance, but it was difficult for him. Some humans are best left alone. Going against his own nature, Don agreed. It was time to let Diana go the way of most humans and leave his mind. She would have a better life without them, anyway.

Raphael and Ninjara finally said their good-byes, the former dropping her off at her Chinatown abode. He did promise her, "If you ever need any help, we're here for you."

Ninjara agreed, "And vice versa, numb-nuts."

Their friendship had been reunited. That left a nice warm tingly feeling in Raph's heart. You know, the one he didn't have. No, Raph was still a hothead! He was large 'n in charge! He would kick anyone's ass that ever said he had a soft spot! ANYONE!

Sitting on the couch on Fridays in the Turtle's home got less and less uncomfortable for April and Casey. Something had changed between them, although Casey couldn't figure out what. April would sometimes giggle to herself when she looked at him, and that drove him up the wall. Why did women have to be so weird all the time? If women weren't so hot, he didn't know what he'd do with them!

One entry from April's diary began: "Dear Diary—I think I'm in love!"

Splinter did not stay in his room for long, much to Donatello's dismay. As soon as his leg got better, he was back to wandering around the sewers. Lessons would start up again soon, but only if everyone was healthy enough to first. He didn't exactly fall for Michaelangelo's twisted ankle trick. At least, not every time. If the turtles were to choose, though, they would much rather have lessons than another incident.

So, we come back to the place we were before. The sewers. They are still as quiet as before, except for the running of sewage and water. The pipes still leak occasionally, and rats still have the run of the place. Our heroes are back, but they're not going to bother us. It is slightly safer to be down here now. After all, it's just the sewers—no monsters really live in New York.

As far as we know.

-End-

Author's note:

Well, there you have it. End of story. Time to jump off the roller coaster and find a new story to ride.

I hope you enjoyed reading. I enjoyed writing this. Hell, I love writing.

Anyway, special thanks to everyone that actually took the time to review. Without your response, I probably would have lost interest. So, it's cool to know that you're out there! Thanks!

Demonfox38—October 2003-June 2004