Blue Blades

🖤part two🖤

The journey to Japan went rather smoothly for my brothers and I. Chief Vincent had arranged a private jet to take us there, so we didn't have to sweat the hours away in the cargo hold of a plane. It was rather nice actually, being able to sit comfortably on a padded chair, with snacks and drinks within easy access (which Mikey took full advantage of).

It was little things like this that made me feel better about our arrangement with the police force. They treated us like actual people, not like freaks.

Despite it all though, I still couldn't shake this uneasy feeling in my gut tell me that we were making a terrible mistake, and it only worsened as we finally touched down in Japan.

My brothers and I exited the plane and looked around our surroundings. Chief Vincent had arranged for us to land as close to the site of the Kabuki clan as possible...although even with that being said, no one actually knew where this clan resided. There was just forest as far as the eye could see around us, only blocked by a singular mountain to the north. Also here, we had no more contact with Chief Vincent, or our friends April, Casey, or even Master Splinter. Just the notion of being abandoned out here made my chest tighten with anxiety.

Raphael must've sensed my tension, because he slung his backpack over his shell and strode forward. "Well, there's no point in standing around gawking. We've got a mission to complete here!"

I nodded, appreciating his incentive. I too, slung my pack over my shell and we all set out towards the mountain. It was a landmark to start with at least.

As we walked through the forest, I couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful greenery that surrounded us. There weren't many big forests around where we lived, and the parks didn't offer this much beauty. It soothed my anxiety and I allowed myself to actually enjoy myself as we walked.

"So...where are we supposed to go?" Mikey asked, kicking a stick. "Aren't we supposed to be chasing down the Foot soldiers?"

Donnie checked his arm tracker and hummed. "Chief Vincent said she wants us to try to catch them before they arrive at this...Kabuki clan. But, my scanners aren't picking up any structures like buildings...or any sign that this area was ever inhabited."

I drew my lips back in a thin line, looking around. True, there was no sign of human life anywhere, no matter how far we walked. I was beginning to wonder if there even was a Kabuki clan, or if it was all made up to get my brothers and I out of the city.

Once again, my chest began to tighten with anxiety as I thought of Master Splinter all alone back at the lair. Sure he could handle himself, but he was getting up there in age and wasn't as sprightly as he used to be.

"Wherever they are, I'm sure that we will find them eventually..." I stated, although I was speaking more to convince myself than my brothers.

"We'd better," Raph groaned, shifting his backpack. "I'm gettin' tired of seeing all this damn green. And I'm thirsty."

I hummed, looking around. There didn't seem to be anything around that could spring a surprise attack on us if we stopped...

"You're right, Raph. Maybe we should stop and rest quickly," I nodded to my brother. "Then we can continue on."

He grumbled in agreement and sat on a fallen tree, pulling out his water bottle. The rest of us followed suit, finding places to sit and have a drink.

"Doesn't this place seem a little...odd to you guys?" Mikey asked after a few minutes.

"What do you mean, little bro?" I asked, setting my water bottle back in my bag.

"Well..." he gestured around us. "This part of the forest seems really familiar, doesn't it? Like that tree Raph is sitting on. I feel like we've seen it before."

As I looked at our surroundings, I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach, that Mikey was correct. This part of the forest did look very familiar, and the mountain didn't look any closer. "...fuck..."

Raph growled in frustration and threw his empty water bottle into the forest in anger. "God fucking dammit! We've been going in circles this whole damn time?"

"Raph!" I berated him, pointing where he had thrown his bottle. "I understand you're angry, but Jesus, man...don't litter."

He blinked at me, as if considering trying to whack me, but ultimately decided to go march into the woods to find his bottle, muttering curses under his breath the whole way.

I shook my head and looked to Donnie. "Don, any ideas on where we could go that could take us on a new path?"

Donnie was already rapidly typing on his arm monitor, trying to map out a new path for us to take. "Ahh...I don't know, Leo. This forest is so dense, I fear no matter which direction we take, we'd just end up going in circles in a new place."

"Dammit..." I cursed under my breath, rubbing my face in frustration. This was not going well for us...

A loud scream from Raph caught the attention of all of us, and I immediately jumped to my feet, placing my hand on the hilt of my katana.

"Raph??" I shouted in the direction he'd gone, but was answered by chilling silence.

"Stay here," I ordered Mikey and Don and drew my katana as I headed towards where Raph had gone. I wouldn't risk them rushing into danger as well and possibly getting hurt.

As I crept through the brush, I followed Raph's footprints. It wasn't hard, knowing he was a particularly heavy walker when he was pissed. However, they stopped abruptly, right in front of his empty water bottle. There were no signs of a scuffle...it was like he had just...vanished?

I gritted my teeth as I slowly surveyed my surroundings, looking for any sign of my brother, or what had taken him. Raph was not a small guy, he would have been difficult to capture so easy...surely?

But there were no signs of him, no matter how hard I looked. It really looked like my hot-headed brother had simply vanished.

"Raph?" I called out, hoping whatever had taken him hadn't gotten too far that any reply he made would be inaudible. Still, I was answered by the silence. It sent chills down my spine and I quickly picked up the water bottle. We were not alone in these woods.

"AUGHHH!!" Mikey's scream made my heart leap to my throat and I immediately started running back.

"MIKEY!! DONNIE!!" I shouted as I ran, not caring how loud I was being as I crashed through the brush. My only concern was saving my remaining brothers.

However, when I finally broke into the small area where we had taken rest, I was greeted by no brothers, and only their backpacks lay on the ground.

My heart pounded in my chest as I looked around wildly, trying not to succumb to panic as I searched for any sign of my brothers.

"MICHAELANGELO!! DONATELLO!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Surely, they could not have gotten far. The sound of silence was getting under my shell more and more, and the lush green forest didn't seem so inviting anymore. It seemed more ominous than anything.

I whipped my head around, searching for movement, sound, anything that would prove I wasn't losing my mind.

"Guys, if this is a prank, it isn't fucking funny!" I shouted, gripping the hilt of my katana tightly. "Come on out, that's enough! You've got me!"

My breath came in short, panicked pants as I still received no response. I licked my lips and held my katana out, a feeling of dread seeping into my heart. "Please..."

Something blunt struck me on the back of my head, and I fell forwards, but I didn't hit the ground. A pair of hands caught each of my arms as my vision began to go dark. I was vaguely aware of a hand opening in front of my face, then a sweet-smelling powder was blown into my face, and everything went completely black...