"Hoizer, Bradford." The Shredder nodded to the two men stationed in front of Splinter's cell. The ray still lay on his side, hands pressed against his wounds in an effort to pour the last of his energy into the Healing Hands and mend his body as much as possible before the Shredder came upon him. "Wasn't Tattsu with you?"

"He ditched," the Cockroach Terminator grumbled. "He's starting to get some kinda superiority complex, boss. He's Gamma, dissing Beta…"

"Your personal issues do not concern me," the Shredder stated.

"With all due respect Master Shredder," Cooper bowed, "this is not a personal issue, we get along just fine and if the Gamma is testing the Beta, there is a chance he will test you as well."

"That is something we can concern ourselves with after the invasion," the Shredder said. Splinter twitched his ears at that word again. Invasion. They keep mentioning it. He removed his paws from the injuries left by the Swordsman and the Cockroach Terminator's weapons and pulled himself off the floor into a squat, glaring at his adopted brother but uttering no words. He still wasn't close to full strength. Any amount of time without violence was a blessing.

But that wouldn't last long. The Shredder turned to tower over Splinter with an aura of menace about him. "It seems I have you once again, Hamato Yoshi. Hoizer, has he used up all of his spiritual energy?"

The Cockroach Terminator nodded. "I think so. Tattsu know more about it than I do so I can't really tell but he used those hands of his everytime we stopped to switch weapons."

The Shredder's good eye scanned Splinter's body, inspecting him. Splinter flinched under the scrutiny in his gaze, feeling violated by the look. It made the hairs on his body prickle.

Thanks to the Cockroach Terminator and the Swordsman, Splinter's robe coverings were long gone and the remains were scattered across the cell, drenched in the blood that soaked the room and the rat's fur. Splinter's body and muscles felt weak but he showed little sign of injury. He questioned if he really should have healed himself so much but shook that thought away. He couldn't be doubtful. Not now. If he had any hope of overtaking the Shredder when he entered, the risks he took healing himself would be worth it.

Splinter tried to pull himself together for the fight to come as he rose to a crouch, head lowered and glowering at the Shredder. "I will walk free today, Saki."

The Shredder merely blinked. "I have been debating whether or not to keep you alive to see the Foot's rein over this pathetic American city but I do believe that your death will cut off the Foot's last tie to its past and allow it to have the strength needed. Today, Yoshi, you will die."

Splinter let out a feral hiss. It surprised him to hear that sound from his own mouth but paid it no mind. He was going to fight his brother today and he would need his abilities gained from his mutant body to do so.

Splinter launched himself at the armored man, claws out, teeth exposed, lips peeled back in a snarl. The Shredder was unfazed by the show of aggression and leaned to the side, allowing Splinter to sail right by him.

Splinter landed on the ground outside his cell on all fours. He whipped around, ready for the fight. The Shredder remained with his back to him but his subordinates at either side of him took a step towards him. The Shredder rose a hand, halting them. "Leave us."

"Boss?" the Cockroach Terminator questioned.

"Leave us!" the Shredder bellowed, turning on them. The claws on his gauntlets unsheathed and gleamed in the sliver of light present in the room.

Cooper and the Cockroach Terminator each dipped their heads in a swift bow and hurried out of the room leaving Splinter alone in what he presumed was the Foot Clan's dungeon with the Shredder.

With movement almost too fast for the eye to follow, the Shredder was towering over the crouched rat, fist raised. Splinter rolled to the side, narrowly dodging it. The Shredder's fist went straight into the ground, cracking the stone. Spinter's eyes widened. A strike like that would be deadly if it hit.

Splinter took the opportunity to put some distance between the two as the Shredder removed his weapon from the ground. In a moment, the two were facing each other, each standing in a traditional combat stance. Both had their feet placed wide for stability but the Shredder's arms were raised for offense while SPlinter's were positioned for defense. Splinter was already breathing a bit harder but the Shredder looked like the fight had just begun.

The Shredder moved first. Splinter weaved around a flurry of blows then leaped to avoid the hidden kick he sensed coming. Midair, Splinter backed into the wall and kicked off, launching himself over the Shredder's head, slapping the Foot Clan's leader in the head with his tail as he passed.

The Kuro Kabuto was knocked clean off the Shredder.s head and clattered to the ground, exposing the Shredder's burned, twisted face. Splinter gave a faint gasp but he didn't catch himself in time. The Shredder had heard him.

The Shredder growled. "You see what you have done to me?"

"Anything done to you was brought upon you by yourself," Splinter said sadly as he landed. Leaning forward, he rushed forward, fingers pressed together, and landed a hard blow on the Shredder's armored abdomen. As powerful as the attack was, it probably hurt Splinter more than it did the Shredder. The Shredder grunted at the impact.

Before the Shredder could grap bim, SPlinter split his hands and dg his claws into the Shredder's hips. He focused his inner power into his hands and tore his hands down, ripping the armor clean off the Shredder's burned body.

Or at least that was what he tried to go. All he really managed to do was drag his claws down the Shredder's armor. Splinter cursed himself mentally. He had used up all of his inner energy to perform the Healing Hands so he could be at full strength for this fight. He had forgotten he needed that same energy to attack. Major mistake on his part. He felt foolish for overlooking that.

The Shredder's hands clasped around the rat's shoulder's before he could retreat. The Shredder lifted him into the air and threw him down then slammed his elbow down hard on Splinter's stomach. Splinter let out a choked cry and felt his consciousness threaten to leave him.

"You are a fool, Yoshi," the Shredder said, "if you believed someone as weak as yourself could escape the Foot Clan."

Splinter opened his mouth to speak but when he looked up, he saw the Shredder peering down at him. The armored man rose a fist and brought it down, sending Splinter into darkness.

When Splinter opened his eyes, he was greeted with a familiar sight though not an expected one. He was in the Astral Plane, swirling colors and all. Splinter looked around for the tree, the anchor, but couldn't see it. He frowned. That was odd.

Movement caught his eye. Splinter sat up and found the Being crouched at his side. Splinter blinked. "Hello."

The Being, as per usual, said nothing. He rose a hand a softly jabbed Splinter between the eyes with two fingers. Splinter flinched instinctively then braced, expecting something to happen but nothing did, leaving him confused.

"What did you do?" Splinter questioned. The Being gave a faint gesture. Splinter, not knowing what it meant, began looking around. It was only when he fully turned he saw something out of the ordinary. Behind him, in thin air, were two massive windows. "What…?"

The Being said nothing. Splinter watched as the windows darkened then brightened, like they were blinking.

Through the windows, initially all he could see was grey, like stone, but as the image began to move, something else came into view.

"Saki," Splinter whispered, realizing that the windows were showing the Shredder's feet.

The windows began moving and Splinter saw is own arms push against the ground. Splinter shot the Being a concerned look. "Are you controlling by body?"

The Being merely nodded. Then, he spoke.

"You're body is weak and damaged. It will never recover but it will die if we leave it with the Shredder."

Splinter's astral form blinked, shocked to hear the Being speak after all these years. His expression soon regained its composure. Splinter gave a sharp nod. "Then let us leave this place."

Author's Note: I know it's short but that's why this story is going on hiatus. I am just having a hard time keeping this story flowing.

See that Author's Note on the previous chapter for hiatus reasons and details.