Disclaimer:
I own nothing related to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, and make no profit from this story. I'm just writing it to kill time and have fun. The characters of Kagome and Kasumi Lee, however, are the property of DBSKSUJU101 on Deviantart, used with her permission. All rights reserved.
Author's Note:
Well, here we are. I must say, I'm a huge Ninja Turtles fan, and this idea came to me recently. Just FYI, this series uses quite a bit from every TMNT medium (the original Mirage comics, the 1987, 2003, and 2012 shows, the new IDW comics, and the movies, to name a few), with some of my own original flavor thrown in for good measure.
Constructive criticism is appreciated, but NO FLAMES. If you don't like it, don't read it. It's that simple.
Okay, here we go.
Prologue: Fall of the Hamato Clan
The dawn sunlight spilled in a soft line from a crack in the curtains, falling onto a bed where a slumbering couple lay. The alarm clock on the nightstand off to the left of the bed buzzed loudly, echoing loudly throughout the room as it announced the time. A slender hand shot out like a venomous snake, striking the snooze button and shutting off the offending alarm. The hand's owner sat up and yawned, revealing it to be a beautiful woman in her early thirties with amber eyes and long dark brown hair.
A few seconds later, the other occupant of the bed sat up. This one was a man a few years older than his companion, with black hair and brown eyes.
The woman smiled warmly as she saw her husband rise.
"Good morning, Kohaku." she greeted softly.
The man, Kohaku, smiled back and pecked her softly on the forehead.
"Same to you, Kasumi." he replied in the wake of the tender moment.
At that moment, they heard a loud wailing from the room across the hall. The unmistakable cry of a baby.
"Sounds like Kagome's up," Kohaku said tiredly.
Kasumi got out of the bed with a small sigh, a soft smile on her face.
"I got it." she announced.
She went into the room, making her way over to the crib on the opposite wall. Sure enough, within the bed, crying her eyes out, was a little baby girl. Kohaku and Kasumi's six-month-old daughter, Kagome.
"Hello, my little girl," Kasumi said, gently lifting the baby out of the crib.
Almost immediately, a horrible smell reached Kasumi's nose, and she winced.
"Kohaku?" She called down the hall. "I need a diaper!"
After changing Kagome's diaper, Kasumi and Kohaku ate a quick breakfast before getting ready for the day. Kohaku was dressed in a simple black business suit and tie, whereas Kasumi's outfit was quite different.
She was dressed in a black, leather, low-cut, sleeveless ninja outfit with long, black fingerless gloves. She work black arm-guards, black shin-guards, and a blue choker. Strapped to her back was a wakizashi (1) with decorative red tassels.
Kohaku was an executive at the Japanese branch of a company called TCRI, whereas Kasumi was a member of the Hamato Clan, one of the last known ninja clans in the world. With the income from Kohaku's job, they were able to live quite a comfortable life.
At that moment, they heard a knock on the door, and opened it to reveal a fifteen-year-old girl with black hair tied in a bun and big brown eyes. Her outfit was similar to Kasumi's, except it was entirely black with long sleeves and yellow lightning bolt-like markings extending from the shoulders to her outer thighs.
This was Seiko Mishima, a young prodigy in the Hamato Clan who often watched over the clan's children.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Seiko." Kohaku said.
Seiko smiled and waved a hand, dismissing his thanks.
"It's no trouble, Mr. Lee." she said, coming in. "You're busy, and this is part of my job."
"We'll be back later," Kasumi said, kissing Kagome on the forehead before handing her over to Seiko.
With that, Kohaku and Kasumi went their separate ways for the day.
It wasn't long before Kasumi found herself at a large dojo near the woods. This was the dojo of the Hamato Clan, where Kasumi had spent much of her life training.
She entered the dojo and was greeted by an elderly bald man dressed in white, the clan's leader Hamato Yuta. With him was a younger man with black hair wearing a purple ninja uniform, Yuta's son and Kasumi's childhood friend, Hamato Yoshi.
"Master Yuta," Kasumi said, bowing respectfully.
Yuta returned her bow with a small nod. She straightened up, then looked around to see that someone was missing.
"Where is Saki?" she asked curiously.
"He was off on a mission," Yoshi said. "He should be back soon."
Kasumi nodded at that, and then winced at the sound of a hacking cough. They both turned to the source: Yuta.
"Father." Yoshi said with concern, "Are you alright?"
After a moment, Yuta stopped coughing, waving his son off.
"I will be fine, my son." He assured him.
Both Kasumi and Yoshi nodded, though both knew that wasn't actually the case. Yuta had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a few months prior, and had little time left to live. Because of this, Yoshi was currently being groomed to take his place as head of the clan.
Before long, the door slid open, and in came another man around the same age as Kasumi and Yoshi, He wore a red ninja uniform and bore a serious expression on his face. This was Yoshi's brother, Saki.
"Saki," Kasumi said, smiling cordially. "Glad you could make it. Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine," Saki said simply, nodding in his father's direction. "Father."
"Saki." Yuta nodded back.
"Now then," Yoshi said, taking up his position on the training mat. "Are you ready to begin, brother?"
"Yes, I am." Saki nodded.
He took up his own position on the mat opposite Yoshi, and Kasumi took a seat next to Yuta.
"Hajime!" Yuta declared, and the two brothers clashed.
The two brothers traded blow after blow, blocking the other in turn. Yoshi was the first to land a hit, his foot connecting with Saki's chest. The force of the blow sent Saki reeling back, much to Yoshi's surprise. Never had he been able to knock Saki back so easily.
"You're distracted, brother," he remarked as Saki regained his senses. "Something is troubling you."
Saki scowled, grabbing Yoshi's foot and flinging him aside.
"It's none of your business!" he snapped.
Yoshi got up, his mood visibly souring.
"Saki, talk to me." Yoshi insisted as Saki charged at him. "I am your brother, and you can tell me anything."
They grappled for a bit, and Saki hatefully glared at Yoshi.
"You never listen to me!" Saki snapped. "Just like Tang Shen!"
With that, he threw Yoshi back. Yoshi recovered quickly, his gaze hardened with a long burning rage.
"Yet again, you speak of Shen?!" Yoshi retorted as the two exchanged punches and kicks.
Seriously? Kasumi thought to herself. Saki's still fixated on Shen? This is getting pathetic. He needs to move on...
"You care nothing for her!" Saki ranted as he and Yoshi continued fighting. "Only for the clan! Only for yourself!"
Eventually, Yoshi flipped Saki on the ground, where he landed heavily. Yoshi's face softened a bit as he looked down at his brother solemnly.
"That is not true, brother, and you know it," he said, his voice low. "I have always been there for you."
He offered his hand to Saki to help him up, but instead, Saki surprised everyone in the room when he kicked Yoshi's legs out from under him. Before Yoshi could even get back up, Saki pinned him down in a blind rage.
"Saki, stop!" Kasumi shouted. "You win! He's down!"
Saki didn't listen and started punching Yoshi in the face repeatedly. Yoshi tried to block, but the punches were just too fast. After about five consecutive blows, Kasumi stood up and grabbed Saki's wrist.
"I said STOP!" she yelled, yanking him off of Yoshi.
Saki ended up stumbling back as Kasumi helped Yoshi to his feet. Yuta looked at Saki with concern and disappointment.
"My son, what is wrong with you?" he asked. "This is not how I raised you to act."
Saki glared at Yuta for a bit, and surprised everyone in the room with his next words:
"You are not my father."
With that, he stormed out of the dojo, slamming the door shut behind him. Kasumi stared at the door in bewilderment.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Yoshi wiped the blood from his nose, watching the silhouette of his brother vanish from sight.
"I have no idea." He admitted.
That night, Yoshi went out on an evening stroll with his wife, Tang Shen. In her arms, she held their baby daughter, Miwa. Shen leaned against her husband, holding her daughter close as her eyes drifted up to the starry sky above.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" she asked.
Yoshi nodded in reply, wrapping his arm around Shen as he picked a small cherry blossom from a nearby tree.
"It's nights like this I realize how lucky I am to have you," he told her, "and little Miwa."
He gave the baby the cherry blossom, eliciting a happy coo from the little girl. After a minute, Shen turned to Yoshi with a hopeful expression.
"Yoshi, let's leave this place," she said. "Move away from here. I've always wanted to visit America. New York City is such a wonderful place."
Yoshi looked at her uncertainly, then turned away.
"Shen, I have many responsibilities." he reminded her before facing her a second time. "You know this. Father's cancer is progressing. Someone has to take care of the dojo."
Shen scoffed, turning away.
"When are you going to leave that life behind?" she demanded. "This is the last clan of its kind."
"And this is why it must endure!" Yoshi defended. "Must I explain this again?"
"Ninjas have no more place in this world!" Shen snapped back. "You must decide. This is no life for Miwa. If she ever followed your path..."
She couldn't bring herself to finish, and her grip tightened around her daughter. Seeing Shen in such distress, Yoshi softened as well, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Shen, please..." Yoshi begged. "This is the life I've chosen. Kasumi and her husband understand, so why can't-"
"Yes, but Kasumi isn't your wife!" Shen interrupted, pulling herself from Yoshi's grip.
With that, she turned her back on Yoshi and began to walk away.
"Shen, wait!" Yoshi interrupted. "Please... let me walk you home."
Shen shook her head.
"I can take care of myself." she insisted. "I always have."
-X-
At the same time, Kasumi was returning home from the grocery store, buying formula for Kagome. As she went, she saw Shen walking down the street with little Miwa. Judging by the sour expression on her face, Kasumi could guess that she'd had another argument with Yoshi over the dojo.
Poor Yoshi... she thought. At least Kohaku understands my duties and responsibility to the clan.
As Kasumi debated approaching Shen and saying hello, she saw Saki walk up to her. Immediately, Kasumi's expression soured.
Here we go again...
After exchanging pleasantries, Saki smiled down at Miwa and playfully teased her for a minute before looking up at Shen.
"I... overheard your conversation with Yoshi," he said, lovingly taking Shen's hand. "It is futile, you know. He will never leave the clan."
Shen looked away uncertainly.
"Perhaps you speak the truth..." she admitted, having suspected the same herself.
Kasumi felt her blood boil as she realized what Saki was trying to do.
Oh, no. That son of a-
"Shen," Saki pleaded. "Please... take me back. I will help you take care of Miwa. We will go to New York together, the three of us."
He placed his hands on Shen's shoulders.
"I'm a different man than the one you once knew." He tried to reassure her, gently lifting her chin so she would look at him. "Believe me."
With that, he placed a soft kiss on Shen's forehead. While Shen looked uncertain, she nonetheless gave Saki a small smile before going on her way.
Okay, that does it. Kasumi mentally swore.
Kasumi emerged from the shadows and approached Saki, who turned to glare at her.
"Have you been spying on me, Kasumi?" he demanded coldly.
"No, I just happened to be walking by." Kasumi replied icily. "I can't believe you, Saki. After all this time, you're still fixated on Shen? Wake up already. It's not going to happen. You had your chance and blew it."
Saki just glared at her as she went on.
"She's married to Yoshi, and has a child." she reminded him. "If you REALLY love her, you'll accept she made her choice, be happy for her, and move on. The fact that you'd stoop so low as to ask her to dump Yoshi for you... it's just getting pathetic."
"Yoshi stole Shen from me!" Saki snapped. "I loved her first!"
"It doesn't matter!" Kasumi replied. "They may have arguments, but Shen is happy with Yoshi. And I suggest you back off, if you know what's good for you."
With that, Kasumi turned her back directly on Saki and went on her way home, leaving him seething at her words.
Unbeknownst to the two, Yoshi had followed Shen home just to be safe, and had witnessed everything. His fists clenched and he slammed one into a tree in rage.
The next day, Yoshi and Saki clashed with bokkens (2) in the dojo. Yoshi aggressively backed Saki into a corner.
"I saw you with her last night in the woods, brother!" he declared. "What did you say to Shen?!"
Saki forced him back.
"What concern is it of yours, Yoshi?" he retorted.
"Shen is my concern, Saki!" Yoshi snapped.
They furiously clashed for several minutes, before Yuta stood up, jabbing his fingers into pressure points on both brothers' backs and knocking them to the ground. Saki tried to reach for his bokken again, but Yuta dug his fingers deeper in, forcing him to stop.
"Enough!" Yuta exclaimed before walking away. "End this now. You are brothers. Act like brothers."
With that, he walked away, leaving Yoshi and Saki angrily glaring at each other.
"I also saw your little confrontation with Kasumi," Yoshi continued, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "As she said... back off of Shen, if you know what's good for you."
"Yes, do what Kasumi says!" Saki retorted sarcastically as Yoshi stormed out of the room. "She is your best friend, after all. Of course she has your back, not mine!"
Around that same time, Kasumi was visiting Shen at her home. The two were enjoying a cup of tea as Kagome and Miwa played with one another. As the two mothers watched their daughters play, Kasumi addressed the elephant in the room.
"I saw what happened between you and Saki last night," Kasumi said. "I... was going home from the grocery store, and I witnessed everything." She looked up at Shen. "Shen... You must not let Saki's words cloud your mind, nor your heart. If he loved you, truly loved you, he'd just back off and be happy for you and Yoshi."
Shen sighed.
"You've seen it, Kasumi." Shen lamented. "Yoshi is too dedicated to ninjutsu to raise a family."
"No, that's not true!" Kasumi said. "Yoshi loves Miwa, and you know it."
"I... I don't know who I'll choose," Shen said simply. "I must do what's right for my daughter."
Kasumi just sighed and finished her tea.
"Just follow your heart, Shen. You know who the better man is." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I'm not just saying that because Yoshi's my friend."
That night, Saki stood atop a small Hamato Clan shrine, holding up a torch as several rogue Hamato ninja approached him.
"The Hamato Clan has gotten weak!" Saki declared. "It is rotting from the inside! The Foot was the oldest of all ninja clans! But it was wiped out by Hamato Yuta, when he slew its master, Oroku Keiji... my father!"
The Hamato ninja gasped in shock as Saki jumped down and continued his story, the truth that had shook him to his core.
"I was adopted by the Hamato Clan as an infant, raised by my enemy in ignorance!" As he spoke, Saki slipped on a pair of three-pronged tekko-kagi (3) claws. "I will have my revenge on them all!"
With that, Saki threw the torch onto the shrine, igniting it, and holding up a flag displaying the symbol of his true clan: the Foot Clan. After several seconds, all the Hamato ninja bowed to Saki, accepting him as their master.
"Now, I have business to attend to." he declared with a cruel smirk. "First Kasumi... then Yoshi."
-X-
Around that same time, Kasumi and Kohaku were seated in their living room; Kagome had just been put to bed for the night. Without warning, the door slammed open with a violent bang, colliding hard with the wall; Saki revealed himself, having kicked the door in.
"Saki?!" Kasumi said, jumping to her feet. "Have you lost your mind?!"
"No," Saki replied as he entered. "I'm far more sane than I've ever been."
Kohaku stood up as well.
"You have no right to be here, Saki!" he demanded. "Get out!"
Saki just rolled his eyes, ignoring him.
"Kasumi... I have discovered the truth." He explained. "I was never Hamato Clan. I was born of the Foot Clan."
Kasumi gasped in shock.
"The Foot Clan?!" she repeated. "So... when you told Master Yuta he wasn't your father-"
"He is not!" Saki exclaimed. "Yuta slew my true father, and kidnapped me! Lied to me my whole life! Tonight, the Hamato Clan will fall... and Yoshi with them! And Tang Shen will finally be mine once more!"
"You're insane!" Kasumi shouted. "Do you really think killing Shen's husband will make her love you?!"
"She's MINE!" Saki snapped. "Yoshi stole her from me!"
"She made her choice!" Kohaku replied.
Kasumi shook her head in disdain.
"Fixating on one girl when there are thousands of others out there." she admonished. "Like I said before, Saki... you're pathetic."
Saki seethed for several seconds before managing to calm himself.
"I came here to give you a proposition, Kasumi." he informed her. "You do not have to share Yoshi's fate. Join me, and my new Foot Clan. It would be a shame to destroy such talent."
Kasumi glared at him, flabbergasted, before her shock turned to rage.
"No!" she screamed. "You break into my home, announce your intent to betray our clan and kill my best friend, and expect me to join you?! I will never betray Yoshi!"
At that, Saki snapped.
"So be it!" he yelled.
He charged at Kasumi, his claws outstretched. Kasumi braced herself, closing her eyes... only to hear the sickening sound of a sharp object piercing flesh and a groan of pain.
Kasumi opened her eyes and gaped in horror at the sight before her: Kohaku, impaled on Saki's claws. He had jumped in front of her just in time to take the hit.
"NO!" Kasumi screamed as Saki jerked his blades out, letting Kohaku's limp body fall to the ground. "KOHAKU!"
She ran over to him and gathered him up in her arms, as Saki glared down at them with disdain.
"Hmph," Saki said. "Let this be a lesson... to you, and any others who dare defy me."
With that, he left, leaving a horror-struck Kasumi alone with her dying husband.
"K-Kasumi..." Kohaku wheezed, coughing up a small amount of blood. "It... it looks like this is it for me."
"No!" Kasumi pleaded, tears in her eyes. "Please, don't leave me! I need you! Kagome needs you!"
"Take care of her," Kohaku said, his voice getting fainter. "She'll need her mother."
Kasumi took his hand in hers.
"I will." she promised, the tears beginning to fall.
"And... save Yoshi," Kohaku said. "Don't... let... Saki... win..."
He managed one last smile at his wife before he breathed his last and his eyes closed forever. At that, Kasumi broke down in tears, crying into her deceased husband's chest for a moment... until she heard Kagome's cries.
"Kagome..." she gasped.
With that, Kasumi went up to Kagome's bedroom, and saw why her daughter was fussing: her favorite toy, a stuffed turtle (4), had been knocked out of the crib.
"Shhh..." Kasumi said, picking up the turtle and handing it to the baby, who cuddled up to it. "It's going to be okay, baby."
She gently soothed her daughter, until Kagome went back to sleep. Afterwards, Kasumi looked down at her hand, determined.
"Saki," she said, her voice deadly calm. "You may have taken my husband away from me..."
She clenched her hand into a tight fist.
"But you will not take my friend."
Yoshi and Shen sat on the steps of the Hamato Clan dojo, Shen still holding Miwa.
"I am sorry, Shen," Yoshi said. "You and Miwa are my life. Without you, I am a shadow."
"Yoshi," Shen sighed, "I understand your loyalty to the clan. Make no mistake."
Yoshi nodded gratefully.
"Father is growing worse." he told her sadly. "The dojo is all we have left."
Shen walked over to him, and handed him the same cherry blossom he gave Miwa the day before.
"You have so much more than that, Yoshi." she reminded him.
Yoshi smiled, and pulled Shen into a hug, their foreheads touching.
"My love for you and Miwa burns inside my heart, brighter than all the stars in the universe." he told her.
"Pathetic!" came the voice of Saki.
They turned in shock to see him standing there, claws at the ready... and wearing the symbol of the Foot Clan rather than the Hamato Clan.
"I will not abide by this dishonor." He declared.
"Saki?!" Shen said in shock. "What are you-"
"Shen, I ask you one last time," Saki said. "Make the right choice."
Shen glared at him, before taking a step behind Yoshi.
"I have already made it."
Saki glared at her, and let out a furious growl.
"Shen," Yoshi said, "take Miwa and go."
Shen shook her head furiously.
"Yoshi, Saki, please!" she pleaded. "Don't do this! You're brothers!"
"No!" Saki snapped. "We were never blood!"
"Shen, I'm not giving you a choice," Yoshi said. "Go. Now."
Shen hesitated, then nodded and descended the steps, going for safety.
"How can one love and hate someone so fiercely?" Saki said simply, before turning to Yoshi and getting into a fighting stance.
"If your desire is to fall by my hand, brother..." Yoshi said, casually reaching behind his back, "so be it."
Saki charged at him in a rage, and Yoshi blocked his claws with his hands... revealing he was now wearing metallic hand guards. The two clashed for a bit outside, matching one another blow for blow.
-X-
Elsewhere, Kasumi was frantically running down the path to the dojo at breakneck speed, desperate to get to Yoshi before Saki did.
Please... she prayed as she ran. Please don't let me be too late.
She didn't know who exactly she prayed to... but she prayed nonetheless.
-X-
Yoshi tackled Saki, and the two crashed through the doors of the dojo. They continued to fight, and Yoshi grabbed Saki's wrists, forcing his claws back.
"We were raised together, Saki!" Yoshi pleaded. "Do not make me fight you!"
"How could I not, after so many lies?" Saki snarled. "After so much dishonor?!"
Yoshi forced him back, and punched him in the stomach. As Saki knelt in pain, Yoshi landed a quick one-two punch to his chest before flipping him over his shoulder.
"You only dishonor yourself!" Yoshi shouted. "You were always jealous! Always scheming! Always filled with hate!"
Saki let out a roar of anger and jumped back to his feet, furiously swinging at Yoshi. His wild slashes knocked over multiple candles hanging on the walls, which hit the ground and soon ignited the building.
-X-
Kasumi continued running, and stopped short as she saw smoke rising into the sky... from the direction of the dojo.
No... NO!
She picked up the pace.
-X-
"Please, brother!" Yoshi pleaded again as the fire got worse. "Do not make me do this!"
Saki just kept attacking, and managed to slash Yoshi's shoulder before driving him into the wall. They continued to clash, and eventually, Saki pinned Yoshi to the ground, furiously slashing at him like a crazed animal. Yoshi grabbed his wrists, looking right into his eyes.
"Saki, we have to get out of here!" he said. "This whole place is coming down!"
"Then we shall die here, together!" Saki shouted.
Yoshi forced him off, and they continued fighting. Saki flung him to the ground and twisted his arm; Yoshi let out a scream of pain, before grabbing a sword that had fallen in the struggle and continuing the fight.
-X-
Shen, having set Miwa down in a safe place, ran fearlessly into the burning building, determined to put a stop to the brothers' feud. She heard the sounds of metal clashing, and gasped in horror to see Yoshi and Saki fighting furiously. Saki forced Yoshi back, and jumped into the air, preparing a final attack. Out of desperation, Shen ran in between the two.
"Please stop!" she shouted,
Saki tried to stop himself, but there was no time. His blades pierced her flesh, delivering unto her the killing blow that was intended for Yoshi. Saki could only gape in shock and horror as Shen fell, three bloody slashes across her chest. Yoshi let out a scream of despair, and caught Shen's body as it fell.
"SHEN!" Saki screamed in horror.
He ran toward them, but couldn't get to them in time before both Yoshi and Shen were buried in falling rubble. At the same time, a piece of flaming debris fell and hit Saki in the face; he screamed in agony and exited the house, clutching his burning face.
He collapsed, feeling bittersweet about the whole affair. He had slain his hated brother... but lost the love of his life at the same time.
-X-
Kasumi emerged from the woods, and looked in horror to see the dojo in flames. There was no sign of Saki... or anyone.
"No..." she said aloud. "No, damn it! NO!"
She ran into the inferno, frantically looking around.
"Yoshi?!" she shouted. "Yoshi! Can you hear me?!"
She heard a groan of pain come from another room, and ran in to find a pile of rubble; she dug through it frantically, and recoiled to find an unconscious Yoshi, holding Tang Shen's body.
"Saki..." she said. "No... how could you..."
Fighting back tears, Kasumi grabbed Yoshi under the armpits and, as fast as she could, dragged him out of the dojo. Once they were safely outside, she patted her friend's cheek with one hand.
"Yoshi," she said frantically. "Yoshi, wake up. Wake up! Please, wake up!"
Yoshi stirred, and slowly opened his eyes to see Kasumi sitting there.
"Oh, thank God..." Kasumi said in relief. "I thought I'd lost you there."
"Kasumi?" Yoshi said, slowly sitting up. "W-what are you doing here?"
Kasumi sighed. "Saki came to my house, and told me his intent. He tried to kill me, but... Kohaku… he got in the way."
Yoshi looked at her sympathetically as she continued.
"I came here to save you," Kasumi said, before looking grimly at the flaming dojo. "But... I fear I was too late to save Shen."
At the mention of his late wife's name, Yoshi's composure broke, and he broke down into grief-stricken sobbing. Seeing this, Kasumi broke down as well; the two friends hugged one another comfortingly.
"I'm sorry..." Kasumi wept. "I'm so sorry, Yoshi! If only I'd gotten here sooner! I could've stopped this!"
"It's not your fault," Yoshi replied through his own tears. "You did the best you could..."
The two just sat there, weeping, as the fire raged on behind them. All the while, they took comfort in one thing:
They may have lost the loves of their respective lives... but they still had each other.
Author's Note:
(1): One of the traditionally made Japanese swords used by samurai. The blade is between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in), with wakizashi close to the length of a katana being called ō-wakizashi and wakizashi closer to tantō length being called kō-wakizashi.
(2): Japanese wooden swords used for training.
(3): The actual name of Shredder's weapons. A Japanese hand weapon or climbing tool, whereby metal hooks or blades are strapped to the back of the forearm and hand. The name literally means "back of the hand hooks."
(4): Yes, making her favorite toy a stuffed turtle was a deliberate reference to the Turtles themselves.
Wow... that was emotionally draining.
As you may have guessed, most of this chapter was an adaptation of the Nickelodeon cartoon episode "Tale of the Yokai."
Also, just to let everyone know ahead of time, Splinter and Kasumi will NEVER be a couple in this series; they'll never be anything more than close friends.
Next chapter: Yoshi and Kasumi move to New York, and their lives change in more ways than one.
Now, as I usually do, I have chosen mental voice actors for each character in this series. Most of the pre-existing characters have their voice actors from the 2012 show unless otherwise stated. Please note that these are only my personal choices for VAs; you're free to "hear" them as whoever you want:
* Seiko - Patricia Ja Lee (Cassie Chan from Power Rangers Turbo/in Space, Jill Valentine from Resident Evil 5, Mizuki Okajima from The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan)
* Kasumi - Wendee Lee (Yoruichi Shihōin & Tatsuki Arisawa from Bleach, Chai Xianghua from Soulcalibur, Athena Cykes from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
* Kohaku - Kirk Thornton (Isa/Saïx from Kingdom Hearts, Shadow from Sonic the Hedgehog, Kaname Ohgi from Code Geass)
A big thank you to Author of the Insane for beta-reading this for me, and proofreading it.
Please R&R. Until next time!