Sailor Moon X Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles and the Hare

ACT 3: BIG APPLE, 3 A.M.

SAILOR MOON X TMNT: TURTLES AND THE HARE

ACT 3: BIG APPLE, 3 AM

Chapter 52

"Are you sure this is going to work?" the skeptical Casey Jones asked his mutant buddy as he tied up the ends of another heavy black trash bag and tossed it on top of a pile of garbage by the apartment's scuffed up door. "And what is my role in all this exactly?"

They could spend hours cleaning up the place, but now was not the time. The cluttered bachelor pad still looked like a bomb had exploded on the inside, with plenty of dirty clothes strewn about the couch and countless mugs and dishes stacked up in the sink, but it was still a vast improvement over the way it looked an hour or so ago. The ninja turtle wasn't here to be Casey's maid. He was there to save his master, and every second that passed meant that Splinter was drifting closer to death.

"We will find out soon enough." Raphael shrugged as he took a seat on the stained hardwood floor. They had discarded the remnants of the broken coffee table. Its broken shards of glass swept away, clearing up a large space in the center of the studio necessary for his plan. This dump of an apartment sort of reminded him of the dojo back in the sewers, which was probably also in ruins after his fight with Leo. "Standby and pay attention. If this actually works, I will report what I see. Write everything you hear me say in case I don't make it back."

"What should I do if something happens to you?" the befuddled Casey grabbed a notepad. "I don't know nothin' about this bizzaro ninja stuff. Are you sure you want to do this without Leonardo and the rest of your brothers?"

"Don't worry about me!" Raphael shot him a threatening glance at the very mention of his brothers. "Just do your damn job!"

The ninja turtle closed his eyes and tried to relax. He aimed to activate the dormant essence of the evil crystal within him, so he started recalling various memories from his youth including, squabbles with his brothers and disagreements with Splinter. Various arguments and fights floated through his mind's eye, but nothing seemed to change. This was harder than he thought it would be. Perhaps the crystal would only awaken in times he expressed raw emotion and he couldn't simply force it out.

"Damn it!" the frustrated Raphael muttered under his breath after several minutes of making no progress. The onyx crystal had shown no sign of manifesting itself, despite reliving disappointing times from his past. Maybe he was no longer cursed, but it was more likely that his foolhardy plan was setup to fail from the beginning due to his lack of experience in this practice. "It's not working!"

Part of him wanted to give up. This was utterly hopeless. He could not focus on a simple task that Leonardo could perform with ease. That is why their master chose Leo as leader. Splinter always stressed that ninjutsu was not always about physical strength and fighting prowess. There were other aspects of the art that he had ignored for most of his life. Mixed emotions of grief and guilt swam through him as he felt the crystal's power stirred within his soul.

"Free your mind of all thought..." Splinter's words of wisdom from a lesson long ago sounded in his head. "Nothing else exists in this present moment. Let it all go..."

This time he heeded his sensei's words, and eventually he saw the blurry visage of his furry master standing before him in his pink robe, shaking his head at the rebellious turtle in disapproval. Raphael never saw the value of meditation, and always blew off his master when he tried to stress its importance, yet ironically here he was now trying to recall those lessons to help save his very life.

"This is a part of your training, Raphael." Splinter's voice echoed in his head. "A true ninja must harness the power of his mind, body and spirit.They work together as one."