TMNT: Beauty and Dangerous (TMNT 2k12 OC fanfic)

Chapter 16: Over and Done

Did anyone see that giant dragon-like thing? Everything is dead! I can't believe it! I ain't never coming back to this city again...

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   As the Turtles, Karai, Splinter, April, Casey, Rufus, Shade, and the Mutanimals all fought Temptress's fleet, they were quick to notice how the soldiers all froze and turned grey. Even swinging their weapons or the slightest breath can indicate these shrub people's sudden defeat. Everyone looked around to see the dome covering Central Park begin to crumble. "Guys, take cover!" Leo hollered. The team all scrambled to find someplace to hide from the collapsing dome above them. They all peeked out from their hiding spots to see the shriveled-up vines fall to the ground. Much of the plant life around them seemed dead, and the grass beneath them turned to dust. Once it was safe, everyone left their hiding spots and regrouped.

   "Guys, I think he did it." Donnie said. "It's pretty obvious considering everything here is dead." Raph added, looking around. However, something seemed to be off for the red masked turtle. "Speaking of, where is he?" he asked. "He's probably looking for us right now." Mikey responded. "We should do the same too." Leo spoke up. "I can't help but feel like something happened to him." the leader claimed. April then gripped her head and looked around. "I can sense him nearby," she said. "But it's faint." the red-haired girl added. The group all looked at each other and back to April. "Lead the way, April." Splinter said.

   The group all proceeded to follow April through Central Park. Everyone also noticed that underneath the decayed plant life, it all began to grow back in its place. "So, none of the stuff that's regrowing here is gonna attack us, isn't it?" Casey asked, somewhat unsure how to take the situation. "You're just being paranoid, Casey," Donnie started. "Everything created or affected by Temptress's power is either dead or relieved." the genius turtle observed. "There is no possible way that plants would start attacking us again after everything is over and done with." he finished. "Says the guy who's been prancing around some 'mystic forest' for a whole week." the vigilante muttered. "We were not prancing around!" Donnie snapped, hearing the human boy's snarky remark. The two then let out soft sighs, and they chose to stop their bickering. Hearing the two, April only rolled her eyes in slight annoyance, but she still remained focused in tracking Alex.


  From the corner of her eye, April noticed something and stopped the others. "Over here." she said, pointing to something buried under a pile of large, dead vines. Everyone quickly rushed over to the pile. Leo drew out his Katana and carefully cut through the dead vines, all while some crumbled under his blade. His royal blue eyes widen as he finally caught sight of what, or rather who, was buried underneath. The leader sheathed his weapon and carefully turned over the figure for all to see. A mixture of gasps, soft exclamations, and all-around shocked reactions came from the entire group. "Alex?" Mikey asked, his voice almost uncertain.

  Splinter knelt down to Alex's side and rested his hand over his son's forehead. The turtle's chest was barely seen rising or falling, but he was apparently breathing. The mutant rodent then proceeded to check his pulse. It was faint, but Splinter could just barely Alex's pulse. "He's not... gone.... Is he...?" Rufus asked, unsure if he'd be willing to hear the results. "No, he is still alive," Splinter replied. "But he is greatly weakened."

   Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, now knowing their comrade was still alive after the ordeal. "But you said that he was weakened, right Sensei?" Leo asked. "It would seem so," Splinter began. "Alexander used much of his power in this fight." he continued as he faced his unconscious middle son. Donnie also looked down at Alex, concern etched on his face. "He really wasn't looking that great once we left the Lair." the genius pointed out. "I wonder how much of his power he used up." he added. "Probably a lot if he's looking like that." Shade spoke up. "But he'll be okay, right?" he asked. "I've seen him bounce back before, but this is regarding his powers." Rufus responded. "What if he never uses them again?"

   This thought had darkened the group's minds. They were unsure what to think of it, but at the same time, it was still possible. Regardless, there was something else just as important to address. "We should all get out of here before anyone spots us." Karai said. Raph carefully lifts Alex onto his back, keeping a good grip on his unconscious younger brother. "We best be on our way as well," Slash spoke up. "I hope Alex wakes up soon." the large turtle added. "Thanks again for your help, Slash." Leo said, bidding farewell to the Mutanimals before they parted. The Turtles, Splinter, April, Casey, Rufus, and Shade all left Central Park, boarded the Shellraiser and Party Wagon, and drove back out of Central Park.


   At the Lair, Raph carried Alex out of the Shellraiser and into Donnie's lab. The red masked turtle rested his younger brother on the medical turtle. Everyone looked at Alex, all in great concern. "We should give him a bit of space." Donnie advised. "We can't just leave him by himself." Raph pointed out. "I'm staying here to keep an eye on him." the genius added. "I'll keep you all updated on him." he urged the others. Everyone just nodded and they left the Lab. Splinter turned to face Donnie and rested his hand on his son's shoulder. "I would like for you to take care of yourself as well." the rodent suggested. "Hai, Sensei." Donnie said with a nod. He watched as his father figure left the Lab and turned to face Alex on the table. "Please wake up soon, big brother." Donnie prayed to himself.
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   Alex's eyelids fluttered open as he regained consciousness, or so it seemed. He glanced around to see that he was on a forest floor. However, unlike before, the scarred turtle was in a different forest. He was surrounded by cherry blossom trees, all of which looked like they'd be in a painting. The petals of the blossoms all rained down in a very poetic matter, mesmerizing Alex. He pushed himself off the ground and began to look around the forest. After a moment, it dawned on the mutant terrapin regarding his current whereabouts. "Wait, am I in the Spirit Realm again?" Alex asked himself out loud.

   "Indeed you are." a new voice responded. Alex turned to see a woman standing right behind him, and there was something very familiar about her. She had long dark hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. The woman wore a white kimono and a pink lotus blossom was tucked in her hair. At that very moment, the turtle recognized who this woman was. "Tang Shen?" he asked the woman. She kindly smiled and nodded in response. "Hello, Alexander," Shen said. "It is so nice to see you again."

   Alex just stood in silence, unsure what to say at the moment. He was in the presence of his adoptive mother, the woman who had saved his life. The black-and-blue masked turtle shook his head, snapping out of it, and looked at Shen again. "It's nice to officially meet you." Alex finally spoke. He quickly glanced at the cherry blossom forest before meeting his mother figure's gaze again. "Why am I here?" the mutant asked. "You were greatly weakened after you used the Dragon's Traverse," Shen began. "I brought you here to help you regain that strength."

   Alex then looked down at his hands before dropping them to his sides. "I'm not dead, am I?" he asked quietly. Shen gently lifted Alex's head, allowing his cerulean blue eyes to meet hers. "You are still alive, Alexander." she responded. "But I can tell there is much on your mind." the spirit added. "You wouldn't be the first to notice." Alex replied. Shen then took the mutant's hand into hers, giving him a kind smile. "Come, let us talk about it." she said. Alex nodded his head and followed his mother figure down the path of cherry blossom trees.


   A gentle breeze carried the cherry blossom petals across the forest, many of them dancing in the wind. Alex was still enthralled with the tranquility of this little forest but drew his attention back to Shen once she addressed him. "I know what you had to endure since my departure." she said. The scarred turtle only glanced down; something had still haunted him. "Why did you have to leave me?" he asked softly. Shen felt her heart grow heavy with this question. As hard it was for her to think about it, her adoptive son had a right to know what happened. "If I were to remain with you, the Spirit Realm would be out of balance." she explained. "The Elders had insisted for me to come here, despite knowing your living situation at the time." Shen recalled.

   Alex's cerulean blue eyes looked at his mother figure. "Is that why they gave me these powers?" he asked. "That is only part of it." Shen responded. "They did not tell me anything else beyond that." she added. "I... I see..." Alex said quietly. Shen gently squeezed his hand, having the turtle look at her. "I met with the Keeper earlier," Alex said. "He showed me what happened, and how I could stop Temptress." the turtle explained.

   Shen looked at Alex after mentioning the Keeper. "I am familiar with the Keeper." she replied. "He allowed me to see you, and I watched as you grew up to become a strong warrior." the woman explained to Alex, who looked back down. "I still think about what I've been through." he said. "This whole journey challenged me on how I was able to grow from it, but..." the black-and-blue masked turtle paused and deeply sighed. "I don't feel like I can move on from it." Alex finished. Shen looked at her adoptive son with concern and lifted his head up.

   "Alexander, I understand that everything you went through was difficult," Shen began. "Your life before meeting your family was not an easy one, but you must move forward rather than looking back." she advised. "I know you are capable of doing just that." the woman rested her hand on Alex's cheek. He was met with a look of reassurance from his adoptive mother and softly smiled. "Alright, I can do that." the turtle said with confidence. Shen warmly smiled to Alex. "I know you will." she said.

   Both Alex and Shen arrived at a small lake at the edge of the forest, cherry blossom petals floating on the water's surface. "Was this how you were able to see me?" the scarred turtle asked the spirit. "Yes." she responded as an image of the lab appeared in the lake. "I am still able to see the rest of our family as well." Shen added as she glanced down at the lake. Alex then looked at the image and saw his unconscious self, laying on the medical bed. He also noticed Donnie keeping a watchful, but nervous eye, on him, waiting for his older brother to potentially wake up. "They're all waiting for me, aren't they?" the mutant asked his mother figure.

   Shen nodded her head and reached for the lotus blossom in her hair. "It is time for you to go home, Alexander." she said as she handed the flower to Alex. He looked down at the little blossom at his hands before looking at his mother figure again. "Allow yourself to fall into this lake, and you will return and wake up." she instructed. The cerulean blue-eyed turtle nodded and stepped towards the lake until he stopped and looked at Shen. Alex walked over to her and tightly embraced his mother figure. "Thank you for everything, Mother." he said. Shen returned the warm embrace and smiled. "You are welcome, my son." she replied.

   Alex broke himself from the hug and looked up at Shen one last time. She gently kissed his forehead and smiled to him yet again. The scarred turtle smiled back and slowly began to walk backward. As soon he was at the edge of the lake, Alex held the lotus blossom close to his chest and shut his eyes before allowing himself to fall into the lake. The sound of water splashing filled the turtle's ears as he sank deeper into the lake. Everything else beyond that was a blur, but then again, it was the last thing he remembered.


   When Alex began to open his eyes, he found himself staring up at the ceiling above him. The turtle sat up and glanced down to see the lotus blossom from Shen in his hands before placing it in his belt pocket. He then looked over to see Donnie on his desk, fast asleep in front of his computer. Alex softly smiled, got off the table and walked over to his younger brother's side. "Donnie?" he whispered. The genius turtle snored slightly before waking up. His tired red-brown eyes adjusted to the sight of Alex before him, and Donnie quickly rubbed them. "Alex? Is that you?" he asked sleepily. Alex nodded his head and smiled. "Hey Donnie." he said warmly.

   Donnie gave a warm, but tired, smile back to Alex. "I'm so glad that you're awake...!" he exclaimed softly. The black-and-blue masked turtle chuckled as his younger brother got to his feet. "We should tell the others." Donnie suggested as he rushed to the Lab door. Both him and Alex were met with the sight of the other three Turtles, Karai, April, Casey, Rufus and Shade all asleep out in the living room. Alex only smiled at this sight and looked back at his purple masked brother. "We should wake them up." he said. Donnie nodded in agreement as the two brothers quietly left the Lab.

   One by one, Donnie and Alex woke the others from their slumber, and despite some of them seeing Alex, their tired eyes were still adjusting to the harsh light of the living room. Mikey was the first to set his sights on his older brother and smiled wide. "Guys, Alex is awake!" he happily shrieked. The freckled turtle's loud exclamations were able to pull the others out of their drowsiness before facing Alex before him. "Well, look who's awake." Raph said, rubbing his eyes. Mikey sprang up to his feet, rushed over to Alex and tightly hugged him. "Mikey... too tight..." the older turtle pleaded in a strained voice. "Whoops, my bad." Mikey nervously chuckled, releasing his grip on his brother.

   "So, how long was I out?" Alex asked the group. "I'd say all night," Donnie responded. "I stayed up most of the night to keep an eye on you." he added. "The rest of us were too anxious to go to bed knowing you were still out cold." Leo said. "Excuse me, but I wasn't 'anxious' about him at all." Shade retorted. "Oh, really now?" Karai asked the crimson-red eyed turtle, a smug grin on her face. Shade let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, I guess I was a little bit worried." he muttered. "And Casey and I wanted to stay here until you woke up." April spoke up. "I didn't want to leave knowing you wouldn't be okay." she added. "I appreciate all of you worrying about me." Alex said with a smile.

   Everyone turned their attention to see Splinter exiting the dojo. He noticed that Alex was now awake and walked over to him. "How are you feeling, Alexander?" the rodent asked his son. "I feel fine, Father." Alex responded. His cerulean blue eyes caught sight of the bandage on Splinter's arm. "Father, your arm-." the turtle pointed out. "I am alright, my son." the older mutant interrupted him. "It is nothing you should be concerned about." Splinter continued. "I can heal your arm." Alex insisted. The rodent's ears perked with curiosity, only to notice his middle adoptive son rest his hands over his arm. Alex's eyes were shut tight and tried to focus on his power. A moment passed, he opened his eyes and looked at Splinter's arm again. "Nothing happened..." Alex said softly.

   "What do you mean that nothing happened?" Rufus asked Alex. "I don't think my powers did anything to heal Splinter's arm." the scarred turtle replied. "I assure you, Alexander, I am fine." Splinter spoke up. "It will eventually heal in time." the rodent reassured. Alex sadly nodded and looked down at his hands. He tightly balled them into fists and tried to focus on his powers again. Moments passed, and the turtle felt a hand on his shoulder. Alex opened his eyes and looked to see Karai next to him. "Alex, I don't want you to hurt yourself." she said, her voice filled with worry.

   Alex let out a quiet sigh and sat down on the couch. "Why aren't my powers working?" he openly asked the group. They all took a moment to think of a response. "Did you use your blade to destroy the source?" Leo asked in response to his brother's question. The black-and-blue masked turtle shook his head. "I was baited, and I had to use the Dragon's Traverse." Alex replied.

   "That Keeper dude say you'd die if you use that technique or something, didn't he?" Mikey asked, recalling the possible risks of the Dragon's Traverse. "He did, but it's possible that it's different for mortals." Donnie responded. "The Keeper said that the last individual who used it was a spirit, so maybe the outcome is different." he added. "It's obvious that the Dragon's Traverse had some type of effect on Alex's powers." the genius hypothesized. "Hey, speaking of, why did that Temptress lady want Alex's powers anyway?" Casey asked.


   "I think I know why," Alex began. "She knew that my powers were the only thing she needed for her plans of revenge." he responded. "It can be enough to put her plan into action, but too much could kill everything she makes." the turtle recalled how his abilities were put into play throughout the invasion. "In the right hands, my power is great and possess a beauty and strength very few can tolerate and possess." Alex continued on, looking down at his hands. "But in the wrong hands, it can be destructive and dangerous to everyone." he tightly clenched his fists and pulled them close to his chest.

   "But you didn't have much control of your powers before Temptress became a serious threat." Raph spoke up. "True, but I was still struggling with everything I've been through before that point." Alex responded. "I know moving on from it isn't going to be easy, but I've come to terms with my past." the cerulean blue-eyed turtle explained. "This journey I had to take with my family to find out how to stop Temptress helped me learned to grow from it." he finished, meeting his gaze to his family.

   Splinter rested his hand on Alex's shoulder and kindly smiled to him. "I am very proud of you, Alexander." he said. Alex looked up at his father figure and smiled warmly. Splinter then looked over at the others. "There will be no training tomorrow," he announced. "You all fought hard this past week and deserve a well-needed rest." the rodent continued. "But there will be training in the following morning." Splinter reminded his students. The Turtles, April and Karai all nodded their heads. "Well, I should probably get home before my dad freaks out." April said, heading towards the exit. She waved good-bye to her friends before leaving the Lair. Casey, Rufus and Shade all followed the red-haired girl's lead as they too exited the Lair.

   The Turtles, Karai and Splinter all proceeded to head to their rooms for the night. As Alex entered his room, he noticed the picture of him and his brothers still on his bed. The turtle picked up the picture again and smiled. He then hung the image back onto his bedroom wall. Alex then took out the lotus blossom from Shen and rested it on his nightstand. The scarred turtle then stripped himself of his gear and climbed into bed. After tucking himself in, Alex looked at the flower once more. He softly smiled and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall asleep. With that, the turtle knew how to grow and deal with whatever may come his way. But for now, he was ready to turn his mind off. "Finally..." Alex thought to himself. "I can finally sleep."