Family is Forever

Hidden City's Most Wanted: Part 2

Aria's POV:

We arrive at the police officer's house, guarded by a two-headed dog yokai.

Splinter: "Well, looks like it's too hard to save Bear. How about a little shaved ice, and then we can find you a new bear?"

Mikey pouts in disagreement while I give Splinter a stern look as he sighs in relent.

Splinter: "Fine. I've got an idea."

Splinter travels to and from the resort Leo's visiting and returns with Leo's sword.

Splinter: "All right. You kids stand watch, I'll go get Barry Draxum."

Splinter takes my hand as we teleport into the house to find Dad. After a while, Dad bursts through the brick wall, the broach having fallen off, with Splinter in his arms.

Dad: "We gotta go."

Then, the police officer shines a light on us from his balloon.

Officer: "Stop right there, Barry Draxum!"

Mikey: "That's not good."

I grab Mikey as Dad & I rush to take cover in an old dumpster.

Splinter: "Oh, great work, alchemist. Now I have to come up with a plan to get us out of your mess."

Dad: "I'll come up with the plan."

Splinter: "Oh, no, no, no. I'll come up with the plan."

Dad: "I'm a master planner. I'll get us out of here."

Splinter: "Think of how many times you've planned something that I've stopped. I'm a...super master planner."

Dad: "That's a made-up thing."

Splinter: "You're a made-up thing!"

Me: "Enough!"

Both men turn to me as I don an annoyedly angered look.

Me: *deep breath* "Ok. I understand you guys have issues, and Dad tried to destroy the human race, and blah, blah, blah. But, please, for crying out loud, can you just once speak to each other like rational, well-behaved adults so I don't lose two dads in one day?"

Splinter: "But this is all his fault."

Dad: "All my fault? If it wasn't for you, my day wouldn't have involved being tortured by a demon child."

Splinter: "Maybe I ruined your day, but you ruined my life!"

Dad: *laughs evilly* "What life? When I found you, you were a husk of a man. You had lost your taste for fighting. You had no purpose."

Splinter: "But I'm not lost anymore. I have Aria and my sons, and you ruined our special day!"

Dad: "Without me, you wouldn't even have a son whose day I could ruin. And Aria is my daughter, not yours. You may have raised her these last six years, but only because you took her from me. Then, you had the gall to pass her off to a random family she lost when the Foot Clan came looking for her because she was my descendant."

Dad looks at me, then at the ground with a sad look.

Dad: "I could've protected her from having to experience that. I promised her mother I would protect her from everything, no matter what. But I couldn't because of you."