I have no idea if someone is still reading this, since it's been so long since I updated. I am truly, truly sorry! The reason for that is… well it's a few. One is that I didn't know what was going to happen, and I still have a hard time coming up with ideas. The second; My computer f**king died a few months back and it took this story with it. And all my ideas that I had in the old document… Yeah well you get it.

SO I am asking YOU for help! If you have any ideas, PLEASE tell me!

Thank you so much for all your reviews! And the favorites! That is what kept/keeps me going! ^^

Too Late

Chapter 4: On the Run

I never thought that I would ever return to America, let alone New York. I had abandoned the city years ago along with my family and friends with not even as much as a goodbye or an explanation. Surly they deserved a better explanation than 'I've had enough', but that had been the truth. But even if I had explained, they wouldn't have understood. I'm not so sure of the reason myself anymore. Now it just seems silly and childish. Once I had realized that it was too late and I couldn't go back. Even if I could I was sure that my brothers wouldn't want me back. So many years and still nothing have changed in this place and the feelings were still the same. So why did I came back?

My head was pounding hard and I felt like throwing up. I must have gotten a concussion or something. I remember that I had taken a hard hit on my head, not that the pounding, the nausea and the exhaustion was evidence enough to confirm that, but from who was still the question. If it wasn't for the bad feeling in my stomach and the instinct of keep on running then I would have stop and thrown up and then lie down and sleep for weeks. Hell I was so tired.

"Dad, come on just a little bit further…" A familiar voice said in the distance, almost succeeding in overpowering the drum that was rocking like a concert in my head. "Come on… please stay with me…"

Yeah, right. That was why I was back, Tessa. The Foot. Karai. Captured. Right….

I forced myself to consciousness and cracked my eyes open to see the familiar sight of New York's back alleys. It wreaked just the same as I remembered. Not surprising at all. Just what I had missed. I found myself leaning on Tessa while she tried to get us both to the next alley, crossing the one we were at. Behind us I heard a fight but as I turned my head to see who was fighting, we turned the corner before I could get a glimpse. But I could swear I heard one of my brothers' voices, or maybe it was the concussion playing tricks on me, telling me I missed my brothers. But that I already knew.

We had gotten a few houses away before I asked; "The Foot?", but my voice came out in a raspy barely heard voice. Then I burst out into a violent coughing attack and breathing was kind of hard. Hun had done a real good job messing me up, thanks Hun. My throat felt like sandpaper and I realized that I was coughing up blood. Probably a few broken ribs.

We stopped for a few seconds until the coughing stopped and I could breathe again. I ignored my body's protest and took off my weight from Tessa to my own two feet.

"Yeah ,a boy helped us. He told me to go…" She said, worry in her voice. I examine her with my eyes to see if she was injured, she had a few superficial cuts and a few bruises, but nothing serious. Not that the Shredder would hurt her, he still needed her. "He said he could handle it, but I'm not so sure… Maybe I should go back and help-"

"No, we keep on going." I interrupted her. "We have to get out of New York immediately." Once my body had calmed down enough to keep on going, we continued. Even if that group of Foot was occupied for the moment, there was still plenty more out there looking and more than happy to take come and collect their price.

"You're hurt badly, why don't we contact your brothers? Or your friends?" She asked before we exit the alley and hurried on to the next one.

"No" I answered more harshly than I had meant.

"But they can-"

"I said no!" I gave her a stern look, kind of a do-as-I-say-look, which she knew very well, but didn't really comply with if she didn't want to. She sort of did what she wanted. I had no doubt that she and Raphael would bond pretty easily if they would ever meet. I know she wants to meet her uncles, but I had promised to keep her out of New York, and I intended to keep that promise.

"Where to?" She asked, looking at right and then left when we came to the street. I was relieved that it was night and that we were in the part of the city that wasn't active at night times. We didn't need any more trouble. But of course that was bound to happen.

"The docks" I answered simply and determined. "We can find a place to hide there for a while until a boat can take us back to Japan."

It took us more than an hour to get to the docks. I had to lean on Tessa most of the way. My balance and strength had abandoned me as I started to feel the blood lost. She had been quiet the whole time and she was not happy with my decision. She had wanted to go to New York ever since she knew I had brothers here, and when she finally has gotten here, she must leave. We had to hide a few times as a few groups of the Foot passed us, but she never spoke. The closer we got to the docks, the more Foot ninjas it were. They had already figured out that we would try to leave. It was going to be hard to get away unnoticed. Just great, exactly what we need.

We had to stop as a coughing attach started to act up again. It seemed that I was getting worse at the minute. It was a wonder that I hadn't collapsed yet. Some luck was still on our side. I leaned against the wall to a warehouse while Tessa took a peak behind the corner.

"They're everywhere," she whispered. "And they're coming closer! We have to hide!" She turned around and looked for a hiding place. But there were none, only a container.

Fortunately the coughing didn't last as long as the last time. Instead I was breathing hard again and my head had started to spin. I've almost forgotten how it feels like to have a pipe hit against the head.

"We were going to have to fight to get out of here." I said and unsheathed my katanas and handed her one. I had no idea how I was going to be able to fight, but I had to. She took it right away and took a defensive stance. I had thought her the art of ninjutsu just the way I had been though. True, I was no Splinter, but I had been his student and I had been the best of my brothers. She was a far better ninja than I had been in her age and it wasn't my credit, it was the Shredder's scientists. Of course that didn't make me less worried, it made me even more because it wasn't me they were targeting. I've always been overprotective, but I didn't know half of it until I got Tessa to protect.

Not really sure of what to do, I limped over to the corner and took a look around. There were no Foot in sight, but that didn't mean there weren't any. I kept to the shadows and tried to keep quiet as much as possible. It was then the last of my small luck would abandon me. My vision became blurry and it felt like the ground disappeared. I stumbled a few steps before I finally fell to the ground.

Before my vision completely became black, I was the familiar uniforms of the Foot approach and one injected me with something. My last thought was on Tessa, wishing that she escape.

Too Be Continued…

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