Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Oroku Saki was called many names over the years.

Crime lord.

Freak.

Monster.

But the one that he was usually known by was Demon, which would normally be an insult.

However, today proved otherwise.

Today was the day Oroku Saki could finally put an end to the ones he despised the most: Hamato Yoshi and his four teenage sons, whom he had trained in the art of ninjitsu. Oroku Saki thought long and hard about how much he loathed his foes. He closed his eyes and thought back to how it all escalated.

Long before he became the man he is today, Oroku Saki was born in rural Japan and raised in a ninja clan known as The Foot, the longtime enemies of another group called The Hamato Clan. For years, the two families battled for their home until one day, the Hamato Clan attacked and put an end to their rivals for good. On the brink of battle, a young Oroku Saki was discovered by a man named Hamato Yuuta, who showed mercy on the boy and took him in, raising him as his own. Oroku Saki became the adopted brother of Hamato Yoshi, with whom he always shared a rivalry. The two always competed for their father's affection and battled to see who would be the better warrior. For the most part, Hamato Yoshi would come out superior, but every now and then, Oroku Saki would break that streak.

Unfortunately, that rivalry only grew worse when a certain someone walked into their lives: a beautiful woman by the name of Tang Shen. Oroku Saki stood as still as a stone, thinking about the day he first laid eyes upon the woman he knew would be his dream girl. Tang Shen was someone of Chinese/Japanese descent, and her face was something everybody loved; it was clean, her skin was light, and her brown eyes shone like the night sky. Oroku Saki remembered meeting her and attempted to make a good first impression, only to make himself look like a klutz. Still, it didn't stop Tang Shen from seeing something within him. With a stroke of luck, Oroku Saki wound up winning over Tang Shen; however, their relationship didn't last long. The deep anger Oroku Saki held within made him a difficult person. Tang Shen attempted to get him the help he needed, but her boyfriend refused and would get aggressive. No violence was involved, but he said some things that shouldn't have been said.

This caused Tang Shen to leave his side and form a new relationship with someone Oroku Saki hated more than anyone: Hamato Yoshi.

Why? Why him? You could have chosen anyone in Japan, and you chose someone who has the gall to call me their brother?

Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen, despite some hardships, crafted a healthy relationship. They dated for a while, got married, and began raising a baby girl named Miwa. Even though they were long longer romantically involved, Tang Shen still loved Oroku Saki as a brother-in-law and had attempted to make peace with him over the years. Even though he enjoyed talking to her, the jaded man abhorred the idea that the woman he saw first left him to be with someone who always came out on top. Oroku Saki has brought this point to both her and her husband multiple times. Tang Shen never enjoyed confrontation, so Hamato Yoshi would always do the talking.

"You couldn't take care of her, Saki," echoed the voice of Hamato Yoshi. "She left you because you were too aggressive with her. You've allowed your temper to treat her like she's worthless. I know you have animosity towards me, but I do not want this feud to last forever. We have competed for many things over the years, and I don't want my wife's love to be one of them. Saki, I know there's a pain that lies beneath you, and I want to help you fight it. But I can't do it unless you let me."

The nerve.

How dare he act like he's innocent for all of this?

That's what Oroku Saki thought as he stood and clenched his fists.

Growling in agony, he thought about how he should have been the one to take Tang Shen's hand in marriage. He should have been the one to build their dream home, and most importantly, he should have been the one to raise a beautiful baby daughter.

And to make matters worse, Oroku Saki discovered his true heritage around this time – that he was supposed to be raised into the Foot Clan under the Oroku name, but instead, he was adopted by his greatest foes and raised to be someone he isn't. Hamato Yoshi knew they weren't biological brothers, but it didn't matter to him; he wanted to love his sibling all the same. Of course, that didn't matter to Oroku Saki, as there was only one thing that came into his mind.

Revenge.

Oroku Saki gathered battle armor with the Foot Clan's symbol on the back, and he invaded the home of his wretched rival.

In a desperate move to get Tang Shen to return to him, Oroku Saki battled his adopted brother with the intent to kill.

As the broken man stood on top of a stone floor, he recalled the gruesome battle he had with Hamato Yoshi. Despite having more armor and weaponry, Hamato Yoshi proved to be strong; however, Oroku Saki remembered landing blows and scratches here and there. They weren't strong enough to draw blood, but they did weaken his rival. He thought by doing this enough times, he'd win.

Sadly, that wasn't the case.

During the battle, the life of Tang Shen had been taken, and she died in the arms of Hamato Yoshi. Oroku Saki was devastated to know that his plan had failed and that the person he was supposed to kill was still alive.

Tang Shen – the reason behind this attack was gone and slowly died in the hands of his dreaded brother.

Oroku Saki attempted to kill his brother, blaming him for his former lover's death; however, the place was smoldering, which came at a fatal price; most of his face was burned during the fire, and most of that was because of Hamato Yoshi fighting back. Oroku Saki clenched his face as he recalled the burning sensation he felt during that time. Closing his eyes, he grunted as he felt rough skin marks against his scarred cheek. Shaking off the pain, Oroku Saki remembered how he was able to make his escape and leave his brother burning in ash. He remembered being a broken man who won the battle, but lost the war. He lost everything that day, even though he was still left standing.

That's a story that everyone in the Foot Clan knew well; however, none of them knew of the true aftermath.

As Oroku Saki trailed away from the flames, he recalled hearing a dark voice within his head.

"So… you finally decided to take action," said someone with a calming yet ominous tone. "Unfortunately, it came at a price. The woman you love was gone thanks to your hands, and your brother is currently rotting with her. Not only that, but you've managed to grab a little souvenir. I may not have the power to bring back your wife, but I can give you everything you need to restore your family's legacy and repair your shattered honor."

Who? Who said that?

Oroku Saki remembered looking around like a paranoid person, believing he was being watched. That day, he didn't see anyone but himself, so who was speaking to him? And how would they have the power to undo all of the damage brought into his life? Oroku Saki remembered not saying a word that day. What could you say after hearing something like that?

"No?" the voice echoed again. "A shame. You would have a useful Demon."

Demon?

Oroku Saki thought long and hard about who or what just happened, but he figured his best thing to do now would be to flee the crime scene and pray that Hamato Yoshi got what he deserved.

Since then, the rest of the tale is history – Oroku Saki rebuilt the Foot Clan and donned a moniker everyone would remember, The Shredder. For years, the Foot Clan has been a secret crime syndicate that was mostly based in Tokyo, Japan. However, that all changed via one news report. Inside his throne room, Shredder recalled seeing news footage of an attack at a laboratory where a shuriken was recovered by the police. At first glance, it was just a simple ninja star, but upon further inspection, it meant much more.

The logo on the shuriken was that of a Japanese bell flower known as a kikkyo. Normally, it'd be a symbol that'd represent humility, loyalty, and purity. But to Shredder, it was a painful reminder of his tragic past. This symbol was used for the Hamato Clan, which meant Hamato Yoshi somehow survived the attack and was training his own set of students. No doubt planning to take down the Foot Clan just like his brethren did many years ago.

At last. I can finally finish what I started so long ago.

And from there, a legendary rivalry began.

Hamato Yoshi wasn't the same man he once was.

He was now a mutated rat named Splinter, and he trained four mutant turtles in the art of ninjutsu. Shredder battled these mutants time and again, but met nothing but failure every time. Once in a while, he'd come close to victory, but his enemies always bounced back. Throughout the war, Shredder would often hear the same voice he heard after burning Hamato Yoshi's home to the ground. The voice would always say the same thing.

"I can give you everything you need to repair your shattered honor."

But every time this occurred, Shredder was left more confused. For years, he pondered who that voice was and where it came from. Every time he'd look around, he'd see that no one was around him; it made him think he was going insane. It didn't change the fact that all of those conversations would end the same, where the voice would express disappointment that Shredder was turning him down once again, saying he would have been a useful Demon.

Well, all of that was about to change.

After spending a lot of time researching and reading through mythology books, Shredder was now inside another realm with a dark purple sky. He stood on top of a stone staircase and looked around, seeing nothing but black, shadowy creatures at the bottom of the stairs. There were too many to count, but the jaded leader could see that all eyes were on him. Shredder was never one to be shy in front of big crowds, but he knew what all of them were thinking.

Who is this guy? What does he want with our master? What could he do for us?

Shredder turned his back away from the monsters and turned to the one being who's been trying to become an ally for years and years.

The creature wasn't human, nor an ordinary being.

Instead, he was a giant purple mouth of fire with pointed teeth that created a menacing and monstrous smile; a smile that gave Shredder the idea that this was a force to be reckoned with, which meant this was exactly the kind of help he needed to wipe out his enemies once and for all. Before Shredder could say a word to this creature, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar photo: a black and white portrait of Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen, whose arms are wrapped around their baby Miwa. Shredder stared long and hard at the photograph, thinking back to his failed operation years ago.

A painful scream echoed through his head as he recollected the very moment his heart shattered into a million pieces.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" the creature spoke, using the same tone he'd been using the whole time. "The day you let her down. It haunts you, doesn't it?"

Shredder glanced up and nodded.

"You impress me, Oroku Saki," the creature spoke again, staring deep at the man in silver armor. "Never before has anyone rejected my offer so many times, only to come here voluntarily and propose a deal I can't refuse." The creature chuckled as it leaned down and continued staring. "I must say… you're quite the negotiator."

"Normally, I do not make deals," Shredder finally replied in his dark-toned voice. "But, this is worth the exception. I've heard your voice for many years, Gwi-Ma. And I've spent a lot of that time studying you. I thought I was going insane listening to your voice, but once I found out you were real… I knew it was time to stop running."

Gwi-Ma, the Demon King, nodded and chuckled once more. "You know what I desire, yes?"

"I do," nodded the Foot Clan's leader. "You wish to have one of the Hunters that defeated you months ago. Remind me who she is again."

"She's part of the current generation of Demon Hunters; warriors that use songs to seal the Honmoon, a barrier that prevents my Demons from accessing the human world. Months ago, the Honmoon was barely turning gold, so I sent a Demon army up there to steal the one thing the Hunters care about the most, their fans. Unfortunately, they failed miserably. One of the Hunters carries my patterns, but I've struggled to get through to her. She's not like the other Demons; she's part human. But her power is immense. With her by my side, I could fracture this new Honmoon and feast upon all of the souls I want."

Gwi-Ma paused for a moment, allowing his new partner to soak all of that in. Shredder absorbed that information like a sponge and nodded, ready to learn what he could do to help.

"Your mission is simple, Shredder. Next week, the Hunters are planning on starting a new world tour. They'll be performing live at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I want your Foot Clan to bring me the Hunter, and in exchange, I will give you the power you need to destroy your enemies. Who were they again?"

"Splinter, formerly known as Hamato Yoshi," Shredder replied coldly. "He has four mutant turtles as his sons, and he's trained them in ninjitsu for fifteen years. They're not perfect, but they're strong. I've tried time and again to get rid of them, but like cockroaches, they keep coming back."

"I see," Gwi-Ma nodded. "I won't lie; the concept of human-sized ninja turtles is… absurd. But after observing you for so long, I realize that you're telling the truth."

"The Hunter you're searching for. What does she look like? What is her name?"

"Her name is Rumi. She has purple braided hair and bears my marks. They shouldn't be too hard to notice."

Shredder nodded as he recollected a time he had heard of someone with that description. He recalled hearing about Rumi through several newspaper articles and TV news reports. Rumi was the leader of a Korean music group called Huntrix (or in some cases, HUNTR/X) and worked closely with her best friends Mira and Zoey. Shredder was never big into K-pop; in fact, music never appealed to him in the slightest; however, some of his associates are huge fans of the genre, so word has traveled around.

"Her name is familiar to me," Shredder answered clearly. "I will make sure she is brought to you swiftly. Although you mentioned she and her friends are Demon Hunters. Without a doubt, they were trained by the best. My Foot Clan could potentially take them down, but I have a feeling they'll be weak in their base forms. They could use an upgrade."

"Hmm," Gwi-Ma replied. "Consider it done. Who are the lucky souls for today?"

The chrome-armored warrior shifted his body to the fight and snapped his fingers.

Like clockwork, dozens and dozens of men in black ninja costumes climbed to the top of the staircase and bowed their heads before Gwi-Ma, who looked and analyzed each of them. The Foot Soldiers weren't too strong in bulk; they were lanky, but he could tell they had a lot of skill to them. He looked and noticed the Foot Clan's mark on top of their red bandanas before turning towards Shredder. With that, Gwi-Ma proceeded to look inside their heads, feeding off of their deep thoughts and desires. Shredder didn't know his Foot Soldiers personally, but he knew they were troubled teenagers coming from various walks of life; he couldn't imagine some of the trauma they were hiding, nor did he care enough to know. Troubled teenagers were easy to manipulate, so it just made Shredder's recruitment process easier. Within a matter of seconds, all of the Foot Soldiers made deals with Gwi-Ma, and he chuckled. Suddenly, dark purple lines started to crawl against the ninjas' bodies; they spread from head to toe and completely covered their bodies. Soon, a wave of magenta fire consumed them, and it made Shredder take a step back. After a minute of waiting, the Foot Soldiers became black shadows that turned toward their leader, showing him their new appearances.

Shredder couldn't believe what he was looking at; it was like Gwi-Ma gave them a complete makeover. The Foot Clan's symbol was still there, but it was on their stomachs instead of their heads. For the most part, the Foot Soldiers' bodies were a solid black, but there were other features Shredder admired, which let him release an evil laugh. It wasn't loud or bold; it was quiet and menacing.

Turning towards his new partner, Shredder bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord Gwi-Ma. Next week, my new Foot Soldiers will bring you the Hunter you're looking for. You have my word."

"The last time someone said that, they betrayed me and fought alongside the Hunters," Gwi-Ma replied. For a moment, he thought about a former associate who sacrificed himself to save Rumi from getting burned in a fiery inferno. It was someone he thought he knew well, but apparently, he didn't know him enough. Gwi-Ma remembered being angry with that Demon and swore to never make the same mistake again. "If you fail this mission, our deal will be vanquished and your soul… will be mine."

Knowing the stakes were high, Shredder gave a single nod before he walked down the stairs.

In the process, he was met by several associates who were hanging out in the middle of it. Two of them were mutants named Fishface (formerly known as Xever Montes) and Dogpound (who used to go by Chris Bradford) Standing beside them were two human beings. One was an African-American man with a purple sweater named Baxter Stockman. Next to him was young sixteen-year-old kunoichi who had the privilege of being born and raised in the Foot Clan.

Her name was Karai, and she had nothing but a look of concern on her face.

"I don't know how I feel about this, Master Shredder," Dogpound said with his asymmetrical arms folded. "I've never seen this kind of power before. Are you sure this is safe?"

"The Foot Clan will follow my orders, Bradford," Shredder replied. "If something goes wrong, I will take care of it."

"Why do those weaklings get new powers, and I don't?" grunted Fishface. "Not that I want to be a freaky Demon, but if it's gonna help us crush those Turtles, then I wouldn't mind a change in appearance."

"Patience, Xever," replied his master. "You'll get your chance to have some of Gwi-Ma's powers soon."

"Master Shredder," spoke the mutant Akita. "I have some concerns with this partnership." He cleared his throat and continued speaking. "Outside of the information you've shared with us, I've done my own research on Gwi-Ma. He's a sacred figure in Korean mythology. He and his forces have been tormenting human lives for centuries, and there's always been a generation of Hunters to fend them off. Gwi-Ma strikes me as an imposing force; however, I have a strong feeling we're just a means to an end. Are you sure this partnership is a good idea?"

"I will admit, I too was skeptical about this, but it's too late to turn back," Shredder answered. "Besides, Gwi-Ma has already fulfilled part of his end of the bargain, so we need to do the same. Which reminds me… Karai,"

The young student approached her father and bowed out of respect. "Yes, Father?"

"I want you and Baxter Stockman to keep tabs on the Hunters. Find out when the concert is, find out when they're leaving, find out where they'll be staying, and find out when the show will begin."

"As you wish, Father," Karai nodded. "But Bradford raises some valid concerns. I don't mean to question you, Father, but are we certain we can trust Gwi-Ma? I hate Hamato Yoshi as much as you do; he murdered my mother, and you almost met the same fate. But… are you sure you believe this is the best course of action?"

Shredder nodded and readjusted his purple cape. "If Gwi-Ma wanted it, he would have taken my soul and refused my offer. Instead, he chose to hear me out. That alone should say something."

Karai looked to the side and down to the floor. Part of her felt worried about working with mythical Demons that have tortured innocent people for centuries; however, she knew Shredder was never one to lie to her face. So, she raised her head high and nodded.

Looking at the Demons below, Shredder briefly turned to the dark purple sky above, seeing faint rainbow lines scattered about. That was the new Honmoon created by Huntrix months ago. It wasn't gold like it should be, but it's got more of an effect, seeing as how Gwi-Ma mentioned he struggled to break through. Shredder took a deep breath and looked down at his arms, noticing the same purple lines as the ones on his new Foot Soldiers. Shredder thought about the day he earned these patterns from Gwi-Ma and swore to himself that he'd never let them be taken away.

This was something he worked hard on.

Something he researched morning, noon, and night.

Something he'd spent a lot of time running from.

And something that could help get the vengeance he desires.

Shredder looked towards his enforcers and said this, "Hamato Yoshi and his Turtles will pay for everything they've done. With our new power, the Foot Clan will finally emerge victorious."

Dogpound nodded and clenched both fists.

Fishface sneered and chuckled evilly.

Baxter Stockman mirrored the canine's head motion.

And Karai simply bowed once again.

With Shredder's body covered with Demon patterns, he eagerly awaits the moment that his enemies will suffer his wrath.

But first, he needed to bring what Gwi-Ma desired.

Chapter Text

The Channel 6 News Building bustled with Huntrix mania.

Dozens of staff members ran around making sure their latest news report was ready to go. Their lead reporter, Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe, quickly squirmed through a crowd of people, making sure all of their cameras were ready to go. A group of people followed the reporter and brushed his face with various cleaning supplies; they used scissors to trim his mustache, a small cloth to clean his face, and some acne cream to tame a zit growing on the side of his forehead. Carlos cracked his fingers and approached a large blue desk that covered most of the area. In the middle was the company's logo, which he smiled at as he took his seat.

Readjusting his clothes, Carlos heard a female director shout at the top of her lungs that they'll be going live within a minute. Carlos sat patiently as a group of set designers brought in a large monitor and inserted a DVD. Said disk was labeled – "Golden by HUNTR/X" – and it slid into the disk player with ease.

A minute quickly passed by as the camera crew got together, and the director counted down from five. Within a matter of seconds, all lights shone on Carlos as the camera zoomed in on the monitor, which started playing one of the world's most popular music videos – Golden, which doubled as one of Huntrix's most popular songs. (Song #1 – Start)

Speaking of which, the video opened with the lead singer, Rumi, sleeping on a white bed as a bright sun began to shine upon her face.

Next, the camera cut to the lead dance choreographer, Mira, who leaned against a building, scrunched up in her body.

Lastly, it showed Zoey, the group's youngest rapper, inside a school hallway with her back pressed against the lockers.

All three women stared into the bright sunlight as the opening instrumentals played. From there, the song began, and the camera crew made sure to capture every single moment.

First, Rumi sang about how she grew up alone, then Zoey sang about how she tried to live two different lives, and Mira's part centered around her growing up as a problem child, only to reveal that's how she was getting paid these days.

Carlos and the rest of the news cast stared at the monitor as Rumi began singing the main chorus of the song. Soon, the song transitioned to a montage of all three women riding in a shiny yellow car cruising down the road. It alternated between that and a montage of their lives before meeting each other and forming Huntrix.

Right in the middle of the song, the camera zoomed out and focused on Carlos. A tiny screen was beside him, showing the rest of the music video.

"Good evening, New York!" the reporter greeted the camera with a smile. "Welcome back to Channel 6 News, with yours truly, Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe! And what you just saw was one of the most popular music videos of all time, Golden by the most successful K-pop group of all time, Huntrix! Yes, my friends. The trio behind Huntrix has made quite a name for themselves over the years. Taking over for their predecessors, The Sunlight Sisters, Huntrix has been on a hot streak for a total of five whole years! Wow, time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, it's been months since we last heard from Huntrix as the group announced a three-month hiatus shortly after this year's Idol Awards."

On cue, a group of editors quickly uploaded a clip showing all three Huntrix members – dressed in casual clothing – sitting on a white couch on a stage.

"We feel that a break is necessary given everything that went down at the Idol Awards," Rumi said with a soft smile, glancing at both of her best friends, whom she sat between. "What happened back there was… scary, so we feel we should take a break before we jump back into performing."

"To those who want to know more about our break-up. Well… that's a little complicated," spoke Zoey, who shrugged and nervously scratched her head. "Short answer, The Saja Boys had something to do with it, but we don't go into detail."

"It's best we keep that information to ourselves," Mira nodded as she wrapped her arm around Rumi's shoulder, her hand sliding under her shirt to rub her back. "But in case everyone is curious, we're fine. Huntrix isn't breaking up… we're not breaking up."

"We're not sure when we'll be back, but when we return, we'll be better than we've been before!" Zoey cheered as she pulled both best friends into a tight squeeze.

The clip ended, and Carlos returned to the screen.

Somewhere in New York City, a mysterious figure stood on the rooftop watching the news report on a nearby billboard.

The figure in question was a yellow-green-skinned mutant turtle with brown ninja gear and an orange mask around his face. His name was Michelangelo, and his eyes literally shone like stars in the sky; his pupils were black, and bright shining stars sparkled all around. He was ecstatic to see Huntrix all together again, and he was happier they were taking a break from performing; he heard about the chaos that went down at the Idol Awards and was deeply upset by the idea of Huntrix breaking up. Luckily, according to the group and their PR team, the break-up was just a sick stunt done by The Saja Boys in order to rig the competition. As Golden kept playing on the TV, Michelangelo bopped his head and danced to the music; he shook his body left and right, waving his arms in the same directions. After the Huntrix interview ended, Carlos returned and continued talking.

"Many fans have shared their concerns for Huntrix over the past three months, but from the sounds of it, it looks like they're doing okay," said the reporter proudly. "In fact, they're so good that they announced another world tour last month! Tomorrow night, they'll be kickstarting their international odyssey in our very own Madison Square Garden! Right here in The Big Apple!"

Michelangelo's eyes have now turned into rockets that exploded, creating multicolored fireworks that rained down on all sides. Shaking his head, his eyes returned to normal, and he shouted loudly.

"Tickets have been on sale for over a month, and there's still plenty to go around! So, if you haven't booked your seats already, now's your chance to do so! Don't miss out on what's soon to be a Golden performance! Ha-ha, get it?"

Michelangelo laughed at the reporter's joke, unaware that it caused some groans from staff members behind the scenes. After chuckling at his own pun, Carlos concluded the report with, "Anyway, that's all for tonight's news report. Huntrix, if you're watching this. We look forward to seeing you here! Have yourself a fantastic night, New York! Now, if you excuse me. I'm going to show off my awesome dance moves to the guys in the break room. They're gonna learn How It's Done-Done-Done!"

"Will somebody get this guy off the set?" shouted someone behind the camera. {Song #1 – End}

The news report concluded, and Michelangelo quickly whipped out his T-Phone, which was almost lost to the streets below because he pulled it out so fast, it slipped between his fingers and nearly fell. Thankfully, he's a trained ninja, so he was able to catch it in the nick of time. Typing at a rapid pace, Michelangelo loaded up the ticket website and mumbled under his breath, "Come on, come on, come on. Please be in stock, please be in stock, please be in stock."

After clicking through several pages to find what he was looking for, Michelangelo soon came across an advertisement for the concert, followed by a picture of Huntrix posed for their Golden single. Gasping with excitement, Michelangelo scrolled down to purchase tickets, only to be met with a notification.

We're sorry. Tickets for this event have sold out. You snooze; you lose.

"Aww, come on!" Michelangelo snarled as he refreshed the page to see if this was a joke. Sadly, it wasn't. The orange-masked turtle groaned as he glared at the notification and loaded a map of Madison Square Garden. All of the seats were colored purple with the Huntrix logo in the middle, meaning every single one of them was full.

Approaching the frustrated turtle was none other than his taller brother, Donatello, who gazed upon a Huntrix poster in front of him and released a happy sigh. "Gotta say, it's pretty cool that Huntrix is coming back to New York. They came here during their last tour, and I remember everyone going crazy. April was planning to see them, but she sadly had to work that night. I wonder if she's planning on attending this concert. What do you think, Mikey?"

Michelangelo ignored everything his brother just said and asked, "Hey, Donnie. Do news reporters who spread lies deserve to get ninja-kicked in the face? That's about as bad as alien invasions and rat-infested takeovers, right?"

"Uh, oh," Donatello chuckled and folded his arms. "What's wrong, Mikey? I'd thought you'd be happier knowing your favorite group's coming to town."

"I'd be happier if tickets weren't already sold out. That dude just said there was plenty to go around, but I'm on the website now, and it says they're all sold out. This is the last time I ever trust a news reporter with a mustache."

Donatello chuckled again and cracked his fingers. "How were you planning on paying for those tickets anyway? You don't even have a credit card. Heck, you don't have a bank account."

"I was gonna take out a loan."

"A loan? From what bank?"

"The bank of… uh…" Michelangelo scratched his head before he smiled nervously. "April O'Neil?"

The purple-masked genius rolled his eyes and gently facepalmed. "Mikey…"

“Relax, Donnie, I’m kidding… mostly,” his younger brother replied with a low sigh. “Seeing Huntrix in concert's always been a dream of mine, and I really wanted to go. Ever since April showed us Golden, I've always wanted to see a live performance. Can you imagine it, Donnie? All of us sitting front row seats, singing and dancing to all of their songs? Oh, man. That would be so awesome!"

"Yeah, like a bunch of Korean popstars are gonna be happy seeing four giant turtles sitting in the audience."

Michelangelo and Donatello turned around and saw the person responsible for that comment. It was their other brother, Raphael, who walked alongside Leonardo.

All four Ninja Turtles met up with each other as Raphael folded his arms and resumed the conversation. "If we go down there, we'll be exposed, and everybody will freak out." Raphael proceeded to mock the group by talking in a high-pitched girly voice. "Huntrix will be like Gahhh! Four giant turtles are ruining the concert! Run away, or their disgusting flesh will get our hair and nails dirty! Ooooooh, nooooooo!"

"That's so not what they sound like," Michelangelo grunted.

"Whatever. The point is, we can't go. Besides, K-pop's one of the most overrated genres of music. You're better off listening to that record player Donnie found in the dumpster that one time."

"Well, it's a lot better than listening to music that screams I have teenage angst and refuse to get help."

"Hey! Don't you dare disrespect heavy metal like that!"

"Aww. What's wrong, Raph? Are you sad I'm poking fun at your violent emo music?"

"Oh, I'll show you violent-"

Just before Raphael and Michelangelo could argue about their tastes in music, their fearless blue leader got in between them and stuck his hands out. "All right, all right, enough. Look, Mikey. It would be cool to see Huntrix in concert as they are a talented group; however, Raph is right. If we go there, we'll run the risk of being exposed. Yes, we could wear disguises, but it's better we don't take the risk. Besides, we have a lot on our plate, so going there would only distract us."

"What do you mean, Leo? A distraction from what?"

"Our enemies," Leonardo replied. "Our last big battle was against Kraang Prime, and since then, our other foes have been running rampant. The Purple Dragons, Snakeweed, Spider-Bytez, and Rat King. Not to mention, the Kraang have resurfaced. Speaking of which, do you guys remember how April's friend, Irma, has been interning for Channel 6 News lately?"

The three brothers nodded.

"Then you'd know Irma told April that a strange man came into the office and threatened Joan Grody. Months ago, she did a story on how TCRI was involved in the Technodrome's attack. The Kraang have been working hard to make sure that info doesn't go public. According to April, the man who visited was hostile and spoke in a strange manner, which leads me to believe he was a Kraang in disguise."

"What was he there for?" Raphael asked with arms folded. "Assassination attempt?"

"No," Leonardo shook his head. "He was sent there to threaten Grody into ditching the story. Of course, she refused to back down."

"April told me the story is still being written, but they're having trouble gathering evidence from TCRI," Donatello added. "And according to the Kraang Communication Orb, the Kraang are planning on using a weapon to kill Grody."

"Let's get moving before it's too late," Leonardo nodded. "Move out, Ninjas!"

With that, three out of the four Turtles traversed the rooftops with hopes of making it to their destination on time. The only one who stayed behind was Michelangelo, who looked at his T-Phone with disappointment. Reciting the words "Tickets sold out" to himself, he looked over his shoulder and saw a large billboard of the Huntrix girls banded together. All of them were in the same outfits they wore for Golden's music video, and they had cool smirks on their faces.

Michelangelo mirrored their expressions before he quickly followed his brothers.

TCRI – also known as the Techno Cosmic Research Institute was a massive corporation located within the heart of Brooklyn. To the public, it was another science corporation that potentially dabbled in scientific studies and possible space travel; however, to the Turtles, TCRI was much more.

It was the home location of the Kraang, alien robots that come from another realm called Dimension X. They wish to take over Earth and turn it into their own empire, which they attempted to do some time ago, but they were thwarted by the Turtles and their best friend, April O'Neil.

Speaking of, the four brothers found themselves on the roof of the building, sneaking along the walls. Leonardo was in front of the pack and had his shell pressed against the black building. With his brothers by his side, Leonardo guided them to a corner and peeked his head around it, seeing not one, not two, but three blue Kraang droids scouting the area. One of them heard his footsteps and turned to see what was going on. Luckily, the blue-masked leader ducked away in the nick of time. Turning to his brothers, Leonardo held his hand, signaling them to wait here. With that, he whipped out three shuriken and threw them around the corner. One of them hit two Kraang bots in the head, causing them to fall over the side and into the abyss below. The last Kraang droid widened its eyes and looked to see who the attacker was, only to be sliced in half by two katanas.

Leonardo watched as an alien brain emerged from the robot and hissed at him, but he just kicked it and sent it flying across the sky. Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo followed close behind and came across an entrance on the side. Reaching for his bo-staff, Donatello pressed a button and activated a blade on the very top; he turned it into another Japanese weapon called a naginata.

Sticking the blade through a crack, Donatello pried the door open and checked to see if the coast was clear. He shone a flashlight through and saw nothing but pitch black.

With a single nod, the brownish-green turtle allowed his brothers to go in first while he entered last and closed the door.

In the halls of TCRI, a bunch of Kraang droids wandered around a generic room with grey walls and lights on the very top. Some of them passed by carrying crates of supplies, while others held their blasters in hand. Unbeknownst to them, the Turtles were watching them through an air vent in the ceiling. All four of them waited patiently for the area to be clear, but Raphael was itching to get in on some action; both of his Sai were gripped firmly, and he stretched his neck. Leonardo stuck his hand out, telling him to wait. For the most part, the plan was to go in quick and discreetly. Basically, they'd have to act like true ninjas. However, the four of them knew something or someone would cause them to get exposed, but they figured sticking to the shadows would be the best option for now.

After waiting for what felt like an hour, the room was clear, and Leonardo signaled everyone to fall in quietly. Opening up the vent, Michelangelo watched his brothers go in while he was the last one. Just as the Turtles prepared to sneak around, they heard footsteps from around the corner.

The orange party dude was about to gasp, but his hot-tempered brother covered his mouth and told him to shush. Their fearless leader signaled everyone to hide, and so they did. Leonardo and Donatello opened a door and hid in the closet, whereas Raphael and Michelangelo hid underneath a table against the wall. Three Kraang droids passed through and inspected the area, believing they heard a noise come from above. Upon inspection, their purple eyes shone bright lights on the ceiling, and they saw nothing but a vent that looked intact. Shrugging their shoulders, the Kraang disappeared and walked away.

Leonardo and Donatello opened the closet door and walked out. Raphael and Michelangelo crawled out from the desk and exchanged nods with their brothers.

Together, the four Turtles blended into the darkness and continued their journey.

After sneaking around and taking out some robots through stealth kills, the four brothers found themselves crawling through another air duct they found within the walls. Donatello led the group as he used his T-Phone to load up a map of TCRI. It was a holographic map, and a green turtle shell icon represented their current location. A blue outline showed the ducts they were in and allowed Donatello to see if something was ahead or behind them. Alternating between the phone and what was in front of him, Donatello glanced up and down before turning over his shoulder; he saw Michelangelo, followed by Raphael and Leonardo, who chose to remain in the back so he could watch all of his brothers' backs. The Turtles kept walking for a while before they suddenly heard a voice.

"Kraang, is the superweapon that will destroy the Channel 6 News Building ready for launch?"

"Yes, Kraang. The superweapon that will destroy the Channel 6 News Building will be ready to launch within T-minus six minutes."

The Turtles recognized those robotic monotone voices from anywhere. They were Kraang droids, and what they heard didn't sound good.

What superweapon could they be making?

A missile?

A bomb?

A dangerous mutant?

The brothers internally debated what it could be, but there was no more time to waste.

Making haste as quickly and quietly as possible, the brothers finally found a light at the end of the tunnel. It was below their feet, so they stopped and looked down. Squinting their eyes, they saw a large, white-walled laboratory with pink/purple wires running from the ceiling down to the floor. Several Kraang droids of various colors (some silver and some blue) roamed around fulfilling different duties. Some of them worked on the computers to get their superweapon ready, others were patrolling to see if anyone dared to interrupt their crusade, and others were just chilling on benches because they wanted a break. Michelangelo chuckled at those lazy robots before he was hushed by his brothers.

Suddenly, a few Kraang droids came out, and they looked different compared to the others. They wore white rubbery skin that looked a lot like human flesh. Their faces were deadpanned with eyes halfway closed and mouths in neutral stances. They had curled black hair and attire consisting of black suits and blue shirts. Raphael cringed at the sight of those Kraang, as they were the ugliest of them all. Granted, he viewed everyone in the Kraang as ugly, but the synthetic nature of these ones creeped him out. These Kraang droids were known as Normans.

Earlier, when the Turtles found out about the Kraang's plan, April mentioned that the person who threatened Joan Grody looked exactly like a Norman bot, except it wore black shades and a white suit. Clearly, the Kraang were attempting to disguise themselves, but the April knew better than that. The Turtles were lucky to have someone as smart as her on their team.

Impatience bit Raphael like a tick, so he pried open the door and prepared to drop down and wreak some havoc; however, Donatello grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back; he pointed down and watched as two Kraang droids (one silver and one blue) started talking to each other.

"Kraang," said the blue android. "The superweapon that will destroy the Channel 6 News Building is almost ready for launch. The other Kraang needs to make more modifications."

"Excellent, Kraang," replied the silver companion. "This will teach those who work at the Channel 6 News Building to stick their noses where they do not belong."

"I do not believe they stuck their noses in this facility, Kraang. All they did was attempt to retrieve evidence of our secret plans to conquer the Earth."

"That is just an expression, Kraang. The weapon will launch, and the Channel 6 News staff will be obliterated."

"What the shell are they making?" Raphael whispered to his intelligent brother.

"I can't tell from here," Donatello replied, squinting his eyes.

"What's the plan, Leo?" Raphael asked. "'Cause I'm itching for a fight."

"Well, lucky for you, Raph," Leonardo smirked. "You won't have to wait long."

Just like that, Leonardo kicked down the vent and watched it fall onto the ground. Every single Kraang in the room flinched at the sound and searched around, wondering what caused it. Soon, the Turtles came flooding in like a tsunami, and they landed together. With their eyes whitened and battle stances made, the four brothers felt a fight brewing ahead.

"It is the ones known as the Turtles!" one of the Kraang bots shouted.

"They do not matter, Kraang!" a blue droid replied. "The superweapon that will destroy the Channel 6 News Building is almost complete. Activate the portal, and we will launch it immediately."

"Well, this is one way to complain about the media," Leonardo joked as he drew his twin katana swords. Twirling them around, he gripped their red and yellow hilts tightly and pressed both blades against each other. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we're getting sick of you guys. Why don't you report back to Dimension X and tell Kraang Prime to stay away from our home!"

"Yeah, he might as well accept the loss and move on," Raphael smirked. "I hear there's a dimension filled with talking bunny rabbits that could use some alien life. Have you thought about heading there?"

"Kraang does not take orders from you, Turtles," a robot snarked. "Kraang only accepts orders from Kraang Prime. The ones known as the Turtles shall perish by the hands of Kraang. And the Kraang shall conquer the Earth!"

Leonardo rolled his eyes at that remark.

As if he hadn't heard that a million times before.

He and his brothers watched as the Kraang raised their blasters and turned them on. Purple energy bars shone like the moon outside, indicating the weapons were ready to open fire. Every single Kraang in the room surrounded the Turtles and prepared to open fire, but not even their advanced technology could intimidate them.

The Ninja Turtles stood their ground with weapons held firmly.

"All right, guys," Leonardo nodded. "Let's show these creeps how it's done."

Michelangelo grinned heavily and turned to his brother. "Yes, Leo. We're gonna turn it up cause it's going down. Turtles don't miss. How it's done, done, done."

Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael curiously looked at each other before they raised their brows and turned to Michelangelo, who still had the same look on his face.

"M-Mikey, why did you say it like-oh, no…" Donatello said as realization kicked him in the noggin. "Oh… please no. Tell me you're not going to play that song again."

"What song?" Raphael asked before he figured it out. "Oh, shell! No, Mikey! Don't play that stupid Huntrix song again!"

"It's not stupid," Michelangelo retorted. "It gets the blood pumping."

"Well, it gets my blood boiling," the red-masked turtle grunted. "Mikey, you've been playing that song for three months straight. Every time we go out on missions, you always play it. For once, do not play that song!"

The Kraang droids shared a curious glance, wondering what the heck these mutants were talking about.

"Mikey, this is serious," Leonardo says. "Normally, I'm cool with you listening to music during a fight, but now's not the time to get distracted."

After facing some more backlash from his siblings, Michelangelo thought long and hard about his response. Instead of saying a word, he simply shrugged and nodded, letting his brothers know he was going to follow their orders. Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael sighed with relief and proceeded to thank their brothers.

But before they could get back in their battle stance, they heard a phone beep, and a song began to play. {Song #2 – Start}

"Dang it, Mikey!" Raphael snarled.

"Dude, seriously!?" Leonardo grunted.

"Come on, man!" Donatello complained.

Michelangelo simply shrugged and twirled his nunchaku around, shooting a smirk towards all of the enemies right in front of him. Rolling their eyes, the three brothers drew their weapons and gripped them tightly, preparing for what was about to come. The Kraang raised their weapons and were first to strike; a flurry of lasers flew through the air at supersonic speed, but the four Turtles were able to dodge them with swift ease. As Michelangelo began mouthing the song's lyrics, Leonardo and Raphael began slashing Kraang droids like they were nothing. Both of their blades pierced hot like knives through butter, and Donatello leaped into the air and cleared out some Kraang bots once he landed.

Despite being possessed by the power of song, Michelangelo was still productive, and he threw five shuriken at some Kraang droids and smacked them down with his nunchaku. As he hummed and sang Mira's part of the song, Raphael came in and stabbed a blue Kraang three times before kicking it to the side.

Soon, all four Turtles stood back to back and fended off a whole army of enemies, evading every single laser that was coming their way. Some of the Kraang leaped into the air, attempting to tackle their foes from above; however, the band of brothers were fast enough to jump first and kick them back. Michelangelo continued listening to the dramatic beat, much to the annoyance of his brothers, singing some of the Korean lyrics he miraculously pronounced correctly.

Just before Donatello could ask how his younger brother spoke perfect Korean, he was dragged back into the action as all four Turtles slowly approached some Kraang bots working at the desk. All three of their fingers clasped their gear firmly as nervous aliens quickly snatched their blasters and began shooting. The purple genius shielded himself and his siblings as Leonardo leaped into the air and effortlessly slashed all of the droids in half.

The droids' brethren watched as they watched their comrades were decimated by the mutants' combined teamwork. With haste, they typed on the computers and entered a foreign code into the systems. After pressing more buttons and flicking some switches, the Kraang activated a purple wormhole that opened in the middle of the room. At first, the Turtles didn't notice because they were too busy fighting for their lives and listening to the music they didn't ask to hear, but a strange whooshing sound caught their attention. Leonardo roundhouse kicked three androids in their metallic faces before turning his attention to the portal in front of him. Raphael had his Sai between his fingers and clenched them the same way Donatello gripped his bo-staff. Michelangelo had both nunchaku between his armpits as he listened to the song take a brief instrumental rest.

Stepping out of the portal was a massive bio-mechanical suit with a Kraang alien sitting on top of it. The suit itself resembled a blue-furred gorilla with patches of grey on the hands and feet.

"The heck is that thing?" Raphael asked.

"Kraang Biotroid, engage!" shouted the alien on top as it turned around and showed off two metallic butt cheeks, which lowered down and shot out two cannons.

"WHAT THE!?" Donatello exclaimed with eyes widened. "ARE THOSE BUTT CANNONS!?"

"Scatter!" Leonardo ordered.

The other Turtles moved away as projectiles that made fart noises few all over the room.

From there, Michelangelo continued singing the song as his brothers leaped on top of the Biotroid and attempted to knock him down. Due to its structure, normal weapons didn't have much effect. Instead, Leonardo and Raphael threw smoke bombs in his face and blinded the Kraang's eyes with thick purple smoke. The Biotroid snarled loudly as it swung his arms left and right, nearly hitting both brothers as they hopped away and kept attacking.

Donatello uses his staff to defeat more Kraang droids trying to gun for him and Michelangelo, who was in the middle of singing his favorite verse, the part where Rumi sings about her nails and mascara.

During it, Michelangelo mimicked how Rumi would put on her makeup like she did in the actual music video. Sadly, he couldn't recreate Mira and Zoey's parts because he didn't have a hairdryer, nor did he know how to make his face cute and savage. Then again, he also didn't know what a "Napalm Era" was supposed to be. Still, it didn't stop him from vibing to the lyrics.

"MIKEY, WILL YOU STOP SINGING!?" Raphael shouted during the verse before he was kicked in the stomach by the robot gorilla's hair foot.

As Leonardo rushed to help his brother, Donatello slid between the Biotroid's legs and climbed on top of three platforms. Performing front flips and back flips, he landed onto an upper area where he jabbed a sharp naginata through their heads. Pushing them out of the way, Donatello plugged in a flash drive shaped like a turtle shell and watched a green icon with the same design load up on screen. A few seconds later, Donatello was inside the system.

Although a group of Kraang didn't like that, they began charging towards the smartest member at full speed.

Luckily, Michelangelo was there to help; he blinded them with a smoke bomb and used a retractable blade on his nunchaku called a kusarigama to slice through Kraang, pretending he was the cutter, and they were the pizza he wanted for dinner later. While rapping Zoey and Mira's verses, Michelangelo waved his hands around and got down on his knees. He rapped so hard, he wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him. The Biotroid attempted to take a swing at him, but Leonardo and Raphael climbed on top of his head and blinded him with more smoke.

Finally, Rumi's solo verse came in, and Michelangelo sang it with the purest of hearts. He didn't have the voice of an angel. In fact, Raphael openly said his singing was terrible, but as one of Huntrix's biggest fans, he didn't care. Twirling around like a ballerina, the youngest ninja bopped his head to the lyrics before it became time to hit one of the best high notes he's ever heard.

"'Til the dark meets the light!"

As Michelangelo held out the note for as long as his lungs allowed him to, his three brothers rolled their eyes before they continued being productive. While Leonardo and Raphael distracted the Biotroid the best they could, Donatello finally got into the Kraang's systems and found a red button resembling a bomb. Clicking on his with zero pauses, the purple-masked scientist slammed the button, and a self-destruct sequence began.

1:00

0:59

0:58

0:57

"LET'S GO!"

Hearing their brother shout, Leonardo and Raphael threw two more smoke bombs in the Biotroid's face before they were ambushed by a flurry of lasers coming from the Kraang below. Both Turtles leaped behind the robot's head, using it as a barrier to defend themselves.

Michelangelo and Donatello battled the remaining Kraang and located a door off to the side. Signaling their brothers, they watched them leap down and slice more robots left and right. Raphael decapitated a Kraang's head and ripped the alien brain from its chest. Bouncing it around like a yo-yo, the ill-tempered ninja threw it into the air, allowing his staff-wielding brother to smack it into the others. Many Kraang droids fell over from the impact, and the Biotroid landed on top of them.

The Turtles slammed the door shut as they made their escape.

The Kraang were about to gear up and pursue them, but a ticking timer distracted them. They turned their heads and found the countdown going down by the second.

0:31

0:30

0:29

0:28

The Turtles hauled their shells through a large stairwell in TCRI before finally making it up to the roof. Leonardo stayed behind the pact as Donatello went front with Michelangelo and Raphael in the middle. All four of them ran through the black roof, hoping to make it out before the laboratory exploded.

Speaking of which, Donatello pulled out his T-Phone and checked on the timer. Surprisingly, the timer was still going, which meant the Kraang couldn't do anything to stop it. Just like how he planned it. With a bright smile on his face, the genius stared at the timer and watched the numbers decrease rapidly.

0:05

0:04

0:03

0:02

0:01

0:00

"JUMP!"

At the exact same time, the Turtles leaped over the building and free-fell as a fiery explosion occurred directly behind them. Fragments of debris shot around the environment and almost hit the escapees, but they mostly dodged them and/or smacked them away with their weapons. A feeling of warmth struck the Turtles behind their shells as the flames grew bigger, and another explosion occurred on the side of the building.

Soon, the four brothers approached the bright neon lights of the city, meaning they were getting closer to the ground. Michelangelo's song was coming to an end, and he began singing the remainder of the chorus, pretending he was with Rumi, Mira, and Zoey live on a massive stage. Donatello smacked him upside the head and urged him to pull out his grappling gun, which he already had in hand. Together, he and his annoyed siblings quickly aimed at a nearby water tower and shot their hooks from afar. At first, it looked like the hooks would barely make it, but luckily, they latched onto the end of the buildings and allowed them to swing to safety.

The Turtles leaped over the building and began running across the rooftops, performing different parkour moves like true ninjas. Leonardo and Raphael ran together as they leaped over, slid underneath, and climbed on top of various platforms. Donatello uses his staff to shoot himself upward, gaining a large distance, and Michelangelo grinded on some railings and performed several tricks like front flips, back flips, and side twirls.

Soon, the Turtles landed on top of a billboard and turned towards TCRI, seeing the top of it burst into violent flames. As soon as they stopped, Michelangelo's song was finally over. {Song #2 – End}

As the green quartet gazed upon their victory, they remained unaware they were standing on top of a billboard advertising Huntrix's Golden single. Michelangelo looked down after the sight of yellow, and he smiled. Pulling out his earbuds from a pouch, he plugged them into his T-Phone and replayed the song he just listened to.

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello took a moment to breathe before they heard a familiar sound blazing through the streets. Looking down, they saw colorful sirens blazing down the road; cop cars and fire trucks rushed to the crime scene, wondering what the heck had gone down over there. With a deep breath, the fearless leader nodded to his team, and they all ran off. Raphael nudged Michelangelo and told him they're heading out.

Still listening to his tunes, the team's party dude nodded and followed behind.

In a neighborhood far from the crime scene, the Turtles landed on a nearby rooftop and turned their heads. They still heard police sirens and ambulances driving toward TCRI at full speed. With Michelangelo lost in his tunes, the three ninjas traded high-threes and fist-bumps.

"Nice work, guys," Leonardo huffed with a smile. "Good work on the self-destruct sequence, Donnie. We cut it a little close this time."

"I'm just happy the Kraang weren't able to reprogram the virus I entered into the computer," Donatello replied with a cough. "That antivirus is supposed to add a self-destruct sequence into any computer it's plugged into. I had to sacrifice a lot of old laptops in order for it to work. At first, I was afraid the Kraang would bypass it, and thank goodness they didn't. Gotta say that explosion was a lot bigger than the ones I made in the lab. If we had been any closer, we'd have been burnt pizza."

"Yeah, let's not think about that, please," Raphael grunted. "I'm just relieved the Kraang have been stopped again. Although let's be honest… they're gonna swindle their way out of this one like they always do. Every time police and detectives try to investigate TCRI, the Kraang always come up with some story to cover their alien butts. Knowing them, they've already come up with several thousand lies for this incident."

"Probably," Leonardo chuckled before mocking aliens in a monotone voice. "The incident that you speak of, which is the one that is happening in the laboratory, was the result of something known as an oven incident. We were baking the delicious treats known as cookies, which are an Earth food that you humans eat for fun. So, the fire you are referring to, which is the one on the roof, was caused by us making that which is called cookies."

Raphael and Donatello laughed at how accurate Leonardo's Kraang accent was, but they were distracted by something occurring right behind them. Everyone turned to the right and saw Michelangelo shimmying his body left and right; he was still singing How It's Done, specifically the part where Zoey was rapping, but before Rumi mentioned her nails and mascara.

The Turtles rolled their eyes and gently facepalmed.

They've always known Michelangelo as a music nerd. All four of them grew up with music from Splinter's youth, particularly rock n' roll, jazz, pop, and occasional rap. Every now and then, they'll dabble in modern music genres like techno and dubstep, but for the most part, they always lean towards the music they were raised on. Michelangelo was the one who enjoyed music the most as he always listened to it during training sessions, fights against enemies, and cooking meals at home. But for as long as the brothers could remember, their little brother was never huge into K-pop. Once in a while, he'd listen to a few songs, but it was never his cup of tea.

That was until April came into the sewers one day and introduced Michelangelo to a popular group that would soon become his biggest exception: Huntrix. The world's most successful K-pop group has caught the hearts of the O'Neil family for a while, so April thought she'd spread the love by introducing the Turtles to it. Leonardo and Donatello enjoyed their music just fine, but they hadn't listened to every single song. Thanks to Michelangelo, songs like How It's Done and Golden were engraved into their skulls. They were enjoyable songs they liked listening to, but they could only take them in small increments. As for Raphael, K-pop was never his thing. Nothing against it, he just preferred other forms of music. When he first heard Huntrix, he thought they were all right, but now, they've become annoying thanks to Michelangelo, who's become a die-hard fan ever since he listened to their songs with April.

Golden would occasionally be played during patrols and missions, but How It's Done was the song Michelangelo would play the most. It made sense as it was a song that screamed action-packed; however, hearing the song too many times irritated the brothers. Leonardo and Donatello didn't mind the first few times their brother played the song, but now, it's gotten annoying.

For Raphael, he decided enough was enough.

Michelangelo continued listening to the song and got close to the end; he finished singing Zoey's rap and prepared to sing Rumi's solo. Thankfully, he didn't hit an obnoxiously loud high note like last time. Instead, it was just a small whisper. Still, it was enough to make Raphael say this was the last straw.

Approaching Michelangelo, Raphael waited for one part of the song to show up before he joined in.

"Huntrix, show dis! How it's done-done-done!"

"Huntrix, stop this! This song's dumb-dumb-dumb!"

"Ow!" Michelangelo winced as he felt his brother's fist hit his head three times; it was on point with the done-done-done part, which annoyed him even more. "Good rhythm, but bad attitude!"

"Whatever," Raphael rolled his eyes as he walked back towards his brothers, who approached Michelangelo and prepared to speak.

"Mikey, come on, man," Donatello said. "We told you not to play that song. I know it's a good song, but you've played it so many times, it's gotten annoying at this point. Huntrix is cool and I know you love them, but you can't have too much of a good thing, y'know?"

Michelangelo removed his headphones and soaked in what was just said. How It's Done was one of his all-time favorite Huntrix songs outside of Golden, and it was one he'd play over and over ever since he became a huge fan. His brothers may not like it so much these days, but it was always something that got him excited for the fight. Still, he had to admit that it's been overplayed for a while.

With a low sigh, he nodded and acknowledged that his brother was right. "Okay… so I may have played that song a bit too much. Would you prefer Golden?"

"NO!" everyone shouted.

Michelangelo flinched. "Okay… guess you guys don't want me to hear me sing Rumi's solo. Fair warning, I've gotten much better at it."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Raphael mumbled with arms folded.

"Donnie's got a point, Mikey," Leonardo replied. "Huntrix is a great group, and while I'm not a die-hard like you are, I can appreciate the craft they put into their music. What I'm saying is… I'm happy you like them, and I welcome that, but I don't appreciate how you're becoming distracted by them. We were in the middle of a serious battle, and you were dancing. You were almost crushed by that giant gorilla robot. You're lucky Raph and I saved you just in time."

"Yeah. Otherwise, you would have been turtle mush," Raphael added.

"I'm not trying to push away from liking Huntrix," Leonardo continued, placing a hand on his baby brother's shoulder. "But I don't want you to lose any more focus. You're so much more than a fan of that group; you're a trained ninja and a proud member of our team. We can't win these battles without you, Mikey, so you need to get your head back in the game."

Michelangelo took that to heart and nodded. "Sorry, Leo. I didn't mean to let Huntrix distract me. I just… want to see them in concert. I know I've only been a fan for a short time, but there's something about them I love."

The yellow-green turtle approached the edge of the roof and pointed to a large poster board of Rumi, Zoey, and Mira grouped together; they were posed for a line of ramen that had different flavors. Zoey wore an Uncle Sam hat as she advertised a Hamburger flavor, Mira was surrounded by fire symbolizing her Spicy Queen flavor, and a giant star hovered around Rumi's body, showcasing her Superstar flavor. Each of the girls was drawn in a 2D animated style, and their ramen bowls were colored green, red, and blue.

As Michelangelo stared at the portrait, he continued his speech, "It's not just the music or the line of merchandise – although the Hamburger ramen's pretty good – it's the group themselves. They all come from different parts of life and found a home within each other. I've seen interviews where they dive deep into their stories, and they're so heartfelt. Rumi grew up alone, where she was raised by someone from The Sunlight Sisters; I think her name was Celine, but I don't remember. Mira was kicked out of her home because her parents found her too rebellious, and Zoey went to find her place after she couldn't please both of her parents. I'm not sure what that was all about, but clearly, the three of them were outcasts… sort of like us."

The Turtles raised their eyebrows and shared a glance.

"Yeah, they're not mutants, but they know what it's like to be isolated from the rest of the world. Now, look at them. They've been beating all of Korea's other groups for five years in a row, and they're finally coming back after a three-month hiatus," Michelangelo said with glee. "They're huge inspirations to me, and I've always wanted to see them in concert. I imagine myself in a front row seat, cheering and clapping as I see them singing and dancing on stage. It's magical! And… well, I doubt this'll ever happen, but I picture myself meeting them backstage and telling them how much they're music speaks to me. Plus, I think Zoey and I would get along pretty well."

"Why her specifically?" Donatello chuckled. "Are you in love or something?"

"Says the dude who was in love with April for a while."

"Hey!" Donatello said defensively. "I've moved on from that, okay!?"

Leonardo and Raphael rolled their eyes and glanced at each other.

"Why her, Mikey?" asked the former.

"Because she's awesome! She's the youngest member of the group, which in Korean culture is referred to as a maknae. She's the sweetest member, but when she raps, she goes savage, and it's so cool! I've been trying to rap like her for a while, but even I can't compete. I don't know how she does it; it's something I've always wanted to ask her. Plus, I hear she loves turtles. And guess what? We're turtles! She loves turtles, I love Huntrix, it's a match made in heaven!"

"I'm starting to think he is in love with her," Raphael chuckled before being nudged by Donatello.

"I know we can't go because we'll risk being exposed, but…" Michelangelo said with a low sigh as he wrapped both arms around his body. "I'd love to see them up close and see what they're like on stage. Yeah, I can catch someone's livestream, but… it won't feel the same as experiencing it in person."

"I get it, Mikey," Leonardo said, placing both hands on his shoulders again. "Maybe one day, we'll see them. But for now, we have a lot of work to do. We may have defeated the Kraang tonight, but we'll know they'll be back like they always do."

"I don't know, Leo," Donatello intervened. "We could afford a little break since we've been busting our shells for a while. The Kraang and the Purple Dragons have been our biggest enemies at the moment. Mutants like Snakweed and Rat King have been showing up on occasion."

"They're not the only ones up our shells though. Don't forget about our other pains in the neck," Raphael said. "Shredder… and his army of goons."

"Yeah, but we haven't heard from them in a while, Raph. They'll be back for sure, but they've been suspiciously quiet lately."

"Which is why we need to focus on stopping our other enemies before we deal with them," Leonardo nodded. "But you do raise a point, Donnie." He turned to a disappointed Michelangelo and smiled reassuringly. "Listen, Mikey. I know I just gave you flak for letting Huntrix become a distraction, but… maybe if we get done with patrol early enough, we'll sneak onto the roof of Madison Square Garden and watch the concert. I know it's not up close like you wanted, but it's better than missing out again."

Michelangelo thought about that for a moment.

Part of him was disappointed that he'd see his favorite idols from afar; however, Leonardo was right on thing. It'd be better than missing the opportunity to watch them perform live.

With an excited nod, Michelangelo gave two thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan to me, dude!"

"Cool," nodded the blue leader. "All right, team. Let's continue our patrol for a while longer. I have a feeling the Kraang aren't the only ones busy tonight."

Suddenly, a police transmission played from Donatello's T-Phone. He pulled it out and put the phone on speaker, allowing his brothers to listen to the signal.

"Requesting immediate reinforcements at the Harlem fish market! Repeat: requesting immediate reinforcements at the Harlem fish market! We have reported sightings of the Purple Dragons! Repeat: We have reported sightings of the Purple Dragons!"

"All right," Raphael smirked as he cracked his knuckles and slapped his fists together. "The party continues."

"We're on the move, team," nodded Leonardo as he and his brothers leaped across the rooftops, hoping to stop the infamous gang group on time.

Just before Michelangelo could follow, he took one last glance at the ramen advertisement and smiled at all three group members gathered together. Zoey was all the way on the left, Mira was on the right, and Rumi was sandwiched between them. Shiny blue tattoos went down Rumi's arms and reached up to her face, illuminating a silvery-blue glow. Zoey and Mira smiled brightly as they held their ramen cups and had both free hands wrapped around Rumi's stomach; the purple-braided woman had her head leaned against Zoey's shoulder, mirroring their expressions. Michelangelo smiled at the thought that his idols were closely connected, as it made them appear as one big, blended family, sort of like how he is with his brothers and sensei.

So cool. I wish we could see them in concert. If not next week, then maybe one day…

"MIKEY!"

"Huh!? Coming, Raph!"

In the blink of an eye, Michelangelo disappeared into the night and followed his brothers into battle.

As they prepared to stop the Purple Dragons from committing another crime, Michelangelo couldn't help but wonder.

What's Huntrix up to right now?

Chapter Text

While the Turtles' night was ending, Huntrix's day was just starting.

On the top floor of their private building, the trio prepped for what was to be the biggest mukbang they've ever had.

Covering the kitchen table was a smorgasbord of snacks ranging from fried chicken glazed with barbeque sauce (both spicy and non), butter chips, chocolate binch biscuits, corn chips, shrimp flavored chips, roasted seaweed, kimbap, and much more.

All three members of the group came out in their pajamas and finished pouring glasses of spiced punch called sujeonggwa. They tapped their glasses together and cheered proudly, ready to dig into the meal they'd spent most of yesterday preparing.

"All right, everyone," Zoey smiled proudly. "This week's the last of our vacation, so we gotta make this count. I'm thinking pajama parties every day, movies every night, and snacks galore. Starting… now!"

"Oh, man," Rumi gasped with delight as she sniffed a whole plate of kimbap and felt its aroma shoot up her nose. "All of this looks so good. I can't wait to dig in."

"Me too," Mira said, rubbing her hands together. "Starvation is killing me."

"Patience, patience," Zoey chuckled, motioning her hands in a calm motion. "We'll have our fun, but first… a moment to reflect. This three-month hiatus had some struggles in the beginning. It was hard for all of us to sit around without something to do; however, that all changed when we started going out and spending time together. We've done a lot over this vacation, and there's nothing I wouldn't change about it."

"True, true," nodded the purple-haired leader as she rubbed her blue, patterned arms. "I'll admit… I was nervous about taking a break. Especially after what happened with the Idol Awards and… us. But the more time I spent with you guys, I've gotten more comfortable in my own skin, and I'm much better around you guys. I… I want to thank you two for being here for me."

Both women shared a warm smile as they approached Rumi and gave her a warm hug.

"You don't have to thank us, Rumi," Zoey replied. "We're here for you… forever and always."

"What she said," Mira added. "I know it hasn't been easy for you to show off your patterns, but we want you to know that we accept them. We accept you."

Rumi beamed from ear to ear as she wrapped her arms around both friends and squeezed them tight. The trio stayed like this for a minute before they released and sat near the table. Grabbing their drinks once again, they raised their glasses high and prepared to chow down.

"Before we get started, I'd like to make this out to all three of us," Zoey declared boldly. "Our paths weren't the best at the beginning, and none of us would be here without each other. So, not only is this a celebration of a fun and relaxation, but this is also a celebration… of family."

"To family!" Rumi and Mira joined as they clapped their drinks together and downed heavy sips.

"And now…" the maknae grinned as she rubbed both hands together. "We-"

"Hold on!" Rumi exclaimed, holding both hands out. "We can't eat just yet."

Zoey made puppy dog eyes and winced as Mira groaned and shrugged her shoulders.

"What? Why not?" the latter asked. "Can't you see I'm dying here?"

With a heavy smirk, Rumi slowly pulled out her phone and hooked it up to a speaker on the corner of the table. "Not without some music to hype us up! Let's get this party started!"

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mira and Zoey shouted at the top of their lungs. They clenched their fists and patted their stomachs like wild monkeys. Rumi did the exact same thing before she scrolled through her phone and found the perfect song. {Song #1 – Start}

The girls waited for the instrumental to finish, and when the first lyric started, they immediately dug right in.

Grabbing food from left and right, the girls scarfed them down with no hesitation. Mira grabbed a handful of fried chicken legs and ate around the bones with no issue. Rumi's first target was the kimbap, which she miraculously ate in one whole bite. And Zoey tore through several bags and chips, watching them fly into the air. Grabbing them one by one like a ninja, she stuffed them in her mouth and tore through more bags.

Within a matter of seconds, half of the food was already gone, and Huntrix wasn't planning to leave anything behind.

After spending some time cleaning dishes and cups, Huntrix decided to do something fun by trying on each other's clothes. Mira and Zoey were still in their pajamas, and they waited for Rumi to come out of her bedroom with a new uniform. Both of them threw a bunch of their clothes for her to try on, so they were wondering what combination she would choose. Anticipation ate the same way they devoured their snacks, and it quickly ended as soon as they heard a door open and Rumi stepped out.

She had on a bright purple-yellow shirt with a green turtle shell in the middle, gold glasses that belonged to Mira, a hat that would normally be on Zoey's head, and a turtle charm around her right wrist.

Rumi came out and nervously showed off her new look, eager and scared to hear how her friends would react.

Mira and Zoey slowly turned toward one another before they squealed and leaped over the couch. Showering Rumi with hugs, they analyzed her outfit and complimented her creativity. Rumi felt overwhelmed with love and support as her new patterns began shining a silvery blue hue. Soon, she went back to her room and got changed, bringing out some clothes for her friends to try.

Next up was Mira, who came out wearing Rumi's mock neck undershirt with a pink hoodie and a long black jacket. For the pants, she simply wore another one of Zoey's turtle pajamas. After getting her glasses back from her leader, she put them on, followed by the hoodie. Striking a dramatic pose, both Rumi and Zoey turned to each other before they nodded in approval and clapped.

Last up was Zoey, who was a bit too eager to do this.

Rumi and Mira were forced to wait a whole two hours to see what their youngest member could do with all of their clothing. At first, they thought something had happened to her; they initially thought she had gotten sick from all of the food they had consumed, but they quickly remembered Zoey's stomach was nothing more than a bottomless pit. In other words, she could eat a whole country's supply of food and still be hungry. So they wondered what the heck was taking her so long. Finally, Zoey came out of her bedroom and stunned both of her friends.

Zoey was covered in every single piece of clothing, drenched from head to toe. Her face was completely covered in different colors, and so was her whole body. She looked like a monster that had just come out of a young child's closet. Trying to strike a pose, Zoey felt the weight of all the clothes pile on top of her, which made her lose her footing and fall down.

Rumi and Mira turned to each other before they exploded with laughter. Tears poured from their eyes as they wondered what went on in Zoey's head when she did this.

Speaking of which, the maknae freed herself from the clothes pile and joined in on the laughing.

All three girls were on their backs, sharing a moment filled with positive energy.

With all of their clothes returned to their closets, Huntrix gathered around the couch to watch one of their favorite variety shows, Play Games With Us.

The last time they went on the show, they were seeking to kill a set of Demons disguised as a boy band called the Saja Boys. That operation would have gone great if they weren't caught and forced to slip down a slide wearing leather that made an obnoxious noise.

Luckily, that was all in the past, so the group kicked back and watched an episode.

It centered around a different K-pop group wondering how many spicy wings they could eat within a minute.

The girls laughed as they watched several members of an all-female group shoot fire from their mouths and run around like chickens without heads; the wings were so hot, it was too much for them to handle. Zoey fell back onto Rumi's lap, laughing so hard, tears shaped like chickens shot out from her eyes.

Rumi and Mira leaned onto each other, mimicking the same feeling; however, it got all three girls thinking.

They realized they were on the same wavelength and had a perfect idea.

After spending some time looking up recipes for spicy wings, the girls rushed to the kitchen and cooked up three large batches. Each of them got a dozen wings that were soaked in a type of sweet and spicy sauce called gochujang sauce.

Rumi grabbed a blue plate, Zoey grabbed green, and Mira had red.

They had milk on standby just in case they needed it; however, they consumed a lot of spicy food in their life, so they assumed this would be no problem.

Well, after one bite, the group realized they were dead wrong.

Sinking their teeth into the drumstick caused their eyes to turn into skulls, and their faces were as red as tomatoes. With sweat pouring down their heads like lava, they screamed horrifically and grabbed their milk bottles without a second glance. Downing the milk down their throats, their faces returned to normal, and steam came out from their mouths.

Slamming the milk against the table, they agreed to never do this again.

Although Zoey couldn't help but want to take another bite, but thankfully, Rumi smacked the chicken drum out of her hand.

Cooling down from the hot wings, Huntrix spent an hour or two cleaning up the place.

Normally, their manager, Bobby, would hire a private cleaning company to take care of it, but there were times when the girls would make an exception.

As Mira opened the closet door to find some wash cloths, but in the process, she came across buckets of paint. At first, she paid them no mind, but upon a second glance, she noticed they matched the same color as Rumi's new Demon patterns. Calling Zoey over, Mira summoned the maknae and showed her the paint inside. Picking it up, they checked the expiration date and saw it was still good until next year. That, and it was safe to go on skin as it was easily removable with water. Turning over their shoulders, both friends saw Rumi humming Golden while cleaning the table.

With one last glance, they shared a nod and went into the bathroom.

Rumi didn't notice them leaving, so she just kept doing what she was doing.

Upon cleaning the table, the half-demon looked up and noticed that both of her friends were gone and the closet door was wide open. Raising an eyebrow, she called out for their names, but there was no response. Knocking on their bedroom doors, she peeked her head inside and saw nothing but beds, posters, and assorted memorabilia.

Rumi scratched her braided purple hair and wondered where Mira and Zoey had run off to.

Suddenly, she felt two hands tap her on the shoulder, and she turned around, gasping loudly.

Mira and Zoey were wearing short-sleeved white shirts and black pants, showing off their new looks. From head to toe, they painted on light blue Demon patterns similar to the ones on their friend's skin. Some of the lines weren't perfect, which they felt bad about, but they could only do so much while keeping this a surprise.

Rumi cupped a hand over her mouth, which made Mira and Zoey think they had upset her, which wasn't the intention. Just before they could explain why they did this, Rumi shed a tear and smiled brightly, launching herself into her friends' arms and hugging them tightly. Mira and Zoey were taken aback by this response, and they pulled her into a warm embrace.

The girls stayed like this for a while before Rumi released them and smiled, unaware she accidentally got some undried paint stuck to her face. Mira rubbed her cheek and noticed some paint was rubbing off from her sweat, so she laughed and showed Rumi what happened via her phone's camera.

Squinting her brown eyes, Rumi finally noticed and began laughing. Zoey snickered and slapped her kneecap.

To end off the perfect day, the girls joined together and began dancing to the music they've been listening to throughout the day.

Mira and Zoey got themselves clean thanks to a nice shower, and they were doing the robot dance alongside Rumi. It was taught to them by Zoey, who considered it one of her favorite dances she learned in Burbank.

Rumi, Mira, and Zoey partied for a while, waving their arms and swinging their bodies back and forth, feeling the music control them like they were being possessed by ghosts. All eyes were closed as the girls danced around each other in unison.

They almost felt like they were on stage performing one of their songs.

Mira soon gathered Rumi and Zoey right behind her so they could place their hands on each other's shoulders, performing a circle dance around the room. Their legs kicked the air in sync to the beat, and they sang along in a beautiful harmony. After going around the room, the girls spread out, jumping up and down while singing along.

Eventually, the song came to an end, and the Golden trio struck a dynamic pose. Rumi and Mira stood back-to-back with arms folded, and Zoey was down on one knee with her fingers holding up a peace sign. {Song #1 – Stop}

Night soon fell upon the city of Seoul, and Huntrix got changed into a fresh pair of pajamas.

Zoey stood in front of the TV searching for a movie on a digital streaming service.

"Come on, where is it?" she mumbled in frustration. "I know it's somewhere."

Coming out of the shower, Rumi brushed her hair and plopped onto the couch next to Mira, who had both arms stretched out and one leg wrapped around the other. Rumi leaned close to her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Ahhhh, that… was an amazing day," the leader sighed with pure glee.

"Which means the rest of the week has to be just as good if not better," Mira replied.

"You said it, Mira."

"Where the heck is this stupid movie?" Zoey snarled as she scrolled through endless channels. "The internet told me it was streaming, but I can't find it anywhere. Bobby says the internet is never wrong, but I believe that's a total lie. One time, I was told a dress was black and blue, and some people said it was white and gold. To this day, I still don't know the answer! And neither does anyone else!"

Rumi and Mira shared a chuckle.

"What movie are you looking for, Zoey?" asked the latter.

"There's a movie I wanted to check out with you guys. I missed it when it came out in theaters, but I hear it's been a hit on streaming."

"What movie is it?" Rumi inquired.

"I forget the name, but basically, a bunch of superheroes with bug-based powers go on an epic adventure to stop some polka-dotted man from tearing a hole in the multiverse."

"Didn't we see that movie in the theaters years ago?" Rumi scratched her head.

"No, that was the first one. This is the seq-ah, ha!" Zoey exclaimed as she finally located the movie and clicked on it. "I found it!"

Zoey moved aside to show off the poster, which was a bunch of superheroes dressed in colorful costumes fighting against a man who shot white spots at them, creating wormholes into different dimensions.

Rumi and Mira were intrigued by the bold colors and five-star rating.

"Sounds cool. I'm down," said the latter.

"Yay!" Zoey cheered as she leaped onto the couch and snuggled beside Rumi. "Gaja! Gaja! Gaja!"

Just before the film started, Huntrix heard a monstrous growl coming from their stomachs.

"Yikes," Rumi said as she clenched her belly. "I didn't think we'd still be hungry."

"Yeah, where's that pizza we ordered?" Mira inquired, glancing at the elevator door. "Wasn't it supposed to be here an hour ago?"

"Yeah, someone's definitely not getting a tip," Zoey grunted, checking her phone to see when she made the order. Mira was right. It was exactly one hour ago. "I heard wise men say that forgiveness is divine, but you should never pay full price for a late pizza."

A ring at the elevator occurred, and out stepped a familiar face.

It was the secret weapon behind Huntrix's success, Bobby, and in his hand was a brown box with the word pizza written in Korean.

"Hey, girls!"

"Hi, Bobby!"

"Hey, I didn't know you were working at the pizza place," Zoey joked. "I'd tip you, but you're late."

Bobby chuckled as he placed the box down. "I actually saw the driver pull up to the door, and I offered to bring it in for you guys. Don't worry, I covered the bill."

"Aww, Bobby," Rumi said as she leaned forward. "You didn't have to do that."

"Nonsense, I wanted to," Bobby answered with a shrug. "Besides, I was coming over anyway to share some good news. I already booked our tickets for New York City. We leave next Thursday, and our flight leaves pretty early in the morning. We'll arrive there late in the afternoon, check into our hotel, and get settled in. The day afterwards, we have a fan event at the library. It's the same one as last time, and later that night, we have the concert. Once that's all said and done, we'll go straight to the next country. Rinse and repeat, and another world tour will be complete."

The girls shared positive reactions.

"Keeping busy as always, Bobby," Mira smirked. "Nice."

"Gotta keep up the hustle," joked the manager before he pressed both hands together. "So, how are you three? How's vacation been?"

"Wonderful," Rumi twinkled from ear to ear, glancing at her best friends who cuddled on both sides of her. "This was well needed, and we appreciate you for helping with it."

"Of course. And I'm happy to hear it's been going well," Bobby replied before he received a text on his phone. "Uh oh, looks like someone from Madison Square Garden wants to call me in a few minutes. I wonder why they're up so late… or early. What's the time difference between Seoul and New York again? It's around eleven hours, right? Sheesh, that's gonna take some time to get used to again. Ah, well. We won't be there for long. I'll text you the tickets when I can. See you next week, girls."

"Bye, Bobby!"

The manager got a phone call, answered it, and went down the elevator.

"Whose bright idea was it to have another world tour?" Mira asked in her usual monotone voice. "Weren't we supposed to release a new song?"

"Yeah, Comeback," Zoey said.

"Exactly. So, why did we delay it for another tour?"

"You can blame the company for that," Rumi sighed, forcing a chuckle. "They're not too happy with our almost break-up at the Idol Awards, so they really want to assure people that Huntrix isn't splitting up."

"Yeah, but we couldn't have some local shows before going around the world again? Sounds like another excuse for us to stress out."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Mira. We've done a lot of world tours in the past, so this one will be no different."

"Let's forget about that and go on a multiverse tour," Zoey said, nudging both of her friends' stomachs. "I'm excited to see where this goes. I loved the first one, so I think this one's going to be even better."

With that, Zoey clicked on the movie, and it began to play.

An hour into the film, Huntrix found themselves glued to the TV.

As explained before, it starred a young bug-themed superhero who dreamed of belonging to a team and serving a higher purpose than the one he has now. However, a deadly supervillain arose and wants revenge for an accident that occurred in the previous film. After sitting through scenes where the main character bonds with his family and friends, Huntrix was amazed to finally see a multiverse adventure occur. The protagonist and his friends journeyed into another dimension where the main villain got a power upgrade and nearly wiped them out. When the battle ended, the hero was taken back to a secret lair where dozens of superheroes just like him gathered to protect the multiverse from harm.

However, that came at a dreadful price.

Turns out, the good guys weren't as good as they were made out to be.

In other words, the group's leader kept deadly secrets from his team and had unorthodox methods of protecting the timeline. This didn't sit well with the lead hero, so he decided he was going back home.

The group's leader didn't like that, so a chase began.

Huntrix was in awe at how spectacular the action scene was.

The entire film was made with a synergy of 2D and 3D animation, making scenes visually eye-catching and jaw-dropping moments that kept the group on the edge of their seats. Still cuddled beside one another, Huntrix watched as the main hero swung from silky webs and fought several enemies with the same powers. They commended him for being a one-man army and having the courage to stand up to those who were trying to stop him from doing what was right. Rumi was worried he'd lose because there were other bug heroes stronger and bigger than him; however, the main character pushed through and kept going, vowing to not give up and see his goal to the end.

This led to an epic train fight where the hero team's leader revealed a shocking revelation.

Turns out, the source of the main character's powers didn't come from his home world. In fact, he was never supposed to have powers in the first place. Zoey's eyes widened when she heard the plot twist, and she clenched her pillow tight. Rumi noticed this, smiled, and placed on Zoey's shoulder. But not even a gentle squeeze could bring Zoey after her shaken state.

The three girls continued watching the epic battle, listening to the chilling dialogue that came from both characters.

"No! You're wrong! I'm a hero!"

"You're a mistake!" the captain shouted as he launched himself forward, grabbed his opponent by the neck, and slammed him against the moving vehicle.

"A mistake."

Rumi flinched as she suddenly heard Mira and Zoey say that in low whispers. She turned to her friends, who didn't say anything at all. They were distracted by what was happening on screen. Thinking she imagined things, Rumi shrugged and returned her eyes to the TV.

"If you hadn't gotten your powers, your mother would have lived! Instead, she died saving you!"

Rumi's eyes widened when she heard that come from the captain's mouth. Her heart tugged a little as she was quickly reminded of her own past. Her mother, Mi-yeong, was a former member of the Sunlight Sisters and was also a Demon Hunter.

Years ago, she fell in love with a Demon and gave birth to a baby girl, who shared patterns with her father. However, Rumi never got to know her mom because she died shortly after she was born.

She attempted to separate a fictional world from her own past, but she couldn't help but notice a connection.

"You've been a mistake ever since you were born! You always have been, and always will!"

Suddenly, Rumi's body felt tense, and her patterns started to glow a lilac purple color. Panting softly, Rumi tried to focus on the movie, but she couldn't help but repeat these words to herself.

"You're a mistake."

"Your mother would have lived."

"You don't belong here."

These voices in her head were spoken by Mira and Zoey, who again were only staring at the TV. Rumi wondered why she pictured them saying these things until she suddenly remembered. Back at the Idol Awards, two Demons disguised themselves as them and sang a song called Takedown right to Rumi's face. From there, they yanked off her jacket and exposed her patterns to the world and her real best friends. Rumi struggled to battle these thoughts as she pictured herself back on that stage, heeding the awful words coming from those monsters.

"We see what you are," Mira's voice echoed in Rumi's mind

"You're a Demon," Zoey added, causing the same vibration.

Rumi huffed as her patterns continued glowing.

"A mistake," both Demons said with menacing smiles. "You have been… since the day you were born."

"Rumi?... Rumi!?"

The half-demon snapped back into reality once she heard her friends' concerned voices.

Both of them noticed her glowing patterns and had been calling her for a bit, but Rumi was too lost in her thoughts to hear.

For now, everything was quiet.

Rumi looked at both of her friends, seeing that her patterns returned to their normal blue color. With a sigh of relief, she leaned back against the couch and felt drops of sweat pour down her neck. Zoey and Mira looked her dead in the eyes with worry.

"Rumi?" Mira said, shifting her body towards her friend. "Are you okay?"

"You started breathing heavily," Zoey added. "What's going on?"

"I… um… I…"

Rumi first looked at Mira, who she knew was excellent at reading people. She could tell from the look on Mira's face that she knew something was wrong, and knowing Mira, she wouldn't rest until she got an answer.

With a deep breath, she stood up and relaxed her shoulders. "I'm fine."

Rumi clenched her arms and stroked her patterns. "I'm just going to go fetch a hoodie, that's all."

Mira and Zoey raised their eyebrows.

"W-why?" asked the latter.

Rumi forced a smile and let out a weak chuckle. "I'm feeling a little cold. So, I'm just going to-"

"If this is about your patterns, please don't cover them up," Mira said. Her words were soft and not filled with demand. "We want to see you, Rumi. All of you."

That comment made Rumi shiver a little, as she wasn't used to being told that her patterns were fine.

They weren't purple like they used to be, but she had adjusted to covering them up regardless of their color. While she appreciated the sincerity of Mira's voice, feeling more assured, when Zoey nodded, part of her felt that a jacket was necessary to put on. But just before she could go to her room and find one, her hand was touched by Zoey. It wasn't too light, nor too tight. Just the right amount that made her feel reassured by her two best friends. Turning over her shoulder, Rumi saw sweet smiles on both of their faces as they looked at her with warm, tender eyes.

She stared at them for what felt like an hour before she nodded and sat back down between them. As Zoey snuggled herself under Rumi's arm, Mira grabbed the remote and exited the movie, knowing that if they continued watching further, it could possibly do more harm.

"Why'd you turn it off?" Rumi asked. "Don't you two want to see what happens next?"

"We can look it up online," Mira replied. "I'm going to find something all three of us are cool with. Hey, what's that sci-fi show you started getting into? Space Heroes, right? I'm not a fan of it because I think it's cheesy, but if it makes you happy, Rumi, then we will put it on."

"I… appreciate that, but it's not necessary," Rumi replied. "Like you said, Mira, you're not a huge fan like I am. So, we don't have to-"

"You're right. We don't have to," Zoey replied with a smile, holding her older friend close to her chest. "We want to."

Rumi finally mirrored Zoey's expression, as an appreciative smile painted across her face as she rested her head on Mira's shoulder and began watching the show.

Space Heroes was an animated sci-fi series that's been around for a couple of years. When it first came out, Rumi was never exposed to it as she went through strict training at the time. That, and she was never allowed to watch a lot of TV with Mira and Zoey, as she was strictly told to isolate herself, thinking her patterns would be exposed one day. None of this was her idea, of course; it was the work of Celine, her mentor and former member of Huntrix's predecessors.

Rumi started getting into the show during their three-month hiatus, where she and her friends started watching TV more. Mira and Zoey thought it would be a good way for Rumi to relax, as they recommended a lot of Korean dramas and comedies they felt were up Rumi's alley. Most of the shows they watched together were all live action, but they dove into the world of animation here and there. There have been a couple of cartoons Rumi found herself enjoying, but the one earning her attention the most was Space Heroes, which told the story of a space crew called The Dauntless going on adventures through the cosmos, all led by Captain Ryan.

Speaking of which, the episode centered around Captain Ryan and his crew flying through space before a white portal appeared right in front of them.

"Whoa, Captain Ryan! A vortex has appeared in front of our ship!" shouted Crankshaw. "Could this be another attack!?"

Captain Ryan snapped his lackey across the face. "Quiet, Crankshaw! Something is coming through!"

Suddenly, the portal was inside the main deck and the entire crew backed away. They were about to ready their weapons until Captain Ryan told them to stand down. Rumi leaned forward to see what was about to happen; she thought she saw every episode of the series, but this one wasn't familiar to her.

Suddenly, four life forms stepped forward.

One was a sorceress with blue skin, another was a burly monster, the third was an anxious flying creature, and the last one was a handsome barbarian wearing blue and gold.

Huntrix raised their eyebrows.

"What in the world?" Zoey said.

"Crognard?" said the sorceress as she rubbed her head. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure, Wizardress," the barbarian replied. "We seem to be in a strange environment."

Crognard looked at the Dauntless crew, taken aback by their strange costumes. "Who are you? Where have you brought us!?"

"Who are these guys, Captain Ryan?" Crankshaw asked, only to get slapped again.

"I don't know who or what you all are," Captain Ryan said as he approached Crognard. "But I am Captain Ryan of the Dauntless. I order you to leave before we blow you to smithereens!"

"Oh? You wish to challenge me? Crognard the Barbarian?" said the mighty warrior as he drew his sword. "Very well! Let us battle!"

Crognard threw a punch against Captain Ryan's face before tackling him to the ground. Cranksaw was zapped by Wizardess's powers, and the rest of the crew was decimated by the monster named Graah.

"Oh, no! Spooch doesn't like this!" shouted the flying creature. "Spooch! Spooch!"

Crognard grabbed Spooch by his tail, spun him around, and whacked Captain Ryan in the jaw.

As the battle continued, Huntrix remained confused.

"Space Heroes meets Crognard the Barbarian?" Zoey scratched her head. "That's an interesting crossover."

As the girls kept watching the show, Rumi thought back to her thoughts from earlier.

When they were watching the multiverse movie, one character said to another that they were a mistake and that they don't belong anywhere. In the process, Rumi thought about how two Demons resembling her best friends told her the exact same thing while they sang Takedown.

That incident was three months ago, but it was still burned into Rumi's head. She tried not to think about it too much as she wanted to watch her favorite cartoon, but since she had thought about it earlier, her mind couldn't help but crawl back towards the memory.

In her head, she was back on stage during the Idol Awards, getting ready to finish Golden alongside her best friends, only for a sudden change of plans to happen. Takedown played instead, and just like before, Rumi began to remember exactly how it went down. The choreography was normal and as planned until demonized clones of Zoey and Mira started harassing her. They struggled to rip off her jacket and proceeded to use her own lyrics against her.

Rumi didn't dive into detail before, but as she continued replaying that moment, she realized that some of the lyrics really did symbolize her.

"So sweet, so easy on the eyes.
But hideous on the inside."

Rumi was considered one of the most beautiful people in the group. Granted, all three members were visually appealing to everyone who knew them, and she was no exception. Still, she may seem beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, she was something else. A demon. A demon no one knew about, other than her mentor and two best friends. The former of which forced her to hide that for most of her life, and while her best friends are supportive of it now, they weren't originally.

"Whole life spreadin' lies
But you can't hide
Baby, nice try."

Rumi started to think about the moment she was exposed on stage, and her purple patterns shone like the moon. She rushed off and met Mira and Zoey behind the stadium, relieved to know that the real deals were back there instead of the stage. Once glares were shot, she quickly remembered that her jacket was gone, and that her actual best friends saw patterns covering her whole body.

"'Cause I see your real face
And it's ugly as sin.
Time to put you in your place
'Cause you're rotten within."

Rumi remembered attempting to explain to them what had been going on. Before all of that, she had formed an alliance with another Demon named Jinu. Despite being a member of the Saja Boys, the group's competition at the time, was the only one that understood what it was like to have patterns and live life as a Demon. This caused a bond between them, where they decided to form a temporary partnership. Jinu would somehow cause his group to lose the Idol Awards, which would allow Huntrix to create a golden Honmoon just like they were originally supposed to.

Unfortunately, everything went wrong that night when Jinu betrayed Rumi and sent two demons to pose as her best friends, who ridiculed her for keeping secrets. Rumi remembered feeling betrayed by Jinu as she really thought he was on her side, but sadly, it turned out to be one big lie. However, that wasn't the moment that hurt the most.

No, what struck her like a cord was how her friends reacted to her secret. She expected them to be shocked and confused, but deep down, she was hoping they would understand after an explanation. Unfortunately, it was difficult to explain, given what just happened on stage. Rumi remembered, jumbling her words, bouncing back and forth between the story, and mentioning her alliance with Jinu.

"Jinu?" echoed the voice of Zoey, who Rumi remembered looking distraught. "You're working with him?"

"I knew it," Mira said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "I knew it was too good to be true."

It made sense that Mira and Zoey would have this reaction, considering they didn't know the context behind everything, but when Rumi tried to explain the truth, she was met with a response that shattered her heart. That reply was made by no one other than the youngest member of the group.

"How can we be together if we can't tell your lies from your truths, Rumi?"

This made Rumi think back to the lyrics she and her friends wrote for that cursed song.

Rumi was sweet and easy on the eyes, but within her soul sat a monster that spread lies. At least, that's what she thought about herself in the moment. Rumi attempted to conceal these feelings, not wanting to show emotion. If that were the case, her best friends would have to pause the TV again and show concern for her.

That wouldn't be an issue, but Rumi didn't want to worry them again.

Struggling to supress her negative memories, Rumi was finally caught up in the one moment that broke her the most.

In an attempt to tell her friends that she could still fix everything that went down, her demon voice came out and caused a magenta shockwave to disrupt the Honmoon. She did this as a way to prevent Mira and Zoey from walking away from her; the two were taking close steps back at the time. But as soon as they saw what kind of danger could happen to the Honmoon, they did the one thing Rumi could never forget. Not even on her happiest days.

Mira summoned her weapon from the Honmoon and pointed the blade right towards Rumi, warning her to back off. Rumi was shocked that Mira was the first one to do this, but ultimately, it made sense because Mira was the one who hated Demons the most out of all of them. This caused the broken woman to plead with her other best friend, but sadly, she sided with Mira and pulled out two of her shin-kal daggers.

After years of working together, her best friend finally discovered her secret and was prepared to honor the Hunter's mantra.

"We are hunters. Voices strong. Slaying Demons with our song."

Rumi couldn't bring herself to finish the mantra as she kept repeating one part in her head.

"Slaying Demons with our song."

After resisting the urge to contain her emotions, Rumi finally started panting. At first, it was soft yet aggressive, but soon, her short breaths started getting louder and her eyes enlarged. Mira and Zoey were quick to notice as they paused the TV and noticed shock and horror on their friend's face. Gasping, Mira and Zoey turn towards Rumi. They were close enough to let her know that they were here, but they provided enough space to let her breathe. They figured crowding her too much would make her anxiety worse. Rumi noticed this, but was still focused on the grim memory.

"Rumi?" Mira said with worry. She dug fingers through Rumi's shirt and gently rubbed her back, tracing a line against a pattern she knew from the back of her hand. "Rumi, what's wrong?"

"Talk to us, Rumi," Zoey pleaded. "Take deep breaths."

The gentle tones of her friend's voices were able to pull Rumi back into reality. For a while, she kept picturing herself on and backstage, replaying the moment when she was exposed as a demon and nearly betrayed by her two best friends. Now, she was back inside her penthouse surrounded by two sisters, who deeply cared about her. Noticing concern on both of their faces, Rumi felt sweat dripping down her forehead and down to her shoulders. Wiping her head with her shirt, Rumi stood up and took a large, deep breath. After holding it in for at least five seconds, she exhaled and noticed her heart rate slowing down. It didn't take long for it to return to normal, and her mind was in a peaceful state.

For the most part anyway.

"Rumi?" Zoey said. She stood up and placed her hand exactly where Mira's was. The two of them were about to wrap their other arms around their friend's stomach, but she gently pushed them aside and took a few steps forward.

"Rumi?" Mira spoke. "What happened?"

With one last deep breath, Rumi closed her eyes and wiped a tear that was slowly forming underneath. "I'm going to turn in early for the night."

Mira and Zoey were surprised to hear this as they looked at their phones, noticing it was only eight. In the past, Rumi had a strict bedtime organized by Celine, but these days, she and the others would go to bed whenever they felt like it. It would give them a good excuse to sleep in during their three-month hiatus.

"It's not that late," Mira replied, sticking her phone back in her pajama pocket.

"I… just had a long day," Rumi answered quietly and somberly. "I'd like to get some sleep."

"No worries," Zoey replied with a short smile. She placed a hand on Rumi's shoulder and gazed into her dark brown eyes. For a small part, Rumi felt warmth and security as she stared directly back at her youngest co-member. "Today was fun, but exhausting. We can sleep in my room tonight. I just got this giant turtle blanket that we could all share. It's so soft, it makes you feel like you're being hugged by a marshmallow."

"Actually…" Rumi said, feeling bad for what was about to come out of her mouth. "I was hoping I'd sleep in my own bed tonight."

"That's fine," Zoey replied cheerfully. "I'll just bring-"

"Alone."

The maknae and her pink-haired friend widen their eyes, feeling surprised by that answer.

Ever since they found out about Rumi's patterns, it's been their mission to make her feel as safe and secure as possible. Basically, they wanted to be the family that she never had. This included spending a lot of time with her, encouraging her to embrace her patterns, and doing activities she wasn't allowed to do under Celine's apprenticeship. These activities included swimming, taking long hikes, working out at the gym, roaming around town, shopping, and much more.

During those days, Rumi was fine, but occasionally thought back to everything that went down at the Idol Awards. This caused her to have occasional nightmares here and there. Since their walls were incredibly thin, it wasn't difficult for either Mira or Zoey to hear Rumi, gasping for air and waking up in a cold sweat. Sometimes, they'd stay in her room, even when she fell back asleep, but some of the nightmares started to get worse. Most of them were about what happened on stage that night. So, Mira came up with the bright idea to sleep together on the same bed and alternate between rooms. For the most part, everyone slept in Mira's room as her bed was big enough to fit all three of them. Occasionally, they would also sleep in Rumi and Zoey's room. Mira would often be on the left, Zoey would nuzzle herself on the right, and Rumi would be in the middle. Both girls would snuggle beside their purple-haired sister, attempting to show her warmth and comfort. They would wake up and calm her down every time a nightmare would occur, which is something that Rumi always appreciated, even if she felt like she didn't deserve that kind of kindness at times.

Over the course of their hiatus, the nightmares began to die down, and Rumi slept through a lot of nights having peaceful dreams of spending time with those she loved the most. For a moment, she thought back to some of the nights when everything was peaceful, and she was sandwiched between the love of her best friends. It was enough to make her cry on some occasions, which did concern her friends, but she told them that they were tears of joy instead of sadness.

However, tonight was sadly not going to be one of those nights. Mira and Zoey figured they would have to let Rumi sleep alone eventually, but they were hoping she'd be in a better state of mind.

Right now, there was something wrong, and they wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Are you sure?" Zoey asked. "All of us have been sleeping together for a while now. I mean, we figured it wouldn't last forever, but we've been doing this to help you, Rumi."

"I know, but maybe we could do that another night. Right now, I want to sleep alone."

"Yeah, but… you're clearly not feeling well," Mira replied with a head shake.

"I'll manage," Rumi answered sternly as she approached her bedroom door and cracked it open. Before she entered, she signed and looked down. "I'm sorry I ruined movie night. I'll make it up to you guys tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning."

Closing the door caused a moratorium in the room.

Mira and Zoey had no idea what to do, nor did they know how to respond. They didn't want to force Rumi to sleep with them, as that would make her think they are trying to control her, just like Celine did years ago. At the same time, they knew a guilty conscience would haunt them if they allowed her to sleep alone. As Mira said before, her friend is not at her best. Internally, both women debated whether or not they should go inside her room and try to comfort her, or if they should respect her boundaries and sleep in their own rooms tonight.

The many thoughts bothered them before Zoey finally broke the silence.

"It wasn't the show, was it?"

"Hmm?" Mira replied.

"The show… it didn't make her feel this way, did it? Or maybe she's thinking about that stupid movie I put on. Mira, I think I did something wrong."

"Zoey, this isn't your fault."

"But it is," Zoey whimpered as her eyes watered. "If I had known that the movie brought up a sensitive topic, I wouldn't have chosen it. I should've done some research before putting it on. That way, Rumi wouldn't feel the way she does now. We'd all be sleeping in my room, snuggling under my new turtle blanket. Now, because of me, she wants to sleep alone. She could potentially have a nightmare, and the two of us won't be able to do anything about it. I'm so sorry, Mira. I think I broke-"

"Shhh, shhh, stop," Mira said gently, pressing both hands against Zoey's shoulders. "Zoey, stop talking like that. This is not your fault. None of us had seen the movie before, so we couldn't have known that it brought up a sensitive topic. Besides, I don't think research would have prevented us from watching it. It wasn't a bad movie, but Rumi clearly resonated with part of it. Which leads me to believe she hasn't fully healed from what happened three months ago."

"Yeah… wait, what do you mean?"

"Do you remember what Rumi told us about the Idol Awards?" Mira asked with folded arms. "How two Demons disguised themselves as us and sang Takedown?"

Zoey took a moment to remember everything she heard back then. With a single nod, she replied, "Yes. I remember that. You and I were backstage trying to save who we thought was Bobby, but it was also a Demon in disguise."

"Exactly. When Rumi was explaining everything, she told us what those Demons said to her. They said she was a mistake and always has been. Before she went backstage and found us, she thought it was us on that stage. She assumed that we called her a mistake."

"Right. Which is why she was so happy to see us backstage… only for us to behave worse than those Demons did."

Both of them thought back to the moment when they raised their weapons at Rumi after she disrupted the Honmoon with her voice.

Regret haunted the two of them as their stomachs clenched, and their pupils enlarged. Back then, they raised their weapons as a defense mechanism and had no intention of hurting their friend. But not to their surprise, Rumi didn't see it that way. She assumed that the friends she's grown to love for years were ready to brass tacks and treat her like every other Demon they've hunted.

But of course, that didn't happen.

Instead, the two allowed Rumi to walk away while guilt ate their hearts.

"We… we could have killed her."

"But we didn't, Mira."

"I know, but she didn't know that at the time. To her, we betrayed her. No amount of healing is ever going to make her forget that. We can move forward from it, but it's something we can't erase."

"I… I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from pointing my shin-kals at her. She pleaded with me, but all I did was make her feel worse."

"Don't forget, I was the first one to raise my woldo. If I could go back in time, I'd stop myself as well. Sadly, time travel doesn't exist. We have to live with that memory, whether we want to or not."

"Yes, but… I was hoping… as stupid as this sounds, I was hoping our break would help us heal from it. I guess I was dumb for thinking that."

"First off, you're not the only one who thought that. Second, I'd say that this vacation's brought us closer together," Mira said with a soft smile. It wasn't full, but it was enough to ease the stress in Zoey's head. "The first few days were rough. Rumi started to get self-conscious and repeat old habits. She'd cover up her patterns, even though we encouraged her not to. It took a week for her to try to go around, embracing them and learning to accept them. Sleeping with her at night has also helped a lot. She had nightmares for a while, but over time, she slept peacefully and smiled every time she woke up and saw us in the morning. Clearly, she's been having a lot of good days. But it's like I said before, she hasn't fully recovered."

"So… what do we do? We've got a week left before we go to New York. What if something goes wrong and we're not ready?"

"Rumi may be feeling better by then, who knows?" Mira shrugged. "For now, the least we can do is be there for her, whether she needs a shoulder to cry on or an ear to talk to. She's helped us through our struggles for years; it's time we finally showed her the same love she gave to us. I know we've been doing that, but I don't intend to stop until Rumi is at her best again."

"But even then, she'll still feel pain. Celine put her through a lot, and so did we. We can't undo those days, but we can make new and better ones."

"Exactly," Mira said with a nod, mirroring Zoey's grin.

Mira and Zoey held out their hands and shook them, promising themselves and each other that they would watch Rumi's back no matter what happened.

"So… what should we do now?" asked the latter as she adjusted her short hair. "Should we go check on Rumi or…"

"It wouldn't hurt. Let's go knock on her door and see."

With that, both women slowly approached their best friend's door and tapped it three times. At first, there was no response, which made them think that Rumi was sleeping. Still, they wanted to be sure, so Zoey knocked again. Once again, there was no response.

Just before she could knock a third time, Mira stopped her by placing her arm over Zoey's fist.

"Rumi?" she spoke through the door. "If you're awake, please know that Zoey and I will keep our doors open in case you need to talk to us. You don't have to knock. Just come in. We won't care if you wake us from a deep sleep."

"Exactly what Mira said," Zoey added. "And by the way, you didn't ruin movie night. We can do something else tomorrow if you'd like. Whatever your heart desires."

"Again, don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything. Sleep well, Rumi. We love you."

Mira and Zoey were hoping for a response, but they heard nothing at all. It was a little hard for them to accept that, but they understood that Rumi needed some space.

As promised, they went to their rooms and left the doors wide open. As they crawled into their beds, they prayed to the Honmoon that Rumi's healing journey continues peacefully, and that she gets a well-deserved rest tonight.

Unbeknownst to her friends, Rumi was actually lying awake in bed the entire time, meaning she heard what they said at the door.

She repeated the last thing Mira said to herself and debated whether or not she wanted to get up and ask if they could all sleep together or just leave it be.

Part of her really wanted to get up and ask both of them if they would like to come in and spend the night in her room, but the other side believes it might be too late, as she heard them walk away, presumably going to their own rooms tonight. Rumi felt horrible for turning them down, as the three girls had been sleeping together since her nightmares began. It was Mira and Zoey's way of giving Rumi the affection that she never got from Celine, and it was proof that the two of them were here for her and weren't planning to leave her side.

Leaning upward, the purple-haired singer gazed at the doorknob and sat on the edge of her bed. Reaching a hand out, she was tempted to get up, open the door, and see if her friends were there. However, she thought she'd be bothering them if she did that, so she leaned back against her pillow and closed her eyes.

Hoping she would doze off and fall asleep, Rumi tossed and turned as she tried to find a comfortable position and put her mind at ease.

All she could think about was that dreaded night when her world nearly fell apart. She thought about everything from the Idol Awards performance to being exposed as a demon. She attempted to think about how she and her friends banded together to stop Gwi-Ma and the Saja Boys at Namsan Tower, as that was the only good thing to come out of that night, but her mind kept dragging her back to the painful memories of when her friends found out her darkest secret.

For months, Mira and Zoey had blamed themselves for hurting Rumi, claiming they betrayed her when they held up their weapons. Rumi did feel that way; however, the more she thought about it, the more she understood why they did what they did.

For years, Huntrix was trained by Celine to become professional Demon Hunters, and we're taught everything she knows. A demon is a demon, and they get killed no matter what. Rumi was a half-demon and raised to be a hunter, so she technically didn't count; however, Celine would always tell her to hide her patterns and keep secrets from Mira and Zoey, thinking that they would never accept her for who she truly is.

When that awful night occurred, Rumi felt hurt that the best friends she'd known for years would pull out their weapons in an attempt to fight her, but deep down, she knew why. First, it was part of their training; they couldn't dishonor the previous Hunters and allow a Demon to walk away, even though that's exactly what they did. When Rumi ran off in tears, Mira and Zoey could have chased her down and killed her on the spot, but they didn't. Instead, they were struck with guilt as their weapons returned to the Honmoon. Unfortunately, Rumi couldn't see the look on their faces, but she knew they were not pursuing her. If they were, she would've been dead before she could reach Jinu.

Jinu.

His name rang in her head like a bell.

He was another reason Rumi understood why she had two magical weapons pointed at her.

Jinu was the lead member of the Saja Boys and was the one who came up with the idea of a Demon boy band. At first, Rumi assumed he was just a heartless lackey working for Gwi-Ma, but during a fight in the men's bathhouse, her patterns were exposed, and he saw them. Sometime later, Jinu asked if he could meet Rumi on a rooftop, and she reluctantly agreed. From there, she got to know more about his story and how there might be more to Demons than she's been taught. Jinu made a tragic mistake that caused him to betray his mother and sister four hundred years ago. Since then, he's become a loyal servant of Gwi-Ma, feeling nothing but guilt and shame for decades.

But upon meeting Rumi, something within him clicked, and vice versa. The two were able to find comfort with each other and come to a mutual understanding. Jinu knew why Rumi was keeping her patterns a secret from her friends and told her that she was not a mistake. Rumi, on the other hand, told Jinu to try to break away from Gwi-Ma's control. At first, Jinu refused as he believed all hope had been gone, and he'd be stuck, living the rest of his life as a soul-eating demon. However, as the two got to know each other, Jinu began to believe Rumi and accepted her proposal; if he sabotaged the Saja Boys and helped Huntrix win the Idol Awards, then she could free him from Gwi-Ma's control.

Rumi recalled spending a lot of time talking to Jinu before the big performance. He was somebody that she could trust at the time and was the only one who understood what it was like having demon patterns. As these secret meetings progressed, Rumi felt internally guilty for not having these conversations with Mira and Zoey. Perhaps they would have accepted her, but she was afraid of taking the risk, given everything they were taught by Celine.

The night she was exposed on stage, Rumi attempted to tell her friends about her secret alliance with Jinu, but because of the stress and anxiety choking her voice, she couldn't get the words out. This caused Mira and Zoey to believe that she betrayed them and was working with those they swore to destroy.

Rumi eventually came out and told him the truth after they sealed Gwi-Ma later on, but she wished that she could've said what she wanted to say back at the Idol Awards.

As Rumi had a sudden flash of her two friends holding up their weapons, she shot herself awake in an attempt to get rid of those memories. Huffing and puffing, she felt a drop of sweat roll down her head, and she wiped it clean.

With a low sigh, she dropped back against her bed and rubbed her face.

Now that the other part of her was encouraging her to get up and find her best friends so they could spend the night together. She needed their comfort, but was partially worried it was too late. She was going to reach for her phone and check the time, but she figured exposure to screens would only make things worse. The sight of blue light wasn't good for the eyes during nighttime, so she gave it a dismissive wave.

In another attempt to go back to sleep, Rumi slowly closed her eyes and rolled to the left, only to see a blue figure sitting right in front of her.

"GAH!"

Shooting her eyes wide open, Rumi almost drew her signature weapon from the Honmoon, only to realize the figure in front of her was not an intruder.

Instead, it was a mystical blue tiger with large, yellow eyes, a goofy smile, and white, sharp teeth. Sitting on top of its head was a black bird with three eyes on each side and a tiny hat. Rumi took a second to analyze their features, immediately recognizing them. These two were pets of Jinu before they were adopted by Huntrix. At first, they didn't have any names, but the three women got together and came up with some. Zoey jokingly called the tiger Derpy as a slight reference to its smile, and Mira called the bird Sussie. No special reason, she just thought the name sounded nice.

"Oh," Rumi said with a sigh of relief. "It's just you two. Sorry about that."

Derpy cocked his head to the left and approached his new owner, brushing his head against her stomach. Rumi gently patted him and bestowed a small kiss.

"Do you think they're asleep by now?" she asked with her head staring at the door. "They probably are. I wanna go out there and talk to them, but it's probably late. I haven't fallen asleep yet, but I know they have. I don't want to wake them up, but at the same time… I don't know. What do you think I should do?"

Derpy smiled as Sussie chirped.

Rumi wasn't expecting a straightforward verbal response from the two, but she knew they could understand her. Plus, they were the only ones awake.

The spirit tiger took a few steps back before a white portal appeared below his feet. Slowly, he descended into it as Sussie made a smile and nod.

They disappeared, and Rumi was left by alone.

"Hmm… I wonder where they're going," she sighed. "Guess it's just me tonight."

Not wanting to stay in bed for long, Rumi got up and opened the door to her balcony.

After sliding it closed, she approached the railing and leaned against it, looking at a bright and beautiful view of her home city. Despite most of the public being asleep at this time, the building shone an illuminating glow of various colors. To distract herself, Rumi tried to point out all of the shades and hues she could find, admiring how well they brightened up the night sky. Speaking of which, Rumi looked above the horizon and saw a full moon shining above Huntrix Tower.

It was big.

It was bold.

It was enough to put Rumi at ease for a while.

But she still didn't want to go back to her room as she thought bad memories would only pop up. So, Rumi did the one thing she did best.

Sing.

Not wanting to wake up the others, Rumi hummed a familiar tune and closed her eyes. It was the main chrous for Golden, a song that represented the best parts of her and her friends. Whispering the lyrics under her breath, Rumi smiled as she sang her solo and noticed a harmonious humming coming from the city. Opening one eye, she saw a bright rainbow Honmoon covering the area like a warm blanket. This was the new Honmoon she and Huntrix created three months ago when they successfully sealed Gwi-Ma.

It was supposed to be golden as instructed by Celine, but the three hunters made it a new color.

Gold was supposed to represent hiding flaws and insecurities; it was the personification of perfection. However, the new and improved Honmoon symbolized acceptance of a true self, regardless of fears and insecurities.

It was a Honmoon that previous hunters would probably frown upon, but Rumi didn't care. At the time and even now, she felt it was a much better Honmoon than the one she was told to create.

Rumi knew that when she created this new barrier, she would embrace her insecurities and hide no more. Although part of her felt like she was still hiding, given tonight's events. It was something she wanted to break away from, but he wasn't sure how to go about it.

There's more to my pain, I know there is.

I want to talk to them, but what else can I say?

I feel like I told them everything three months ago, but at the same time, I feel like I haven't told them everything.

Am I doing something wrong?

Am I not healing properly?

What's going on with me?

A thousand questions sparked within Rumi's head, so she decided to go back inside before that thousand could become a bigger number. Upon entering, she was met with unexpected guests.

Derpy and Sussie sat there with bright smiles on their faces as Mira and Zoey stood behind them with the exact same expressions. Rumi was shocked to see both of her friends wide awake.

"You're still awake?"

"We had some trouble sleeping," Zoey replied. "I was gonna knock on your door again, but I didn't wanna wake you up."

Rumi felt touched to hear this, which made her feel bad for how she reacted before. "I-"

"Don't apologize," Mira shook her head. "Did you want us to stay?"

Rumi replied with a single nod.

"I was hoping you would change your mind," Zoey said, beaming brightly. "Here, let me go get my new blanket. Trust me, Rumi. You're gonna love it."

As the group's rapper rushed out of the room to get her new blanket, Rumi and Mira shared a chuckle.

The latter approached her and rubbed her bare hand against her back, stroking her patterns once more. The two gazed into each other's eyes, where Rumi felt warmth and comfort. It didn't completely notify the pain she had in her heart, but it was enough to tame it.

"Mira,"

"You better not apologize," she replied with a chuckle.

"I'm not," Rumi said with the same gesture. "I… I thought I told you everything three months ago, and I thought I'd be in a better place. I am, but I feel like there's more I need to get off my chest. The problem is, I don't know where to start, nor do I know how to go about it."

"It's okay, Rumi," Mira said, gently pressing Rumi's head against her upper chest, holding her in a small hug. "Whatever you need to say, you can tell us. It doesn't have to be immediate, but just know the two of us will always lend an ear. I know we've been saying we're here for you a lot, but we mean it. You've taken care of us ever since the beginning, and you work really hard. Zoey and I appreciate everything you do, and we want to give you the same support you've given to us. We want to be the family you've always wanted."

"You already are," Rumi replied, wrapping both arms around Mira's chest.

The pink-haired woman smiled as she closed her eyes and embraced her best friend.

As the two stood there for a while, they heard rapid footsteps slowly approaching the bedroom door. Zoey had to return with a large pink fleece blanket with lime green turtles and golden stars sprinkled all over it. There was a plushy white material on the bottom, and the blanket's owner hugged it tightly. Just before she could talk about how soft it is, she noticed her friends hugging and made a smirk.

"Hey, who said you two can hug without me?"

Mira and Rumi opened their arms and allowed Zoey to join in the group hug.

Derpy walked from behind and rubbed his head against their legs. Sussie flapped her wings and sat on Mira's shoulder. Everyone stood in a warm embrace for a while before Rumi let out an exhausted yawn.

"Sounds like somebody needs some sleep," Zoey said, showing off her blanket. "Good thing this will help with that."

"You really like that thing, huh?" Mira giggled.

"I do, it's so cute!"

With that, everyone was prepared to go back to bed. The blue tiger sat back on the floor with the multi-eyed magpie resting on top of his head. The three women snuggled onto their leader's bed and got into position. Rumi was once again sandwiched in the middle with Mira on the right, wrapping one arm around her stomach and another arm around her upper chest. As for Zoey, she laid down facing the duo as she stretched her arms out and placed them around both of her friends. She also placed the blanket on top of herself and everyone, who finally understood what she meant by it being super soft; it was like sitting on top of a fluffy cloud.

Rumi snuggled herself between her friends as she felt the mushy blanket dig into her body. With a relaxed sigh, Rumi pressed her head against her white pillow and wished her friends good night in Korean.

Mira repeated it back while Zoey said it in English.

Just before the three could head off to sleep, Mira hugged Rumi firmly, but not to the point of suffocation. Zoey also scooted forward and bestowed a kiss on Rumi's forehead.

Rumi felt tickled for a moment, which caused her to laugh. Zoey was just about to apologize, but she held back because it was nice to see Rumi smiling again.

Within a matter of seconds, the three women were finally asleep.

As the night progressed, Rumi's patterns began to glow.

They weren't purple like they used to be.

Instead, they were a soft, shiny blue.

Chapter Text

Roosevelt High School had a motto, Aut dus Aut dise, which translated To either learn or leave.

What their motto should be instead is, stop crowding the halls with your obnoxious conversations.

That was what April O'Neil felt as she strolled through the halls with a black backpack and several books in her hands.

Many people crowded the hallways with conversations about comic books, movies, schoolwork, and other things. However, the biggest topic was the Huntrix concert. Last week, it was announced that'd be performing live at Madison Square Garden, and tonight was the big event.

As the red-haired teenager excused herself and pushed through several people, she overheard many peers sharing their excitement.

"Yo, Casey! I can't believe the Huntrix concert is tonight! I'm so excited!"

"I know, Nick! Me too! I've been dying to see them in concert for so long!"

"Girl, what should we wear to the concert tonight? Should we dress up as Mira, or should we cosplay as Rumi?"

"Let's do both. My cousin could always be Zoey!"

"Do you think they're gonna play Golden? I really hope they play that song, it's my all-time favorite!"

"Of course they're gonna play that song. They'd be stupid not to."

April couldn't help but share the sentiment, as she too was a huge fan of Huntrix. She and her father discovered their music when they first came out and have been in love ever since. For the most part, April has kept her obsession with Huntrix a secret as she didn't have many friends to share her passion with. Well, outside of her best friend Irma. But after meeting the Turtles, she slowly introduced them to the group.

Everyone was a casual fan except for Michelangelo, who was the only other diehard fan April knew by heart.

April was excited for the concert, but she'd be happier if she could make it to her locker. Half of her was tempted to use some of the training she received from Splinter to leap across the crowd with some sick flips, but she knew she'd get in trouble for that. It would also raise suspicion from teachers and students alike.

So, like an ordinary human, she sucked it up and proceed normally.

After passing through a hoard of people, April finally reached her locker and sighed with relief. As she entered the combination and opened it, a shout come from her right.

"UNBELIEVABLE! You guys are truly unbelievable!"

April flinched at the sudden burst of anger, knowing exactly who was yelling.

Storming toward her was an angry teenage girl with short black and purple hair and a gothic style of clothing: a black shirt with a graphic of shattered glass and a dark blue skirt with black squares.

This was April's best friend, Irma.

Stomping around in her big brown boots, the angry teenager approached the duo and yelled into a black phone.

"What do you mean you're not coming to the Huntrix concert tonight!? Do you know how much I spent on our tickets!? They cost me hundreds of dollars! I spent long hours interning for Channel 6 News just so I could save up enough money! We were all supposed to go, and now you're telling me you can't!? Why!?"

April looked nervous. Irma was often level-headed, so it was rare (and frightening) to see her irritated.

Irma heard her friends complaining over the phone, but she shook her head and shrugged. "Who cares!? It's just a movie, why are you guys letting it get between you?"

Her best friend was tempted to ask what was going on, but she was afraid to get caught in the crossfire.

Irma listened to several excuses before she snarled like a wild wolf. "Well, I don't care if two of you liked the movie, and you guys didn't, it's no excuse to blow off the concert. I spent a lot of-" She suddenly heard an insult that made her face turn red. "YEAH!? WELL, YOU'RE A BIGGER ONE!"

Hanging up, Irma mumbled under her breath before she put the device back where it belonged. Folding her arms, Irma removed her black glasses and gently rubbed her face.

"I hate people. That's the bottom line. I hate people."

"Don't we all?" April chuckled, attempting to ease the tension. "What happened, Irma?"

"I'll tell you what happened, April. My so-called friends aren't coming to the Huntrix concert tonight."

"How come?"

"They saw some stupid romance movie that's based on a book they liked, and now they're in a heated argument," Irma ranted as she paced back and forth. "Two of them loved the movie for doing its own thing, and the others hated it because it ignores the source material. They agreed to never see each other again, so now I have four tickets that are worthless. Do you know how much these cost me!? I'm a good money saver, and I've been doing it since Channel 6 hired me to be their intern. They don't pay much, but it's good for college credit. I saved a lot of money for these tickets, and now four of them are unusable!"

Noticing the high octave in her voice, Irma took a deep breath and released a low sigh. "Sorry for yelling, April. I'm just… really angry right now."

"It's okay, Irma," April said reassuringly, wrapping her arm around Irma's shoulder. "If I were you, I'd be ticked off too."

"Yeah," Irma huffed with a nod. "I'd have more respect for them if they had a good reason to not go, but fighting over an adaptation that may or may not respect its predecessor? That's stupid."

"So, what are you going to do with the extra tickets?"

"I could sell them online or walk around school to see if anybody wants them," Irma replied, holding four purple tickets with the HUNTR/X logo in her hands. "Unless you happen to know four people who would want them."

A smirk splashed on April's face as she glanced at her best friend and nodded. "Actually, Irma. I do."

"Who would-" Irma was about to ask before she stopped herself and grinned. "May I assume you're finally going to introduce me to those secret friends of yours?"

"If they're willing to tag along, yes," she replied.

"What's the deal with them anyway? You always seem to ditch me to go hang out with them. Is there a reason I haven't met them yet?"

"They're…" the red-headed girl scratched her cheek and looked up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a good explanation. "They're a little shy about meeting new people. They don't go to this school, but I met them on social media, and we've become friends ever since. Don't worry, they're legit, and they are huge Huntrix fans. Well, one of them is a super fan. Still, I'm sure they would love to come along if I asked them."

"Fair enough," Irma said. "Let me know if they're gonna tag along or not. I gotta find somebody to give me a ride. It was supposed to be one of my friends, but you know how that turned out. Take these tickets in the meantime. Let me know what your friends say."

April took the tickets and stored them in her pocket. "Sure thing, Irma."

"Thanks, April. I owe you one," Irma winked before she pulled out her phone again. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to make another angry phone call."

After dialing a number, the gothic girl placed the phone to her ear and waited for a response.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for a friend to answer, and Irma began ranting about how they were disloyal to her and ended friendships over something so stupid.

April watched Irma express her frustration and walk away, giving the two of them a moment of peace and quiet.

Perfect. Looks like the guys will be coming with me tonight. I hope they come along. They've been working like dogs since they fought Kraang Prime a while ago. They saved my life… I owe them for that.

Right on cue, the school bell rang.

Better get to class. Mr. Laird will kill me if I'm late again.

With that, April strolled down the halls with four tickets and several books in her hand.

Deep within the sewers of New York City.

The Turtles were in their dojo for another day of training. In most cases, the brothers would either spar with each other or their sensei. In this case, it was the latter.

A tall brown rat named Splinter adjusted his red Hamato Clan kimono stood in the middle of the arena while his sons circled around, gripping their weapons tightly. They've never successfully beaten their sensei in a training session before. Leonardo came close a few times, but he failed at the very last second. Still, it didn't stop him and his brothers from trying again and again. The four brothers shared a determined glance with each other, preparing themselves for whatever tricks Splinter had up his sleeve.

Speaking of which, Splinter himself stroked his droopy white beard and placed his jade cane to the side. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his four fingers together and closed his eyes. He kept him that way for a minute before he opened them and got into a battle position.

A moratorium occurred before Raphael went to attack. He was about to tackle Splinter, but he leaped over him and prepared to land on the ground. Just before his toe could touch the mat, Raphael quickly jolted back and kicked his sensei in the stomach.

Surprised by the attack, Splinter flew backward and landed on his feet.

From there, Michelangelo and Donatello ganged up on him and swung their weapons. They mostly missed every shot, but they were able to get him by working together. Donatello tricked Splinter into thinking he was going to sweep his leg, causing the giant rat to move backward. However, that was a mistake because Michelangelo was able to hit him with his nunchaku.

Finally, Leonardo arrived with one sword and leaped into the air. He was about to land the final blow, but Splinter leaped out of the way and pushed the leader aside. Raphael was about to sneak up from behind again, but Splinter quickly invaded and tripped him with his tail.

It was up to the remaining brothers as they shared a glance and gripped their weapons.

Donatello was about to strike first until he ducked and allowed Michelangelo to leap off his shell. He was about to land a fresh kick on his sensei's face, but the rat was faster; Splinter grabbed Michelangelo by his legs, spun him around, and threw him into Donatello, causing the two to fall on top of each other.

As Splinter wiped his hands clean, he didn't suspect that a certain someone would attempt a final attack. Leonardo opened his eyes and quietly kicked both of his master's legs, causing him to fall over.

Before the rat could recover, he gazed upon a metal katana, pointed directly at his nose.

Leonardo stood above him with both swords clenched as his brothers grabbed their other weapons and cornered him, making sure he didn't try anything suspicious.

Splinter looked around and realized the situation he was in. He sat on the ground for a few moments before he reached his hand out.

Sharing a glance with his brothers, Leonardo reached back only to be met with a sudden surprise; Splinter quickly yanked on Leonardo's arm and threw him into all three of his brothers. The four Turtles tumbled across the ground with their weapons sprawled on the dojo mat.

Groaning, they got up as Splinter dusted his shoulders and grabbed his cane.

"An important lesson, my sons," spoke the sensei. "Sometimes, your enemy will make you think they are surrendering, but in reality, they will make one last attempt at victory. Never lower your guard, even when your enemy is defeated."

"Aye, Sensei," everyone bowed their heads.

"Man, I thought we had them that time," Michelangelo said, causing his master to chuckle.

"Break for lunch, my sons," Splinter said. "We will continue this training later."

The brothers bowed before they packed up their weapons before they left for the kitchen.

Leonardo stood by the stove, cooking himself and Michelangelo some fresh ramen noodles. Using a small knife, he chopped up beef, eggs, scallions, and other ingredients for the mixture. Once he added them to the pot, the aroma of noodles covered the kitchen, blocking out its usual sewer smell.

Raphael sat on the right side of the table with a turkey, cheese, and lettuce wrap. He was reading one of his favorite comic books, The Fantastic Four Food Groups, and feeding a lettuce leaf to his pet turtle, Spike.

Donatello ate a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich as he surfed the web on his computer.

Sitting right next to him was Michelangelo, who scrolled through social media.

He saw several posts about the upcoming Huntrix concert. With a bright smile on his face, he clicked on some of the videos and watched Huntrix singing their songs. The volume was kept to a minimum to avoid backlash from his brothers, but it was enough for him to enjoy the songs he adored.

As Leonardo cooked the noodles, he had one question on his mind. "Hey, Donnie. Do you know if April is coming out on patrol with us tonight? Splinter wanted us to help her with kunoichi training."

"She can't, remember?" the genius replied, pausing a science video he watched online. "She's going to the Huntrix concert tonight."

"Lucky," Michelangelo said. "I want to go see them."

"As I said last week, Mikey," the fearless leader said as he poured some noodles into a white bowl. "If we get out of patrol at a good time tonight, we'll sneak onto the roof and watch the concert. I can't guarantee we'll watch all of it, but at least you'll see something."

"I hope so," Michelangelo gushed as he rested his face against both palms. "I really want to see Golden live. That's my favorite song. Honestly, I'm just happy it's just them and not the band that shall not be named. Thank goodness those guys are gone. After the stunt they pulled at the Idol Awards, I hope they never come back."

"What band?" Donatello asked as he resumed the video he was watching prior.

"Only the most overrated, formulaic, cookie-cutter boy band of all time. The Saja Boys."

"The… Soldier Boys?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow as he served his brother and himself their ramen bowls.

"No, Leo," Michelangelo shook his head. "Saja. They competed against Huntrix at the last Idol Awards, and they tried to rig the competition."

"How so?"

"I don't know for sure, but they played a scrapped Huntrix song and had two people dressed as Mira and Zoey go up there and harass Rumi. I remember watching it online; it was spooky. It made everyone think Huntrix was breaking up."

"Mikey, celebrities make up stupid gossip like that all the time," Raphael said as he lowered his comic and rubbed Spike's head. "I wouldn't believe everything you see online."

"Here, let's look it up," Donatello said with the crack of his fingers. "Mikey, you said it was a scrapped song?"

"Yup."

Donatello mumbled, "Huntrix new song Idol Awards" as he typed it into the search bar. At first, he got a few videos of their Golden performance before he found one titled, "Huntrix Break-Up On Stage? New song?"

"Here, I found it."

Donatello turned the laptop to face his brothers, and they all watched the screen. Even though he didn't care about Huntrix, Raphael couldn't help but watch.

Starting right after the Golden performance, Rumi stood alone on stage, shrouded in darkness. It didn't take long for a new song to start playing; it was darker and more aggressive than Huntrix's usual style. A confused Rumi stood on stage and looked around, wondering what was happening.

"Is this a new song?" commented someone from the audience.

The Turtles watched as both Mira and Zoey appeared behind their leader, ready to start singing. As they did the choreography, the brothers noticed unusual behavior coming from the band. Just before Rumi could start singing, she was shoved by Zoey and sneered at by Mira; it was behavior that would never come from the band.

Zoey and Mira started walking around Rumi, singing the lyrics directly at her face. As the Turtles listened, they noticed the words were harsh and unlike the group's previous songs.

"'Cause I see your real face
And it's ugly as sin
Time to put you in your place
'Cause you're rotten within."

"Hey, this song's pretty good," Raphael smiled, only to be shushed by the Huntrix stan.

As the video continued, the brothers were spooked when they saw Mira and Zoey physically attack Rumi. They didn't throw any punches; they just tugged at her jacket before ripping it off completely. The camera quality wasn't the best, but they could see bright magenta tattoos shining on Rumi's arms.

The audience was just as confused as they were, and many comments were made.

"What's going on?"

"Are they fighting?"

Mira and Zoey were just about to do something else to Rumi before Donatello turned off the video.

"I have a hard time believing the whole break-up thing," Raphael said, going back to his magazine. "You said two people dressed as Zoey and Mira and harassed Rumi? And they were possibly involved with the Saja Boys? Gimme a break."

"It's what they said," Michelangelo nodded.

"Here's a link to their statement three months ago," Donatello said as he clicked on another video and watched it play. "I think this was before the one they made last week."

Huntrix sat near a large table in a conference room. All three were beside their manager, Bobby.

News reporters piled on many questions, and cameras flashed like bullets from a gun.

Bobby stood in front and urged everyone to calm down, wanting his girls to have enough room to breathe. It took a bit, but the reporters backed off, and the cameras stopped.

The group kindly thanked their manager, as he asked everyone to voice their queries one at a time.

"Rumi! Rumi! What happened on that stage? What was that song?"

"Please, ask only one question," Bobby reemphasized.

"What happened on stage was something that wasn't supposed to be," Rumi replied nervously. She stroked her shoulders before her hands were touched by Mira and Zoey. They didn't squeeze them tightly, but their presence grounded her. "We recorded a song called Takedown. Originally, it was a diss track towards the Saja Boys, but it turned out to be more hateful than we expected. So, we decided to cancel the song."

"Then how did it play?" asked another reporter.

"We're not sure," Mira responded. "We're thinking someone tapped into the systems and found the song's file. Don't ask for the complete science behind it."

"Was it you and Zoey on that stage?" a British reporter inquired.

Mira and Zoey shared a sorrowful glance with Rumi before they shook their heads.

"That's… a little complicated," said the makane. "To put it shortly, we believe the Saja Boys had something to do with what happened on stage. Before we went on, we were told that they were fighting, so we went on first. Mira and I were backstage, ready for our cue, when the lights went dark. Suddenly, two people who looked like us appeared on stage and started harassing Rumu. We don't know for sure, but we have a feeling this was all a setup by our competition."

"Normally, we don't like to paint other musicians in a bad light," Rumi added. "But seeing as how the Saja Boys mysteriously disappeared after the Idol Awards, we believe they were the cause of this."

"Is Huntrix breaking up?" a reporter asked, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The whole room went silent as the three women took one look at one another and nodded in unison.

"No," they said at the same time.

"But we will be taking a break," Rumi added.

"Writing Takedown and performing at the Idol Awards took a lot out of us, so we need some time to heal," Zoey said, wrapping her arm around the half-demon's shoulders.

"We'll be back soon, and hopefully we'll be good to go," Mira added, copying the maknae's movement. "But for those of you curious, we are fine. We just need some space."

"Thank you all for coming," Bobby said. "But if you excuse us, my girls need that space right now."

Several reporters tried to bombard the group with more questions, but Bobby safely escorted Huntrix out.

Donatello turned off the video. "Hmm… it sounds like there could be more to the story."

"But that's not our problem" Raphael shrugged.

"I don't even remember the Saja Boys," Leonardo said after he stepped some broth. "What songs did they have?"

"A song that sounds like it was written by a Kraang bot," Michelangelo replied.

"It's that dumb Soda Pop song," Raphael corrected. "It was everywhere when it came out. Those jokers were barely around for a day, and they spawned a whole fandom."

"That's a time I never wanna go back to," Michelangelo cringed.

"I think I remember that song," Donatello stroked his chin. "How did it go? It was like… you're all I can think of-"

"NO!" His younger brother shouted immediately, spooking the others with his tone. "Do not sing that garbage! That is not allowed in this household!"

"Okay, sorry," said the genius as he raised his hands up like he was surrendering to the police.

Michelangelo huffed before he pulled out his earbuds. "Now, if you excuse me. I'm going to cleanse my brain of all this drama by playing Golden."

"Have fun with that," Leonardo replied as he ate a chunk of his lunch. "Would anyone like something to drink?"

"I'm good," Donatello replied with a dismissive wave.

"I'll pass," Raphael answered, immersed in his comic.

"Mikey, do you want a drink?"

Donatello nudged Michelangelo and pointed towards their leader, who repeated what he had just asked.

"Sure, dude," he replied. "What's in the fridge?"

"Let me take a look."

The blue-masked leader got up from his seat and approached the refrigerator. After opening the door, he found a few drinks inside. "There's lemonade and assorted sodas."

"I'll take a soda pop."

Hearing that caused Leonardo and Donatello to widen their eyes and share a glance. The two of them smirked as lightbulbs lit up in their heads; they had just come up with the perfect idea.

"You uh… You want a little soda pop?" chuckled the former.

"Yup."

"You um… you gonna drink every drop?" the genius asked before he and Leonardo broke out into a snicker fit.

"Um… yeah?" Michelangelo answered with a raised eyebrow. He listened to his brothers gently cackle before asking, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Mikey. Nothing," the leader replied as he grabbed a soda and gave it to his little brother. "Here ya go. Maybe I'll grab a soda too. It's all I can think of for every drop I drink up."

He and Donatello snickered again, which confused the youngest member.

"Okay, what is going on here? Is there a joke I'm missing?"

Both brothers finished cackling before Leonardo replied, "It's nothing, Mikey. We were just having some fun with you. We'll stop."

"You guys are weird," said the confused turtle as he put his earbuds back in and drank from his soda.

However, his prankster brothers weren't done yet.

Leonardo and Donatello shared a wink before the latter went online and found the video for a certain song. Leonardo struggled to contain his laughter, but Donatello playfully shushed him.

They took one last look at Michelangelo, still snickering, and played the video. {Song #1 – Start}

Raphael was too invested in his comic to care what was going on, but he heard bubbly music playing and the sound of soda pouring into a cup. Lowering his magazine, he wondered what was going on before he quickly realized. Grunting in annoyance, he immediately went back to the story he was reading.

In the middle of his Huntrix song, Michelangelo heard music coming from his brother's laptop, and he removed his earbuds again. "What is that sound? What song are you guys-"

Realization hit him like a truck, and he gasped horrifically. "OH NO, BRO!"

Right on cue, Leonardo began singing the first few verses of the song. Despite not being a fan of it, Michelangelo couldn't help but notice that Leonardo did not pronounce the Korean words correctly.

"That's not Korean, Leo. That's just gibberish."

Donatello got up from his seat and began dancing alongside his brother, singing along to the next verse. Just like Leonardo, he didn't pronounce any of the Korean lyrics correctly. Actually, he didn't bother to attempt them, so he just mumbled under his breath.

"You guys aren't even singing it right!"

Raphael tried to tune out the noise by reading his comic book, but the terrible singing voices of Leonardo and Donatello kept distracting him. He tried to press the magazine against his ears, but even that couldn't get rid of the sound.

As Michelangelo growled in annoyance and continued to call out his brothers for not singing the song correctly, Leonardo and Donatello finally got to the main chorus and sang loudly.

"You're all I can think of
Every drop I drink up.
You're my soda pop
My little soda pop."

Burying his head in his palms, Michelangelo snarled and prayed that this song would end soon. As for Raphael, he just kept doing what he did before, unaware Spike was getting into the beat by bopping his head left and right.

As the unwanted jam session in the kitchen continued, a surprise visitor walked through the curtain. April wasabout to greet her friends when they stopped and noticed everything going on. She saw Leonardo and Donatello with their eyes closed, dancing and singing along to a song she never thought she'd hear again.

Michelangelo had nothing but contempt on his face as Raphael struggled to not react.

Leonardo and Donatello continue jumping and singing before the former widened his eyes, finally noticing the visitor at the entrance.

Gasping, he grabbed Donatello's laptop and struggled to pause the video. His fingers moved rapidly, so he played the song on and off again. Finally getting a grip, Leonardo turned off the song, but it didn't stop Donatello from singing along. {Song #1 – Stop}

"Yes, I'm sippin' when it's drippin' now, it's done? I need a second round-hey, why did you stop the song?"

Leonardo slowly pointed his finger towards the red-haired human, and Donatello felt nothing but embarrassment. His eyes turned white, his cheeks were red, and sweat poured from his forehead.

He quickly closed his laptop and took a seat.

"Heh, heh," he giggled nervously. "What's up, April?"

Raphael and Michelangelo looked up, noticing the guest.

Wiping his forehead, Michelangelo was relieved to see someone he held close to his heart alongside his brothers. As for Raphael, he was happy to see his friend, but he was more relieved that the song was over.

April had no idea what to say, so all she did was chuckle. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."

"N-no!" Donatello said nervously, shaking both hands and his head. "Leo and I… we were just… just um… please don't tell anyone."

"You guys sang good. Do you want to go again so I could record it?"

"Please don't."

Raphael and Michelangelo shared a laugh as Donatello slammed his head against the table, and Leonardo facepalmed. April covered her mouth and joined her friends' laughter.

"How are ya, April?" Michelangelo greeted her warmly. "How was school?"

"Pretty good," she replied before taking a seat next to Raphael, who smiled and gave her a glass of water Leonardo just poured for her. "Thanks, guys. It was nice, but a little exhausting. I'm thankful to have the weekend."

"And your awesome concert tonight," Michelangelo said. "Don't forget to send me videos."

"Actually… I wanted to talk to you guys about that."

The Turtles stopped what they were doing and listened.

April dug through her backpack and hid what she wanted to show off. "Irma and I were supposed to go to the concert with four friends of hers, but something came up, and they canceled. She was going to get rid of the extra tickets, and I told her I knew four people who would appreciate them. So, I thought I would ask. Would you guys…" She pulled out the tickets and beamed from ear to ear. "…like to come with me?"

Michelangelo gasped as he felt his heart stop for a moment.

Is this real!?

No way this is real!?

Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Raphael murmured under his breath, digging his face into the comic book.

"NO WAY!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he approached April and inspected the tickets. "Are those real Huntrix tickets!? No way these are real! Lemme see!" April showed him the tickets from front to back; they were purple and had the Huntrix logo on both sides. "THEY'RE REAL! OH MY GOSH! April, this is amazing!"

"Wait… how did you get these tickets again?" Donatello asked, scratching his head. "Irma's friends didn't want to go?"

"They got into an argument over something stupid and broke their friendship, so they don't want these anymore."

Michelangelo immediately got down on his knees and shook his leader's body back and forth. "Leo, can we go!? Please, please, please!? I promise, I'll never ask for anything ever again!"

"That's a lie," Raphael retorted.

Leonardo sighed and gently pushed his brother off of him. "Mikey, I know I said we would possibly go, but we can't. We've got a lot of work to do. Our enemies are still out there, so we need to-"

"Hold on, Leo," April intervened. "I know you guys have been busting your butts fighting the Kraang and other foes, but don't you think you deserve a break? You've told me about some of the long nights you had, and I feel bad. Last week, you guys got into an intense battle with The Rat King, and you didn't come home until twelve o'clock the next day. Did you guys even sleep after that, or did you go straight into training? If it's the latter, then this isn't good for you."

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm not trying to say you guys aren't doing the right thing. Without you, New York would be a total mess. Plus, you guys have saved me countless times. I shouldn't have to be rescued most of the time, but it doesn't change the fact that you guys are always looking out for me. When Kraang Prime threatened to attack the city, you guys came and rescued me. You're always there for me and everyone else… so I want to be there for you. I know not all of you are big into Huntrix, especially you, Raph. But my point still stands."

The Turtles felt touched when they heard that.

They didn't mind saving April whenever she got captured, and they're happy she's learning to fight thanks to Splinter's teachings. Deep down, they knew she was right about them having a break; however, Kraang Prime's schemes drained a lot of energy and put them through the motions.

So, Leonardo knew exactly how to respond.

"You're right about everything, April. And we don't disagree, but… we can't run the risk of something happening, and we're not there to stop it. It'd be one thing if we had some friends to help us, but we don't. Leatherhead's gone, and we have no way to contact Pigeon Pete. Besides, no offense to them, but they wouldn't be powerful to stop another threat like Kraang Prime."

"Not unless you throw bread crumbs and watch Pigeon Pete peck someone to death," Raphael chuckled.

"I understand that, Leo," April nodded. "But I'm sure one night off wouldn't hurt you."

"True, but Master Splinter-"

"-would want you guys to be healthy. Has he been hard on you at times? Sure. But he's fair. If he were here, I'm sure he'd understand where I'm coming from."

As if he were summoned, the wise rat came in and asked, "What's going on in here, my sons? Oh, April. It's good to see you. How are you, my child?"

"I'm good, Sensei," April nodded after taking a sip of her drink. "Hey, do you believe the Turtles have been working hard lately?"

"They have, yes," Splinter replied. "Maybe a bit… too hard at times."

"Then, is it okay if they skip patrol tonight and attend the Huntrix concert with me?"

"Please, Master Splinter," Michelangelo begged with both hands pressed.

"Hmm. Huntrix, huh?" asked their father as he stroked his chin.

"They're a K-pop group, Master Splinter," Donatello said.

"I'm aware of Huntrix, Donatello. In fact, I am not surprised you're all interested in them. After all, I used to play K-pop music when you were much younger.

The Turtles shared a curious look.

"You did, Sensei?" Raphael inquired.

"I did. One day, when I was digging through the sewers, I found a CD player with a box filled with songs from my past. One of which was a collection of songs by my favorite group at the time, The Sunlight Sisters."

"Whoa, those girls were the predecessors of Huntrix!" Michelangelo squealed.

"Yes, Michelangelo. The Sunlight Sisters and their music always spoke to me. Every night, Tang Shen and I would dance to their music, and it would occasionally put baby Miwa to sleep. Before my daughter was born, Tang Shen and I attended some of their concerts, where we met and befriended Celine and Mi-yeong."

"That is so cool!" Michelangelo said. "So, are you a fan of Huntrix?"

"I am, yes," Splinter chuckled and nodded. "While I prefer The Sunlight Sisters, Huntrix does a great job at honoring their legacy."

"So, wait. Are you implying you're cool with us attending the concert?" Donatello asked.

The brown-furred sensei nodded.

"But, Master Splinter," Leonardo said. "We have work that needs to get done. We can't afford to take any breaks."

Splinter shook his head and stepped further into the kitchen. "My sons, allow me to share wisdom I regret not sharing before."

The Turtles and April gathered around the table and listened carefully.

Their sensei cleared his throat before he said, "Ever since you four have gone up to the surface, you've had to shoulder more responsibility than you should handle at your age. The four of you work hard; however, all of that work will mean nothing if you do not find time to live."

"But, Sensei," Leonardo said. "Isn't that why we work hard? To live?"

"Yes, Leonardo. But lately, you and your brothers have been living to work. I know the invasion of the Kraang took a lot out of you and has caused you to stress over your other enemies. I have confidence that you will find and defeat all of them, but if you do not allow yourselves to rest every now and then, you will be mentally and physically unprepared for your next battle. While I do not encourage you to slack off, it is good for both body and spirit to mend after a long period of work. After all, what good is all of the work you do if you do not use it to live your lives?"

The teenage brothers soaked all of that in and glanced at each other. April smiled warmly as she and Splinter exchanged nods, looking back to see what the Turtles had to say.

"Whoa," Michelangelo whistled.

"That's pretty deep, Sensei," Raphael chuckled.

Splinter nodded. "I know you will return to your duties soon enough. I expect that. However, tonight should be a night of fun. Enjoy yourselves at the Huntrix concert. Although I do have a special request."

"Anything, Sensei," Leonardo bowed.

Splinter placed a hand on the leader's shoulder, daring to assign them their most important mission yet.

"Can you bring me back a shirt?"

In another part of New York City.

Rumi, Mira, and Zoey opened the door to their hotel room, which was just a basic, tan-walled room with a red carpet and two large sofas.

All three of them wore casual clothing and immediately flopped onto the first couch. They just got back from a fan event near the local library, and all three of them were exhausted. Zoey sprawled her whole body against the cushions as Mira sat next to her and yawned loudly.

"Man, those fans were so sweet," she said. "But I was tired the whole time. I'm still not used to this new time zone."

"Why does New York have to be on the opposite side of the world?" Zoey groaned, rubbing both of her eyes. "Why couldn't it be across the street or something?"

Rumi chuckled as she sat between them and released a sigh of relaxation. "Just think about it. We'll be dealing with worse time zones as we visit more places. Probably my least favorite part of this whole thing."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Mira replied.

Suddenly, Bobby knocked on the door and creaked it open, waving to his exhausted clients. "Hey, girls."

"Hi, Bobby," they greeted slowly, clearly not sounding as chipper as they usually are whenever he says hello.

"Tired today, huh?" Bobby chuckled as he folded his arms. "That's fair. I'm still getting used to the time zone as well. Part of me is tempted to take a nap, but I need to get to Madison Square Garden for final preparations. Once we're done here, we're going straight to Canada. After that, we have London. Then we've got Brazil, and then we have-"

"A whole bunch of time zones afterwards," Mira yawned sarcastically. "Yaaaaaay."

"I know, I know," Bobby replied with the same laugh as before. "This tour's going to be grueling, but it'll be worth it in the end. We'll show the world that Huntrix isn't going anywhere. Now, get some rest before tonight. How's everyone feeling, by the way? Aside from feeling tired, of course."

"We're fine, Bobby," Rumi smiled. "Thanks for checking in on us."

"Course, Rumi. You're my girls. I want to make sure you three are at a hundred percent. I'm hoping that the three-month hiatus did something for you. What happened back at the Idol Awards… scared me," the manager said as he stroked his right arm. "I may not know all of the details. Well, the ones that don't involve the Saja Boys anyway, but I'm happy to see you three together. I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Likewise, Bobby," Rumi smiled again. "Thanks for being by our side."

"Hey, you three make it easy," Bobby answered as his phone rang from his pocket. Pulling it out to see who's calling, he covered the speaker and excused himself. "That's my cue. See you tonight, girls. I'll be in touch later on."

"Bye, Bobby!" the three waved.

With the door closing, Huntrix continued relaxing.

"Too bad I didn't bring that giant turtle blanket with me," Zoey huffed. "We could all snuggle on the couch and watch a movie."

"Oh, yeah," Rumi leaned forward and grabbed the remote. She turned on the TV and scrolled through different streaming services. "Where's that multiverse movie we were watching last week? Did you two want to finish it? I think we left off at the final battle."

Mira and Zoey shared a confused glance. Last week, Rumi felt self-conscious because of a certain scene, so it shocked them to hear she wanted to resume it.

"Rumi… you actually want to finish that movie?" asked the red-haired woman.

"We've got plenty of time for it, don't we?" the purple-haired leader replied, checking her phone for the time. "The concert's not till tonight. So, we have some time to kill. Besides, I hear this movie ends on a cliffhanger, and I want to see how it ends."

"But… one of the characters said to the hero that he was a mistake," replied the maknae as she gently stroked Rumi's shoulder, rubbing her fingers against her blue patterns. "When that happened, you got scared and started to… to…" She paused for a moment, worried she might say something insensitive. After taking a moment to think, Zoey mustered up the courage to say, "You started to think about that night… at least, I think you were."

"We know you were," Mira corrected with her hand on Rumi's back. "Rumi, please don't hide it. We don't want you to do that anymore."

Rumi thought about what happened last week and sighed. With her eyes closed, she tilted her head back and refocused thanks to a long inhale. "I… I was. I was thinking about Takedown and how you two discovered my patterns that night."

"Rumi, you told us everything after we defeated Gwi-Ma," Zoey said. "But if there's more you want to share, we will listen."

"That's the problem," Rumi replied. "There is more I want to tell you, but… I can't figure out how to word it. I know you two will listen, and I'm grateful for that. You two have been nothing but supportive ever since I revealed everything. But… despite all of the good times we've had during vacation, I can't help but think there's something… wrong with me. Something that's preventing me from healing correctly, and I don't know what it is."

"What do you mean by healing correctly?" Mira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, shouldn't I be over everything by now? You two know I'm a half-demon, and you've accepted me for that. The first few days were rough, which I expected, but it didn't stop you two from loving me. You always checked in on me, slept with me, watched movies with me, and hung out with me. We've managed to do a lot we couldn't do when we trained under Celine. I was so happy doing all of those things, so you'd think that would make me forget everything, right? No… that pain is still there, and I'm ashamed of it. It makes me wonder if I did something wrong the whole time."

Rumi rolled up one of her short sleeves, showing off more of her shiny silver patterns. "What did I do wrong and how can I-"

"Stop," Mira interrupted. "I'm sorry, Rumi. But I need to cut in and say there's no right way to heal. For as much fun as we had during those three months, the pain you've endured for the past twenty or so years can't be completely erased. Celine forced you to cover up your patterns, hide, and lie to the two of us. We didn't realize it back then, but we do now. We can't imagine what that was like because we weren't in your shoes. But now that you've shared everything, we want to help you make peace with those times and embrace the future."

"A future where all three of us are together… as a family," Zoey smiled sweetly as she gently grasped Rumi's hand with both of her palms.

Mira did the same to Rumi's other hand, which caused her to have the same expression.

"You two are my family," she said. "I just… I wish I could tell you everything, but I don't know how. There's so much more I want to say, and I hate that because I thought I shared every detail."

"Which is okay," Mira nodded. "When and wherever you're ready to share, Zoey and I will listen. If you want to do it during the world tour, we'll be there. If you want to wait until after, that's fine too. I know I'm repeating myself, but I mean it when I say Zoey and I are here for you."

"Forever and always," Zoey smiled.

Rumi copied her gesture and squeezed both of her friends' hands tightly. "Forever and-"

The touching moment was interrupted by three knocks at the door.

Rumi was about to answer, but Zoey kindly told her to sit while she got it.

Opening the front door, Zoey was greeted by a Chinese/Japanese teenager with deep amber eyes and red batwing-like eyeliner. Her hair was black with blonde-bleached roots, and she wore a black and white maid uniform.

To Huntrix, she was just an ordinary housekeeper. But to everyone else, she was named Karai.

"Konnichiwa!" the disguised assassin greeted with a bubbly voice. "My name is Lotus Blossom, and I'll be your maid for the rest of your stay. You three are Huntrix, right? My father's been dying to meet you at the concert tonight. I'm excited as well. Is there anything I can get you three at the moment? Any refreshments? Extra towels? Blankets?"

"Yeah, can you bring us a large pepperoni pizza?" Zoey inquired, causing the maid to raise an eyebrow.

"Why?" Mira asked.

"I'm hungry."

"Zoey, you've had three pizzas ever since we got here."

"Your point?"

Heh, she reminds me of a certain someone. Karai thought to herself.

"We're good at the moment," Rumi said as she leaned against the couch and adjusted her yellow jacket. "Thank you, though."

"All righty then," Karai nodded, going back to her childish tone. "Call me if you need anything! Sayounara!"

Zoey waved goodbye as she closed the door and returned to the sofa. "She seems nice."

"Yeah," Mira nodded as she tucked down on her black shirt. "Now, where were we?"

"You guys are here for me," Rumi smiled warmly. "And I appreciate that. I want to be here for you as well. I feel like I haven't given you guys much attention since our hiatus began. You've been focused on me, so I-"

"Rumi, you've always taken care of us," Zoey reassured her with a hand on her shoulder. "It's time we did the same."

"I know, but my point stands."

"Zoey and I had rough lives, and you've helped us overcome most of those issues," Mira nodded. "We're fine at the moment, but we'll let you know if we need something. For now, let's focus on you. Maybe if you share everything else you're going through, it'll encourage Zoey and me to do the same thing. That way, all three of us can move on from past."

"And spend more time trauma dumping on each other!" Zoey cheered, which got belly laughs out of her best friends. She chimed in as well, not expecting the joke to land the way it did.

Laughter filled the room for a while as Rumi wiped a tear from her eye.

"Thank you, guys. Really."

The three got together for a group hug before they heard a loud rumbling.

"What was that?" Mira inquired.

"My stomach," Zoey answered. "I want that pizza."

Walking down the hallway, Karai looked around to see if anyone was watching her. There was no one in sight, so she pulled out a communicator and stepped into the janitor's closet. Closing the door, she leaned against the wall and pressed a button.

"Father. I've located Huntrix. They're staying at the Wolf Hotel, and they're performing at Madison Square Garden tonight at seven o'clock. The show ends around midnight."

"Excellent work, Karai," Shredder replied. "Tonight, Xever and Bradford will move forward with Phase Two."

"Not to argue with you, Father. But why do we need to wait until the concert to unleash the Foot Demons? Why can't we just grab Rumi here and now? It'd be easier than-"

"You raise a good point, daughter. However, Demons are not at their strongest during the daytime. They thrive much better at night. Plus, kidnapping Rumi in front of her fans will send them into shambles, which will only weaken the Honmoon more. We will proceed as planned and make no changes. Understood?"

"But Father-"

"Do I make myself clear, Karai?"

Shredder's daughter huffed to herself before she nodded. "You do, Father."

"Good. Now, come back to the lair. Your part of the mission is complete."

With her father hanging up, Karai exited the closet, looked around, and made her exit.

Deep down, she was tempted to rush back upstairs, fight Huntrix, and kidnap Rumi for herself; however, she knew how nasty Shredder could get whenever orders were disobeyed. So, she chose not to take the risk.

I'm hoping Father's plan works out well. It seems like a flawless plan… but the only thing that might stand in his way is the Turtles. I doubt they'll want to waste their time attending a K-pop concert, but if they do, I hope Xever and Bradford bring them back alive. I'd like the pleasure of finishing them myself.

Karai eventually made her way to the entrance, threw away her uniform, and walked down the street wearing nothing but a grey sweater and a top hat.

Chapter Text

The sun went down quicker than expected.

Tonight was the big night that Michelangelo would finally get to see his favorite idols live on stage.

Excitement ate him up like termites chomping wood as he and his brothers rode with April and her father, Kirby O'Neil, through a parking garage in One Penn Plaza, which wasn't too far from where they needed to go.

Much like April, Kirby's been an ally of the Turtles since day one.

When they first ventured to the surface, they witnessed the O'Neil family get kidnapped by Norman bots who were sent by the Kraang to capture them. When the Turtles tracked them down, they were only able to rescue April while Kirby remained in the clutches of the Kraang for a while. It wasn't until Donatello went on a solo mission that reunited with his daughter, who couldn't be any happier to see her father again.

Ever since the Turtles stopped Kraang Prime from destroying New York City, April and Kirby have gotten a chance to make up for lost time; their bond rekindled, and Huntrix's music helped with that.

Kirby navigated through a crowded parking garage, which was filled to the rim with Huntrix fans dying to see their heroes in concert. Most of them held up signs with the group's logo, wore colorful shirts, and sleeping bags in reference to Mira wearing one to the last Met Gala.

Leonardo and Raphael noticed those fans and shared curious looks.

Donatello admired all of the bold hues on everyone's clothes, noticing they all symbolized each member of the group. Purple was for Rumi, green was for Zoey, and red was for Mira.

April did the same thing while also looking for a parking spot with her father.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to find an empty spot, and Kirby backed in.

Once the vehicle stopped, Leonardo reached behind his seat, handing his brothers their disguises, which were brown trench coats and hats. Typically, they'd put these on if they were going out during the day. It was easier to sneak around at night so they could blend in the shadows, but every now and then, they'd have to go somewhere in broad daylight.

Not perfect, but they were the best options they had.

"All right, kids," Kirby smiled, putting the van in park. "Here's your stop."

"Thanks, Dad," April smiled, kissing her father's cheek. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? You're just as much of a Huntrix fan as I am."

"I'd love to, April, but staying out late is not something I can do anymore," he replied. "Turtles, here's a little lesson I doubt Master Splinter taught you. Don't get old."

"Not something we can really control, Mr. O'Neil," Donatello chuckled, putting on his hat. "But we'll try."

"Thanks for dropping us off," Leonardo said as he buttoned his coat tight to cover his shell. "We really appreciate it. How have things been with you? Are you holding up okay?"

"I'll admit, Leo. I still think about being locked up by the Kraang every now and then, but lately, I've been good about living in the present moment. My job's going well. I've been tidying up the apartment for a bit, but most importantly…" Kirby smiled and patted a certain someone's shoulder, gazing into her bluebell eyes. "I'm back in my daughter's life. All thanks to you guys."

April and the Turtles smiled warmly, relieved that the journey they went through was worth it in the end.

"Now hurry up and go," Kirby said. "The concert starts in an hour."

The five friends left the vehicle, and April walked down the parking lot to locate Irma.

The Turtles closed the door and took a look at Kirby's ride. It was a yellow Volkswagen Type 2 (made somewhere between 1950 and 1975), and it had a kaleidoscope of colors; there were graphics of rainbows, peace signs, and a large sun with the brightest smile anyone's ever seen.

"Cool ride, Mr. O'Neil," Michelangelo said, tapping the front of the van. "Where'd you get it?"

"I bought this when I was young and cool," Kirby joked. "This used to be my old Party Wagon from the hipster days. My friends and I had a lot of fun times here. Some of those times are… well, not ones I like to talk about, but they were still fun."

"Thanks again for the ride, Mr. O'Neil," Leonardo nodded. "We'll see you later."

"Hold on one second, guys," Kirby said as he got out of the van. He leaped onto the ground and gathered the Turtles together for a group huddle. "I… hate to sound like the paranoid parent, but… if something goes wrong tonight, can you watch over April? The Kraang have been after her for a long time, and even though they haven't done it in a while, I can't shake the feeling another bad guy's gonna want to hurt her. Not that I think something bad's gonna happen tonight, but… you know."

"We get it, Kirby," Raphael replied with a thumbs-up. "We'll keep April safe."

"Thank you, my friends. Enjoy the concert."

The Turtles thanked their friend and waved goodbye as they walked out of the parking spot, and allowed him to pass.

With the Party Wagon gone, the four brothers were just about to catch April until Michelangelo noticed something from outside. He approached a platform and looked across the street, seeing Madison Square Garden and all of its glory.

However, he wasn't here to admire the architecture.

No, he was staring at the massive Huntrix billboard on every side.

The board showed the iconic trio in their How It's Done uniforms, smirking and posing together. On the other side was a bright yellow poster featuring the girls in their Golden uniforms. They had bright smiles on their faces as they stood on top of a plane of the same color as the background.

Michelangelo tried to see what other posters they had, but he was too far away. Still, it didn't stop him from gazing upon the ones there, and his eyes lit up like sparkles.

This is it.

Tonight's the big night.

"Come on, dork," Raphael groaned, yanking his brother's bandana. "You can't see Huntrix perform from here, can you?"

Leonardo and Donatello chuckled as they walked through the parking lot and quickly caught up with April. She greeted them with a smile as they searched for her best friend. During the car ride here, Irma texted April and said she was on her way, but she didn't specify where she would be parked.

So, the group did some searching.

The Turtles have been told about Irma a few times. They know she is April's best friend and noticed she's similar to Donatello, in that she enjoys technology and scientific facts. Everyone used to joke about how Donatello would fall in love with her instead of April, which annoyed him in most cases. Still, they heard Irma was a cool person, yet they didn't want her to know about their secret.

As the search began, the Turtles noticed fans from all nationalities coming together to see Huntrix perform live on stage.

Michelangelo saw four groups express excitement in Korean, which he understood well. All of them talked about how they flew here to see their idols and were planning to follow them for the rest of the tour. The turtle imagined himself taggling along for the ride, but he knew that wouldn't sit well with his brothers. That, and he'd probably have to contribute to the budget, which in his case, was loose change he found while roaming around the sewer.

Raphael had both hands in his pockets, and he looked at several cosplayers dressed as the group's members. While he was not into cosplay, he couldn't help but notice the immaculate detail put into the costumes. A lot of girls (and boys) braided their hair to look like Rumi, others styled it to resemble Mira, and many ladies wore short hair to match Zoey.

The costumes had just as much effort.

Most of them were either Huntrix's Golden costumes or their How It's Done costumes. Raphael saw most of the same costumes except for one group who wore an interesting variation of the Golden suits; they were white and gold. Part of him wondered where those came from, but he thought it'd be better to not ask.

Otherwise, he'd have to hear his little brother ramble about Huntrix again.

Leonardo and Donatello looked around in search of Irma, kindly passing several fans eagerly walking to the concert stage.

"So, where did Irma say she was parked?" asked the latter.

"Not sure," April answered, scrolling through her phone. "I texted her, but I haven't gotten a response since we left."

"Maybe she's caught up in traffic," Leonardo said.

"Could be," April shrugged. "I'll give her a call and-"

"April!?"

Hearing a familiar voice, the teenager raised both eyebrows and squinted her eyes.

She saw a figure in the distance running towards them. Once she got closer, April smiled and rushed towards her. Irma held out her hand to shake, but April instead hugged her instead. Irma was taken aback by this, as she didn't tolerate physical affection, but April was her best friend, so she made an exception by patting her back.

"There you are," April said, adjusting her yellow shirt. "Why didn't you text me?"

"Sorry about that," Irma replied, scratching her purple hair. "My cell service here sucks, so I couldn't tell you where I was. The parking spot I picked was also terrible. I'm sandwiched between two SUVs. It doesn't matter now. Are you ready for-" She suddenly looked over April's shoulder and saw four people wearing dark-colored trench coats and hats. She couldn't see their faces in full detail, but she was able to make out their eyes and mouths. "Oh, hello. Can I assume you're the secret friends April refuses to tell me about?"

"Yup, that's us," Michelangelo beamed.

"Irma, right?" asked the blue leader, holding out his hand. "April's told us a lot about you. I'm Leonardo, and these are my brothers, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael."

The others greeted their new friend with waves and smiles. Except for Raphael, who just bopped his head up in a "what's up" motion.

"Good to finally meet you guys," Irma folded her arms after shaking their hands. "April's told me you're a little shy around new people. Not to worry, though, I won't bite. Where are you guys from?"

"New Jersey," said Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael.

"Korea," Michelangelo said.

His brothers slowly glared at him, causing confusion amongst Irma and April, who gently facepalmed.

"You guys are from New Jersey and Korea?"

"Uh… n-no!" Michelangelo said nervously. "We're from a part of Korea that's called New Jersey. It was a town that was built several years ago, and uh… It's a nice place filled with New Jersey people… and Korean people… heh-heh."

The Turtles kept desperate smiles on their faces, hoping Irma would fall for that.

They mostly doubted it because Irma was just as smart as the purple-masked genius.

Instead, Irma leaned towards her best friend and said, "You were right, April. They are shy."

"You guys don't have to worry about Irma," April smiled, wrapping another arm around her shoulder. "She's cool."

"Sorry about that, April," Leonardo replied. "So, are you guys ready to see this concert?"

"Heck yeah, dude!" Michelangelo cheered. "It's go time! Huntrix! Huntrix! Huntrix!"

"Okay, okay," Raphael grunted in annoyance, feeling his ear ringing. "Let's just go already."

As everyone began walking toward the exit, Donatello approached his little sibling and slapped his head.

"Ow, Donnie! What was that for?"

"New Jersey, Korea? Really!?"

While dozens of fans piled in the stadium, Rumi was in Huntrix's dressing room getting ready for the show.

In the past, she would have her own dressing room unlike Mira and Zoey, who had one together.

This was done to prevent them from seeing her patterns. But now that they know, the duo insisted that she'd move all of her stuff into a shared room.

After applying some makeup to her face, Rumi used an eyelash curler to make sure she looked nice and neat, carefully making sure she didn't hurt herself in the process.

Once that was done, she checked out her uniform. It was the costume she used for Golden, which was mostly a white outfit with bits of gold throughout. Rumi wrapped a golden belt around her waist and twisted her body in front of the mirror, checking to see if it was buckled tightly. Nodding in approval, Rumi reached toward the right to grab her sparkling black jacket; however, something within told her to stop.

The jacket was always worn whenever Huntrix would perform the song, so Rumi would grab it with no problem. However, she simply stared at it as her hand rested on the sleeve.

Over the years, Rumi had always been told by Celine to cover up her patterns, which were nothing but symbols of her faults and fears. She'd been forced to lie to her closet friends, only for them to find out at the Idol Awards. At first, they didn't have the best reaction, but as the hiatus commenced, Mira and Zoey did nothing but encourage Rumi to embrace her patterns.

She lightly took the jacket off its hook and stared at it, debating whether or not she should put it on.

If she did, then it would complete the look. Although she knew Mira and Zoey would ask questions. At the same time, she thought about what would happen if she didn't. She pictured several confused fans noticing her patterns, which were thought to be tattoos. Rumi couldn't imagine the reactions she'd get if people found out about her patterns and the concept of Demons. Something worse than Gwi-Ma's attack on Namsan Tower would occur, and she was not mentally prepared for that.

Brushing away the negative thoughts, Rumi gazed long and hard at her jacket before she heard the door open.

Zoey came in with three large bags in her hands and four over her shoulders.

Closing the door with her foot, the maknae was already in costume, and greeted Rumi with a smile. "Hiiiieee!"

"Hey," she chuckled. "What's all of that for?"

"Our pre-show mukbang, silly," Zoey chuckled, plopping all of the bags on a black sofa.

She took out several packs of snacks, including chips, mint candies, pretzels, chocolates, and much more. Zoey also had a three large pizza boxes underneath one of the bags, and she opened one of them, releasing a strong aroma of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

Zoey leaned towards the deep-dish delight and took a mighty whiff.

"Mmm, do you smell that? That's perfection right there."

Rumi chuckled at Zoey's comment as she watched her up the food.

"Where's Mira?" Zoey asked.

"She went to the bathroom."

Zoey knocked on the bathroom door and prepared to let Mira know that food was ready, but Rumi stopped her and said, "Not that one."

"Oh?"

"She saw a cockroach, freaked out, killed it, and decided she was going somewhere else."

Zoey chuckled. "I didn't think Mira was afraid of cockroaches."

"Neither did I," Rumi replied, continuing to stare at her jacket.

Zoey watched her with a tender smile. She walked up and placed both hands on her bare shoulders, stroking the patterns that glowed softly. "You look beautiful, Rumi. I mean, you are every day, but… you know."

"Thanks, Zoey. And so do you... hey, can I ask for your opinion?"

"Sure," the younger woman replied, pressing both hands together. "What's up?"

"Should I wear the jacket, or should I go out without it?"

"That depends," Zoey said with her head tilting to the left. "What do you feel the most comfortable with?"

Rumi looked back at the mirror, picturing both outcomes. "I… I'm not sure. Part of me wants to wear it because it's part of the costume, but at the same time, I feel like I'd be going back to the old days when I used to hide behind long sleeves. I wore them for the first few days of our hiatus, but I changed to short-sleeved. I was nervous about it, but you and Mira helped me through it."

A frown was on the maknae's face. "Rumi, you've spent most of your life hiding. You've always had Celine telling you how to think and feel. You've never been free to make your own decisions without her supervision. But Celine isn't here. She's far on Jeju Island, and she hasn't spoken to us in years. I don't even know if she still has access to the tower. Speaking of which, I should reach out to PR sometime and make sure her access is still revoked. Point of this is… you're free to do whatever makes you happy. If you decide to put on the jacket, don't look at it as hiding who you are. Think of it as part of the costume; an accessory. If you want to go on stage without it, that's fine too. You should be able to decide without worrying about what others think."

Rumi soaked all of that in and answered with a warm smile.

She shoved her arms through the sleeves and tried on the jacket. Turning left and right, she admired herself in the mirror and was happy the look was complete; however, she paused for a moment before she removed the jacket and tossed it on the couch.

Zoey beamed from ear to ear as she hugged Rumi and squeezed her tight.

Rumi felt the love of the younger woman seep through her heart as she hugged her back and rested her chin against her shoulder.

Getting through the parking lot wasn't as bad as the Turtles thought as they joined April and Irma in walking through a massive hub infested with Huntrix posters, TV monitors showing their music videos, and a buffet of booths selling various collectibles.

T-shirts, clothes, pajamas, sleeping bags, collectible figures, comic books, magazines, and much more. Vendors sold them like hot cakes as they collected cash that was thrown at them with ease.

Fans walked around the area with memorabilia in hand, gushing over them, their favorite songs, and favorite members of the group.

April and Irma guided the quartet through a crowd of people and admired all of the posters on the walls. Michelangelo recognized some of them from his room, but there were ones he hadn't seen before, like an advertisement for Huntrix's new single, Comeback. He remembered hearing about it months ago, but he recalled that it got delayed once another world tour was announced. Part of him wondered if they were going to perform it live on stage tonight.

The six fans traversed through a pathway before they stopped, looking forward to seeing a line of security guards scanning tickets and guiding everyone to their seats.

"Oh, man. This is so exciting," Michelangelo squealed gently, struggling to contain his excitement. He leaped up and down like an excited puppy. "When are we going in to find our seats?"

"Soon, Mikey," April replied, clenching her stomach. "I need to use the restroom first."

"So do I," Irma replied.

"Are you guys cool staying here by yourselves?"

"She says that as if we're little kids," Raphael whispered to his brothers with a chuckle.

Leonardo nudged him and replied, "We'll be fine, April."

"Cool, be right back," their friend said as she and Irma ventured off to find the bathroom.

The four Turtles waited for a bit before their youngest brother noticed the line for the clothing section was getting smaller and vendors were restocking the shirts. Michelangelo saw several shirts drawn in a 2D art style. Some of them were modeled after Japanese manga, and others were just standard sketches. He widened his eyes once he saw a shirt with all three Huntrix girls in a chibi style.

"Aww, that shirt's so cute," he said. "I need to buy it!"

Before he could rush off and splurge some cash, he felt resistance coming from the back; Leonardo grabbed his bandana and held him, causing him to run in place.

Raphael grabbed his shell and yanked him.

"Hold on, Mikey," said the leader. "Before you go over there and splurge, remember what we promised Master Splinter?"

The orange pizza lover stroked his chin before he quickly remembered. "Oh, yeah. I'll get him a shirt. BRB!"

Michelangelo took off at the speed of light, leaving behind a dust cloud shaped like him.

Donatello sighed and closed his eyes, "I'll go make sure he doesn't spend every penny. Master Splinter only gave us fifty dollars. I'm not sure how much shirts cost, but I imagine they're not cheap. I'll see you guys in a bit."

"We'll be here," Raphael nodded.

As the purple genius caught up to his brother, both the group's leader and muscle stayed behind and looked around, seeing more and more fans coming in and celebrating the return of their idols.

Many fans knew each other from their hometowns, so they got together, hugged, and spent time geeking out about Huntrix.

Raphael heard one conversation after another, seeing many smiling faces, laughs, and fans having fun together.

It was definitely a positive environment.

One that left him lost in his thoughts.

Leonardo noticed his brother's neutral expression after observing the area. "Hey, Raph. Are you all right?"

"Hmm?" Raphael looked up. "Yeah, I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Eh, nothing special."

Leonardo shrugged, knowing he was hiding something. He didn't want to force it out as he knew Raphael's temper would kick in, so he shrugged and replied with, "All righty then."

Both brothers continued to stand and look around. Raphael turned away from his brother and admired some of the billboards on the side of the stadium. Of course, all of them were Huntrix-related and showed the girls in various poses. Leonardo watched them too before he mentally counted down.

Three…

Two…

One…

"Actually… it's something." Raphael asked.

Knew it.

"What's up, Raph?" Leonardo inquired with both hands in his pockets.

"Before I say anything, you need to promise me something."

The leader raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"Promise me you won't laugh because if you do, I'm gonna smack the green right off of you."

"Well, that depends on what you have to tell me," Leonardo teased with a grin.

Raphael grunted and pulled back a fist. "Leo!"

"Whoa, whoa, relax," the leader replied with a chuckle, backing two steps back. "I'm kidding, and I promise. Now, what's up?"

Raphael took a deep breath before he began, "When Mikey started getting into Huntrix, he'd sit around and tell us about how awesome they are. For a while, I listened, but as time went on, I began to tune him out. Nothing personal, he just repeats the same factoids every single time."

"I feel that.:

"But obviously, we all know Mikey's a die-hard who knows everything about them. I don't mind their music, but Mikey overplays it… that said, though, I was slightly interested in seeing them in concert tonight. Part of that reason is… is…" Raphael hesitated for a moment, thinking what he had to say was stupid. He debated whether or not he should share it, but he figured since Leonardo promised not to laugh, he'd openly say what was on his mind. "Do you remember what Mikey said a week ago? How Huntrix is sort of like… us?"

Leonardo stroked his chin before he remembered those events. "I remember. Why?"

"I did a little research on Huntrix after our last training session and Mikey's… I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but he's not entirely wrong about them. All three of them have different stories that are similar, but different. Rumi's mother, Mi-yeong, died after Rumi was born, so she was raised by a former Sunlight Sister, who built the group around her. At least, that's what I've read and heard from Mikey. Zoey grew up in America and is the only one with a dual nationality. She had trouble fitting in until she found a place within the band. As for Mira… I think she's the one I feel the worst for. She was the black sheep of her family. They wanted her to be elegant, but she wanted to be cool. This caused some issues to the point where she was ostracized from her family and kicked out of her home. This led them to finding each other and forming the group."

"Yeah, I remember Mikey told us about this. Pretty amazing how all three of them were outcasts and found acceptance within each other."

"Which is why I see where Mikey was coming from."

"Oh?"

"Before I say it, please promise me you won't laugh."

"You have my word, Raph."

"Thanks, Leo," Raphael nodded before he released a soft exhale and continued, "Reading Huntrix's story got me thinking about how we were all baby turtles inside that pet shop. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we weren't in the same bowl, were we?"

"I don't believe so. But it was such a long time ago, so I don't remember."

"Fair. I vaguely remember what it was like being a baby back then, but I think we were all in different bowls, possibly meaning we're not biological brothers. None of us remember who our real parents were, but I think it's safe to say we also come from different backgrounds. Master Splinter, back when he was human, adopted us specifically and brought us home. That was until he saw that Kraang bot and followed him to an alleyway. He witnessed a Mutagen exchange and got caught thanks to a rat. As he fought the Kraang, the Mutagen spilled and transformed us all. I… know I'm repeating what you already know, but I promise, it connects."

"Okay."

"Once we mutated, The Kraang expressed interest in us. They were amazed by what happened and wanted to capture us for who knows what. Master Splinter, who just became a rat, could have easily taken off and left because we weren't like him… but he didn't. Instead, he saved us. He fought The Kraang, helped us flee to the sewers, found the lair, and raised us as his sons. We're not biologically related, but that didn't matter to him, nor did it matter to us. You guys drive me crazy sometimes. Actually, you do it a lot… but you guys are my brothers, and Splinter is my father. We're an unlikely family, and… there's nothing I wouldn't change about that."

Leonardo smiled as he patted his brother's shoulder, gazing into his emerald, green eyes. "I feel the same way, Raph. As brothers, we can all get on each other's nerves. Heck, Master Splinter's drove us mad a few times. Do you remember the time Dogpound and The Purple Dragons tried flooding the sewers with a dangerous chemical? Before that, we lost to Shredder, so Sensei was making us train non-stop."

"Oh, yeah," Raphael chuckled. "I remember that. That was brutal."

"No kidding, I kept thinking my arms and legs were gonna fall off."

Both brothers shared a brief laugh.

"But like you said, Raph. We're family, and just like you… there's nothing I wouldn't change."

"Same."

The duo shared a fist-bump.

"You're not gonna tell the us I said this, are you, Leo?"

"Why? Would that decrease your bad boy cred?"

"Maybe a little."

Leonardo chuckled. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Actually, I can see where Huntrix ties into all of this. Much like us, they're not related, but they share a special bond. Yeah, they're not mutants nor do they save the world from aliens and ninja clans, but I guess we are similar in the family regard."

"True… and they don't have to hide who they are because they're human," Raphael replied. "I never really cared about fitting in with the human world, but occasionally, I've thought about what it would be like. Although if I were to become human and do normal things, I'd miss out on being a ninja, fighting bad guys, and doing other fun stuff. Plus, you guys would be screwed without me."

"Oh, really?" Leonardo teased. "I somehow doubt that."

"Really? Last time I checked, you three couldn't defeat Spider-Bytez by yourselves. I had to come in and do it for you."

"Well, it would have been nice of you to show up before we got our shells whacked. You were too busy being grounded for your temper."

"Why you little-" Raphael snarled as he punched his brother.

"Argh! My point stands," Leonardo chuckled, rubbing his shoulder to ease the pain.

Raphael sighed and playfully laughed. "Still, I admire Huntrix for what they do, and I like how their background is similar to ours. I'll never admit that to Mikey; he'd be all over me. But… I thought I'd share that with ya."

"I appreciate you for trusting me with this, Raph," Leonardo smiled. "And like I said, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Leo… I mean that. Actually, do you want to know something else?"

"What's up?"

"Huntrix is known for something and that's music. It'd be cool if we were known for something too. I know the outside world will never accept us, but it'd be nice if we were recognized for saving the city. Be heroes for people to look up to, y'know? I know that'll make us sound like those cheesy superheroes Mikey likes, but I think you get what I mean."

"I see where you're coming from," Leonardo nodded. "My dream is to become a hero like Captain Ryan from Space Heroes. That show ended, I know, but it still lives on in my heart. Point is, he was known as a brave hero, and I'd love to be known for the same thing. Humans will have a hard time understanding us, so I'm not sure how we can be recognized the same way Huntrix is. But… maybe one day."

Once again, the two brothers shared smiles and exchanged a fist-bump.

Their conversation ended in the nick of time as Donatello and Michelangelo returned with two shirts. Michelangelo wound up buying the chibi one he saw earlier and wore it underneath his trench coat. Donatello had one over his shoulder, which was just a basic tee of the Huntrix girls together.

"Dudes, check it out!" Michelangelo exclaimed, revealing the whole shirt. "I got one! Isn't it awesome?"

"Why do I have a feeling that thing's never coming off of you?" Leonardo joked.

"That thing's gonna smell as bad as his room," Raphael added.

"Donnie, did you get Master Splinter a shirt?"

"Sure did, Leo. You won't believe how much they're charging for these things," Donatello replied, showing off the one he purchased for his sensei. "This one was twenty and the one Mikey got was thirty… plus tax!"

"Well, at least we fulfilled our promise," Leonardo shrugged, turning over his shoulder. "Looks like people are starting to go to the stadium. We'd better get in before someone tries to take our spots. Do you guys know where-"

In the blink of an eye, April and Irma returned.

"Oh, there you are," the leader smiled. "We were just talking about you two."

"Hey, April!" Michelangelo said. "Look at my shirt!"

"Ha! That's cute, Mikey," April chortled. "Are you guys ready to go inside? Don't forget to show everyone your tickets. It should have the seat numbers written on the back."

"Let's do this, dudes!" Michelangelo cheered, leaping into the air. "Booyakasha!"

Irma raised an eyebrow after hearing that. "What is that? Dialect from New Jersey, Korea?"

Everyone groaned except for Michelangelo as they approached the security guards and turned in their tickets. After being told where to go, the group walked into the stadium, preparing for a night of fun.

Inside Huntrix's dressing room, Mira had returned after using a different bathroom and finished getting ready with her friends. All three of them were excited for the big show, but they were slightly nervous since their last performance was a while ago, and it didn't end so well. Still, excitement overwhelmed the bad thoughts, and they couldn't wait to prove to fans that their spark is still shining.

But before they could go up on stage, they needed to honor a tradition.

Zoey had picked out food for their pre-show mukbang, which was mostly American food with a few Korean snacks from a convenience store. She may not have found much, but she was lucky enough to find all three of the Huntrix-themed ramen cups.

Rumi had Superstar flavor, Mira had Spicy Queen, and Zoey had a classic Hamburger flavor.

The three cups were filled with boiling water and were close to completion.

Before the girls could begin chowing down, their hands were glued to each other's shoulders as they assembled together for a group huddle.

"Okay, you two, listen up," Rumi said, her voice being clear and bold. "We've been on a strict hiatus for the past three months. No photoshoots, no rehearsals, no live shows, no anything. Those were fun times, but now, we're back in the game. Thankfully, we've spent a good chunk of time relearning our choreography, and I feel we're ready for the big show. A lot of people assume Huntrix is in a bad state from the Idol Awards, so let's get out there and show them that we still got it."

"This is gonna be Golden!" Zoey said with a snicker.

"We'll show them How It's Done," Mira nodded.

"Terrible puns, but I admire your enthusiasm," Rumi replied. "Without further ado… let's dig in!"

"FOR THE FAAAAAAAAAAANS!" the three shouted loudly, making tight fists.

With that, the mukbang began.

Their first target was the deep-dish pizza.

They all took a few slices and scarfed them down like they were nothing. Pizza back home was different than New York; however, the girls didn't care as they tasted a beautiful blend of pepperoni and cheese.

Once the first pizza box was finished, the girls took turns ripping apart bags of chips, pretzels, chocolate pieces, and other snacks. They shared food with one another and ate from the bags within seconds.

As Zoey fished for the loose salt at the bottom of the pretzel bag, her eyes darted around the dressing room. "I probably should have asked this before, but did anyone check to see if there were any Demons dressed as employees?"

Mira swallowed the last slice of pizza before replying, "Zoey, we haven't had to deal with Demons for months. If they were here, they would have made themselves obvious."

"True, but I just wanted to be sure."

"We haven't seen Demons since we stopped Gwi-Ma months ago, so I think we'll be okay."

"Whatever happened to Gwi-Ma anyway? Did we stop him for good, or was he sent back to the Demon Realm?"

Rumi finished eating a piece of chocolate cake and thought about it.

Gwi-Ma was last seen at Namsan Tower and was planning to consume the souls of everyone who attended The Saja Boy's live performance. Thankfully, she arrived in the nick of time and helped her friends defeat him.

Half of her was confident the Demon King had died, but she wasn't too sure.

"I don't know, honestly," she answered, brushing some crumbs off her costume. "The new Honmoon's done a great job sealing Demons away from the human world. Since we haven't had any Demon attacks since then, I think it's safe to say we've stopped Gwi-Ma for good. However, I don't want to be overconfident."

"After tonight," Mira said as she grabbed her ramen cup and held it high. "And after the tour, the Honmoon will be even stronger. Now, let's do a toast."

Rumi and Zoey grabbed their boiling cups as they shouted their iconic motto.

"Happy fans… Happy Honmoon!"

The girls grabbed their chopsticks and consumed their ramen with ease.

In the process, Rumi couldn't help but look at her muted patterns and see them glowing. At first, she smiled because they were no longer purple and scary-looking, but the more she looked at them, the more her smile faded, and her mind drifted off.

Mira, almost finished with her ramyeon, noticed her friend's face and grew concerned. "Hey, Rumi. Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Rumi perked her head up. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're staring at your patterns again."

"I know, I was just… just…" The leader stood still for a moment before she put her food down, placing both hands on her knees. "Can I ask you guys an honest question?"

Mira and Zoey shared a glance, placed their cups down, and nodded.

"Sure, Rumi," said the former. "You can ask us anything."

At first, the half-demon hesitated before she asked, "Do you guys think my patterns will be welcomed up there? I've come out and said they were tattoos, but I'm worried they'll start glowing and people will get suspicious. Yeah, we can always lie and say they're special effects or some fancy make-up, but… deep down, we know what they are, and I… I don't know how people are going to react to them."

"Who cares what they think?" the pink-haired girl asked with a shrug. "I mean, we want all of our fans to love us, but they don't get to decide how we should appear on stage. If you want to go out there and show off your patterns, then you have a right to do that."

"Pretty much what I said to her earlier," Zoey said.

"See?" Mira said, motioning to Zoey. "And besides, your patterns are on the cover of our Comeback single. Yeah, that song's delayed because of the world tour, but they're still present. I don't think anyone's said anything about them. If anything, they probably think they're cool."

"I guess…" Rumi replied in a low tone. Her voice was neither happy nor sad. Somewhere in between.

Her best friends exchanged another look of worry.

"Rumi… are you okay?" asked the maknae.

"I'm… not so sure, Zoey."

"What's wrong?"

Rumi hesitated for a bit, trying to piece all of her words together. After two minutes, she finally exhaled and spoke. "Last week, when we were watching the movie, I… started to get self-conscious. Before I continue, I want to emphasize that it's not the fault of you guys, nor was it the movie. It just happened to be a coincidence, I guess. As we were watching, I started to think about the Idol Awards and how we were originally supposed to sing Takedown before it got cut. I thought about how those Demons ambushed me, disguising themselves as you two, and started singing the song. I was exposed on stage, and my scream shattered all of the lights. You two saw me from backstage… seeing my patterns after I kept them secret for so long."

She paused to clear her throat. "When I saw you two backstage, I tried to explain everything, but I couldn't get the words out. This caused you two to believe I had betrayed you in favor of Jinu."

"But you didn't," Mira said.

"Correct… but you didn't know that at the time."

"Rumi-"

"Please, Mira. Let me finish."

She nodded and listened.

"You two were mad that I lied to you, and I tried to explain what was going on. As I struggled to get the words out, I noticed you two were leaving. When I tried to get you to come back… I shouted. I yelled so loud that it caused the Honmoon to shake. It shone a magenta light instead of the blue it usually did. You guys got worried, so you did the one thing I should have expected you to do… you pointed your weapons at me."

Mira and Zoey recall that painful memory and remember speaking about it after Namsan Tower. They didn't think they'd have to be reminded of their mistake, but they shared a look and took full responsibility. Just before they could admit that, they heard Rumi say something that caught them by surprise.

"All this time, I was heartbroken by that. I thought you two had turned on me after all we've done together, but after thinking about it last week… I realize you two were trying to do the right thing. In other words, I understand why you guys held up your weapons. You saw what kind of damage I could do to the Honmoon, so you had to take the best course of-"

"NO!" Mira snapped, causing everyone to flinch. "Sorry, Rumi, but no! That is not okay! That doesn't make it right!"

"Rumi, we…" Zoey frowned, speaking softly than her friend. "We regret what we did back then. You wanted to share everything, and we didn't let you. We chased you away, but we didn't go after you. We couldn't."

"Besides, you didn't lie to us by choice," Mira added. "Celine forced you to do so."

"Yes, but we haven't seen her since we started becoming popular," Rumi replied. "I could have told you then. I should have, but I was too scared. I didn't trust you at the time, so I felt like I had betrayed you."

"Rumi, you didn't betray us," Mira retorted.

"But you didn't think that back then."

"That's true. I won't deny, I thought you had turned on us when you mentioned your alliance with Jinu. I didn't want to believe it, but part of me did, and I hate that. I hate that I assumed my best friend would turn on us, and I felt like garbage aiming my woldo at you. If I could take it all back, I would… but sadly, I can't. The best thing Zoey and I can do now is be there for you whenever and wherever you need us."

"And you two have been doing that," Rumi said reassuringly. "And I appreciate everything you two have done to take care of me, and I want to do the same to you in return. I just… I just wanted to let you know that I understand where you two were coming from that night."

"Yet I get the feeling that's not all you want to talk about," Mira said. "I know what Zoey and I did back then, and we still believe it wasn't right. Regardless of what Celine taught us or what we assumed back then, it doesn't excuse the fact that we hurt you. Did we feel shocked when we found out you were a Demon? Of course. Were we upset you didn't tell us sooner? Yes. But we understand why you didn't share that information prior. I know it sounds like I'm blaming Celine for everything, and you know what, I am. She should have come clean and had us sit together so we could find out what was going on with you. Maybe then, we could have prevented ourselves from writing Takedown in the first place."

"Celine's mostly the reason why I had to hide for so long, but putting the blame on her's not going to change anything," Rumi replied with a low sigh. "I appreciate you two for acknowledging your mistakes, but it doesn't give me the right to not do the same. You're right, Mira. There is so much more I want to tell you, but… I just don't know how. What I have to say might hurt you guys, and I don't-"

"Who cares if it hurts us? If it needs to be said, then you shouldn't be afraid to say it."

"Mira's right," Zoey finally spoke up. "If we're going to heal together, then we need to be honest with each other."

"But the show's starting soon," Rumi claimed.

"Your point?" Mira inquired.

"What Mira means to say is the fans can wait," Zoey stated. "You matter first."

Rumi felt a tight hug around her heart, and she raised her hand up to her upper chest.

Her friends noticed this, and they began to approach her with the real deal to follow. But just before they could reach her, the door opened, and Bobby ran through.

"Showtime, girls!" he said excitedly. "We're on stage in three minutes! They want you up there now!"

"In a minute, Bobby," Mira said. "We're-"

"-on our way," Rumi replied, catching her friends by surprise.

They stared at her with shock before Bobby gave a thumbs up and closed the door behind him.

"Rumi, don't you want to finish discussing this?" Zoey inquired, tugging on Rumi's arm.

"We'll save it for after the show."

"Are you sure you're good to go?" Mira asked with folded arms.

"I'll be fine, Mira. Trust me."

Part of her wanted to say she didn't trust her fully, but Mira kept her mouth shut because she knew saying that would cause more problems. As for Zoey, she cracked her fingers and prepared to leave, only to see Rumi make a sudden move. She walked towards the couch and grabbed her black jacket, which surprised Zoey. She recalled their conversation from earlier, when Rumi decided she was going to go on without it.

She wanted to say something, but held off.

Rumi put her iconic jacket on and opened the door, motioning her friends to follow her. "Let's do this for the fans."

"Yeah…" they replied, sounding less enthusiastic than usual. "For the fans."

Huntrix left their dressing room and turned off the lights, prepping for their first show in months.

While the stars of the show prepped backstage, the Turtles joined April and Irma inside the actual stadium, which caught every single one of them by surprise.

Madison Square Garden was a landmark they'd pass by whenever they were out on patrol, but they've never been inside. They've been tempted to do so to watch some artists they like on stage, but they could never commit because they'll risk being exposed as mutants.

That said, they heard the stadium was jaw-dropping, and after walking through a crowded aisle, they looked around and thought just that.

The spacious stadium was covered in cars from top to bottom.

The first few rows on the upper half were purple, the middle half was red, and the bottom was green, symbolizing each color of the Huntrix girls.

The Turtles looked around and saw holographic projections all over the walls; most of them were just the group's logo in different colors, but every now and then, they'd see the floating heads of the three members. They and their human friends traversed through the crowd before they made it to the bottom and located their seats. As they approached them, they looked to their left and saw a massive black stage. Green and brown trees were made out of cardboard, and there was a hidden machine that generated a waterfall the same color as the sunset backdrop.

The group took their seats, and Michelangelo felt his whole body shiver.

"Irma, these seats are awesome!" he said. "Your friends are missing out."

"Oh, they're not my friends anymore," Irma chuckled. "Anyone who decides to ditch me over something stupid is no friend of mine."

"Come on, Irma," April said. "I'm sure they'll make it up to you somehow."

"Maybe you're right, April. But they're not important right now, so…" she shrugged.

"Ha-ha, fair enough."

From backstage, Zoey peeked her head from behind the curtain but kept herself hidden so that she wouldn't be seen. She widened her eyes after squinting them for two seconds, seeing every row filled with fans dying to see them after a long break. She was excited to see so many people come to see them, and she hoped it would continue throughout the tour.

Closing the curtain, Zoey rushed towards her friends, who were getting their make-up done, and squealed with excitement.

"Guys, we have a full house out there!"

"Course there is, Zoey," Mira chuckled as her face was cleaned with a small cloth. "Did you forget we sold out within a day or two?"

"I know, but it's nice to know people haven't forgotten about us. Not that I thought they would, but it's been a while."

"Makes sense," Rumi said as she thanked employees for getting her fresh. "Our hiatus wasn't so long, but it's probably the longest break we've had. Most of our vacations last a few weeks or so."

"True," Mira nodded as she watched her make-up artists walk away. "But… before we go on stage, I want to talk about-"

"Mira, I told you. We're saving it for after the show," Rumi said sternly. "I probably shouldn't have brought it up in the first place."

"Don't say that, Rumi. You have a lot you need to tell us, and we want to-"

"One minute till showtime, girls!" Bobby called as he rushed past them with a clock and a drink. "Get into positions!"

"We'll talk about this later, Mira. I promise," Rumi said with a low sigh.

Both Mira and Zoey shared a nervous glance as they followed the leader, heading to where they were told to go.

At this time, the stadium was completely full, and many fans were dying of anticipation.

Michelangelo included as he stared at the stage waiting for his idols to make a dramatic entrance. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking they'd come down like they did in one of their livestreams, but he thought that was ridiculous, as this concert was indoors. April held his hand and smiled, checking to see how he was feeling. Michelangelo calmed down and smiled, appreciating his friend for making all of this happen.

Donatello took some pictures of the stage with his T-Phone as Leonardo and Raphael observed the area. They weren't as afraid of being seen as before because many fans had their eyes glued to the massive stage; however, they adjusted their trench coats and hats to keep their faces covered.

"At least no one's looking at us," Leonardo said.

"True," Raphael replied. "Everyone's gonna be singing along by the time they come on stage."

"Which I'm actually excited for," Donatello replied, getting a curious glance from the Turtles beside him. "I may not be a die-hard like Mikey, but Huntrix's music helped me concentrate on my inventions here and there. Plus, I had Mikey flood the Shellraiser's radio with their songs."

"We gotta do another Golden jam session, Donnie," Michelangelo smirked.

"Indeed, we do, dude."

"When's the show supposed to start anyway?" Raphael inquired, placing both hands in his pockets.

Suddenly, all of the lights went out, and the arena turned black.

Everyone gasped mid-conversation, mumbling about the blackout.

Hearing the murmurs caused Michelangelo to scratch his head and share a confused look with April, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Welp, I guess Huntrix forgot to pay their electric bill," Raphael shrugged. "Sorry, Mikey."

Lights suddenly flashed onto the stage, illuminating the golden background. The trees started moving back and forth, and the yellow waterfall poured down.

Everything was silent for a minute before a familiar tune began to play; it was one of Huntrix's most popular songs, Golden. {Song #1 – Start}

Michelangelo, April, and over a thousand fans squealed with excitement as Irma, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael leaned back, ready to enjoy the show. Spotlights flashed on top of the stage, and three shadows stepped out into the light, revealing themselves as the Huntrix girls.

Everyone cheered and applauded as they struck a dynamic pose and sang.

Being the die-hard fans they were, Michelangelo and April turned to each other with eyes closed and sang along. Irma leaned against her seat with arms folded as Donatello and Leonardo bopped their heads to the beat.

Raphael had the same gesture as the gothic girl, listening to melodious voices.

"Given the throne, I didn't know how to believe
I was the queen that I'm meant to be."

"I lived two lives, tried to play both sides
But I couldn't find my own place."

"Called a problem child 'cause I got too wild
But now that's how I'm getting paid, kkeuteopsi on stage."

Raphael found himself moved by their singing, so he tapped his foot against the ground.

The instrumentation went soft for a while as Rumi began her iconic solo. Part of her was nervous doing it as it's been so long, but the more she sang, the more she felt comfortable. She felt like she was on top of the world, reliving the days she had broken away from for three months. As she extended a high note, she heard many fans clap, cheer, and shout how much they love her voice.

"I LOVE YOU, RUMI!" Michelangelo exclaimed, making his brothers and friends laugh.

Rumi held the hands of her best friends, painted a smile, and continued singing.

Michelangelo and April danced in their chairs, joining in despite not having the most angelic voices. One by one, dozens of fans stood up high and danced around, enjoying every second of the concert. Michelangelo and April noticed this and stood up, bringing Irma, Leonardo, and Donatello with them. Raphael reluctantly joined in because he didn't want to be made fun of for opposing; he didn't dance like everyone else, but he did tap his foot to the beat and bop his head to the song, finding Huntrix's voice easy on his ears. They made him feel at peace and forget about all of the bad guys he's fought in the past. Stress melted away as he slowly smiled and continued vibing to the music.

Soon, Rumi's second verse came in, and she sang about how she wanted to put her patterns all in the past and live like the girl everyone sees. As Zoey and Mira stood by her side, they noticed that Rumi clenched her jacket with both hands, thinking she was about to rip it off in a dramatic fashion. Their eyes peaked when they saw Rumi roll down the sleeves and lift the jacket off her back. Excited gasps escaped from their mouths, and a tear rolled down Zoey's face.

"No more hiding, I'll be shining
Like I'm born to be.
'Cause we are hunters, voices strong
And I know I believe."

When she got close to the verse's end, Rumi tugged the jacket back onto her body, concealing shining patterns that glowed brighter by the second.

Mira and Zoey's smiles faded when they saw Rumi repeat an old habit, but they remained professional and sang alongside the lead vocalist.

As Rumi wowed the crowd with her phenomenal voice, the Turtles danced alongside April and Irma. This time, Raphael was getting into it by waving his arms up and down, jerking his head back and forth, and tapping all six toes against the ground. Every Turtle started singing with the audience, feeling the positive environment seep through their veins.

Their voices were perfect.

The choreography was excellent.

As Huntrix resumed the concert, they noticed glowing white lights around the hearts of their fans.

They got excited as they knew what that meant; that white energy powered the rainbow Honmoon created several months prior. The three girls held each other's hands and smiled brightly.

They were happy to know they still had the magic they were always known for.

The Turtles, April, and Irma jammed out in their front row seats when a loud thud occurred above the stage.

Everyone else thought it was a drumbeat, but the noise spooked Raphael, and he stopped dancing. Looking around to see what occurred, his green eyes darted above the stage, and he noticed odd figures crawling on top of the spotlights. They were dressed in black and had red outlines on their bodies. Some of them quietly leaped onto some platforms and drew bladed weapons, mainly daggers and katana swords.

Some of them whipped out kunai, tonfa, and other ninja weapons.

Is that…

No, it couldn't be.

Raphael widened his eyes, unaware that Rumi was getting close to the song's ending.

Just as she hit the very last high note, one of the figures leaped down with a sword in hand. {Song #1 – Stop}

"LOOK OUT!" Raphael shouted as he recklessly leaped onto the stage and rushed toward the lead singer, who was spooked by his presence and prepared to call security.

However, her eyes pointed up, and she saw the figure preparing to strike. With a loud gasp, Rumi prepared to react before Raphael beat her to the punch; he pulled out both of his Sai and kicked the figure in its chest. Watching it tumble across the ground, Raphael performed a somersault and gripped both weapons tightly, spooking the group and everyone in the audience.

Raphael's brothers felt their eyes leap out of their sockets, and their hearts stopped. Normally, they'd chew out their ill-tempered ally for pulling a stunt like this, but it was clear he saved Rumi from being attacked.

The culprit sluggishly arose and revealed its true colors. It was a black-costumed Foot Soldier with a red belt, knee pads, elbow pads, and a bandana with the Foot Clan's logo in the middle.

Mira and Zoey checked in on Rumi, ready to ask if she was okay, but just before they could get a word out, they recognized something they never thought they'd see again. Spreading across the Foot Soldier's arms were purple lines they knew by heart as Demon patterns.

"Oh, my gosh," Zoey whimpered, cupping both hands over her mouth.

"H-how's that possible!?" Mira gasped.

Raphael gripped his weapons tightly as more Foot Soldiers leaped down, showing off the same features as their comrade. One by one, they all came down and surrounded Huntrix, aiming several weapons at them. The Foot Soldiers had glowing red eyes and something the Turtles had never seen before: razor-sharp teeth and fangs the size of their palms.

"What in the world?" Raphael whispered to himself, finding himself cornered by his old foes.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo shared a worrisome glance as April felt her heart clench.

The Foot Clan has returned, and their appearances have changed.

What the shell is going on?

Chapter Text

The Turtles couldn't believe their eyes.

Their greatest foes were live on stage, aiming sharp weapons at their brother, who saw more of them dropping from above.

Huntrix met the same fate as they stood back-to-back, putting their fists up. Well, Mira and Zoey were doing that. Rumi stood akin to a deer met with headlights. They didn't bother to summon their weapons as the crowd was still present, and they didn't want their secret exposed.

Speaking of, the audience gasped and shared several murmurs; some thought this was part of the show, and some believed otherwise.

Raphael and Huntrix hesitated to make a move as the former's brothers couldn't find the strength to move a muscle.

"T-the Foot Clan!?" Michelangelo exclaimed as he whispered to his brothers.

"H-how's that possible!?" Donatello said with shock, rubbing his wide brown eyes. "Why do they look so… monstrous!?"

"It doesn't matter; we need to get up there and help Raph!" Leonardo declared as he started to reach for his twin swords. Just before he could yank them out, Donatello placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on, Leo. There are too many people here. If we jump on that stage, we'll risk being exposed. We need to-"

Cutting off his sentence was a loud alarm, and a bright red light blinked on the stadium, covering the stadium in red.

Demonic Foot Soldiers cornered Raphael and Huntrix as somebody spoke over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all guests! Please evacuate the stadium immediately! This is not a drill! Repeat, please evacuate the stadium immediately! The police are on their way!"

The three Turtles grabbed April and Irma, pulling them away from as a crowd of people screamed at the top of their lungs and started running. Security guards came out of the blue and guided guests through the emergency exits.

Some of them tried to go up on stage and stop the intruders, but they were effortlessly knocked out.

The Foot Soldiers opened their mouths, preparing to consume their poor souls, but Raphael jumped into the air and jabbed them with his weapons, causing them to fall down.

After multiple hits, he watched them turn into puffs of red smoke.

"Since when can they do that!?" Donatello gasped.

More Foot Soldiers appeared behind the Raphael as he gripped both weapons tightly and let out a devilish smirk.

Even though he was enjoying the concert, part of him itched for some action, and this marked the perfect moment.

Without hesitation, Raphael engaged in combat.

Punching, kicking, and slashing as many Foot Soldiers as possible.

Normally, the ninjas would go down after a couple of hits, but Raphael noticed that his attacks weren't strong enough. Grunting, he fired a powerful uppercut and knocked one of the soldiers into a spotlight, which fell over and landed on the ground. More Foot Soldiers ambushed him with weapons drawn and attacked all at once. Raphael leaped out of the way, using all of his brute strength to knock them down. After some hits, they disappeared in red smoke.

Huntrix was amazed by their rescuers' agility, noticing his aggressive yet careful style. They tried to make out his face, but it was hard to do so because of his disguise. All they could make out was a red mask. They felt useless standing around, so they leaped into help, but they were quickly cornered by more Foot Soldiers.

Gasping, the trio slowly backed away. Mira and Zoey got in front of their lead vocalist and clenched their fists.

Michelangelo saw his idols in trouble and gasped worryingly. "Dudes, we need to get up there and help!"

"April, take Irma and get out of here!" Leonardo ordered as he patted his friend's shoulder and spoke boldly. "We'll catch up with you too later!"

"But Leo, I can help."

"I know you can, April, but you should take care of your friend. Now go!"

"What the heck is going on!?" Irma screeched in pure panic. "How do your secret friend know how to fight!? Why was he carrying forks in his pocket!?"

"Long story, Irma," April replied nervously as she grabbed her friend's wrist and ran caught up the crowd. "Let's get out of here first!"

With the crowd gone in an instant, the brothers shared a nod before they jumped onto the stage and drew their weapons. The three singers were quick to notice them, shocked to see their mysterious hero wasn't alone.

"Stick together and take them down!" the leader shouted, aiming his katanas at the enemies in front of him.

"Booyaksha!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he waved his nunchaku and leaped forward, smacking several enemies in the face.

Donatello twirled his bo-staff, performing similar attacks. Much like Raphael, he noticed that the Foot Soldiers went down slower than they usually would, and when they fell, red smoke would appear. Clashing his staff against several blades, Donatello protected himself by spinning around on one foot, knocking every enemy down.

Leonardo landed towards Raphael after slicing several Foot Soldiers into dust. Throwing three shuriken, he and his brother stood back to back as they fought valiantly.

"You all right, Raph!?"

"I'm fine, Leo!" Raphael replied, jabbing his sai into a Foot Soldier's stomach, watching him poof out of existence. "The heck is going on here? How are The Foot Clan back!? Why do they look like monsters, and how are they making smoke?"

"We'll get some answers later!" Leonardo replied, fencing with a Foot Soldier before striking him down. "Right now, we need to get Huntrix to safety."

Speaking of which, the group was shocked to their core.

Seeing the Demons here sent shivers down their spine. Rumi, especially as she thought she had completed her mission in creating a new Honmoon. She glanced over at the rainbow barrier and noticed it was still intact, which fueled her curiosity further.

The Honmoon's not fractured.

But how are their Demons running around?

Why do they look like ninjas?

Was the Honmoon not sealed enough?

Did we fail?

What's going on?

A million questions rained over Rumi's head before she snapped out of it thanks to Mira and Zoey, who observed the four fighters in battle.

"Who are these guys?" asked the maknae.

"I don't know, but they are awesome," grinned the star dancer.

"They act like they've seen these Demons before." noted the lead dancer.

"Are they Hunters too?" Zoey inquired.

"They couldn't be," Rumi replied. "Their weapons aren't connected to the Hoonmoon like ours. They're Japanese ninja weapons."

Mira cracked her knuckles, "Let's help them!"

Just before she could conjure her signature weapon, Rumi placed a hand on her shoulder. "No way! We'll reveal our secret identities."

"Hey, maybe these guys are Hunters. You also said their weapons aren't magic; they'll struggle against these Demons if we don't lend a hand."

Donatello overheard the conversation as he stood by the group, defending them from enemies. "I'm sorry to interrupt you ladies, but did you just say Demons?"

"Oh, I just got the perfect name for them!" Michelangelo yelled as he rolled over a Foot Soldier's back and kicked him in the shin. After knocking him out with his nunchaku, he pointed at more cohorts raining down from the ceiling. "Foot Demons! Get it? They're Foot Soldiers, and they look like Demons. So-"

"WE GET IT, MIKEY!" His brothers shouted at once.

Leonardo protected Mira from getting hurt by a Foot Demon and chucked four more shuriken. "You three need to get out of here! We'll cover you!"

"Sorry, whatever your name is," Mira said as she stretched her arms, legs, and neck. "But we're not leaving fellow Hunters behind."

"Fellow what?"

"Behind you!"

The blue leader turned around and noticed five Foot Demons charging towards him at full speed.

His brothers called out his name and rushed ahead to protect him.

But just before they could lay their weapons on them, Mira and Zoey jumped over them and landed on the ground. Using the Honmoon's power, they summoned their iconic weapons for the first time in months: a gok-do and shin-kal blades.

The Turtles widened their eyes with shock.

"Did they just-!?" Donatello exclaimed as he watched both girls effortlessly battle the Demons.

The enemies fell with pure ease thanks to their magic weapons and quick agility.

Rumi saw her friends fighting and decided she was done standing around.

She did exactly what they did and leaped over the four Turtles, summoning her saingeom, which has been enhanced since Jinu's sacrifice at Namsan Tower.

Michelangelo's eyes turned into golden stars as he his brothers were lost for words. They couldn't believe a normal K-pop group like Huntrix could magically conjure weapons out of thin air.

"Thanks for helping us out, guys," Rumi smiled, realizing the surprised looks on their faces. "Let us return the favor."

"How in the world!?" Raphael exclaimed.

"That is…" Leonardo muttered, struggling to find perfect words to describe this.

"Incredible!" Donatello beamed. "I don't know how they're able to do it, but they can somehow summon Korean weaponry and use them to fend off these Demons. In fact, they're having an easier time than we are. Sure, we could beat them, but it's taking longer because our weapons aren't… magical, I guess? I just said this is incredible, but now this is confusing. How are they doing this?"

"Who cares!?" Michelangelo shouted happily. "This is way better than watching Huntrix in concert! Come on, dude! Let's have an awesome team-up!"

The orange die-hard whipped out his weapons again and joined his favorite idols in battle. Leonardo glanced at Donatello and Raphael before they collectively nodded and continued helping.

Despite not knowing what was going on, both heroic groups were determined to help each other and get some answers.

April and Irma joined the large crowd of people in escaping the stadium.

Security guards had a hard time keeping everybody together as many people tripped on top of one another, falling in different directions.

Hearing many guards call for extra assistance, April and Irma held onto each other's hands and kept running. The former was focused on getting out of the area; her eyes were glued to the front, and she wasn't planning to look back.

Unlike the latter, who kept turning over her shoulder.

"I hope your secret friends are good back there, April! Why the heck did they stay behind?"

"Let's just say they are good Samaritans. They probably want to help other people escape before they do."

"So, you're telling me they are the noble self-sacrificing types? Now I see why you kept them a secret."

April and Irma helped many Huntrix fans get back on their feet as they got closer to the exit gate.

Despite the teamwork between the Turtles and Huntrix, more Foot Demons appeared by the minute, overwhelming them with their enhanced ninjitsu skills. Despite taking some hits here and there, the seven fighters banded together and battled their enemies.

Raphael repeatedly jabbed his twin blades into several Foot Demons and threw them on top of one another. Jumping upward, he body slammed all of the demons, causing them to turn into a big smoke cloud.

Just before he could get up, many foot demons grabbed his trenchcoat and tried to yank it off. Raphael snarled and attempted to stab them, but he couldn't pull his arms forward.

Just when he thought he would be exposed, Mira twirled her gok-do and slashed the Demons in half, sending them back to where they belonged.

Raphael fell forward and landed on his stomach, only to have Mira's hand in front of his face.

With a smile, he took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Thanks," he said. "But I could've taken them."

"Oh, really?" smirked the pink-haired woman. "Is there a reason you didn't?"

"Don't back-sass me, they sucker punched me!"

"Ha-ha, yeah, right."

More Foot Demons surrounded them, so Raphael and Mira shared a glance before fighting together. Standing back to back, they unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.

"You're pretty good with that spear thing," Raphael commented as he held one Foot Demon in a chokehold and kicked the other one. "Can I assume you and your friends do this a lot?"

"More than you think," Mira replied, similarly waving her weapon around, mimicking the turtle's motions. "We thought we wouldn't have to do this anymore, but I guess that part of our lives came crawling back. I'm surprised you asked me that, considering you and your friends must do this too, no?"

"Sort of," Raphael grunted, slamming two fists against some Foot Demons' heads. "We fight these guys a lot, but they're just human thieves in ninja uniforms. These guys are different."

"Then that must mean…" Mira stroked her chin as she continued defending herself and her new ally. "No… it couldn't be. How is he able to make deals with people if the Honmoon is still sealed?"

"Who makes deals with what?"

"Ugh, never mind. I'll tell you later."

As the group's aggressive fighters worked together, Michelangelo and Donatello found themselves paired with Zoey, who danced around and threw her magical blades with perfect aim. Donatello was about to strike down a group of Foot Demons approaching from behind, only to find out they were gone thanks to the youngest rapper, who shot him a wink and a smile.

The purple genius was amazed by her agility as he wondered how many blades she was throwing by the second.

Michelangelo defended Zoey when a group of Demons tried to pull her into the ground.

He shoved his whole body into a shell and spun around really fast, knocking down the Demons like a bowling ball hitting pins. Leaping across the air, Michelangelo kicked several Foot Demons into each other and spun his weapons.

He and Donatello stood back to back with Zoey, who held her daggers like claws.

"Thanks for the save, orange-green guy," the maknae smiled, turning to the purple scientist. "And you're pretty awesome too. Are you Demon Hunters as well? I don't think there's ever been a group of male Hunters before."

"Demon what?" Donatello asked.

"Nah, we're ninjas," Michelangelo said with Zoey's expression. He reached into his belt and threw several shuriken to clear out the enemy horde.

"Mikey, don't give us away!" Donatello grunted annoyingly as he smacked more enemies.

"Ninjas?" Zoey raised an eyebrow and took a minute to think about that. She beamed from ear to ear and gasped. "THAT IS EVEN COOLER!"

"Really?" Michelangelo asked with sparkling eyes. "Donnie, did you hear that!? Zoey says we're cool ninjas!"

"That's great, Mikey, now can we focus on not dying!?"

"Oh shoot. Sorry, D."

Zoey laughed at the brothers' banter as she assisted them in clearing out Foot Demons.

Each of them admired each other's skills and watched their backs.

Donatello and Michelangelo activated their naginata and kusarigama.

Zoey, after throwing more shin-kal blades, quickly noticed this and felt her heart stop.

Just when she thought these ninjas were cool, they just got even cooler.

Both brothers joined forces as they leaped over one another, performed many team attacks, and sliced Demons like hot knives through butter.

"THAT IS AMAZING!" she exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes.

"Zoey!" Mira shouted as she and Raphael prepared to fight another wave of enemies. "Focus!"

"Oops! Sorry, Mira!"

Zoey gripped her weapons and charged into battle, helping her new partners fight Demon after Demon.

"So, what are your names?" she inquired, slicing a Demon in three halves.

"I'm Michelangelo!" said the orange turtle as he dodged a large sword at a rapid speed. "That guy with the stick is Donatello! The one becoming buddies with Mira is Raphael, and the dude with Rumi is Leonardo. They're my brothers!"

"And you all know ninjitsu?" Zoey asked, not knowing that Foot Demons leaped in front of her. "That's so cool!"

Donatello gasped before he cleared the enemies out with his blade.

"It is, yeah," he said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Now's not a good time, but what's the story with these Demons? You said you and your friends are Demon Hunters?"

"Yes, we are!" Zoey replied, chucking three blades at the Foot Demons dropping down from the ceiling. "We're the current generation of Hunters, and we use our voices to protect the Honmoon. It's a barrier that separates the human world from the Demon Realm."

"Demon Realm? Is that another dimension?"

"Like Dimension X?" Michelangelo asked.

"I don't know what Dimension X is, but we'll go with that," Zoey shrugged with a half-hearted chuckle. "It's better we explain everything once we're done here. In fact, Rumi could provide a better explanation than I can. Speaking of which, how are you doing over there, Rumi!?"

Despite stress and anxiety raining down like a thunderstorm, Rumi fought hard just like her teammates. Swinging her sword left and right, she battled many Foot Demons before she was tackled by one of them. He was about to drag her away until he got a face full of turtle feet courtesy of Leonardo; he kicked and knocked him down, stabbing him with his sword. Turning his body towards Rumi, he extended a hand and helped her get up.

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome. Looks like our teams are getting to know each other."

"Seems that way. Your name's Leonardo?"

"Correct."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rumi. The pink-haired girl's Mira and that's Zoey."

"Trust us, you need no introduction," Leonardo smiled as he stabbed a Foot Demon in the back. "We're all big fans."

"Eh, I'm a casual," Raphael said, punching a Foot Demon in the face.

Leonardo and Rumi gripped their swords as they rushed across the stage and fought many Foot Demons, who came in different directions. One moment, the two sword fighters grabbed each other's hands and spun around, using their blades to form a mini tornado, which took out more demons than previously. The swarm of enemies decreased by the second as Leonardo and Rumi threw each other into the air and slammed the ground; the latter caused an energy shockwave that cleared out a lot of Demons.

Michelangelo, Donatello, and Zoey felt the impact alongside Raphael and Mira. But just when they thought it was over, more Foot Demons arrived from backstage.

"It never ends, does it?" Raphael asked Mira, who shook her head.

"Welcome to our world," she said.

"Stand your ground, everyone!" Rumi demanded. "There could be more after this."

"The Honmoon is still rainbow," Zoey said, turning over her shoulder. "So, where did these Demons come from?"

"We'll get an answer soon, Zoey. Right now, take them down!"

The Turtles and Huntrix rushed into battle once again, hacking and slashing like the experts they are.

Leonardo and Rumi ran beside each other as they swung their swords in different directions.

Michelangelo and Donatello worked with Zoey to defeat the more Foot Demons.

As for Raphael and Mira, they had the most fun.

The duo stabbed Foot Demons, flipped them over, punched them, and brutally hurt them in creative ways.

Some of those ways caused their allies to flinch, but their minds were focused on staying alive.

As the battle raged on, all seven fighters worked in perfect harmony.

Slashing three more Demons with her sword, Rumi was about to face more when she heard a mysterious voice.

"Rumi…"

She paused, wondering who spoke.

"Rumi… use the power I gave you. End this now."

Looking down at her sword, the purple-haired leader noticed its shiny glow, and it continued when the voice kept talking.

"End this now, Rumi. You need to hurry. More are coming."

Jinu? Is that you?

As much as she wanted to know the answer, Rumi nodded and quickly thought of an idea. Her eyes darted towards Mira, who saved Donatello from a Foot Demon.

"Mira! I've got an idea, but I need your help!"

"I'm all ears, Rumi! What do you need?"

"That shockwave I made before. It wasn't enough to clear out the demons. I need your help in making a bigger one."

"Say no more!"

Rumi and Mira rushed towards each other and protected one another from the Foot Demons that tried to pile on top of them. Zoey and the Turtles defended themselves and each other as they watched their partners move swiftly.

Once Rumi and Mira cleared up enough space, they stood against each other's backs, pointed their weapons downward, and slammed them against the stage.

A shockwave bigger than the last one shook the whole area and caused every Foot Demon to evaporate like water vapor.

A large gust of wind brushed against the Turtles.

Zoey shielded her eyes as the wind pushed her hair back.

Rumi and Mira huffed and puffed before they raised their weapons and returned them to the Honmoon. Zoey did the same thing before she approached her friends to check on them.

The Turtles did the same as they shared high-threes and fist-bumps.

Rumi was relieved to know that her friends were still standing, and the Foot Demons were gone, but she still wanted to know how they returned in the first place.

Turning her attention to her new allies, she began to approach them.

"I don't know who you are, but I want to thank you for-WHAT THE!?" she gasped as she widened her eyes.

Mira and Zoey didn't know what was happening at first, but after one good look at the Turtles, they had the same reaction.

The ninja brothers raised their eyebrows and scratched their heads, wondering what the sudden commotion was about. Just before they could ask, they realized the heads they scratched were hatless.

Turning their bodies to the right, they saw their coats and hats sprawled over the floor.

Their eyes turned white, and their jaws dropped to the ground.

Nervous, the quartet turned back towards Huntrix, who were in complete disbelief.

Rumi, Zoey, and Mira had no idea what to feel.

First, Demons have returned after being sealed away for so long. And now, they find out that four large reptiles, who somehow knew martial arts, assisted them in combat.

The Turtles thought back to times they were scolded by their sensei for almost getting exposed to the public. The first time it happened was when they rescued April from the Kraang's lab and accidentally left a ninja star at the crime scene. Since then, the brothers promised they would be more careful and stick to the shadows. Heck, they made that promise to Splinter before leaving tonight.

Now, their cover was blown, and they weren't sure what to do.

Both groups continued staring at one another, hoping somebody would break the silence.

Thankfully, that someone happened to be the biggest Huntrix fan; Michelangelo took a few steps forward and nervously waved at his idols.

"Uh… what's up?"

"What… are you guys?" Rumi asked with a choked voice.

"Wait a second," Zoey said with squinted eyes. She walked towards the quartet and studied their features. "Green skin… rounded feet… hard shells…"

The maknae scratched her head, stroked her chin, and connected all of the clues together.

Within seconds, her eyes enlarged and took the shape of turtle shells.

Her jaw fell to the ground, her brain exploded, she violently shook her head, and grasped her forehead.

"OH MY GOSH! YOU GUYS ARE TURTLES!"

"Y-yup," Donatello gulped. "So we are."

"Miss Zoey, before you freak out," Leonardo said, attempting to ease the tension. "We want to let you know we are not your enemies and we-"

Before he could finish, he and his brothers noticed Zoey's mouth morph into a bright smile. Her eyes turned black, and her pupils were replaced by bright white stars.

Leonardo's eyes bounced between her and his brothers.

"Um… Miss Zoey? Are you-"

Leaving a dusty outline of her behind, Zoey rushed towards the Turtles with open arms.

"She's attacking! Get out of the way!" Donatello exclaimed, shoving all of his brothers to the right. He got in front of Zoey, and she tackled him.

The other three gasped as Raphael reached for his sai. "I'll save you, Donnie!"

"Raph, wait!" Michelangelo shouted, getting in front of his brother. "I… I don't think she's hurting him."

He was right.

Instead, she fought Donatello with the power of affection.

She had him raised above the ground and held him in a tight hug, crying tears of joy down her puffy red cheeks. Rumi and Mira shared a chuckle, whereas the Turtles simply cackled. Everyone was laughing except for Donatello, who was reminded of the times he'd get his face squeezed by Leatherhead.

Only this time, it was most of his body.

"Um… M-miss?" Donatello said, gasping for air. "Can you put me down… please?"

"This is the best night of my life," Zoey sobbed happily. "I can't believe I'm fighting Demons with my favorite animal. I hope this isn't a dream because if it is, I never want to wake up from it."

"No, it's real… and so is my pain," muttered the purple genius.

"Lucky," Michelangelo folded his arms and kicked the ground. "I wanted a hug."

Zoey heard that and turned her head to face him. With a big smirk, she released Donatello and rushed towards her mega fan with arms wide open.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Donatello huffed.

"Come here, you!" Zoey shouted.

"Okay!" Michelangelo smiled.

They leaped into each other's arms and squeezed each other tightly.

Both eyes were closed, and they twirled around the stage. Rumi and Mira shared a laugh as Leonardo and Raphael checked on their lankier brother.

As Michelangelo and Zoey released each other, the other Huntrix girls approached their new friends with one important question.

"So… what are you guys anyway?" Rumi inquired, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well, Miss Rumi," Leonardo replied. "It's complicated, but to put it simply…" He took a bow and pressed both hands together. "We're ninjas."

"We're mutants," Raphael added.

"We're teenagers," Michelangelo beamed.

"But most importantly," Donatello pointed with one finger. "We're turtles."

Huntrix took a moment to soak that in.

"Ninja mutant teenage turtles?" Mira repeated to herself. She folded her arms and chuckled. "Yeah, that definitely sounds normal."

"About as normal as demon-slaying K-pop singers," Raphael replied with a smirk. "You three must have an interesting story."

"Indeed, we do," Zoey nodded. "Raphael, right? You're Donatello, you're Leonardo, and you're Michelangelo." She pointed to all four Turtles, and they commended her for getting their names right; they were also happy she was able to tell them apart. "Yes!"

"Interesting names," Mira said. "I don't suppose you're Italian."

"No, but our father's a fan of Renaissance artwork," Donatello corrected her.

"What kind of turtle is your dad?" Zoey inquired. "You four look like a mixture of diamondback terrapins and common box turtles. Is he one species or is he a hybrid of both? You guys are definitely freshwater turtles, though. Makes me wonder if you live in the ocean… or a lake… or a pond. Gosh, I have so many questions."

"And we'll get to them, Miss Zoey," Leonardo said. "Right now-"

"You don't need to be formal with us, Leonardo," Rumi said reassuringly, glancing at her friends. "You can call us by our names."

"Ah, good to know. As I was saying, we'd like to get some answers. You three seem to be familiar with these Demons."

"It's a long story, but basically-" Rumi began before a hand touched her shoulder.

Mira looked her in the eye and said, "Hold on, Rumi. Are you sure we can trust these guys?"

"Are you kidding me?" Zoey asked, mocking Mira's monotone voice. "Are you sure we can trust these guys? Of course, we can! Did you not see them fighting the Demons with us? And plus, they're turtles. In Korean culture, turtles symbolize wisdom, longevity, and protection. Raphael saved Rumi from those Demons, so I think we can trust them."

"Whoa. Did you hear that, dudes?" Michelangelo nudged his brothers. "We mean something in Korea."

"We promise you, Huntrix," Leonardo said. "We're not your enemies. We'll share our story if you share yours. You have my word."

"The story of Hunters is… complicated," Rumi started, looking off to the left. "But the gist is-"

The moment was interrupted by a loud thud that caused the stage to shake.

Huntrix and the Turtles nearly fell on their rears, but saved themselves just in time.

Drawing their weapons again, they assumed more Foot Demons had come; however, they were met with something much worse.

Underneath a blanket of smoke stepped two monstrous figures the Turtles knew well.

One of them was a giant Akita dog with one arm larger than the other, and the other was a purple snakehead fish with silver robot legs.

Both of them sneered as they stepped forward.

Huntrix gasped horrifically as the Turtles grunted.

"Foot Demons, Fishface, and Dogpound!?" Raphael said. His look of shock turned into a grin as he clapped both sai together and gritted his teeth. "If I knew the concert was gonna be like this, I would have come sooner."

"Who the heck are these two!?" Rumi asked.

"Enemies of ours," Donatello answered, gripping his staff. "It's part of our story."

"A good story needs to have more action and less exposition," Dogpound cackled, cracking both of his spikey knuckles. "It's where all of the best scenes happen."

"Good to meet you, Huntrix. I'm a big fan," Fishface grinned. "Under normal circumstances, I'd ask for an autograph, but I'm not here for that. Actually, I might be able to get Rumi's signature before we send her off to Shredder."

"Shredder?" Huntrix said in unison.

"What does he want now?" Leonardo snarled.

"Well," Fishface chortled. "You see-"

"Enough talk!" Dogpound grunted annoyingly. "Let's go to that action I mentioned before!"

With that, the mutant Akita slammed the ground, causing a shockwave that blew everybody back.

Skidding across the stage, Huntrix resummoned their weapons and looked at the Turtles to see if they were okay. They recovered from the impact and gave the group four thumbs up.

Huntrix smiled before another brawl occurred.

Dogpound barked like the animal he was and ran towards them.

His sea-dwelling comrade chuckled like before and pulled out a tranquilizer gun from the side. Aiming it high, he switched between the Turtles and Huntrix as they dodged Dogpound's attacks and hit him while he was open.

Michelangelo crouched down and Zoey jumped off of his shell and kicked Dogpound across the jaw, allowing Donatello and Mira to smack him upside the chin with both weapons. Raphael and Rumi were about to attack, but the mutant canine grabbed and threw them into their friends. Leonardo swung his katanas, clashing against the spikes on Dogpound's body.

After dodging the swords three times, Dogpound punched him and fought the others.

Rumi was just about to reconjure her sword back when she felt a tiny pinch on the side of her leg. Wincing in pain, she looked down and saw a needle sticking out, leaving a red mark in her skin. Before she could pull it out, Rumi's eyes drifted off, her vision got blurry, and she saw nothing but black.

Soon, she fell unconscious.

"Rumi!" Mira and Zoey shouted, which prompted the Turtles to see what had happened.

"What did you do!?" Michelangelo grunted as he charged at Fishface with full speed.

"Mikey, don't!" warned Leonardo.

"You're gonna get it, Fishface!"

The purple snakehead got down on one hand and kicked the turtle off the stage, making him crash into several chairs. After knocking the Turtles down and letting Dogpound finish Huntrix, Fishface scooped Rumi and placed her over his shoulder.

"Come on, you big lug!" he shouted. "Let's get out of here!"

"Too bad this didn't last long, but Master Shredder will be pleased," Dogpound replied as he grabbed Mira and threw her into Zoey. Both women tumbled against the ground and fell off the stage.

The two mutants ran behind the curtain.

Leonardo and Donatello helped their younger brother to his feet as Raphael picked up his fallen weapons. Michelangelo thanked him and saw that Mira and Zoey were hurt. Before the Turtles could assist them, they quickly got up and conjured their weapons again.

"That giant dog took Rumi!" Mira snarled.

"What does he want with her!?" Zoey asked fearfully. "Who the heck is Shredder!?"

"We'll explain later, come on!" Leonardo ordered.

The four Turtles and both Huntrix girls reunited, heading into a hot pursuit.

Fishface and Dogpound ran backstage and turned around a corner, seeing several crew members panicking. They were rushing to get Huntrix off the stage; however, they quickly backed away once they saw the two mutants. Both henchmen heard several footsteps coming from behind, so Fishface turned to investigate. The Turtles, Mira, and Zoey ran at full speed, determined to free Rumi from their clutches. Fishface laughed manically as he nudged Dogpound and told him to provide a distraction. The Akita nodded and smacked the ceiling with his giant fist, causing piles of debris to come crashing down.

Zoey threw multiple shin-kal daggers at the rubble, turning it into smaller pieces. She and the others slid underneath with ease.

Donatello and Raphael threw multiple shuriken at both mutants, trying to hit them in their legs so they'd stop running. Because Fishface and Dogpound were further ahead, they missed every shot. Donatello was about to get a lucky hit, but Fishface grabbed Rumi and held her high, threatening to kill her if he were to throw the ninja star.

Widening his eyes, Donatello snarled. "Dirty cheat!"

"I got this!" Zoey shouted as she chucked three daggers at the speed of light, only to watch them bounce off of Fishface's balisword.

With extreme precision, he smacked the daggers, and they bounced off the walls, nearly hitting someone who was cowering behind a table.

"Dirty cheat!" Zoey snarled.

"If all of you feel like showing up to help!" Dogpound snarled at the ceiling. "Now would be a great time!"

"Who's he talking to?" Raphael inquired.

The Turtles, Mira, and Zoey were soon cut off by red puffs of smoke everywhere.

"Oh… them."

While their enemies escaped, they stopped dead in their tracks and watched more Foot Demons arrive.

They licked their lips and sharpened their teeth.

Drawing their weapons, they dove towards the heroes with the intent to kill. Luckily, Mira cleared a few away with one swipe from her gok-do. Zoey rolled over Donatello's shell and kicked several Foot Demons in their chests, making them fall over like dominoes. Leonardo and Mira teamed up for a team attack where they hacked and slashed several Foot Demons before spinning around and landing a double-footed kick. Raphael tackled some Foot Demons, pinned them to the ground, and slapped them across their faces. Michelangelo made one nunchaku into a kusarigama chain and swung it, cleaning out the horde with ease.

The Turtles, Mira, and Zoey spent some time fighting the Demons, noticing Rumi's captors were gone.

"We need to rescue Rumi!" shouted the pink-haired woman, struggling to hold off Foot Demons as they appeared.

"Raph, Donnie!" Leonardo called out, slashing two Foot Demons in half. "Stay here with Mira and Zoey! Mikey and I will save Rumi!"

"No way, Rumi's our family, so we're gonna-"

"Mira, just listen to him!" Zoey replied. "We're the only ones that can stop Demons, so we might as well stay!"

Mira was about to retort before she realized Zoey was right. "You two better bring Rumi back safe!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Mira!" Michelangelo nodded as he and Leonardo rushed off.

Raphael and Donatello stayed with Mira and Zoey, fighting several Foot Demons who kept appearing through clouds of smoke.

Everyone else was freaking out about the Huntrix concert being ruined, but none were as petrified as Bobby.

He saw everything from the Golden performance to Rumi getting attacked by a monster. He was too scared to watch the fight, so he got his act together and began running towards the stage to rescue his girls from trouble.

Bobby wasn't combat-experienced at all; he never believed violence was the answer to situations; however, Huntrix was the best thing that's ever happened to him, so their safety meant everything. The chubby manager dropped sweat like bullets as he rushed into an empty room filled with food, drinks, and other supplies for Huntrix after the show. Just before he could turn around a corner, he screamed because two mutants were heading his way.

Getting ready to leap out of the way, Bobby's eyes noticed an unconscious person sitting on Fishface's shoulder.

It was Rumi.

Widening his eyes, Bobby choked, and tears dropped down his face.

What's going on!? What's that freak doing with Rumi!?

Fishface and Dogpound were about to escape, but Bobby stood his ground and grabbed a bottle of water from the buffet table. Throwing it at full force, he watched it hit Dogpound in the nose.

"H-hey, you giant… whatever you are! Let Rumi go!"

"You don't want any part of this, little man!" Dogpound snarled.

Fishface stopped and pleaded with his partner. "He's not important, let's go!"

Bobby grabbed a wooden plank from the floor and used it to smack the snakehead fish in the back, causing him to drop Rumi on the floor. Luckily, Dogpound picked her up in the nick of time, smirking at his partner.

Fishface glared at the manager before kicking him in the stomach, sending him into the buffet table.

Food flew everywhere as Bobby found himself buried in the tablecloth.

"Is he important now?" Dogpound teased.

"Shut up."

Suddenly, both Ninja Turtles busted down the door and landed in front of the villains.

"Let Rumi go, Dogpound!" Michelangelo demanded.

Dogpound was ready for a rematch, but he was stopped by Fishface. "Let me deal with them. You take the half-demon and get out of here."

"Half-demon?" Michelangelo whispered to himself.

Dogpound jumped over the Turtles, causing them to duck underneath so they don't hit his feet. They watched as Dogpound run off and prepared to stop him; however, Fishface grabbed them by their bandanas and threw them backward.

Both brothers landed on their backs.

Opening their eyes, they rolled out of the way as Fishface, unleashing his balisword, slammed against the floor in an attempt to stab them. Leonardo took a swing, only for Fishface to deflect it with his blade. Both sword fighters clashed weapons, creating sparks of light with each impact. The fearless ninja ran across the walls and landed behind Fishface, lunging forward to stab him, but Fishface lifted his foot up and launched a powerful kick. Leonardo ducked just in time and continued fencing with Fishface, who felt his hand get caught by Michelangelo's kusarigama.

He was yanked backward, where the orange turtle delivered an armada of kicks across his face.

With the final one, Michelangelo sent Fishface flying into a stack of wooden crates.

Before both Turtles made a move, they saw cloth from the food table move. They turned around and drew their weapons, thinking it was a Foot Demon prepping for an ambush.

After staring at it for two seconds, they saw that it was not a Foot Demon.

Instead, it was a short man with dark brown hair reaching down to his nape.

"Uh oh," Michelangelo gulped.

Bobby rubbed his head and looked forward, wondering if Rumi was still there. Instead, he found two Turtles with different shades of green, two colored masks, and brown ninja gear all over their bodies.

He screamed at the top of his lungs and both Turtles did the same.

"WHAT THE!? FIRST, THE GIANT DOG, THE GIANT FISH, AND NOW THERE ARE GIANT TURTLES!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS CRAZY STATE!?"

"Calm down, Sir!" Leonardo pleaded politely yet sternly. "We're not-"

"LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"

Fishface tackled Leonardo to the ground, only to be sucker punched by Michelangelo and kicked by the turtle he had just pummeled. Both brothers teamed up against Fishface and threw him back into the boxes.

Michelangelo jumped on top of him, throwing nothing but rageful punches.

"Mikey, we need to rescue Rumi!" Leonardo shouted. "Hold off, Fishface while I-"

"Wait, how do you know Rumi?" Bobby asked. "Are you a fan? What's going on? Why are you carrying ninja weapons!?"

"Oh, Master Splinter's gonna love hearing about this," Leonardo sighed sarcastically.

Michelangelo, who just got kicked in the stomach, landed right between two.

Leonardo and Bobby briefly looked at him before they saw Fishface, with his mouth widened, rushing toward them. The former was ready to fight, but he found himself pushed to the left.

"Look out!" Bobby shouted, shoving the Turtle and taking one for the team.

Fishface grabbed Bobby and sank his teeth deep into his shoulder. The manager felt an aching pain that felt worse than a bee sting. Screeching in pain, Bobby closed his eyes before falling unconscious.

"NO!" Leonardo shouted as he tackled Fishface.

Concerned for their rescuer, Michelangelo grabbed Bobby and laid him on his back. Holding him in his arms, he lightly tapped his face and shook his body, hoping he'd wake up.

"Dude, are you okay!? Dude!? Sir!? Hello!?"

Bobby slowly opened his eyes, revealing eyes that had been replaced by multi-colored spirals that were cyan, blue, and yellow.

Michelangelo knew the dangerous effects of Fishface's venomous teeth as he remembered a time Raphael suffered the same fate. For Raphael, recovery was easy because Donatello synthesized a cure while working with a wannabe hero called The Pulverizer.

Unfortunately, Donatello was occupied with Foot Demons in another room, so a cure wouldn't be possible.

"Dude, are you all right?" Michelangelo asked again. "Dude!?"

"I'm… I'm fine, Magical Lizard Man," Bobby chuckled, waving his hand up and down. "I love my girls."

"Leo, this guy's been venomized!"

"Call an ambulance!" Leonardo ordered as he dodged and kicked Fishface. "Tell them-"

Before he could finish his demand, the three mutants heard a flurry of footsteps come from another room.

"This way! I saw the intruders come in here!" A female voice shouted.

"Uh, oh!" Michelangelo panicked. "Security!"

Leonardo was kicked in the stomach by Fishface, and he fell into the food buffet with Michelangelo.

"I've wasted enough time with you, Turtles!" he snarled as he increased the speed of his robo-legs and retreated.

Grabbing his swords and snarling, Leonardo holstered them and grabbed his brother by the shoulder. "Come on, Mikey!"

"What about this guy?"

"Security can get him to a hospital! We need to save Rumi now!"

Deep down, Michelangelo felt bad for Bobby, but he knew the mission at hand.

Together, the brothers chased Fishface and left through the door.

Just in time because security guards came in and saw Bobby on the ground.

Gasping with concern, a male guard approached him and ordered the others to call an ambulance.

Outside Madison Square Garden, everyone was still evacuating, and back-up was overwhelmed with frantic fans. Luckily, the NYPD arrived and helped contain the chaos. They sent several officers inside and around the stadium to gather anyone who may have gone missing and/or lost during the ruckus.

April and Irma were across the street watching more cop cars show up.

"I hope your secret friends are okay in there, April," Irma huffed as she cleaned her glasses. "I commend them for being brave, but at the same time, it's stupid that they-" She cut herself off because she saw April taking off in another direction. "April!? April, where are you going!?"

The red-haired girl looked for the Turtles on different sides of the stadium, hoping they would come out in one piece. She tried to go to the back and search around, but several police officers told her to stay back. April tried to retort by saying her friends were in there, but the cops assured her that they would be found.

As they contacted other police for assistance, April calmed herself down and remembered Splinter's teachings; a panicked mind isn't going to get anything done.

Taking a deep breath, April pressed both hands together before taking out her T-Phone.

Spinning his bo-staff, Donatello whacked many Foot Demons down and watched them evaporate. Raphael saved him from getting stabbed in the back as he helped Mira clear out most of the horde. Donatello activated his naginata and jabbed one Foot Demon after another, leaning against Zoey's back as they watched out for each other.

As the battle raged on, Donatello heard the sound of birds chirping come from his belt.

"Aww," Zoey said, kicking a Foot Demon's face against the wall. "That ringtone is so cute."

"One sec, Zoey," he replied, answering the phone while throwing four shuriken. "Hi, April!"

"Donnie, are you and the others okay? The cops just showed up and everyone's going crazy!"

"April, I'd love to chat with you, but Fishface and Dogpound just captured Rumi, so we're helping Huntrix fight The Foot Clan, who may or may not be possessed by Demons!"

"What!?"

"I'll call you back later! Bye!"

Normally, Donatello would despise hanging up on a friend like that, but this was more important. He kept fighting alongside his friends, who hoped Leonardo and Michelangelo were making progress.

"Where are your brothers!?" Mira yelled. "They should be back with Rumi by now!"

"I'm not sure!" Donatello replied. "Let's clear these guys out and look for them!"

"Consider it done! HARGH!"

Slamming her woldo against the floor, the lead dancer made the same shockwave as before, and all Foot Demons were gone.

Raphael, Donatello, and Zoey felt the wind brush against their skin as Mira was the first to bolt off running.

"Come on! Rumi needs us!"

Exchanging a nod, her friends followed.

Thanks to Fishface, Dogpound made it to the rooftops and leaped around with Rumi over his shoulders.

He traversed with ease and looked around to see if anyone was following him.

At first, no one was present until he saw a shadowy figure from the corner of his eye. Dogpound snarled and drew back a fist, but he stood down upon seeing Fishface, who leaped off a wall, performed a somersault, and ran forward.

"Took you long enough," the akita barked.

"Excuse me, but I had to make sure those wretched Turtles weren't following us."

Right on cue, Leonardo and Michelangelo cut both mutants off and fired kicks across their faces.

Dogpound threw his arms up and allowed Rumi to fly through the air. Michelangelo saw she was about to go over the side, so he reached his hand out to grab her; however, Dogpound latched onto his shell, lifted him high, and slammed him down.

Leonardo slid between Dogpound's legs, kicked him in both thighs, and jumped forward. He caught Rumi with one arm and used his free hand to grab his grappling gun. Firing a hook around a pole, Leonardo pressed both feet against the wall and held Rumi tight.

Speaking of which, the impact's force enabled her to wake up.

Releasing a loud yawn, Rumi slowly opened her eyes and locked eyes with the blue-masked hero. Gasping, Rumi was taken aback by his appearance before remembering who he was.

"L-Leonardo!? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later, we gotta help-GAH!"

Rumi looked up and saw that Fishface was about to cut the rope with a butterfly knife.

After spinning it around to show off his skills, he took one slash and cut it in half. Leonardo and Rumi felt themselves falling backward and prepared for a rough landing, but they were soon pulled forward, and Leonardo tightened his grip. Rumi wrapped both arms around the turtle, holding him close to make sure she didn't fall.

"Hold on, Rumi!" Leonardo said. "I got you!"

Wondering what saved them, both looked up and saw Michelangelo, who knocked Fishface down. He grabbed the rope with all of his strength.

Dogpound attempted to come from the side and take a swing, but the ninja stuck his foot out and tripped him. Michelangelo felt his grip slipping, but he still kept it strong.

Leonardo and Rumi held onto each other as the former grabbed on and nodded at his brother, giving him the confidence boost he needed.

Without saying a word, Michelangelo glared at both mutants as they growled and rushed toward him. Waiting for the right moment, the young ninja yanked the rope and brought both fighters back onto the rooftop.

Leonardo drew his katanas as Rumi summoned her saingeom.

Together, they attacked the mutants and knocked them back.

Fishface almost fell over the side of the roof, but Dogpound grabbed him by the tail and threw him back up. Landing on his shiny legs, the snakehead helped his canine partner get up and they glared at the three heroes.

With Rumi fully awake, she smiled at her friends and struck a battle pose. Leonardo gripped both swords tightly as Michelangelo spun his nunchaku at a rapid speed.

A brief moment occurred where two opposing forces didn't make a move.

Instead, they were completely silent.

Rumi firmly grasped her blade as she had two thoughts on her mind.

Who is Shredder? What does he want with me?

Leonardo and Michelangelo wanted to know the same thing as they sneered at Fishface and Dogpound, who smirked and laughed manically.

"You're a fool to not surrender to us, Rumi," the purple fish said, holding up his balisword. "Your master calls to you."

"Master? What master?" Rumi asked.

"The one who gave you your patterns."

A pinch struck Rumi's heart as she looked at her blue markings, noticing their shimmering glow.

Leonardo and Michelangelo turned and saw them, widening their eyes.

"Patterns?" asked the latter. "Rumi, what's he talking about?"

"Your favorite idol isn't who she makes herself out to be," Dogpound grinned. "She's a Hunter that kills her own kind. She disobeyed her master."

"Gwi-Ma is not my master, and I am not like those other Demons!"

"Other Demons?" Michelangelo said with a soft, shaken voice.

"What does Shredder want!?" Leonardo snarled, preferring to focus on the task at hand.

"If we were to tell you, it'd ruin the surprise," Fishface laughed. "But let's just say… the Demon Hour shall soon commence."

With that, multiple Foot Demons appeared from red smoke and whipped out their weapons.

All at once, they piled on top of the heroes, who were quickly saved thanks to Rumi's powers; she cleared them out with one slash of her weapon and joined her new friends in battle.

Circling around each other, both Turtles and the Hunter battled the Foot Demons, sending them back to their home realm with ease.

During the battle, Michelangelo replayed the conversation between Rumi and his enemies. He stared back at her glowing patterns and wondered what their significance was. He always assumed they were tattoos and nothing else, so it was weird for him to hear they were called patterns. It was even more strange to know they were connected to the same markings that possessed the Foot Clan. Leonardo thought about this too, but was mostly focused on winning the fight and returning home to get some answers. Being the brave hero he was made to be, he cut through several Foot Demons and protected his friends from harm.

As for Rumi, she switched between being lost in her thoughts and fighting against the Foot Demons. Seeing these monsters again brought back painful memories and made her question the events of Namsan Tower. She remembered singing an inspirational song with Mira and Zoey, and together, they used the power of their fans and Jinu's soul to seal Gwi-Ma back into the Demon Realm.

A new Homnoon was born, and it hasn't had any ruptures since then.

Now, Rumi was left with a fully sealed Honmoon that was somehow bypassed by Demons dressed like ninjas.

Not only that, but now she's being told that someone called "The Shredder" wants her for an evil purpose, but she wasn't sure what it was.

She hated that she didn't have the answers because it meant more questions were on her mind.

Who is Shredder?

What does he want with me?

What is The Demon Hour?

As Rumi fought hard against her enemies, she started to think back to the painful day she was exposed on stage. Mira and Zoey, who were two Demons in disguise, sang a song Huntrix wrote for The Saja Boys back to her, filling her with dread.

Rumi replayed the first verse in her head, but now that she was in combat, she couldn't resist hearing a peculiar verse.

"When your patterns start to show
It makes the hatred wanna grow outta my veins."

Rumi's patterns shone bright as the verse played over and over, getting slower as it played back in her mind like a broken VHS tape.

"We see what you are," Rumi heard the voice of Mira echo in her mind.

Her glowing patterns muted.

No! Not again! That's not her! You know what wasn't her!

"You're a Demon," said the voice of Zoey, who got in her face and smiled evilly.

Her patterns turned purple.

That wasn't Zoey either! Come on, Rumi! Snap out of it!

"A mistake."

No!

"You have been since the day you were born!"

Now, her eyes were red.

No! No, that's not real! That wasn't them! Do you hear me!?

"THAT WASN'T THEM!" Rumi shouted at the top of her lungs, releasing a small magenta shockwave throughout the rooftop.

Leonardo and Michelangelo knocked out more Foot Demons and noticed a strange color floating around them. They gasped and took a few steps back, hearing a loud scream come from Rumi.

The purple-haired girl got down on her knees and cried a few tears, fighting against the memories that had haunted her for months. Before she could recollect more, she quickly gasped and shot her eyes open.

"The Honmoon! NO!"

Rushing towards the edge of the rooftop, Rumi looked around to see if there was a tear.

No! No, no, no! Please no ripples! Please no ripples!

After careful inspection and a lot of huffing, Rumi was relieved to know the Honmoon retained its new color; it was still a bright, shiny rainbow that symbolized acceptance. Not only that, but her patterns reverted back to normal. Just before Rumi could catch her breath, another pinch ached in her shoulder, and she looked to see what caused it. It was another tranquilizer dart, and she cringed in pain.

No… not again.

She fell over the side and dove towards an alleyway.

"RUMI!" Michelangelo shouted in agony.

He and Leonardo were about to catch her, but Dogpound grabbed them by their heads and raised them high.

Fishface leaped over the side like a ninja, ran down the wall, and caught Rumi before she could hit the ground. Waving back with a thumbs up, Dogpound slammed both Turtles on the concrete roof, kicked them, punched them, and smacked them across their jaws. In a desperate move, both Turtles grabbed their weapons and struck Dogpound's chest, only to be deflected and smacked against a brick wall.

Both ninjas fell on their sides and clenched their aching bodies.

"So long, Turtles. See ya for the Demon Hour."

The mutant Akita leaped onto another rooftop as he and Fishface retreated and escaped to the horizon.

Weakened, Leonardo and Michelangelo woke up and rushed to the ledge, seeing that both mutants were farther than they expected. The latter grabbed a shuriken and prepared to throw it, only to be stopped by the former.

"Mikey, don't! They're out of range!"

"But, Leo-"

"They're out of range, Mikey! You won't be able to hit them!"

"Leo, they got Rumi!"

"I know…"

"THEY GOT RUMI, LEO!"

"I KNOW THAT! WE'LL GET HER BACK!"

Michelangelo was spooked by his brother's tone.

Both of them felt bad for raising their voices.

"We'll get her back," Leonardo said calmly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Michelangelo felt nothing but defeat until two thuds came from the left.

Donatello and Raphael arrived and noticed the scratch marks on their brothers' shells.

"Leo, Mikey!" said the former as he inspected their shells to see if there were any severe cracks. Luckily, there weren't. Just minor bruises and cuts that can easily be fixed. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine, Donnie," Leonardo replied.

"Where's Rumi?" Raphael inquired.

Michelangelo closed his eyes. "They took her."

"What? What happened?"

"Fishface and Dogpound, they-"

Before he could utter another word, Michelangelo saw Zoey and Mira rushing towards them before coming to a stop. They saw two injured Turtles, but no Rumi. The makane expressed concern by checking their shells like Donatello, but Mira had one question.

"Where's Rumi? You two said you'd bring her back. Where is she!?"

"Fishface and Dogpound took her," Michelangelo replied, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, guys."

Mira's heart dropped once she heard that. Her voice occluded as she thought about how she could have saved Rumi had she chosen to go with Leonardo and Michelangelo instead of staying behind.

Maybe then, she would have taken down both of Shredder's minions and saved her best friend from harm.

She thought this as she took three steps back, nearly tripping on a broken brick on the floor. Mira caught herself and leaned against a wall behind her, dwelling on the disastrous night.

Tonight was supposed to be the return of Huntrix.

People were worried sick ever since their fiasco at the Idol Awards and Namsan Tower. When Huntrix decided they needed a break, they figured they'd face backlash from fans; however, they felt it was necessary in order to heal from past trauma and grow together as a family. Mira enjoyed being in the company of her friends, feeling like they had grown as sisters throughout their vacation. Rumi, especially because she was so used to building walls around herself. Mira and Rumi have always been close, but the vacation made them closer because the latter broke out of her shell and learned what it was like to embrace everything about her.

Of course, part of her was still trapped in a cage, and Mira wanted nothing more than to help her break free. She and Zoey almost did when they were talking before the concert, but they were interrupted by Bobby.

She didn't blame him, of course, but she wished he'd come a few minutes later so she could have listened to Rumi express how she really felt.

Now, she may never get the chance because Rumi is gone.

Mira clenched her stomach as tears rained down her cheeks like a waterfall.

Rumi… I'm so sorry.

Zoey got up and comforted Mira with a hug, feeling the older woman squeeze her body tightly.

Suddenly, thunder echoed around the city and ran began to pour. Mira and Zoey's costumes were soaked and wet, but they didn't care. Their minds were focused on Rumi as they wondered where she was and if she was going to be okay.

The Turtles stood and stared at the depressed duo as they spoke amongst themselves.

"What's the plan now, fearless leader?" Raphael asked with arms folded. "There's no way we're letting Shredhead get away with what he's got planned."

Mira opened her eyes, clenched her fists, and glared at the four mutants.

"You'd be correct, Raph," Leonardo nodded. "Let's regroup so we can-"

The four Turtles were spooked when they saw a large weapon pointed right in front of them.

Mira stood menacingly as she wrapped both hands around her gok-do, pointing the blade directly at the mutants. Zoey stood behind her friends with eyes wide open, wondering what was going on in Mira's head.

"Mira… what are you doing?" Michelangelo asked.

"Where is she?" Mira said softly. Her voice filled with demand despite the soft tone.

"Mira," Leonardo replied. "We-"

"I said, where is she!?" the pink-haired woman snapped, increasing her ocatve. "You know those two, don't you!? You know what those Demons are, right!? That means you know where they took Rumi!"

"Calm down, lady!" Raphael retorted. "If you'd just let us explain, we'll-"

"Stop stalling and give me an answer!"

"Mira, wait!" Zoey begged with watering eyes.

"Not now!"

"Mira-"

"I SAID NOT NOW, ZOEY!" Mira barked, unaware she scared the maknae. She turned back to the Turtles and made a cold threat. "If you don't tell me where they took Rumi right now, you freaks will meet the same fate as those monsters we fought!"

Freaks.

Monsters.

Those were words the Turtles were used to hearing from other humans, so it didn't shock them to hear a member of Huntrix saying them.

Well, it didn't shock everyone except Michelangelo, whose heart sank like a boat after hitting a rock in the water.

The Turtles knew Mira was beyond reasoning, and they understood why she was made. All of them would react the same if the other got captured; however, they couldn't afford to sit and argue. So, they all shared a glance and came up with a plan.

"I'm not going to ask you again!" Mira snarled. "Last warning!"

Raphael was about to grab his weapons, but Leonardo told him to stand down.

Zoey huffed and puffed; her eyes steering back and forth between human and turtle.

Just like her new friends, she knew why Mira was upset. Mira's always had a short fuse, so it made sense she'd explode like this. But Zoey knew the Turtles were on their side and possibly knew where Rumi was. She really wanted to tell Mira to calm down and listen, but she knew getting in the way would cause more harm.

She hated it when Mira got like this because it made her useless and worthless.

The Turtles stared at Mira for a few seconds before Michelangelo reached for his belt and pulled out a smoke bomb.

"Sorry, Mira."

Throwing it on the ground created a purple cloud of smoke. It covered the whole rooftop and blinded Mira and Zoey's eyes. The two shielded themselves with their white jackets and hacked loudly. The coughing fit lasted a minute before they looked in front and noticed the smoke clearing out.

Within seconds, the smoke was clear, and the Turtles were gone.

Mira loosened her grip on the weapon, felt her veins twitch, and she snarled loudly.

"NO! NO, NO, NO! COME BACK HERE! TELL ME WHERE THEY TOOK RUMI!"

She got down on her knees and punched the ground, creating a large splash. "TELL ME WHERE THEY TOOK HER!"

Tears dropped onto the floor as Mira sobbed and felt her cheeks puff up.

Zoey was too scared to go near her, so she leaned against the wall and slid down to her rear. With her arms wrapped around her knees, Zoey released a low sigh as she watched Mira's drip onto the floor.

Both Hunters stood on the roof, feeling deflated, and wondered what was going to happen to their best friend.

After spending a long time on the rooftop, Zoey and Mira finally returned to Madison Square Garden with their heads hung low. Most of the area had been cleared out thanks to the police, and disappointed fans walked home in the pouring rain.

Neither pop star noticed several fans calling their names, asking what happened to Rumi.

The group believed that happy fans meant a happy Honmoon, meaning they'd interact with fans and bring smiles to their faces.

But after what happened, Mira and Zoey weren't in the mood to talk with anyone. It pained them to neglect their fans, but what could they say after everything that occurred? They'd have a difficult time explaining what happened to Rumi, as the concept of mutants and demons would leave everyone confused.

Mira and Zoey continued wallowing in their own defeat before they heard squeaky wheels from their right. The latter was the first to look up, only to see something as bad as Rumi's capture.

"Oh, my gosh!"

"What?" Mira perked her head to the right, noticing the same thing. "Oh, no… Bobby!?"

Both girls saw their manager on a stretcher being escorted to a hospital car.

They immediately ran to him, spooked by his condition. His shirt had large teeth marks in it, and his shoulder was bloodshot red. There were bandages on it to cover the wound, but Bobby was still in a delusional state. His pupils were still swirly, and he made random sounds no one could understand.

"Bobby? Bobby!?" Zoey cried out with worry.

"Talk to us, Bobby!" Mira said. "Are you okay?"

"Oh… I don't feel so good," Bobby coughed nauseously.

Mira's eyes bolted towards a nurse and asked, "What happened to him?"

"He appears to be under some kind of hallucinogenic trance. We don't know how it happened, but we're taking him to the emergency room to run some tests. His condition doesn't seem to be fatal, but he'll be like this for a while. Is he a friend of yours?"

"He is, yes," Zoey nodded.

"You're more than welcome to ride in the back if you'd like, but we strongly recommend you stand back while we work."

Mira and Zoey watched as the first responders worked together to lift Bobby's stretcher and load him into the truck. Just before they could head inside, they heard a voice from behind.

"Huntrix, hold on!"

Turning around, both women saw a teenage girl with red pony-tailed hair, a yellow T-shirt with the number five, blue jean shorts, and black leggings. She caught her breath after catching up to the duo and panted.

"Hello, sweetie," Mira greeted. "We'd love to sign autographs and take a picture, but now's not a good time."

"I'm not here for that," the girl replied. "My name is April O'Neil. I'm a big fan of your music, but… I wanted to see if you two were okay."

Both idols were touched to hear that.

If there's one thing they loved about their fans, it's how sweet they were.

Zoey smiled warmly as she patted April's shoulder. "We're… in a rough spot, April O'Neil. But we'll be okay."

April looked the maknae in her eyes and nodded.

Zoey leaped into the hospital truck and closed the doors behind her. With the sirens wailing, the truck drove off and sped down the road. April watched as it left the scene, disappearing into the busy streets of New York City.

With a low sigh, she reached for her T-Phone again and made another call.

To her surprise, the rain stopped.

Thanks to their escape plan, the Turtles fled the scene and traversed through the rooftops.

It didn't take long for them to find a quiet spot near a Huntrix billboard.

They split up to catch their breath and reflect on what happened tonight.

Leonardo shared the same thoughts as Donatello and Raphael. The three of them expected a night of relaxation after months of busting their shells, and the last thing they expected was to find out K-pop idols lived double lives as Demon Hunters that were ambushed by the Foot Clan, who were more powerful than they had ever been before.

Leonardo and Donatello wondered how their enemies got so strong, while Raphael reflected on how Huntrix treated him and his brothers. Earlier on stage, it seemed like things were cool between them despite a rough first impression. The Turtles were always told they could never be friends with humans, with the O'Neil family being an exception. Michelangelo attempted to befriend a human once, only to find out he was a student of The Shredder; the man's name was Chris Bradford, who'd eventually become Dogpound. Raphael was fine with not being friends with humans, but because of what he told Leonardo before the show, he thought it was cool to befriend the celebrities he secretly admired.

Now, they called him the same things everyone else declared them to be.

Freaks.

Monsters.

Raphael folded his arms and clenched both of his fists; he was angry at Mira for having a sudden change in trust like that.

As for Michelangelo, he was the most stunned.

Much like his brothers, he never suspected Huntrix of being experts in combat, nor did he think they had a purpose other than entertaining people as singers. He always admired them for having a strong family bond, so the concept of them being Demon Hunters, while weird at first, was exciting because it gave him something else to resonate with.

He and his brothers go out at night and fight crime, and so does Huntrix.

He and his brothers are a found family with Splinter, and so is Huntrix.

He and his brothers work well as a team, and so does Huntrix.

It was an amazing feeling working with them to fight Foot Demons, thinking it would lead to an epic team-up where they confront Shredder and whoever's responsible for giving The Foot Clan their new powers.

Unfortunately, his dream was crushed once Rumi got captured by Fishface and Dogpound.

The moment Rumi fell off the roof, only to get caught by Fishface, haunted him like a ghost.

Had he acted faster, he possibly could have saved Rumi and prevented Mira from getting so angry.

It disgusted him to whip out that smoke bomb and flee from his idols, who were just worried about their friend. He didn't blame Mira for getting angry, but he shared Raphael's sentiment; he didn't appreciate being called insulted.

On one hand, he understood, but it still hurt to hear.

With a low sigh, Michelangelo mentally replayed Mira's warnings before he sat down against a wall.

The Turtles stood face away from each other in pure silence.

Until someone finally broke it.

"Okay…" Raphael said as he paced around in a circle. "Anybody want to talk about what just went down?"

"Words can't describe it," Donatello said, turning to face his shaken siblings. "I mean… the Foot Clan is back. Mira, Rumi, and Zoey are secret Demon Hunters. Shredder's possibly working with a new threat, and Rumi just got captured by Fishface and Dogpound. Even I'm having trouble piecing it all together."

"Shredder obviously needs Rumi for something," Leonardo nodded. "The problem is we don't know what it is, or why she's needed."

"Hey, Mikey," Raphael said, approaching his brother so he could comfort him. "You're a pretty big Huntrix fan, right? Surely, you had to have known something about this."

Michelangelo sniffed and shrugged. "I… I wish I did, Raph. But I'm just as confused as you guys are. Maybe we should go back and talk to Mira and Zoey. They could explain what's going on, and-"

"We can't, Mikey," Raphael replied. "Believe me, it'd be the smartest thing to do, but you saw the way Mira pointed that thing at us. She was angry."

Michelangelo slowly nodded in agreement as Raphael patted his shoulder.

"What do we do now, Leo?" Donatello asked. before turning to his leader. "Should we go home to Master Splinter or-"

"No way," Leonardo replied. "We need to-"

Before he could give an order, his T-Phone rang, and he immediately answered. "Hey, April."

"Leo! Are you guys okay? What happened in there?"

"It's a lot to explain right now, but Huntrix was attacked by the Foot Clan."

"That, I figured. But… why did they look so different?"

"They're Demons according to Huntrix themselves."

"Wait, how would they know about this? Did they see you guys?"

"They did. We worked together against the Foot before Rumi got captured by Fishface and Dogpound. We're about to discuss a plan."

"Fishface and Dogpound were there, too? That means they were sent by Shredder. What could he want with a famous pop star?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. From the looks of it, we're going to be working a long night again."

"I… figured that as much. I'm sorry, guys."

"What are you sorry for?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow.

"I brought you guys here to relax and have a good time. I didn't think you'd have to fight again."

"April, we've been training to fight since we were kids, and we've only been fighting crime for a while. We're kinda used to it by now. I'm sure we'll get a proper break soon. Right now, we've got more work to do. I'll call you back once we can."

"All right then. Promise me you'll come back safe."

"We will, April. See you soon."

"Good night, Leo."

"Good night."

Leonardo placed the phone back in his belt before discussing a plan. "Okay, guys. Listen up. Without a doubt, Fishface and Dogpound took Rumi back to Shredder's lair. So we're gonna sneak in and break her out. Those Foot Demons were nothing to Huntrix and their weapons. We've managed to stop them, but we struggled with our normal weapons in the first half. We should avoid any contact until we find out more about them."

"I'm not one to run from a fight, but I second that plan," Raphael nodded in agreement.

"Same here," Michelangelo said.

"I'm in agreement too, but Leo…" Donatello said. "We've never snuck inside Shredder's lair before. We've seen it, but… we've never been inside. How do we get in without detection?"

"We'll figure that out once we get there, but the plan's simple," Leonardo replied. "We get in, rescue Rumi, and get out. Stealth only. I know it's going to be a challenge, but I'm confident we can push through." His face changed to a motivating smile. "We've survived tonight and worse things prior, so I'm confident we'll succeed. Once we rescue Rumi, we're getting to the bottom of this whole Demon thing."

An inspirational speech filled his brothers with hope as they banded together for a fist-bump.

"Let's do this, guys," Leonardo smiled, feeling the positive energy fill the rooftop. "Booyakasha on three. One…"

Raphael smirked.

"Two…"

Donatello nodded.

"Three…"

Michelangelo had the biggest smile.

"BOOYAKASHA!"

The Turtles shouted with determination as they leaped over to the next rooftop and roamed across more.

They made their way to enemy territory with nothing but one goal.

Rescue Rumi.

But as confident as they seemed, they had no idea what kind of trouble awaited them.

Chapter Text

How do you have patterns?

"These were supposed to be gone! You were never supposed to see!"

You were hiding this from us… this whole time?

"N-no! I have a plan to erase them! Jinu was supposed to-"

Jinu? You're working with him?

"No. No! No! I was using him to fix all this! To fix me! So we could all do our duty! We could all be strong. Be together."

How could we be together if we can't tell your lies from your truths, Rumi?

I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true.

"Mira, no! Didn't you see? See the gold? We're so close! No! Don't leave! Don't leave! I can still FIX IT!"

Rumi shot awake after replaying that moment yet again.

Voices of Mira and Zoey echoed loudly, but they finally silenced once she was awake.

With her heart pounding and chest aching, Rumi looked at her patterns, fearing they went back to their original color.

Rolling up her black sleeves, she noticed they were still the same.

Normally, she'd sigh with relief, but she was still freaked out over what happened that night.

To her, it was a night that she betrayed her friends, even though they claimed it was their fault. Sure, they pointed their weapons at her, but they weren't the ones with the power to destroy the Honmoon. Rumi was afraid to close her eyes as she knew her mind would return to that painful memory. She was thankful it didn't get to the part where both of her friends did exactly what they apologized for every day; they pointed their weapons at her.

Clenching her shoulders, the half-demon panted before she noticed a strange change in her environment.

A dark room made of concrete with nothing but a small light on the ceiling.

All concealed behind a set of black bars.

She tried lifting her body off the ground, which felt like a chore because her arms were sluggish, and her legs were asleep.

Still, the Hunter persevered and got up.

Looking around the environment, she wondered where she was before she locked eyes with one of her captors, causing her to flinch.

"BOO!"

It was Dogpound.

Rumi fell on her rear as he laughed loudly.

"For a Demon Hunter, you scare easily."

Gritting her teeth, the hybrid clenched her fists.

"What's the matter, freak?" Dogpound teased. "Not gonna sing a song?"

"Oh," Rumi snarled coldly. "I've got a song for you all right."

Before a throwdown could begin, the two were stopped by a loud voice.

"Enough!"

It was feminine and sounded familiar.

Dogpound turned around and watched Karai, Fishface, some Foot Demons.

Fishface playfully smirked at the prisoner as the kunoichi scolded her father's student.

"We're supposed to bring her to Gwi-Ma unscathed, Bradford. If you wish to start a fight with her, then I suppose you wouldn't mind taking that up with my father."

"You're lucky that you're his second in command," Dogpound clenched his fists. "If I had it my way-"

"Well, you don't. So you listen to me."

The canine grunted before nodding. "Whatever you say."

Karai turned to her captive with both hands behind her back. "Welcome, Rumi. The Foot Clan has heard many things about you. My father and his partner look forward to meeting you."

"Father? Gwi-Ma?" Rumi whispered to herself before she shouted. "Who are you people!? What is going on!? How are you working with Gwi-Ma!?"

"Karai," said an ominous voice from behind. "Allow me to take it from here."

Everyone moved aside so Rumi could see the one responsible for the attack at the concert. A large, muscular man with chrome armor and a purple cape flowing behind his back. He wore a helmet, the same color as his armor, and had bare sleeves exposing something she never imagined seeing again.

Patterns?

Yes, dark purple patterns.

And even though his face was mostly covered, Rumi noticed red eyes underneath.

"W-what? How is this possible? How do you have patterns? Are you a prisoner? Is Gwi-Ma making you do this? I could help you break free from his control. I freed the soul of someone I knew, so I can do the same with-"

The man laughed, finding it humorous that she would offer him salvation. "I am no one's prisoner. My name is Oroku Saki, but you can call me… The Shredder."

Shredder? So, this is the guy those turtles were talking about.

"I did not make a deal with Gwi-Ma; he made a deal with me."

"Impossible!" Rumi retorted, standing up straight. "The Honmoon has sealed him away for months. There's no way he would be able to contact you!"

"Correct, which is why I had to do the work for him."

"How?"

"I'd love to share, but I'm afraid that would take too long. He's a very impatient being, and I promised him that the delivery will be swift," Shredder turned to his cohorts. "Xever, Bradford. Tell Baxter Stockman to open the portal. Once you're done, come back here and bring the girl."

"Father," Karai spoke. "Shall I stay here and watch our prisoner?"

"No. If she is smart, she won't dare to escape. There's a hidden field that prevents her from reaching out to the Honmoon, meaning her precious saingeom will not save her here." He turned to his army. "Come, my Foot Demons. Let's start mailing our delivery."

With a lot of questions roaming around Rumi's head, there was one she felt was the most important.

"Where are my friends?"

Shredder stopped.

"Are they here too? What have you done with them!?"

The cold-blooded Demon relaxed his shoulders, turned around, and said, "Your pathetic friends will meet their end soon enough. Their demise… will be on your hands."

Yet another cryptic statement left Rumi in anger. She attempted to conjure her signature weapon, only to find out it wasn't there. A strange purple field came from the ceiling and caused her weapon to evaporate.

After summoning it two more times, she was met with the same result.

How this was possible, she didn't know, but she was determined to get out and get some answers.

Slamming her fists against the bars, Rumi shouted at the villains as they walked away. "Get back here! Tell me what you've done with my friends! Mira and Zoey! If you hurt them, you're going to regret it! GET BACK HERE! TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"

While Rumi attempted to fight for her freedom, she remained unaware that four rescuers were coming to her aid.

The Ninja Turtles were in an alleyway, peeking around the corner.

Right in front of them was a large, abandoned church with murky yellow windows and blue stained glass on the top of the triangular roof surrounding a broken clock.

For everyone else, it was just a useless building waiting to be torn down. But for their secret heroes, this was the hideout of their arch nemesis.

They've seen it a couple of times on their patrols, but never sneaked inside. They were close to doing so, but April volunteered to gather information on a plan regarding Dogpound, the Purple Dragons, and chemicals that would damage the sewers.

Seeing it now felt scary to them, but they knew that if fear stopped them from rescuing Rumi, they would not only disgrace their names, but Huntrix as well.

With their eyes completely white, the ninjas stepped out of the shadows, where their pupils returned.

"So, how are we getting in, fearless leader?" Raphael asked as he folded both arms and leaned against a brick wall. "I don't think we can casually stroll in and be like, hey. Not cool of you guys to kidnap a pop star. Mind if we have her back, please?"

"Like I said before, we're strictly using stealth," Leonardo replied. "We just need to find a way in."

"The last time April was here, she snuck in through that broken clock on the top," Donatello pointed out.

"Yeah, but that leads to Shredder's throne room. If anyone's in there, they'll see us."

"Maybe we can check the back," Raphael suggested.

"Already looked. There's no door," Donatello replied.

"Really?" shrugged his red brother. "I'd hate to see what happens when a fire starts."

"Guys, focus," Leonardo scolded his team. "How do we get in?"

"Well, it seems like Donnie, and I are the only ones coming up with ideas. You're just complaining like usual."

"Raph, don't even sta-"

"Will this work?" spoke Michelangelo as he held up a manhole cover and pointed at the sewers below his feet.

His brothers glanced at Shredder's lair, then at each other.

"It would, yes," the leader smiled.

"Not bad, Mikey," said the hothead.

"Hehe," the jokester chuckled. "Naneun ttogttoghabnida."

The three Turtles raised their eyebrows.

"It means I'm smart in Korean," their little brother said as he leaped down and into the sewers.

"It's funny," Donatello said as he and the others approached their manhole cover. "Half the time, he can barely make use of the English lexicon, yet he speaks flawless Korean."

The Turtles followed and sealed the entrance.

Navigating the sewers was second nature, considering the Turtles spent most of their lives in them.

Michelangelo has always said, You're either born into the sewer life, or you're not.

In other words, the Turtles managed to get into Shredder's lair through a series of underground tunnels. To their surprise, nothing was guarded.

They proceeded with caution, nonetheless.

Eventually, they came across a ladder, and Donatello volunteered to scope the area.

After climbing to the top, he opened a manhole cover and shone a flashlight on the walls, checking for any cameras or enemies that were keeping watch.

Shockingly, none were present.

Still, it didn't stop him from checking at least four other times, analyzing the environment with a careful eye.

His brother stood and waited before the leader whispered, "Donnie, is the coast clear?"

Donatello looked one last time before he turned off the flashlight and nodded. "All good. Come on up."

The Turtles waltzed up the ladder and climbed to the surface. They saw they were in a dark area made of concrete and brick. The only sources of light came from the moon shining through the windows. Looking around, they noticed multiple jail cells surrounding them.

Donatello pulled out his T-Phone and uploaded a picture. "Listen, guys. While we were in the sewers, I downloaded a topographical map of the hideout."

"How did you do that?" Leonardo asked.

"You see, I hacked into-"

"Dude, Rumi's in trouble," Michelangelo said. "Tell us later."

"Or don't," Raphael added.

Rolling his eyes, Donatello grunted before saying, "As I was saying, I found a map of the building and programmed my T-Phone to trace our signal. According to the map, Shredder's lair is split into different sections. We are inside one of the dungeon rooms, which is on the third floor. Beneath us is an underground area. The first floor is a series of tombs, and the top floor is the throne room."

"You said one of the dungeon rooms, Donnie?" Raphael raised an eyebrow.

"Correct. There are two of them. Rumi's either in here or in the other one."

"Then, let's look around," Leonardo said. "Don't shout, okay?"

The Turtles nodded at their leader before they dispersed and quietly called out the popstar's name. Checking each cell one by one, they shone bright lights from their phones and searched for their captured friend.

Sadly, most of the cells were empty. Raphael and Donatello were annoyed, Leonardo grew concerned, and Michelangelo was the most worried.

It's no secret that he's the biggest Huntrix fan, so to see his favorite idol get dragged away by his enemies left him devastated. He knew he and his brothers would be the ones to save her, but the moment she got captured still haunted him.

Michelangelo kept investigating before he felt a hand touch his shoulder. At first, he thought it was a surprise attack, only to find out it was Leonardo who gave him a reassuring smile. He noticed his brother was lost in thought and silently told him that they were going to find Rumi.

The orange turtle smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

The Turtles kept searching before they met back in the hub.

"I hate to be Captain Obvious, but she's not here," Raphael grunted. "Donnie, how far is the other dungeon?"

"Pretty close," the genius replied as he zoomed out on the photo, calculating the distance between them and where they needed to go. "We need to go forward, make a few rights, then a left."

"Let's move then," Leonardo replied as he and his brothers headed for the exit.

"Gaja, Gaja, Gaja," Michelangelo whispered as he and his brothers continued their search. They wondered what he just said.

Rumi's patience wore thin by the second. She leaned against the bars with both arms wrapped around. She tapped them with her purple nails. A grumpy expression took up her face as she kept glaring around the room, hoping to miraculously find a way out.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could've used to escape.

The room was bare and contained multiple jail cells like her's.

Rumi felt like a damsel in distress, and she hated that. To her knowledge, there's never been a story about a hunter being captured by the enemy and remaining their prisoner. For as much as she hated to be the first, she couldn't care less about the opinions of her predecessors.

All she wanted was to get out and reunite with her friends.

Come on, Rumi. I know you don't like to think about her, but Celine possibly trained you for this, didn't she?

The closest thing she said was that if a Demon catches your soul, you're done. Unless you make a deal with Gwi-Ma, which in that case, you become his prisoner. Is that what he wants to do with me? If so, what could I offer him that he doesn't have already?

The thought of working with Gwi-Ma shivers down Rumi's spine.

I don't even wanna think about it. I just wanna get the heck out of here.

I wonder if Mira and Zoey are planning to rescue me with those turtles. Actually, I wonder if they're here. If so, how am I supposed to be the cause of their Mira and Zoey's demise? What the heck is that supposed to mean? I would never hurt my friends. They mean the world to me.

Well, there was the Idol Awards, where I-no, stop that!

Rumi shook her head and made two fists.

Now is not the time to think about what happened back then. Mira and Zoey wouldn't want you sitting here wallowing in self-pity. If they're here, they would want you to escape and find them. So, don't let them down. Find a way out!

Rumi sighed and leaned her head back.

Easier said than done. There's nothing here.

I can't use the Honmoon because there's some kind of machine hindering its power. When I get out, I'll need to destroy it, but how?

As Rumi went to lean back against the cell doors, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Looking down at her, right, she saw a large lock hanging off one of the bars.

A lock? It doesn't look digital, it's old-fashioned. Perfect! I just need something that'll help me pick it.

At first, Rumi looked at her long nails.

No, I don't want to break them.

Then, she looked at her gold, black, and white costume, trying to see if there was anything she could rip off that would be sharp enough to pick the lock. After careful analysis, Rumi grunted because she couldn't find anything.

Come on. There's gotta be something.

Rumi looked at her whole costume once again before she found something that could be useful. The golden keychain on her zipper.

This might work.

Ripping it off, Rumi held one of the sharp ends into the lock and jiggled it left and right. With one eye squinting and her tongue sticking out, the lead vocalist moved the zipper to see if she could crack the lock open.

Come on…

Come on…

Rumi continued doing this until she heard a click.

Yes!

The lock fell into her hand, and she pushed the cell door open.

Rumi stepped outside and stretched, relieved she was no longer confined within a tight cell.

Just before she could celebrate, she decided to get rid of the machine hindering her magic powers. Searching in all directions, she recalled being told it was hidden, so she searched around the room.

Just before she could check other cells, she heard a strange humming coming from the ceiling.

Looking up, she saw a small device illuminating magenta lines similar to the ones on the Honmoon. Rumi clenched her fists, leaped up, and yanked it off, getting rid of the magenta lines.

As a test, she summoned her saingeom, and it formed completely.

"Yes!" Rumi shouted, but quickly silenced herself, thinking she may have attracted attention. "Oops. Maybe not so loud."

She looked at the device, which was a silver plate with a strange logo; a black circle surrounded by a purple outline and six hexagons placed in a circular fashion.

"I'm not a science girl, but this looks like an advanced piece of tech. How is it strong enough to hinder the Honmoon? And that logo… I feel like I've seen it before."

Rumi thought about that briefly before she tossed the plate on the ground and gripped her weapon. "I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to find my friends. Mira, Zoey. If you guys are here… I'm coming."

She snuck towards the entrance of the dungeon, peeked her head outside, and wandered out.

Despite not knowing the layout of the building, the motivation to find her friends was all she had, and there was no stopping it.

Opening another sliding door, Leonardo looked out into a hallway to see if the coast was clear.

There was plenty of furniture, like desks, tables, and Japanese weaponry covering the walls, but there were no people in sight.

"Let's go," he whispered.

He allowed his brothers to walk by before he closed the door behind them and guided them to the left. Donatello held his phone, showing everyone where they were and how far their destination was.

Thankfully, they were closer than before.

As they walked down the hall, each of them looked at the walls, amazed by the weaponry present. They knew Shredder was a collector of Japanese relics, but every wall was covered from top to bottom with weapons and artifacts. They didn't think he was that much of a collector.

The Turtles kept walking as Michelangelo found himself distracted by several blades and weapons on the walls. He knew he tried to touch one of them if he kept staring, so he purposefully thought of something else. At first, he tried to think about pizza, but his mind drifted off, and he thought about the one person he wanted to save.

Rumi.

Still reeling from tonight's events, Michelangelo was shocked to hear that Rumi could potentially be part-demon, which didn't make sense to him because she fought against her own kind and stood with Huntrix.

It was like a vampire that kills other vampires. Completely ironic.

The youngest ninja scratched his head and stroked his chin, thinking about the conversation he had with Fishface and Dogpound on the rooftop before Rumi got captured.

They said someone called Gwi-Ma awaited Rumi's arrival, and she'd help commence the Demon Hour. Whatever that was.

Fishface and Dogpound's exact words clouded the turtle's mind, making him curious.

"Your favorite idol isn't who she makes herself out to be," he heard Dogpound say. "She's a Hunter that kills her own kind. She disobeyed her master."

"If we were to tell you, it'd ruin the surprise," Fishface's laugh echoed in his mind. "But let's just say… the Demon Hour shall soon commence."

Michelangelo was now more worried about Rumi's safety.

He kept thinking about what the Foot Clan was going to do with her, and it spooked him. Shaking his head, he tried to keep positive, but it was hard because he kept thinking about the moment Rumi got captured and Mira got angry.

To break this, he needed to talk to someone.

"Hey, Leo," he spoke softly, tapping his fingers together. "I've been thinking."

"About?"

"What Fishface and Dogpound said before about Rumi being half-demon. You don't really think she's one of those things, do you?"

"If she were, she wouldn't have resisted their capture. Actually, Huntrix wouldn't be a thing if she succumbed to the dark side. It's clear she's mostly human, but I don't know where the demon half comes from."

"What if it's like those comics where the guy gets angry and turns into a big monster? What if that happens to Rumi? What if the Foot Clan does something awful, she'll get really upset and turn into a full Demon like those Foot Soldiers. I don't know Rumi personally, but I've seen a lot of videos about her. She and her friends are the sweetest people I've ever seen. I can't imagine seeing Rumi going berserk."

"Same here, little bro. But we shouldn't assume the worst. Right now, let's live in the moment and focus on the mission."

"I wanted to ask," Donatello whispered, joining the conversation. "You said Rumi has patterns, right?"

"Yeah," Michelangelo nodded. "Supposedly, they look exactly like the ones on the Foot Demons. I noticed them glowing as Leo and I were fighting with her, but the Foot Demons have purple patterns, and she has blue."

"Perhaps a side effect of being a hybrid," Donatello stroked his chin. "Leo's right, she's definitely on our side. From the looks of it, Mira and Zoey seem to know because they worked so hard to protect her."

"I still feel bad we had to leave them behind. Are you guys sure we couldn't have gone back and gotten them?"

"Believe me, we would've liked to. But Mira was too hostile; she wouldn't listen to reason. If we tried to talk to her, she would've attacked us."

"She also called us freaks, so she's proven to be no different than other humans," Raphael said. "Her and Zoey can look for Rumi on their own. We'll reunite the band, and once that happens, we're done."

"Hold on, Raph," Leonardo said. "We still need to get some answers. I know you're mad at Mira, but honestly, we can't blame her. Am I upset she called us freaks? Of course I am. But she wasn't her best self at the moment. She was upset that her best friend got captured. Rumi obviously means the world to her and Zoey. I'm sure once we find Rumi, we'll talk everything out."

Raphael was about to retort before he paused and thought about that. He hated to admit it, but his leader was right.

Donatello pulled out his T-Phone again and found they were getting close to the second dungeon.

"Almost there," he said. "Just a few more-"

A door suddenly opened, and footsteps echoed.

The Turtles stopped in their tracks and gasped.

"Sumda!" Michelangelo whispered.

"What!?" Raphael asked.

"It means hide!"

"Why didn't you just say that!?"

"Guys, shut up and make yourselves scarce!" Donatello huffed.

The four brothers split up and hid in different parts of the room.

Donatello climbed up on a ledge and hid behind a dark curtain.

Raphael and Michelangelo leaped over a table.

Leonardo opened the closet door and left it cracked so he could see who was coming.

The footsteps got louder as the leader whitened his eyes, preparing to draw a kunai from his belt.

At first, he thought it was a Foot Soldier or a Demon patrolling the area for intruders, meaning he could attack them with ease.

But as the figure drew closer, he held back because of who they really were.

It was Karai, who was on her way to pick up Rumi for Shredder and Gwi-Ma.

She roamed down the hallway before she came to a stop, feeling an odd sense that someone was watching her. Leonardo gripped his weapon and covered his mouth, knowing that the slightest breath would draw attention.

His brothers did the same thing, sitting still like stones.

Karai scoped the area with darting eyes, thinking she may have gone crazy. But something in her believed someone was there.

Before she could investigate, a signal through her communicator came in.

"Karai, have you retrieved the girl yet?"

The Turtles recognized that voice as Splinter's greatest enemy.

Karai pulled out her communicator. "I'm on my way now, Father. Rumi will be delivered to you shortly."

"Then do not waste any more time."

"Before I get her, I…" she hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I need to get this off my chest. I don't feel comfortable working with these Demons. They succeeded in their mission, but I have a feeling there's more to Gwi-Ma that meets the eye. I'm not sure if we should trust him."

"A little late to turn back now, daughter."

"What if it's not? The pop star mentioned that the barrier is still intact, meaning the Demons cannot get through without our help. If we shut down the portal, we can stop them from coming here. That way, we can focus on destroying our enemies through our own means."

"Karai-"

"I know it sounds like I am whining, Father, and rest assured, I don't want it to sound that way. I just want to make sure we are doing the right thing. Right now, working with this Demon King doesn't seem like the smartest decision. He's given you power, yes. But I feel that that's going to come at a deadly cost. I don't want you to make any daring mistakes."

"A daring mistake would be not bringing Rumi here this instant. You have your orders, Karai. Now follow them."

"But, Father-"

"Do not argue with me, Karai. We've discussed this plenty of times, and I grow tired of it."

As much as she wanted to stick to her morals, Karai knew it would only make things worse. She huffed and respond with, "As you wish, Father."

After putting her communicator back in her pocket, the sixteen-year-old flexed her shoulders before she walked away.

Once she was gone, the four intruders came out of hiding and regrouped.

"Did she just say Shredder has powers?" Michelangelo gulped. "Normal Shredder is bad enough, but Demon Shredder sounds way worse."

"Let's follow her," Raphael said. "She's probably on her way to Rumi."

"She'll know we're behind," Donatello said as he approached a sliding door and opened it. "The map says this leads to a shortcut. We can cut her off and rescue Rumi."

"Then let's… Leo?"

The blue leader was lost in thought; he stared in the direction Karai was heading. The other Turtles shared a worrisome glance, knowing exactly what was on his mind.

"You're not thinking about her, are you, Leo?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo sighed. "I… I am, Raph."

"Well, put it aside. We gotta focus on saving Rumi, remember?"

"You three can do that. I'm going to-"

"No way," Raphael grunted. He stomped towards his leader and pointed a finger in his face. "You've been saying we're doing this together since we walked in here."

"I know, but…" Leonardo looked over his shoulder, making sure no one was listening. "I…"

There was a moment of silence before the leader sighed. "Do you guys remember what Master Splinter told us about her?"

"That she's actually his daughter, right?" Donatello replied. "Miwa."

"Yeah…" Michelangelo said. "I still can't believe that. Shredder kidnapped her as a baby and raised her to be his daughter. That's messed up." He soon chuckled. "Do you wanna know what's also messed up? You having a crush on-"

"Don't you even dare," the leader snarled before he gagged at the mouth. "I'm… still trying to recover from that."

All of the Turtles shivered.

"Ever since we found out about that, I made a promise to Sensei that we'd rescue her from Shredder," Leonardo added. "Yeah, Karai's shown her loyalty to Shredder, but if I can talk to her, maybe I can get her to change sides. I just need to tell her the truth."

"Leo, I know saving Karai for Splinter means a lot to you, and we intend to help with that. But…" Raphael said. "You gotta ask yourself… what's more important right now? Reasoning with someone who's harmed our family, or saving someone who was kidnapped for an evil scheme?"

Donatello and Michelangelo were taken aback by Raphael's words of wisdom as they turned towards Leonardo, who felt the same way and looked in Karai's direction.

Part of him thought he could do both, and he really wanted to try that plan; however, he thought about the times Karai tried to turn over a new leaf only for her to lie to his face.

So, the decision was easy.

"Donnie," he said. "You said this is a shortcut?"

"Yes."

"Then lead the way."

Even though he didn't show it on the outside, Raphael was internally proud of Leonardo for making the right decision. He patted him on the shoulder as he and the others walked through the door and closed it behind them.

Rumi had no idea where she was.

Every hallway looked the same as the other one, but she walked around with both palms around the handle of her weapon.

Since Mira and Zoey weren't locked up with her, she assumed they were either in another dungeon or somewhere else. Despite not knowing where to go, she kept her perseverance and pushed forward. Every now and then, she'd come across a door and open it. For the most part, they were just closets filled with supplies and the Foot Clan's logo.

Rumi couldn't help but feel familiar with the symbol, but it wasn't important to her right now.

After checking another door, she huffed and wondered if this whole area was just infested with closets or if there was a room hidden somewhere.

Just before she could keep looking, she suddenly heard voices from afar.

"Baxter Stockman."

"Y-yes, Master Shredder?"

"Have you finished opening the portal?"

"Not yet. I'm typing in the coordinates right now. It should be up and running in two minutes."

"Hurry up then! If there's one thing Gwi-Ma and I share in common, we hate to be kept waiting."

Rumi stored her weapon away and crouched down.

Hugging the wall with her back, she walked through the hallway before looking around a corner, noticing a bright purple glow coming from a doorway.

With eyes wide open, she slowly approached.

Karai waltzed into the dungeon room to fulfill her father's request, only to be met with a disturbing sight.

The cell's lock was on the floor, and the door was wide open.

She stopped in her path and glared at the door, wondering how a powerless Hunter was able to escape.

But once she saw the lock on the floor, she knew what happened. Part of her had respect for Rumi's intuition; she wasn't as weak as she thought, but she was annoyed that she escaped.

It was even worse when she remembered two people were supposed to be watching her.

Speaking of which, Fishface came in humming How It's Done to himself. He entered the room with a vinyl record of Huntrix's Golden single.

Lost in his own beat, he opened his eyes and saw a kunoichi's glare.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Fishface grunted, noticing what the problem was. His eyes widened and he gulped. "Oh…"

"You and Bradford were supposed to be watching the Hunter, so explain to me why you weren't here!"

"Hey, I contacted Bradford and told him to meet me here, so part of this is his fault too. Also, the reason I didn't show up first was because I… well…" Fishface smiled nervously as he held up his record.

Karai was at a loss for words.

"Hey," Fishface shrugged. "I know we were hired to capture Rumi, but it does not change the fact that I am a fan of her music."

Dogpound stomped into the room and asked, "What's going on in here?"

"Your partner allowed our prisoner to escape," Karai snarled.

"You idiot!" the Akita said with the same emotion. "You told me you were going to get here first!"

"Hey, listen… A fan like me has his priorities," Fishface said.

"We cannot tell my father about this," Karai grunted with folded arms. "Search the lair and have the Foot on look-out."

Fishface and Dogpound bowed before they walked out. Karai gently facepalmed before she cracked her knuckles and followed behind.

Rumi cracked open the door, noticing the light she saw earlier glowing brighter.

Its purple hue shone across the room as she crawled behind a set of crates.

Peeking her head around the corner, she saw a large room filled with desks and lab equipment ranging from beakers of chemicals, basic hand tools, microscopes, and more. Rumi almost felt like she walked onto the set of a sci-fi movie and tried to walk forward, only to leap back because somebody was coming.

It was an African-American man with black circular glasses, a purple sweater, and blue pants.

In his hand was a laptop that connected to a large console right in front of him. With the crack of his fingers, he typed away on the computer and watched as the machine shine a brightly.

Rumi was about to summon her weapon and interrogate the man, but she was spooked by an ominous voice.

"Baxter Stockman."

"Master Shredder."

Rumi carefully hid behind another group of boxes as she watched the chrome-armed leader walk towards the scientist.

"Is the portal operational now?"

"It's about to be in a few seconds," Baxter replied. "It takes a while for the coordinates to set because this world is far removed from ours. I'm still amazed you were able to find it."

"I've spent a lot of time researching Gwi-Ma and his Demons. It hindered the Foot Clan's progress in destroying my enemies, but it was worth it in the end."

"I'm surprised the Kraang are allowing you to use this tech to access the Demon Realm and talk to Gwi-Ma. I'm wondering what he would think of them."

The Kraang? Rumi raised an eyebrow.

"They will not be involved in this mission. In fact, they are no longer associated with the Foot Clan."

Rumi sat and listened to the whole conversation, wondering what both were talking about.

Baxter raised an eyebrow and turned around to face his master. "Then… how did you come across this technology?"

"I sent my Foot Soldiers to steal from TCRI. It was done discreetly, so the aliens don't suspect a thing. Knowing them, they'll assume it was the Turtles… who are still mine to destroy."

Is he talking about those guys from the concert? Rumi thought to herself. Sounds like Shredder has a grudge against them.

TCRI sounds familiar. I think Zoey was watching something about them on the news once. Actually, the logo on that device I destroyed is the same logo TCRI uses.

I wonder what their connection to this guy is.

"So, you stole from the aliens, and they have no idea?" the scientist asked with his head scratched.

Aliens?

"Is there a problem?" sneered Shredder.

"N-no! No problem at all. I'm just surprised you broke your alliance with them so easily. Last I heard, both groups were working together."

"the Kraang and the Foot Clan attempted to keep their alliance together. The aliens were responsible for luring Hamato Yoshi to my domain. However, both of our plans failed. Shortly after the Kraang's invasion, I heard Gwi-Ma's voice. It's a voice I've been hearing for years. He kept calling to me, and I kept running. After the invasion, I decided it was time to stop running from destiny."

Rumi's eyes enlarged with shock.

Hamato Yoshi!? I haven't heard that name in years. How is he involved in this?

"That was when I began my research," Shredder continued. "I wanted to make sure this was real and not just a myth. According to Korean legends, Demons would arrive from a different world and steal the souls of innocent lives. Their souls would transfer to Gwi-Ma, giving him the strength he needed to become more powerful. Had he consumed enough souls, he would've crossed into our world and destroyed everything. However, he was hindered by a series of Hunters, who use their songs to create a barrier known as the Honmoon. It's been protected by hunters for generations, and Huntrix is the current one."

He really has done research.

"I must thank Ivan Steranko for providing me the information I requested."

Sounds like Shredder has a lot of connections. But… how did he get this information? Did he read about it in legends? Books? Scrolls? What is going on?

"I remember you told me about all of this, yes," Baxter nodded as he typed on the computer. "I'll admit, the concept of singing hunters, and soul-sucking Demons is absurd to me, but after seeing them in the flesh and reading those legends, I couldn't help but change my mind. The portal is almost complete. It should be ready in a few seconds."

Rumi kept herself shrouded in darkness, soaking in that entire conversation.

She didn't understand much of it, but she got the gist. Shredder made a deal with Gwi-Ma and accessed the Demon Realm using advanced technology, but she still wanted to know how it was able to bypass the Honmoon's magic.

"Portal's open, Master Shredder."

"Good work, Stockman."

Just before Shredder could enter, he snapped his fingers, and three normal Foot Soldiers arrived. Rumi saw what they actually looked like, relieved to see actual humans underneath those demonic personas. The Foot Soldiers drew their daggers and pointed them at Baxter, who slowly raised his hands.

"What's this for?"

"I haven't forgotten your betrayal, Stockman. You asked me if you could lure the Turtles into a trap, and I allowed it. However, you attempted to kill my associates as well. If you pull a stunt, these Foot Soldiers will kill you faster than you can blink."

Baxter nodded, swearing his renewed allegiance.

Shredder was just about to step inside when suddenly, a hand came out, followed by a shadowy figure. Shredder stood back as he saw that the figure wasn't alone; three others just like it stepped through.

Rumi squinted her eyes before a gasp escaped from her mouth, which she quickly covered.

The quartet had clean, humanoid faces with matching uniforms: gats and tattered black hanboks comprising long jeonbok vests, long jeogori tops, baji trousers, sejodae sashes tied around their waists, and hye shoes.

Their faces were covered with patterns, but compared to most Demons, they were mostly clean cut, almost human-like. Their hairstyles varied and had bold, exaggerated colors.

All four of them struck different poses.

One of them flexed his abdominal muscles, another one checked himself in the mirror, the third stood with his hands in his pockets, and the fourth one sucked on a pacifier.

Rumi felt her heart pounding so hard, she thought it was going to rip itself from her chest.

"Who are you four?" Shredder asked.

"Wow," chuckled a Demon with Persian pink hair. "A shame. Guess the human world really has forgotten about us."

"I knew they would," said the muscular Demon with raspberry hair. "We would've had their souls if it weren't for those Hunters."

"What is this?" Shredder snarled. "Where is Gwi-Ma?"

"He sent us here to get the Hunter. You do have her, don't you?" said the first Demon as he listened to the other one suck on his bottle. "Hey, stop that."

The bottle holding Demon frowned as he stopped drinking.

"To Gwi-Ma," said the bulky Demon. "We were once his prized idols, but now we're nothing but disappointments seeking to redeem ourselves. I'm Abby, this is Romance, Baby, and Mystery. You can call us… The Saja Boys."

"Saja Boys?" Shredder inquired before he chuckled. "Oh, yes. Now I remember you. Gwi-Ma told me of your past failures. A Demon boy band that came so close to fracturing the Honmoon, only to be betrayed by one of their own."

Abby was about to attack his chrome adversary, but felt Mystery pull his arm back. With the shake of his head, Mystery told his former bandmate to calm down. Abby nodded and smirked at Shredder.

"So, where's the Hunter?"

"My associates are fetching her as we speak. Is there a reason why the four of you were sent here?"

"Gwi-Ma wanted to make sure you fulfilled your end of the deal. Also, he got tired of us sitting around, so he thought he'd put us to good use."

"I can respect that," Shredder replied, glaring at Baxter. "My associates will bring the Hunter here shortly."

Rumi was just about to sneak out when a sudden growl caught her by surprise. With her body flinching, she slowly looked over her shoulder and saw a metallic robot that stood knee-high and had sharp jaws.

It was one of Baxter's Mousers, and it chomped its teeth, causing her to fall over.

Rumi gasped as she fell on her rear, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Shredder, Baxter, and the Saja Boys looked over and shared the same reaction. They were all surprised to see her.

"Ha," Abby chuckled. "You weren't kidding when you said shortly."

"Welcome, Rumi," Shredder greeted coldly before he walked towards her. "Your master is expecting you."

Without time to think, Rumi summoned her weapon, sliced the Mouser in half, and kicked the chrome villain in the stomach. Smacking him aside with her weapon, she prepared to fight for her freedom.

The Foot Soldiers were the first to strike, only to be defeated with ease.

The Saja Boys sneered and got excited that they would be fighting a Hunter for the first time in three months. Abby was the first one to unleash his claws and swipe to the left, only for Rumi to duck right and make a cut with her sword.

"Argh! Why does everyone keep aiming for my abs!?"

Rumi kicked him in the stomach and sliced him in half, causing him to disappear.

Baby and Mystery tried to gang up on her from behind, but Rumi performed a somersault and threw her sword like a boomerang, chopping both demons in half with ease.

Romance was the only one left standing, so he teleported behind Rumi and wrapped his arms around her, making an evil grin. Rumi struggled to break free before she slammed her foot against his toe and elbowed him in the chest. With her weapon, returning to her, she sliced downward and watched him disappear.

Just when she thought the fight was over, Shredder woke up and pulled out two blades from his gauntlets. Clashing them together, he charged forward and started swinging. He was a lot faster than Rumi expected; she could barely counter his attacks as several blows to her gut were landed. After she deflected three more strikes, she tried to learn a roundhouse kick, only to miss and be hit with the same attack.

Rumi fell against the same crates she hid behind and rolled out of the way, avoiding a fatal strike.

Baxter evaded the line of fire and hid behind one of his desks, observing the battle with a close eye.

Rumi and Shredder continued clashing blades before the former managed to dodge right and land multiple strikes. Slashing her blade as fast as possible, she watched Shredder dodge every move before he landed a fatal blow against her stomach; he struck a nerve and fired a roundhouse kick. With a punch and an uppercut, he sent the half-demon flying into the air, but she quickly soared downward, slamming her sword against the ground.

Shredder leaped out of the way and landed another punch.

"You fight well," he sneered. "But your skills will fail you."

"Made it this far, haven't I?" Rumi snarled as she continued fighting.

After taking multiple hits, Rumi finally deflected Shredder's blades and kicked him backward.

After watching him fall into a desk, Rumi rushed towards a vial of chemicals and mixed them together in a beaker. Baxter gasped and attempted to stop her, but he was punched in the face. Rumi watched the bottle turn yellow, and steam spewed from the top. Quickly, grabbing the bottle, she yanked it towards Shredder and made a run for it.

Shredder saw the bottle in the nick of time and smacked it aside, only to realize it had exploded and dented part of the machine, causing the computer to glitch and the portal to fade.

"NO!" he shouted in anger. "Baxter, get that machine working! Alert the Foot Clan!"

The purple-shirted scientist nervously nodded and did exactly what he was told.

As Rumi fled for her life, the Turtles opened another door and finally made their way to the second dungeon room.

"Some shortcut you had, Donnie," Raphael grunted, annoyingly.

"Excuse me, Raph. It's not my fault the map glitched out."

"Still, I don't know why you had us stop."

"We've never been in here before, so I had to wait for it to load."

"Hey, hey," Leonardo said. "Rumi first. Argue later."

"Um, dudes?" Michelangelo said, inspecting the environment. "I think we're too late."

The Turtles looked and saw an empty jail cell with no one inside.

"Great," Raphael snarled. "They took her. Nice going, Donnie."

"It's not my fault the map decided to glitch out."

"Pretty sure your brain glitched out too."

"Why you little-"

"Dudes, stop! Look at this!" Michelangelo said, quieting his brothers down. He held up the golden keychain stuck that was still stuck in the lock. "I don't think they took her."

"Mikey's right," Donatello said as he inspected the lock and took the chain out. "It looks like she broke herself out."

"Bad news is… she's wandering around not knowing where she is," Raphael said.

"Hopefully, she hasn't gotten caught," Leonardo nodded. "New plan, we-"

The sound of a wailing alarm interrupted the group as the cell shone a bright red light. Michelangelo and Donatello gasped as Leonardo sighed and facepalmed.

Raphael folded his arms and, in typical fashion, made a sarcastic remark. "What were you saying, Leo?"

Huffing and puffing, Rumi rushed down the halls with her saingeom gripped firmly.

Primarily, her eyes faced forward, but occasionally, she looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. Her heart was pounding, her face was sweating, and her whole body was shaking. Never before has she been this afraid, but as a Hunter, she couldn't allow fear to overtake her.

After rushing down a hallway, Rumi entered a dark room with four statues towering over her. Each of them wore traditional Japanese clothing and had skulls between their feet. Rumi looked around and saw four separate paths, including the one she had come out of.

With her mind in chaos, her eyes darted around, and she debated on where to go next.

"MIRA!? ZOEY!?" she called. "WHERE ARE YOU!?"

With no answer from either side, Rumi snarled and struggled to choose a path.

Where do I go? Where do I go? WHERE DO I GO!?

Rumi panicked before she decided to make a move.

Turning to the left, she ran until she heard a sound.

"Look out, dudes!"

Seeing the color orange in a split second, Rumi tripped over her feet and fell onto the floor. Feeling dazed, she shook her head and noticed her body wasn't touching the ground. Instead, she fell on top of four creatures sprawled in a heap.

All of them fell on their backs, feeling just as confused as the lead singer.

Rumi shook her head one last time and analyzed who she had crashed into.

The Turtles.

They recovered, regained their focus, and stared at her.

"Y-you guys!" Rumi said as she quickly got up and held out her hands. "I'm so sorry! Here, give me your hands!"

The Turtles each grabbed Rumi's palms, standing up on their three-toed feet. Brushing themselves off, they looked at the singer, relieved she was alive and well.

"Rumi!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he holstered his weapons.

"M-Michelangelo!?" Rumi said, watching him rush over and wrap her in a sudden embrace. He squeezed tightly, lifted her into the air, and smiled.

"You're alive! We were so worried about you!"

Rumi felt flattered to hear that, and she chuckled. "Don't worry, Michelangelo. I'm all good. Would you mind releasing me, please?"

"Oh, sorry," said the orange turtle as he put her down and backed away.

"No worries," Rumi said as she looked at her new friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I think that's pretty obvious," Donatello replied with a smile as he stored his staff away.

"Wait… you came here to rescue me?"

"Hey, you said it. Not us," Raphael teased.

"Why?"

"Pretty simple, Rumi," Leonardo smiled with both arms folded. "It's what heroes do."

"Oh, Leo," Michelangelo groaned.

"Really, man?" Donatello said with the same tone.

"Dude, I thought you were gonna stop with this hero talk," Raphael complained.

"If I'm going to be a true hero like Captain Ryan," Leonardo smirked. "Then I need to act like one."

"Hold on," Rumi said with her hand held out. "Captain Ryan… of the Dauntless? Like, from Space Heroes?"

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Y-yeah!"

Rumi cleared her throat and imitated the voice of a cartoon icon. "I have a bold and daring plan!" Leonardo squealed like a schoolgirl. "There's no time for hesitation! My orders must be carried out-"

"-without question!" the leader said with her and gasped loudly. "Y-you're a Space Heroes fan!?"

"I am! You?"

"Huge one! What's your favorite episode?"

"Tough one," Rumi stroked her chin. "They're all great, but I like the one where an alien mind controls Dr. Mindstrong."

"Ooooooh, that's a great one. I think I gotta go with the one where Captain Ryan's hit with the Anxiety Ray. That pep talk Grundch gives him is some of the best writing the series has ever had."

"Not as good as the finale where Captain Ryan sacrifices himself to save his crew from the Destructinators."

"Ah, man. That episode made me sad. Captain Ryan went down like a true hero."

"His sacrifice shall not be in vain."

As the two fans geeked out, the leader's brothers voiced their reactions.

"Well… at least they're bonding," Michelangelo said.

"Great, now we've got two Leonardos," Donatello chuckled.

"Hey, dorks!" Raphael called, cupping both hands over his mouth. "Is this a rescue mission or a meeting of the nerds!?"

"Huh?" Leonardo said before he remembered the mission. "Oh, shoot! Sorry, guys! Rumi, Donnie's got a map of Shredder's lair. We're gonna get out of here."

"Wait," Rumi said, holding both hands out. "Where are Mira and Zoey? Are they with you guys?"

"They would if Mira didn't call us freaks," Raphael replied.

"Raph, come on," Michelangelo said.

"What's he talking about?" Rumi asked.

"They're not here with us," Leonardo answered. "We'll explain in a-" Footsteps echoed down the halls and got louder upon getting closer. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

Rumi and the other Turtles looked down the doorways and saw several Foot Soldiers approaching with many weapons drawn. With a collective gasp, everyone stood back-to-back with their own weapons held close to their bodies, preparing for another fight.

The Foot Soldiers banded together and surrounded the five targets, making sure they had no room to breathe or make sudden movements. The Turtles and Rumi glared at their enemies and prepared for a surprise ambush.

Rumi and Leonardo glanced and twirled their swords.

Raphael pressed both sai between his fingers.

Donatello stood alongside Michelangelo, who spun one nunchaku and held the other underneath his armpit.

Everyone prepped for a showdown, but they noticed something odd about the Foot Soldiers.

"Hey… these guys aren't Demons," Donatello observed. "They're… humans."

"Which means we can take them," Raphael smirked. "Good."

"Don't get overconfident, guys," Leonardo said sternly. "There's a lot of them here."

"We can take them together," Rumi said with a smile. "I'll watch your backs… or shells."

"This is awesome!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "Fighting alongside Rumi once again." He pulled out his T-Phone. "Do you guys know what this means? We're gonna show the Foot how it's done-done-do-"

"-don't.," Raphael snarled, placing a hand on his brother's phone.

"Aww, come on, Raph! It's the perfect time!"

"Mikey, if you play that song again, I'll make you swallow that phone!"

"If you really want to listen to music, play something else," Donatello rolled his eyes.

Michelangelo huffed before he scrolled through his playlist, finding a song he believed everyone would enjoy. "Fine. Sorry, Rumi. I hope you like old school rock n' roll."

He pressed a button and played a song. {Song #1 – Start}

Confused, the Foot Soldiers turned to each other, shrugged, and approached their enemies with caution.

"So, I just learned you guys fight alien robots and evil ninjas," Rumi said. "Would anyone care to explain that to me?"

"Well, Rumi, it's quite a long story," Leonardo replied. "I'll explain later, but for now… you welcomed us to your world, now we welcome you to ours."

With the song's first verse, the Turtles and Rumi struck a pose and began their battle.

Since they were standard Foot Soldiers, they weren't as powerful as Foot Demons, meaning the five fighters didn't have to try too hard to beat them.

The Turtles worked in perfect harmony and attacked their foes with brute force, quick reflexes, and powerful team attacks; Leonardo and Donatello ran alongside each other, smacking enemies from left to right. They leaped over one another, swept several Foot Soldiers' legs, and bashed their shells into Foot Soldiers unlucky to get between them. Michelangelo and Raphael did the same thing, except they used smoke bombs to blind their enemies, granting them the advantage. The latter clapped his sai together, spun them around, and clashed with several blades, attempting to cut him. He already had one crack in his shell; he wasn't about to have another. Raphael pushed many Foot Soldiers off of him before he knocked them down with one roundhouse kick.

Performing several front flips and cartwheels, Michelangelo whacked enemies with his twin nunchakus before dishing out his kusarigama chain. Spinning the non-sharp end around, he yanked many weapons out of the Foot Soldiers' hands and performed many attacks. Occasionally, he'd tell the Foot Soldiers to play fetch as he chucked the stolen weapons right at their faces.

Rumi swung her sword and fenced with several black ninjas racing to attack her. She had to hold back from using her blade as these were humans, not Demons. Still, she wasn't afraid to use her weapon to cut swords, daggers, and other objects in half.

The Foot Soldiers tried to stay away from Rumi and focus on the Turtles, fearing they'd be humiliated by the Honmoon's magic, but Rumi saw through them and protected her new friends.

The Demon Hunter and her ninja friends stood by each other and continued to fight, seeing more Foot Soldiers come from all sides.

Both sword wielders listened to the song from Michelangelo's T-Phone and got into a battle position. Pointing their blades at the enemies, Leonardo holstered one katana and gripped the other with both hands. As he smirked at Rumi, they both charged and performed a powerful team attack. With their free hands, they grabbed each other's wrists and spun around in a circle, kicking every Foot Soldier that dared to get between them. Michelangelo saw everything and cheered, knowing he and his brothers would bond well with Rumi.

"Yeah, you guys rock!" he shouted before getting kicked by a Foot Soldier.

Luckily, Donatello was there to save him, and he hit the ninja in all of his pressure points. Knocking him down with one punch, the genius assisted his brother, and they fought together.

Rumi and Leonardo soon released each other, and the former leaped over Raphael, slamming her saingeomagainst the floor so a shockwave could knock out the attackers. The hothead kindly thanked her, as did the same thing; soldiers were approaching the Hunter from behind, so he leaped off the wall and fought them off, protecting her the same way he did on stage.

Despite being mad at Huntrix for their insult, Raphael couldn't help but respect Rumi as a fighter as he smiled and watched her protect Donatello from multiple Foot Soldiers. Raphael helped out by tapping Rumi on the shoulder, suggesting they do something fun. After whispering the plan in her ear, she nodded in approval and asked the purple genius for help.

A group of Foot Soldiers entered the tombs and were knocked down by both Leonardo and Michelangelo.

One of the survivors attempted to stab them, but Raphael grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in a headlock. Rumi cracked her knuckles and fired several jabs at a rapid pace. One headbutt knocked the clansmen out cold, so Raphael and Rumi grabbed him by the arms and legs, throwing him into the air.

At first, the soldier thought he'd fall safely to the ground, but he was dead wrong. Running up a statue was Donatello, who bounced towards him and slammed his wooden bo against his chest. He watched as the Foot Soldier shot down like a rocket and crashed into his friends, landing a heaping pile of defeat.

Donatello somersaulted forward as he quickly dealt with enemies alongside Rumi. Both used their twirling skills to their full potential as their weapons shielded them from all attacks and knocked enemies down. Once the horde was clear, both the Turtle and Hunter shared a fist-bump.

Performing a backflip, Rumi landed beside Michelangelo, who was excited to be working with her. He never had a personal favorite member (though Zoey's been close at times), but he's always respected Rumi for being confident, cool, empathetic, and an overall awesome person. The two smiled at each other before Michelangelo thought of a cool idea.

Extending his kusarigama chain, he had Rumi grip onto it, and he got into position. Bending both knees, he mustered the strength to start spinning around in a circle. The lead singer was lifted off the ground and her feet stuck outward, landing blow after blow against every Foot Soldier that tried to grab her.

The orange party dude screamed happily as he watched Rumi kick butt; it filled him with delight to see her share the sentiment.

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello ducked whenever Rumi would come by, allowing her to tackle the enemies they faced.

Soon, Michelangelo ended the spin cycle by launching Rumi into the air. She spun like a ballerina and summoned her weapon from the Honmoon.

With a powerful slam, she ended the battle with a massive shockwave that sent every Foot Soldier back into the hallway. Leonardo gripped his sword before he ran around and cut all of the chains, sealing the doors so that no one else could get through.

Michelangelo's song ended as the team struck one last pose. {Song #1 – End}

When the music stopped, everyone heard nothing but moans, groans, and coughs of agony coming from defeated teenagers.

Rumi couldn't help but feel bad for some of them, but that sympathy faded when she remembered who they were working for.

The Turtles looked around to see if someone was bold enough to get up, but luckily, no one did.

"Nice work, bros!" Michelangelo cheered, holding up a free hand. "High three!"

Donatello and Raphael were the only ones who held their hands, because Leonardo stopped them.

"Celebrate later, guys! We need to get out of here! Donnie, which way do we go!?"

"Left!" the genius replied, holding his T-Phone's map.

"This way, Rumi!"

"Coming, Leonardo!"

The Turtles and Rumi stepped over many unconscious foes before racing down the left passageway.

"NO!" Shredder snarled as he slammed his fists against the computer monitor.

While standing in Baxter's laboratory, he saw everything through the security cameras.

"Worthless!" he snarled. "If they had those Demon powers, they could have finished them with ease! Must I do everything myself!? Baxter! Is the portal operational yet!?"

"N-not yet, Master Shredder," Baxter replied as he toggled with wires. "The explosion Rumi made not only disrupted the connection, but it also damaged part of the machine. It'll take a while for me to fix, so I just need-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! Just fix the machine!"

Shredder opened the door and began walking down the halls. "I'm not letting my deal with Gwi-Ma end like this. I'm going to bring him that Hunter… even if I have to eat a few souls."

The silver-clad warrior dished out his blades and clenched both fists, ready to end this long-lasted feud tonight.

Chapter Text

The Turtles and Rumi ran through most of Shredder's hideout with many enemies attempting to stop them.

With proper teamwork, they defeated them effortlessly and ascended to the upper levels.

Using the map on Donatello's T-Phone, everyone followed the path before they entered a spacious throne room on the top floor.

It was mostly empty with only a few doors on each side, a pool protected by a glass shield on the left, and a large throne in the very back.

The Turtles had never seen this place on the inside, but they heard Splinter describe what it looked like.

Without time to admire the scenery, everyone ran towards the door, which was just up ahead.

"Nobody say anything stupid like we're gonna make it, okay!?" Raphael hollered, rushing for his life.

Just before everyone could reach the front door, a black shadow landed in front of them, whipping out two large blades.

"Dang it!" Donatello snarled. "You jinxed it!"

"Look out!" Leonardo shouted as he clashed his swords against the blades before being kicked in the stomach. He flew backward and tumbled across the ground.

His teammates called his name and rushed over to him, checking to see how he was.

Thankfully, Leonardo was fine, and he grabbed the hands of Rumi and Michelangelo, who helped him stand up. Grabbing his katanas, the blue leader glared at the figure, only to see it was none other than…

"Shredder."

The chrome Demon approached the group with blades rubbing against the floor, creating a bright orange spark. The Turtles somehow knew they'd have to face him again, and despite being bested at times, they were ready to fight.

Rumi turned to her friends before gripping her saingeom, ready to fight.

As Shredder drew closer, the Turtles noticed something different about him.

His skin shone a bright purple color, and wavy marks dripped from his shoulders to his forearms. His face was mostly dark with two red eyes; one was brighter than the other. Gasping in unison, Michelangelo gulped as he felt his body shake.

"Whoa… c-cool tattoos you got there, Shredhead."

"Mikey, those aren't tattoos," Donatello replied nervously. "Those are the same markings on the Foot Demons."

"Ha, I knew that name would catch on."

"Foot Demons?" Shredder raised an eyebrow before he chuckled evilly. "I will admit, Turtle. That's a creative name."

"Why, thank you," Michelangelo smiled with big teeth.

"He has patterns," Rumi said. "Gwi-Ma made him into a Demon."

"He already fulfilled his end of our deal… now I need to do the same," Shredder clenched one fist and raised both blades. "I'm giving you a chance to surrender, Rumi. I cannot kill you, but I will not say the same for your new friends."

"We're not scared of you, Shredder!" said Leonardo.

His nemesis chuckled. "You should be."

Surrounding himself in red smoke, he vanished out of sight.

"What the!?" Raphael gasped, gripping his sai. "Where'd he go?"

Shredder appeared behind them and pointed his blades.

"Look out!" Rumi shouted as she shoved the Turtles out of the way and took the blow. She skidded across the ground and swiped left with her sword. She missed because he teleported again.

"Stay alert!" Leonardo ordered. "He could be-"

"-behind you!" Michelangelo shouted, pointing at Shredder, who was about to slice his brother in half.

Leonardo ducked underneath the blades and countered them with his own.

Clashing against Shredder's blades, he was quickly grabbed by the neck, slammed against the ground, spun around like a chew toy, and thrown across the arena.

Landing beside the throne, Raphael twirled his weapons and charged like a rampaging bull.

Upon reaching Shredder, he threw his blades left and right and fired a roundhouse kick, only to leave himself open for an attack. Shredder retracted his blades, punched Raphael in the side of his chest, and kicked him into a wall.

Donatello and Michelangelo stuck with Rumi as the three shared a nod and attacked all at once.

With two smoke bombs, the Turtles took a page out of Shredder's book and disappeared from sight.

The cloud of purple smoke covered their tracks as Rumi leaped into the air and slammed her sword down, landing against Shredder's twin blades.

The two fenced for a bit before the latter felt a wooden bo smack him across the face.

Then, his waist was grabbed by a large chain, and he was yanked to the right.

Michelangelo was about to land a double-footed kick, but Shredder broke free, swerved to the right, and unleashed a middle blade with a sharper tip. Just before it could reach the turtle's face, Rumi blocked it in the nick of time and nudged Shredder with her shoulder, giving Donatello the chance to scratch him with his naginata.

Shredder backed away, amazed by how quick his opponents had gotten, but he wasn't done yet.

Donatello was about to strike again, but Shredder disarmed him and kicked him to the side. Michelangelo met the same fate as Rumi ducked underneath two blades, only to be kicked in the stomach and launched into the air via an uppercut.

Shredder teleported near her position and slammed both hands against her chest.

Before Rumi could hit the ground, Shredder appeared beside her again, landing another kick to her stomach. He repeated this maneuver two more times before Rumi landed in the pool.

Just as she found the strength to get up, Shredder teleported in front of her and prepared to land a fatal strike; however, he was tackled by Leonardo and Raphael, who got their weapons back.

Instead of attacking offensively, they dodged his blows and parried them with their weapons.

Raphael wrapped his sai around Shredder's arm at one point and flipped him over, only to be met with several shuriken to the face.

Thankfully, Leonardo got in front of them and slashed them away.

Donatello, Michelangelo, and Rumi reunited with the team and circled Shredder, moving close so he had no room to escape.

"You've grown," the villain sneered. "But you're still unskilled."

He teleported again, and the group panicked.

Michelangelo was the first to get kicked in the face, followed by Donatello, who was punched in the gut. Raphael sensed Shredder from behind and threw his sai forward, but he missed, causing him to get elbowed in the back.

Leonardo and Rumi were left standing, so they leaned on each other's backs.

"Listen for the sound," said the latter as her eyes darted around the room.

"What?"

"Whenever Demons teleport, they make a whooshing sound. You'll hear whenever they're about to appear. You have to listen closely."

Shredder appeared in different areas with his arms folded, scaring the blue leader into thinking he could come from anywhere. Leonardo huffed and puffed before Rumi wrapped her arm around his.

"Trust me, Leonardo."

He felt warmth and comfort from her touch.

Panting, the ninja took a deep breath and closed his eyes, choosing to focus on what he learned.

For a few seconds, he didn't hear anything until he detected something from the right.

It was far, but he knew what it was; the same sound Rumi just described.

He heard it again on the right. This time, it was closer.

One more time, it was right next to him.

For a brief moment of silence, Leonardo inhaled once more and waited for the sound to return.

After a deep exhale, he heard it shot open his eyes.

With a powerful kick, he knocked Shredder down and watched as he got back up. Before he could make a move, Leonardo mercilessly punched him in the face, fired a missing kick, and then did it again. This time, it landed, and Shredder felt pain in his lower abdomen.

Shredder grunted as he clenched his body and rereleased his blades.

"You'll pay for that."

Donatello and Raphael tackled him from behind, beating him with an armada of punches. Shredder forced them off of him, only to be slashed by Rumi, kicked by Michelangelo, and jabbed by Leonardo.

Shredder grunted and stared at his patterns, wondering how he was being beaten despite his new powers.

Looking up, he saw the Turtles and Rumi standing together, ready for another round.

"Hmph!"

Shredder retracted his blades, cracking his neck and knuckles.

Rushing forward, Shredder evaded Donatello's bo-staff and knocked him down with several kicks and punches.

Raphael tried to save his brother, but Shredder leaped over him and landed a double-footed blow to his head.

Finally, Shredder teleported behind Michelangelo, grabbed him by the belt, and threw him aside.

Leonardo and Rumi swung their swords at him, only for him to extend large Demon claws and scratch them. Wincing in pain, the two stood back before they were knocked down.

For multiple attempts, Rumi and the Turtles got up only to be knocked back down.

Shredder hadn't moved from the spot he was in, using his powers to their full advantage.

Eventually, Donatello and Michelangelo were thrown at each other, and they were tossed near Shredder's throne.

It didn't take long for Raphael, Rumi, and Leonardo to join them.

Bruises and cuts were all over their bodies, and their energies drained by the second.

Shredder stretched his limbs, showing off his glowing purple patterns.

Laughing manically, he pulled out his blades and approached the fallen group slowly. "You have grown, but you're still pathetic. Even with a Hunter on your side, you cannot defeat me!"

The Turtles struggled to get up as they helped Rumi and each other to their feet.

"Once your souls go to Gwi-Ma, I will find Hamato Yoshi and make him pay for what he's done," Shredder continued.

The fighters were about to strike again, but they heard a strange noise come from the ceiling. It sounded like wind chimes, confusing everyone except for Rumi. She stared at the portal and watched a large blue paw escape from it. She widened her eyes and smiled, but quickly looked back at Shredder, who was still monologuing.

"The Foot Clan will help commence the Demon Hour, and when it begins, I shall-"

A whistling sound and a bird chirp came from above, causing Shredder to stop talking and look up.

"What the? AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Before he could react, something large fell right on top of him, and the Turtles winced.

Rumi flinched before she gasped happily and laughed.

Curious by that, the Turtles opened their eyes, wondering what she was looking at. They shared a confused glance before the Hunter pointed forward.

A blue tiger with black stripes and large yellow eyes sat on top of Shredder with its rear end. A black and white magpie wearing a hat sat on the tiger's head and laughed at the villain, who was pressed against his chest and struggling to lift himself up.

"Get off of me!" Shredder snarled. "Who are you!? I'll have your head for this! Gah! Get this thing off of me right now!"

"What the heck is that!?" Donatello exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure I saw this cat on an exotic animal documentary," Michelangelo said.

"Not a cat," Rumi smiled. "He's a spirit tiger and that's a spirit magpie."

"Oh, yeah. 'Cause that makes sense," Raphael said sarcastically.

"Friends of yours, Rumi?" Leonardo asked with shock.

"They belonged to somebody I knew," She approached the two animals and petted them gently. "I'm glad you see you guys are here. You must've known we needed you."

Sussie chirped happily as Derpy nuzzled Rumi's chin.

"Get these things off of me!" Shredder demanded, slamming the ground with both fists. "Right now!"

Rumi shook her head and chuckled as she turned to the Turtles. "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here."

"What about Shredder?" Raphael inquired.

"Give me a second," Rumi said, whispering into Derpy's ear.

Nodding, the blue tiger got off of Shredder, who brushed fur off of his armor and pulled back his blades. "I will not be defeated by the likes of-"

Sussie flapped her wings and flew towards Shredder.

"-what the?" The chrome Demon was soon pecked all around his body, feeling pinching pain from his arms, shoulders, knees, and chest. "Ow! Hey! Stop that! Cut that out! I'll cut your wings off, you stupid magpie!"

The Turtles couldn't help but laugh at their foe's misery.

Rumi shared the feeling as she folded her arms.

Shredder shook Sussie off of him and slashed three times, missing every shot. The black magpie flew underneath the last strike and poked him right where it hurts.

"Argh! My eye! It poked me in my-"

Before he could finish his statement, Derpy lifted both hind legs and, like a horse, kicked Shredder in the stomach.

Shredder flew across the room, screaming at the top of his lungs. It didn't take long for him to hit the wall and land inside the pool.

With water splashing onto the floor, the Turtles couldn't help but wince once they saw Derpy attack Shredder with brute force.

Speaking of which, Rumi climbed on top of the tiger, stroked his chin, and patted his back. "Hop on, Turtles."

"Wait…" Donatello said. "You want us to sit on that thing?"

"I call shotgun!" Michelangelo said, shoving his brothers out of the way.

He sat behind Rumi, followed by Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello.

A white portal appeared underneath the group, and they slowly went down.

Shredder climbed out of the pool in time to see them disappear into the portal. With a shout, Shredder drew his blades once more and attempted to stop them, only to trip over his feet and land on his stomach.

Upon getting up, he realized his enemies were gone.

Shredder grunted as he slammed both fists against the ground, seething in anger.

The enemies he worked so hard to destroy escaped through foolish means, leaving him feeling nothing but apathy. But this didn't mean he was giving up. Shredder was about to contact his enforcers and send them after the Turtles, but just as he laid a finger on his communicator, his finger froze.

Confused, Shredder tried to move his arm, but it was completely stuck in place.

The rest of his body followed after, making him think he was frozen in ice.

Just before he could ask what was going on, he heard a mysterious voice ring in his ear.

Every pattern on his body started glowing, and his eyes were shrouded in red.

With a loud thud, Shredder landed on his side and closed his eyes, feeling more pain seep through his skin. Both hands pressed against the ground, and he stood carefully. The first direction he looked was up, seeing that the environment was different. Above his head was a dark blue sky with hints of green in between.

Looking down, he noticed he was back on top of a familiar shrine and saw several Demons glaring at him from the bottom. Most had their arms folded, whereas others gritted their teeth, flexed their claws, and cried their eyes out.

Shredder looked at them with disgust before turning over his shoulder to see Karai, Fishface, and Dogpound in front of the one person dying to see him.

Gwi-Ma.

The purple wall of fire stood still before he spoke in a calm tone. "Do you want to know something funny?"

Shredder stood and listened, knowing where this was going.

"When you came in here with that ridiculous outfit and offered me a deal, I thought you were no different than the last person who wanted to help me. His name was Jinu. Back then, he performed on the streets to make money for his family. When I made a deal with him, I made his voice better. Years later, he decided to use it as a way to help me gain more souls. For the most part, his plan worked… up until he failed me in the end. You? You came here through a piece of technology and confronted me. That… is a new level of commitment. After ignoring me for so long, you came here promising to do my bidding in exchange for your enemies' demise. I didn't want to trust you at first…"

Gwi-Ma paused, noticing the concerned look on Shredder's face. "You convinced me."

A moment of silence struck the Demon Realm before the king continued. "But I'm starting to think that was a mistake."

"Gwi-Ma, I-"

Shredder was cut off when a wave of magenta fire surrounded him and raised him into the air. His patterns glowed bright like a light bulb, and his body felt tight. Fishface and Dogpound widened their eyes as Karai prepared to draw her weapon, but the latter touched her shoulder and shook his head.

Many Foot Demons watched their leader levitate upward, facing Gwi-Ma, who spoke with a cold malice. "YOU FAILED ME, OROKU SAKI! I use my power to upgrade your militia, expecting you to fulfill your end of the bargain. You told my messengers you had the girl, and what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO!? You come back to me with nothing!"

"I-I have no excuses for my failure!"

"AS YOU SHOULDN'T!"

"But I can still find the Turtles! They rescued the girl and fled from my lair. I can send the Foot Demons after them! We know of their location! We-"

"SILENCE!" Gwi-Ma hollered as his flames grew higher. "I've heard this all before! The last associates I had assured me that they had everything under control, but they FAILED! I could have feasted on a thousand souls, but I was thwarted by those Hunters! Thanks to them, there's a new Honmoon that I've been trying to break for months! It wasn't until you showed up with the Kraang's technology and found a way for my Demons to bring me more souls, but a portal's not enough! For the Demon Hour to commence, I NEED that Hunter! She has the power to make a new Honmoon, meaning she's got the power to destroy it! Now, because of you, we need to wait longer, and my patience is wearing thin!"

Shredder struggled to break free, but it was of no use.

"I SHOULD EAT YOUR SOUL RIGHT NOW!"

The chrome Demon closed his eyes and clenched his fists, fighting to break free from his capsule and flee death once again.

Karai was ready to pull out her weapon, but Dogpound pulled her back because he knew Gwi-Ma was stronger than his master.

Speaking of which, Shredder prepared for his partner to yell at him once again, only to land on the floor.

Falling on his stomach, he slowly got up and panted, relieved he was free from his trance.

"But I can't," Gwi-Ma said. "As I said, you're the only way I can reach the human world. While my power isn't as great as it used to be, I can't make deals, nor can my Demons pierce the Honmoon. However, the Foot Demons have been able to get out okay and fulfill their missions. You said you know the Hunter's location, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"Then stop stuttering and do your job. I want to punish you for failing me, but I sadly cannot. Why? If I were to kill you here and now… it'd be over for me. That's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"I promise you, Gwi-Ma. I will not fail you again."

"Then get out of my sight."

With a single nod, Shredder turned away from the Demon King and approached The Foot Clan, who all comforted him to see how he was doing. Karai was about to help him up, but Shredder gently shoved her and coughed.

"Karai… where is Huntrix staying?"

"They have a room at the Wolf Hotel; it's on the top floor."

"Excellent. The Foot Demons, Xever, and Bradford will go with you to fetch Rumi. Do not fail me again."

With a single nod, Karai walked down the stairs with Fishface and Dogpound by her side.

Shredder huffed and clenched his stomach. Coughing one more time, he looked at his patterns and hoped for a successful mission.

A white portal appeared above a rooftop, and Derpy stepped out with everyone on his back. Rumi and the Turtles leaped off once they touched the ground, and Sussie chirped, letting them know it was safe to get off.

Rumi rubbed Derpy's head and gently scratched Sussie's chin, thanking them for the rescue. "Nice work, you two."

The Turtles were happy to make it out of their enemy's lair in one piece. They thought it would be the end once they faced Shredder again, but luckily, two spirits came to their rescue. Speaking of which, the ninjas looked at Derpy and Sussie, who made funny faces as Rumi kissed them on their heads.

Sharing a nervous glance, the brothers slowly approached.

"Um… he's not gonna eat us, is he?" Donatello asked.

"Derpy?" Rumi inquired, shaking her head. "Nope. Any friend of mine is a friend of his. You guys can pet him if you'd like. Be careful with Sussie, she only likes it when you stroke her chin."

"Derpy and… Sussie?" Donatello scratched his head.

"Zoey came up with Derpy's name; Mira came up with the Sussie. I think they fit."

Rumi gently guided her new friends towards the tiger and the magpie, coaching them on how to pet them gently.

The Turtles pressed their hands against Derpy's fur, which made them think they were touching a warm, fuzzy blanket. Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael carefully scratched the tiger's back, hoping he wouldn't make a sudden move and bite their arms off.

Michelangelo, on the other hand, immediately went in for a hug, which made Derpy smile as he rubbed his head against the turtle's chest.

"Aww, he's adorable," Michelangelo beamed. "Who's a good teleporting tiger? Who's a good teleporting tiger? I think it's you! That's right! I think it's you!"

Raphael noticed Sussie, smiled, and carefully stroked her chin as instructed.

With a soft chirp, the black magpie flew up and sat itself on the turtle's head.

At first, Raphael was freaked out, but Rumi calmed him down and said, "No, no, it's okay. That's just her way of saying she likes you."

"Ah, I see," he said. "Never had experience with a bird before. I've got a pet turtle named Spike back home. He's the only pet I know how to care for."

"So soft," Donatello said in awe, rubbing Derpy's back.

"It's like petting a marshmallow," Leonardo said, scratching Derpy's tummy.

"Speaking of food, who's hungry?" Michelangelo asked, rubbing his tummy. "I could go for five deep-dish pies right about now."

"You guys eat pizza?" Rumi chuckled.

"It's a lot better than worms and algae," Raphael nodded, noticing a strange look on the singer's face. "Don't ask."

"Thanks for getting us out there, Rumi," Michelangelo said with two thumbs up. "You rock."

"Hey, I don't deserve all of the recognition," Rumi said humbly. "I wouldn't have known where to go if it weren't for you guys. Thanks for coming back to rescue me."

She shared a nod with her new friends before asking, "Where did Mira and Zoey run off to?"

"We wanted to bring them along," Leonardo replied, turning to face a frowning team. "But… well… you see…"

"Mira got aggressive and threatened to stab us with her spear thing," Raphael replied, being straightforward as usual.

"Oh, that wasn't a spear," Donatello corrected him. "It was a gok-do. It's a glaive-like weapon that-"

"Donnie… shut up."

"What they're trying to say is Mira got mad when you were captured and threatened to stab us with her weapon," Michelangelo replied, rubbing his head. "We tried to explain where you were, but she wouldn't let us. So, we escaped."

"From there, we staged the rescue mission ourselves," Leonardo nodded, folding his arms.

"She also called us freaks," Raphael added. "Not something we appreciate."

Rumi sighed and rubbed her face. "I'm sorry about that, guys. Mira has… a short fuse."

"Hey," Michelangelo said, glancing at Raphael. "We know somebody with that."

Raphael was about to punch his little brother, but Donatello stopped him and shook his head.

"I'm sure Mira didn't mean to hurt you guys," Rumi continued. "Her temper can be bad, but she has a good heart."

"That also sounds familiar," Michelangelo said, turning to Raphael once again. The hotheaded turtle was about to smack him upside the head before he gently placed a hand on his shoulder, mimicking his smile.

"It's all right," Leonardo replied as Donatello stood beside him. "We understand Mira was worried about you. She and Zoey must really care about you."

"Yeah," Rumi nodded. "We're more than just a K-pop group and a set of Demon Hunters, we're a family."

"Aww," Michelangelo said, tilting his head to the left. "See? I told you guys they were like a family. Sort of like us."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all have our similarities," Raphael chuckled. "So, what's the plan now? I believe we're owed an explanation for this whole Demon fiasco."

"I'll explain everything to you guys, I promise," Rumi said. "Right now, I want to find my friends. The story I have to share requires all three of us. Where was the last place you saw them?"

"On the same roof you got captured on," the group's leader replied. "I doubt they're still there."

"They either went back to the concert or somewhere else," Donatello said with fingers against his chin. "Rumi, are you guys staying anywhere special?"

"We've got a room on the top floor of the Wolf Hotel," she replied as she turned to the tiger and patted his head. "Derpy can take us there. Hop on."

The Turtles got on top of the tiger and sat in the same order they did before.

Holding onto each other and the lead singer, Derpy pounced into the air and flew across the sky.

While the Turtles and Rumi raced to the Wolf Hotel to prevent dire events, silence filled the waiting room at the hospital.

Mira and Zoey, still in their Golden costumes, sat on two red chairs facing away from each other. Both of them reflected on tonight. Everything from the concert to the Demons' attack, and Rumi's capture.

Zoey sat with her body folded into itself; legs curled into her stomach and arms wrapped around them. Her face was red from all of the crying she had done prior, and her eyes were the same color.

Her cheeks were puffy, and her eyes were glued to the floor.

Mira sat with one leg around the other, and her arms were folded.

She leaned against the chair, thinking about the moment two mutants came in and kidnapped her best friend.

Mira was angry with herself for letting Rumi get captured, thinking she could have done a lot more. As she thought about how tonight could've been better, there was one thing that kept her feeling better.

The Turtles.

Just like her friends, she was initially freaked out by their appearances, but immediately knew that they were here to help.

Mira was an expert at reading people and figured that if Raphael saved Rumi on stage, then he and his brothers must be on their side, even though they weren't hunters. She remembered finding Raphael, with whom the two complimented each other on their skills.

She also thought back to how the other Turtles bonded with her and the others.

Clearly, a friendship was brewing, but it fell apart.

When Rumi got captured, the Turtles tried to tell her where she was taken, but Mira was angry and pointed her weapon at them.

The same way she aimed it at Rumi after finding out she was half-demon.

Replaying her cold threats in her head, Mira closed her eyes and cringed at herself.

I'm an idiot.

I did it again.

I got nasty with those who were trying to help me, just like I did at the Idol Awards. For Rumi, it was worse because she's my best friend. I don't know those Turtles personally, but they were here to help.

They could've told us Rumi's location had I not been so stupid.

If I had listened, Zoey and I could've gone with them to rescue her. They're either doing it right now or they may have found her already. Or maybe…

Maybe…

Maybe she's…

She's…

Mira grunted and shook her head; unaware, she spooked the youngest member again.

No! Don't you dare think like that, Mira! Rumi's the strongest member of our team. There's no way she would go down to two ugly mutants and a clan of ninja Demons.

She's out there somewhere, and Zoey and I will find her even if we have to cancel the tour.

Suddenly, realization hit Mira like a speeding truck.

The tour.

How could I forget?

This concert was supposed to kickstart another world tour. To be honest, I don't even wanna continue at this point. I'd rather focus on finding out how these Demons came back and search for Rumi.

The Demons we fought today weren't like the other ones we faced. These guys were ninjas. According to the Turtles, they call themselves the Foot Clan.

They sound familiar. The last time I was in Japan, I heard rumors about a mysterious group of ninja thieves.

If I remember correctly, they're all teenagers.

None of us has thought about how humans make deals with Gwi-Ma; it's something Celine never dove into, but it's sad to think that young people could be easily swindled by him. When I was a teenager, I was at the height of my problem child days, and those are times I never wanna go back to. They weren't the best for me. It's hard for me to imagine what my life would've been like if I had struck a deal with Gwi-Ma back then.

I wouldn't have become a Hunter.

I wouldn't have fulfilled my dream of becoming an idol.

And I wouldn't have found a family.

That was when Mira thought back to something else that happened during her confrontation with the Turtles.

Zoey tried to get her to see reason, but she snapped at her. Mira remembered her exact words and felt her heart clench.

With both hands cupped over her chest, she looked over her shoulder and saw the maknae as still as a stone.

She couldn't imagine what she was thinking about, but she felt bad for ignoring her pleas.

Mira quickly thought back to the truck ride. Zoey sat the same way she did now and hadn't faced anyone, not even when she entered the hospital, where Mira spoke to the receptionist, who told them to wait.

It's been over thirty minutes, and none of them has said a spoken a word.

Mira felt selfish.

She leaned towards her friend with the intent of comforting her, but before a word was spoken, a nurse approached the duo.

"Excuse me, Huntrix. I wanted to talk to you about Bobby."

Mira briefly looked at Zoey, who was still facing away, and looked the nurse, "How is he?"

"He needs a lot of rest, but he's feeling better than before."

"May we see him?"

"Visiting hours are ending soon, but I can grant you two at least ten minutes."

"That's all we need. Thank you."

The nurse proceeded to show the duo where their manager was staying. Mira nudged Zoey's shoulder, got up, and followed the nurse. Throughout the entire walk, Zoey's eyes remain stuck to the floor.

Mira stayed behind her to make sure she didn't bump into anything, feeling guilty for yelling at her before.

On the second floor, Mira and Zoey were guided to a small white room with only one bed and a TV on the wall.

Bobby was watching a soap opera when he noticed his clients and smiled brightly.

Putting the TV on mute, he greeted them with a wave and a cough.

"Hey, girls."

"Hi, Bobby," said Mira and Zoey. They spoke softer compared to how they'd usually greet him.

The duo approached their manager and gave him a warm tight hug, but he flinched and grasped his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," Zoey said as she and Mira backed away.

"No, no," Bobby replied, showing off a large bandage wrapped around his shoulder. "It's okay. Just hurts a little."

"How are you feeling?" Mira asked.

"Well, I'm alive. That's all that matters, right?" Bobby answered with a forced chuckle. Mira and Zoey mirrored that gesture. "Sorry, that was a bad joke. I was out for a while, and when I woke up, the doctors revealed to me that they had given me a special antidote. I asked what it was for, and they said I was poisoned with venom from a snakehead fish. They don't know how that was possible, considering it's illegal to sell and own them in New York. I was gonna tell them what really happened, but I didn't think they'd believe me."

Mira and Zoey knew exactly what he was talking about, but to keep their identities secret, they decided to ask anyway.

"What do you mean?" said the former.

Bobby hesitated before he spoke, "This is going to sound crazy, but I saw you guys get attacked on stage. These weird ninja-like beings attempted to attack you. Somebody in a trench coat saved Rumi, but before I could see what happened, the cameras were cut. I rushed to see what was going on, only to find Rumi in the arms of a giant dog and a giant fish. I tried to rescue her, but they smacked me aside."

He paused for a moment, noticing concerned looks on the girls' faces. "The dog escaped with Rumi, and the fish tried to attack me, but suddenly… I'm serious, this is really what happened. Two… ninja turtles came out and started fighting the fish. They talked about rescuing Rumi, and I asked what was going on. One of them was about to explain, but the snakehead went in for an attack. I pushed the turtle out of the way and took the bite. I… I don't remember anything else."

Mira clenched her fists, swearing revenge on Fishface and Dogpound for hurting not one, but two people that mean everything to her.

"I know it sounds crazy, and I expect you girls to laugh, but it's true. That's what really happened. I wanted to tell the doctors, but part of me thought it was a side effect of the venom. They told me the venom can cause nausea and hallucinogenic reactions, so maybe I dreamt the whole thing? I don't know."

"Whatever it is, Bobby," Mira nodded, patting his shoulder. "You're safe now."

"True," Bobby nodded before he noticed a certain someone was missing from the group. "Where's Rumi?"

Both singers completely forgot they needed to provide an explanation for that.

Their minds were blank as they tried to think of good reasons.

Everything Bobby said was the truth, but they couldn't admit that.

Otherwise, his mental state would be in a worse condition than his physical one; he'd have a hard time believing the concept of Demon Hunters and Ninja Turtles.

Zoey and Mira, facing away from one another, thought hard about what they could say.

"Rumi is…" spoke the maknae as she nervously tapped her fingernails together. "She's… she is… um… Rumi-"

"-is back at the hotel," Mira replied. Zoey turned to her and nodded. "She's shocked by what happened tonight, so we told her to get some rest. She feels bad for not being here."

"Oh, she's okay?" Bobby asked. "She got away from those monsters."

"We saw her backstage and she ran towards us. The police are currently investigating the monsters as we speak. Originally, we didn't wanna leave her alone, but she needed some time to think."

"Thank goodness she's okay," Bobby smiled with a sigh of relief. "I thought this whole monster thing was gonna drag out for a while. Hopefully, the police can find those freaks and put them away for good."

"Yup," Zoey muttered.

"How long are you staying in the hospital for?" Mira inquired.

"I'm not sure," Bobby shrugged, feeling a small pinch in his shoulder. "The doctors told me the antidote will have a full effect overnight. I'm feeling better, but not completely. They told me to get a lot of rest, but my condition's not gonna stop me from making sure you girls have the best world tour ever. Once I'm out of here, we're going right back to work."

Mira and Zoey shared a nervous glance before looking at their manager again.

"Actually…" said the former as she held her manager's hand. "We wanted to talk to you about that."

"You want to cancel the tour, don't you?"

Both girls were surprised by that response.

"Um… if it's not too much trouble."

"Nope! No trouble at all. In fact, I'm glad you said that because if I'm gonna be honest, I was not looking forward to another world tour. Three months of vacation, and the company wants us to travel around the world again? No thanks!"

Zoey and Mira shared a laugh. They commended Bobby for making jokes during tough situations, wondering how he keeps up that style of humor.

"They're going to give me a handful," Bobby continued. "And many fans are going to be disappointed, but your safety comes first. Once I'm out of here, we'll go home and start small. Once we're ready, we'll try another world tour. Hopefully, we won't have any ninjas or monsters this time. Maybe we should try somewhere different. How do you girls feel about performing in Jersey?"

"Um… no thanks," Zoey shook her head, smiling nervously.

"Let's worry about that another time," Mira replied. "For now, your safety comes first. We appreciate everything you do for us, Bobby, so we want you to be in top shape. Get as much rest as you can."

"I will, girls. Thank you."

The touching moment was cut short when a nurse knocked on the door and said, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are closing soon."

"Thank you," Mira said as Zoey bowed. She turned to Bobby and added, "I guess that's our cue. Let us know when you get out of the hospital. And let us know if you need anything."

"I will, thank you," Bobby said again. "You girls mean the world to me, so I encourage you to do the same. Tell Rumi I said hi."

Mira and Zoey promised they would before leaving the room. As Bobby took a deep breath, he resumed his Korean drama show and thought about the many phone calls he's gonna have to make once he recovers.

Still, all that mattered was the safety of those he cherished.

Back at the Wolf Hotel, Mira and Zoey were in a change of clothes: white shirts with black pants.

The former exited the bathroom, brushing her teeth when she saw the latter sitting on the couch. She was stuck in the same position as she was while sitting in the waiting room, making Mira sigh with guilt. She went back into the bathroom to finish cleaning her teeth.

After rinsing her mouth with water, she spat into the sink and walked into the living room, determined to clear the tension for good.

"Zoey?"

The maknae said nothing.

"Zoey? Are you all right?"

She didn't move a muscle.

What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, she's not fine. I made her feel this way.

Mira tried to sit beside her, but Zoey sensed her presence and turned away.

Mira was tempted to try that again, but she knew it would lead to the same result.

Instead, she respected Zoey's privacy by scooting a few feet back, yet she was still close enough to let her know she was here.

Zoey lowered her head, keeping her position. She sniffled, which made Mira take a deep breath.

"I know you're mad at me, Zoey. You have every right to be. I want to talk to you, but I won't say another word unless you want me to. I know you're hurting, but we can't stay like this forever. When you're ready to talk, please let me-"

"I'm sorry."

Mira was surprised she answered so quickly. "What?"

"I'm sorry I made you mad."

"Zoey, why would you say that?"

The maknae slightly turned her head. "You yelled at me, so it means I did something wrong. I never meant to hurt you, Mira. I-"

"No, stop," Mira said, readjusting herself to face Zoey. "You did nothing to hurt me. You could never intentionally do something to make me mad. I should be the one apologizing because I yelled at you. When Rumi got captured, I lashed out at the Turtles, and you tried to stop me, but I snapped at you instead. If I had listened to you, we could have known where those things took Rumi, and we could have rescued her. It's my fault we're still here and Rumi's in their clutches."

"It's my fault too."

Mira folded her arms. "How?"

"Those mutants… Fishface and Dogpound… they were stronger than most Demons we've faced. The same goes for those Foot Demons. Yes, we beat them, but they were skilled. Both of us tried to protect Rumi, but we failed… I failed."

"Zoey, we both failed. But we can get her back. We just need a plan."

"And what's stopping me from screwing it up?"

"Okay," Mira said bluntly. "Why are you being so hard on yourself all of a sudden?"

"Because I've done a lot of damage lately. If we try to rescue Rumi, I know I will cause us to fail."

"What are you talking about? What damage?"

"For the past three months, all three of us have been happy. We've bonded closer together and become sisters. We've always been that way, but it was the first time we've ever felt like family. Rumi didn't have to hide anymore, and we accepted her as a half-demon. But last week, she started to get self-conscious again."

"If this is about the movie-"

"-I know, that wasn't my fault. I've learned to accept that. But that incident got me thinking about how I hurt Rumi before our vacation. When I wrote the lyrics for Takedown."

Mira halted her next question in order to think about the time they've spent writing a diss track for their competition before the Idol Awards.

A low sigh escaped from her mouth, and she nodded, remembering exactly how it all occurred.

"We were sitting in the studio, struggling to come up with a song, and you started ripping down those Saja Boys posters we had on the walls. That gave Rumi the idea for the song's title, and I came up with the first lyric. Since then, we've been sharing ideas, and they formed into a hateful song. Originally, we wrote it for The Saja Boys and Demons, but it turned out to be about Rumi as well. I remember meeting with her to share ideas, constantly listing a bunch of demon insults I had in my notebook. She approved of a lot of them, but deep down, I was insulting her. Yet she didn't say anything because you and I weren't supposed to find out her secret. Her face said it all back then. She flinched at a few insults I had, and she cringed at others. I didn't know I was hurting her at the time, and like a jerk, I kept fueling that fire."

Zoey paused to sniff and wipe her nose. Her eyes were watering, close to being on the verge of tears. "When we were rehearsing and she tried to change the lyrics, I thought the second verse was the problem, so I thought of changing it to something worse. I got annoyed when she said the whole song was an issue. It was the first time I've ever been mad at her."

She paused again to wipe her nose, feeling more water forming under her eyes. "Then… when the truth got revealed at the Idol Awards, I made her feel worse. She wanted to explain everything, but we wouldn't let her. She told us she was going to do this so we could be together, and what did I say to her? I asked, how can we be together if we couldn't tell her lies from the truths? I hurt her by saying that. To make matters worse, I raised my shin-kals after she tried to plead with me. 'Zoey, please…' those were her last words before I raised my weapons." Mira was about to intervene, but she heard more sniffles and thought it'd be best to wait.

Zoey felt a tear roll down her cheek, but she wiped it so Mira couldn't see it. "I thought those would the only times I hurt her, but… I kept making things worse. The movie was just a coincidence, but it doesn't change the fact she felt horrible watching it. Then, before the concert… I spoke with Rumi backstage and encouraged her to go on without her jacket. I sat there as she confided in us, voicing her pain, and I sat there like a deer in headlights. You did most of the talking, and I sat there… uselessly. Finally, I allowed her to get captured by those mutants while I sat there and did nothing!"

Zoey's voice choked as more tears came down her face. "I did nothing while my best friend got captured! I made her feel worse after trying to make it better! I couldn't prevent Bobby from going to the hospital! I'm part of the reason the tour is canceled! And now, I made you mad by trying to stop you from hurting the Turtles! No matter what I do, I can't make anyone happy!"

Mira leaped in and wrapped the sobbing maknae in a tight hug, feeling her tears drip on top of her sweater. She didn't care as making Zoey better was the most important thing. Zoey wrapped her arms around Mira's chest, feeling her warm body seep into her own. It was tight and comforting, something she really needed right now.

Mira felt horrible as she didn't think Zoey felt this way the whole time. She couldn't imagine what she thought when they sat in the hospital's waiting room and chatted with Bobby.

Zoey's been harping on herself the whole time, and she didn't know.

They kept hugging. Mira gently stroked the back of her Zoey's head with one hand.

Zoey's sobs were muffled as she sank her head into Mira's body, gripping her tightly as the tears flooded down her face.

They stayed like this for a while until Zoey's sobs became softer and her tears dried faster.

Mira held Zoey close to her and whispered softly. "Zoey, I'm going to tell you right now. None of us could've stopped what happened tonight. Rumi getting captured is on both of us. I shouldn't have shouted at you, and I should have listened. If I could take it back, I would… but I can't. What I can do now is listen to anything you have to say. What I want to say to you is this isn't your fault. You've always said that we can get through anything together, and that's exactly what we're going to do. You and I are going to find Rumi, figure out what's going on, and stop these Demons for good. I said some things to the Turtles that I regret, and it's clear they know something about these Demons. Assuming they're still around, we'll work with them to rescue Rumi. If you trust them, then so do I."

Zoey's sobs died down as she lifted herself from Mira's shirt and wiped her teary eyes. She couldn't make eye contact before, but now she could. Both bandmates gazed into each other's eyes, with Mira noticing the maknae's eyes were bloodshot red from all of the crying. Wiping a tear off her cheek, Mira stroked her hand against Zoey's face and leaned into her forehead, giving her the love she needed at the moment.

"I'm sorry that I made you feel this way," Mira spoke gently.

"It's okay," Zoey answered with a single nod. "I'm sorry for not talking to you sooner."

"It's all right," Mira smiled. "I can't imagine what you were thinking about. I'm glad you and I can share this now."

Zoey and Mira got together for a fist-bump followed by another tight hug.

"So… what do we do now?" Zoey asked.

"We'll rest up for a bit," Mira said with a determined smile. "Refocus, and then we'll go find-" she heard a noise from outside and looked.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Rumi?"

Raising an eyebrow, Zoey turned around and gasped.

The purple-haired Hunter, still wearing her Golden costume minus the keychain, slid the window door open and stepped inside.

"Guys!" she greeted with a smile. "Oh, I'm so thankful you're here. I was worried you two got captured by-"

Zoey didn't hesitate to tackle her friend on the floor and wrap her in a tight hug. Crying on her shoulder, the young girl smiled as she pressed her cheek against Rumi's face.

"Whoa, Zoey!" Rumi chuckled.

Mira did the same thing, crying tears of joy.

All three bandmates hugged on the floor as Rumi couldn't help herself and started crying as well. T

ears were everywhere as the bandmates shared a heartfelt reunion.

"Rumi! We missed you!" Zoey cried. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"We were so worried about you," Mira said, resting her head on Rumi's right shoulder. "We… we're sorry we couldn't protect you."

"You guys have nothing to apologize for," Rumi smiled as she wiped her tears away. "Those things took us by surprise. But I'm here now."

"How?" Zoey asked as she released Rumi from the hug. Her arms were still around her body. "Where were you? How did you escape?"

"It wasn't easy," Rumi said as she looked over her shoulder and waved. The door opened again, and four guests arrived. "I got help from my new friends."

Mira and Zoey looked up in shock as they saw all four Ninja Turtles enter the apartment and close the door. They all had grateful smiles on their faces, cherishing the reunion between Huntrix.

Michelangelo giggled and waved to his idols. "Hey, Huntrix."

"You guys again!" Zoey beamed as she ran to the four ninjas and hugged them tightly.

Michelangelo was happy.

Donatello was thankful he wasn't squished to death.

Leonardo kindly returned the embrace.

Meanwhile, Raphael rolled his eyes, "Someone's a little affectionate."

"You guys saved her?" Mira inquired. The ninjas nodded, and guilt struck her heart. She briefly thought back to the moment she called them freaks, and felt nothing but regret. With a nod, she smiled. "Thank you… I mean that."

Raphael was about to make a sarcastic comment about Mira's insult earlier, but he looked at how happy Rumi was and decided not to ruin the moment.

"No problem," he said with arms folded. "Now, are we ever gonna get the reason why Demons are running around?"

"One thing's for certain, they never became ninjas," Mira said. "We were wondering if you can explain that."

"Not until you explain-"

"Hold on, hold on," Rumi said as she got between Raphael and Mira. "We'll explain everything together."

"It's better if we go one at a time," Donatello nodded in agreement. "We'll go first since you we encountered the Foot Clan tonight."

"Rumi, Mira, Zoey," Leonardo said. "What we are about to share is a little complicated, but we're gonna put it as simply as possible."

Huntrix sat on the couch, ready to listen.

The leader cleared his throat before he began, "I'm sure you know this by now. Especially you, Rumi, but the Demons we fought were originally a group of ninjas called the Foot. Their leader is a man named Oroku Saki, better known as The Shredder."

"So, the Foot Clan is real?" Mira nodded.

"You've heard of them before?" Donatello asked.

"Y-yeah. The last time we were in Tokyo, we heard rumors about ninja thieves. They're teenagers if I recall correctly."

"Troubled teenagers, yes," Raphael nodded. "Shredhead thinks they can be easily manipulated."

Mira felt thankful that despite her troubled youth, she was never tempted to join an organization like that.

"Shredder was born and raised in the Foot years ago," Michelangelo explained. "Back then, they had a rival group, who ambushed their home and destroyed them once and for all. But during the battle, somebody discovered Shredder as a baby and took him in. He was raised alongside our Master Splinter."

"What turtle did you say he was again?" Zoey inquired.

"Splinter? Oh, he's not a turtle. He's a rat," Michelangelo smiled.

Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"Let them finish, Zoey," Rumi said politely.

"Being brothers didn't mean they got along well, though," Donatello added. "Splinter and Shredder competed in all kinds of activities; mostly ninja training. But their fiercest competition was the love of a woman. Her name was Tang Shen."

Why does that name sound familiar? Rumi thought to herself.

"Shredder wanted Shen to himself, but she couldn't handle his tempter. He got nasty with her and slowly pushed her away. So, she got engaged to Splinter," Raphael said with folded arms. "They eventually had a baby daughter."

"Shredder despised their relationship," Leonardo told the story. "And around this time, he discovered his true heritage. As an act of revenge, he rebuilt the Foot Clan and decided to win Shen back with force. He attacked Splinter's home and fought him. The battle was intense as the house caught on fire, and both brothers were fighting. Just before Splinter could meet his end, Shen took the blow… and she died. Splinter's daughter was also killed in the fire."

Noticing the somber tone in Leonardo's voice, Huntrix couldn't help but feel for him and their Master Splinter. They wondered how one man could be filled with so much hate. It's no wonder he made a deal with Gwi-Ma.

"Yeah, Shredder's a monster," Michelangelo said.

"Monster isn't enough to describe him, Mikey," Raphael replied.

"The story doesn't end there," Leonardo said. "Sometime later, Splinter moved to New York, attempting to start a new life. This is where we come in, and I'm warning you again, this is where it gets a little complicated."

Huntrix shared a glance with each other and kept listening.

"One day," Leonardo continued. "Splinter came out of a pet store with four baby turtles in a bowl."

"That was us," Michelangelo smiled.

"I think they got that, Mikey," Donatello chuckled sarcastically.

"Oh, oops," he chuckled.

"As I was saying," Leonardo said, grunting at his brothers. "Splinter left the pet store when he bumped into a strange man walking by. He felt something odd about him, so he decided to follow."

"In a dark alleyway, Splinter noticed a deal between the man and another guy who looked just like him," Donatello said. "They were trading these canisters filled with a mysterious ooze called Mutagen."

"Ooze?" Mira chortled. "Are you making this up?"

"Hey, we told you it's a little complicated," Raphael shrugged. "Getting back to it, Splinter spied on the guys before he accidentally stepped on a rat, which gave away his position. The men called for backup and tried to gang up on Splinter."

"Unaware they were in for a major butt kicking!" Michelangelo beamed as he mimicked Splinter's ninja moves. "No, seriously! Splinter was awesome! He was all like hi-ya! And then he was like wa-chaw! And then he did a-"

Raphael yanked his excited brother down and slapped his head.

"He did fight well, yes," Leonardo agreed with a chuckle. "But it didn't take long for the ooze to land on the floor, causing a series of transformations."

"Before we share what happened, let me talk about the mutagen real quick," Donatello said, cracking his fingers. "So, the guys trading it are part of an alien species known as the Kraang. Bear with me, this will all make sense. The Kraang come from another world known as Dimension X, and they've been trying to conquer Earth for a while. They experiment on subjects using Mutagen, which can turn people, animals, and objects into mutants."

"Mutants?" Mira raised an eyebrow. "Aliens? No way this is real."

"Well, we thought Demons weren't real but look where we are," Raphael said.

"How does that work?" Rumi asked. "The mutation process, I mean."

"It's best we give you an example," Donatello replied. "Fishface and Dogpound used to be humans before they came into contact with animals. When they were exposed to the Mutagen, they turned into said animals. If animals were to contact people and get mutated, then they would become humanoid hybrids. Like us."

"So, because you were last in contact with a human, you became human turtle hybrids?" Zoey stroked her chin. "And because Splinter was in last contact with a rat, he turned into… a rat!?"

"Exactly!" Donatello smiled as he patted the confused maknae's shoulder. "Now you're getting it!"

"So, you guys just immediately became teenagers?" Mira asked. "That's a little weird."

"Oh, no. We were still babies," Leonardo shook his head. "Following our mutation, Splinter scooped us up and retreated. He struggled to find a home for us as we kept getting hunted by the Kraang. Eventually, we found the home we have now and became a family."

"Splinter knew we'd have more people hunting us down like the Kraang," Raphael added. "So, he decided to teach us ninjitsu.

"He was not only our father, but our sensei as well," Donatello said.

"Fifteen years later," Michelangelo smiled as he glanced at his three brothers. "Well…here we are."

With a long pause, the mutant brothers allowed the three idols to soak everything in. At first, they had trouble believing the concept of aliens creating a substance that could turn people and animals into mutants.

Zoey was in awe despite some questions, loving the fact that the Turtles and Splinter became a fond family, despite their different species.

Rumi had a bright smile as she shared Zoey's feelings.

As for Mira, she had trouble believing some parts, but she was able to read the Turtles and believe they were telling the truth. It was a natural ability she's always had.

"That was…wow," Zoey said with brightened eyes that shone like stars. "It was pretty obvious when we first met, but you guys are definitely unlike most turtles I know about. Heck, I'd say you're cooler than those turtles."

"Aww," the orange ninja blushed. "Thanks, Zoey."

"So, when did you guys encounter Shredder?" Mira inquired.

"To put that shortly," Donatello explained. "We asked Master Splinter if we could go up to the surface for our fifteenth birthday, or Mutation Day, as we call it. Once we went up there, we got into a fight with the Kraang, who kidnapped a teenage girl and her father. They kept them in a lab, and we rescued them. Since then, they've been our biggest enemies, but sometime later, we fought the Foot Clan."

"Shredder blames Splinter for the death of Shen," Leonardo added. "So, he wants to destroy him and us."

"Wait a second, he blames your father for something he did?" Zoey asked, surprisingly. She grunted in annoyance and shrugged.

"Wow, someone's petty," Mira said.

"Shredder's been one of our biggest enemies since our first encounter," the leader continued. "The last time he attacked, he tricked Splinter into thinking he captured a friend of ours and lured him to his lair. The two had a big fight, and Splinter retreated. While that was happening, my brothers and I were fighting the Kraang, who were planning to terraform Earth into a new Dimension X."

"For some brief context," Donatello stated. "Our friend was being hunted by the Kraang because they believed she had the power to assist in their invasion. The Foot Clan captured her and handed her to the Kraang. According to her father, they formed an alliance."

"Wait a second," Zoey held out her hand as a realization kicked in. "During our last world tour, we came to New York and heard a lot of rumors about monsters and robots running around. All of those rumors are true!?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Oh, my gosh! Were you guys ever exposed!?"

"Not really. We're ninjas, so we have been doing a good job sticking to the shadows."

"Not counting the jerk who got us on video that one time," Raphael retorted. "We fixed it, but it still happened."

"Oh, yeah. I remember Vic," Michelangelo chuckled. "I wonder how that fat spider is doing."

"Point is, the Foot Clan's been quiet since the Kraang's last invasion," Leonardo said to Huntrix. "Tonight is the first time we've seen them since, but they did not have anything to do with Demons before."

"Okay," Rumi finally spoke as she rubbed her chin. "Part of this makes more sense now. Shredder has a hatred for you and Splinter, and you guys have been fighting crime since you turned fifteen. He's been quiet since your last battle, leading me to believe he's been working with Gwi-Ma."

"That would make sense," Donatello nodded. "He didn't have those patterns before."

"Speaking of which, I think it's time we hear your side of the story," Raphael said, holstering his weapon.

"You're right, Raph," Rumi replied with a nod. "It's time the four of you knew the truth. But first, would you mind if I got changed? I need some time to think about what I want to share. The things I have to say are… hard for me."

"Go ahead, Rumi," Leonardo answered. "We'll wait here."

She smiled before she walked into her room and closed the door.

"I hope we get an answer on the whole half-demon thing," Michelangelo said as he rubbed his head. "I'm still having trouble following that."

"Oh, you guys know?" Mira inquired.

"We learned it from Fishface and Dogpound," Michelangelo answered again. "How long have you two known about this?"

"Not for long. Three months."

The Turtles expressed their shock.

"Three months!?" Michelangelo gasped as he slammed both hands against his cheeks.

"Why didn't she tell you guys sooner?" Donatello inquired as he sat on the sofa.

Mira looked at Zoey before replying, "It's better if Rumi's the one to share it. She'll probably do most of the talking because most of the story relates to her."

The Turtles shared a worrisome glance before they nodded in unison. Everyone waited for Rumi to come out so they could get an explanation.

While the Turtles and Huntrix continue to wait patiently, Karai was doing the same thing on a rooftop far from her destination. With a pair of advanced binoculars, she stared at the Wolf Hotel and saw X-rays of her targets. Her infrared vision was green, and her targets had red and yellow outlines, symbolizing their heat signatures.

Mira stood beside Leonardo and Raphael, whereas Zoey chatted with the other Turtles on the couch. The only one missing was Rumi, but Karai assumed she was here because of the fact that her enemies were present.

Keeping a close eye on her targets, she reached for her communicator and spoke, "Xever, do you copy?"

"I read you loud and clear," Fishface replied.

"Are you in position?"

"Yes, we are."

"Good, stand by and wait for my signal," Karai said as she switched channels. "Bradford, do you copy?"

"I copy, Karai," Dogpound replied. "Just say the word and I'll jump in. I owe some of those Hunters a headache."

Karai nodded as she placed the communicator back in her pocket, continuing to observe her enemies.

Rumi came out of the bathroom wearing the same clothes as her two friends, except she opted for longer sleeves.

She walked into the main room and saw everyone waiting for her with warm smiles. Except Raphael, who just wanted to get some answers.

Sitting between her bandmates, Rumi leaned against the couch and noticed everyone's warm welcome.

"Hey, how was your shower?" Zoey asked with a pillow sitting on her body.

"It was nice," Rumi replied with a yawn. "Definitely needed."

She cracked her fingers and leaned forward, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I've done a lot of thinking and I'm ready to share. Turtles, what I'm about to share is also complicated. However, my friends and I are going to explain everything as best as we can."

The four Turtles shared a glance before they nodded.

"Finally," Raphael said. "Let's see what you've got."

Chapter Text

Explaining everything to Irma was difficult to April. Not to her surprise, she had a lot of questions she wanted answered.

"Why did your friend jump on stage to save Rumi?"

"Why was he carrying weapons?"

"Who are your secret friends?"

"What more are you not telling me?"

Deep down, April wanted to answer all of the questions Irma had, but she couldn't break the Turtles' trust. They're mutants that need to be kept secret from society.

There have been instances where people have seen them, but it was either on accident or intentional in order to succeed in the mission. Besides, April and Kirby were the only humans the Turtles trusted the most. Breaking that would be worse than anything else.

That's what April thought as she walked into the sewer lair to check in on Splinter. In her hand was her T-Phone which had several missed calls to her four friends. The last she heard was that they were heading to Shredder's lair to rescue Rumi, but they haven't called her back to explain how the mission went.

April knew of the Turtles' battles against Shredder. She was there when they came home the first night they fought him. Their cuts, bruises, and scrapes were sights she could never forget. Shivers ran down her spine when they came home injured from their battle, explaining that Shredder was the toughest enemy they've ever faced.

Part of her was worried they'll meet the same fate tonight; however, she tried her best to keep a positive mindset.

After taking a deep breath, she focused her mind on the present and called out a name.

"Master Splinter!?"

The brown rat exited the dojo and noticed the teenage girl alone. His eyes lit up with concern as he walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"April? What are you doing here alone? Where are my sons?"

She scratched the back of her head and sighed. "It's… a long story. There was trouble at the concert tonight."

"Trouble?" Splinter raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

April took a deep breath before she said, "Shredder is back."

Back at the Wolf Hotel, the Turtles were ready to hear Huntrix's side of the story.

Rumi exchanged nods with Mira and Zoey before she began, "For many centuries, Demons have haunted our world and terrorized the innocent, stealing souls and channeling strength back to their king… Gwi-Ma, who lives in another world known as the Demon Realm."

Mira folded her arms. "No Hunter's ever seen him before. To our knowledge anyway. The three of us confronted him when he attacked Namsan Tower months ago. He's unlike any creature I've seen before. He's like a giant wall of fire with soulless eyes and a mouth."

"That's… ominous," Michelangelo gulped.

Rumi nodded. "Demons would come up to our world and use human souls to feed Gwi-Ma's strength. With enough power, Gwi-Ma would make his way here and destroy everything as we know it. Demons have done this for a long time until one night, his forces were hindered by a trio of mudang."

"What?" Donatello scratched his head.

"It's Korean for female shaman," Michelangelo replied. "They hold rituals called gut for everyone's well-being."

"You must know a lot about Korean culture," Zoey said with a bright smile.

"I may have done a little research while listening to your songs," the turtle chuckled.

"Mikey… doing research?" his hotheaded brother raised an eyebrow. "Tonight's getting weird."

"Can you guys let her finish?" their leader grunted. "Sorry, Rumi. Please continue."

"The mudang rose to defend their home from the Demons, wielding weapons and voices powerful enough to push them back to where they came from," Rumi resumed. "They sang songs filled with courage and hope, demonstrating that the power of music can bring anyone together. With this, they conjured the original Honmoon: a magical shield that surrounds the world, preventing Demons from hurting innocent people."

"Wait, you're telling me magic songs kept these things at bay?" Raphael inquired. "That's… weird."

"Not as weird as alien robots and mutating slime," Mira remarked dryly.

"Hey! It wasn't slime! It was ooze!"

"Can you two not do this?" Zoey grunted.

Raphael and Mira shared a brief glare before nodding, apologizing for their interruption.

"So, the Honmoon is a magic barrier that separates the Demon Realm from our world," Donatello recapped with the stroke of his chin. "Interesting. Is this public knowledge or is it something only Hunters know about?

"Just us," Zoey replied. "It might be documented in some mythologies, which could explain how Shredder knows about us, but we're not sure. Speaking of Hunters, the original Hunters weren't the only ones keeping the Honmoon safe. For generations to come, there's always been a group of Demon Hunters chosen to maintain it. Since the first incarnation, every team has had one goal and that's to create a Golden Honmoon, which is the barrier at its peak form. With it, Gwi-Ma will be permanently cut off, and he won't consume any more souls."

"Could the Foot Demons be here because the Honmoon isn't gold?"

"I wish it were that simple, Donatello," Rumi replied. "But there's more to the story."

"Oh?"

"The three of us were chosen by a member of the previous generation, the Sunlight Sisters. Celine in particular assembled us together to carry on the Hunters' legacy."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Michelangelo said, waving his hands up and down. "The Sunlight Sisters were Hunters, too? Guys, that's the same group Master Splinter listened to. If I remember correctly, your mother was part of that group, wasn't she, Rumi?"

"Yes, Michelangelo. My mother, Mi-yeong Ryu. She passed away after I was born, so Celine took me under her care. Eventually, she found Mira and Zoey and brought us together to become Huntrix. Ever since our formation, we've been determined to carry out her wish for a Golden Honmoon."

"When you guys came together, how did you react to the concept of Hunters and Demons?" Leonardo asked with arms folded.

"It wasn't easy for us to believe, that's for sure," Mira chuckled. "I thought Celine was full of it until I saw what she talked about with my own eyes. It was creepy."

"Same here," Zoey replied. "That's when we knew she was telling the truth."

"Celine always told me stories of my mother," Rumi added. "How she was the greatest Hunter she's ever known. She was also the one who nearly broke the code."

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo asked.

"Michelangelo. Do you remember when you, Leonardo, and I were on the roof fighting Dogpound and Fishface? They mentioned something about me being a half-demon," Rumi asked as she slowly lifted up her sleeve, showing off her muted blue patterns. "That's all true. I am half-demon, half-human."

The Turtles got together and stared at her patterns. They didn't get too close as they feared making her uncomfortable, so they kept their distance and analyzed every detail. They were a soft lilac blue and looked like crystals, making the Turtles wonder why they didn't match the curvy ones carried by the Foot Demons.

"How did that happen?" Donatello inquired.

"My mother was a human, and my father was a Demon," Rumi answered, rolling her white sleeve back down. "Their love was forbidden, but it didn't stop them from seeing each other. My mother died when I was born, and I don't know what happened to my father. I'm assume he was killed. When my mom passed away, Celine promised to train me to be a Hunter just like my mother."

"Mira and Zoey told us they didn't know about your patterns until three months ago," Raphael spoke. "Is there a reason why you didn't tell them prior?"

"Celine… made me cover them and forbid me from telling anyone," Rumi answered with her head turned away. "Especially Mira and Zoey."

"Which meant we couldn't spend much time with her personally," Zoey added. "There were times we wanted her to come to the bathhouse with us, but she always refused. We didn't understand it back then, but now, we know everything."

"Celine would force me to stay in solitude and focus on my training," Rumi said as she rolled her sleeves up and looked at them again. "They didn't look like this originally. They were purple just like the ones on the Foot Demons. They were scary and symbolized dark emotions. Every Demon we've fought has those patterns. It's how Gwi-Ma makes you into one of his slaves. If you carry his mark, your will belongs to him."

"Then I'm surprised Shredder would make a deal like that," Leonardo said, pressing a finger against his chin. "For as long as we've known him, he's never made deals with anyone. He must be desperate if he's willing to trade his life away for power."

"Rumi, have you ever heard his voice?" Michelangelo asked, kneeling down to her level. "Since you're… well, you know."

"No, thankfully," the singer shook her head. "And I hope I never do."

"How did you stop him months back? Did you create a Golden Honmoon?"

"I suppose we should get to that part of the story," Zoey said to her friends, who agreed and listened to her begin the story. "When we came home from our last world tour, we had a final performance. During it, we saw branches of gold in the Honmoon. It meant we were getting close to achieving our goal."

"Hold on, was that the show where you flew down from the sky?" the orange turtle asked with glee. "That was awesome! Especially that part where the guy in the Demon suit exploded into-wait…" He cupped both hands over his face. "Was that a real Demon!?"

"Yup," the maknae chuckled. "But everyone else thought it was a special effect."

"Once we saw the gold, we knew exactly what we needed to do," Rumi smiled lightly. "Release the one song that would complete our mission. I'm sure you can infer what that song was."

"No way," Michelangelo said as his eyes shone like sparkles. "It all makes sense now! Golden is a symbol of a Golden Honmoon! That's so dope!"

"Not only that, but it was meant to celebrate us," Mira smiled. "It was a way we could share our story with the world and become closer as a family."

"We were supposed to release it after a two-week break, but someone got a little too eager," Zoey smirked as she teased the lead singer. She and Mira both grinned at her as she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Come on, we were so close at the time," Rumi chuckled. "I had to."

"You dragged us away from the couch, made us change out of our pajamas, and forced us to do promo stuff overnight," Mira folded her arms, keeping the grin.

"Your point?"

The Turtles laughed at Huntrix's banter.

"With Golden releasing, we knew it was time to complete our mission at the time," said the pink-haired woman before her face morphed into a frown. "But Gwi-Ma had other plans."

"Can we assume you guys have heard of the Saja Boys?" Zoey asked.

"Unfortunately," Michelangelo sighed. "Those guys were the most generic, overrated, talentless, cookie-cutter group I've ever listened to. When that stupid soda song came out, I hated it from the start."

"Then you'd be happy to know that was all a ruse by Gwi-Ma to steal our fans and turn them against us."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Leonardo asked.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Donatello's pupils enlarged.

"Yup," Zoey nodded. "The Saja Boys were Demons."

"WHAT!?" The four Turtles gasped at the same time.

"How's that possible? How did they disguise themselves as humans?" the leader gasped before noticing a glare from his little brother. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You and Donnie were listening to Soda Pop earlier today," he huffed with arms curled into each other.

"We didn't know they were Demons at the time!" Donatello retorted. "We were just messing with you, Mikey!"

"Tsk, tsk. I disown you from the family, Donatello."

"Ugh," the genius facepalmed after rolling his eyes.

"Guess your claim about them breaking you up wasn't a gossip after all," said the red-band turtle. "But how the heck did that transpire?"

"We're getting to that," Mira answered. "We first saw the Saja Boys when we were coming back from the doctor's office. They had a free concert in the middle of town and performed Soda Pop. Dozens of fans enjoyed it, and it became a huge hit."

"Did you know they were Demons at first sight?" Leonardo asked.

"Not when we first met in the alleyway," Zoey replied. "During their performance, their patterns showed for a brief second. Nobody else noticed except for us. That was when we figured out their plan. Gwi-Ma sent them to turn the fans against us. With their talent, they'd lure everyone to Gwi-Ma, where he would consume their souls and generate power, meaning the Honmoon wouldn't have enough energy to keep the Demons away."

"The Saja Boys caused a handful of problems for us, and they planned to compete at the Idol Awards," Rumi spoke up again. "That show was the one time we'd seal the Honmoon for the whole year. With the Saja Boys competing, we feared we wouldn't stand a chance. That was when we decided to turn the tide of battle; we needed to write a new song. A song that would expose the Saja Boys for who they really were. That song… was called Takedown."

Mira and Zoey shared a nervous glance, remembering the pain Rumi felt when they wrote that song together. It was a song they never enjoyed talking about after learning the truth, but they figured they'd have to share it with their new allies.

Speaking of which, the Turtles remembered watching the performance of Takedown at the Idol Awards during lunch today. Everyone except Raphael thought the song was unlike anything Huntrix put out before; they felt like it didn't fit their brand.

Michelangelo especially felt this way, so he was shocked to hear it was an intentional song. "The song that almost broke you guys up? You said in your interviews that it wasn't supposed to be at the Idol Awards, but now, you're telling us it was? Am I missing something here?"

"Trust us, Michelangelo," Mira said. "This will all make sense."

"We've spent weeks composing Takedown," Rumi resumed. "Zoey worked on the lyrics, Mira did the choreography, and I… I…" she hesitated to share before she mustered the courage to do so. "I kept trying to change the song. We wrote it as a diss track to not only the Saja Boys, but to Gwi-Ma himself. The more I read the lyrics, the more I thought about myself. I thought about how I lied to my best friends for years, and how Celine always told me my patterns should never be seen."

Rumi paused for a moment before she spoke the lyrics, "So sweet, so easy on the eyes. But hideous on the inside. Whole like spreading lies, but you can't hide. Baby, nice try."

Mira and Zoey's hearts sank to hear that song again, especially from Rumi's mouth.

"I'm 'bout to switch up these vibes. I finally opened my eyes. It's time to kick you straight back into the night."

The Turtles shared the sentiment as they watched Rumi clench her heart the more she spoke. Her voice was shaking, and her hands were trembling.

Despite that, she kept talking. Part of her almost sang, but she held back. "'Cause I see your real face and it's ugly as sin. Time to put you in your place 'cause you're rot-"

"STOP!"

Cutting her off mid-sentence, Zoey dove into Rumi's stomach and wrapped her arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace. Her eyes were filled with water again as tears spilled down her cheeks. With silent sobs, Zoey buried her face into Rumi's chest and shook her head.

"Don't say those things about yourself… please."

Rumi realized what she was doing and quickly hugged the maknae back, wiping her tears away with her thumb. The patterns on her face turned bright blue the longer she hugged her friend. "I'm sorry, Zoey."

"Takedown was meant to hurt the Saja Boys," Mira said, turning to the quartet. "But instead, it harmed us. So, we decided to scrap the song in favor of Golden."

"Before we talk about what happened at the Idol Awards, I need to share another secret I've kept from everyone," Rumi said, rubbing Zoey's back. The Turtles listened carefully before the Hunter inhaled and said, "My alliance with Jinu."

The Turtles widened their eyes.

"Your what?" Michelangelo asked.

"I promise you, Michelangelo. This will all make sense," Rumi said. "We attempted to kill the Saja Boys after they appeared on a game show, but they caught us and invited us as guests. When the show ended, we confronted them in a bathhouse, but they ambushed us with Water Demons. Jinu and I were fighting until he scratched my arm. Before I could finish him off, he noticed my patterns and… he covered them before Mira and Zoey could see them."

"He covered them?" Donatello said with an eyebrow raised. "What for?"

"I'm not sure… but I was glad he did that. My secret would have exposed that night, which would have led to worse trouble."

Mira and Zoey shared a sorrowful glance. The latter kept hugging her friend, holding her tightly. Rumi hugged her back, resting her chin on her head.

"So, what happened next?" asked Leonardo.

"Jinu wrote to me when I got home. Derpy and Sussie were his pets originally, so he sent them to give me a letter saying he wanted to meet me. I was reluctant, but I accepted his invitation. From there, he taught me that there's more to Demons than what Celine taught us. We always believed Demons don't feel anything, but that isn't true. They feel their shame, their misery. Both of those are how Gwi-Ma controls them. He also asked me if I heard Gwi-Ma's voice, and I said no. Ever since I was born, I've never once heard him."

The Turtles shared a glance, soaking all of that in.

Rumi cleared her throat before continuing. "Jinu then shared his backstory with me. Four hundred years ago, he grew up poor with his mother and little sister. In an attempt to make money, he would sing and play music on the streets. Sadly, he was ignored by everyone. That was when he heard Gwi-Ma's voice. In exchange for his services, Gwi-Ma would grant Jinu everything he wanted. So, a deal was made. His singing voice got better, and he was loved by everyone. He was so loved, the emperor himself asked him to come stay in the palace where he'd be fed and cared for."

"What happened to his family?" Raphael inquired. "He brought them along too, right?"

"He wanted to… but he couldn't," Rumi shook her head. "They wouldn't allow him to bring them in, so…" She closed her eyes as she thought back to the day she was told everything. "…he left them."

"He betrayed them just like that?" Raphael said again with a shocked expression. He clenched his sai and put it back in his belt. "Yeah, he definitely seems like a swell guy."

"I don't think he had a choice, Raph," Michelangelo said. "Back then, you couldn't reject the emperor's requests. If Jinu did, he would have been killed, and his family would be dishonored."

"And how would you know that?"

"Like I said, dude. Research."

"Can I assume you had more meetings with Jinu?" Leonardo asked the purple-haired Hunter.

"Yes," she nodded. "We started having secret meetings. During those, I started to learn more about him, and the shame Demons live with every day. I used to think they were mindless monsters bent on feeding power to Gwi-Ma, but in reality, some of them are scared. They're prisoners who had no choice but to give Gwi-Ma their lives. Jinu regretted what he did back then. He promised to lead the Saja Boys to victory in exchange for those memories to go away. He didn't want to live with the pain anymore."

"It sounds like Jinu, despite being a Demon, had some humanity left in him," Donatello noted. "Were the other Saja Boys that way?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "Jinu spoke a bit about them. He recruited them in the Demon Realm, and they formed a band. He doesn't know what their stories were; he assumes they were failed K-pop idols who couldn't make it. I asked if there's humanity left within them, but from what I've been told, it sounds like they're too far gone."

Mira and Zoey took a moment to soak that in. They remembered Rumi telling them this three months ago, yet they wondered what life would have been like if they saved Jinu and the other Saja Boys. They thought about them being human and living normal lives and/or training to become fellow Hunters. The latter seemed doubtful, but they couldn't help but tickle the thought.

"I kept this a secret from Mira and Zoey obviously," Rumi stated. "As I got to know more about Demons, I started questioning Takedown as a song. Of course, I couldn't share the real reason at the time. My last meeting with Jinu was before the Idol Awards. I asked if he could help us win and in exchange, I'd help him break free from Gwi-Ma's control. At first, he seemed doubtful, but… after we sang together, he realized there might be hope after all. So… this leads us to the Idol Awards."

"On that night, we were in the dressing room rehearsing when Bobby came in. He were told the Saja Boys were fighting backstage, so we got to perform first," Mira said.

"We were on stage together before Rumi sang her solo," Zoey said as she released Rumi and wiped her face.

Rumi nodded and continued, "Mira and Zoey were backstage waiting to sing the remainder with me, but then… something happened. Right in the middle of the last verse, the lights went out. I thought it was just a small power outage, but then… I heard Takedown. I was wondering why it was put back in, but before I could do anything, the song began. As a K-pop idol, you need to adapt to the unexpected, so I followed the choreography just like we rehearsed it."

"Mira and I were backstage when the song played," Zoey said. "Once we heard it, we knew something was wrong, so we rushed to save Rumi."

"While that was happening, I was singing and dancing on stage with Mira and Zoey, who were actually two Demons dressed as them. Turns out, the Saja Boys tapped into the system and found Takedown's file."

"So, you were telling the truth," Raphael said. "Your break-up was caused by the Saja Boys."

"Mostly, yes," Mira nodded. "We couldn't tell the public who they really were, so we exaggerated the truth."

"The Demons sang the lyrics right to my face," Rumi nodded with a face of sorrow. "I didn't know they were disguises at the time, so I assumed Mira and Zoey had found out the truth behind me. I started freaking out the more they sang. They pushed me around and pulled my jacket off, exposing my patterns. From there, they got close to me and said… we see what you are… you're a Demon… a mistake… you have been since the day you were born."

"Wait, why were you two so far backstage?" Donatello asked, motioning to both bandmates.

"We were also fooled by the Demons," Zoey replied. "We thought they kidnapped Bobby, so they tricked us into leaving the stage to chase them. They needed enough time to get to Rumi."

"So, what happened when you guys got to the stage itself?" Michelangelo inquired.

"By the time we got there, the song ended, and we heard a scream. It was Rumi, and we were worried she got hurt." Mira folded her arms, feeling guilt strike her heart like a spear. "The Demons were gone, and Rumi was on stage… Zoey and I saw her patterns, and we were shocked. She rushed backstage, and we followed her. From there…" She closed her eyes and winced. "We did something we shouldn't have."

"You didn't try to kill her, did you?" Raphael asked with concern.

"No… but we raised our weapons at her."

"Why the-"

"Raph, don't get aggressive," Leonardo warned.

"I'm not gonna get aggressive, I'm just confused. Rumi's your best friend and the first thing you do is aim your weapons at her?"

"They had every right to," Rumi retorted, taking everyone by surprise. "I tried to explain everything, but I couldn't get the words out. My stuttering caused them to believe I had betrayed them in favor of Jinu, and when I tried to talk, I screamed. Whenever I would scream, a pink ripple would come out and weaken the Honmoon. Mira and Zoey noticed that. So, they did what they had to-"

"No!" Zoey barked, spooking the half-demon. "I'm sorry to shout, Rumi! But no! That does not excuse what we did! Raphael's right, you're our best friend, and the first thing we did was treat you like every other Demon! I hate that we did that to you. We should have allowed you to explain!"

"Zoey," Mira said, trying to calm her down.

But the maknae's eyes watered once more. "You tried to plead with me, Rumi, and I… I… I…" She huffed and puffed, feeling her chest clench tightly. Her heart pounded against her stomach as her throat dried up.

Coughing, Zoey felt more tears down her cheeks as she covered both eyes with her hands. Sobbing quietly, she was pulled into a hug thanks to Rumi and Mira, who circled her and grasped her firmly.

"Zoey," Rumi said. "Zoey, I'm here… we're here."

Mira rested her chin on Zoey's head as the young girl buried her face into Rumi's chest again, sobbing into her white sweater.

The Turtles stood in silence as they watched the group comfort each other. Never before had they ever seen a musical group show so much love and affection, but they also didn't expect such turmoil. At first, they were surprised by Mira and Zoey's actions during the Idol Awards and expected them to make excuses; however, it was clear that both were filled with regret, and they didn't like the fact that Rumi tried to justify their actions.

Michelangelo felt a tear drop down his face, and he wiped it, not wanting his brothers to see. However, Leonardo and Donatello noticed, so they stood up and placed their hands on his shoulders. Michelangelo looked at both of them with watery eyes as he glanced at Huntrix, hearing Zoey's heartbreaking sobs.

Raphael was the most shocked. Normally, he'd make sardonic remarks whenever somebody was miserable, but this time, he didn't do that. He couldn't, not after what he just heard. He always thought Huntrix was just another music group with members who acted close on stage, but didn't hang out much behind the scenes. But after doing some research, he found that Huntrix was more than just a K-pop trio. As mentioned, they were family. He turned to his brothers and made a low sigh, feeling thankful to have them by his side. He recalled times they pushed him over the edge, but in some of those cases, he overreacted and lashed out. However, he knew he'd never attempt to hurt them the same way Mira and Zoey hurt Rumi that night. If he were to, he knew he'd be just like Mira and Zoey and regret his actions.

Speaking of which, Zoey stopped crying and pulled away, noticing wet marks on Rumi's sweater. She was about to rub them off and apologize, but Rumi gave an assuring smile and gently pushed her hand away. Mira had both arms wrapped around Zoey's body, imitating Rumi's expression. Zoey looked at both of them and nodded, thanking them for the comfort.

"Sorry about that, guys," Zoey said as she turned to the Turtles.

"Don't be," said Raphael. "It's clear you three love each other… and you hate what happened that night."

Huntrix nodded in agreement.

"So, what happened next?" Leonardo asked.

"I ran away," Rumi replied. "I needed to talk to Jinu and ask what happened. I saw him standing with the disguised Demons, and I found out he was responsible for everything that went down."

"So, he betrayed you?" Raphael raised an eyebrow. "Why? Was he lying to you the whole time?"

"No," Rumi shook her head. "I knew he was genuine, but… I guess Gwi-Ma got to him. He must've threatened him after finding out about our plan."

"Meanwhile, Mira and I noticed the Honmoon was getting worse," Zoey sniffed, wiping her bloodshot eyes. "Not because of Rumi, but because of the Saja Boys. They tricked our fans into thinking Huntrix was breaking up. All of that despair allowed Gwi-Ma to get into their heads… including ours. He told me I was too much, but not enough. I didn't belong anywhere."

"I was told I didn't get to have a family," Mira added. "Nor did I deserve one."

The Turtles exchanged depressing glances.

"So, what did you do, Rumi?" Leonardo asked, turning to the lead singer, who was nervous about answering, took a deep breath, and said a name.

"Celine."

Mira and Zoey widened their eyes, knowing this part of the story didn't go like it should have.

"I went to Jeju Island, where I saw Celine looking at the fractured Honmoon," Rumi resumed, pressing both hands against her knees. "I told her what happened. How Zoey and Mira found out the truth and how I shattered the Honmoon. I blamed myself for everything, so… I wanted her to do what she should have done a long time ago."

The Turtles gasped.

"No way," Donatello said.

"Why would you…" Raphael muttered.

"Rumi," Leonardo said. "I-"

"But she didn't, right?" Michelangelo responded quickly. He got down on one knee and held Rumi's hand. "She gave you the courage you needed, and you fought Gwi-Ma, right? She's your mentor, so that's what she did. Y-yeah! You said she made you hide this whole time, so upon seeing you so broken, she must've realized her mistake and apologized. Then, she gave you the wisdom you needed, you rekindled with Mira and Zoey, you three worked together, and kicked Gwi-Ma's butt!"

A smile appeared on the turtle's face, which made Rumi feel bad about breaking it.

"No, Michelangelo."

His face dropped. "Huh?"

"I thought she was going to apologize when she spoke about the promise she made to my mother, but instead, she told exactly what she's told me for years. To hide. To cover up my patterns until we could fix everything," Rumi replied, snarling as she continued. "She wanted to tell Mira and Zoey that it was an illusion conducted by Gwi-Ma to break us apart! She wanted me to lie just like I've done all of this time!"

Noticing the high octave in her voice, Rumi quickly calmed down before she potentially repeated history; she didn't want to rupture the Honmoon again. Thankfully, she looked at it and saw it retained its new color. With a sigh of relief, she looked at her concerned friends. "My apologies. I… didn't mean to get frustrated."

"It's all right," Raphael replied. "Sometimes, it's good to let it out."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Mira nodded in agreement.

"So, Celine told you to hide again?" Michelangelo inquired, sounding disappointed. "Who does she think she is? I thought she was going to be like Master Splinter and help out, but no. She just told you to lie again? That's cruel!"

"She was just following what she's been taught her whole life," Rumi said. "Does that excuse her actions? Of course not. But I knew at that moment, I needed to do what was right." She paused for a moment to relax her palms and take a deep breath. "I went to Namsan Tower, where I saw the Saja Boys performing a song. Gwi-Ma was there, and he was preparing to eat everyone's souls. Just before the song ended, I arrived and confronted Gwi-Ma by doing the one thing I did best… sing."

The Turtles were curious to hear the rest of the story.

Rumi noticed the turtle's excitement and shared his smile. "I got Mira and Zoey out of their trances, and we all sang together. In the process, the Honmoon started to get its power back. Only it wasn't gold like it was supposed to be, it was something else… something better. We continued singing until we defeated the Saja Boys and got our fans to come together."

"Using their power," Zoey spoke, finally smiling after feeling somber for a while. "We did exactly what Michelangelo said, kick Gwi-Ma's butt." The orange turtle smiled when she said that.

"Once the Saja Boys were defeated," Mira added, sharing everyone's current emotion. "We combined our powers together and created a new Honmoon, sealing Gwi-Ma back to where he belonged."

"Only this Honmoon wasn't gold," Rumi nodded. "It was rainbow."

"What makes it different than the Golden Honmoon?" Donatello asked with intrigue.

"Gold was supposed to suppress our faults and fears completely," Rumi replied. "The new Honmoon represents acceptance of those faults and how everyone should be accepted, no matter who or what they are. It's a better Honmoon," Rumi felt the presence of both friends left and right. Both wrapped their arms around her shoulders, and she hugged them by their stomachs. Leaning in close, she embraced both of them before finishing the story, "And we don't have to hide anymore."

The Turtles had bright smiles as they shared glances, soaking in everything they just heard.

They knew the story was going to be complicated, but they didn't expect it to be this complex. The concept of Demons was strange to them, but after hearing what they were told, they still felt that way, but accepted it more.

They were the same folks who fought alien robots and assorted mutants, so Demons being thrown into the mix wasn't too absurd; however, they never imagined it would have this kind of explanation.

They remembered being sad when Huntrix was on the verge of breaking up due to secrets being exposed, so they, especially Michelangelo, were relieved it all worked out in the end. Leonardo patted his little brother's shoulder as Raphael stood beside Donatello, sharing a smile and a glance.

All four ninja looked at the singing trio, feeling happy that they stuck together through the hard times. It reminded them of how they did the same thing.

"Wow… that was a lot," Raphael chuckled, causing everyone else to do the same. "You weren't kidding when you said this went deep."

"We warned you," Mira teased.

"I thought our story would be the deepest one here, but I think you girls have us beat. Holy cow," Donatello joked.

"So, what happened after Gwi-Ma was defeated?" Leonardo asked, unfolding one arm. "What happened to Jinu?"

"Jinu… sacrificed himself to save me," Rumi said with sorrow. "He came around at the end and gave me his soul. It went into my saingeom and gave it an upgrade."

The Turtles were surprised to hear about Jinu's sacrifice. They didn't like how he betrayed Rumi at the Idol Awards, but they were happy he came around near the end even if it costed his life.

"After we stopped Gwi-Ma, we decided to take a break," Zoey answered. "So, we took three months off. During that time… it felt like we were starting to become a family. I mean, we were always family, but because Rumi didn't have to hide anymore, we… got closer."

Rumi nodded in agreement, rolling up her sleeve to show her patterns. "My patterns' color changed from purple to blue. I thought that with the Golden Honmoon, they'd disappear forever. But now… I'm mostly accepting of them. There's been some hardships here and there, but I have a good support circle." She turned to Zoey and Mira during that. "During those times, I felt free. Free to express my true self… my full self."

"Then why do you still cover your patterns?" Raphael asked.

Rumi was taken aback by that question, but she sighed and stroked her right arm. "Like I said… mostly accepting."

"So, I would assume there haven't been any Demon issues since you created the new Honmoon?" Donatello said, watching Huntrix shake their heads.

"No," Mira answered. "Things have been quiet. We thought the new Honmoon did the job, but… tonight proved otherwise. Although whenever I looked at it, it was still rainbow. There were no pink ripples or anything, so I'm wondering how the Foot Demons were able to bypass it."

"So, if the Honmoon is okay, then how is Shredder in cahoots with Gwi-Ma?" Raphael asked with a shrug.

"I think I know how," Rumi replied. "When I broke out of the dungeon and snuck through Shredder's hideout, I saw a room with a glowing light. I went inside and saw Shredder talking to a scientist named Baxter Stockman. They talked about how they stole technology from the Kraang and used it to build a machine. It opened a portal to the Demon Realm, and four Demons stepped out. They were the Saja Boys."

"What!?" Mira and Zoey exclaimed.

"No way!" said the latter.

"I thought we killed those guys!" added the former.

"That's what I thought too," Rumi said. "But I guess they recovered. Whenever we slay Demons, we don't actually kill them. They just get sent back to the Demon Realm."

"That means those stupid abs are back," Mira snarled. "Grrr! I hate abs!"

"Wait a second, did you just say Baxter Stockman?" Donatello inquired as Rumi nodded. He turned to his brothers and said, "He's working with the Foot Clan again? And did you say Shredder stole from the Kraang?"

"Yes," Rumi replied.

"That's weird," Michelangelo stroked his chin. "Last time we checked, Kraang and Shredder were working together. It was how they brought April to that giant ship thing. I wonder why they stopped working together."

"Maybe Shredder found Gwi-Ma to be more attractive," Raphael quipped.

"How the heck did Shredder get Baxter Stockman back on his side?" Leonardo questioned. "He betrayed them."

"Another one of your enemies?" Zoey raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," nodded the blue leader. "Long story short, Baxter Stockman used to work for TCRI before he was fired. He's… a little on the sensitive side; he was bullied a lot and became a supervillain. Well, he tried to. He was a failure before he got strong. There was a time he used these robots called Mousers to steal from a crime group called the Purple Dragons. Dogpound caught him and brought him to Shredder, who thought his talents would be useful. One time, Baxter worked with Fishface and Dogpound and trapped us in a Maze of Doom. Yes, that's what it was called. It wasn't just meant for us; it was meant for them as well. Baxter got tired of being picked on, so he thought he could kill all six of us. Unfortunately for him, we escaped and beat him in a fight. Since then, Baxter resigned from the Foot Clan."

"Shredder said he was the only one who knew how to work with the Kraang's technology," Rumi stated. "He also said that if Baxter stuck around, he'd get a taste of Gwi-Ma's power."

"Seems like everyone in the Foot Clan wants that," Michelangelo noted. "Well, now we know how Shredder was able to access the Demon Realm. But there's one thing that doesn't make sense: why does Gwi-Ma want you, Rumi?"

"I have a theory," Donatello pointed a finger as he stood up and paced back and forth. "Based on everything we learned, Rumi's voice can either make or break the Honmoon. So, with that logic in mind, Gwi-Ma sees value in her."

"Meaning he wants her to destroy what we created," Mira's eyes opened with realization.

"Exactly."

Shivers were sent down Rumi's spine after hearing that.

"Okay, now this is all making sense," Raphael nodded with arms folded. He leaned against a dresser and looked at everyone around. "Shredder and Gwi-Ma need Rumi to destroy the Honmoon so that a Demon apocalypse could destroy the world."

"All right then," Leonardo said with the crack of his fingers. He turned to the singing trio and said, "Huntrix, I know our first meeting wasn't the best, but-"

"Yes!" Zoey immediately stood up.

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Yes."

"You didn't know what I was going to say."

"You're going to suggest we work together, and we accept."

"Same here," Rumi nodded, mirroring her friend's smile. "You four know about the Foot Clan, and we know about Demons. With our brains and brawn combined, we can stop the Demon Hour from happening."

"Besides, we all fought well together at the concert," Mira smirked, glancing at Raphael. "So, it makes sense we keep that going."

Raphael was surprised to see the one who had insulted him glance with a smile, leading him to believe she had a change of heart. Even though he was still hurt by her words, his matched her's. The two hotheads got together and wrapped arms around each other's shoulders. Donatello and Michelangelo gathered around Zoey, smiling brightly as the maknae hugged the two Turtles.

Leonardo and Rumi approached each other, stared into each other's eyes, and held out their hands.

"Partners?" said the latter.

The former looked down, smirked, and nodded. "Partners!"

Leonardo and Rumi shook each other's hands and heard their friends cheer loudly.

Michelangelo and Zoey leaped up and down, excited that they're working together. Donatello joined in as both of them held his hands and jumped up like monkeys in a zoo.

Raphael and Mira fist-bumped once again and shared ferocious smirks; they were ready to throw down with their hated enemies.

As for Leonardo and Rumi, they nodded and were ready to lead both teams into victory.

The celebration ended when Zoey had an important question on her mind. "So, what do we do now? Do you guys want to stay at the hotel or-"

Raphael sensed something from behind and looked out of the window. With a sudden gasp, he cut Zoey off and shouted, "-GET DOWN!"

The Turtles and Huntrix leaped forward as the windows shattered, and glass flew everywhere. Thankfully, nobody was hurt as they all hid behind the couch. Michelangelo and Donatello held Zoey in their arms as Mira shielded Raphael. Leonardo and Rumi held each other's arms as they watched glass shoot everywhere, covering the living room and the kitchen. Everyone checked in on one another, checking to see if they had any cuts from the glass.

Upon inspection, they looked over the couch and saw many intruders come inside through ropes attached to the rooftop. There were four shadows, one taller than the other, and the other three laughed evilly. The Turtles recognized them and looked up, grunting in annoyance.

"You've got to be kidding," Michelangelo snarled, slamming a fist against the scratched sofa. "How the heck did they find us!?"

"They must've known we were staying here," Rumi replied, helping Leonardo on his feet. "We gotta get out of here now!"

Suddenly, the group were met by four opponents

Fishface and his former teammates: Fong, Sid, and Tsoi.

"Oh, great. It's that giant fish again. But who the heck are these guys?" Mira snarled, pointing at the thugs.

"The Purple Dragons," Raphael smirked as he dished out his weapons. "Or as I like to call them, punching bags."

"You won't be pushing us around this time, freak," said the muscular Sid as he clapped his knuckles together. "This time, we're ready for you."

Raphael snarled upon being insulted again, but Mira calmed him down by patting his shoulder.

"Seems like a new friendship has formed," Fong chuckled as he twirled his hatchet. "How adorable. Make this easier for yourselves and hand over Rumi. We promise, we'll let you go in return."

"If you think we're gonna trust you jokers, you're mistaken," Zoey grunted, summoning her shin-kal blades.

The crime group widened their eyes and stepped back.

"Whoa, what the!?" Sid gasped.

"D-did the just summon those from the air?" Tsoi asked.

"Hey!" Fong growled as he nudged his former leader. "You didn't say anything about the K-poppers summoning weapons!"

"I told you they were experienced in fighting," Fishface retorted. "Bradford, the Foot Demons, and I defeated them last time. We will do it again."

"You want me so badly?" Rumi sneered, pressing her foot against the top of the couch. She kicked it forward and watched it fly. "COME GET ME THEN!"

The couch threw itself across the room, and the Purple Dragons leaped out of the way. Fishface couldn't duck in time, so his chest was met with the couch, and he flew over the edge of the building, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Nice shot, Rumi!" Michelangelo cheered before he saw Fong approach with his hatchet. "Uh, oh!"

Zoey clashed her blades against Fong's weapon and disarmed him easily. Holding him in an armlock, Donatello pulled out his staff and whacked the thug upside the chin. Fong flew into the air before landing on his back.

Mira somersaulted forward, climbed on top of him, and fired a flurry of punches.

Raphael kicked Tsoi in the stomach before tackling him, repeating Mira's attacks. Leonardo dodged Sid's double-arm grab and leaped off the wall, firing a punch to his face. Sid fell back, allowing Rumi to punch his stomach, kick him in the shin, and fire an uppercut.

Fong eventually kicked Mira off of him and picked up a butterfly knife, ready to stab her with it. But he was knocked in the head by the end of Michelangelo's kusarigama chain, which grabbed Sid, preventing him from attacking Rumi. Michelangelo pulled both thugs together and sat them between him and Donatello, who bashed their shells against them, squeezing them tight.

Tsoi flipped Raphael over with his foot, only to get a fist full of Zoey; she knocked him out cold with a single hit.

Leonardo roundhouse kicked Fong as Mira knocked down Sid.

"Whoo!" Zoey said, wiping her forehead. "We're getting pretty good at this teamwork thing! Nicely done, guys! Kinda weird of Shredder and Gwi-Ma to send Fishface and these losers though."

"Don't get cocky, Zoey," Leonardo warned, gripping his swords. "The Purple Dragons are allies of the Foot Clan. If they're here, that means-"

Several Foot Soldiers swung from the roof and entered through the window.

"-yup, that'll do it," Leonardo finished with a deadpanned tone.

Raphael screamed loudly as he pounced onto some Foot Soldiers and knocked them unconscious. One of them was about to land a kick against his face, but Mira swooped in and caught it with her hand, allowing Raphael to jump up and knock the soldier down.

Leonardo clashed his swords against a Foot Soldier's kunai, leading him to disarm him and hit him with a knee jab. Grabbing him by the back of the belt, the turtle tossed the Foot Soldier towards Huntrix's lead singer, who punched him in the gut, followed by an uppercut.

Donatello dodged multiple blows before he leaped over another couch and slammed it into some Foot Soldiers, pinning them against the wall. He was about to get decapitated by a Foot Soldier carrying a large axe, but Mira chopped it in half with her gok-do and knocked the enemy down. Donatello thanked her before he returned the favor.

Michelangelo and Zoey rolled over each other's backs, landing multiple kicks and blows to the Foot Soldiers that came through the window. They teamed up and knocked the last enemy out cold.

"We gotta get out of here!" Mira shouted. "But where do we go!?"

"Let's get to higher ground!" Leonardo called out. "We can use those ropes to get to the top!"

Everyone rushed to the balcony and grabbed onto the ropes.

Thankfully, there were enough for each of them to grab on. With everyone grabbing their own rope, they lightly tugged it before planting their feet against the wall, climbing up the rope with ease.

The Turtles and Huntrix were halfway there before they looked up and saw someone standing on the edge of the roof.

It was Dogpound, and he looked below with a chuckle.

Without hesitation, he leaped over the edge and dove towards Rumi, sticking his larger hand out to punch her.

"Look out!" Raphael shouted as he nudged Rumi to the side, taking the blow in her place. He released the rope and fell down, feeling Dogpound's claws wrap around his neck.

"Raph!" Leonardo called.

"Get to the roof, I'll get him!" Rumi demanded as she released her rope and descended towards her rescuer.

"Rumi, no!" Zoey shouted, holding out one hand.

"Zoey, go with Rumi!" Mira ordered.

At first, the maknae was hesitant to leave her pink-haired friend alone; however, she knew what her order was, so she nodded and released the rope. Putting on a battle face, Zoey dove towards Rumi, who was close to Raphael's position.

Mira climbed upward when she saw a certain someone attempt to let go, "Leonardo, don't!"

"Raph's in trouble!"

"He's going to be fine! Rumi and Zoey will look out for him, I promise!"

"But-"

"Dude, just trust her!" Michelangelo shouted.

"You have my word, Leonardo," Mira assured him. "Your brother's going to be fine."

Leonardo looked down and saw Rumi and Zoey diving towards Dogpound together. Knowing how tough the Hunters were, he nodded at Mira and climbed upward.

Speaking of the Akita, he was busy taking hits to the face from an angry turtle. Raphael snarled as he curled his fists and whacked Dogpound with the handle of his sai. Dogpound blocked the last punch and tightened his grip around the turtle's neck, noticing they were getting closer to the ground.

"I've always wanted to see what a flattened turtle looks like!" the mutant chuckled, unaware he was in for a surprise.

Rumi and Zoey flew past him and drew their weapons. Swerving their bodies upward, they used the Honmoon's power to boost into Dogpound, tackling him through a large window.

Somewhere in a wide-open lobby, Rumi and Zoey tumbled across the ground as they watched Dogpound roll on his back. Raphael broke free from his grasp and landed on a platform below. Landing towards the Hunters, he watched them get up and grip their blades.

"Thanks for the save," he said.

"No problem," Rumi smiled, remembering he was the one who saved her at the concert.

Dogpound snarled and flexed his shoulders, hearing them make a loud crack.

"Somebody's been a bad dog!" Zoey teased with a smirk.

Dogpound snarled before he got down on all fours and charged full speed at the heroes, who leaped out of the way, landing in separate directions.

The Akita quickly turned around and grabbed a red sofa from the side, throwing it at full force. Raphael slid underneath it as Rumi sliced it in half with her sword. Zoey kicked one part of it at Dogpound, who smacked it aside and threw a punch. Zoey blocked it, but the force sent her tumbling backward. Raphael and Rumi leaped up and slammed their weapons against Dogpound's spikes. The orange-furred mutt growled before he swung and missed several times.

Eventually, he watched Raphael attack from behind, so he grabbed him and launched him into Rumi. The two fell on top of each other, and Dogpound approached slowly, raising his large arm and clenching his fist.

Before he could land a finishing blow, several shin-kal daggers hit him in the back, and he quickly turned around.

Zoey performed multiple front flips as she chucked her blades at full speed. Using the bony spikes on his body, Dogpound blocked the daggers and rushed to the maknae, slamming the ground so that she was thrown off balance. Just before she could get captured, Zoey rolled over Dogpound's hand and tried to land a kick, but Dogpound grabbed her foot and lifted her into the air.

However, Rumi slashed his back, and Raphael tackled him from behind.

Annoyed, Dogpound slammed Zoey into Rumi and kicked both Hunters across the room. For Raphael, he punched him into the air, waited for him to come down, and smacked him aside.

Mira and the three Turtles finally made it to the roof, only to be met with a Foot Soldier aiming a sword at them.

Leonardo immediately dodged a swing before he climbed down the rope, pushed himself forward, performed a flip, and kicked the Foot Soldier's chest. Michelangelo, Donatello, and Mira followed suit and knocked down the incoming clansmen.

With their weapons pulled out, they waited for more enemies to arrive.

Many Foot Soldiers landed near their location, but they waited for their leader to arrive.

A puff of purple smoke clouded most of the rooftop, causing the heroes to shield their eyes. They stayed covered before they looked forward, seeing a young silver-armored woman with a black mask around her lower face.

She had a sword with a red handle drawn, and she smirked at the blue leader.

"Well, well. Look who decided to check in."

"Karai," he snarled.

"I'm afraid your reservation's been cancelled, Leonardo," Karai joked. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave or face the consequences. Hand over the half-demon, and no one has to get hurt."

"Even if you gave me your word, what makes you think I'd hand my friend over to you?"

"Friend?" she chuckled. "You barely know her."

"Well, we both hate your dad," the turtle smirked.

Surprised by his sass, Karai pointed her sword at Leonardo and shouted, "Get rid of them!"

The Foot Soldiers rushed in like a military force and attacked the heroes.

Leonardo knocked some of them down before he leaped towards Karai and struck her down, only for her to block his blow with a sword. She rolled to the right and fired a kick, but he dodged left and clashed his sword against her's again. Leonardo and Karai leaped across the rooftop, slashing their swords with hopes of hitting one another.

While the two duked it out, Donatello and Michelangelo pummeled many Foot Soldiers with their weapons. The latter stored his nunchakus away and gripped the middle of the former's staff. Lifting his little brother into the air, Donatello spun around like a dreidel and watched Michelangelo kick many an armada of Foot Soldiers to the ground. Some of them got back up and were attacked by Mira, who admired the brothers' teamwork. She watched them finish their attack, where Donatello threw Michelangelo into a Foot Soldier, who got a face full of turtle feet. Michelangelo pulled out his weapons again, smacked them around his body, and waved them around, hitting many enemies in different parts of their bodies.

Dodging several weapons, the orange turtle rolled around before he kicked one Foot Soldier right where it hurts; he landed a blow between the legs. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he launched him into a pile of unconscious bodies and kept fighting.

Mira leaped over a sword and slid underneath some axes before summoning her woldo.

Cutting the metal ninja weapons to pieces, she knocked everyone down with a single kick. With the Honmoon's magic running through her veins, she twirled her weapon and clashed it against Foot Soldiers who attempted to strike her down. Some of them managed to land a few hits on her back, but she retaliated by throwing many punches and kicks. She head-butted one Foot Soldier, grabbed him, punched him three times, spun him around, and threw him into his comrades. She then ducked underneath a hatchet and disarmed its user with ease.

Soon, she was joined by Donatello, who activated his naginata and spun it around.

Standing back-to-back, Mira and Donatello leaped around each other and knocked down an army of enemies surrounding them.

"You're pretty handy with that thing," said the former, slashing a sword in half and punching its wielder in the face. "So, it's a bo-staff and a naginata?"

"Pretty much, yeah," the purple genius replied, using his staff as a way to pull himself up. Landing multiple kicks against some Foot Soldiers, he landed on the ground and kept fighting. "Master Splinter gave it to me, thinking I'd put it to creative use. At first, I was disappointed as I saw it as a stick, but these days, I think it's a good weapon."

"I may hate Celine for what she did to Rumi, but if there's one thing she taught us," Mira replied, smacking some Foot Soldiers aside. "It's that a good Hunter can get creative with any weapon."

"Funny, my master taught us the same thing."

Donatello glanced at his bo before spinning it and holding it like a hockey stick. He swept the legs of some Foot Soldiers and smacked one of them like an actual puck.

Mira noticed that and smiled with approval.

Rumi and Zoey quickly got back up and launched multiple attacks at once. Raphael's feet pressed against the wall, and he launched himself forward, landing a powerful punch against Dogpound's face.

The mutant Akita fell backward and rubbed his chin, snarling at the three attackers as they slowly approached, cornering him from all sides.

Raphael was about to be the first to strike when he suddenly heard metal clanking from behind. Turning over his shoulder, he saw a robotic foot flying right towards his face.

"Look out!" Zoey called out as she tackled him, and they landed on the ground.

Rumi leaped back as she watched a mysterious purple creature fly forward and kick the large dog, causing him to wince in pain. She gasped and readied her weapon.

Fishface turned to her with a deadly smirk and pulled out a butterfly knife. Spinning it around, he approached Huntrix's leader and chuckled. "You pulled off quite the escape, Rumi, but you won't be running away this time. Besides, I still want your autograph."

Rumi raised an eyebrow before she watched Dogpound get up and slam his fist against Fishface's head.

"You idiot!" he roared. "You just hit me!"

"You were in my way!" the snakehead retorted.

"I was in your way!?" Dogpound clenched both fists, showing off his sharp spikes. "You're lucky we're on the same side. Otherwise, I'd chew you up and spit you out!"

Hearing that caused Zoey, who helped Raphael to his feet, to hear her stomach rumble. Gripping it, she groaned in pain.

Ah, man. Why now? I can't eat; I'm in the middle of a battle.

But I know the longer I wait, the more I'll starve.

I just need to… wait a second…

She looked over at Fishface and immediately thought of an idea.

Drool poured down her bottom lip. She relaxed her shoulders as both eyes turned into California rolls. From there, she started crying tears of shrimp tempura and imagined herself in front of a large red table. She had a white bib with a red lobster on it and watched several Japanese chefs serve her fresh food from the kitchen. With the thought of sucking up food like vaccum, Zoey made a deadly smirk as her eyes turned into forks and knives with a fish's head in between.

"Sushi," she sneered.

"Uh…" Raphael gulped, seeing everything that happened. "Is she supposed to do that?"

"Let's just say that's not the first she's cried food," Rumi replied with a chuckle.

"Enough talk!" Fishface snarled at Dogpound after bickering with him long enough. He aimed his butterfly knife at both Raphael and Rumi, stomping toward them menacingly. "We defeated you once, we can-"

"HUNGRY!" Zoey shouted as she landed on top of Fishface's back and climbed onto his shoulder.

"Gah! What the!? What are you doing! Get off of-"

Zoey slammed her two front teeth into Fishface's arm.

Raphael, Mira, and Dogpound widened their eyes and dropped their jaws.

Fishface was the most surprised as his pupils shrank and his whole arm ached with pain.

He screamed at the top of his lungs and ran around the entire lobby. Zoey flailed around like a piece of paper as she latched onto him, determined to appease her appetite.

Fishface screamed and tried to shake her off, but she was stuck to him like glue.

"SHE'S GONNA EAT ME ALIVE! GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF!"

Raphael and Rumi had no idea what to feel, but they refocused on Dogpound, who stomped the ground and raised his hands. Slamming them towards the duo, they leaped out of the way and jumped over him. Raphael threw a few shuriken at him, but he shielded himself with his spikes.

"Whaddya say we put this dog back in the pound?" Rumi smirked.

"I'd say your jokes are as cheesy as Leo's," Raphael teased. "But I'm with ya."

The duo stood beside each other as they gripped their weapons and continued the fight.

While his friends and family fought for their lives, Leonardo was on top of the Wolf Hotel logo, fighting against Karai. The two were evenly matched in most cases; he'd be overpowered by her skill. Even though he was told to take a break multiple times, Leonardo was thankful that he and his brothers had trained a lot since Kraang Prime's invasion.

Clashing his swords against Karai's blade, he fenced with her and dodged multiple kicks. Karai attempted to blind him with smoke, but she watched the ball get kicked out of her hand and explode. At first, Leonardo took advantage of her being distracted, but she was quick to grab his arm, flip him over, and knee him in the stomach. With Leonardo clenching it in pain, Karai elbowed him in the face and kicked him down.

Rolling across the platform, Leonardo holstered one katana before he threw three shuriken, thinking it would buy him some time. Unfortunately for him, Karai slid underneath them and swung her sword as fast as possible.

Leonardo evaded every single attack and countered with a single sword.

Eventually, the two slammed both blades against one another, glaring into each other's eyes.

"I'm surprised you're supporting this, Karai," the turtle snarled. "You should know how dangerous Gwi-Ma is!"

"Believe me, working with that Demon wasn't my idea," Karai replied, swatting her sword at her opponent's feet. She watched him dodge and land on a ledge stuck to the sign. "But once the Demon Hour commences, we can finally endless this dragged out feud!"

"He took everything away from Master Splinter, yet he still hunts him down!? Your father's the real monster here, Karai!"

"Liar!" Karai snarled as she leaped forward and sliced the ledge off, causing Leonardo to fall backward. Thankfully, he landed on his feet in time to block her next attack. "Hamato Yoshi destroyed his life first! He's just returning the favor! What goes around comes around, Leonardo! If you were on my side-"

"That's the thing, Karai," Leonardo retorted as he head-butted his opponent and swept her leg. Once she fell on the floor, he held his sword right at her. "I'm not. But I know you have what it takes to be on my side. Together, we can-"

Karai dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared from sight.

She was about to strike from behind, but he blocked the attack and fired a kick.

"Nice try!" Leonardo shouted.

The kunoichi fell over the side and slid down the sign by jabbing her sword into it. Landing back on the main rooftop, she watched Leonardo come down and chase her.

Dogpound continued slamming the ground, missing Raphael and Rumi as their reflexes were too fast. However, they weren't quick enough as he managed to get some hits on them. The red-masked turtle was about to be crushed by the Akita's skinnier hand, but the lead singer freed him by leaping on top of Dogpound's other arm, running across it, and bestowing a kick across his face.

Dogpound winced as he punched Rumi in the stomach and swung his tail at Raphael, who avoided it via the splits.

Checking on his partner, Raphael quickly helped Rumi to her feet as Dogpound charged like an angry boar. Both heroes leaped to the left, and as Dogpound ran, Raphael threw a few shuriken to distract him. They hit the backs of Dogpound's spikes and stuck out. Grunting and growing, the orange-furred mutant ripped them out and roared.

"I don't suppose you have a special method to beat this guy," Rumi said, blocking a punch with her sword only to be sent flying backward.

Raphael leaped over another attack and kicked Dogpound in the face. He rushed towards Rumi and watched her get back up. "Not really. We usually beat him up until he falls down. Sometimes, it takes a long time. Other times, he doesn't try."

"You know, I'm standing right here, right?" Dogpound snarled.

"We know."

The Akita hissed before leaping into the air and diving downward with both fists clenched.

Rumi and Raphael leaped out of the way before rolling across the ground. They watched a desk get destroyed, followed by several pieces of furniture.

"I don't suppose you've got a plan up your sleeve," Raphael said.

Rumi stroked her chin before she heard a scream come from behind. Darting her brown eyes to the right, she saw that Zoey was still clinging to Fishface, trying to satisfy her hunger. The purple snakehead was still screaming and running like a chicken with no head. Rumi smiled and gave a sinister smirk to her new partner.

"As a matter of fact, Raphael… I do,"

"Your smirk is deadly… I like that."

Rumi and Raphael looked at Dogpound, who cleaned some debris off his shoulders.

"Hey, Dogpound!" called the latter as he cupped both hands over his mouth. "You wanna play fetch!?"

"I hate it when people make dog jokes about me!" the Akita snarled. "You and your meddlesome brothers made me this way, so I'll make you pay!"

"Heh, like we haven't heard that one before. Come on, Dogpound! Move those tiny, little legs!"

Raphael and Rumi laughed as they ran forward, and Dogpound chased them. They dodged attacks that they sensed from behind and used their weapons to deflect some spikes.

Eventually, they got closer to Zoey, who was finally thrown off by Fishface.

She rolled on her side and wiped her mouth, coughing loudly.

"Man, you don't taste as good as you look."

"THAT'S BECAUSE I AM NOT FOOD!" Fishface hollered. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"Sorry, man. I'm hungry."

"Oh, you're hungry?" the mutant grunted as he pulled out his balisword. "I've got something for you to munch on right here!"

"Zoey!" Rumi called out.

The maknae saw both of her friends running towards her at full speed, seeing Dogpound close behind. She was about to go save them, but she noticed something odd about Rumi; she was making a hand gesture that she didn't understand at first; however, it didn't take her long to realize what she said.

Lure him to us.

Zoey smirked and turned to the snakehead. "I'm sure if I fried you, you'll be delicious. Would you prefer to be served with wasabi or miso soup?"

"THAT'S IT! GET OVER HERE!"

Fishface swung his sword and chased after the laughing rapper.

She ran for a bit before she got close to her two friends. Everyone rushed towards the hub of the lobby, luring both bad guys towards one another.

Fishface decided he had had enough and leaped into the air, pointing his robotic feet forward, ready for a deadly kick. Zoey briefly glanced behind her before she nodded at her friends.

When the moment was right, they all leaped to the right and watched both opponents dive towards each other. Fishface nailed Dogpound right between the legs, causing him to scream out in pain and hold his injured area.

At first, the snakehead was about to move in on his enemies; however, he found himself with a fate worse than before.

Dogpound collapsed and fell right on top of him, crushing him with all of his weight.

"Gah! Get off of me, you big lug! Stop it! Get off! GET OFF!"

Raphael, Rumi, and Zoey caught their breath before laughing at the defeated enemies. They all moved in and knocked the snakehead out with one collective punch.

"That's for Bobby, sashimi lips!" Zoey snarled.

"Bobby?" Rumi raised an eyebrow. "What happened to Bobby?"

Zory gasped and grabbed her head. "Oh, shoot! I'm so sorry, Rumi. Mira and I totally forgot to tell you. Bobby's in the hospital!"

"WHAT!?"

"Fishboy over here bit him with deadly venom, but it's okay. Bobby got an antidote, and now he's doing better. He sends his regards. We're not sure when he'll be out of the hospital, though."

Deep down, she was worried about her manager and felt guilty for getting him involved in the battle. She wanted more time to reflect on the matter, but she knew her friends were in trouble. Still, she was relieved to know Bobby was alive and well. "We'll have to visit him tomorrow, but at least he's okay. We should get to the rooftop; our friends need us."

Just before they could head outside, everyone saw flashing red and blue lights shine against the walls. Loud sirens wailed from a mile away and got closer by the second.

"Oh, great," Raphael grunted, annoyingly. "The cops are coming. I don't know about you two, but I don't think I'd look good in an orange jumpsuit."

"How do we get to the roof without anyone seeing us?" Zoey asked.

Rumi was about to think of a plan when she suddenly heard a ringing bell sound from behind. The three looked and saw a white portal beneath their feet. Derpy and Sussie emerged with smiles on their faces. The former tilted his head to the right while the latter chirped.

Rumi and Zoey shared excited glances, whereas Raphael folded his arms and asked one question, "Now, what were they doing the whole time?"

Donatello, Michelangelo, and Mira were together doing the same thing they've been doing for a while, protecting themselves and each other from incoming Foot Soldiers. Each of them had their own weapons in hand, but were easily defeated by their enemies. Both Turtles hopped around like true ninjas as Mira spun her weapon and fought valiantly. She grabbed Michelangelo's hand and twirled around like a ballerina, watching him kick enemies surrounding her in a circle. Once she released him, they shared a fist-bump before fighting.

Much like their friends in the lobby, they noticed flashing lights and heard sirens.

"Oh, snap!" Michelangelo said, punching a Foot Soldier in the jaw. "It's the po-po!" He flipped the soldier over and body slammed him.

"We gotta get off of this rooftop!" Mira said as she fenced with three Foot Soldiers who wielded large spears. She sliced their handles off before watching Donatello use his staff to knock them out. "Donatello, what's the plan?"

"It's gonna be a little hard evading the Foot Clan if they keep coming," he replied. "So, we'll need to-"

Just before he could finish his plan, a ringing sound echoed, and a white portal appeared. Derpy and Sussie arrived with both bandmates and the Turtles' muscle.

"-use the magical tiger, of course," Donatello smiled. "Still trying to wrap my head around that."

"Are you two okay?" Mira inquired, kicking a Foot Soldier in the face.

Rumi and Zoey helped contain the horde before answering.

"We're fine!" shouted the former. "Where's Leonardo? We're getting out of here!"

"Last I saw him, he was fighting that ninja girl!" Mira answered, kicking a Foot Soldier three times before finishing him with three punches, an arm lock, and an uppercut.

"She's getting a bad review, by the way!" Zoey replied, deflecting attacks with her shin-kals. "I know she wasn't a real maid, but she didn't get us the pizza we ordered!"

"Hold up, you like pizza?" Michelangelo gasped with delight. "I've loved you girls from the start, but now I love you more."

He helped Zoey clear out some enemies before he heard a loud grunt.

Looking left and right, his blue eyes steered up, and he saw his leader fighting against Karai. This time, they were on the very top of the Wolf Hotel's logo; they got up there after fighting on the rooftop for a while.

"There's Leo!" Zoey pointed, watching everyone look in her direction.

Leonardo continued blocking Karai's attacks, noticing she was moving faster than usual.

He tried to keep up, but found it easier said than done. Eventually, Leonardo accidentally left himself open for an attack. Karai blinded him with a smoke bomb and smacked both katana blades from his hands. They landed right near his friends, and he was swept off his feet with a move called the Death Dragon, taught to her by Shredder and Chris Bradford.

Leonardo fell right on his back and covered his eyes. He opened them up and saw Karai approaching him slowly; her sword rubbed against the floor, creating an orange spark.

"He's in trouble!" Raphael yelled as he prepared to jump up. "Hold on, Leo! We're-"

"Raphael, wait!" Zoey said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, wait!? My brother's gonna get killed!"

"Not on my watch," Zoey shook her head. "Does anybody have any cool ninja stars?"

"I've got some," Donatello said, reaching for his belt. "Why?"

"Perfect!" Zoey leaned in and whispered into Derpy's ear. Sussie flew off of him and landed on Mira's shoulder, watching their friend disappear into another portal.

Once the tiger was gone, Zoey squinted her eyes and watched Leonardo back away from Karai, throwing some shuriken to protect himself. Karai blocked every attack before one scratched her armor. She kicked him down and swung her sword, watching him dodge with ease.

"Zoey, what is your plan?" Raphael said, stressing over his brother's fate.

"Patience, Raphael," she said. "Donatello, wait for my signal."

Donatello aimed the shuriken at Karai and waited patiently.

On top of the sign, Leonardo attempted to get back up, but was pinned down by Karai. She slammed her right foot against his chest, glared at him, and twirled her sword. "I didn't want it to come to this, Leonardo. I was actually starting to like you, but you know where my loyalties lie."

"Karai, you don't have to do this," Leonardo replied. "My brothers and I know everything about Gwi-Ma. He's cunning, manipulative; he'll do anything to make sure he gets to the surface and eats everyone's souls. He's just using the Foot Clan to get what he wants. Shredder already went down that dark path, but you don't have to. I know you don't want to believe it, but I sense good in you, Karai. Don't be like Shredder!"

The kunoichi thought about her opponent's words before she shook her head and pointed her sword downward, gripping it with both hands. "If working with a Demon means the end of Hamato Yoshi, then so be it."

"Now, Donatello!" Zoey hollered.

The purple genius threw multiple ninja stars at Karai, who saw them from the corner of her eye. She lifted her foot off of Leonardo and swiped them with her sword, giving her enemy the chance to punch her in the stomach and knock her down with a back-flip kick.

Karai noticed that her mask flew off her face because of that, and she snarled. With an angry expression, she drew her blade and prepared to strike once again, but she wound up in the same situation her father was in some time ago.

Derpy fell from the sky and landed right on top of her.

Huntrix, Michelangelo, and Donatello cringed while Raphael burst out laughing. His eyes watered, and he slapped his right kneepad.

Leonardo heard the laughing from above, sharing the same reaction as everyone else.

He watched as Karai scrambled to break free, but Derpy's massive weight pushed her down. She was face down, and her arms flailed uncontrollably. Attempting to do a push-up, the tiger forced his weight onto her face, smothering her in bright blue fluff. Karai's mumbles were hard to make out, but Leonardo could imagine what she was saying.

Part of him felt bad, but at the same time, he was thankful she couldn't hurt anyone else.

"Leo!" Michelangelo called, watching his brother turn to him. "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah! I'll be right down!" Leonardo replied as he patted Derpy's head and scratched his chin. "Good boy, Derpy."

Leaping over the sign, he slid down before landing on a platform. After performing a front flip, he rolled across the rooftop and reunited with his brothers, who were happy he wasn't a turtle kabob. Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael expressed their happiness by patting the leader's shoulders and sharing high-threes.

Huntrix smiled as they walked towards the brothers.

"Thanks for the save, guys," Leonardo smiled. "Raph, I'm glad you're all right."

"Eh, you worry too much," he said dismissively before he smiled at Rumi and Zoey. "But I did have some help. Gotta say, for K-pop idols… you fight well. I look forward to sparring with you three one day."

"You're on," Mira smirked, clapping her fists together.

"I believe these are yours, Leonardo," Zoey kindly bowed as she presented his katanas.

"Arigatou, Zoey," Leonardo replied, taking his weapons back. He holstered them in his sheath and smiled.

"Nice plan back there," Donatello said to the maknae, gently nudging her shoulder. "Always nice to meet another genius."

Zoey began to blush. Not in a romantic way, but she was flattered by that compliment. "Y-you think I'm a… oh, no, no. I'm smart, but I'm not that smart."

"Well, you saved Leo, so that deserves some credit," Michelangelo beamed.

Just before Zoey could share the sentiment, everyone heard footsteps come from a doorway behind them.

They were frantic, causing everyone to panic.

"Unless we want to have a concert in prison, we'd better move!" Raphael said.

"Derpy, come down here!" Zoey called, cupping both hands over her mouth.

The blue tiger leaped down, releasing the kunoichi from his grasp. With eyes bulging out of her sockets, Karai coughed and hacked, relieved she was finally able to breathe.

Derpy landed near the group as Sussie flew onto his head. Everyone gathered around as they descended into a warp portal.

In the nick of time, too, because Fishface and Dogpound climbed onto the roof and saw nothing but unconscious Foot Soldiers. The latter huffed with annoyance as the former kicked the ground. Karai landed in front of them, coughing up a hairball of blue fur. She snarled and wiped her face, looking at the embarrassment her soldiers left behind.

Everyone heard the footsteps coming from the doorway, so Dogpound grabbed a chunk of debris and pressed it against the door, sealing the police inside.

"Hey! What's going on!? The door's blocked!"

"Get this door open now!"

"We're trying, Captain!"

Karai grunted as she gave an order to her cohorts. "Clean up the Foot Soldiers and meet back at the hideout. Xever, go find The Purple Dragons… assuming they didn't get arrested anyway."

Fishface nodded as he leaped over the roof in search of his former teammates.

As Dogpound began to scoop up the troops, Karai saw a few Foot Soldiers get up and help out. Despite being injured, they cleaned up their weapons and helped associates get back on their feet.

She was about to give another order when she heard a voice from her communicator.

"Karai."

It was Shredder.

"What's going on? Have you apprehended the half-demon?"

Karai snarled and ignored the call, wondering how she was going to explain this one.

"Karai, do you copy? Do you have the half-demon?"

The sixteen-year-old clenched her fists and sighed, swearing revenge on the Turtles for humiliating her once again.

"Karai? KARAI!?"

Soon, the police broke down the door.

With their guns fully loaded, they noticed the entire rooftop was empty.

Chapter Text

April felt disgusted.

Not because she was in the sewers, but because she was sitting around instead of helping her friends.

Sometime after the incident at Madison Square Garden, she ditched Irma again to contact the Turtles. The last she heard, they were on their way to Shredder's hideout to rescue Rumi. She wasn't given the whole story, but Donatello told her that Huntrix somehow knew about the Demons tonight. Wanting to know more, she attempted to contact the Turtles, but she hasn't heard anything since.

Going home would've made her feel guilty. She wanted to be there for Kirby; however, she figured the Turtles were going to be in for a long night, so April decided to be there for someone she considered another father figure, Splinter.

She explained what the Turtles told her. At first, Splinter found it hard to believe since details were minimal; however, he was able to follow along. Together, they hoped for the best.

To pass the time, they trained in the dojo where April got more familiar with her Tessen.

Unfortunately, training wasn't enough to take her mind off the situation.

In fact, it made it worse.

Tonight was supposed to be a night where she and her friends could relax after they'd been working hard for several months. Instead, it turned out to be like every other night since the Technodrome's arrival. Splinter sensed stress within April's mind, so he suggested they take a break and watch some TV, which took her by surprise because he wasn't one to watch television. Not like the Turtles anyway.

April was tempted to put on some cartoons like Space Heroes, but that would just make her think of her friends, who had been gone longer than expected.

Some nights, they'd stay out for a long time, but they'd always come back at a decent hour.

On some occasions, they'd pull all-nighters, which is what they've been doing since they stopped Kraang Prime.

April was afraid tonight would be one of those nights, and she felt guilty for not being there to help.

Even though she was far from being a full kunoichi, she knew she had enough training to lend a hand.

The thought of the Turtles in trouble ate her up inside, so she scrolled through the TV before finding the news.

Sadly, that was a big mistake because the topic was all about the Huntrix concert.

"Good evening, New York. Welcome back to another Channel 6 news segment," spoke Carlos Chieng O'Brien Gambe. With a low sigh, he adjusted his papers and cleared his throat. "Hours ago, tragedy fell upon Madison Square Garden. What was supposed to be the return of Huntrix turned into a night filled with shock and horror."

The broadcast transitioned to a phone recording of Huntrix's performance of Golden. As April and Splinter watched, the reporter commented, "Amateur footage has shown a mysterious group of strangers attacking Huntrix before being rescued by a mysterious hero in a brown trench coat. Huntrix's rescuer was about to be identified, but the footage was cut after everyone was told to evacuate."

The footage played exactly as described, and April gently rubbed her temple, replaying the moment she and Irma escaped while the Turtles leaped up on stage to fight the Foot Clan. The TV footage didn't do them justice, but April remembered seeing their horrific fangs and razor-sharp claws.

Splinter sat beside her with arms folded, eyes glued to the screen.

"The police have arrived and cleared out the stadium within an hour," Carlos spoke over footage of people meeting with the cops and their families. "Only one person was injured, and he's been identified as Huntrix's manager, Bobby. Members Zoey and Mira quickly followed him to the hospital, where fans noticed their lead singer, Rumi, was absent. Here we have several fans expressing their thoughts on the subject."

A little girl wearing a Rumi shirt gave her thoughts while holding her father’s hand. “It was pretty scary seeing Rumi, Mira, and Zoey get attacked by those bad guys. I’m hoping the good guys catch them and take them down. I’m also hoping Rumi is okay. I wonder where she could be.”

Then, a local sewer worker wearing a Zoey shirt voiced his concerns, "Normally, I'm not one to talk bad about Huntrix, but I gotta say, I'm a little concerned about their future. This is what? The third time, they had a performance interrupted? First, they canceled their first performance of Golden, then there's that freak thing at the Idol Awards, and now this. I’m hoping they get their act together. Otherwise, their career will end up in the garbage I pick up every day.”

Then, a die-hard Mira fan was on screen with her arms folded. “I honestly have no idea what to say. One moment, I’m with some friends and we’re watching the concert and suddenly, a whole bunch of stuff goes down. I swear, I thought I saw giant creatures come out chasing another guy with Rumi on his shoulders. I may have dreamt the whole thing; I have no idea. All I know is… I didn’t pay a money for a show that ended in a disaster. I gotta see if there’s a way I can get a refund.”

Carlos was back and he finished the report. "We've yet to hear an official word from Huntrix themselves, but we recently heard from their manager that the world tour has been cancelled. Rest assured, they will be returning to Korea, where they will be having local shows, photoshoots, and more before starting another world tour. Despite some backlash online, many fans are wishing the group nothing but the best. Police have yet to identify the attackers, but they're investigating as we speak. Sadly, this is all the time we have tonight. This is Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe from Channel 6 News, signing off."

April finally turned off the TV and somberly exhaled.

She looked towards the lair's entrance, waiting for her friends, but once again, there was no sign of them. With her eyes closed, she leaned back and folded her arms.

"They've been gone for a long time."

"I know," Splinter nodded.

"What if they're in trouble? We should do something."

"We must be patient, April," the sensei replied. "My sons are fully capable of handling what may come their way. I have faith they will return safely."

"How can you be so sure?" April asked with concern. "They told me they were sneaking into Shredder's lair. The last time you were there, you fell right into a trap. You and Shredder got into a nasty confrontation where you barely survived. How come you're not freaking out that your sons are in there?"

Splinter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "April, I am worried about my sons. I used to have nightmares about them being killed by Shredder since the night they first met him. Those nightmares sparked a dark fear within me, causing me to train them nonstop. I treated them like soldiers instead of my sons. I realized my mistake and apologized. I still worry about them every night they step foot out of the lair, but if I were to sit here and worry, I would only be hurting myself."

April sighed as she wrapped both arms around her legs. "I should be out there with them."

"April, you are not a fully trained kunoichi yet. Your skills have grown, but you are not combat-ready yet."

"When will I be ready, Sensei?"

"When the time is right. Being a kunoichi is not something that can be done within a day. It takes time. It could take years before becoming a true master. It's a journey you must be ready to embark on, no matter how far your destination might be. I know you are eager to go out there and help my sons, but it is better if you have more experience instead of risking your life as a novice."

"But I want to be there to help them," April lightly retorted before she sighed and clenched her arm. "I… feel useless sitting here while they're out there risking their lives for this city. I'm worried they're still in Shredder's hideout, fighting the things I saw on stage. You should have seen them, Sensei, they were scary. They looked like normal Foot Soldiers except… something about them was… inhuman. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm worried about the Turtles. We haven't seen the Foot Clan in so long, so I'm worried they'll be facing their doom. I… I can't allow that to happen. I won't let that happen. The guys mean so much to me that I… I… I…"

April slammed her fist against the ground in frustration. "I've already lost my father once, and I refuse to lose my friends next!"

April realized the high octave in her voice and darted towards Splinter, who simply stared.

The teenager sighed and rubbed her puffy eyes. "I'm sorry, Master Splinter. I… I shouldn't have shouted at you like that."

She paused and collected her thoughts. "I just… want to fight like them. The Turtles go out every night and save people who don't know they exist. That kind of heroism inspires me. They've rescued me countless times, and while I'll always appreciate those moments, I don't want them to risk their lives for me all of the time. I want to help my friends and family the same way they do. I'm grateful you're training me to be a kunoichi, and I am excited to be learning more. Heck, I look forward to the day I get to go on a proper mission with the Turtles. I can picture us fighting side-by-side as we beat the Kraang, fight the Foot Clan, and celebrate our victory with pizza."

Splinter mirrored April's smile after hearing that.

"I know I can't rush into being a master kunoichi, but… I just wish I were there with them," April sighed. "I don't know how much of a difference I'd make, but I'd rather try than sit here and do nothing."

"April," Splinter said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You are still in the beginning stages of your combat training; however, you've already mastered the greatest part of being a kunoichi… the heart."

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"A kunoichi doesn't only fight to protect herself, but her family and friends as well. That kind of strength pushes a kunoichi to keep going. You wish to fight alongside those who inspire you. That shows the love and care you have for them. However, you cannot protect those you love if you cannot protect yourself first. As I said before, you are not ready for combat… but you will be. There is no certain time for when you'll be ready, but the more you continue to learn, the more you will be prepared."

April smiled, and it only grew brighter when she heard Splinter say, "And trust me when I say this… when the time comes, my sons will be more than happy to have you on their team. You're already family, April, but I know they will be excited to fight alongside you."

Soaking all of that in, April turned to her father figure, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Master Splinter."

Splinter hugged her back with the same sentiment. "You're welcome, my child."

As the two cherished the moment, a strange sound echoed through the lair.

Raising their eyebrows, they released each other and turned around, seeing a white warp portal in the middle of the lair. April gasped and pulled out her Tessen. She gripped it tightly and got into a battle position.

"Hold on, April," Splinter said as he stuck his hand out and squinted his eyes.

Ascending upward was a yellow-eyed tiger with blue fur and a black magpie with a top hat of the same color. Standing alongside them were seven familiar faces. Four mutant ninja turtles and three humans in white sweaters and black pants.

Splinter and April widened their eyes as the latter sighed with relief.

The Turtles and Huntrix have returned safe and sound, and they couldn't be happier.

"Finally!" Michelangelo cheered. "I thought we'd never see this place again."

"I… still have to wonder how Derpy's powers work," Donatello said as he scratched the tiger's head. "Rumi, you said somebody you knew had him and Sussie? How did that work? Are they spirits that can travel anywhere in the world or…"

"It's a long story, Donatello," Rumi chuckled, placing a hand on the turtle's shoulder.

"What the heck is this place?" Mira inquired as she took a whiff. "Are we in the sewers?"

"It would explain the smell," Zoey cringed, covering her nostrils.

"Yup," Michelangelo smiled, wrapping both arms around Rumi and Mira. "Welcome to our sobakhan geocheo, which translates to… a humble abode."

"Again, how the heck do you know Korean when you don't know-"

"Donnie, Donnie," Raphael said, patting his brother's shell. "Let it go, man."

"Guys!" April called as she rushed to her friends with open arms. "You're okay!"

"April!" Donatello smiled as she leaped into his arms, squeezing him in a warm embrace. His smile was as wide as the moon as he returned the hug. "I'm so sorry we didn't call you back. I wanted to, but… we got caught up in some things."

"It's all right," the teenage girl replied, releasing her friend. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

Huntrix watched her fist-bump Raphael and hug both Michelangelo and Leonardo.

"Aww," Zoey whispered to her bandmates. "They have a friend. That's so cu-hey, wait a second." She had a sudden realization. "April? As in… April O'Neil?"

"Whoa, you're famous to Huntrix now?" Raphael teased with crossed arms.

"I wish," April chuckled after being nudged. "I met Mira and Zoey when they went to the hospital with their manager."

"So, what kind of mutant are you supposed to be?" Mira smirked.

"Generic teenage girl."

Everyone shared a loud laugh.

"Huntrix, this is April O'Neil," Leonardo kindly introduced the girl, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "She and her dad have been part of our family for a while. April… well, I think you know who they are."

"It's nice to see you again," Zoey smiled as she held out her hand.

April gulped nervously, beamed with delight, and got flustered. "H-hi! Meet you nice it's. I-I mean, it's nice to meet you. Sorry, I'm just super excited. My father and I are huge fans."

Michelangelo and Donatello chuckled.

"It's good to see you again," Mira greeted as she shook April's hand. "Thanks for checking in on us earlier. Although it would have been nice if you had told us about these guys." She motioned to the terrapins.

"Sorry about that, Mira. I would have, but I promised them I'd keep their identities a secret."

"So, this is where you guys live, huh?" Rumi said as she observed the lair.

It was a nice, spacious area with a TV in the living room, a pinball machine in the corner, a punching dummy that looked like Shredder, a tire swing hanging over a pool, and many doors leading to several rooms. She looked above and saw a set of stairs leading to a bright light on the ceiling.

"It's cozy," Rumi smiled. "The smell… is not so bad. A little icky."

"Yeah, we've been buying some air fresheners lately," Donatello shrugged. "Which reminds me, I gotta get more. I think the lavender ones go on sale next week."

"My sons," spoke their tall sensei. "Welcome home."

The Turtles turned around with bright smiles and rushed towards.

"Master Splinter!" they all shouted. Huntrix looked in front of them and saw him before their eyes.

The Turtles hugged their sensei as April stood beside them and smiled. Soon, Michelangelo yanked her into a hug where she was sandwiched between Donatello and Leonardo. Everyone wrapped their arms around each other and closed their eyes, cherishing every last bit of the reunion.

"Are you all right?" Splinter asked before releasing everyone.

"We're fine, Sensei," Michelangelo nodded with a smile. He scratched the back of his head and added, "Had a busier night than expected, but we turned out okay. Couldn't have done it without their help, though."

He pointed to Huntrix, who all had shocked looks on their faces. The Turtles gathered around their father before Leonardo introduced him. "Huntrix, this is our sensei and father, Master Splinter. Sensei, I believe you're familiar with Huntrix."

"I am," Splinter smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. Thank you for helping my family."

Rumi was quickly pulled out of her shocked state before she approached Splinter and shook his hand. "Hey, we can't take all the credit. Your sons told us about you, so it's an honor to meet you in person. Mira, Zoey, come introduce… guys?"

Everyone looked at the Korean duo, who were stunned by the fact that a giant rat was in their presence.

Suddenly, Mira and Zoey's eyes shattered like glass and turned into a pixelated rat, which resembled a certain video game where a yellow dot eats circles and evades ghosts.

Everyone, even Splinter, was taken aback by this as they watched the digital rat move around and eat some cheese. Eventually, it disintegrated thanks to a mousetrap, and both singers' eyes flashed red X's.

After hearing a loud buzzing sound, the two fainted, and two ghosts shaped like them slowly left their bodies.

"Are you serious?" Rumi grunted as she facepalmed. She turned to her new friends before approaching her best ones. "I am so sorry, can you give me a second?"

Rumi stomped towards the two ghosts and placed both hands on her hips. "Zoey! Mira! You two are being very rude!"

"B-but, Rumi," the ghost of Zoey pleaded. "He's a-"

"-giant rat? Yeah, we were told this!"

Rumi then grabbed the two ghosts by their necks and shoved them back into their owners' bodies.

Mira and Zoey gasped before waking up, seeing their aggravated leader point towards Splinter. "You two better get up and apologize right now!"

Feeling guilty, Zoey and Mira shared a glance before they did the walk of shame towards the sensei. Taking a bow, they humbly apologized. "We're sorry, Master Splinter."

But the brown rat chuckled. "It is all right. You do not have to fear me, my friends. Rest assured, I do not bite."

"Not unless you do something to make him mad," Raphael teased the duo before getting his head smacked by Leonardo. He was about to fight back, but a glare from Splinter told both of them to stop.

Zoey smiled before she started admiring Splinter's clothing, fascinated by its red color and black details. "Whoa, take a look at his kimono. This is really cool."

"You like it?" Splinter smiled.

"Totally," Zoey beamed as she inspected all of the details before looking at the back, which had a stylized flower. "Whoa, Rumi. Check out this logo on the back. You guys have your own logo? That is so cool! Is it a turtle shell?"

"Actually, it's a bell flower, but we didn't design it," Donatello stated.

"It is a symbol used by my old clan, the Hamato," Splinter said.

Hearing that made Rumi do a double-take; her eyes widened.

Wait a second…

Tang Shen…

Hamato Clan…

She gasped loudly.

No… it can't be…

With both eyes enlarged, she found herself trapped in a memory.

She pictured herself as a little girl running around Jeju Island laughing as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. Covering her mouth, she hid behind a tall piece of grass as she snuck up on a man meditating on a rock. Performing a somersault, the young girl snuck out from behind and tapped him on the shoulder, saying he was it.

The man turned around and revealed himself as a Japanese human with black hair and a red kimono. He was taken by surprise before he laughed and smirked, chasing the young girl through the grass. Laughter echoed throughout as he finally caught up to her.

Rumi's mind was quickly taken back to the present, where she looked at Splinter with her jaw dropped. Slowly walking towards him, she was unaware of the curious looks on everyone's faces.

Splinter kept a neutral expression on his face as he waited for the singer to speak.

Rumi struggled to do so, but mustered the courage to say one word.

"Ajeosshi?"

The Turtles and April shared a glance as Mira and Zoey mimicked her shock.

"Yo," Raphael said as he lightly tapped the translator's shoulder. "What did she say?"

"Oh, she said uncle," Michelangelo smiled before realizing what he had just said. "Wait, what!?"

Everyone's eyes lit up with shock.

Mira and Zoey shared a curious glance.

The Turtles and April wondered what was going on.

"Yoshi?" Rumi said softly. She nervously pressed her hands together and felt her body shaking. "Is that you?"

Splinter noticed everyone's confusion and knew he'd have a lot to explain. But first, he wanted to talk with an old friend. "It is good to see you, my dear child. It has been a long time."

Rumi formed small tears under her eyes before she closed them and leaned into her uncle's arms, embracing him in a tight, warm hug. Her tears were joyful, and her patterns were bright blue.

Splinter noticed the glow and smiled, resting his furry chin against her head.

As the two stood for a while, cherishing the moment, everyone around them had a dozen questions on their minds. They were tempted to start bombarding them with queries, but after seeing the smile on Rumi's face, they agreed now wasn't the best time.

They waited minutes before Rumi sniffed and released Splinter from the hug. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just-"

"-do not apologize, Rumi. As I said before, I am happy to see you again."

Rumi's patterns continued glowing as she smiled and stroked her arm.

"So, wait a second… Rumi’s our cousin?” Raphael said with confusion.

"No, no," Michelangelo shook his head. "Ajeosshi translates to uncle, but it isn't a term you'd use for a relative. If Master Splinter was Rumi's actual uncle, she would've referred to him as waesamchon, samchon, and/or chinsamchon."

"Correct, Michelangelo," Splinter nodded. "My sons and April. I said Shen and I met the Sunlight Sisters through their concerts, but there is more to the story. When I was a young boy, I met and befriended a Korean woman named Mi-yeong Ryu. She would visit Japan with her family every summer, and we became close friends. We've maintained our relationship through letters."

"You were friends with Rumi's mom?" Mira raised an eyebrow as Zoey's face lit up.

"Indeed," Splinter nodded. "We supported each other's creative dreams. She wanted to become a K-pop idol, and I wanted to be an artist. I'll never forget the letter she wrote to me expressing excitement over joining the Sunlight Sisters, and inside the letter were two tickets for Shen and me. Since then, we've attended her concerts, and she introduced us to the other members."

Splinter soon frowned, turned to Rumi, and said, "The last time I saw Mi-yeong… was at her funeral."

The Turtles and April shared a sorrowful glance with Mira and Zoey.

Splinter sighed before he continued. "That was at a time when the Sunlight Sisters disbanded, leaving Celine heartbroken. Shen and I have made sure to be there for her since, but she's mostly gotten by on her own. At that time, she was raising you, and I told her to contact me if she ever needed anything."

"Did she?" Mira asked.

"For the most part, no. But every now and then, she would reach out to see how we were."

"How did you meet Rumi?" Leonardo asked.

"Yoshi and I met when I was around eight or nine years old," Rumi replied. "He came to Jeju Island to stay with Celine for a while. From there, he and I shared a close bond."

"I lost Shen and my daughter, Miwa, at the time," Splinter nodded. "Celine heard about what happened and invited me to stay with her. As Rumi said, we formed a close bond before I eventually left for New York. Unfortunately, I have not kept in touch since my mutation."

"It's okay," Rumi nodded. "I wasn't the best at keeping in touch with you either, but I am happy to see you now. It took me a little bit to get used to your new appearance, but you look good."

"As do you, my dear child. Your patterns are different. They are not like they used to be."

"Wait, you know about her patterns?" Zoey inquired. "How?"

"I found out during my stay," Splinter replied. "Part of the reason I left was so I could protect Rumi's secret. If Celine found out I knew, then she'd be in worse trouble."

"My patterns changed when Huntrix and I created a new Honmoon months ago," Rumi said, stroking her arms. "I don't know exactly why, but they're not as scary as they used to be."

"Yet you still hide them. Why is that?"

Rumi should've expected that question from someone as wise as Splinter. She looked nervous for a bit before rolling up her sleeves and seeing her blue patterns. They weren't glowing anymore; they were muted instead.

"It's a long story, Master Splinter. For now, it's better we focus on what's important."

As the moment sat for a bit, April had one question on her mind. She turned to her green friends and said, "I guess now's a good time to ask, what the heck happened tonight?"

"Before we get into that," Leonardo replied. "Sensei, Huntrix's hotel room was attacked by the Foot Clan and the Purple Dragons. Would you mind if they stayed here for a while?"

"Of course they can stay, Leonardo," Splinter nodded. "Can you and April fetch some air mattresses? I will have Donatello and Raphael grab blankets and guest pillows."

"One mattress will do," Zoey said, placing a hand on both of her friends' shoulders.

"What should I do, Sensei?" Michelangelo asked as he watched everyone leave to gather supplies.

"Be a gentleman and give our guest a tour. I will be in the dojo, waiting for you to explain everything."

"All right!" Michelangelo cheered as he saw Splinter enter the training grounds. He turned to his favorite group and said, "Hey, do you guys wanna see my room? I've got a lot of cool collectibles I'd love to show you."

"Depends. There's no weird photos of us in there, right?" Mira asked sternly.

"What?"

"For context," Zoey clarified. "We once had a contest where the winner would get a private visit from us. We went to their house, and the stuff they had was very… questionable."

Michelangelo cringed. "No, I don't have anything like that. I got something you'll find really cool, and possibly spark some nostalgia. Follow me."

The trio walked behind the excited turtle as they turned around a corner and approached a door. Michelangelo opened it and prepared to show them his room, but he stopped mid-step and gasped horrifically.

At first, the band wasn't sure what he saw, but before they could look, he slammed the door and pressed against it.

He smiled nervously. A drop of sweat also poured down his forehead.

"Can you excuse me for a minute or two? I need some time to clean up."

The group gave him a thumbs up before Michelangelo entered and cleaned his room. Even though they couldn't see him, they could hear noise from behind the door.

Huntrix sat in silence as they heard the turtle rambling to himself.

"Ah man! I knew I should've cleaned up before the concert! How was I supposed to know my favorite group would be coming over tonight!? This place is a mosh pit!. Let's see! All my action figures are on display; my comics are organized. Hey, something's under my bed? Is that pizza?"

He took a bite only to hack and spit it out. "Nope! That was not pizza! Come on, Mikey! Get it together! You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of Huntrix. Or maybe I'm already embarrassing myself. Maybe I was doing that the whole time, and they were too nice to say anything. Heck, they could probably hear me right now. Hey! Are you guys listening through the door? What am I saying? Of course, they're listening through the door!"

Zoey chuckled as Rumi and Mira shared a curious glance.

Within two minutes, Michelangelo forced a smile and gently opened the door, allowing the trio to enter.

"Sorry about all of that. You are clear to enter Castle Mikey."

Huntrix walked inside and stepped on a sea turtle carpet, which led them to a small room with a gallery of items.

Action figures and sci-fi movie posters hung beside a bed with a soft, silky blanket. Pizza boxes were neatly stacked in the corner when they'd normally scatter the floor, and beside them was a cardboard cutout of martial artist: Chris Bradford folding his arms.

Huntrix admired everything inside as Michelangelo hoped they wouldn't find something he missed while cleaning up.

"Aww, this is cute," Zoey said.

"Pretty much what I expect out of a teenage boy's room," Mira chuckled.

"Ha-ha, yeah," Michelangelo replied before he found a loose pair of underpants and slammed into a wooden shipping box. He sat on top of it with a nervous laugh as Huntrix looked confused.

"So…" Zoey said, attempting to break the awkward silence. "What did you want to show us, Michelangelo?"

He finally remembered. "Oh, right! Excuse me, Rumi."

The lead singer moved to the side as she watched the turtle open a wooden cabinet and mumbled to himself, "Okay, where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Ah, right here!"

Pulling out a cardboard box with the band's logo on each side, he sat on the ground and encouraged the trio to do the same. With a curious glance, the girls sat down as Michelangelo gently pushed the box towards them.

"I've never allowed anybody except April to look at this before. I hope you guys like it."

Zoey was the first to stick her hand inside the box and pull out a square-shaped sleeve with a peculiar design on it. With widened eyes, she gasped. "No way!"

"What is it, Zoey?" asked Rumi.

In her hand was a vinyl record of a Huntrix song from the past. The cover showed all three girls in casual clothing wearing thick black shades. All of them held microphones tightly as they screamed loudly. A bold logo was on the bottom, and the background was black with flashes of green. Zoey opened the cover and saw a black, shiny disk inside. Her eyes lit up like sparkles as she carefully inspected while keeping her hands to herself; she didn't want to touch it and risk getting it dirty.

"He's got all of our songs on vinyl!"

Mira's curiosity piqued as she stuck her hand in the box and fished out a record of the song How It's Done. It showed all three members in their respective costumes, striking a dynamic pose in front of a blue and purple sparkly background.

"He does," Mira smiled as she looked through more record sleeves. "Michelangelo, these are cool."

"Thanks," he replied. "I get them from a record store that's not far from here. They have a whole K-pop section, and it's filled with your records. There's been some I missed out on, so I try to go there whenever the website says they're in stock."

Zoey pulled out another record, only to snort and break out laughing. Her friends raised their eyebrows and chuckled.

"What's wrong, Zoey?" Rumi asked.

"I didn't think they'd use this one," Zoey said as she tilted the record around and revealed a funny picture. It was the three members who were crashed out on the couch. Zoey was the only one awake and smiling, while Rumi and Mira made funny sleeping faces.

Speaking of which, the two cackled.

"Where the heck did that come from?" Mira inquired, wiping her watering eyes.

"So, we came home from a long day of rehearsal, followed by a photo shoot one time," Zoey chortled, clenching her stomach, which ached from the laughter. "You and Rumi passed out on the couch, so I snuggled beside you guys and took a selfie. I sent it to Bobby as a joke, and I guess he liked it so much, he wanted it to be the cover of a new single."

"Oh, that is hilarious," Michelangelo said, joining in on the fun. "I was wondering what the story of this one was. It's one of my favorites."

"Look at this one," Mira said as she pulled out a cover featuring Huntrix dressed in Santa shirts and skirts.

"Oh, yeah!" Zoey smiled as she took it from Mira's hand and looked. "This one's so cute. I think this is the only Christmas album we did."

"And good thing too. I was sweating like a pig in that outfit."

"They weren't as bad as the elf costumes, though."

Mira laughed. "True."

"Aww, this one takes me back," Rumi smiled as she held up the cover of their first album, which showcased the three of them smiling together and holding hands.

"Aww, we were so young back then," Zoey said as nostalgia hit her in the face. Waves of memories flooded her mind as she pictured moments Huntrix would sing, dance, and rehearse for their early shows. "These are awesome, Michelangelo. Which ones are you missing?"

"Just some of the variant covers. I want them for completion purposes. There is one I really want, though, and that's the golden edition of Golden. That one is super cool! It looks similar to the normal cover, except you guys are closer together. It makes you look more like a family."

With that, Huntrix turned to each other before they asked one question they've had on their minds for a while.

"About that…" Zoey began. "You keep making a lot of family connections to us. It's not a bad thing, but I'm wondering why or how you see that."

"Oh," Michelangelo said, not expecting a question like that. "Well… can I be honest?"

They nodded.

"Your music is awesome, but it's not the main reason why I like you guys. I like you guys for you. I know that sounds a little confusing, but let me explain. Mira, I hate to bring this up, but you grew up in a family that wanted nothing to do with you. You were constantly shamed for your personality and discouraged from being who you are now. Zoey, your parents are divorced, and you tried to appease both of them, but you couldn't. You eventually decided to venture off on your own and find your own place. As for you, Rumi. Even though Golden doesn't explain it in detail, you were raised alone, and Celine encouraged you to hide. She didn't want you to express your true self, especially to your friends."

He paused for a moment to let the band take that in.

"You guys had it rough in the beginning, but eventually, you found each other. The feelings you thought were curses back then were accepted amongst the group. You rarely see a musical group with the same level of camaraderie as you three. You're more than just a K-pop group; you're family. And you guys remind me a lot of my own."

Michelangelo stopped again and shrugged. "Yeah, you guys aren't mutants, nor do you fight alien robots, but you found love with each other. Similar to how my brothers and I were raised together by Splinter."

Pausing one more time, the turtle shrugged as he saw smiles emerge from his favorite group. "I haven't been a fan for super long, but that hasn't stopped me from feeling this way. April and her father have been huge fans for a long time, and April found solace in your music when her father was captured by the Kraang. She showed my brothers and I Golden some time ago, and I've been a huge fan since."

Michelangelo nervously exhaled before he finished with, "I know there's probably fans out there with a deeper connection, but this is the one I've always had with you guys. So, I wanna thank you for being who you are."

Rumi exchanged a smile with Mira and Zoey as they felt touched after hearing all of that.

Most, if not all, of their fans love them for their voices and music, but they've never met someone who loves them for who they are and their connection to each other. It was something Rumi needed to hear, especially since she was currently going through some problems.

Even though her struggles weren't gone completely, she briefly forgot about them after hearing what she heard.

The trio was about to tell him how much that meant, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Everyone looked and saw Raphael, who leaned against the wall.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry to interrupt. What's going on in here?"

"Your brother was showing us his super awesome vinyl collection," Zoey smiled.

"Nice," Raphael replied. "I wanted to tell you guys the beds are ready. Mikey, Master Splinter wants us in the dojo."

"You got it," nodded the youngest brother. He packed up the vinyl records and organized them the way they were before.

"Thanks for showing us your collection, Michelangelo," Rumi smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It was nice looking back at some good memories and hearing your story."

Michelangelo couldn't help but blush. "Oh… y-you're welcome. By the way, you guys don't have to call us by our full names if you don't want to. We all have nicknames. I'm Mikey, he's Raph, there's Leo, and then there's Donnie."

"You got it, Mikey," Rumi replied.

Now, his cheeks were as red as pizza sauce.

A bright smile painted itself across his face as he put the records away and followed them outside.

Raphael guided the trio to the living room, where April, Donatello, and Leonardo set up a large air mattress with a few blankets and pillows. The purple genius was about to fluff them before Rumi spoke up.

"Oh, Donnie. You don't have to do that. We appreciate it, but it's not necessary."

Donatello gave a thumbs up before he got on his feet and walked towards his brothers. "April, are you spending the night here after we meet with Splinter?"

"I might as well," April shrugged. "It's too late for me to walk home now. Besides, I already shot my dad a text saying I'm staying here. Is it all right if I sleep in the lab or the dojo?"

"The lab's fine. There should be a bed in there already."

"Thanks, Donnie."

"Anything for you, April."

"Are you sure you guys don't want more air mattresses?" Leonardo asked the singing trio. "This one's a little small."

"We can manage," Zoey replied as she and the others tucked themselves under the covers and got comfortable.

"All right then. Get some sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Will do," Rumi nodded. "Oh, Raph."

The red masked turtle raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks for saving me on stage tonight. If it weren't for you, I would've summoned my saingeom and my secret would be exposed. I'm glad you and your brothers were there tonight, and we're getting to work together."

"It was either save you or listen to Mikey cry for several hours," Raphael joked as he was punched by said brother, only to retaliate and hit him harder. "I'm kidding, of course. It was my pleasure, Rumi."

"Annyeonghi jumuseyo, Huntrix," Michelangelo said after rubbing his head.

"Annyeonghi jumuseyo, Mikey," the band replied as they watched the Turtles and April head up to the dojo and closed the door.

The trio leaned back against the soft cushion and rested their heads against the pillows. Rumi was in the middle of her friends once again as they began snuggling together. But before they could doze off to sleep, the duo had something they wanted to get off their chests.

"Rumi…" Zoey said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Mira and I… we owe you an apology."

"For?"

"Not rescuing you tonight," Mira replied. "We would have gone with the Turtles had I not been so stupid."

"What do you mean, Mira?"

She sighed and laid on her back. "I snapped at them after you got captured. I wanted them to tell me where you were going, but I kept yelling at them, which caused some stress. Zoey attempted to reason with me, but I snapped at her, too. I was wrapped up in my anger, and it allowed me to push them away. I also called them freaks… and the way I held my weapon…" Mira turned to Rumi before she said, "It reminded me of what I did to you that night."

Rumi briefly recalled what had happened before saying, "Mira. Obviously, you were shocked by what happened tonight. Does that excuse your actions? No. But what's important is that we're together now and we have friends who are going to help us defeat a common enemy. As far as the insult goes, maybe you can apologize to them tomorrow."

"I will," Mira nodded.

"Let's get some sleep. Like Leo said, we're in for a long day tomorrow."

With that, Mira and Zoey snuggled on Rumi's sides and leaned against their pillows.

Wishing each other well, they closed their eyes for a peaceful rest.

In the dojo, the Turtles had a lot of explaining to do.

They figured the best place was to start from the beginning, so they told the story of how Hunters created the Honmoon to defend against Gwi-Ma and his forces.

Speaking of which, the brothers then explained everything involving the Saja Boys, the Idol Awards, and Namsan Tower. Both Splinter and April were shocked to hear it the part where Rumi went to Celine expecting guidance, only to be told what she'd been instructed to do for years; hide.

Splinter knew how strict Celine was about Rumi's patterns, so it broke his heart to hear what happened the night Gwi-Ma nearly devoured everyone's souls. April was just a shocked. Angry even. She couldn't imagine a mentor figure giving bad advice to their student.

Finally, the Turtles explained the concert and everything that followed. Michelangelo was just about to finish the story by explaining how they escaped from the Foot Clan.

"And then, the giant tiger sat on Karai, and we ran away."

Splinter stroked his white beard, registering everything he just heard. It was a lot, but he understood it well. "I see…"

"So, Rumi is a Hunter, who's also… part-demon?" April said with disbelief.

"Yup," Leonardo nodded.

"That's… a lot to take in at once."

"Thought the same thing, April," agreed Raphael. Even after explaining the story again, he still had a hard time processing everything.

"Hey, Master Splinter," Michelangelo said, turning to his sensei. "How much did Rumi tell about Demon Hunters?"

"Everything she told me came from Celine," Splinter replied as he paced back and forth.

"How did you find out Rumi had patterns?"

"To put it shortly, we were playing tag years ago. She tripped and scraped her shoulder. As I took her to Celine, she yanked her arm back and covered her wound. As I tended to it, I saw her patterns. From there, she told me everything about Hunters, the Honmoon, and Gwi-Ma's army."

"How come you never told us any of this?"

"When Rumi and I spoke that day, she made me promise to keep her secret safe. I've kept that vow until tonight."

"I know you just explained it, so I apologize for asking," April raised her hand. "But why do Gwi-Ma and Shredder want Rumi so badly?"

"Our theory is they want Rumi to destroy the Honmoon since she has the power to create it," Donatello replied, raising a finger. "As a Hunter, her voice powers the barrier. But when she was struggling with suppressing her Demon side, her voice nearly fractured it."

"So, how do we break up Gwi-Ma and Shredder?" Raphael asked, clapping his hands together.

"Didn't you guys say there was a portal made by Baxter Stockman?" April asked.

"There was, yes," Donatello nodded. "It's probably how the Foot Demons can bypass the Honmoon's power and enter our world."

"So, the logical thing to do would be to shut it down, right?" April said.

"Yes, but that would require us to go back to Shredder's hideout," Leonardo folded his arms. "Which would be harder than last time, since we were already there rescuing Rumi. No doubt Shredder and Gwi-Ma are expecting our return."

"I expect you all to come up with a plan, but for now, rest," Splinter instructed. "Tonight was a lot on the four of you. Clear your minds tonight so you can be prepared for tomorrow."

"Aye, Sensei," the Turtles and April bowed.

Just as everyone was prepared to walk out the door, a thought came to the youngest ninja's head.

"Master Splinter. Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Michelangelo?"

"If Celine found out you knew about Demon Hunters, would you have confronted her about how she raised Rumi?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she would have listened?

"I am not sure."

"What makes you say that, Sensei?

Splinter closed his eyes before he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "My words would contradict everything she was taught as a Hunter. As much as I would like to believe she would listen to my words, I do not believe she would learn from them. Rumi is a half-demon, and Celine took a risk raising her. I will forever commend her for honoring Mi-yeong's promise; however, her methods of raising Rumi are not what Mi-yeong would have wanted. I'm thankful that, despite a rough patch in the beginning, Mira and Zoey were able to accept all of Rumi. I could only hope they continue to be the family she needs."

The Turtles and April nodded in agreement before they exited through the door.

Soaking in everything they learned from Splinter, the Turtles and April were in a state of shock once again. April went off to Donatello's lab to rest, leaving her friends lost in their thoughts.

They had vague memories of being Sunlight Sisters fans when they were younger, but they did recall some songs Splinter enjoyed the most. When they learned he and Tang Shen were fans earlier, they assumed he met the group in a meet-and-greet or something cooler. Never before would they ever suspect their sensei being close to someone who's not only a musician, but a former Demon Hunter and mother to Huntrix's lead singer.

For as intelligent as Donatello was, he had trouble processing everything. He was never the type to believe in magic or Demons, but tonight proved that they were real, and he wasn't sure how to feel.

Leonardo and Raphael had similar emotions.

Both of them believed the story they heard from Huntrix, but they were surprised to know that Shredder was involved. Recalling the fight they had with him before, the sight of his patterns flashed before their eyes, and they flinched. Regular Shredder was already difficult for them to beat.

But with patterns, he became more of a problem and tonight's fight proved it.

As with Michelangelo, his emotions were all over the place.

Part of him was super excited to know there was more to Huntrix than what he could possibly imagine. Like the rest of the world, he assumed that they were a normal K-pop group that enjoyed singing songs and interacting with fans. However, he was surprised to know of their secret identities, which to him was both epic and nerve-racking. Rumi's words echoed in his mind as he kept thinking about everything he learned at the Wolf Hotel.

Most of the story took him by surprise and made him happy, but he remembered feeling somber in other parts. Particularly the moment when Rumi recited the lyrics to Takedown only for Zoey to cry and beg her to stop. The sight of his favorite member in tears haunted him and caused him to clench both arms, sending a shiver down his shell.

He couldn't believe that Rumi was a mixture of human and demon, and that her two best friends didn't have the best reaction at first. On one hand, he understood because to them, their best friend had been lying for years. On the other hand, he could tell that Mira and Zoey were filled with regret as they told Rumi that what they did was wrong. Never could Michelangelo imagine such conflict between the group, but he was relieved that it all worked out in the end.

Speaking of the group, Michelangelo looked towards the living room and saw all three members sleeping on the same air mattress. Rumi was sandwiched between Mira and Zoey, who had their arms wrapped around her and hugged her tightly. Rumi's arms were over each member as she slept peacefully, nuzzling herself under Mira's chin. Michelangelo couldn't help but smile as he felt his mind clear; he didn't think about the bad parts of the story anymore. Instead, he admired the bond between three friends who drove to be a family; they never got in their past.

Michelangelo thought he knew everything about them, so it surprised him when he found out there was more. Still, he was happy the three of them found each other, and they overcame their struggles during the Idol Awards. Although he couldn't help but think about some of the dark elements from Rumi's past, mainly with Celine.

Speaking of which, he was still trying to process that, like the rest of his brothers. Celine was a friend of Splinter, which is something nobody expected. Even though they just learned everything from their sensei, Michelangelo couldn't help but want to talk about it more.

"Well," he spoke with a soft tone. "We certainly learned a lot today."

"I'm still struggling to process it all," Donatello said as he scratched his head. "Magic has always been a ridiculous concept to me, but now we find out it's real? I'm not saying I don't believe the story, I do, but it's something I wasn't expecting."

"We all feel this way, Donnie," Leonardo said, patting his shoulder. "But we can't just sit here and think about the past. We need to start planning our next move."

During the conversation, Zoey and Mira partially opened their eyes and tilted their heads. They listened to the brothers.

"I'm still wondering what this Demon Hour thing is and how Rumi is involved," the genius said. "As I mentioned before, Gwi-Ma probably wants her to destroy the Honmoon since her screams caused ripples in the past."

"Makes sense, but you don't think she's gonna lose control like that, do you?" Michelangelo inquired. "Deep down, she's got some things she wants to talk about, but she doesn't seem as angry as she was back then."

"True, but Gwi-Ma and Shredder will find a way to change that," Raphael added.

"Let's discuss this tomorrow," Leonardo suggested. "We'll help Huntrix go back for their stuff in the morning so they can stay here for a while. Hopefully, we can fix this by tomorrow night."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Raphael replied as he fist-bumped his leader and walked to his room. "Good night, y'all."

"See ya in the morning," Donatello added while following his brother.

"Good night, guys," Leonardo nodded. He watched them leave before he glanced over at Huntrix.

Zoey and Mira quickly closed their eyes and leaned against their pillows, not wanting him to know they were listening the whole time. Thankfully, Leonardo didn't notice and began walking to his room.

However, the two girls woke up again once they heard Michelangelo speak.

"Hey, Leo."

"What's up, Mikey?"

"I… I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"The night Rumi's secret was revealed… and how she felt betrayed."

Guilt struck Mira and Zoey like a lightning bolt.

"I kinda understand why Mira and Zoey aimed their weapons at her," Michelangelo continued. "They were worried something was gonna happen to the Honmoon, but at the same time, I can't see them attacking Rumi. Do you really think they would have done that?"

"I don't know for sure. We weren't there, so it's hard to say. But given how they felt when Rumi talked about Takedown, I can tell they regret what they did. That kind of accountability is rare, and it goes to show how much they love Rumi."

Mira and Zoey shared a sorrowful glance as they looked down at the sleeping singer.

"That's true," shrugged the orange turtle. "But… I think the saddest part of the story for me was Celine. She was Huntrix's mentor and has raised Rumi since Mi-yeong died. She forced Rumi to hide and isolate herself from everyone. I thought Celine would've had a change of heart when Rumi came to her, asking to be killed, but no… instead, Celine kept up the act. She wanted to spread more lies and gaslight Mira and Zoey into thinking it was all an illusion. It got me thinking… did Celine hate Rumi that much?"

Mira clenched her fists as she mentally pictured the moment Rumi went to Celine, hoping to get advice. Even though she wasn't there, she could imagine how the conversation went down.

She was about to get up and start badmouthing her former mentor, only for Zoey to touch her shoulder and shake her head. A brief glance at Rumi let Mira know what the most important thing to do was, so Mira nodded and laid back down.

"Celine sounds… complicated," Leonardo nodded. "She knows everything from Hunters that have preceded her, so her prejudice against Demons makes sense in a twisted way. Does this make what she did to Rumi right? Of course not. Do I think she intended to make Rumi question her self-worth? I'm not sure. We weren't there in person, so it's hard to say."

"Can you imagine if Master Splinter were like Celine?" Michelangelo asked with a low tone in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

Michelangelo took a moment to get his words right. "From what it sounds like, Celine never allowed Rumi to be a person; she was focused on making her into a Hunter and wanted to erase other parts of her, especially the demon side. She never allowed Rumi to spend time with Mira and Zoey. I don't think she allowed her to have any hobbies either. It wasn't until their three-month hiatus that Rumi really started living life like a person instead of a soldier."

"True,"

"Master Splinter allowed us to have hobbies and act like normal kids. We watch TV, play video games, listen to music, and eat pizza. All while we focus on our ninja training. Heck, earlier today, Splinter was talking to us about how we should have a better work-life balance. I doubt Celine ever had that conversation with Rumi."

During that time, Mira and Zoey kept their somber faces and looked down at Rumi, who still slept peacefully.

"Probably not," Leonardo replied.

"I just don't understand. If Master Splinter could love and accept us for who we are, then why couldn't Celine do the same to Rumi?"

Leonardo briefly looked at the sleeping trio before turning back to Michelangelo. Thankfully, Mira and Zoey closed their eyes before he could notice they were awake. "I wish I had an answer for you, Mikey. But the truth is not every parent is like Splinter. He's hard on us sometimes, but he's fair. He allows us to rest when we need it, but he always pushes us to work hard. He's proud of what we do, but not every parent is like that."

"But doesn't he always say all parents care for their children?"

Mira shot her eyes open after hearing that.

"No, he says all parents should care for their children," Leonardo corrected. "But unfortunately, that's not always the case. Look at Karai for example. Splinter's her real father, but Shredder stole her when she was a baby. He's raised her into the Foot Clan, and I doubt he gives her the same love Splinter gives to us."

Mira and Zoey widened their eyes once they heard that.

They remembered Karai as the one who led the attack at the Wolf Hotel, and they were told she was Shredder's daughter. Hearing her true story left them spooked. Of course, they couldn't make it obvious, so they laid still and continued listening.

"That's true," Michelangelo shrugged. "Mira sadly had a similar experience. She had parents and a brother who couldn't care less about her."

"True, but look where that led her now," Leonardo smiled, pointing to the sleeping band. "Mira was able to find a home within Rumi and Zoey."

"I know that, but…" the orange-band turtle sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "It pains me to think about Celine and what she did."

"It eats at me too," Leonardo nodded. "But we shouldn't worry about that. Celine isn't here and Rumi's with those she cares about. Let's focus on getting a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we're going to figure out how we can stop Shredder and Gwi-Ma from launching the Demon Hour. If all goes well, maybe we'll have a pizza party with Huntrix or something."

Michelangelo was quick to smile. "Heh, yeah. I'd love that."

"Good night, Mikey."

"Good night, Leo."

As both brothers trailed off to their rooms and closed the doors, both Mira and Zoey gently leaned up without waking Rumi, who made a soft noise and shivered. Both quickly leaned back down and wrapped their arms around her, making sure she didn't wake up from the commotion.

It took him a while to process the entire conversation. They thought all the explanation would be done tonight, so none of them expected to hear more. However, they thought back to what they thought before, where the Turtles would obviously have more to talk about, considering they just learned all of this in one night. The duo imagined it was hard for the Turtles to believe that, as it was hard for them to believe their story.

Mira and Zoey soaked in Leonardo and Michelangelo's chat before they turned to each other and down at Rumi, who was fast asleep.

They thought back to how they found each other and how their relationship has grown since they sealed the Honmoon three months ago.

They exchanged a nod, rested both heads against the pillows, and went back to sleep. Mentally, they promised themselves that they'd keep Rumi and never repeat the same mistakes they've been making for years.

But just before she could doze off, Zoey leaned towards Rumi and gently bestowed a kiss on her forehead. With a smile, she snuggled beside her and wrapped her in a warm hug. Mira placed her chin back on Rumi's head.

As the trio enjoyed a good night's sleep, the patterns of the half-demon glowed light blue once again. In the midst of her dreams, Rumi found herself smiling.

As the heroes rested for the night, Shredder refused to do the same thing.

Sleep wasn't important unlike his current goal, so he needed to keep going.

Unfortunately, a setback came in the form of the Foot Clan's recent attack.

They all returned from the Wolf Hotel safely, only to report the bad news; Rumi escaped and Huntrix was welcomed into the new Hamato Clan.

Of course, Shredder didn't take this lightly and scolded everyone for their failures.

However, he knew he had to report this.

Gwi-Ma stood on top of his shrine and watched the silver-armored Demon approach him slowly.

Once he got to the top, he took a bow and lowered his head.

"Hmm, I'm noticing there is no Hunter by your side," the Demon King said observingly. "I'm going to regret asking, but would you mind explaining yourself?"

"Gwi-Ma, I-"

"Actually, don't. I already know how this is going to go," Gwi-Ma scoffed dismissively. "You're going to tell me your forces were close to getting her, then those reptiles swooped in, and then they escaped. Am I correct?"

"The half-demon will be brought to you. You have my word," Shredder nodded, attempting to plead his case.

"I don't understand how you were so close to completing your mission only to let her escape. She was in your hideout before she met up with those freaks and fled," Gwi-Ma ranted calmly, yet he sounded frustrated. "It sounded like the Foot Demons were useful at Madison Square Garden, but now, it seems like you're not even trying at all. Why send your normal soldiers to the hotel when you could've sent the army I was kind enough to give you?"

"The portal to get here is not operational at the moment. During the Hunter's escape, she damaged the machine. Baxter Stockman is fixing it as we speak."

"Is there a reason why you couldn't wait for him to fix it so you could use the Foot Demons to attack the hotel? The Hunters could finish them with ease, but the Turtles struggle. They can still beat them, but because their weapons are not enchanted with the Honmoon's magic, it takes them a while. Still, with an army of Foot Demons, you could've brought the Hunter to my domain, and we would not be having this conversation. Instead, you acted on impulse and failed me yet again. I'm starting to question your worth, Oroku Saki. I sadly can't get rid of you because your technology can bypass the Honmoon's magic. It's not perfect, but it's been helping my Demons get to the human world. I'd be stupid to risk losing that."

Shredder clenched his fists before responding, "I know there have been a few setbacks, but rest assured… once Baxter Stockman fixes the portal, I will use every Foot Demon to my advantage and fulfill my promise."

Gwi-Ma was about to say something else before he heard a voice.

"My lord, if we may."

Shredder turned around and saw a smug grin on Abby's face.

He arrived with the other Saja Boys as they levitated through the air before landing on top of the shrine. They bowed before their leader, who was surprised to see them.

"I don't recall requesting a concert," Gwi-Ma said. "What are you four doing here?"

"We'd like another shot at the Hunters once the stupid portal is working again," Abby said. "We can get the job done better than these worthless ninjas."

"And what makes you think that?" the king asked coldly. "Because the last time I tasked you with a mission, you were effortlessly defeated. Much like Shredder, you came close to giving me what I desired, only to fail at the last minute. And before you say anything, I don't wanna hear Jinu's name. I already know what he did, and it doesn't excuse your incompetence."

"We agree with you, Lord Gwi-Ma," spoke the group's mysterious member. "We were taken by surprise back then, but we've had some time to prepare. Now, we wish to serve you in any way we can."

"Wait a second. You can talk?"

"My lord," said Romance with a smirk. "As Mystery was saying, we have had much time to prepare ourselves for the next battle. Besides, I've been dying to see that one Hunter again."

"Will you give that a rest?" Abby rolled his eyes. "She's clearly not into you."

"Oh, are you implying she's into you? Yes, your abs made her cry popcorn; however, I distinctly remember her shredding those things apart."

"Do you realize how long it took me to recover from that!?" Abby snarled as he rubbed his namesakes. "They still ache a little."

"Silence!" Gwi-Ma yelled as his flames rose. "Unless you four have technology that gains us access to the human world, I want nothing to do with your plan. Even though the Foot Clan has yet to prove themselves, they are our only means of getting to the surface."

The Demon King paused before he turned to his new partner. "Shredder… return to the surface and get that portal working. Once you're done, use the Foot Demons and bring me the Hunter."

"I assure, Lord Gwi-Ma," Shredder nodded before he walked down the steps. "I will not fail you."

With that, the chrome warrior began to walk down the stairs.

Abby scoffed as he turned to the other Saja Boys. "Too bad you couldn't say that to your wife."

Shredder's eyes lit up, and they glowed bright red. He stopped in his tracks and clenched both fists.

"Oh, wait, I'm sorry. Your brother's wife. He's just as bad as you, Romance."

Romance was about to make a remark, but Shredder cut him off by punching Abby right in the face. Just before the Demon could get up, Shredder landed a blow against his stomach and kicked him in the shin. Abby snarled and prepared to fight, but Shredder dished out multiple attacks, striking nerves within the Demon's system. Abby felt his body become weaker, but he was determined to win. Shredder dodged a punch, grabbed Abby's arm, and flipped him over.

Abby teleported out of the way and appeared behind his opponent, wrapping both arms around his back. Shredder was quick to throw his head back, bashing the back of his helmet against Abby's nose.

"Argh!" the Demon snarled, clenching his injured body part.

Before he could make another move, Shredder landed multiple blows before he grabbed his arm again. He flipped him over and kept him pinned down.

Drawing his twin blades, he prepared to finish Abby off; however, he was stopped by a commanding voice.

"Enough!" Gwi-Ma snarled. "Let him go, Shredder. He's not worth wasting your power."

Shredder was reluctant to let Abby go after what he just said; however, he took a deep breath and retracted his blades. Stepping on the Demon's stomach, he walked over him and shot a deadly glare.

With that, he teleported out of the Demon Realm.

"As for you four," Gwi-Ma continued. "Unless you have something useful to say, get out of my sight."

The Saja Boys nodded before they levitated down the stairs.

Even though Shredder had failed him twice, Gwi-Ma knew he was the only way he and his army could reach the surface world. Still, he prayed that his new partner wouldn't fail him again. As he watched the Saja Boys leave, he kept thinking of what would happen once the Demon Hour commences.

When it does, he'll not only feast on the Hunters' souls, but he'll also dine on turtle soup.

Chapter Text

Bobby struggled to sleep last night. Not just because he wasn't in a real bed, but because his mind was elsewhere. In other words, he kept thinking about Madison Square Garden.

Even though he didn't see everything, he saw Rumi get attacked and captured by two beats. Part of him still believed it was all a dream, but his mind focused on the two giant turtles fighting against the monstrous fish.

Throughout the night, Bobby replayed that moment like a song on loop, and wake up with several cold sweats. His gasps were loud, so nurses would check in. Part of him felt bad for disturbing them; however, he admired their immediate responses.

Still, their care couldn't do anything to stop the nightmares.

Waking up today made him feel miserable.

His eyes were droopy, and his skin was pale.

Still, it wasn't going to stop him from having a decent day.

With a loud yawn, Bobby finished his light lunch before he picked up his cell phone. Just before he could tap into Huntrix's status, he paused for a moment and asked if that was the best idea. Part of him felt that the attack last night decreased their ratings, but at the same time, he didn't believe that was Huntrix's fault. For heaven's sake, he looked at their live status and was shocked to see they were at the number four spot. It wasn't number one like they should be, but at least the group was still within the top five. A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth as he leaned against a pillow and thought of a mental to-do list.

First, he needed to get out of the hospital.

Second, he needed to book a plane back home.

Third, he needed to regroup with the company in Korea.

And finally, he needed to get the girls back on top.

To occupy the time, Bobby went onto social media and was met with several tweets, articles, and posts about the attack on Madison Square Garden. Every headline said the same thing.

Terror On Madison Square Garden! Is Huntrix In Danger?

Will Huntrix Be Able To Have A Steady Performance?

Huntrix Return Ends In Shock And Horror! Attackers Declared Number One Most Wanted!

Wolf Hotel Attacked Sometime After Madison Square Garden Incident? Potential Crime Wave?

Social media probably wasn't the best thing right now, so Bobby put his phone down and picked up a magazine. He felt like an old man reading it, but at least it didn't contain anything about last night's events.

While reading through an interesting article, Bobby heard a knock at the door and peeked his head up.

A dark-skinned nurse greeted him with a wave before presenting three guests.

It was Huntrix themselves, and they all wore casual clothing. Rumi had a pink shirt underneath a black hoodie, Mira wore a white shirt with golden glasses, and Zoey wore a multi-colored jacket with a yellow hat.

They greeted their manager with warm smiles as he gasped with delight.

"Hey, girls."

"Hi, Bobby!" they greeted not too loudly, but proudly.

"Rumi," Bobby said as he wrapped her in a hug. "Thank goodness you're okay. I was worried about you last night. What happened? There was a giant dog and a giant fish, and they were holding you, and… there were these giant turtle things. I have no idea what happened."

"I'm fine, Bobby," Rumi said, struggling to come up with a lie. "Those were just crazy fans that wanted to mess with us. The cops came by and chased them away. They're hunting them down as we speak. I'm sorry I didn't come visit you last night. I was shocked by what happened at the concert, so I went back to the hotel."

"Which I heard was attacked last night," Bobby said with worry. "Sheesh, it's like New York is becoming a war zone. I mean, there's been plenty of rumors about monsters, robots, and other crime activity, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Somebody reported seeing a giant crocodile in the sewers some time ago, others reported a giant plant monster, and then there was a giant spider running around. Actually, do you want to know what the worst one was? A city-wide rat invasion."

Bobby gagged and almost threw up. "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

Zoey grabbed a garbage can, but Bobby kindly signaled her to put it down. "Thanks, Zoey, but I'll be fine. Apologies for rambling, but I'm happy you're safe, Rumi."

"Likewise," Rumi nodded. "How long are you going to be in here for?"

"Not sure," the manager shrugged. "They told me they'd let me know by this afternoon. The antidote they gave me is working better than it did last night. They want me to rest before I do anything else."

"Make sense. Try to get as much rest as you can. You work too hard."

"Not hard enough."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Bobby frowned and closed his eyes. "If I had been better, maybe I would have protected you guys last night. Rumi, I know you said they were crazy fans, but I don't know if I can believe that. That attack was way more violent than anything crazy fans have pulled. Part of me wants to know what happened, but at the same time, I'd rather just get out of New York and focus on rebuilding Huntrix locally."

"Locally?" Rumi raised an eyebrow, turning to her friends. "What about the rest of the tour?"

Mira and Zoey's eyes widened, expressing their guilt.

"Zoey and Mira didn't tell you?" Bobby asked.

"Tell me what?"

"We're sorry, Rumi," Zoey apologized first. "But um… you see… we… um… well…"

"We canceled the tour," Mira said, making Zoey thankful she was more straightforward. "We wanted to tell you last night, but we didn't get the chance to."

Half of Rumi was devastated to hear that, as she wanted to assure the world Huntrix wasn't breaking up; however, she quickly thought about the positives and nodded. "It's all right. Honestly, another world tour sounded grueling. So, what are we going to do once we go home?"

"Local shows, photoshoots, simple stuff," the manager smiled. "We'll start small and work our way back to the top. I wish I had the guts to tell the company that sooner, but-"

"-it's all right, Bobby," Rumi said reassuringly as she wrapped one hand around Bobby's fingers. "It's all in the past, so let's focus on getting you better, okay?"

The manager smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll let you guys know when I'm gonna get out of here. Hopefully, it's not long."

"Get well soon, Bobby," Rumi smiled. "See you later."

"Bye, girls!"

"Bye, Bobby!"

Huntrix escorted themselves out of the door.

Bobby waved them goodbye before he checked his phone again and watched their status quickly drop to number seven. At first, his heart clenched, but he took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Don't worry, Bobby. These numbers will go back up again. This won't be like the Idol Awards… at least… I hope they won't." A frown appeared on his face before he turned it upside down and started jotting down ideas for how Huntrix can get back on top.

Huntrix arrived on the bottom floor and approached the entrance. Before walking out the door, they chatted amongst themselves.

"Rumi, we're so sorry we didn't tell you about the tour's cancellation," Zoey said. "I know we-"

"Don't apologize, Zoey," the lead singer shook her head. "It's fine. Like I said, I wasn't really looking forward to another tour."

"None of us were," Mira shrugged. "Makes me wonder why they did it in the first place."

"Simple. It's an easy way for the world to know we've still got it, which we do," Rumi replied. "Bobby's going to help us out once we get back home, but until he gets out of the hospital, we're staying here. Hopefully, we can stop Shredder and Gwi-Ma before then."

"What's our plan?" the maknae asked.

"I… don't know. The Demons are coming through a portal located within Shredder's lair, so that might be the key to ending this."

"No doubt they've increased security since your escape," noted the pink-haired woman. "Rumi, what exactly did you see when you found the portal?"

Rumi looked around to see if anyone was listening before she whispered. "I overheard a conversation between Shredder and Baxter Stockman. Sometime ago, the Foot Clan stole technology from the Kraang and used it to build the machine. It's somehow able to let Demons cross over into our world without disturbing the Honmoon. Shredder was about to head inside to tell Gwi-Ma I was there, but… four Demons stepped out instead. You're not going to believe who they were."

Mira and Zoey shared a curious glance before they stared at Rumi, wanting to know the rest.

Their leader nervously rubbed her shoulders before muttering, "The Saja Boys."

"What!?" Zoey screamed, causing doctors and nurses to stop in their tracks.

The girls nervously smiled and walked towards a corner.

Doctors and nurses were confused before they went back to work.

"Careful, Zoey," Mira warned. "Not so loud."

"S-sorry," the maknae whispered nervously. "But, Rumi. Did you just say the Saja Boys were back?"

"Yup. All four of them."

"How's that possible?" Mira asked. "We killed them three months ago."

"I guess they recovered in the Demon Realm," Rumi shrugged. "They came out and asked Shredder where I was, but I was caught by a small robot, and they found me. I fought against them and escaped. I damaged the machine, but not without taking a beating from Shredder."

"That would explain why we saw normal Foot Soldiers at the Wolf Hotel," Mira stroked her chin. "Shredder's relying on the portal to summon them."

"If we shut down the machine, then the Foot Clan's connection to Gwi-Ma will be gone," Rumi nodded. "I just… don't know how we're going to sneak in."

"Hey, don't forget you're not the only one coming up with a plan," Zoey winked as she pressed both hands on the half-demon's shoulders. With a bright smile, she leaned against her chest and said, "We're all in this together, Rumi. Not just Huntrix, but our new friends as well. Together… we can win."

"What she said," Mira smirked, patting her leader's back.

Rumi smiled and embraced her friends. "I'm glad I have you two by my side."

Suddenly, their stomachs growled loudly like wild bears.

"Whoa… did you hear that?" Zoey asked, clenching her stomach.

"More like did you feel that?" Mira chuckled. "I think sustenance is required for our adventure."

"No kidding," Zoey chortled. "I think there's a pizza place down the block. Let's grab something for us and the guys… assuming they eat pizza, of course."

Rumi couldn't help but grin. "Oh, Zoey. Have I got news for you."

With a box of fresh pizza in Zoey's hands, the Huntrix girls returned to the sewer lair only to find it completely empty.

"Hey, guys! We're back with pizza!" Zoey called out. "We hope you dudes are hungry!"

Shockingly, there was no response.

"Guys?" Zoey shouted again.

"Maybe they're training," Mira said. "I'll check the dojo."

But as she turned around, she was spooked by the presence of a large rat with a red kimono.

"GAH!"

"Whoa!" Zoey exclaimed as she backed behind a startled Rumi. "Oh, Spli-I mean, Master Splinter. I hope that's not a habit you have. Otherwise, I'm gonna kindly ask you to wear a bell."

"Apologies, my friends," Splinter smiled. "Welcome back. How is your manager?"

"Bobby's fine," Rumi replied. "Do you know where the Turtles are?"

Before he could respond, loud music came from the kitchen. {Song #1 - Start}

Startled once again, the girls felt their hearts jump as they quickly turned around. It was a hip-hop song the girls weren't too familiar with, but they liked the beat. That, and they found the main singer's voice soothing.

"Does that answer your question?" Splinter chuckled again as he smiled and walked back to the dojo.

The Korean trio shared a glance before they smiled and walked towards the kitchen.

After opening the curtain, they heard the song get louder as they witnessed a party going on.

The Turtles and April danced to the music as Michelangelo, wearing a chef's hat and apron, cooked lunch while the others either waited or helped out.

Donatello was surfing the web on his computer, bopping his head to the music while April was working on some homework she was assigned yesterday.

Raphael looked through an issue of Modern Ninja Magazine while feeding Spike a lettuce leaf sitting on a plate.

Leonardo was cleaning dishes in the sink while Michelangelo took up the majority of the station's left side.

Humming to himself, he used a wooden spoon to mix some marinara sauce with a variety of ingredients; ramyeon, minced garlic, shredded parmesan, oregano, cured parsley, and thin slices of pepperoni. Speaking of which, the orange turtle pulled out another stick of pepperoni and kindly motioned to his brother, who nodded after putting a dish back in the cabinet. Michelangelo threw the stick in the air and pulled his pot to the right. Within seconds, he watched neatly cut slices fall right into place; Leonardo chopped them with his sword as fast as lightning. The chef thanked him with a nod.

Huntrix stood at the entrance, amazed by Michelangelo's cooking skills. He had the dish mixed within seconds as he added more seasoning and tasted every bite with a clean metal spoon. Just as he cleaned his utensil and used a wooden one to mix the dish, he turned around and noticed guests at the door.

"Hey, Huntrix!" he greeted.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked over, and greeted the trio.

Donatello turned the radio off after waving.{Song #1 - End}

"Hey, guys," Zoey beamed. "You started a dance party without us?"

"We didn't know when you were coming back," Michelangelo replied as he readjusted his white hat. "I made something you girls are going to love!"

"And we brought something that'll hopefully go along with it," Rumi smiled as she and her friends placed the pizza box on the table, catching everyone's attention.

"You girls brought actual pizza?" Michelangelo asked as he turned around. "Perfect! It'll go nicely with the dish I'm making."

"What are you cooking?" Mira asked.

Michelangelo grabbed a towel from a cabinet, folded it nicely, and placed it in the middle of the table. He grabbed several bowls from the top shelf and handed them to everyone. From there, he grabbed the pot by its handles, placed it on the towel, and took a whiff of a fresh tomatoey aroma.

"Why, it's only the best dish I've ever made," said the chef as he kissed his fingers and smiled with delight. "Chef Mikey's finest masterpiece. Pizza noodle soup!"

Huntrix looked inside the pot, noticing a colorful range of ingredients mixed together. The bold colors reminded them of museum paintings, and the smell rose up to their noses; they realized it smelt beautiful. However, they were confused by its name.

Soups back home were made with fresh ingredients like chicken, beef bone, and vegetables.

Never before have they thought about adding components from pizza.

Still, they couldn't deny the smell was to die for.

"Pizza noodle soup?" Zoey raised an eyebrow and scratched her head.

"That's… weird," Mira added as she pressed her golden glasses against her face.

"Mikey does a lot of the cooking around here," Raphael explained as he was handed a slice from the first dish. "Sometimes, he'll make stuff like this. Other times, I'm too afraid to ask what he's making."

"Oh, don't pretend that chocolate jellybean anchovy marshmallow pizza wasn't good," Michelangelo teased, but everyone shared a glance and cringed. "Huntrix, I highly suggest you try it. It's impossible to resist. I added ramyeon just for you three."

Huntrix took another whiff and glanced at each other.

"It smells good," Rumi noted.

"It looks appetizing," Mira added. "But the idea is… absurd."

"I'll try it," Zoey raised her hand.

Michelangelo kindly poured her a bowl.

Zoey grabbed a spoon and held it firmly. Staring at the soup, she analyzed its bold red color before she dove her spoon into it.

Scooping a decent size, she took a whiff and opened wide. She finally put the spoon inside her mouth, unaware Rumi and Mira watched her with careful eyes. Zoey soon removed the spoon from her mouth and smacked her lips together. She took a moment to register the taste before her eyes widened, and she gasped loudly.

Her brain literally exploded, and her eyes turned into pizza pies that melted down her cheeks. With a bright smile, she took more spoonfuls before she grabbed the bowl with both hands. Placing it towards her face, she slurped the whole thing down and put the bowl back on the table.

Clenching her stomach, she burped loudly.

It was so loud that everyone at the table shivered.

Leonardo shared a shocked glance with April and Donatello, who couldn't believe what they just heard.

Raphael lowered his magazine, unsure what to feel.

Michelangelo wondered if that burp meant something good or something bad.

Zoey smacked her lips again before she noticed everyone looking at her.

Glancing at the pot, she gagged.

"Eww, yuck!" she spoke in a tone that can easily be read as a lie. It was made more obvious when she winked at the chef. "You guys wouldn't like this. So, I'm just going to take the rest-"

"No way!" Rumi said as she grabbed the pan and pulled it towards her. "I want some!"

"So do I!" Mira said as she shoved herself between her friends. "Gimme that!"

"No way!" Zoey exclaimed. "I had it first!"

The girls all glared at each other before jabbing their spoons into the soup, taking slurps one by one. Soon, they all grabbed the pot and poured a flood of soup down their mouths.

Michelangelo stood back with enlarged eyes, surprised to see this kind of reaction.

Everyone else felt the same.

It didn't take long for the band to slurp down the entire pot of soup. They slammed the pot down on the table and released loud burps that shook the whole kitchen. Raphael almost dropped his magazine as he caught Spike, worried he was going to fall over the ledge.

Donatello gripped his laptop, April held her schoolwork, and Leonardo felt his chair shake.

A moratorium occurred before Michelangelo dropped his jaw. His eyes lit up like sparkles as he made a toothy smile and geeked out. "I… LOVE YOU GIRLS!"

"Oh, brother," Raphael rolled his eyes as he returned to his magazine. "Like we really need three more Mikeys."

"That… was SO good," Zoey patted her stomach as she burped one more time.

"It shouldn't work, but it does," Mira complimented as she bowed before the chef. "Well done."

"I agree," Rumi stated proudly. "Nicely done, Mikey."

The diehard fan couldn't help but blush.

"Do you have more?" Zoey inquired as she gripped her bowl. "If so, I'd like-" she quickly noticed a small tortoise on her left eating a lettuce leaf. With eyes lighting up, and she beamed from ear to ear. "Aww, who's this little guy?"

"Hmm?" Raphael muttered before realizing who she was referring to. "Oh, this is Spike."

"He's so cute. Did Splinter adopt him with the four of you?"

"Nah, I found him myself. I was exploring the sewer one day when I saw a bunch of stuff come out from a pipe. He was in there and he almost drowned. Once I fished him out, I adopted him and named him Spike. I would assume his previous owner flushed him down the toilet."

"Aww, that's so sad," Zoey said. "May I pet him?"

"Sure, if you want to get bitten."

She widened her eyes. "Wait, what?"

"No, I'm kidding," Raphael chuckled. "Just be gentle with him."

Zoey gently rubbed Spike's head, watching him smile as he took a bite of his lettuce leaf.

"Is he training to be a ninja too?" Mira playfully asked she wiped her lips with a napkin.

"No, but he'd make a good one," Raphael replied as he gently stroked his pet's shell.

"Speaking of ninjas," Rumi spoke up after finishing her second portion. "What are we going to do about the Foot Clan and the Demons? Have you guys talked about a plan?"

"Briefly," Donatello answered after taking a bite of pizza. "The portal you saw is located in Shredder's hideout, right? All we need to do is shut it down."

"Seems simple, but we think security's high," Mira noted after finishing two bites.

"We also can't afford to face Shredder again," Rumi said. "I fought him twice. Our connection to the Honmoon gives us an advantage over Demons, but Shredder… he's unlike anyone I've faced before."

"Welcome to our world," Raphael said.

"Hey, like I said in the hospital, we're gonna win together," Zoey said reassuringly. "We're joining forces for a reason, aren't we?"

Rumi smiled. "Right."

"So, what are we doing in the meantime?" Raphael asked as he started collecting bowls for washing.

"After we clean up, we will rest for a bit and then train," Leonardo replied. "Huntrix, you three are more than welcome to join us if you'd like."

The bandmates exchanged looks before they nodded.

"Sure," Rumi smiled. "How do you guys go about training?"

After cleaning up the kitchen and resting for an hour, Huntrix, who wore white shirts and black pants, joined the Turtles inside their dojo. Being down on their knees, they sat across from their friends as they looked up at Splinter, who spoke as he walked back and forth.

"Gwi-Ma and Shredder have combined their forces with hopes of achieving their personal goals, so it only makes sense for you to do the same. From what I was told last night, you all worked really well together. We will test your skills individually before engaging in team exercises."

"Aye, Sensei," everyone bowed.

While Splinter stood next to April near the dojo's tree, the Turtles and Huntrix got up on their feet.

"All right, Huntrix," Leonardo said as he pressed both hands together. "Before we get started, we want to-"

"Hold up, Leo," said Raphael. "Mind if I take this one?"

At first, Leonardo was hesitant as he knew Raphael wasn't the most mature when it came to teaching; however, he also knew Raphael took training very seriously. So, he stood back and allowed him to take center stage.

"Go ahead, Raph."

"Thanks," said the turtle as he cleared his throat and began pacing back and forth. "Listen up, Huntrix. From last night, I've noticed we have similar fighting styles. It's clear Celine taught you well; however, there are differences between ninjitsu and how you guys fight. Most important thing, there is no room for heels, nails, blade, and mascara."

Michelangelo and Donatello snickered.

"There's no such thing as a napalm era."

Both Turtles struggled to contain chuckles as Huntrix raised their eyebrows.

"Enemies will want to beat your face," Raphael continued. "Not to make it cute or savage, but to hurt you violently. You'll be asking yourself… mirror, mirror on my phone, who's the baddest-wait a second."

Raphael quickly realized what he was saying as Michelangelo and Donatello burst into laughter. Leonardo joined Splinter in a facepalm while April and Huntrix chortled. The red-masked turtle snarled as he darted both eyes at his youngest brother.

"Mikey, I blame you for playing that earworm song!"

"Wow, Raph," Michelangelo guffawed. "You really showed them how it's done, done, done."

The laughing continued until Leonardo smacked his brother upside his heads. "Guys, this is serious. Raph, let me handle this."

Raphael was about to stand up for himself, but he'd already been humiliated enough.

With a low sigh, he stood beside his siblings as Leonardo shook his head and approached Huntrix. "Sorry about that. What Raph's trying to say is yes, we do have similar fighting styles, but ninjitsu is different in some ways. The three biggest rules of being a ninja are speed, stealth, and honor. I would imagine Celine went deep into these."

"She kind of did," Rumi replied. "She taught us that we need to be sneaky if we fight Demons in a public space. She also said we need to be quick. As far as honor, all she talked about was how we need to continue the legacy of previous Hunters by creating a Golden Honmoon."

"We'll dive deeper into ninjitsu, but first, let's do a simple training exercise," Leonardo suggested with a smile. "We'll split into two teams and face each other. One person from each team will fight. The winner will then face the rest of the opposite team, but if they lose, the next person from their team goes. Like Master Splinter was saying earlier, this will help us see each other's strengths and weaknesses on an individual level."

"I'll go first," Rumi nodded.

Leonardo and Rumi stood across from one another as the Turtles and Huntrix backed up, standing near Splinter and April. Both leaders took a bow before bringing out their weapons. For Leonardo, he only pulled out one katana.

After clenching their swords with both hands, Splinter cleared his throat before shouting, "Hajime!"

Leonardo charged towards Rumi and swung his one sword multiple times. At first, the latter was taken aback by how fast he moved. One moment, he was a few feet away, but as soon as Splinter shouted, he was right in front of her in the blink of an eye.

Rumi blocked each attack with her saingeom before watching Leonardo leap off the wall and perform a roundhouse kick. She blocked it with her elbows, but found herself skidding across the floor.

She almost fell on her back, but she performed a flip and landed on one knee.

"Come on, Leo," Raphael said.

"You got this, Rumi!" Zoey cheered.

Leonardo smiled before watching Rumi charge towards him. He dodged the blade with perfect ease as he clashed his sword against hers. Drawing his second katana, he took a swing and missed when she ducked.

Both sword fighters fenced around the dojo, walking all over the place. They were careful not to approach the three their friends were observing from, so they leaped to the center and continued sparring.

Zoey cheered from the sidelines as Mira folded her arms.

The Turtles already knew how Leonardo fought, but they were impressed that Rumi kept up with him.

Leonardo silently admired her skills, so he figured he'd have to try harder.

As he evaded another attack, he performed a somersault and thought of an idea. Storing both swords away, Leonardo sensed an attack from behind and immediately dodged it; Rumi slammed her saingeom against the ground, which spooked Raphael, who thought a shockwave was gonna come out.

Rumi swung to the right with both hands around her weapon's handle, allowing Leonardo to suddenly kick it out of her hands.

Mira and Zoey gasped with shock as the Turtles, April, and Splinter were curious.

The blue leader ran against the wall, jumped into the air, and kicked the sword to the ground. It landed blade-first into the dojo, where Leonardo grabbed the handle, spun around, and launched himself into Rumi. She tried to dodge, but she was kicked in the chest, and she landed on the floor.

"Yame!" Splinter shouted.

The magic sword returned to the Honmoon as Leonardo stood straight, bowed, and held out his hand.

Rumi couldn't believe that just happened. She's fought Demons that were faster than her, so she didn't think she'd lose to a mutant turtle. However, said turtle was trained in ninjitsu, but still, she didn't think she'd lose so easily. Huffing and puffing, she looked up and saw a bright smile on her opponent's face. She copied it and took his hand.

"Well played, Leonardo," she nodded and bowed. "Well played."

"Thank you, Rumi," he replied. "You fought well."

"Don't worry, Rumi," Zoey said as she cracked her fingers, stretched her legs, and ran forward. "I'll avenge you."

Rumi chuckled as she stood beside Mira, who checked in on her.

As Leonardo gripped both katana swords again, he and Zoey bowed before she stretched her neck and mimicked the crane pose. Raising an eyebrow, Leonardo raised an eyebrow before he was met with a devilish smirk and a sudden sound.

"KACAW!"

Michelangelo laughed at Zoey's remark while Raphael facepalmed.

"Hajime!"

Hearing his sensei shout again, Leonardo immediately rushed towards Zoey and swung his swords in different directions. Keeping the smirk, Zoey placed both hands behind her back and dodged them. She threw a kick at his head, but he ducked, which accidentally left him open. In other words, Zoey was able to punch him in the stomach and send him sliding backward.

With her shin-kal blades, she spun around and threw him like missiles.

Leonardo deflected them with his sword, unaware that his opponent had disappeared before his eyes.

"Where did you-"

Zoey tackled Leonardo from behind and hugged him tightly. She then leaped into the air, performed a backflip, and threw him against the ground. Both of his swords fell out of his hands, so as he descended, Zoey grabbed both swords and landed in front of him, holding him against his throat; they weren't too close, but they were far enough so she couldn't cut him.

"Yame!"

Seeing that caused Raphael to flinch as he briefly pictured Mira holding her weapon at him and his brothers from last night. Clenching his temple, he grunted before he took a deep breath. Donatello noticed this and expressed concern.

"Raph, are you all right?"

"Huh?... Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Donnie."

Deep down, he knew Raphael wasn't fine, but he held off from asking again; he didn't want to risk pushing buttons.

Zoey smirked before she gave the turtle back his swords and helped him up. "Are you okay, Leo? I didn't hurt you badly, did I?"

"No way, that was awesome," Leonardo replied. "You got me good, Zoey. Who's next from my side?"

"I'll take her," Raphael replied, flexing his biceps. He stepped forward and twirled his sai. Placing the longest blades between his fingers, he gripped them tightly and mirrored Zoey's smirk. "Don't worry, Zoey. I'll go easy on ya."

"I hope not. I'd like a challenge."

"Huh, I think I'm gonna have fun beating ya."

"Hajime!"

Spinning his dual blades, Raphael snarled as he rushed towards Zoey and threw multiple punches. He missed the first set, but got her with a kick to the side. Zoey clenched her chest before she dodged three more punches, falling for the exact same kick.

"Come on, Zoey!" Mira said. "You got this!"

Zoey leaped over Raphael, who attempted to tackle her, but he rolled against the floor instead.

Reaching into his belt, he pulled out five shuriken and threw them at full speed.

Zoey's eyes caught them in time as she deflected them with her daggers; they hit them with ease, causing them to fall against the ground. Zoey was about to pick them up and use them to her advantage, but Raphael saw that and grabbed them first. Leaping over her, he went to throw a punch, but Zoey grabbed his arm and swept his legs.

"Nice!" Mira smirked.

Raphael almost fell, but he used both hands to push himself up. "Not bad, you're better than Mikey and Donnie combined."

"Hey!" his brothers snarled.

"You haven't seen anything yet, buddy," the maknae grinned.

"Don't get cocky, Zoey," her leader said.

Zoey unleashed her weapons again as she clashed them against Raphael's blades. The two moved fast as they struggled to land a hit. Pacing around the dojo, Raphael was able to pin Zoey against the wall, but she smirked and opened her arms, stomping towards him with an intimidating presence.

"Oh, no!" Raphael gulped. "Don't hug me like you did with Donnie!"

Zoey instead slid underneath Raphael's legs and kicked him in the back. He fell forward, but quickly regained his balance. Dodging another set of shin-kals, Raphael lunged forward, firing another set of punches and kicks. Zoey effortlessly dodged all of them, keeping the smirk she's had the whole time.

"You got this, Zoey!" Mira cheered.

"Be careful, guys!" Rumi added.

"Wow, they're really going at it," April observed.

"Right?" Donatello nodded in agreement.

Raphael and Zoey continued sparring, where the former grew annoyed at his lack of progress.

On one hand, he appreciated Zoey for giving him a challenge; however, he wanted to end this now.

Since Leonardo was able to beat Rumi with a clever idea, Raphael decided to take a page out of his book. He looked at his weapons and smiled. Dodging one of Zoey's kicks, he leaped back and threw them against the floor. Zoey watched them land by her feet and wondered what was going on.

But just before she could continue fighting, Raphael grabbed her arm and wrapped both legs around her neck. Climbing on top of her, he flipped her over, and she landed on her back. Raphael let her go as she flew against the ground, groaning in pain.

"Yame!"

"Whoa!" Michelangelo gasped. "Zoey, are you okay!?"

Feeling dazed, the maknae got up and raised her thumb. "I'm good."

"Very resourceful, Raphael," Splinter nodded.

"Thanks, Sensei," Raphael said as he helped Zoey to her feet. "You weren't bad, Zoey. You gave me a good challenge."

"Glad I could impress ya, Raph," Zoey smiled before she smirked again. "But the next time we spar, I'll be ready for ya."

"Heh, already lookin' forward to it,"

"You're up, Mira," Zoey said as she approached her best friend and grasped her shoulders. "Avenge my fallen honor… and Rumi's too."

"I'll do my best," Mira smiled as she stepped up to the plate and summoned her gok-do.

At first, Raphael had another flash of last night, which made him shake his head.

His family and Huntrix noticed.

"You all right?" Mira asked.

Raphael rubbed his eyes before picking both sais off the floor. "I-I'm fine. Let's… let's do this."

Both fighters got into their battle positions.

"Hajime!"

Right on cue, Mira twirled her woldo and swung it several times, moving just as fast as her friends. Raphael gasped before he dodged the blows and clashed both sai against the blade. Struggling to push her back, Raphael found himself down on one knee. He had another flash of last night's confrontation, causing him to lose his balance and trip. He almost fell on the floor, but he picked himself up and shoved Mira's weapon away.

Grunting, he quickly wrapped both sai around her left arm and flipped her over, hoping to end the fight; however, Mira pressed both feet on the ground and flipped over the turtle, landing a kick against his shell.

Raphael tumbled forward before he recovered, throwing two shuriken in the process.

Mira smacked one of them with her weapon and caught another one with two fingers.

The Turtles and Huntrix were impressed with that.

April widened her eyes and gasped with excitement. "That was so cool!"

"I know!" Michelangelo chimed in.

The two geeked out as Raphael rolled his eyes.

Mira threw the shuriken back at him, which Raphael dodged and rolled across the floor. Running towards Mira, he leaped up and fired a roundhouse kick. Mira ducked underneath it and punched him in the stomach. Before he could recover, Mira hit Raphael with the bottom end of her woldo twice. Catching him in a daze, she twirled her weapon and knocked him down with the bottom again.

Dropping his weapons, Raphael fell on his stomach and watched both sai sprawl on the floor.

It took him a bit to get up, and when he did, he heard a word he didn't want to hear.

"Yame!"

Raphael checked his body to see if there were any cuts, but luckily, there weren't.

Mira leaned against her weapon and held out her hand, offering her opponent a smile. Raphael was tempted to take it, but after another flash of last night, he refused and got up by himself.

Mira noticed that and raised an eyebrow.

"Nice work," Raphael said quietly as he walked toward his brothers.

Leonardo cracked both fingers before speaking, "Okay, that's two for us and two for Huntrix. Mikey, why don't you go next?"

"You got it, dude," Michelangelo smiled before he waved his nunchakus and approached Mira.

Once the two were ready, Splinter called out, "Hajime!"

The orange turtle smacked one side of his weapons against his body, making loud battle cries in an attempt to look intimidating. All it did was make Mira chuckle. Not in a mean way; she thought it was cute.

Michelangelo smirked when he finished his warm-up. "Don't worry, Mira. I'll go easy on-"

Mira quickly nudged him in the stomach and disarmed him. Sweeping both legs, she heard him scream as he flipped around. Raising her foot into the air, she slammed him down, pinning him with her white sneaker.

"Ugh… yame," Splinter said with an annoyed sigh."

"Oh, Mikey," Leonardo facepalmed.

"Dude, really?" Raphael grunted.

Zoey couldn't help but chuckle, but she stopped after being nudged by Rumi. That didn't stop April and Donatello from following in her footsteps.

Mira helped her opponent up and said, "I'm surprised at you, Mikey. You fought well last night."

"Well, uh…" her diehard fan chuckled nervously. "Guess I was just a little… unprepared?"

"Michelangelo, you must always be prepared for a fight. Even if it is against your allies," Splinter said. "You show great skill, Mira. Hopefully, my last son can put you to the test. Donatello, you're up next. Good luck to both of you."

Donatello bowed before grabbing his staff.

He nodded to his training partner and gripped the weapon.

Mira mirrored his pose, where she grasped the handle with both hands and spread her legs.

Michelangelo rubbed his back after standing beside Raphael, who was disappointed in his performance.

Donatello and Mira stared at each other before they heard the signal.

"Hajime!"

Both the Hunter and Turtle spun their weapons as fast as wheels on a car before clashing them together.

Holding their position for three seconds, they repeated the same attack in different directions. Each ended with the same result. Donatello shielded himself from the woldo's blade and ducked underneath a roundhouse kick. Just before Mira's foot could touch the ground, Donatello saw an opening and took it; he whacked Mira in the stomach, hit her twice, and kicked her across the room.

Mira flew backward and skidded across the ground, impressed by such a combo.

"Not bad," she said.

"Thanks," Donatello smiled.

"But I'm not done yet," she smirked before rushing forward.

"Holy toledo!" Donatello gasped as he ducked under another swipe from her blade and a punch to the stomach. Using his weapon, he defended himself before Mira disarmed him and kicked him in the stomach.

She was about to pounce on top of him, but Donatello rolled forward and reached for his staff. Mira spun her gok-do and slammed it down, hitting Donatello in the back of the head.

Raphael gasped with shock, but soon sighed with relief once Donatello blocked the blow and shot a grin.

As Donatello and Mira continued to spar, Raphael couldn't help but think of last night.

Before entering the stadium, he spoke to Leonardo about how he secretly admired Huntrix because they reminded him of how he and his family were: people who came from different backgrounds who found love and support within each other. He'll never admit to anyone else, but it was how he felt.

After saving Rumi from the Foot Demons, he didn't expect his disguise to fall off and expose him to the trio. Their initial reactions made sense; they were freaked out; however, they quickly changed their demeanor after Zoey's reaction, and because they worked together. It seemed like they shared a common enemy, and Huntrix was open to working with them.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined once Fishface and Dogpound arrived to capture Rumi.

Raphael remembered staying with Donatello, Mira, and Zoey to fend off Foot Demons. Leonardo and Michelangelo went to rescue Rumi, only to be met with failure.

Just as the Turtles formulated a plan, Mira got angry and pulled out her weapon. While she wasn't sure if she could trust them at first, she quickly did so when Rumi and Zoey told her the Turtles helped out. That was something Raphael didn't expect, as he was always told he could never be friends with humans. In fact, he despised most humans outside of April and Kirby. He thought Huntrix would be no different, but after their first team-up, he was shocked to see they were as kind-hearted as Michelangelo claimed they were.

Sadly, Mira wasn't so kind on the rooftop.

Raphael replayed her cold threats in his mind as he watched her spar with his brother.

"If you don't tell me where they took Rumi right now, you freaks will meet the same fate as those monsters we fought!"

Raphael felt the word freak pinch his skin like a spider bite. He replayed that moment over and over as he felt his sweaty palms forming fists. His green eyes darted to the ground as he kept thinking about Mira's shouts.

"You know those two, don't you!? You know what those Demons are, right!? That means you know where they took Rumi!"

"I'm not going to ask you again! Last warning!"

Raphael huffed and puffed as he kept imagining that glowing blade attacking him and his brothers. His vision wasn't super violent, but he thought of what would've happened if she had attacked them. Shaking his head, he tried to take his mind off of everything; however, he soon realized that moment may come true.

Looking up at the sparring match, he saw something he didn't think he'd see.

Mira disarmed Donatello and smacked the bo-staff out of his hands. She hit him in the stomach with an elbow, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over. Spinning her weapon, she aimed the woldo at Donatello's stomach and prepared to declare victory.

As soon as he saw the blade nearly touch his brother, Raphael's eyes turned white, and he snarled.

He immediately ran towards the duo with fists clenched tightly.

"Raph, what are you doing!?" April shrieked.

"Raph!" Leonardo shouted.

Ignoring what was happening, Mira extended her hand to Donatello. "You fought well."

Just before Donatello could take it, he looked over and saw an angry Raphael approaching. He was just about to warn Mira, but it was too late. He wrapped his arm around her stomach and threw her forward. Mira landed on her feet and gripped her weapon, noticing the aggravated mutant.

"Hey! You had your turn!"

"I'm not gonna stand here and let you kill my brother!" Raphael hollered.

"Kill him?" Mira raised an eyebrow. "We were training!"

"Training to kill, right? Just like how Celine taught you to kill freaks like us!"

Mira was about to retort, but when she heard a certain word, her mind flashed to where she last heard it. "Raph… I-"

"You want to fight!?" Raphael shouted as he grabbed both sai. "I'll give you a fight!"

Raphael lunged forward and waved his weapons at a rapid pace, moving faster than he did before. Mira kept up with him, but he quickly smacked her weapon against the ground, jabbed her stomach three times, hit her with his knee, and kicked her against the tree. The Turtles, April, and Huntrix gasped as they caught their friend before she fell on the floor.

Leonardo was just about to stop his brother from attacking, but Splinter grabbed his jade-colored cane and leaped towards his angry son. With both of their weapons clashing, Splinter pushed back against Raphael.

"Raphael! Stop this now!"

"Out of my way, she's going to kill him!"

"Calm yourself, my son! What you are thinking is not the truth!"

Raphael was about to retort, but he obeyed his sensei and stood down. With his pupils returning, he realized what he'd just done. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Donatello was perfectly fine. In fact, his shell was spotless, and his face was clean, yet filled with worry.

Raphael looked over at the others, who were a mixture of angry and scared. Leonardo was the most disappointed, whereas everyone else wanted to know what was going on.

Taking deep breaths, Raphael holstered his weapons and backed away.

His heart was pounding.

His eyes were watery.

And his head echoed one question.

What did you do?

"M-Master Splinter, I… I… I…"

He was at a loss for words.

The Turtles and Huntrix stared at him before they watched him snarl with a dismissive wave.

Raphael grunted as he opened the door, walked outside, and slammed it shut.

A moratorium occurred before Rumi and Zoey checked on their friend.

"Mira, are you okay?" the former inquired. "How bad did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Rumi," said the lead dancer. "I'm all right."

"Mira, I am so sorry," Leonardo apologized with despair. "Raph can get aggressive during training, but he has never done that before."

"What the heck was that about?" April asked. "I'll go talk to him."

Donatello stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Hold on, April. You know how bad Raph can get when he's angry. We should give him some space."

The teenage girl gazed into her friend's eyes and nodded.

Everyone stood in silence, reeling from what just happened.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to take a break," Splinter suggested. "You all did very well. We will resume training in the afternoon."

He proceeded to walk to his room and close the door.

An alert came from April's phone, and she pulled it out, seeing a text message on the home screen. "It's my dad; he wants me to come home. I haven't seen him since last night, so I should get going. Text me if you guys come up with a plan to stop Shredder and Gwi-Ma. I want to help with anything I can."

"Thanks, April," Rumi smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure the Turtles will keep you updated."

Zoey embraced her with a warm hug. "Thanks for checking in on us last night. We hope to see you again."

April, surprised to be hugged by one of her idols, returned the gesture, "Likewise, Zoey. It's nice meeting you three."

The Turtles and Huntrix exited the dojo and wished April well as she walked out of the lair. Before the six could talk about their next move, they heard a harsh grunt from their left.

Raphael was in the living room, punching a dummy resembling Shredder. Every hit he landed, a snarl followed.

Leonardo rolled his eyes and prepared to scold his brother.

"Don't," Mira said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want to talk to him."

"Mira," Rumi said nervously. "What are you doing?"

"Something you and Zoey once did for me," she smiled as she patted Leonardo's back and stoked both hands in her pockets.

The Turtles and Huntrix shared a brief glance as the lead dancer approached the turtle, who was about to throw one last punch when he sensed her from behind.

With his shoulders slouched, he sighed, turned around, and said. "Listen, Mira… I-"

"-do you know of any good movies?"

Everyone, especially Raphael, raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Are there any good movies playing right now. Being a K-pop idol makes it hard to go to the cinema sometimes."

Still surprised by the last question, Raphael stroked his chin. "Hmm… depends. Do you want to see another cheesy superhero movie or something else?"

"You pick."

Now, he was more surprised.

Part of him wondered if this was some kind of joke, but Mira sounded serious. Raphael raised an eyebrow again before he thought about the movies he desired to see.

"Well, there is this boxing movie I wanted to check out for a while. I think it came out last week, and it's got decent reviews."

"Perfect," Mira replied as she walked towards a suitcase near her air mattress, where she pulled out a white cap and golden glasses. "Let's go."

"Wait… what kind of game are you playing?"

"I didn't realize seeing a movie with someone required an ulterior motive."

Rumi and Zoey were originally confused before they immediately knew what she was doing. They shared a glance and gave a reassuring nod to Raphael's brothers, who wondered what was going on.

The red-masked turtle soaked in Mira's reply before he went to his room and grabbed his disguise.

"We'll be back in an hour," Mira said to her friends.

"Be safe," Rumi said.

Mira and Raphael waved to the others before leaving the lair.

"She's not gonna kill him, is she?" Donatello asked.

"No," Zoey shook her head. "Whenever Mira gets angry, she takes time for herself before Rumi, and I take her somewhere to cool her head. That's probably what she's doing with Raph. So, what do we do now? Maybe we could take a tour of the lair."

"Oh, yeah!" Michelangelo snapped his fingers. "You already saw the living room in the kitchen, what else could I show you?" he then turned to the purple genius. "Hey, Donnie. Is it cool if I show Huntrix your lab?"

"Sure. Just as long as you promise not to touch anything."

"Don't worry," Zoey smiled. "I won't."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you, Zoey," Donatello smiled before he briefly glared at his younger brother, who felt insulted by that. "Rumi, Leo, do you wanna join us?"

"We would," Rumi said as she pressed her fingers together and smiled at her sci-fi buddy. "But before we went into the dojo, I promised Leo that I would watch Space Heroes with him."

Michelangelo snickered. "Dorks."

"Says the guy who typed a twenty-four-page social media thread on why the Saja Boys suck."

"I'm tempted to go back and edit it now that I know they're Demons."

Everyone around him laughed before they went their separate ways.

Donatello opened the door and allowed both guests to enter the garage.

"Zoey… welcome to my laboratory."

The maknae looked around and was in awe for what felt like the millionth time.

She already thought the lair was cozy, but Donatello's lab was something else. It was a spacious room covered head to toe with machinery, gadgets, computers, desks, and other scientific materials. Covering the walls were posters of different anatomies; humans, rats, and turtles.

Near the main desk was a laptop, some chemicals near beakers, and a large canister on the side.

Zoey looked around and analyzed every machine that Donatello built over the years; she wondered how long it took him to construct them and where he got materials from.

Once again, she thought she knew everything about turtles, but this was new territory for her. Of course, she knew normal turtles. Couldn't do this, but her new friends were anything but normal.

Giggling like an excited toddler, Zoey walked around and continued, admiring the scenery. Donatello smiled; it was nice to have somebody appreciate his craft.

"This is amazing!" Zoey exclaimed. "Did you build all of this stuff by yourself?"

"Yup," the genius nodded as he gave her a walk around. "This is where I build everything. I've upgraded our weapons, made some gadgets, and a whole bunch more."

He pulled out his T-Phone. "I'm sure you noticed these by now, but this is a T-Phone. I made it so my brothers and I can communicate with each other. April and Splinter are the only other people who have one. We only give them to people we really trust."

"I'm still mad you named it before I did," Michelangelo said with his arms folded. "Although it's not as bad as when you named Newtralizer without me."

"Newtra-what?" Zoey scratched her head.

"Another enemy of ours, but that's not important," Donatello said with a dismissive wave. "But yeah, this is just one of many inventions I've made."

He handed Zoey the phone, and she messed around with it. To her surprise, it functioned like an actual phone as it could download apps, play music, and access the Internet.

Zoey's eyes lit up as she scrolled around for a bit before returning it.

"That is so cool," she said before her attention went elsewhere. "Whoa, what is that!?"

She rushed towards a short silver and yellow robot resembling a turtle. With an excited gasp, she quickly analyzed its features before tapping its head.

"What is this thing? Some kind of turtle android?"

Stapped the robot's forehead, causing his eyes to flash cyan. She gasped and immediately pulled out her shin-kal blades.

The robot looked up at the Hunter and took a step forward.

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay!" Donatello exclaimed before watching Zoey trip on her feet and fall on her rear.

She was about to summon her blades again, but both Turtles told her not to do so. Wondering what was going on, Zoey panicked. But the robot looked down and slowly raised his right hand and waved.

"Huh?" Zoey said.

Lowering his hand, the robot turtle opened his mouth, revealing a small megaphone. After two seconds, he played a familiar tune.

"We're goin' up, up, up
It's our moment
You know together we're glowing
Gonna be, gonna be golden"

"Oh, up, up, up
With our voices
Yeongwonhi kkaejil su eomneun
Gonna be, gonna be golden."

A smile shone on Zoey's face as the robot's mouth closed, and he extended his left arm. Grabbing his hand, Zoey was gently pulled to her feet.

"Sorry about that," Donatello said. "Zoey, this is Metalhead. I reverse engineered him from a Kraang droid. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

Zoey smiled as she gently shook Metalhead's hand. Under normal circumstances, he would crush any hand that tried to shake his, but with her, he made an they released each other's hands, Zoey patted his metallic head and giggled.

"Man, there is so much I'm learning about you guys," Zoey smiled. "You'll have to sit down and tell me about your adventures."

"Depends on how long you're staying for," Donatello chortled.

Zoey chuckled before something else caught her eye. After releasing the robot's hand, she approached a pearly white orb sitting on the desk. After looking at her reflection, she picked it up and raised an eyebrow. "What this?"

"That's a Kraang Communication Orb," Donatello replied as Zoey gently handed it to him. "April found it in the sewers while we were saving her father. We've been using it to monitor the Kraang's schemes."

"Interesting," Zoey stroked her chin before she saw something else.

It was a large canister that was against the wall.

Curious, she tilted her head to the left and noticed a transparent blob monster with a brain and other organs floating beside it. At first, she was disgusted, but she became intrigued.

"What… is this thing?" she asked as she poked the glass.

"Um… I wouldn't touch that," Donatello said as he rushed over.

"Why? Is it some kind of freaky diorama or some-"

Like before, a pair of eyes opened, and it scared the young rapper. "GAH! IT HAS EYES! OF COURSE, IT HAS EYES! WHY IS EVERYTHING IN THIS LAB OUT TO SCARE ME!?"

Donatello quickly calmed her down by touching her shoulder and encouraging her to take deep breaths. "So sorry, Zoey. This isn't one of my experiments. This is…" His face turned somber. "…somebody I'm trying to cure."

"Huh?"

Donatello approached the canister and kindly explained. "This is Timothy. He was a human who wanted to fight crime just like us. He became a vigilante called The Pulverizer, and wanted us to train him."

"But he sucked."

"MIKEY!"

"Oh!" The orange stuttered. "What I meant to say was… he was a… g-great guy, but he uh… um… well…" He scratched his head and struggled to find the right words.

The purple genius face-palmed before making a soft exhale. "He wasn't the best student, but his heart was in the right place… mostly. There was a time he joined a Chris Bradford dojo so he could spy on the Foot Clan. They were experimenting with Mutagen, and Timothy volunteered to be part of it, much to our protest. We attempted to rescue him, but… we were too late."

"How long has he been this way?" Zoey asked.

"For a while. I've been trying to find a cure, but I don't know how to reverse the mutation process," Donatello sighed. He sat on his chair and leaned on the desk. "I promised I would cure him, and I intend to keep that promise. I just don't know how. There's so much about the Mutagen I don't understand. I don't know if the effects can be reversed. I'm not gonna give up, but… well, I think you get the idea."

Zoey briefly turned to Michelangelo with a sorrowful expression before she smiled and patted Donatello's shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him and said, "Hey, if you can make awesome stuff like Metalhead and the T-Phone, then I have no doubt you'll save Timothy."

The purple genius made a short smile and nodded. "Thanks, Zoey."

The two smiled at one another before Michelangelo lightened the moment with, "Those inventions are cool, but they're not the coolest things Donnie built."

Metalhead stepped on the turtle's foot after hearing that. Michelangelo screamed in pain.

Donatello chuckled before he turned to the maknae instead. "I'm proud of all of my inventions, but there is one I would really like to show you. Do you wanna see it?"

"It's not gonna come to life and scare me, is it?" Zoey asked.

"Nope."

"Then hit me."

The two Turtles guided their guest to a set of doors and opened them, revealing an entrance to the subway tunnel. Leaping down from the platform, they walked a few steps before they approached a subway car.

At least, that's what Zoey thought it was.

As she got close, her mind exploded once again.

Instead of a robot or a freaky mutant, she was in the presence of a large subway car decked out with multicolored spray paint and a cannon on the roof. There were two small tires in the front with massive ones in the back. Zoey was struck by all of the bold colors, which were mostly green, white, pink, black, and orange.

Taking a few steps back, she admired all of the details with a keen eye and geeked out once again.

"You guys can drive!?"

"Actually," Donatello corrected with a finger pointed upward. "This used to be a subway car used by a friend named Leatherhead. He moved out of it, so I turned it into an assault vehicle."

"I call it… the Shellraiser," Michelangelo smirked. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm good at naming things."

"This thing looks amazing!" Zoey said as she touched the van's side. "Can I see the inside?"

"By all means," Donatello nodded.

Opening the side doors, the three walked inside, where Zoey saw nothing but pitch black. But with the push of a button, Donatello brightened up the vehicle, which caught the maknae by surprise. As the van's creator sat in his chair, Zoey looked around with widened eyes. The interior wasn't as decorative as the outside, but she noticed a map on the wall, many TV monitors, and several lights on the control console.

"I know I keep saying this a lot, but… whoa," Zoey said with her jaw dropped.

"Heh-heh, thanks," Donatello chuckled.

"How is this thing being powered?"

"It used to operate on a power cell Leatherhead stole from the Kraang, but they took it back. Luckily, I found an alternative way for the vehicle to run," Donatello explained as he turned to his computer station and typed some codes. "Each of us has a station based on our skill sets. Leo drives, Raph operates the weapons, Mikey navigates, and I sit here and make sure everything functions normally."

"And you built this thing by yourself?" Zoey asked in awe.

"Yup!" Donatello smiled.

Once again, Zoey was speechless. She squealed with excitement before asking an important question. "Um… if it's not too much to ask, can we…"

Michelangelo gasped because he knew where she was getting at. "Yes! Can we drive it around, Donnie? Please, please, please."

Both of them got down on their knees and showered the genius with puppy dog eyes. Donatello leaned back, trying to resist, but the combined cuteness made him give in.

"Ugh, Raph wasn't kidding when he said there are multiple Mikeys in the house now," he said with an eye roll. "Fine. We can take it out for a spin. We prefer to drive at night as there aren't a lot of cars on the road, but if we're careful, we'll be fine. You do know how to drive, right, Zoey?"

The maknae nodded.

"Good, then have a seat and I'll teach you how the Shellraiser works."

Excited, Zoey and Michelangelo held each other's hands as they squealed and stomped on the floor. They then went to their stations, where the latter adjusted the map and the former sat in the driver's seat. Donatello's face showed up on a monitor next to her, and she looked at him with a bright smile.

"Okay, Zoey. The first thing you wanna do is gently ease the throttle forward. I'm emphasizing gently because not everyone does that."

With a careful hand, Zoey activated the Shellraiser, and it started to move. While not moving as fast as normal, it smoothly cruised along the train tracks.

Zoey watched everything through a monitor in front of her as she gripped the steering wheel and lightly pressed her foot on the gas pedal. The van accelerated a bit, so she lifted her foot up to decrease the speed.

"This is unlike anything I've ever driven before. Then again, it has been a while since I've operated a vehicle. Whenever we have to go somewhere, Bobby hooks us up with a limo, or we just walk."

Zoey's eyes quickly enlarged once she looked through the TV and saw a dead end approaching. "Uh, oh. How do I-"

"Don't hit the brake," Donatello said.

"Why?"

"Just speed up a little. You'll see why."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, Zoey. We will be fine."

The human rapper heeded his words and took a deep breath. With her foot slowly pressing the gas pedal, the vehicle gained a boost of speed as it slowly approached the wall.

Waiting a few seconds, Donatello pushed the button on his console.

Inside an alleyway, an underground tunnel opened, and the Shellraiser came flying out. The new driver screamed at the top of her lungs as the tires engaged and got in position. She was just about to cover her eyes, but when the vehicle landed on the ground, she realized Donatello was right. They were safe.

From there, she was able to drive it like a standard vehicle. While it was more advanced than the cars she used to drive, she quickly got the hang of it as her old skills slowly came back.

Turning the steering wheel, Zoey made the vehicle go right as she drove down a block before making a left. At first, her heart was racing, but it went back to its normal pace the more she got used to driving.

Michelangelo guided her using the map, and she made turns as instructed. Donatello was at his station, making sure the Shellraiser worked accordingly. All systems function perfectly as the maknae leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath.

"Donnie, this thing is so cool!" she said. "But there's one thing that's gonna determine if it's perfect or not. Does it have a radio?"

The purple genius and his little brother shared a smirk and a glance.

"What song?" asked the former.

"Ooo, let's play Golden!" the latter exclaimed. "Or maybe How It's Done. Or maybe-"

"For as much as I like the music we make, I'm in the mood for something else," Zoey chimed in. "I wouldn't mind hearing a little rap if that's all right."

"Any particular era?" asked Donatello as he scrolled through a playlist on his T-Phone.

Zoey stroked her chin with one hand before she grinned. "Surprise me."

"Here, Mikey. Why don't you pick?"

The orange turtle grabbed the phone and scrolled through a playlist. He found a couple of rap songs he enjoyed, but none of which were fitting. After a while, he found one and re-created his smirk from before.

He found a song and clicked play. {Song #1 – Start}

Donatello turned up the radio so it would blast throughout the whole van. Zoey immediately recognized the tune and nodded in approval. With the crack of her fingers, she gripped the steering wheel once again and pushed her foot on the gas.

The Shellraiser checked up in speed as it cruised down the road and went past cars coming in the other direction.

As Zoey made a left-hand turn at a traffic light, she began singing the lyrics, which wowed her new friends. They knew she was the rapper of Huntrix, so it was awesome to hear a live performance. Zoey waved one hand around as she wrapped the lyrics flawlessly, causing Michelangelo to join in and sing one part. He and Donatello exchanged verses before all three of them joined in and sang along.

The music blasted loudly, and everyone was caught in the harmony. Zoey made sure to keep both eyes on the road while singing along with her new friends.

The Shellraiser kept going forward before it made a sharp right turn at a stop sign.

Inside, everyone continued their jam session while manning their stations. Michelangelo got lost in the groove as he moved his arms in different directions, closed his eyes, and bopped his head up and down. Joining his friends in singing, he wrapped the lyrics and caught Zoey by surprise. She's heard plenty of rappers in her lifetime, but she didn't expect a mutant turtle to be as good as them.

Zoey sang alongside him before Donatello joined in. Once again, a harmony of voices echoed through the Shellraiser as it kept its momentum without an obstacle and on its path.

While Donatello and Michelangelo sang another set of verses, Zoey noticed a strange glow coming from the van. At first, it was on the floor before it spread across the entirety. She was about to alert the van's creator, but after a close inspection, she realized it was something else.

The Honmoon.

A bright smile appeared on her face before she noticed an interesting color shine brighter than the rest.

Green.

Followed by purple and orange.

Gasping, Zoey briefly looked at her new friends before turning back to the road. She still kept her smile as the song continued, and she joined in on the fun.

Soon, the fun ended as the song came to its last instrumental rest. Lowering the volume, Donatello laughed alongside his brother and rapper while they drove down another road and stopped at a traffic light.

With a green glow coming, Zoey turned left.

Michelangelo lifted both arms and cheered proudly. "That was awesome, Zoey! Hearing you sing in real life is a huge honor. You've got a phenomenal voice! All of you do."

"Ha-ha, thanks, Mikey. You guys aren't so bad yourselves."

"Eh, not as good as you," Donatello chuckled.

"But we could be," Michelangelo retorted. "Assuming we can finish that hip-hop Christmas album."

"No thanks," Donatello shook his head as he checked on the Shellraiser's functions. "Getting a gift for Splinter is already hard, so the last thing I want to do is sing a song about it."

"Your loss, bro. Hey, Zoey. I've always wanted to ask you, where did your passion for rap come from?"

Zoey made another turn before saying, "I heard some kids in school listening to some rap songs, and the genre's clicked with me since."

"You went to school in Burbank, right?"

"You'd be correct."

"What was that like? I've always wanted to go to school. Playing sports, eating pizza. Just as long as no one sings any cheesy musical numbers."

"Trust me, Mikey. It's better you stay away from school, and no, I'm not saying that because you're a mutant turtle."

"What was it like for you? I bet you were awesome!"

Zoey painted a frown. "Actually… I wasn't."

Both turtle brothers shared a curious glance before Donatello turned off the radio. {Song #1 – Stop}

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Zoey sighed and relaxed her shoulders before replying, "I'm someone with a lot of thoughts and feelings. I've translated most of them into lyrics, which are in my notebooks. Back in school, I used to think they were useless because everyone else felt that way."

She paused before continuing, "I'd sing my songs to people, and they'd either turn away or tell me they sucked. That wasn't the worst of it, though. Many people didn't like me for who I was. Both personality and… nationality."

"What do you mean by that?"

Zoey nodded. "You see, Mikey. I'm not fully Korean. I'm half-American too. I used to get a lot of mean comments because of my dual nationality. And not everyone was a fan of my energetic personality. I was a huge extrovert. I still am, but I had a lot of energy when I was younger. That caused me to get bullied a lot. I was called mean names, shoved into lockers, and tripped onto the floor."

"Did you have any friends to help you out?"

She shook her head. "I wish I did, Mikey… but no. I didn't have any friends."

"In all of your years of school?"

"I had some people who liked me, but they eventually left because I was either too much or too little."

Both brothers shared a sorrowful glance after hearing that.

"Did you… I hate to ask this, but did you want to change who you were?" Donatello inquired. "Like, were you tempted to become a different person to appease people?"

"Part of me was, but I couldn't do it," Zoey replied as she made a left-hand turn. "My songs and lyrics meant so much to me that if I threw them away, I'd have a guilty conscience. That, and I can't imagine a world where I'm not the way I am now. I try to be the most positive person in Huntrix. Someone who's always got a smile, even in the darkest of times. It's easier said than done. Like, I felt like garbage during Takedown's creation and the Idol Awards that followed. That was probably the lowest I've felt since school, but since then, I've tried to keep a smile on my face at all times. Heck, I've had that since we've gone on hiatus. I spent more time with Rumi and Mira, who are people I can't see myself without."

Zoey smiled as she took a trip down memory lane. "I remember when we first met and I showed them my song books. I was nervous because I expected the same reaction I got from everyone else, but… they liked them. Actually, they loved them. They loved all of the lyrics I wrote and helped me turn them into the songs we have today. They encouraged me to use my imagination to its full potential, and I've been doing that ever since I joined. Rumi and Mira inspire me. They're the only ones who made my thoughts mean something. They made me realize… I mean something."

Michelangelo and Donatello smiled upon hearing that, but they couldn't help but feel bad that she had a rough childhood. Everyone knew Huntrix had it rough in the beginning, but they never knew the full details aside from what was shown in Golden's music video.

"Sometimes, I worry that I'm useless to my friends," Zoey sighed as she kept driving the Shellraiser. "That I haven't really helped them the same way they've helped me. Mira and I have prioritized Rumi over everything else because of how we treated her back then. Yeah, you can say we didn't know she was half-demon at the time, but it doesn't excuse the things we did. I'm worried Rumi… hates me."

"Hey, I wouldn't say that," Donatello said reassuringly. "If she hated you, then she wouldn't have wanted to find you. You and Mira were all she could think of when we rescued her from Shredder's lair."

"Yeah! And when we got to the hotel, she hugged you guys," Michelangelo added. "That's gotta say something, right?"

Zoey couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah… I guess you guys are right."

"And when we were sharing our stories, you three talked about how much you love each other," Donatello said with a pointed finger. "We kept saying that kind of love is rare for pop stars, and it's true. I don't think I've ever seen a music group with a strong connection like Huntrix."

"Remember what I told you last night?" Michelangelo asked. "About how much I love you three as a family?"

Zoey remembered that night and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Thanks, guys. I appreciate you for cheering me up."

Michelangelo looked back at the map before something came to his mind. "Hey, Zoey."

"What's up, Mikey?"

"I just wanted to say… if I were human and we went to school together; I'd want to be your friend."

Zoey felt touched upon hearing that, and she beamed from ear to ear.

"Same," Donatello added.

The maknae wiped a tear of joy from her eye and sniffed. "I would have loved you guys in school, but honestly, I can't see you as humans. I like you guys the way you are."

Both Turtles were happy to hear that, as they shared both a glance and a smile.

Everyone sat in silence and kept cruising along the road.

"So, should we turn back?" Zoey asked.

"We probably should," Michelangelo nodded, looking at the map. "Unless you guys want to pick up Raph and Mira. I don't think the movie theater's too far from here."

"I think it's been a while," Donatello said as he checked the T-Phone's clock. "We'll drive around for a few more minutes, and then we'll pick them up. I'm not sure how long the movie is."

"Perfect," Zoey smiled before she smirked at her new friends. "Shall we continue our jam session?"

Michelangelo shared her expression. "I thought you'd never ask. Fire it up, D!"

Donatello replayed the song they had before, and everyone sang along.

The Shellraiser made a right-hand turn. Its stereos blasted as the trio came together for an awesome performance.

One that made the Honmoon shine brighter and brighter.

Chapter Text

An hour went by, and Raphael walked out of the cinema with Mira by his side.

They just checked out a boxing movie that the former expressed interest in, so now, they were heading back to the lair. The disguised turtle walked beside the lead dancer with both hands shoved into his pockets. He took a look at Mira, who was wearing a white sweater, black pants, a white cap, and golden glasses. He half expected to get bombarded with paparazzi and influencers hoping to get pictures of the celebrity, but to his surprise, nobody was paying attention.

Instead, they chatted with friends, played on their phones, and/or cared for their younger children.

Raphael, wearing his disguise, carefully blended into the crowd as he walked beside Mira, looked at him every now and then to see how he was.

For most of the walk, Raphael had a neutral expression. He wasn't as angry as he was before, but she could tell there was something on his mind.

While she didn't know him well, she could tell he was the hothead of his brothers, which was something she could relate to.

Mira recalled times her temper got the best of her, which led to Rumi and Zoey stepping in to calm her down. Taking her to see a movie was one of those things, and for the most part, it did help. Mira would feel relaxed after a good flick, so she figured she'd take that wisdom and apply it to Raphael.

Sadly, he wasn't feeling as good as she was. She wanted to ask him what was up, but she held off because she felt it would be best to let him cool off for a while longer.

After walking past some people and waiting by a crossing light, they walked down the street before stepping onto another sidewalk.

"So, how'd you like the movie?" Mira asked with a smile.

Raphael looked up at her and shrugged. "It was good. You?"

Mira did the same thing. "Meh, it was all right. Entertaining, but not much of a story."

"Agreed."

The two went silent for a few minutes.

"Why'd you want to see a movie with me?" Raphael asked suspiciously. "Is this part of some prank to get me back?"

"I've never been much of a prankster."

"Mikey is. You won't believe how many times he's hit me with water balloons."

Mira chuckled before thinking back to the moment she defeated Donatello in a sparring match, only to be attacked by his ticked-off brother. She recalled seeing the rage in his eyes as he clenched his fists and ran towards her. She was about to strike back, but the others got between them and calmed him down.

"Raph… about what happened in the dojo."

"Mira, I'm… I'm sorry," he sighed. "I shouldn't have attacked you like that."

"I assume you have a reason?"

The red turtle wasn't sure how to respond as he didn't think she'd ask him that question so calmly. He was never good at revealing his feelings, but he knew they'd have to come out sooner or later. Raphael already mustered the courage to tell Leonardo he was a secret Huntrix fan at Madison Square Garden. He thought that if he could do that, he could explain what happened in the dojo to Mira.

Taking a moment to breathe, he turned to her and said, "Give me a reason why I should tell you?"

"It'll eat you up if you-"

"-that's not what I asked."

Mira raised an eyebrow.

Raphael shot her a glare before he said, "Let me rephrase. Why should I trust you when you don't trust us?"

"I do trust you."

"Oh, really?" he grunted before stopping in his tracks. "If you trusted us, then you would've let us explain where Fishface and Dogpound took Rumi. All six of us could have snuck in there together to save her. Instead, you threatened to hurt my family."

He paused for a moment, allowing her to soak that in.

Raphael noticed her face and kept talking, "Fighting with you on stage was pretty cool, but I should've realized you're just like everybody else; a couple of snot-nosed humans that see us as freaks."

Readjusting his trench coat, Raphael turned his back to Mira and walked down the sidewalk.

Mira, feeling guilt strike her heart, thought back to that night and released a low sigh. "You're right."

Raphael stopped and widened his eyes. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Excuse me?"

"I was angry that Rumi got captured, and I took it out on you," she replied softly. "If I had listened, we could have saved her together. I wasn't sure if I could trust you, but… after you saved Rumi from that Foot Demon and shared your story, I realized that you guys are on our side."

Mira paused to take a deep breath. "I may not know everything about you, but I know you're a hero. All of you are. You're not freaks… I should never have called you that. I'm sorry, Raphael."

The turtle was taken aback as he assumed her apology would be half-hearted or nonexistent. When he heard it, he could tell it was genuine. Even though he was still angry about last night, he couldn't help but replay her tender voice in his head. Looking down at the pavement, Raphael darted his eyes back to her and nodded.

"I… appreciate your apology. I think you're the first human who's felt bad for insulting us."

Mira approached him as they walked together. "I assume you've had bad experiences with humans?"

"Sometimes," Raphael shrugged. "We don't encounter them a lot because we stick to the shadows, but there's one guy who really got on my nerves. His name was Vic. A nasty jerk who caught us on video and wanted to sell it for a lot of money. My brothers tried to reason with him, but I just wanted to bust him up. He called us names like frogs, lizards… freaks. He was awful."

"I would assume you guys got the footage back?" Mira inquired.

"Yeah, but it wasn't easy," he replied. "When we tried reasoning with him, I lost my cool and attacked him. The Kraang, who were stealing supplies from a lab nearby, heard the commotion and attacked us. Vic was thrown into the back of their van, and they took him back to their HQ. Leo was mad that I screwed up, so he sent me home. From there, Master Splinter told me a story."

Raphael paused for a moment, trying to remember Splinter's tale exactly as told. "When he was a human, Shredder insulted Splinter in front of Tang Shen, so he struck him down, fueling their hatred for each other. Sometime after, Shredder invaded Splinter's home and… well, you know the rest. I told Sensei that it wasn't his fault, but he said he could have chosen to ignore Shredder's insults, preventing their feud from going deeper. After hearing that, I decided to go and save my brothers."

Raphael and Mira halted at a stoplight, watching cars drive by.

"Once I got to the Kraang facility, I found out Vic mutated into a mutant called Spider-Bytez," Raphael heard a chuckle from Mira. "Yeah, Mikey came up with the name; he does that a lot. Like before, Spider-Bytez threw a bunch of insults at me. Instead of letting them get to me, I took a deep breath and allowed the words to go over me… like a river over stone. We kicked his butt and he got away. I made sure not to make the same mistake again… well, with him anyway. I still get angry whenever someone insults me. It's something I'm trying to work on, but it's easier said than done."

Mira registered everything she learned and nodded. "I can relate to that."

"I'm sure you can. As a popstar, you must face a lot of haters, right?"

"Yup," Mira replied. "When Soda Pop came out, a lot of people started turning on Huntrix. They'd bash us on social media with all kinds of nasty posts. One of which said the Saja Boys are better because they don't have a problem child in their group."

"Ouch," Raphael replied, feeling his heart clench. "How did you deal with that?"

"Oh, I was tempted, and I mean tempted to write a really nasty comment to that person," she said with two fists. "I really wanted to show him who's boss and-" Noticing her voice was getting high, she paused and took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. I wanted to write something just a mean, but I let it go. I knew if I instigated, I'd make Huntrix's situation much worse… not that it's better now."

"What do ya mean?" Raphael asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it. I wanted to check in on you, so-"

"Eh, don't worry about me for the moment," Raphael said with a dismissive wave. "What's going on with Huntrix? Are people still freaked out about last night?"

"That, and they're mad we cancelled our tour."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"Yeah, I checked social media while we were waiting to see Bobby this morning. Some fans understand why we're doing this, and they're supportive. Those are the kind of fans we appreciate, but most of the public's been nasty. A lot of people are questioning whether or not we're going to have a stable performance again. They talk about us having a bad streak recently. First, we canceled our live performance of Golden, then there was the Idol Awards mess, and now… this. I swear, it's like the universe is-"

Mira noticed her frustrated tone and calmed down, making Raphael realize a similarity between her and him. If he were in her shoes, he'd react the same way. He was amazed by how quickly she calmed herself, wishing he could do that.

She looked back at him and said, "Sorry… I didn't mean to change the conversation. Like I said, I really wanted to talk about you."

"It's fine," Raphael replied. "You've got a lot on your mind, so it's better you let it out. You allowed me to do that, so… I might as well do the same."

Mira smiled once she heard that.

"So, what are you three gonna do once you go home?"

"Bobby says we're gonna do some local shows, photoshoots, and smaller stuff. We'll probably have another concert sometime after that. Hopefully, there will be no Foot Soldiers and/or Demons to interrupt this time."

"Eh, I'm sure you guys will be fine."

"I hope so," Mira replied. "We didn't expect to be dealing with this after our hiatus, but I suppose this is the universe's way of telling us otherwise. The universe has a funny way of sending messages."

Raphael chuckled. "Tell me about it. What exactly was the universe saying when my brothers and I fought alien robots for the first time?"

"What was the universe saying when Miromabby was created?"

"Miro-what?"

"A poly ship created by fans of Huntrix and the Saja Boys," Mira groaned, rolling her eyes. "People couldn't decide whether I should date Abby or Romance, so they decided, why not both?"

"Aw, man! That's hilarious!" he laughed again and slapped his knee.

Normally, she'd be annoyed at someone laughing at how miserable that ship was, but Mira was ultimately happy her new friend wasn't angry anymore. The sight of his smile made her chuckle and shake her head.

Soon, the cross sign turned green, and everyone walked down the path.

Raphael wiped a tear of joy from his face as Mira placed a hand on his shoulder, ending the laughter.

"So… are we okay?" Mira asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are things good between us? I still want to know why you attacked me in the dojo," Mira paused as she turned to the right. "I think I know why, but I want to hear it from you."

"That depends. What do you think?"

She released a low sigh. "You thought I was going to kill Donnie, didn't you?"

Raphael's eyes shot open. "I… wait, how did you figure that out?"

"I'm pretty good at reading people. Actually, I'm kind of an expert at it."

"Huh… I didn't think you were that good."

"I won't force the answer out of you, Raph, but if what I said is the case… then I want you to know I'm sorry."

"You already apologized."

"I know, but I still feel guilty for how I treated you and your brothers. You specifically because you saved Rumi from the first Foot Demon."

"That was nothing."

"Not to me."

Raphael's eyes widened when he heard that, and he looked up at Mira, noticing a warm smile on her face. He gazed into her brown eyes, then briefly looked forward and thought about what he wanted to say.

With a deep breath, he looked up and finally spoke.

"Mira… I-"

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Raphael and Mira jumped at a sudden shout coming from the right.

Looking down a dark alleyway, they saw a fence, and on the other side, a girl dressed in gothic clothing fell against the concrete and kicked a man in the face. He was a Chinese-American thug with brown eyes and a thick black mustache.

Raphael's eyes widened when he recognized who that was. "No way."

Two other thugs helped the man to his feet as they grabbed the girl and threw her to the ground. She got back up and punched two members before kicking the third one. Unfortunately, a buff thug grabbed her foot and pushed her back down. She crawled away as the three thugs chased her down.

"The Purple Dragons?" Raphael raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, aren't those the guys who attacked us in the hotel?" Mira inquired.

"Yup. Fishface has a connection with them. Every now and then, they'll help carry out Shredder's schemes."

Mira watched as the teenager ran from the three thugs, looking for a way to escape. Her eyes widened once they knocked her down, and they widened again when she kicked one of them in the stomach.

She flexed her shoulders before walking down the alleyway. "I think I know a good way we could blow off more steam. Whaddya say, Raph? You up for busting some heads?"

Raphael was surprised she was eager to fight, but he admired that. With a nod, he mirrored her smirk and followed behind.

The Purple Dragons: Fong, Tsoi, and Sid threw a teenager named Irma against the floor again. Fong drew back his fists as he grabbed her by the shirt collar and snarled.

"All right, girlie! I've had enough of your games. Give us your money and we'll let you go!"

Irma snarled and tried to swat at him, but all Fong did was knock her down and pull out a hatchet.

Tsoi clenched his sledgehammer as Sid cracked his knuckles.

"Don't make this worse for you," Fong grunted.

As Irma watched three large men loom over her, she covered her eyes and waited for them to get it over with.

But before they could lay a finger, she heard a loud whistle.

The Purple Dragons detected the same noise, and they turned around.

Still in their disguises, Raphael and Mira stood with hands in their pockets; smirks covering their faces.

Both of them glared at the Chinatown gang as they signaled Irma to leave.

Recognizing Raphael from the concert, Irma was tempted to point him out; however, she knew a social cue when she saw one. Pushing through Fong and Sid, she bolted out of the alleyway and climbed over the fence. She was tempted to stay behind and record the event so she could send it to April, but the two hotheads signaled her to leave again.

Irma put her phone away and ran off.

Turning back around, the muscular fighters were ready to throw down, and so were the Purple Dragons.

"You've got to be kidding me," Tsoi snarled. "These freaks again."

"The only freak I see here is you, buddy," Mira teased. "Don't tell me you left the house with a shave like that."

Tsoi gasped and stroked his mustache, hearing laughs from his partners.

"Pretty silly of Shredder to send weaklings like you against Ninjas and Hunters," Mira stretched her neck, getting into a fighting pose. "Guess having patterns gave him brain damage."

"Which is what we'll give you guys if you don't scram back home," Raphael added.

Fong twirled his hatchet as he whistled to his gang, and they spread out.

Tsoi went right and spun his sledgehammer, gripping it with both hands.

Sid spat on the ground before cracking his neck, flexing his biceps, and clapping both knuckles together. The trio of criminals menacingly circled around the duo, who were unimpressed with their intimidation attempt.

Rolling their eyes, Raphael and Mira stood back to back with their fists clenched.

The Purple Dragons continued doing this before they spoke one by one.

"Last time we met, you got us good. Now, we're ready for you," Tsoi said.

"We're gonna make you cry for your mommies," Sid snarled. "Oh, wait. Mira's mommy doesn't want her anymore. Not that she did in the first place."

Surprised by that comment, the pink-haired woman snarled as she threw back her fist. Raphael tapped her shoulder and shook his head.

"Seems like you struck a nerve, Sid," Fong chuckled, twirling his kitchen tool. "That's not the only thing we'll be striking."

"Are you guys gonna keep blabbing, or are we gonna get started?" Raphael groaned. "Mira and I have been working on this cool dance routine we thought you'd really like? It's called The Fallen Dragons." {Song #1 – Start}

Mira felt better after hearing that joke and smirked at her opponents.

Fong aimed his hatchet at the fighters and shouted, "Let's dance then! Sick em', Dragons!"

Sid threw both hands into the air as he charged like a rampaging bull; he even huffed like one, too.

Mira waited for him to get closer as she squatted down and ripped off her white cap. Throwing it right into his face, she blinded Sid before knocking him back with a powerful punch. Raphael smiled at that before he saw Tsoi coming with his sledgehammer.

"Oh, boy," he said as he ducked into his shell and leaped to the right, avoiding the hammer coming down.

Raphael leaped around like the ninja he was, dodging the weapon from every angle.

Mira leaped backward, avoiding several dodges from Sid.

She soon looked over and saw Fong running with his hatchet in hand. Using a nearby garbage can lid, Mira kicked it upward, and it landed in her grasp. Blocking the weapon with it, Mira smacked Fong with her makeshift shield before blocking Sid's punches. Unfortunately, he yanked it from her hands and kicked her in the stomach. The lead dancer fell into a pile of garbage cans, knocking trash onto the concrete ground.

Raphael was about to bail her out, but Tsoi cornered him, slamming his hammer against the ground.

He ducked underneath one last swing and leaped over the Purple Dragon. Kicking Tsoi across the face, Raphael fired two punches followed by an uppercut. The sledgehammer fell out of his hands, and he grabbed it, smacking the mustached man into a white parked van.

Rubbing his face, Tsoi got back up and ambushed the turtle with his brute strength.

Raphael threw the hammer aside and fought back.

Watching her friend stand his ground, Mira decided to do the same.

Grabbing a garbage bag from the pile, she threw it at Fong, who caught it and fell backward. Sid quickly turned to him, unaware he left himself open; Mira tackled him to the ground and showered him with a flurry of punches; a similar move she'd do to Demons. Sid felt a million-fisted hurricane bounce up and down on his face. At first, the pain was excruciating until his nose and cheeks became numb. Mira punched him six more times before she backed off and grabbed his legs. Spinning him around, she threw him to the left.

Raphael saw the flying man and dodged Tsoi's punch, causing Tsoi himself to get hit by a brutalized Sid. The red-masked turtle looked at his partner and shot her a thumbs-up.

Mira was about to follow suit before she heard a snarl from behind. A hatchet almost grazed her shoulder as she saw Fong wake up and start slicing. Stepping backward, Mira's heart pounded as she saw the blade get closer and closer to her face with each swing.

Raphael reached into his pocket and threw one sai at Fong's hand, disarming the weapon. As Fong cringed in pain, Mira kicked him between the legs and knocked him down with a headbutt.

Raphael stood by her side as they shared a glance and cracked their fingers.

As soon as Fong got up for another round, he was immediately ambushed by the dynamic duo, who treated him to a dance of punches, kicks, body slams, uppercuts, jabs, foot dives, and more.

Fong felt like a doll being chewed up and spat out by a wild dog.

Raphael and Mira shared laughs as they made the Purple Dragon suffer.

Knocking him back and forth, the two saw that the other Purple Dragons woke up and were ready for more.

Raphael and Mira shared another smirk and glance before they thought of a clever idea.

The former grabbed Fong by his legs, knocked him down, and spun him around. He threw him into the air and cupped both hands together. Mira put one foot on top of them and was thrown into the air. Performing three front flips, she slammed both feet against his chest.

Tsoi and Sid got up for revenge and tried to attack Raphael, but before they could even lay a finger on him, Fong crashed into them, and they fell down on top of each other. {Song #1 – End}

All of them moaned and groaned in pain. Tsoi noticed his mustache was messy, Fong clenched his stomach, and Sid felt his face go numb again. Just as they were about to get back up, a looming shadow approached them, and they looked up in fear.

Mira towered over them with a menacing stance. She quickly leaned down with a devilish smirk and said the scariest thing they've heard in years.

"RUFF!"

She barked like a canine as the Purple Dragons screamed like sissies, got up, and ran away.

Raphael stood beside his friend and leaned against her. Mira folded her arms as the two shared a laugh, watching the Purple Dragons struggle to leap over the fence.

After they left, the duo spread out to grab their loose items.

Raphael stored his weapon away as Mira dusted her cap and put it back on.

"That was fun," she said. "You all right, Raph?"

"Beating up the Purple Dragons always puts a smile on my face, so yeah, I'm good," he answered with a smile.

"Good," Mira nodded. "By the way, why did you stop me from fighting the guy who insulted me about my mother?"

"I didn't want you to fall for the trap," he replied with both hands in his pockets. "Sometimes, you gotta let those insults flow off of you… like a river over stone."

Mira soaked that in and nodded.

Just before they could walk out of the alleyway, Raphael had something on his mind he wanted to share.

"Oh, Mira."

She turned around and said, "Hmm?"

He took a deep breath and nervously replied with, "About what happened in the dojo… you were right. I kept thinking back to when you aimed your weapon at us. I thought you were gonna hurt Donnie."

She soaked that in and exhaled. "I figured that. I'm-"

"-you already apologized, it's fine," Raphael shrugged.

"Yeah, but still… I should have been more level-headed that night. What I did reminded me of something I did three months ago," she replied, thinking back to when she aimed her woldo at Rumi. "I appreciate you and your brothers for rescuing her. I wish Zoey and I could've been there with you."

"Well, you're here now. So, you can have your shot at Shredder and Gwi-Ma, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Right."

Together, they shared a fist-bump and walked out of the alleyway.

"By the way. Can you teach me how to do that million-fisted punch you did on that one guy?"

"Sorry, Raph. Some moves are exclusive to Demon Hunters."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Oh, please."

Raphael and Mira prepared to walk down the sidewalk when suddenly, they heard a loud noise come from around the corner. It sounded like a large engine, which made them wonder if a monster truck was coming.

Nope. Instead, it was something larger.

The Shellraiser.

It pulled up beside them and opened its doors, revealing two Turtles and a maknae.

"Hey, guys!" Michelangelo greeted.

"Mikey? Donnie? Zoey?" Raphael widened his eyes. "What the heck are you guys doing out here?"

"And what is this thing?" Mira inquired.

"It's called the Shellraiser," Zoey said enthusiastically. "Donnie built it and it's awesome! Would you like a ride?"

Raphael allowed Mira to enter first before he closed the door from behind.

"So, what is this?" asked the latter as she admired the interior. "Your party bus?"

"Nope," Donatello shook his head. "It's an assault vehicle."

"Wait, are their weapons in this thing?" Mira asked with shock before she smiled at everyone's nods. "Sick."

Raphael hung up his coat and hat before noticing who was driving. "Donnie, you're letting Zoey drive? Wow, you're either really trusting or really stupid."

"Actually, she's a really good driver," the genius replied.

"Yeah, and she's got great taste in music," said the party dude. "Hey, since you guys are here, do you want to pick a song?"

Mira nudged her teenage friend. "You pick."

Raphael stroked his chin before he quickly thought of a song. "I've given Mikey a lot of flak over this song, but… I wouldn't mind listening to How It's Done."

Michelangelo's eyes widened as tears rolled down his cheeks. Donatello and Zoey shared a surprised glance.

"R-really, Raph?"

"Yes, but only if you don't play it on any more patrols."

"Consider it done," Michelangelo saluted. "Fire it up, Donnie!"

The purple genius played the song as Zoey pulled the throttle and drove the van.

Back in the lair, Leonardo and Rumi were watching Space Heroes in the living room.

Rumi sat on a ledge, whereas Leonardo was down on his knees, sitting in front of the TV itself.

After watching four episodes in a row, the two smiled at one another before the next one started.

It opened with Captain Ryan and his crew stepping out of a dimensional portal and landing on a strange planet with a cobblestone ground and a magenta sky with black clouds.

"All right, Dr. Mindstrong," the captain spoke boldly." What dimension have we crossed into now?"

A green alien held up a goofy-looking tablet and scanned the environment. "According to my calculations, we appear to be in a world inhabited by-"

Monsters suddenly came out of the blue and surrounded the crew.

"D-Demons!?" said Ryan's ensign, Crankshaw. He cowered behind his captain and closed his eyes. "Captain Ryan! I've heard these Demons consume souls from our eyeballs!"

Leonardo was about to laugh, but as soon as he heard a certain word, his eyes turned to Rumi, who leaned back and continued watching the episode.

"Captain Ryan!" Crankshaw shouted."What are we going to do!?"

As usual, the captain slapped his cohort and spoke proudly. "Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation; my orders must be carried out without question."

Leonardo and Rumi spoke the line together before they laughed.

"Attack the Demons!" Ryan ordered.

The Dauntless crew whipped out their laser blasters and started attacking several monsters. As the fight progressed, the viewers couldn't help but notice something familiar about the Demons; they had strange triangular markings all over their bodies. Somewhere, also more monstrous than others. In other words, some were just faceless beings with purple skin, and others had glowing gold eyes with ferocious teeth.

Rumi clenched her stomach as she watched the animated creatures get slaughtered.

Ryan and his crew placed their weapons away.

Leonardo briefly looked over and noticed how uncomfortable she was; she clenched her shoulders and sunk both knees into her chest.

He was just about to reach for the remote, but Rumi caught him and said, "Don't. I want to keep watching."

Rather than argue, the turtle moved his hand away and looked back at the TV.

"Phew, thank goodness those monsters are gone," Ryan said, wiping his forehead. "I've always been told that a Demon with no feelings doesn't deserve to live."

"It's so obvious, Captain," said Dr. Mindstrong.

"Actually, Captain," said a nervous Crankshaw as he tugged his sleeves. "I… have a confession to make."

With that, he rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the same triangular patterns the monsters had. Ryan and his crew gassed with shock.

Leonardo's eyes widened. He remembered seeing this episode and said it was one of the best ones to date. However, he felt differently after knowing more about someone he knew. Speaking of which, he turned around and looked at Rumi again, noticing that her eyes were glued to the screen, but her arms were wrapped around her stomach. She looked like she was about to throw up.

Leonardo was about to do something before he heard a conversation between the characters.

"Crankshaw!" Ryan exclaimed." How do you have those hideous markings?"

"I-I just got them!" Crankshaw said with sorrow. "One of them bit me and these things started growing on my skin! But it's okay! We just need to slay the king before we-"

"Sorry, Crankshaw… I'm afraid you must die."

"Wait, what!?"

"Gentlemen, ready your weapons," Ryan ordered. "It appears Crankshaw has turned on the team. Therefore, he needs to perish! It's been nice knowing you, Crankshaw."

"N-no!" Crankshaw shouted with eyes full of fear. "Captain! Wait! Please!"

Deciding enough was enough; Leonardo grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "Sorry, Rumi. I know you wanted to watch the rest of the episode, but I'm not gonna sit here and watch you-"

He looked back and stopped mid-sentence because no one was there except for him.

"Rumi?"

Leonardo got up and shouted her name again, hearing his voice echo through the lair. He searched left and right to see where she went, but the only person around was him.

"Oh, no."

His heart pounded like a drum, and he immediately rushed to the dojo.

"Master Splinter!" Leonardo shouted as he opened the door. "I can't find Rumi! It was my fault! We were watching TV and there was an episode where-"

Cutting himself off, he found the half-demon on her knees, sitting across from his sensei.

Both of them had their eyes closed and took deep breaths. Splinter whispered the words, inhale and exhale and Rumi followed them clearly. Some of her breaths were more shaken than others, but eventually, they became clear.

The leader was relieved to see he hadn't lost track of his friend, but he felt guilty about the episode they had just watched. Not wanting to disturb the duo, he tiptoed backward and opened the door again. But before he could step out, he heard a voice.

"Stay, Leonardo," Splinter said.

Leonardo reluctantly sat in the same position as the duo. Splinter instructed Rumi to take one last breath before opening her eyes.

Once they were open, a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Master Splinter."

"You are welcome, dear child."

"Rumi…" spoke a guilty turtle. "I'm so sorry. I remember that episode and I should've guessed that-"

"You don't need to apologize, Leo," Rumi said reassuringly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've seen that episode too. I know they kill the king and save Crankshaw, but at the moment… I couldn't watch it."

"Rumi, I-"

"Don't…" she said with a smile. "It wasn't your fault."

"Rumi came to me in panic, so I figured I'd meditate with her," Splinter said before getting up. "Perhaps, you can take over for me, my son."

Leonardo pointed to himself before looking at his friend. "Sure, Sensei."

"Good. I'll be in my room if you two need me."

The three shared a bow before the tall rat went to his room and closed both doors.

Leonardo sat across from Rumi and tapped his brown kneepads. "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right. Like I said, I know that episode, but… I just couldn't finish it."

"It's okay," Leonardo nodded. "Now that I think about it, I think there's other moments in Space Heroes that mirror your situation. Actually, a lot of episodes tend to mirror our lives too. It's kinda weird. Have there been other episodes that made you think about your patterns?"

Rumi rolled up one of her sleeves, looking at her blue markings. They weren't shiny like they usually were. Instead, they were a plain muted color. "Sometimes. Not as bad as that episode, though."

"Have other shows and movies done the same?"

"There was one movie we watched during our hiatus. It was a really good movie, but something towards the end made me think back to the Idol Awards. We eventually watched the rest of it at the Wolf Hotel, and I was fine at that time. Zoey and Mira have tried to get me to watch movies and TV shows as a way of escaping reality. I was never exposed to much TV when I was younger, so we spent a lot of time watching it during our hiatus. We've checked out some K-dramas, sitcoms, and cartoons here and there. They're not into Space Heroes like I am, but it has a charm I really like."

"I feel that," Leonardo smiled. "My brothers always poke fun at me for watching it, but I don't care. I think it's awesome. What did you mean when you said you were never exposed to TV when you were young? Were you not allowed to watch it?"

"No. Back when we were under Celine's mentorship, the three of us would take breaks and watch something together. But for the most part, we would always train. Me especially. As the leader, I had to go through the most training. It's where most of time my time was spent."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Aside from singing and dancing… not many."

He widened his eyes. "What?"

"There were some hobbies I picked up on, like reading. But social activities were forbidden for me. Mira and Zoey would always go to bathhouse and ask me to come along. I wanted to, but I'd risk showing my patterns, so I always refused every time. Celine told me that they could never know about my secret."

"So, Celine never let you have any hobbies, and she forced you to lie to your friends?"

"For the most part, yes."

Leonardo found it hard to register all of that. He looked at the ground and struggled to wonder how someone like Celine could sleep at night.

"Celine meant well," Rumi continued. "But… I never felt loved by her. When I confronted her the night Huntrix broke up, she couldn't look me in the eyes. My patterns were purple at the time, and they were everywhere. Every time I spoke, Celine backed away and looked to the side. Even when I asked her why she couldn't love me, she still couldn't look at me."

With a deep frown, Leonardo soaked all of that in. For a moment, he thought about his conversation with Michelangelo last night and how Celine was a different kind of mentor from Splinter.

His little brother was right. Splinter allowed his sons to have hobbies to coincide with their training. Even though training was the most important thing, he encouraged them to embrace their hobbies and relax when needed. So, it was difficult for Leonardo to imagine what Celine's mentorship was like. From what he was told last night, she did have good intentions, but had bad parenting methods.

Leonardo took a deep breath and watched sorrow paint itself on Rumi's face. She covered her patterns again and hugged her shoulders.

The two sat in silence for a bit before the leader got an idea. With a warm smile, he stood up and offered his hand. "What other hobbies did you get into during your hiatus?"

Rumi looked up and scratched her head. "Outside of TV and movies, I read some books, and did some shopping, which is not really a hobby as much as it is an activity, but it was nice to find clothes with the girls." she stroked her braided purple hair and tapped her chin. "That's basically it. Why?"

Leonardo smiled and stood up, offering his hand. "Well, maybe it's time we add one to the list."

Rumi copied his smile as she took his hand and stood up.

Leonardo and Rumi left the lair and found themselves exploring an abandoned part of the subway. Using the flashlights on their phones, they illuminated the pitch black darkness and walked straight.

Of course, Leonardo was in front as he guided his new friend on where to go.

Both of them had skateboards under their armpits. The former had a bright yellow deck with decals of characters from Space Heroes to contrast with the bright blue of his wheels. Rumi had borrowed Michelangelo's skateboard, which was green and had a graphic of a gorilla on it.

Both of them strolled down the dark path as Rumi wondered exactly where they were going. Before they left, she was told by Leonardo that he wanted to take her somewhere special, but he refused to give any more details.

Despite never being taught how to ride a skateboard, Rumi was interested in learning something new. Nobody in Huntrix knew how to ride a skateboard aside from Zoey, who used to ride a lot back in Burbank. Rumi also remembered Zoey riding one for one scene in Golden's music video. She was a little nervous about riding it for a few reasons. One, she's never done this before. Two, the one she had didn't belong to her, so she was worried about breaking it. But her worries and concerns were overshadowed by her interest.

Leonardo was also interested in teaching her. Even though skateboarding is more of a Michelangelo thing, he'd break out his board and ride every now and then. Occasionally, he and his brothers would skate across the rooftops and grind on rails, feeling the wind brush against their skin. It was a way to let off some steam and get to their missions faster.

For as fun as rooftop skating is, Leonardo thought it'd be best to teach Rumi in a discrete location.

He shone his flashlight on the walls, noticing a bright light far in front of them. "We're getting close, Rumi. Are you all right back there?"

"I'm good," Rumi replied. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

The two walked further before they shielded their eyes from a bright light. Turning off their flashlights, they stepped further before looking around.

Rumi's eyes widened as she was in the presence of an underground skate park with a few lights on top. She wondered what was powering them, but she was more focused on the colorful scenery. The walls were decked out in bright spray paint showing graphics of various animals, stars, and fruits.

Every inch of the wall was covered in bold colors, and she admired all of them.

In the middle was a large skating area with hills big and small, rails, and ramps. They were all concrete gray with occasional spray paint marks on them.

Leonardo and Rumi took a moment to soak everything in before they found a bench in the corner and sat down. The former reached into his belt and pulled out a set of black kneepads, elbow pads, and a helmet. Giving them to Rumi, he taught her how to put them on, and she did.

Buckling them tight, Rumi stood up and continued looking. "This place is so cool. How did you come across this?"

"After one of our missions," Leonardo replied. "My brothers and I were coming home when we accidentally made a wrong turn. At first, we were angry, but after looking around, we thought this place was awesome. We don't come here a lot because we've focused on fighting crime, but every now and then, we'd stop by and skate around. Which reminds me, we need to take April sometime."

Rumi chuckled and looked down at a steep hill. It wasn't too high from the ground, but it was enough to make her nervous. Leonardo noticed this and handed her Michelangelo's skateboard. Together, they slid down the hill and landed in the bottom area.

"Okay, Rumi," the turtle said. "Skateboarding is little tricky, but I'll teach you the basics. Balance is one of the biggest things, so let me show you."

Leonardo placed his skateboard on the ground and got on top of it. "First things first, figure out which foot you wanna put forward. Notice how my right foot is in the front, and my left foot is in the back. You need to figure out which stance works best for you. Give it a shot."

Rumi placed the board on the ground and began to step on it. Upon doing so, the board moved, and she shivered.

"Hold on, hold on," Leonardo said as he skated towards her board, picked it up, and returned it to her. "Here, watch me."

He kindly showed her how to get on a skateboard properly. He placed the board flat on the ground and gently stepped on it, planting his feet in the same positions they were in before.

Rumi followed his instructions and nailed it. She had her left foot forward and her right foot back.

"Perfect," he smiled. "Next, we're gonna learn how to push. Something my brothers and I taught ourselves is that pushing a skateboard is similar to walking. In other words, step onto the board with your front foot forward and give it a push. Observe."

Leonardo stepped off his board and took a few steps back. He then walked forward, placed his right foot onto it, and used the other foot to push on the ground. He rolled forward until he reached the end of the park. Swerving around, he returned to Rumi.

"Okay," she gulped. "Seems simple enough."

"I'll be here if you need me."

With a bright smile, she repeated exactly what he did. At first, she almost lost her balance, but quickly regained it once she shifted her left foot to the side, giving her a better stance on the board. Using her back foot, she pushed until reaching the end of the park. She didn't make a smooth turn like he did, but she still returned safely.

Leonardo clapped. "Nice! You're getting the hang of this already."

"I don't know about that," Rumi replied with a half-hearted chuckle. "Zoey's a lot better at this than me."

"Mikey's the true skater out of all of us, but that hasn't stopped us from learning."

"Nice," she smiled. "So, what do we do next?"

"We're going to do some turns. There are two basic ways to turn on a skateboard. One is called a kick turn, and the other is called a carving turn. I'll show you how to do both."

Leonardo pushed forward on his skateboard and rode around. "For a kick turn, you have to apply some pressure to your back foot so that you can lift your front wheels up. It's a little tricky, so I don't expect you to get it right on your first try. Watch me."

The leader did exactly what he said and made a right turn. He repeated this two more times before returning to Rumi, who nodded and decided to give it a try. At first, it was tricky for her to put enough pressure on her back foot as she almost fell off her skateboard. Thankfully, Leonardo caught her and watched the board roll forward.

She got it back and tried again, only to be met with the same result. She was thankful to have someone watching her back, but she was annoyed by her lack of progress. After another failed attempted, she grunted in frustration and looked at Leonardo, who signaled her to take a deep breath.

Rumi did so and recovered her board.

After another attempt, she finally got it right.

"Nice work," Leonardo said as he watched her do several kick turns. "Next, we're gonna do the carving turn. It's a little easier, but requires some balance."

He rode past her and slowly leaned his body to the left, causing him to go in that direction. "A carving turn's where you lean your body to the side and let the board turn. Don't lean completely, just do it slightly."

Rumi did just that and found it easier than the last turn she did. She spent a while practicing both turns, noticing the smile on her teacher's face.

"You're doing awesome, Rumi," he said with a thumbs up. "Mikey would be proud of you. But you should also be glad he's not here; he would've pushed you down the ramp and made you do a backflip."

"Oh, I am nowhere near ready for that," Rumi laughed as she continued practicing.

The two spent some time going over the basics as they went up a few ramps and slid back down. Rumi's hair flew back from the acceleration as she smiled and performed another kick turn.

"Nice!" Leonardo smiled as he did a kick flip on his skateboard.

Rumi noticed how he did it and copied his move, executing it perfectly.

"Hey, I didn't even have to teach you that one."

"Guess you can say I'm a fast learner."

"Here, check this out."

Leonardo pushed forward until he built enough speed to ride up a hill. Leaping over the side, he grinded on a yellow rail, jumped off, did a full three-sixty to the right, and rolled down a ramp.

Rumi decided to give it a try even though she was a little nervous. With a breath of confidence, she repeated exactly what her friend did, except she almost missed the rail. Luckily, she readjusted her body so she would land on top of it. Instead of doing a side flip like Leonardo did, she shockingly, pulled off the front flip and got a bigger boost of speed when she came down. This caused her to shoot up another ramp and perform another trick, catching the turtle by surprise.

"Now, I'm starting to think you're showing off, Rumi."

The purple-haired singer laughed as she continued showing off more flips and tricks. Leonardo stood proudly and folded his arms, watching his student execute moves Michelangelo would do.

He observed her for a while before he climbed up to the bench and reached for his belt, pulling out his T-Phone.

"What are you doing?" Rumi asked as she rolled down a ramp.

"Just killing the silence," he replied as he scrolled through a playlist and selected a song. {Song #2 - Start}

Rumi noticed it was another hip-hop song, which made her think the Turtles appreciated a lot of music from the eighties and nineties.

Leonardo grabbed his skateboard and joined the fun.

Cruising up another ramp, he sped past Rumi as he went up a hill and performed a few tricks; he stepped off of his skateboard for a bit and watched it flip around. Getting into a squatting pose, he saw the board get back in position and planted his feet on top of it. Riding down the hill, he gained a boost of speed and performed the same trick on the other side.

Rumi watched him roam around and chuckled. "And you said I'm the one who's showing off."

Leonardo laughed as he performed two backflips and cruised around the park.

Rumi followed suit and performed her own set of flips, tricks, and other crazy maneuvers. Some were executed better than others, but it didn't stop her from having fun.

Speaking of fun, Rumi couldn't believe she was trying out a new hobby. She got into a few during her three-month vacation, but skateboarding was something she never thought about enjoying. She felt adrenaline rush through her veins as a gust of wind brushed her braided hair.

The more she leaped off of ramps, the more she smiled and shrilled happily.

Leonardo heard everything and shared the sentiment.

He was relieved that Rumi was finally having some fun after an emotional moment earlier. Even though it wasn't his fault, part of him felt guilty for watching a cartoon that dove into a sensitive topic. However, that guilt faded the more he watched the Hunter enjoy herself.

Music echoed through the park as it bounced off the walls and filled both riders with joy.

They sped past each other, waved, and performed several tricks.

Grinding on a rail, Leonardo looked over and saw Rumi do three kick turns followed by a four carving turns. Even though she was pulling off a lot of good stunts, she was still unfamiliar with the board's mechanics, so she practiced some turns. Soon enough, she went back to what she was doing before. Making it to the top of a ramp, she stopped in place and watched her green friend skate around without hesitation.

With a sigh of relaxation, Rumi bopped her head to the music as she closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. She was never raised on this kind of music, but has heard Zoey talk about hip-hop from her parents' era here and there.

Rumi figured this was the kind of music Splinter was raised on or something the Turtles discovered themselves. Regardless, she felt relaxed by the song as it helped her focus on her new skill. That, and the song kept repeating the phrase, spin that wheel.

How fitting.

Finishing her break, Rumi returned to the skate park.

She and Leonardo skated for a while longer before the song faded out. {Song #2 - End}

As it did so, both skaters leaped off a ramp and flew past each other. They landed on the ground and rode up the hill. Hopping off their boards, they laughed and shared a fist bump.

Sitting down on the bench, both felt sweat all over their heads. Leaning against the wall, they decompressed from all of the activity and laughed at how much fun they had.

Rumi felt like she was on top of the world riding that board. Part of her wanted to go back out there and let the fun last longer, but when she tried to get up, her knees shook, so she forced herself back down. She wasn't in pain, but her body was fatigued.

Leonardo felt the same way, so he reached into his belt and pulled out two plastic water bottles.

Thanking her friend, Rumi opened the bottle and took a sip of refreshing water. Her mouth was dry from all the laughing and shouting, so it was nice to have a drink.

She and Leonardo sat on the bench for a few minutes before he got up and placed his skateboard on the back of his shell.

"You ready to go, Rumi?"

She took another sip of water and closed the cap. "Yeah, I think I'm ready. That was… that was…" she exhaled excitedly. "Amazing!"

"Looked like it. You would've given Mikey a run for his money."

"I don't know about that, but thanks," Rumi laughed before taking another sip. "I'm surprised Master Splinter allows this. Doesn't he worry this will get in the way of your training?"

"Not really. We always make sure training comes first," Leonardo shrugged as he paced back and forth. "We're not allowed to skateboard in the lair. One time, Mikey built this ramp and had the three of us sit so he could jump over us. Which… went about as well as you'd expect. In other words, we were grounded for a week."

"Yikes," Rumi laughed. "I know if I did that with Mira and Zoey, Celine would do worse than ground us." She took a moment to think about that, following another sip. "I can imagine what she would say if she saw me right now."

Leonardo's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

She took one more sip and exhaled. "If Celine were here, she'd definitely scold me for riding a skateboard. Heck, she'd scold me for doing the things I did during my hiatus. Going shopping, hanging out with fans, going to the bathhouse. All of that stuff."

"Why does her opinion matter?"

"I… I don't know," she shrugged. "As I've mentioned, Celine forced me to cover my patterns and keep myself hidden. She didn't want anyone, especially Mira and Zoey, to know I'm a Demon. Even though she didn't intend this, I felt worthless. I felt like I couldn't be accepted for… all of me."

Rumi paused for a moment to close her eyes, feeling a flood of memories come back to her. "When I confronted her the night the Honmoon shattered, I told her I ran out of time. I couldn't fix the Honmoon, fix me. I told her Mira and Zoey saw me for what I really am. Celine knew I was a mistake from the very beginning, so… I asked her to kill me."

Leonardo's heart sank. Even though he heard this before, it was still sad to hear.

"Celine refused. She told me that she made a promise to my mother to care for me. She told me she tried to accept me, but I knew that was a lie. She told me to cover up… to hide. From there, I saw Celine's true colors. I thought she was going to tell me she was wrong and that I wouldn't hide anymore, but no. Instead, she wanted me to hide again. She was going to tell Mira and Zoey that what they saw was an illusion created by Gwi-Ma. As soon as she said that, I knew what I needed to do. I told her that I couldn't hide anymore, but she didn't accept that. She said our faults and fears need to be hidden so that the Honmoon can be protected. That was when I knew that a new Honmoon needed to be created. A better Honmoon where no one needs to hide anymore."

She paused a felt a tear drop down her cheek.

Leonardo noticed and widened his eyes.

Rumi wiped her face, sniffed, and continued. "S-sorry… of course, you know what happened next. Mira, Zoey, and I fought Gwi-Ma at Namsan Tower and created the Honmoon we have now. It's not gold, it's rainbow. It's a symbol of how none of our feelings should be oppressed. We're happy with it, but… if Celine were here, she'd be disgusted. She'd say that we broke our promise, shattered the Hunter's legacy, and… dishonored everything she taught us."

The two sat for a moment of silence.

Leonardo registered everything he heard and couldn't believe Celine had done this since Rumi in the darkest of times. Even worse was that she did this since Rumi was a child. He thought back to when Splinter forbade him and his brothers from going up to the surface. For that, he was trying to protect them from humans who would potentially put them in harm's way. Eventually, he trusted them enough to go up to the surface, and that's what started all of their crime-fighting adventures. Even though Splinter worried about them all of the time, he knew the Turtles were ready for whatever fight came ahead. He gave them nothing but love, guidance, and support.

Leonardo struggled to imagine what life would have been like if Splinter had forced him and his family to remain underground forever.

The Kraang would've invaded New York.

The O'Neil family would've been killed.

And Shredder would've caused chaos.

Splinter and Celine were similar in terms of raising families that aren't biological, but Leonardo noted a lot more differences in personality in how they taught others. Splinter was strict, but also fair. Celine was just strict.

As he watched the half-demon clench her arms, he thought about the right words to say. It was difficult at first, but something eventually came.

"Rumi… I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. I can't imagine what that must've been like."

Rumi nodded in silence.

"But… you shouldn't have to worry about what she thinks anymore," he added with a smile. "You're finally getting the chance to be… you. You can finally do other things besides hunting Demons and singing songs. I know you enjoy those things, but if you keep focusing all of your energy on work, you won't have enough time to live."

Perking her head up, she turned to the turtle and listened.

"You just told me about all of the cool stuff you did on vacation," he continued. "You watched movies, went out in public, and hung out with your friends. You did everything Celine forbade you to do, and it made you happy. I know you're still thinking about Celine, but honestly, forget her opinion."

Leonardo paused for a moment, allowing Rumi to think. "She could go on and on about how wrong this is, but truthfully, her opinion doesn't matter. You're finally living the life she refused to give you, and if she can't accept that… then that's her problem, not yours."

Rumi took a moment to take all of that in.

"I know it's easier said than done, Rumi… but the more time you spend focusing on yourself and those who are more important to you, the better off you'll be. Ask yourself, who is more important to you now?"

Rumi sat for a bit of silence before saying, "Mira… Zoey… your family… and you."

She and Leonardo shared the same smile.

After a few minutes of tranquility, the two got up, packed up their skateboards, and exited the skate park. Shining their flashlights again, they walked through a dark tunnel and disappeared.

In the process, they wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders.

Leonardo and Rumi returned to the lair where they found their family members watching a Japanese kaiju movie.

Michelangelo, hearing footsteps, looked and greeted them with a wave; however, he widened his eyes once he noticed the protective gear on Rumi's body. He then gasped once he saw skateboards under their arms.

"Yo, what is this?" he asked as he stood up and approached them.

"Rumi!" Zoey beamed with sparkling eyes. "Did you go skateboarding!?"

"You took Rumi skateboarding without me," Michelangelo asked with a frown. "And she used my board!? Leo, how could you betray me like that?"

"Sorry, Mikey," Rumi chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You and I can go another time."

"Sounds like you and Leo had fun," Mira smiled.

"All of us did," Raphael smirked as he wrapped his arm around Mira's body. "You guys should've seen the way Mira and I fought the Purple Dragons. We mopped the floor with those guys."

"You two seem to be getting along," Rumi observed.

"Yeah, Mira's cool," Raphael shrugged.

"And Raph can be cool… sometimes," Mira teased.

"Excuse me?"

"You're all right, but if you want to talk about someone cool, look right here."

"You know, I'm starting to think you want another round in the dojo."

"You got me good last time. I'll be ready for you next time."

Raphael and Mira playfully smirked at each other, and they laughed and nudged each other.

"Oh, boy," Donatello sighed with Zoey's arms around him and Michelangelo. "Four Mikeys and one of them acts like Raph."

"I think we've had a good break," Leonardo nodded. "Let's get back to training."

"Before that," Rumi said. "We should discuss a plan on how we're gonna beat Shredder and Gwi-Ma."

Zoey released her new friends and placed a hand on her chin. "Let's see, we've already established they're summoning Demons through a portal. Security at the hideout is tight, so we're gonna have a hard time getting in."

"Even if we did, what would our next move be?" Raphael asked.

"Simple," Rumi spoke boldly. "We kill Gwi-Ma."

The Turtles and Huntrix widened their eyes.

"Come again?" Zoey exclaimed.

"Uh, wouldn't it be easier if we just shut down the portal?" Michelangelo scratched his head, attempting to contain some anxiety from inside. "That way, we wouldn't have the fight a giant Demon? Not that we couldn't, it's just… well… I'd prefer not to have my soul taken."

"What's stopping Shredder from rebuilding the portal?" Rumi retorted. "Who knows how much tech he stole from the Kraang? He could build as many portals as he wants. Heck, he's probably got a back-up stashed somewhere. This is why we need to take the fight to Gwi-Ma himself. If we finish him, not only will the Foot Clan's power will be gone, but the world will be free of Demons."

"Rumi, wait…" Mira spoke with worry. "What would happen to you?"

The half-demon just stared at her friend, whose concern matched everyone else.

"What about me?" Rumi asked.

"If Gwi-Ma dies, his army will be powerless; however, since you're half-demon, does that mean you'll also die or… will something worse happen?" Mira's tone became more worried. "If that's gonna be the case, then I don't want to do this plan. Yes, the world would be better if Gwi-Ma was gone, but if it costs you your life, then… then…"

She grunted and made two fists. "Gah! I know I sound selfish for saying this, but I'd rather not kill him if it kills you too, Rumi!"

"Same here!" Zoey said as she rushed to hug Rumi. "Rumi, you mean everything to us! We don't want you to die! We… we…" Zoey sniffed and choked on her words. She dug her face into Rumi's white sweater, pressing it hard against her upper chest. "We wouldn't know how to go on without you!"

Rumi felt regret when she heard Zoey's sobs, and she closed her eyes, wishing she hadn't suggested that idea. In her defense, she assumed killing Gwi-Ma would just prevent Demons from crossing into the human world since they'd have no leader. She didn't think about any consequences involving her other half. Part of her wanted to believe she would live, but the other half wasn't sure if that was the best risk to take.

Hugging her younger friend tightly, she extended another arm and invited Mira to the hug.

All three of them stood there for a while, allowing a warm embrace to clear their heads.

The Turtles stood and watched.

Releasing her friends, Rumi wiped Zoey's tears and stroked her left cheek. "Guys, I'm sorry to have worried you like that, but I'm going to be fine."

Zoey sniffed. "How do you know?"

"We defeated Gwi-Ma three months ago and sealed the Honmoon. All of the other Demons went back there except for me. That's because they're pure Demons, meaning Gwi-Ma has full control over them. I was born with my patterns. For years, I've never heard his voice. If we were to kill him, there's a good chance I'll stay the same. Maybe my patterns will disappear this time. Who knows?"

"I don't suppose Celine taught you anything about this?" Donatello inquired.

"Celine only told us that when the Honmoon seals, his connection will be gone," Mira replied. "She never told us what would happen if he perished."

"Okay, so our plan is to get into the Demon Realm and kill Gwi-Ma," Raphael stroked his chin and shrugged. He shivered for a bit and clenched both arms. "Seems quasi-simple enough."

"We still don't have a way inside," Zoey pointed out.

"Too bad we don't have a mole within the Foot Clan," Michelangelo sighed.

"A mole?" Rumi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like a spy. They could get us in and out without a problem, but unfortunately, we don't know anybody. Well, there is Karai, but she's not our biggest fan."

"You mean the little brat we fought at the hotel?" Mira inquired. "What makes you think she's the key?"

"We worked with her a few times," Leonardo replied. "But she's either turned on us or vice versa. It's… a little complicated."

"Isn't she Shredder's daughter though? If we were to work with her, why would she turn on him?"

"Actually… she isn't his daughter."

Huntrix raised their eyebrows.

"What?" Zoey asked.

Leonardo sighed before he glanced at his brothers. "Huntrix, we weren't completely honest at the Wolf Hotel. Do you remember when we said Shredder killed Splinter's family? That's… partially true. He struck down Tang Shen and left Splinter there to rot; however, we found out some time ago that Miwa survived… and Shredder raised her to become Karai."

"Wait a second," Rumi said before she gasped. "Karai is Splinter's daughter!?"

The Turtles nodded.

Huntrix was in pure shock.

"Oh, my gosh!" Zoey said with hands cupped over her mouth.

"That monster!" Mira grunted. "He stole her when she was a baby!"

"H-have you tried to tell her this?" Rumi asked.

Leonardo shook his head. "We want to, but we haven't seen the Foot since we fought Kraang Prime. I was tempted to tell Karai the truth when we were rescuing you, Rumi, but it wasn't a good time back then."

"Speaking of that, I'm surprised she doesn't like working with Gwi-Ma," Raphael said.

"She may be our enemy, Raph," Leonardo stated. "But she's not as vengeful as Shredder."

"I'm sorry, this is a lot to take in," Zoey said, rubbing her temples. "Karai doesn't want to work with Gwi-Ma?"

"From what we heard, no," Donatello replied. "She talked about how Shredder's deal with Gwi-Ma will come at a deadly cost."

"She's not wrong," Rumi said with the stroke of her chin. "Hearing Jinu's story taught me that Gwi-Ma will do anything to get someone on his side… actually…" she paused for a moment, and a light bulb shined over her head; she had an idea. "You guys said you worked with Karai, right?"

"Yeah, but like we said," Michelangelo answered. "She's either turned on us or the other way around. Okay, the second time was because we wanted to take out Shredder. She kinda hates us for that."

"But what if we can put that aside?"

The Turtles shared a glance with Mira and Zoey.

The half-demon smiled and walked forward, looking at everyone as she spoke. "What if we told Karai everything we told you guys? We can tell her about Demons and what happened to Jinu. With this in her mind, she can possibly get us inside Shredder's lair, we'll go to the Demon Realm, and we can kill Gwi-Ma together."

The brothers and Rumi's sisters made another glance to one another.

Leonardo took a moment to soak that in. "I… I don't know, Rumi. Like Mikey was saying, the last time we joined forces didn't work out. There's no way she'd want to work with us again."

"But what if you can get her to?" Rumi asked again.

"How would we do that?" Raphael asked with folded arms.

"Well, we could possibly play into her doubts," Zoey stroked her chin. "She hates Shredder and Gwi-Ma's partnership, so if we can convince that Gwi-Ma will turn on the Foot Clan, then she'll join us… maybe."

"If there's one thing I know about Karai, it's that she hates it when Shredder gets too vengeful," said the blue-band leader. "Despite being loyal to him, he drives her crazy. There was a time the Kraang had a ship going around trying to destroy us. Karai was caught in the crossfire, and she saw the Kraang as a threat. When she tried to talk to Shredder about it, he ignored her, so she wished to work with us."

"That's exactly what I'm getting at," Rumi smiled, approaching an unsure ninja.

"Yeah, but on that day, we tried to gun for Shredder. We betrayed her trust. Yes, you can argue and say she's the enemy, but she was close to getting us a missile launcher."

"But if we told her everything, then we can put that aside and work together," Rumi retorted again. "I know my plan sounds flawed, but if we played our cards right, it can work."

Leonardo looked down at the ground before he closed his eyes. With a deep breath, he recalled the time the Turtles and Karai worked to get a missile launcher so they could blow up the Kraang ship. Karai made it clear she couldn't trust them again after that; however, he immediately replayed the conversation she had with Shredder during Rumi's rescue.

"I just want to make sure we are doing the right thing," Karai's voiced echoed in his head. "Right now, working with this Demon King doesn't seem like the smartest decision. He's given you power, yes. But I feel that that's going to come at a deadly cost. I don't want you to make any daring mistakes."

Leonardo thought about it one more time before he nodded. "I suppose it's worth a shot, but I'd have to talk to her. She and I have the most history."

"Hold on, Leo," Raphael said. "Are you sure this is the best idea? Karai's our enemy. How do we know she won't pull a stunt?"

"We'll see it coming first," he replied. "If something goes wrong during our talk, you and Mira can have my back. The rest of you can stay here."

Rumi smiled at the fact her plan was accepted.

"How are you going to get her to meet with you, Leo?" Zoey asked.

"Hold on," Rumi smirked as she looked over her shoulder and saw Derpy sleeping on the ground with Sussie resting on his head. "I've got just the thing."

Inside Shredder's hideout, Karai walked down the hallway, lost in thought. She was disappointed that she didn't fulfill her mission last night, which meant she and her team got an earful from Shredder.

Had she not been sat on by a giant blue tiger, she would have succeeded. Unfortunately, things didn't work out according to plan.

Despite the setback, she was focused on moving forward, but not without some concerns.

Ever since Shredder made a deal with Gwi-Ma, Karai has been uncertain about whether or not the Demons could be trusted.

When she was young, she remembered hearing stories about how her father had heard a mysterious voice that had offered to help him achieve his goals, but for some reason, he kept turning it down. Much like her father, she thought he was going crazy. It made sense given how deep his obsession with killing Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles has gotten.

She's determined to kill them too but is nowhere near as obsessed as her father.

Part of her was impressed by the Foot Demons' work as they were able to bring Rumi back to the hideout, but unfortunately, she escaped thanks to the Turtles.

As a result, Shredder was scolded by Gwi-Ma and nearly killed because of his failure. Karai couldn't forget the horrific moment of seeing her father lifted into the air, surrounded by flames. She thought he was going to meet his end, but luckily, the Demon King let him live, telling him his technology was needed.

Karai acknowledged that Gwi-Ma was merciful in that regard but wasn't sure if she could fully trust him.

While not as knowledgeable of the legends as her father, she's heard about how Gwi-Ma has manipulated people into making deals with him, forcing them to become servants. She's asked if those deals were fulfilled multiple times, but she never got a straight answer. Part of her was tempted to ask the king himself, but she figured that would cause animosity between them.

Stressed from her thoughts, Karai sighed and continued down the hallway, passing many Foot Soldiers who simply bowed their heads. She returned the gestures before making a right turn.

Before she could enter her room, she heard bickering between two familiar figures.

"So, how does it go again?" asked a confused Dogpound. "Bleeding isn't in my blood. I just need a pair of shoes. Beating you is what I do, do, do, yeah? That doesn't make any sense."

"That's because it's not how it goes, you idiot," Fishface retorted. He and his partner walked up with a Huntrix album in his hand. Karai noticed it was the How It's Done single that caused an eye roll. "No, the lyrics are bleeding isn't in my blood, ppyeosokbuteo dallaseo. Beating you is what I do, do, do, yeah."

The giant Akita raised an eyebrow. "How the heck do you even pronounce that?"

"What are you two doing?" Karai asked in a deadpanned tone.

"I'm trying to teach Bradford how to sing all of the Huntrix songs," the snakehead replied with a smirk. "It's going about as well as you'd expect."

"Oh, shut up," the dog snarled. "I don't like K-pop."

"Then why were you dancing to Golden when we were hiding backstage at the concert?"

Karai mirrored Fishface's grin as Dogpound looked nervous. "I… well… it's catchy."

"Xever, Bradford," said the kunoichi. "There's something I need to ask you two. What are your thoughts on my father's partnership with the Demons?"

Fishface and Dogpound shared a curious glance before they thought about responses.

"I'd never say this to Master Shredder, but I don't think he's making the wisest choice," said the latter while folding his arms. "Sure, our militia has been upgraded, but Gwi-Ma's not the kind of being to take failure so lightly. If we mess up again, it could be the end of all of us. That said… I sort of trust Master Shredder's plan. If I get a taste of that power and crush those reptiles, then I'll be good."

"I'm keeping more of an open mind," replied the purple fish. "I'd love a little taste of that Demon power for the same reason. Plus, the patterns will look very stylish on me."

"Maybe they'll make you look less ugly."

"At least I do not attract fleas."

Dogpound snarled before he felt an itch on the back of his head.

"What are your thoughts on this, Karai?" Fishface inquired. "I've heard you've been pretty vocal with your father."

Karai shrugged. "I have my concerns, but he doesn't listen. Not that he ever listens to me. I can see why he's doing this. His alliance with the aliens didn't go as planned, so it makes sense to try another option. If it were up to me, Demons would be the last thing I would choose. I believe Gwi-Ma's up to something, but I know if I brought this up, my father would shut me out again."

"Guess it's best to keep that to yourself," Dogpound nodded. "Speaking of Master Shredder, he wants us to check on Stockman on the portal. Hopefully, he has it working again."

"You two go ahead. I need some time to think."

Fishface and Dogpound exited the hallway as Karai opened the door to her room.

After she stepped inside, a mysterious white void appeared right beside her. Catching it from the corner of her eye, she looked over and leaped back, wondering what it was.

Drawing her wakizashi, she got into a battle stance and watched two creatures ascend.

One was a black bird with six eyes and a top hat, and the other one was a blue tiger with black stripes and bright yellow eyes.

Karai knew exactly who they were and panicked. "Oh, no! You are not sitting on me again! Back off!"

With his usual smile, Derpy cocked his head to the left before opening his mouth. A wet envelope dropped onto the floor.

"Eww…"

Karai leaned down with one hand around her sword, gripping it tightly in case the tiger got any ideas. Using her other hand, she picked up the envelope and noticed an interesting design.

It was a cute picture of a white smiling duck.

Raising an eyebrow, she squinted her eyes and read two words above the duck's head.

Hello Friend.