Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I'll Always Be Here for You

**TMNT**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**I'll Always Be Here for You**

"C'mon, Raph, no fair!"

"How's this not fair?"

"Cuz you're a ninja!"

"So?"

The twelve year-old grunted as she tried to push against his plastron, a determined look on her face as she struggled to escape his head-lock. They were what you could call training again, but this session had turned into that of a playful game to the turtles. Ever since that time she had trained with them as a test, she had actually forgotten some of the things that Splinter had taught her and now she had to learn it all over again.

Right now, they were teaching her how to get out of sticky situations, such as the one Raph had her in with his arm wrapped around her neck and making her arms immobile, and lying on his side with her on her back on the floor. She was kicking out her legs, but her being smaller and not as largely built as he was, it was proving to be difficult. Not to mention she was starting to choke. She tried pulling out of his grip again, but it seemed like she was using more energy herself than making progress. She panted, letting herself catch her breath.

"Crystal, remember what I said about weaknesses." Splinter called from his stance in front of the tree, his expression almost amused by her wide eyes. She yelled out and grinded her teeth, kicking out her legs again but then going limp from exhaustion.

"What's the matter, kiddo? Having a hard time?" Raph teased, a large grin on his face as he easily held her in place. "Wanna see if we can make this more fun?"

She opened her eyes curiously to see what he was going to do. But she wished that she hadn't reacted to his question as she felt his fingers dig into her side.

"ACK!" she tried to hold it in, gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes shut to clear out the sensation as she immediately kicked her legs and scuffed them against the floor. But his actually skilled fingers traveled up and down her side. She squeaked, arching her back and stomping one of her feet on the floor.

"Remember, sis! Find his weak spot!" Donnie yelled from the sidelines, chuckling in amusement along with his other two brothers Leo and Mikey, who also wore large grins on their faces.

"I'm t-trying! Hehehe! This is NOT f-fair, Raph!" Crystal managed to say, holding in her breath. The boys laughed at her attempts to struggle, but she failed each time. She thought hard. What could get him to let his guard down? What could make him stop this tickling was the real question! Raph was known for not showing his weaknesses often, for he was the tough and aggressive type that liked to pick on his siblings especially when they were trapped and helpless like she was at this second.

Then she smiled, not only because she was being tickled to death, but because she thought of an idea. Raph may have been known to have a hard shell, but he was a sucker whenever it came to making sure his family was alright. He was overprotective sometimes, and that thought made an, in her mind, extraordinary and genius thought pop into her mind. She then began to hold in her breath, and she dared not to breathe until she got the results in the color in her face that she wanted.

"AH! Raph, stop! Ow! Let go, let go!" she suddenly cried out, letting her voice increase in pitch and, and tears began to build up in her eyes, making them look a little red. Her face had become a little bluish-purple. She forced herself to cough hard, and before long it sounded raspy and hoarse.

His eyes widened, and immediately his hand stopped tickling her and he released her from his head-lock grip. "Whoa, are you alright?!" He rolled onto his knees and put a hand on her shoulder and watched as she put a hand around her neck. His heart raced. Did he hurt her bad? Was she okay? The other turtles leaned forward in concern, their smiled wiped clean off their faces. But Splinter remained where he was, not attempting to move or come closer. His eyes studied the girl's eyes, and he could see something that the turtles couldn't, and he expected something to happen at any moment.

Raph leaned down closer, patting her back as he tried to ease her coughing. But then she lifted her head and looked at him with a large smile.

"Gotcha!" Then she suddenly lunged and tackled him, making him hit the floor onto his shell with a hard _thunk_. He shook his head and looked up at her for a moment before a large grin of realization spread over his face. The other turtles began to laugh at the scene before Raph glared at them.

"Yame! Well done, Crystal." Splinter spoke firmly, but had a smile on his face. "Using an opponent's weakness can allow you to get into their mind and break them down from the inside out, giving you a chance to attack while their guard is down."

Raph looked back at his Sensei while he was still on his back with the girl on top of him with her legs crossed. "But Sensei, I'm not going to be sorry for beating up a bad guy. Crystal isn't a bad guy."

Splinter arched a brow, and as he spoke, he walked toward them. "Really? What if Crystal became under the control of a villain who has power over the mind? She would be a 'bad guy' then, would she not? You would have to fight her as though she was any other enemy, as hard as it would be to knowing that you are fighting your own sibling."

Raph frowned as he was looking straight up at his Sensei, his bright green eyes looking thoughtful for only a second before he huffed and sat up. "Ah, she wouldn't let that happen to herself."

Donnie then spoke, an unsure look on his face. "Sensei, she's our family. I don't even know if I could find it in my heat to fight her."

Suddenly Splinter had a frown on his face. "Stand up."

Donnie obeyed and he stood up like a statue. Splinter motioned for him to step forward, and he again obeyed and walked to him. He stood in front of the rat, his eyes looking up at his Sensei as he awaited for what was about to happen next. Splinter then nodded at him.

"Fight me."

"Um… what?"

Splinter frowned. "Fight me like you were fighting an enemy."

Donatello frowned unsurely but nodded and got into an offensive stance with his Bo in his hands. He walked forward and studied Splinter's eyes, trying to anticipate his movements and hope that he could predict what he would do. But he took in a deep breath and ran forward, swinging his Bo at the mutant rat. But Splinter's hand snatched the end of the staff, causing Donnie to gasp before his Sensei swung the Bo and smashed the turtle onto the floor while he still had hold of the Bo.

"You are fine with trying to fight me, but you will hesitate even more when you go against your sister?" Splinter confirmed sternly.

Donnie groaned and sat up. "I see your point…"

Splinter smiled knowingly as his son returned to his seat beside Leo. The turtles were fine with fighting enemies to the death, fighting himself during training, and even fight with Crystal but only if it was part of the training session. The teacher could see it in all of their eyes. They hated the thought of actually for real fighting against their 'baby sister' as they still referred her as. They could look at her and see how small she was, how young she was. They loved her and would do anything for her. But when it came to it, they were hesitant to actually fight her if it was a real battle.

"Training is over for today. Take the rest of the day off." Splinter said, smiling at his children before walking to his room to meditate. When he had left, Mikey grinned at Raph.

"Wanna play video games?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Sure, why not?"

So Mikey and Raph went to the living room and started up a combat game. Donnie said he had something to work on in his lab, something about Metalhead's memory chip or his weaponry was rusty. Even though training was done, Leo wanted to go meditate with Splinter for relaxation. Crystal leaned over Raph's shoulders, her eyes watching the characters hitting at each other. Each character had three lives, as this was the first round. So the more rounds you survive the more lives you gain and win.

"Bet ya the last piece of pizza that Raph wins!" she grinned, and she felt Raph's jaw shift slightly while he grinned himself.

Mikey shook his head, sticking his tongue out as he concentrated on beating his brother. "Do not underestimate me, my little sister! I am a master at video games!"

"Well, I'm a master at socking you in the face!" Raph said, pushing the punch button and hitting Mikey's character across the screen and making him lose one life. Mikey huffed, and made his character stand back up and start attacking Raph again. But in only a few minutes Raph had beat him and was eating the slice of pepperoni pizza, Mikey pouting beside him.

Crystal giggled, and then became curious to what was going on in the lab. She waved at them and ran through the doorway to the lab. Inside she saw Donnie examining Metalhead, talking to the robot as if he expected it to talk back.

"… Now we need to replace your memory cord. It looks like your memory is losing room for more data. Better to be safe than sorry!" he was saying, smiling at the robot with his gapped toothy grin. He loved to talk to his experiments, as Crystal knew first hand. She could hear him talking all the time to Metalhead, talking about April most of the time.

"Is he okay?" she asked, peeking around the corner with curious eyes. She liked the robot, he was cool to look at and, like Donnie, believed that he may have had feelings like any other person. She sometimes talked to the robot, too, knowing that he was never going to reply back but was happy that he was a good listener.

Donnie lifted his head from his tools and smiled at her. "Oh yeah, he just needs some wires replaced, some of his memory needs to be stored in the computer, but nothing out of the ordinary. He'll be fine."

She smiled and walked into the room, stepping next to the robot. She was a little taller than it, at least an inch or two.

"Hey, Metalhead. How are you today?" she piped, smiling brightly as she sat down in Donnie's computer chair and swiveled back to his side. The robot tilted its head and looked at her, and even nodded its head a little. She smiled happily and looked at Donnie, who was still looking at Metalhead's wires. "Hey, Donnie?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah, Crystal?"

"Do you think that you could build a voice box for him?"

He chuckled and got a towel and rubbed some oil off of the robot's shoulder. "Maybe, in the future I suppose. I'll just have to see what I can do."

In Splinter's room, the mutant rat and blue-masked turtle sat next to each other, lost in their minds and relaxing from the earlier events of the day. Leo's body was a little sore, but it wasn't too bad to keep his mind off of meditating. He took in deep breaths and let them out slowly, enjoying the quietness of the room and the atmosphere. The air was calm and cool, easy to breathe in during meditation.

Splinter was just as calm, but was actually more relaxed than Leo. Even though Leo wasn't fidgeting, Splinter could sense that there was something on his mind.

"What is on your mind, Leonardo?" he asked calmly, not opening his eyes for a moment.

Leo opened his, though. He looked at his Sensei with concerned eyes. "Sensei, I've been thinking lately."

"I can see that." Splinter said, opening his eyes and giving his son a knowing expression.

Leo sighed, thinking of how he could bring the subject up without making such a big deal about it. "You know, Crystal has been training with us for a long time, and… I was wondering… Don't you think it's about time that she came along with us during one of our missions?"

The mutant rat let that thought run through his mind. He knew that he didn't let the boys go through their first mission until they were fifteen. But Crystal had been training with himself and the boys, and he wondered if… maybe it was time that she went on a mission with them for her first time. The thought still made him nervous, just like he had felt when he left the turtles go to the surface for their first time. Now, if he was to let her go, it wouldn't be Crystal's first time going to the surface. She'd been with April whenever she went to go shopping or go see a movie or whatever. But she had never gone on a real mission with her brothers, and Splinter knew that it was close to time for her to experience what the boys went through almost every day.

But what if something happened to her? What if the older brothers made a mistake and the Kraang took her, or the Foot Clan? Either way, it frightened Splinter to think that the enemy would be driven to harm a young child, his child, just so that they could get to him. But he that no matter how much protection he could provide her, she would still be in danger as long as he lived. So, it would only be a matter of time before he would have to eventually let her go.

"I believe that we all need to have a talk. Go get your brothers."

As Leo walked toward the living room, he heard some loud music and laughter. Curious and concerned about what the shell was going on, he jogged to the doorway and watched the scene with blinking eyes.

Mikey, Raph, and Crystal were dancing in the middle of the room. The couch had been moved back a little, and lights were flashing from the device that Donnie was standing next to grinning and tapping his foot to the upbeat and groovy music. The song _The Cha Cha Slide _was playing at the minute, and they were following the words to the song. Raph as first had been not sure if he'd like this song, but he had found himself laughing as he followed Crystal and Mikey. They'd step to the right, then hop, then stomp their left foot, then their right, and then slide to the left, slide back, then hop, and then do the 'cha cha' as the man that sang the song called it. It was all a game by the looks of it. It looked like everybody was having fun, large smiles on their faces.

Leo smiled as he watched, but he knew that Splinter wanted to speak with them now. So he waved at Donnie to get his attention. Once getting the idea, Donnie looked a little disappointed. But he turned the music off, making the others look at him in confusion. The turtle just pointed at Leo.

A few minutes of explanation and then they were in the dojo again. They sat on their knees in a line, all awaiting Splinter's lecture. They watched as the rat paced back and forth in front of them, stroking his beard and wearing a thoughtful frown. For a while he didn't speak, and instead kept them waiting patiently, some a little more impatient than others, for him to do so. They wondered what was bothering him, well, except Leo. But he didn't tell his brothers and Crystal what he and Splinter had talked about. Finally, Splinter stopped pacing, and he looked at the turtles and girl. He knew that they were waiting for them to speak, and he knew better than to keep them waiting.

"There is something that I have been meaning to speak with you all about, my sons and daughter. I have not been confident in speaking about it until Leonardo mentioned it during meditation." His voice was soft, and it was clear that he had something heavy on his mind that was making him even worried. The turtles didn't see the look he had often, and when they did it was when there was something important to talk about.

"He didn't say anything about training again, did he?" Raph asked dully, a little bored.

Splinter shook his head slowly. "No, this is subject is more about Crystal."

Crystal looked up with worried eyes. "Did… I do somethin' wrong?"

Splinter shook his head again softly. "No, you did not. I think that it is about the time I allow you to go on a patrol with your brothers for your first time."

Her eyes widened as she let his words sink in, but then she smiled in happiness and she straightened. "Really? I can go on a mission with them?!"

The mutant rat sighed, nodding slowly. "Yes."

"Whoa, wait!" Raph suddenly interrupted, frowning and sitting up more. "You didn't let us go on our first mission until we were fifteen. Why are you allowing her to go when she is still so young?"

Leo looked at his brothers with one of his mature expressions. "Because she's got us. Besides, Raph, it's just a normal patrol. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh, HELLO! The Foot Clan could attack us, you idiot!"

"They are easy to fight." Leo countered with a stern frown as he saw Raph's eyes start to look aggressive.

"Then the Kraang!" Raph shouted.

"They're pretty easy to take out if I do say so myself." Donnie joined in, earning a growl from his hot-headed brother.

"What about a random mutant we might come across?!"

Splinter tapped his staff on the floor loudly, getting their attention and making them straighten their backs. If there was anything he hated more than having his meditation disturbed it was having to listen to the boys argue. "You go take Crystal with you on patrol tonight. No matter what happens, be prepared for the unexpected! Do you understand?"

They all nodded. "Hai Sensei!"

Later that day when the sun was now going down, the turtles were getting ready to go out on patrol. Leo was making sure his katanas were strapped on his back good, Raph was checking to see if his Bo was working right with the blade, Mikey was swinging his nunchucks around a bit, and Raph was securing his Sais in his belt. Crystal was wearing a pink long-sleeve shirt and blue jean shorts and black running shoes and she tied her hair up in a ponytail. After making sure her fans were secure in her belt loop, she ran out of Raph's room and met up with the turtles, who were all waiting for her with smiles.

"Alright, Sis, you ready to go?" Leo asked, putting his hands on his sides.

She nodded. "Yeah!"

Splinter frowned firmly at the boys and girl. "Remember, keep an eye on her at all times."

"Hai Sensei!" the turtles all said in union, turning away and starting their way out.

"And remember to make sure she gets something to eat while you are out!"

"Hai Sensei!" they confirmed again, then turned back around to leave again.

"And remember to help her over the building rooftops!"

The turtles were about to reply again with the same line, but Crystal then turned around and ran to Splinter. They watched as she stopped in front of him and looked up at him with her big blue eyes. She showed him a small smile, and held her arms up. The rat knelt down and brought her close to him in an embrace. He knew that he was probably worrying too much, but he couldn't help it. She is younger that the turtles were when they had first gone to the surface. He knew that her brothers would watch her, but he knew that anything could happen, which was what he was afraid of. He held her close, feeling her arms wrap around his neck. He couldn't help but worry about… his little girl.

"Don't worry, Daddy… I'll be okay." she whispered in his ear, tightening her hug around him. He smiled affectionately. He was still getting used to being called 'Daddy' by her, not that he didn't like it. It was just new to him. But he felt touched that she knew that he was worried about her, and that she was comforting him about it.

"I know…" he whispered back. "Just be careful, alright?"

She parted from him and smiled at him while she nodded. "I will. I promise."

He smiled softly in return, and released her from his arms. Before she went though, she kissed his nose gently. He chuckled, and waved to her as she turned and ran after her brothers. As she and the ninjas disappeared into the darkness, Splinter sighed heavily before standing back up and going back to his room.

"Okay, here's the bottom line, Crystal." Leo was lecturing as they hopped from rooftop to rooftop. "When you are out here, the thing you want to do most is be silent and stealthy."

Raph got close to her and muttered in her ear, recalling the time that Leo had fallen and made so much chaotic noises as he fell through a building and down metal steps before he crashed into a trash pile. "Although Leo isn't the best at following his own rules at times…"

Leo glared at Raph, and the others giggled at the face he made and that Raph actually had a decent point. Crystal was keeping up with them pretty well, stumbling every now and then but for the most part she was sticking with the group. Not that they would leave her behind though. Mikey was riding his skateboard, the wheels of it scrapping against the rooftops as they ran along.

"The point is that you don't want to alert the enemy. As a ninja, you are supposed to be silent." Leo snapped at Raph, at which the red-banded turtle smirked at.

She thought over that for a moment and looked down at her feet. She took lighter steps, trying to be as quiet as she could as she jumped and ran. "So, what all are we doing tonight?" Crystal asked as the group paused for a little while, perching up on top of a chimney.

"Well, the most we are gonna do is patrol and run around, unless something else happens." Donnie said calmly.

Crystal sighed. She had hoped that maybe something could happen, so she could watch her brothers kick some villain butt. She remembered that night when they had come for her when she had run away. They fought those robbers like they were nothing! It was awesome to watch them train, and she wanted to see them fight for real again.

"Look, let's just get a move on. We won't find anything just by standing around here." Raph huffed before springing off the edge and landing on another building. Leo rolled his eyes, but as he saw the others running after him, he hurried after them.

The night was pretty cool, almost cold with it being autumn. The moon was full, making it easy to see their surroundings. Sounds of music from peoples' apartments entertained them when nobody had anything to say, and every now and then someone would comment on something and it'd hold a conversation for only so long. The air nipped at Crystal's skin, making her shiver every once in a while. She could see her breath as she ran, and she stopped every now and then.

The last time she stopped, she saw her brothers skid to a halt up ahead. She looked up with excitement now. Maybe something was happening, maybe there was a fight, or maybe a robbery. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to miss out. She quietly ran up behind them, peeking through them to see what was going on. There was seven men picking on a young one, shouting at him and asking for money that the man must have owed them, at least she guessed that from what the attackers were saying.

"Alright, guys, let's move. Crystal, stay here." Leo said quietly, and they suddenly disappeared into the shadows within less than a second. She crouched down and peeked over the edge of the building.

"Give us the freaking money, man!" the leader of the men said, his fists clenched as the other two men held the man up against the wall by his arms.

"I swear, I don't have it! I promise I'll have it by tomorrow! I haven't been paid at work yet, Fong! C'mon, please… I just got this job a few weeks ago!" the man that spoke had been in the gang once before, but he had gotten out of it due to problems with his personal life. Since he quit the Purple Dragons, they had been coming back to him for money.

"If you don't have the money, then you don't leave this alley alive!" the man called Fong snapped as he whipped out a razor blade. The man they held captive shook his head furiously, pleading to let him go. Crystal felt sorry for him. Then she saw the shadows creeping down the side of the walls of the alley. Before any of the men knew it, the four turtles landed on the ground behind them. Their eyes were solid white as they locked their gazes with the men. The Purple Dragons stared back at them, and during the distraction, the man that had been picked on scrambled to his feet and ran off and out of the alley.

"Turtles! This was none of your business!" Fong shouted, glaring daggers at them.

Leo took out his katanas. "When you threaten to kill somebody it becomes our business."

And then the fight was on. The turtles almost handed the battle with easy, using their weapons to knock away incoming enemies. Crystal's eyes widened in fascination. She grinned in excitement and she had to hold back the urge to cheer for her brothers. She sat up more, and she watched as Donnie twirled his Bo, whacking one man to the side. Mikey wrapped the chains from his nunchucks around one man and swung him, smashing him against another human man. Raph ducked a swing from one of the men, sliding his foot across the ground and tripping the man over. Leo used his katanas to block Fong's knife from slicing at him, making sparks fly.

Crystal was engulfed in watching the fight, but then she noticed that the world had suddenly become darker. She frowned and looked at her shadow, and then looked up and gasped. Two of the men that had been down there had climbed up the building when the turtles had been busy. One was tall, had a dark beard, and had a black leather jacket with black jeans. The other was smaller, but stocky and wore a black tank top shirt and jeans. They looked down at her with a gleam in their eye, and she back up. She was trapped against the edge of the rooftop and these two men. But her eyes traveled toward the skateboard to her right. Mikey had dropped it when he went to go fight. He'd shown her how to ride it a few times, and she wondered if she could get to it before one of these men could make a grab for her.

She tried her luck. But she yelped when the large one grabbed her by the back of the shirt and jerked her up. When her feet left the ground, she screamed out. The turtles heard the scream just as the last man they were fighting went down. They looked up in horror as Crystal struggled in the man's grasp, kicking out her legs and swinging her arms.

"Lemme go!" she cried, grunting as he shook her to make her stop squirming.

"I think this belongs to you, turtles?" the man grinned, his brown eyes staring down at the ninjas as his partner chuckled darkly.

"You let her go you snot-dripping punk before I come up there and beat the crap out of you!" Raph spat, gripping his Sais in his hands tighter as he gritted his teeth. The other turtles watched as Crystal frantically tried to get the man to let go.

The man looked at his partner, then at the child he held, and then huffed. "Watch your mouth. But she looks like she may be worth something if we turn her in somewhere."

Crystal looked around, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. She grunted again, kicking out her legs. Then she looked up at his ar. She swallowed, not sure if the outcome of the action she was thinking of doing would work or not. But, she had to do something. She couldn't just hang here forever. So, she twisted around and grabbed hold of the man's arm, and bit down on it with her teeth.

The man cried out and let go. She landed back on the roof on her feet, and she sprung out of the other man's reach and snatched up the skateboard. She jumped on it and pushed off as hard as she could, leaving the other man behind. But he gave chase, as did the bigger man.

"Keep going, Crystal!" Leo shouted as he and his brothers already began to climb up the building.

She heard him, and she did exactly that. She veered to the left and kicked up the board, making her jump off the building and land on a railing that was lower towards the windows. Then she dropped off the rail and hit the concrete on the ground. She was on the street now. She stopped and looked behind her. The men were sliding down the building after her, and she looked around desperately for a way out. But then she saw a car coming down the road. She then had a new idea pop into her mind. The red car came closer and closer until it was suddenly about to pass her. But before it could pass her, she grabbed the bumper and tightened her grip. The force of the car pulling her almost pulled her off the board, but she kept her feet firm on the rough surface of the board.

Leo and the other three turtles halted and looked after Crystal. He then looked to Donnie and Mikey.

"Keep track of where she will be at. Raph, you and me will take care of these guys." They all nodded in agreement and separated. Donnie ran along the edge of the buildings, jumping over gaps as he occasionally looked at his T-phone, Mikey not far behind him. Leo and Raph jumped down to the sidewalks and looked for the two men for a moment. They saw them running down the street, and they gain chase.

Crystal held onto the car bumper for as long as she could, but her hands slipped and she was sent flying down the street. She heard the sound of engine revving behind her, and she looked over her shoulder. There were three motorcycles behind her, all with Purple Dragon gang members. She groaned, and then leaned to the left. She got into the left lane while there were no cars coming down the road. She had to get these guys off of her.

So she turned down into a dark and empty alley. She dodged a trash can, but that was all that was down in the alley. She saw an opening between the buildings and she turned into it. It was narrow, but it opened up and she was back onto the street again, leaving the men to have to turn around and go back around the building.

Suddenly a buzzing in her pocket made her reach and grab her T-phone. She pressed the answer button and answered.

"Yeah, Donnie, what's up?" she asked a little frantically, looking over her shoulder again and seeing the guys with the motorcycles again.

"_Crystal! I can't get a lock on your location, where are you?!_"

"I can't really tell you right now, Donnie. But I have threw bikes on my tail and I'm having a very hard time losing them!" she shouted, barely missing a car as she leaned out of the way. She struggled to keep herself balanced as she held the phone in her hand and used her other to keep her standing.

"_Okay, don't worry. Just do what you can until we get there. We got caught up with Kraang robots, so it may take us a while to reach you!_" Donnie's voice was panicked and he sounded breathless.

"I'll try!" then she hung up and put the phone back in her pocket. Great… the guys were busy with the Kraang now, and she was stuck being chased by guys on bikes. How could this get any worse? She heard the bikes coming closer, and she pushed off with her foot again. She still had some speed from the car that pulled her, but she didn't think that it was enough to get away from these guys. She looked up ahead and saw a pickup truck driving down the road in the other lane. She frowned and reached down for the grappling hook that she took from Raph's wall at the lair. She looked at it, and then she aimed it at the bumper of the truck. She was shaky, but she shot.

The hook gripped the trailer hitch, and she yelped when it jerked her and the skateboard around and pulled her down the other lane. She held onto the gun for dear life, but the hook came loose and she retracted it and put it back on her hip. She was surprised that she had been able to use that thing; because that was the first time she had ever attempted to use it. She looked back, and the bikes struggled to turn around with the cars coming down the road. She laughed in relief and she relaxed.

But that little victory was short lived when one of the wheels of the skateboard caught a crack in the road and flipped over. She landed on her stomach and skidded, scraping her elbows and knees in the process. As she tried to catch herself on her feet, she cried out when she felt her ankle pop, and a pain shot up her leg. After a moment of recollecting herself, she groaned and pushed herself up onto her knees, flinching when she tried to touch the bloody scraps on her elbows. She hissed when she tried to wipe the gravel off the wounds, but the sounds of motorcycles made her try to scramble to her feet and run down the alley next to her, limping as she gripped the board under her arm.

_Okay, calm down… Just find a place to hide until the guys get here… It will be okay… It will be okay… _But that was better thought than done. She gasped in horror as she saw a dead end, a brick wall running straight upward. There were no dumpsters to climb on, no trash cans to knock over or use… nothing. She dropped the skateboard, feeling the cuts on her knees and elbows stinging.

She then spun around, seeing the Purple Dragon gang members hop off their bikes. She reached for her fans, but her jaw dropped when she didn't feel them. Oh crap… No weapons, three men in front of her, she was injured in her leg, she was trapped, she had no hope to get out. She guessed that she was doomed…

"Please… What do you want from me?" So she tried to consult, and she could already feel her emotions building up in her chest. Her throat tightened and tears began to try to form in the corners of her eyes. They didn't speak to her, only came closer. She backed up against the wall, and she had forgotten about her pulled ankle and when she put her weight on it she fell down in pain.

She looked up at the shadowy figures above her, reaching down towards her. She clenched her eyes shut and braced herself for what would happen next. Then she peeped her eyes open one last time, and this time there was a fourth figure, much taller than the other three wearing a hood over his face and cloak covering his body, so she could see his face. Her eyes widened as the figure grabbed two of the men, bashed their heads together, and threw them to the side into the walls on each side of the alley. The remaining man turned around and swung a fist to hit the person, but the larger man dodged it easily and grabbed his wrist and flung him to the ground. The other two men stood back up rather dazed, but came back at the man from both sides. This time, the tall figure waited at the last moment before ducking, causing the two men to accidently hit each other instead of their intended target. Then the man gripped the men's wrists, and then flung them to the ground tumbling into each other before falling still on the ground. The man third man stood back up, and ran at him, but he extended a hand, and what looked like not even a hit sent the man flying backwards into a wall.

Crystal shivered in fear and buried her face in her hands. If this man was that good, then she was afraid of what he might do to her.

"Please don't hurt me… Please… What do you want from me…?" she sobbed against her arms, hot tears running down her cheeks. The figure looked at her. Then he slowly walked to her, knelt down, and lifted her chin win one hand.

"Do not cry, child. I am here for you." The voice was soft and comforting, deep and wise, and it made her eyes widen, and she looked up with shocked, wide, and tearful eyes. No… it couldn't be… But the voice didn't lie… She watched with her mouth hung open as the figure slowly pulled the hood off of his head, revealing the brown fur, the muzzle with the pink nose, large pointy ears, and the warm hazel eyes she knew so well and loved.

"S-Splinter…?" she whimpered. She was overcome by joy and happiness and she jumped to him, clinging to him tightly as he hugged her tightly close. "Daddy!"

He put one arm under her and lifted her up, keeping her against his chest as he sat on his knees with her slightly in his lap while his tail curled around them. She dug her fingers into the fur around his neck, enjoying the familiar feeling and the soothing warmth it provided. Splinter sighed in sheer relief that he had arrived in time. When he had been at the lair, he had a bad feeling in his heart, that something was wrong. He left the lair to find the boys, but he couldn't find them, and he happened to see Crystal running into an alley with the men on motorcycles right behind her. He knew who the men were, and he came as fast as his legs could carry him. Seeing her looking so scared made his blood run cold before burning hot within his veins. But when he saw that she was at the most unharmed by the men, he felt a wave of relief wash over him and his heart began to become at ease. He was overjoyed to have her in his arms again.

The turtles were beaten and bruised, but they walked around the corner and stopped when they saw the figure with Crystal. At first, their anger rose again for they thought that it was another Purple Dragon gang member, but when they saw the features of the mutant rat, they all breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion.

"Daddy… I can't believe that you came…" Crystal sobbed into his red kimoto, nuzzling her cheek against the soft fabric.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Why not?"

"You… never come to the surface…" she said quietly, a little afraid of what he might say next. He blinked at her words, and then sighed heavily, softly as to not sound upset. He wasn't mad, but worrying about Crystal had been nerve racking, and he was still trying to calm himself down about it.

"My child… It does not matter where you are. If you are in trouble, and need me, I will come to you. I do not care if I have to cross another dimension to find you. I will use every ounce of my will to get to you." As he spoke, he felt her shift in his lap, and he looked down at her. She looked up at him with shining puffy eyes, tears still streaming down her little face.

"Really?" she squeaked, and he smiled softly and nodded. She smiled and hugged him again, hiding her face in the fabric of his kimoto. He rubbed her back soothingly, now making himself stand up and turn around. When he saw his sons, he nodded.

"Let's go home."

Back at the lair, they had just arrived. The boys all felt guilty for what had happened, and Leo tried to explain what had happened as best he could. Splinter understood and looked down at the child in his arms leaned against his chest half asleep.

"My sons, this is one of the many examples of what could happen in a normal patrol. I am just relieved that you are all well, and are home again."

"Hai, Sensei…" they replied tiredly. Splinter saw how exhausted they were, and sighed and secured Crystal in his arms carefully.

"Go to bed. I will make sure she gets her rest." They looked at each other, all seeming to be unsure. He noticed that they had something that they wanted to say, and he frowned softly for them to speak. Leo of course was the bravest one to do so.

"Actually… We were all wondering if… well… we could stay with you tonight…" he admitted meekly, the other ninjas looking down at their feet in just the same amount of embarrassment. The rat was shocked that they actually wanted to stay with him tonight. But, all the same, they were his sons, and he was glad to nod to them in assurance.

"Of course. Come along."

A few minutes later, Splinter leaned against the wall with Crystal in her lap while he sat cross-legged. The boys did want to sleep with him tonight, but they didn't huddle around him. Instead, they all huddled around the doorway almost in a guarding manner, Raph leaned against one side of the doorway, Leo on the other, Mikey leaned against Raph's shoulder, and Donnie having settled with his head in Leo's lap. They all looked peaceful, despite the looks on their faces which were almost stern.

Splinter chuckled softly, feeling Crystal huddle closer to him. He smiled down at her tiredly, but proudly. He was proud of all of his children. His sons had tried so hard to get to Crystal, but couldn't. Crystal had done everything she could to get away from the men. They all acted on instinct, but for the boys, if Splinter hadn't have arrived, it would've been too late to save her. The thought of losing Crystal made Splinter depressed a little. She was so young still, and she was still so small…

But he knew that she was safe now. She was in his arms, asleep happily, and he was glad to have all of his children with him. He knew that today was only an introduction to what could happen in the future, a real experience for the child to go through. This time, she wasn't inexperienced; something that could've gotten her killed and almost did. He looked down at her again. She was content and lost in her dreams, good ones by the look of the smile on her face. He smiled and gently brushed a piece of her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Sweet dreams, young one… Remember… I'll always be here for you…" he spoke in a whisper, his eyes closing partially. She hummed in her sleep and rolled over, burying her face into his kimoto. He sighed, guessing that tucking away that piece of hair was for nothing, because now her hair was messed up all over again. But he wasn't bothered by it. He wore that sweet and loving smile at he placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'll always be here whenever you need me…"

**I wish I could draw a moment between Splinter and Crystal… I would so try if I could draw worth a flip… but oh well, XD. Hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
