Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

New York city's rhythm was as non-stop as it has always been: car honks, people's chatter, and casual street musicians fusing and creating the strangest of melodies.

Melodies that kept on going from sunrise to nightfall, someone would say that that's exactly why it's called "The city that never sleeps". But others, the people who stray away from those melodies and hide in the shadows, say there's another reason for the name, a reason most peculiar - or alien.

The Krang effects on the city have been completely wiped out, both from the city itself and from the people who live in it, the government made sure of that.

But as much as people were forced to forget and drink down the lies that they were being fed, many never could, and never will.

And if those people, the ones who still believed, had the chance to see the portal that opened on the top of a far-off building near the docks, they would have finally had the proof that they weren't crazy like the media told them. But unfortunately for them, they weren't that lucky

The portal shone a ghastly purple light that reflected on the almost deserted neighborhood, making it look just that much more eerie. The previously mentioned melodies, here a bare hush, were broken by its buzz, the energy fuming outwards in a threatening mist, announcing the arrival of something, or someone, from the other side.

Said buzz became louder until it melted with another noise that almost sounded like- "aaaAAAAH!" a scream "HELPHELPHEELP" and ended in a crash.

What came out of the intimidating portal was a rabbit, who somehow stood out more than the portal itself, his white fur and blue clothes slightly dirty by the fall

"Ugh... My head..." Usagi sat up from where he laid face-first on the floor, his paw placed on his head to placate the spinning feeling that came from it.

Once his sight adjusted to his surroundings, his gaze scanned every single thing around him in search of some familiarity- finding, with a chilling realization, absolutely none.

He grunted, now full on his feet. What happened before he got there?

Oh yes

The spear

"Guys?" panic rose in his voice "Oh come on a prank now? I'm telling you it's not funny" once he turned around completely he noticed the bright lights that came not too far from where he was- A new suspicion slithering into his mind: this didn't look like Neo Edo

Doubt that became more tangible the more he surfed this city from the rooftops.

It definitely had some things in common with his home, but the majority of it was completely new to him, his brain humming with curiosity

It was almost like the first time he came to Neo Edo, since then he thought he had seen everything in terms of cities, but oh boy was he wrong

First, he had never seen buildings so tall, the remnants of his headache from before tugging at the back of his head every time he looked up to the sky, trying to see where some of them ended Second, the overwhelming booming of life in this city. Sure Neo Edo had many citizens but their quantity was nothing in comparison. And the citizens themselves! He got closer to the edge of the building to look at them better- they were nothing like he had seen before!

Everywhere his eyes landed there was something new! Reddish-brown eyes flicking in every direction absolutely enraptured by every single thing in this new place: the lights, the structures, the people- just everything! Even the big billboard placed on the building in front of him was interesting!

"Kitsune look at that guy! His face is so weird!" he turned around waiting for a funny remark coupled with his friend's usual snicker- smile falling when he heard none of that. Right, they're not here.

What if they also fell into that portal and found themselves in this city, just in different parts of it? 'No, they're not here' a voice in the back of his head told him, shutting down that thought

If they weren't there, then they must be wondering where he was now

He was with them after all, they saw the portal, and they saw the black-bladed spear

"T h a n k  y o u, U s a g i"

A shudder hit him at the memory of that uncanny voice ringing in his head, a voice that felt like it hid something haunted

But maybe it was just him overthinking stuff, or maybe he misheard something, but that didn't explain how he got into a completely different city.

While his thoughts drew him further away from reality, a metallic clank tried to catch back his focus- once, twice, and a third time with no results.

What really snapped Usagi out of it was when that clank became one noisy SMASH, signaling that something was happening at the back of the building he was on.

He glanced out into the small back alley to see what all the ruckus was about, and what he saw was definitely peculiar.

There was a small group of what seemed to be the same type of people who inhabited this city, all dressed up in what he recognized as ninja attire with some red footprints painted on their headpieces, being led by two very strange individuals. Not like the other people here weren't strange, but those two had a thing others didn't: they had actual flames coming from their heads!

Was that something normal for these people? Because if it was then that got them an extra point in coolness! He shook his head to focus back on the action- this was no time to praise a possible enemy he told himself, well aware that he was going to ask them about it anyways if he had the chance

After a minute or so, a couple of ninjas came out of the building with big bags on their backs, some were so full that their contents spilled out of the cloth revealing treasures of all kinds Usagi's eyes widened "A robbery!" he whispered finally aware of the ninja's intent.

Even if this wasn't his city he couldn't just ignore a crime happening right in front of his nose, this wasn't what his personal code said, and if there was one thing he was known for, that was being an honorable samurai no matter the place

And just like that he jumped down, dropping first on some metal stairs and then directly on the ground, his katana unsheathed and pointed at the fire headed leaders "Stop right there!" he said with a tone of solemnity, a couple of puzzled looks aimed his way

"Uhh and who are you exactly?" said the shorter one with one of the raspiest voices he had ever heard

"My name is Yuichi Usagi! And I will be the one to stop you from stealing those treasures!" silence fell for a second, then it was replaced by a roaring laughter coming from his opponents "What- What is going on I didn't say anything funny" his katana fell a bit in confusion

"Cottontail has humor!" the larger one said through his laughter

"Yeah right! Like he can defeat all of us with that tooth stick" the other continued while putting a hand on his companion to avoid falling to the ground from laughter

"Hey! I might have threatened you but I didn't resource to any name-calling!" He frowned frustrated

Who did these guys think they were? If they wanted a challenge, then a challenge he'll deliver.

He bounced forward, taking advantage of the fact that both of the leaders were distracted, and attacked the ninjas that surrounded them- surprised to find that if he hit them hard enough they turned into confetti

'This is going to be fun' he thought with amusement

He slashed his way to the duo who held the stolen goods and snatched the bags from them, dropping them back to the spot where he first fell in the alley

"What the..." the laughter had died completely and now that the flame heads attention was fully on him, he made a confident smirk, flicking his blade to remove the piece of paper stuck in it

"Sounds like my "tooth stick" is a lot more effective than your ninjas" he said holding back his excitement for the line delivery, slightly disappointed by the fact that none of his friends were there to witness the moment

His enemies frowned in anger as they decided they would not let him humiliate them further, going on a full offense.

The shorter one started making and throwing him origami at full speed, tiny soldiers of paper that turned into the ninjas he fought just a few moments ago.

With some well-calibrated slashes, he cut through the majority of them right after they became bigger, not noticing that the other ninja leader was using them to hide his presence, charging toward Usagi with his fist.

Thankfully, the samurai noticed the attack right in the nick of time and used the momentum given him by a jump forward to latch himself onto the brute's fist with his blade's flat side, and spin around it to kick him in the face, sending him stumbling backward and himself flying in the air.

In a flash, the origami maker jumped up at his same level and kicked him in the stomach, making him collide with the floor painfully

Fighting back the blurriness that was enveloping his sight, he quickly rolled to his side to avoid being punched in the face by the flying ninja, who he elbowed the moment he heard the cracking noise of knuckles hitting concrete next to his head, air wheezing out of him as he crashed on the nearest garbage can.

Usagi stood back on his feet, katana firmly held in his hands as he dodged all the hits that the bigger still-standing leader was trying to land on him, his movements getting sloppier from all the jumping around but still managing to not get him some broken bones or worse.

Suddenly, the once-dark back alley was completely engulfed in red and blue lights, new voices echoing from the other side.

Was that reinforcement? The way the brute in front of him stopped attacking told him that no- those people weren't their allies.

Then if they're not their allies, they could be his! He beamed- maybe these were this city's authority figures!

"AH-AH! Sounds like help is on the way, ninjas" he said closing his eyes and putting an overly dramatic pose to highlight his point "And seems to me like you could use this piece of advice given me by my sensei, you must never underestimate your opponent!" he ended pridefully, choking on air when on opening his eyes he saw that the ninjas were escaping with one of the bags

"Have fun dealing with them sucker!" they laughed and disappeared in a portal- no but really what is this place's problem with portals?

And wait what did they say about "dealing"?

"TURN AROUND WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" he instinctively followed the order and turned around.

After all, if these guys were the city's protectors then he could explain what happened with those ninjas to them, he could even help them in the investigation! Yes, sounded like a great plan.

He squinted his eyes to protect them from the light that was being flashed his way, choked gasps reaching his ears and making them twitch- was that a good sign or not?

It didn't matter, his plan was clear in his head "Hello!" he said causing more gasps and now some whispers, one of them saying something along the lines of "...Report code pink"

A chilling feeling run down his back, and all of the sudden he wasn't so sure these people were on his side "I-I'm sorry are you people the ones who take care of crime here? Because if you are" his tone becoming surer "then I'd like to report a robbery. The ones who did it kind of ran away but I can help you-"

"Tase him"

Oh boy

He dodged the electrified weapon right before it hit him and jumped on the fire escape stairs. While he went up, he glimpsed with the corner of his eye a hooded coat, probably left there to dry, and even if he really hated doing things like this, he needed something to hide himself even slightly - so with a heavy heart, he took it and bounced to the top, one frustrating thought rattling back and forth in his mind: Why do I always have bad encounters with officers on my first day in a city??

Somewhere near an old subway station in New York:

"Jupiter Jim's final adventure! Oh boy, I'm so excited for this!" Mikey's happy squeals echoed in what was regarded by the brothers as the living room, different battered bean bags positioned around the projector, four of them already occupied by the turtles

"Even if it's the fifth year they say it's the last one, the thrill never dies" said Donnie holding a fist close to his heart

"Uh guys, have you heard from April and Casey? They should have been here by now" Raph checked his phone for any notifications from their friends, finding none

"Chillax big guy, they're probably almost here" Leo patted the snapping turtle's arm in reassurance "Donnie since you definitely still have trackers on us, why don't you check where those two are because I am NOT waiting for them" he ended with a tight grin

The purple turtle side glanced at him "I don't know what you're talking about" Leo raised one of his nonexistent eyebrows unfooled "But if I knew, I'd say they're about 15 minutes from here" he said almost too fast to be understood

"Wait 15 minutes?? They won't make it in time the film is starting!!" Mikey waved his arms toward the projected screen, showing that the commercials break was over

They all looked at each other and then at the screen, their posture relaxing into their comfy bean bags "Not our problem anymore now HUSH!" Donnie's robotic arms extended to grab a bowl of popcorn left near the projector

"Hey, those were mine!" Raph hushed-yelled while he reached for his thieving brother

"Well I read no names on this bowl, so now it's mine" a protective hiss left him once the red turtle got too close to his prized possession

"Aw come on Donnie! Get your own popcorn you know how I get when I'm hungry while I watch a movie!"

"Guys could you fight for popcorn somewhere else you're going to crush me!" gasped Leo who was battling to not get squashed by his two brothers

"Oh but Leon there isn't even a FIGHT to begin with- Mikey! Don't touch the popcorn!" he flicked his little brother away right before he could touch the food

"Sorry! But the more you talk about popcorn the more I get hungry too-"

Their banter was interrupted by a low static noise coming from the stereo, noise that was then followed by a voice: "Breaking news! Reports of a dangerous criminal roaming the city have been spread by the NY police department-"

"No the movie!" they all yelled frustrated, jumping from their bean bags and towards the screen

"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they ruin it for this!" Leo facepalmed, muffling his words

Donnie started typing on the device placed on his wrist "For once I have to agree with you, this is outrageous" he frowned

"To interrupt the movie it must be something important maybe we should listen" Raph snapped his fingers to gain his siblings' attention

"Nothing is worth enough to interrupt a Jupiter Jim movie" both Leo and Mikey muttered, the focus now shifted to what the news reporter was saying

"-They are yet to identify said criminal, but a picture has been sent to us in case anyone sees him" a picture of a person in a black hooded coat jumping on a building appeared next to the reporter "If that was the case then reports to the police would be helpful for their investigation, thank you for listening" the channel tuned back to the movie, leaving the brothers slightly puzzled

"Ok, that photo was kind of useless" the red turtle hummed in agreement

"Uhm" everyone's gaze shifted to Donnie "I have connected myself to the police communication center and..." his fake eyebrows furrowed "... It's a code pink"

A heavy silence fell in the room.

You see, code pink was a new code used by the police to signal the presence of any "extraterrestrial" beings after the Krang tried to invade the Earth

A signal that soon became their favorite, given their constant habit of labeling anything remotely not human a "code pink"

Well aware of that fact, their reaction remained unchanged every time they heard of one, which thankfully was a rare occasion- many yokai were clever enough to disguise themselves before going topside.

Except for the few cases who didn't and almost broke the pact of secrecy that allowed them to live unbothered both in the Hidden City and on Earth.

But in the end it was never them

And yet...

They all looked at each other "...Maybe it would be best to check it out" Raph said getting many approving nods

"After all, it's probably just another one of those head-in-the-clouds yokai we usually meet in this scenarios, so it shouldn't be anything difficult" Leo popped his joints back to place, glowy katanas already in hand ready to slash a portal open "So mi hermano, do we know where our guy is right now?"

Donnie hummed "The cameras have found a match near the Soundview neighborhood"

A strained grin appeared on Leo's face "Perfect, put your seat belts on guys 'cause it's portal time!" blue light filled the room and then disappeared, leaving the room how it was before the movie started.

Chapter Text

They stepped out of the portal and found themselves on top of a bland-looking building

Donnie cleared his throat "Sooo if my calculations are correct, our "criminal" should be right about..." he got closer to the building's edge "...There" the brothers looked down into the small back alley and spotted a black blur with his back resting on a wall.

Seeing that normal-sized silhouette brought great relief to the turtles

They're not back

"Aaaand as I said, just a confused jokai" Leo said surely enough to hide his previous worry "Come on boys it's time to have a "chat" with this guy" they nodded and dropped with a thud on the fire escape stairs, on the level as close to the yokai as possible.

Said yokai jumped on his place, back leaving the side of the building with a frustrated grunt

"Oh come on I'm not asking for much, just five minutes of rest!" he mumbled "..Who are you?" he said while trying to look menacing, emphasis on trying because his heaving breath was not helping him out at all.

Before Raph could answer, Mikey stepped forward and took the words right out of his mouth "That's funny 'cause we were going to ask you the same thing!" he spat out clearly still bitter about the movie interruption

'Me too little brother, me too' thought the blue turtle with the same level of bitterness

There was an expectant pause - for that small moment if you focused enough, you could have heard the noise of someone washing their dishes from one of the buildings that enclosed slash hid their little confrontation with the hooded stranger from the bustling city of New York.

Suddenly the stranger's shoulders tensed up "Wait- Are you ninjas?"

Leo cocked one of his invisible eyebrows "Uhh duh? Weren't the bandanas enough of a giveaway?" the turtle almost regret saying that the moment the stranger unsheathed a gleaming katana from under his coat and stood in a battle pose ready to pounce.

Now, as a longtime swords enthusiast, he had to admit that that was the most well-crafted katana he had ever seen in his life, and he owned two of them!

Raph groaned and elbowed him out of his little admiration trance "What?" he said well aware of what his brother was about to say

"Maybe next time don't confirm we're ninjas when it's obvious he's not happy about it!" he facepalmed to hold back his exhaustion, while in the meantime, Donnie leaned on his bo staff with an unimpressed look

"Honestly I don't see what all the fuss is about, it's only one guy against all of us" the purple turtle pointed at the stranger and then at the four of them, causing some other irritation to their soon-to-be adversary "And plus, judging from their irregular breath and what the news said, they are not in a good enough state to fight AND win said fight-"

The hooded figure, probably having reached a boiling point, interrupted his rant with a frustrated groan

"WHY do all this place's ninjas have to underestimate me?! If you want to know eyebrows, I have fought many enemies ALL AT ONCE and won! Even in a weakened state!" the 'beat that' remained unspoken, probably because of the sudden tense aura building up around Donnie after he said 'eyebrows'

Everyone silently gasped at the nickname, side-eyeing each other and then fully staring at their brother waiting for the reaction that usually happens in this situation, because if there was one thing people didn't have to comment on Donnie, that was his eyebrows.

"What did you say about my eyebrows?" 'Oh boy' thought Leo who was still thinking about how cool this guy's katana looked and how great it would be to fight him- oh wait, a smirk spread on his face.

He strode towards his brother with a hand on his forehead "DonTron! My poor poor brother, I wonder who will be able to restore your honor from such a low hit" he said dramatically

"I will" his bo staff glowed threateningly with his ninpo, the stranger visibly shrunk into his coat, maybe having realized just how much he messed up.

Since that was not what Leo wanted to hear, he shoved his brother to the side and jumped down the rusty stairs in front of the katana-wielding figure "I will! No need to thank me" he winked at his brother who tried to kill him with his eyes

"I won't because I didn't even ask you to, Nardo" he said through gritted teeth

"Yeah right, Leo! I wanted to fight him!" said Mikey with his fists wrapped tightly around the balcony to quell his anger

"Don't worry Miguel I'll fight for you too! And for our ruined movie night!" he held a fist close to his chest and eyed his adversary who tilted his head in confusion

"Okay...? I thought you were all going to fight me?"

Leo huffed offended "Hey hey! The one that's standing in front of you is a whole one-man army!" he unsheathed his own katanas "And probably a better swordsman than you" he remarked smugly and stored the reaction of the black-dressed yokai at the sight of his own weapons for later

Guess he wasn't the only swords enthusiast here

After he finally registered the blue turtle's comment, his adversary's back straightened confidently, the previous exhaustion gone from his stance "I wouldn't be so sure kappa!" a wide grin escaped the hood's shade, revealing short white fur that stuck up on the cheeks

"We'll see about that" and like that it was on.

They circled each other for a couple of minutes, waiting the right moment to make the first move

Now that they were face to face, Leo was able to notice more details about his adversary, like the way that a half-busted neon light made his face harder to see because of the hood and the dark shadow it casted, that was also why he was staring at him that intently, because curiosity was a hard beast to slay for Leo, and a part deep inside him was drawn to this person like a moth to a flame, almost like meeting him was something that was meant to happen.

Which was weird, to say the least

He didn't know anything about this person (outside from the fact that he had the coolest katana ever and looked like a super skilled fighter, almost to his level) and somehow that bothered him even more, because the only thing ringing in his head at that moment was just how much he needed to know more.

And like his adversary sensed how deep in thought he was, he sprinted forward almost too fast for Leo to notice and made the first move.

Their katanas met halfway, metal grinding against each other with an unpleasant screech, a surprised gasp escaped the blue turtle

"Woah you're fast!" he smiled brightly, energy matched by his opponent who smiled just as wide

"You too!" he replied stepping backward and then slashing forward, their weapons clashing together once again

They went on like this for a while, a constant give and take that looked more like a spar rather than an actual fight, their attention fully and only on each other, so much that any noise outside from their duel became a faraway whisper.

"Sooo" Leo broke their focused silence "You definitely figured my name by now but I still don't know yours, doesn't sound fair to me" he added smugly taking his opponent by surprise

"Oh you're right! My name is Yuichi Usagi, the best samurai warrior standing" he stated proudly

'Humble' he thought almost like he didn't introduce himself with "the best ninja the world has ever seen" title after he heard Casey Junior refer to him that way

Usagi continued "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier it's just..." some of his tiredness became visible again in his stance "Been a long day" he ended with a sigh

The turtle frowned slightly "Mind telling me?" At this point he was starting to feel somewhat guilty for pressuring this guy into fighting him, but then on second thought, he was the one who held a weird grudge against ninjas AND ruined their movie night- no amount of coolness was going to erase all that.

"Well!" he started like he was waiting for someone to ask him that question "First I was thrown in this, let me tell you, awesome city, it really made me rethink everything I knew about big cities!" he gestured with his hands to really deliver his point, his mind way too deep in what he was saying to realize that his defenses were completely down - Something that Leo noticed but didn't take advantage of, obviously interested in what this yokai had to say

"Second I met these super nasty ninjas- no offense, with flames on their heads! Like actual flames! Honestly, when I saw you guys I thought you were with them but-"

"I'm way too handsome to be on their team?" he said almost on reflex showcasing his usual smug smile

'Why the hell did you say that??' he kicked himself mentally

His opponent slowed down his movements "Mmmh well yes! Also you don't have any footprints on your face, thankfully because they look very silly on a warrior"

'He missed the point thank pizza supreme he missed the point' apparently the universe didn't hate him as much as he thought

Wait

What did he say about footprints and flames??

"Wait wait wait, you fought the Foot clan? Most importantly the Foot Clan is back? Woah I have so many questions" another realization hit "Hold on, if you know I'm not with them then why are you fighting me?" he parried another attack and leaned in curiously towards Usagi who only thinned his mouth in response "Well?" he pushed forward smile forming on his face

Now that he was closer he could almost see his eyes and how they were desperately trying to avoid his own "I mean- I could technically ask you the same question" he said obviously avoiding the question

Leo gasped falling easily into the trap "Oh no you can't! If you forgot, you ruined our Jupiter Jim movie night and insulted my brother's beautiful sharpie eyebrows" he leaned in once again "He could kill for them"

Usagi gulped clearly distressed "I noticed" if the blue turtle hadn't stepped in before his brother, this fight would have ended very differently, even the yokai who didn't know him personally was aware of that.

"So I am here to aim my brothers' rage at you" he said dramatically "...And totally not because of your insanely sick katana"

Usagi seemed to glow at that "Woah I was thinking the same about yours!" he semi-shouted, catching the attention of the turtle brothers who were starting to ask questions about this "duel" that was going on for nearly 15 minutes without a hint of a white flag or something of the like

“Leo could have finished that guy up like ten minutes ago! Why is he taking so long…” Mikey dragged his hands down on his face pulling his skin slightly in annoyance

Both Donnie and Raph were staring intensely at the two fighting, hanging on a thread for any sudden change of pace but nothing, only their brother laughing like he hadn't done since the... Invasion happened

Reluctantly, Raph answered his little brother “Yeah you’re right Mikey. Maybe we should stop the fight-”

“Absolutely not Raph I have to see this guy’s downfall no matter what”

Donnie hadn’t stopped grinding his teeth since Leo put himself against the yokai who had insulted his precious precious eyebrows in his stead “Apparently we won't have to wait much longer” a wicked snicker escaped his mouth, Raph and Mikey’s attention back on the duel that had suddenly picked up the pace, both of them doing more difficult moves and actually trying to “prevail” on the other

Normally Raph would have stopped his reckless brother from putting himself in possible danger like he was about to just now, but this time he felt like maybe it wasn't the case, seeing the bright smile on his face again told him enough - his brother was having a lot of fun with whoever this fighter was. And how could he be mad about that after everything he’s been through?

So he smiled, smothered his overly delicate big brother senses and just let it be (Doctor Feelings would have been really proud of him for that)

Leo increased the distance between him and Usagi slightly

"You really think my katanas are cool?" Was he supposed to feel this elated about the yokai's comment?

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" he said while he tried to make the other trip and get the upper hand, but Leo saw the move coming and jumped over him

"Well if you'd like to know, I made them myself" he drawled out the last sentence to sound more theatrical, getting the reaction he wanted from Usagi

"Really?? Oh, that's so cool!" he gasped excitedly "My katana was once the weapon of my ancestor Miyamoto Usagi, the best samurai ever!" he ended with his chin up to convey the importance of what he just said

Even if he had no idea who this Miyamoto Usagi was, he could tell from the way his opponent spoke about him that he was a great warrior, so it was only right for him to feel this much pride for his origins (because they were totally awesome)

But since Leo couldn't let his adversary enjoy himself too much, he jokingly sharpened his gaze "Weren't you the best samurai ever, Usagi?" the yokai stilled, embarrassment impossible to hide

"I-I did say standing, but anyways that's different!" he recomposed himself, a new plan of action to overcome the turtle clear in his mind "Is this all you got? Weren't you supposed to prove you were a better swordsman than me?" he said unaware of what he just brought upon himself

"No, but thank you for asking" Leo dashed forward, slashing the air right in front of Usagi, a round portal opening right beneath him

Usagi, who had absolutely no clue of what was happening, felt his feet buckle underneath him and gravity pulling him down, blue light swallowing and spitting him out somewhere near the turtle brothers, face-fist on the floor - again on the same day

He turned around on his back and saw Leo approaching him with the corner of his eye "Impressed yet?" he said as he looked down at the yokai

"Impressed? That was awesome!" he flailed his arms outwards excited, showcasing the biggest grin he made up until that moment "But" he folded his back forward and used his legs to push his body weight on his arms and do a complete wheel backward, right underneath the fire escape stairs where Leo's brothers were "Now it's my turn" he taunted his opponent with one of his light fluffy paws, daring him to get closer

'Oh this is going to be fun' the blue turtle sprinted forward once again - noticing, surprisingly enough, that the yokai had pulled a yoyo from under his coat

'What is that for?' unfortunately he was going to find out really soon

Usagi threw and attached his now glowing yoyo to the ladder connected to the fire escape platform and pulled it down right in Leo's trajectory

Leo who was going way too fast to stop before his doom, could only accept his fate and crash on the metal ladder, putting a hand on his face to subside the growing ache from the impact

A burst of laughter came from his brothers, almost drowning out Usagi's worried gasp

"Oh my Gods, I thought you were going to slow down!" he rushed to Leo sheathing his weapon to check the damage he had done

But before he could get any closer, Leo dropped his hand from his face and looked at the yokai, his own expression confusing the other and even his brothers.

No one should have looked that thrilled about getting hit in the face with hard metal

Donnie broke the silence "Leo I swear if you got another concussion I'm bringing you to the human hospital this time" his eyes slanted annoyed

Raph's chasm did a magical comeback along with all his big brother worry "Are you okay Leo?" he said, tone betraying his intent to hide how preoccupied he was, while in the meantime his little brother clung to his arm sharing the same sentiment

"Raph I don't like how his face looks" that much they could agree on

Usagi stepped closer "Is everything alright-"

"Did you just use a yoyo like a magnet??" the blue turtle said with sparkles in his eyes

The yokai obviously taken aback, first stared at him and then at his yoyo "I- Yes?"

Leo grinned "Ohh you got to try that again come on! Let's continue our duel my mystic rival!" he took a hold of his weapons once again and looked at Usagi expectantly, hoping that he still wanted to fight him

A big smile telling him that yes, he still wanted to fight

So against his little brother's protest, the duel was on once more, now with a kicker, they could both use their mystic weapons in any way they wished, so portal-hopping, sword-grabbing, everything was on the table

Their little fight went on at a way more rapid pace, both of them not holding back anymore and using all they got to prove to the other that they were better, also fighting the growing weariness that was settling on both of their shoulders

And for the first time ever, Leo felt exhilarated by the idea of fighting until exhaustion, because Usagi here was the best match to his own abilities he had ever met! Both sharing a very similar fighting style and sharp wit, his mind almost yearned to know all the other things they had in common - which again, totally not weird

Suddenly, almost as fast as the wind, Usagi ducked right after Leo tried to hit him and swooped a kick at his legs

Now, what the yokai expected was for the turtle to fall back, not forth where he currently was

But apparently, luck wasn't on his side today, and on an added bonus, since Leo didn't want to damage his face any further he actually tried bracing himself this time, trying to latch onto anything, which in this case were two pieces of cloth, more precisely Usagi's hood and hair tie respectively

Obviously, that wasn't enough to hold his weight, but on a brighter note it did help him not to fall on his face but rather on his shell, so that was a well-appreciated turn of events

He sat up, body sore in every single area, somehow it was only in moments like this that he was glad to Draxum for making them with the purpose of being war machines

"Ugh, my ears..." Usagi whined with his back turned and his paws placed on the top of his head, long white ears flowing backward

'He's a rabbit- of course he's a rabbit' thought Leo excitement turning quickly into guilt once he realized what he did

"Oh man, sorry I didn't mean to..." his voice slowly died in his throat the moment his eyes landed on the rabbit's face, now fully visible without that stupid shade that kept following him wherever he went

His pale white fur seemed to glow under the faint unnatural light that came from the street lamp above, highlighting every single little detail of his expression, like how his nose was slightly scrunched up in a frown and how his eyes looked even bigger now that he was completely aware that they were looking at him

It was only after that exact moment that his mouth went dry as he was hit with the terrible realization that Usagi was not only a great fighter - but also a very very cute-looking guy.

"Um... I..." he tried to recompose himself to avoid looking any more miserable than he probably did, failing just as miserably

Brown-red eyes looked at him in a way that he couldn't decipher, hand still on his head holding back what has now slowly faded into a dull ache "Are you... Are you okay?" he tilted his head slightly "I should really stop making you trip like that-"

All of a sudden, a loud siren coming from behind the corner thundered in the small back alley, making everyone tense up like huge exclamation points - everyone except for Leo who was still staring hard, even if he deeply wished he wasn’t. First, because he didn't want to look like a creep, and second he still wanted to preserve what little remained of his freshly beat-up self-confidence for the next time he met him because there had to be another time, right? Right?

As his mind decided to go down a spiral in one of the worst possible times, Usagi grunted to the sky showing fully his fatigue "Really? Again?"

To Leo's displeasure he rose to his feet, but before he could leave he gave him one last look "You are a great warrior Leo, I hope we'll meet again" he smiled wholeheartedly, and before the turtle could say anything like "Me too" or "I still have your hair tie, so we have to see each other again", he jumped on some stairs and was on the run once more

"Leo we gotta go!" Raph jumped down the platform and landed near him with his brothers

Leo who still had his eyes locked on the direction where Usagi left, snapped himself back to reality and grabbed his katanas from the ground "Yeah let's..." he slashed the air and opened one of his portals, his mind still way too up in the clouds to notice the looks his brothers were giving him before they all entered the portal, leaving right before the cops could see them.

As the electrifying energy of his ninpo enveloped him, the only thing he could actually feel was the smooth blue fabric of the hair tie still tightly held in his grasp, and the warm feeling in his stomach at the memory of who it belonged to - Silently promising to give it back to its rightful owner, wherever he met him next.

Chapter Text

The wind rushed through Usagi's fur, curling it unnaturally in a futile attempt to blend in with the city's neon lights—lights that made no effort to hide someone they hadn't known outside of the blue and red grasp that was still blindly pursuing him.

The more he ran and jumped from building to building, the more he could feel the growing strain on his body, given by the nonstop fighting he had put himself into since he got there, and his own attempt to elude the authorities.

He blinked profusely to fight back the darkness slowly embracing his sight, well aware that if he didn't stop he would have collapsed like a big sack of potatoes right then and there.

Once his sight was fully back, he looked ahead of himself and noticed that one of the smaller buildings down the road was towered by a huge silo - it would have been risky to get close to it but once he got underneath it, the structure would have shielded him away from the ruckus enough to get some rest.

So now with a clear plan in mind, he dragged out his last remnants of strength and pushed forward, trying really hard to shut out the pained cry his muscles were making until he got to the very last row of buildings before the one with the silo - where he realized, with a heavy heart, that he had to jump all the way down.

What for him wasn't usually a challenge at all, now under the incredible burden of fatigue felt like an insurmountable obstacle.

But he had to push through

Because there was no other way to go but down.

He stared exactly at the point he was supposed to reach and closed his eyes 'Come on Usagi you've done worse, a little jump won't be the end of you' he balled his fists and rolled this phrase back and forth in his brain, enough times to actually believe it - and like that, the moment he heard the sirens behind him quiet down, with his newly found determination he took a deep breath, the chill in the air biting his lungs like an untamed beast trying to wear him down-

And jumped

'Please don't fall on your face again please don't fall on your face again-'

Fortunately for him, fate finally answered his cries - well at least 50% of them.

The moment his feet landed on the rooftop, he felt an explosion of pain coming from his ankles, which were probably notified by his tired brain a bit too late than needed - making him fall on his side with a choked yelp.

He flopped on his back, vision floating around on the metal above him - did he make it?

He patted the floor with his paw, the scratchy texture of cement registering in his mind, reassuring him that he indeed made it to the other side without any collateral damage (aside from his hopefully not sprained ankles)

"Nice..." he mumbled with half-lidded eyes and a woozy smile as he let himself melt away into peaceful unconsciousness.

A "peaceful unconsciousness" that was eventually interrupted by a constant, insistent ping sound

He slugged himself awake, his mind, still fogged by sleep, stumbling to understand just what was happening "Mmm...Uh??" He slowly rolled his head to the side and peeked at where the noise was coming from, trying hard to blink away the blurriness of his vision so he could identify clearly each blob of color in front of him.

Once his sight came back to him, he understood what woke him up

A pigeon that was pecking desperately at a tin can probably way too slim for his beak to get its contents out.

He turned his head back where it was before, a resigned sigh tumbled out of his muzzle - apparently there was no going back to sleep for him.

He sat up with his back curved, his gaze fixed first ahead of him and then on the skyscraper-enclosed horizon to his right, noticing with the purest type of irritation, that it was morning.

The rabbit's eyes opened wide in anger "Really? Morning?? I must have slept like half an hour!" he groaned proceeding to scare the pigeon next to him, who took a few steps back from the can but didn't leave entirely, still determined in its mission.

"Ok Usagi... Keep your cool... Keep you cool..." he breathed out at the end and finally regarded the grayish pigeon, who stared back with its impossibly hollow, pitch-black eyes.

He forced a smile out and looked at the now lonely tin can on the floor "Was this what you woke me up for, little guy?" he reached over to take it "Hope it was worth losing my sleep over..." he grabbed it and sniffed the inside on instinct, regretting it immediately as the stench of something incredibly rotten hit his nostrils making him tear up.

" ...I think I'll never touch food again" he stated while getting whatever was inside that can out on the ground without gagging in the process.

Once he got it out, he convinced himself that nothing bad was in it so he could spare himself the show and rest his back on the silo's cold column to enjoy the scenery right out of his reach, one of his ears flopping on his face lazily.

As he moved his ear out of the way, he looked at the sky better, noticing many gray clouds covering the sunset like old curtains, announcing that a storm was coming its way-- his ear flopped forward again, so he threw it back once more and continued his train of thought - which was not what Usagi expected on his second day there, mainly because he didn't exactly plan on staying still all day, he had to-- once his ear flopped over for the third time, he decided that something was definitely wrong, because usually his ears never fell forward thanks to his... Hair tie.

He touched his head to confirm his new suspicion and man he wished he hadn't because he surely preferred staying in the sweet, blissful ignorance of not knowing that he lost the hair tie his friends gave him on his birthday after he accidentally tore his old one while training.

A gloomy frown overtook his expression - he couldn't have lost it he never did! Maybe he left it somewhere? No, he just said he never lost it, imagine removing it randomly and leaving it somewhere in this city.

...But maybe if he ran back on everything that happened the day before he could figure something out!

'Ah-ah! Great idea' he praised himself while he scrambled to remember clearly the events that went down since he got into that strange portal and fell into this city: like the cool lights, the robbery and-

"The kappa!" he gleamed, the previous panic gone in an instant at the thought that maybe he didn't lose his hair tie after all.

That sweet realization came with something he hadn't really had time to think about earlier with the chase and everything else, and that was the turtle himself- how did his brothers call him... Leo yes!

You see, Yuichi Usagi is the type of guy who always says what he thinks, which may not be his best quality at times but at least that way whoever actually knew him was aware of the fact that when he complimented something or someone, he meant that a 100%.

So when he told Leo that he was a great fighter he meant that wholeheartedly and more.

He also meant what he said about hoping to meet him again, because, as much as he had fun sparring with his friends back in Neo Edo, he had to admit that there was something about being put against someone with your same fighting skills and weapons that felt overwhelmingly exhilarating- and the portals?? Come on that was way too cool!

A thrilled smile made its way on his face: the more he thought about everything the more he proved to himself that although everything in this city was trying to get him somehow, he still seriously had the time of his life fighting him.

Also, another thought occurred to him, since he was slightly lost, the next time he met him he could (obviously after he asked for a rematch) ask him to be his city guide and, if he was lucky enough, see if he knew someone that could help him go back home!

That way he could kill two birds with one stone

"Oh, sorry for the metaphor" he looked down at the pigeon that was gorging whatshallnotbenamed ferociously "Wow you had to be starving to eat that... Stuff" his own stomach rumbled in impeccable timing "...Not that I'm much better at the moment"

Before his thoughts could go to the food direction, a very inviting one at that, he looked down at his paws, a strange feeling building up from his gut - a feeling that lit up like a thousand warning lights and rung like bells, trying to get his attention to somewhere.

His gaze trailed to his side where Willowbranch was sheathed, its energy buzzing lively telling him to grab it, and so he did.

A burst of lighting slithered into his veins and overtook his vision, what was once metal and concrete turned into stars and endless nebula.

"Grandson" he whirled backward once he heard the familiar voice of none other than his ancestor, Miyamoto Usagi "I've been trying to contact you for a while now, but it seems you've had your fair share of encounters already" he continued sarcastically.

"Usagi! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" he bowed way too rapidly making his head spin in the process - even after all the times he had communicated with his ancestor his mirth never wavered for a second, his absence of sleep making him sound a bit more desperate than he'd wished this time.

The samurai answered with a fond smile, a smile that immediately disappeared without a trace, the environment around them reacting to the sudden change in the samurai's emotions.

Something felt off, and it definitely wasn't his sometimes undecipherable teachings.

Something else was going on

And unfortunately, Usagi had a half idea of what that something could be about, dread quickly replacing his previous glee as he felt a cold wisp of air dancing along his spine.

His ancestor sighed with his eyes lowered, showing his years fully "I have seen what happened before you came to this place, what you've seen, I... I promised not to let that creature haunt and maul anyone else but it seems that the precautions I took at the time were not enough..." the younger rabbit looked at him confused, what did he mean by that?

" What are you talking about? " he managed to let out from his dried throat, his eyes finally meeting with the samurai's much lighter ones.

The legendary samurai took a deep breath and looked at his successor with something haunted in his eyes "Yuichi Usagi, you have reached uncharted territory, and I'm afraid you were not the only one who did."

The usual swirl of colors and stars that accompanied the times he spent with his ancestor in the astral realm were replaced with a graying tempest, what rained down from those clouds was pure despair.

The younger rabbit's eyes never left his ancestor, the chill from earlier growing more as Miyamoto Usagi kept talking, almost as if it had a will of its own "The name of that someone, or better something, is Jei. That creature- that demon, knows only death and destruction" He said those words with a poison that was uncharacteristic of him given his usually calm tone- actually, everything about him was different. He almost seemed... Agitated.

What exactly made this foe any different from all the others he fought to make him react that way?

Yuichi Usagi kept that question on hold because, almost as if the other sensed that he was slightly distracted, the older samurai put both of his hands on his shoulders to make sure he had his full attention before he kept talking "You are far from home grandson, because of that... You are all that stands between that monster and his goals, you and no one else."

Usagi furrowed his brows determined and nodded "I won't let you down. I'll take him out before-" The older samurai stopped him with a glare, leaving him slightly puzzled "You're not listening to me- you can't defeat him, not like this at least."

Uh?

"Uh?" He voiced out loud more confused than ever, what did he mean he couldn't defeat him? If this guy was as dangerous as he said he couldn't just let him roam the streets and do as he pleased.

Miyamoto Usagi sighed with a grim expression on his face "Watch" He unsheathed his sword and successfully cut down a gigantic cloud on his right, opening up to a scene of a beautiful village, with lush vegetation and people happily strolling down its streets "Jei's reputation preceded him, he was known in every village, in every city, as the " Blade of the Gods" , but don't be fooled... There was nothing holy about him." The scenery changed abruptly as he spoke, the beautiful village was now being swallowed by flames and shrieking screams of terror could be heard from inside the little houses.

The younger samurai swallowed down the knot in his throat, how many innocent lives were lost there?

His ancestor continued forth, leaving his hatred plain on his features as he spoke "He slaughtered anyone who came across his path, every time the word got out about where he was located, I never got there in time, all that was left were shallowed husks with his same white eyes" The scene kept changing to show what he had witnessed on his skin, charred cities and ghost towns, bodies of the same people who were smiling with their families, eyes full of joy and life- reduced to the same milky white void.

The desperate lights of these painful memories reflected on Usagi, his eyes were stuck on all that destruction, all that senseless sorrow, he couldn't look away even though he really wanted to.

Suddenly he imagined this city in ruins, like the ones from his ancestor's memories, and then Neo Edo, all its wonder in flames.

His friends... All the people he knew and loved, gone- All because of-

A paw on his shoulder broke him out of his dreadful trance, and as he gazed up he saw the melancholic expression on his ancestor's face "I didn't want to show you this, really... But you must understand that this enemy is not to be taken lightly, I have slain him many times and he always came back like nothing happened, even trapping him wasn't enough" He lowered his eyes defeated.

Usagi’s ears perked up slightly as he looked for a way to right this situation "But- But you also trapped the yokai in the Ki stone, and after I freed them I fixed everything! So why can't I fix this too?"

The paw on his shoulder tightened slightly "You are not ready to face a foe like him head first, he's not like any yokai- he's a demon, Usagi. But still, like I said before, right now given your predicament you're the only one that can, but not with the weapons you have."

"Okay...? Then with what?" He fixed the weapons on his side nervously, his yoyo buzzing with energy.

"The dimension you're in is home to a powerful artifact, a crystal of mystical properties-" His words echoed through the storm that surrounded them and into his head, images flashed in Usagi's mind: a giant spider... Yokai? And a place, an unfortunately familiar place to him- the building where he fought those strange foot-faced ninjas.

He dreaded the thought of going all the way back there, but if this crystal was held in that place then he wasn't going to complain- ok maybe just a little bit, but only outside of his ancestor's earshot "-you must find it and retrieve it, then you'll--" He stopped suddenly.

One beat.

And everything changed.

The space around them, even Miyamoto Usagi himself, turned black and white, an icy cold breath of air blew violently behind the younger rabbit, his long untied ears swayed forward by the sheer strength of it and all the oxygen left his lungs with a shudder.

Time almost seemed like it stopped, the only sound he could hear was the erratic beating of his heart.

There was someone behind him.

Through the cotton in his ears, he heard only one word:

"Run"

It was all Miyamoto Usagi told him before snapping back into his body, back on that rooftop, back in the city that was now entirely covered in a thick dark mist, the rain falling from the sky only making the air heavier around Usagi, each drop of water matching with his own heart, which felt like it was about to blow right out of his chest.

Oh good he brought the storm with him-

He stood up and held the sheathed sword in his trembling hands, his chest rising and falling erratically. Was he..?

The feeling from a moment ago returned stronger than ever.

-And unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing he brought back.

Brown eyes darted left and right as his grip on the sword tightened, it was the only thing he could do since his legs were stuck in place.

'Come on come on I have to go! I have to-' he thought desperately.

In front of him, the pouring rain became thicker and thicker, until the buildings blurred together, the only thing making them visible again were the lighting bolts occasionally cracking the sky apart, making the very ground shiver.

Why was this happening? He knew he had to leave now, but even though his mind and every cell in his body screamed to run away, do as Miyamoto Usagi instructed him to, he couldn't move, his feet might have been attached to boulders if he didn't know better.

There were eyes on him, he could feel them boring into his skin and all he could do was watch, even if his heart was about to explode.

Fear wasn't unfamiliar to Usagi, he knew what it felt like but he could always find a way to push through regardless of it, thanks to his friends and his weapons, but now as he watched the dense curtain of rain falling on him shift into a shape-- No way that can happen, right? It must be a trick of the eye or something else-- And a pair of piercing white eyes appear from the darkness he understood that if what Miyamoto Usagi said was true- that he couldn't be defeated with the weapons he had, not even Willowbranch, then for the first time in his life he was defenseless in front of an unbeatable enemy who wanted him dead.

A gravely laugh echoed in his head and slithered into his very blood, turning it as ice cold as the air around him. A sharp maw revealed itself from the unnatural shadowy mist and pointed towards him a feral jagged smile, making the young rabbit's heart drop completely.

"You are all that stands between that monster and his goals" The words of his ancestor shone like a lighthouse in his mind, he was right, and he couldn't let him down, not after everything he went through to get there.

He thought about all the people he loved back home in Neo Edo, and how they were probably looking for him right now.

Even though every organ in his body was aching, he managed to take in a deep breath- he had to calm down.

He wasn't going to die here. He wasn't.

And with this newly found strength, he started running like hell.

Chapter Text

Usagi jumped on the metal stairs on the side of the building opposite to the one he was on and climbed all the way up careful not to slip because of the still pouring rain.

Right now he had two priorities: number two, returning to the back alley where he fought the foot ninjas, which also had a side quest of its own- remembering where exactly it was since as impressive as it is, this city sort of looked the same all the way through.

And top number one priority was cutting loose Jei who was still hot on his trail.

The number one mission looked out to be the most difficult because no matter how many times he jumped from place to place he was still following him rabid, the sound of striding metal on the floor loud behind him.

He was fast, and don't get him wrong- the young rabbit was also fast, but he was also not a supernatural entity who probably never tired, and who also had an insanely high body count, that seemed worth mentioning.

A puddle of rainwater made his shoes slippery and almost made him lose his footing, his back standing straight right away to avoid giving precious time to the pursuing beast behind him 'Ok Usagi now is not the time for-- avoid the other puddle thank you-- that so try your best to focus on not getting caught!' the thought rolled out of his head hysterically, as if he had really focused on anything ever.

Well he had to try now, and to make the most of this new attempt through the mist he finally got a better look at his surroundings, noticing gladly that on his right on a rooftop there was what seemed to be a maze of steel duct pipes, tangled enough to make him consider the option of losing him there.

A strained smirk appeared on his face, it was worth the try.

With a careful hop, he reached that building and got running again, taking advantage of his smaller and swifter body to push through the maze without bonking his head on any of the pipes.

There was a downside to his plan though, the violent storm rang loudly on the metal around him drowning out any other noise, making it harder to understand if he was still being followed or not.

So out of curiosity, he glanced at one of the passing ducts in the hopes of seeing only his own reflection there.

But as he figured out already, fate hated his guts.

A wolf gawked at him, unblinking, the terrifying white of his eyes successfully reflecting on every shining surface around the poor rabbit, who couldn't help but shiver deeply and swallow down the nerves building up in his throat again 'Reminder to never do that again' another jump and he found himself on another building.

Okay that plan didn't work, but he could still come up with something... Right?

The huffed breath that just came out of his mouth suggested that no, he was running dry of any energy, and once the pure adrenaline powering him ran out he would be officially doomed.

His pace became more erratic as panic settled back in his stomach, nothing looked familiar to him in the slightest. What if he went in the wrong direction? He was never going to find that place if that was the case.

No. If he started pulling himself down he was never going up again, which was definitely not what he needed in a moment like that.

What he needed was a way out, even if currently he had no clue what it could be 'Brain work with me for once, is there anything I can do to lose this guy so I can get to looking in peace?' Uhh... Try jumping there-

Heeding the mental advice, he leaped on another rooftop with an intricate system of ducts- noticing that no, he was still chasing him.

'That was a terrible advice! I don't even know why I'm asking you this!' Because if you focused enough on the situation happening you would be screaming in terror and losing what little dignity you had left? 'That was uncalled for- I have a lot of dignity!' Oh yeah? Not for long.

The rabbit furrowed his dark brows at that claim and then noticed that his internal dialogue failed to let him see that the rooftop he was about to fall on most definitely didn't have enough space for him to land.

So, after screaming in his head slightly, he crashed down and to avoid falling completely he managed to bounce forward on the roughened metal discarded on the roof, successfully cutting his leg in the process.

‘Why does this day keep getting worse??' he gulped down the burning ache of the open wound and kept going- Think positive you're still standing like a true warrior! Although you are slower now.

How could he think positively?? He had two incredibly tiring days and to top it all off he was running for his life, something he would have never done in his existence, and he was completely, utterly, lo... No way.

Almost like a holy apparition, a billboard shined in the distance breaking away the storm just to reveal itself to Usagi, who gaped at it with stars in his eyes- It was unmistakable, it was the billboard he had seen before, which meant "Yes!" that he had almost arrived at the destination and that he wasn't as lost as he initially thought.

Unfortunately for him though, his glee was short-lived since the shrieking noise of metal had currently become louder than before, alarmingly louder.

Right, he just lost his speed advantage

Oh no he lost his speed advantage

He gazed back from the corner of his eye to confirm his suspicion, cursing himself because he didn't follow his own reminder from a few minutes ago, and there he was.

Just a few hairs away from him.

The air got knocked out of his lungs with a wheeze, the only thing he could do was spin around and block the incoming slash from the other's spear, their weapons grinding against each other hard enough to make sparks.

They were finally eye to eye and he hated it more than anything, his fight or flight instincts kicking him in the face once he took a better look at the demon in front of him.

Terrifying wasn't the right word for him, uncanny was better- it was him being so uncanny that made him beyond frightening, his lanky puppet-like movements making everything worse.

He was what Usagi would call pure nightmare fuel, no- he was the nightmare.

And he was giggling like a maniac above him, pushing his whole weight on Willowbranch, which he lowered his gaze on and giggled even louder for some reason.

"A h . . . that sword . . ."

Nope nope, his voice was even worse, oh gods his voice was even worse.

With all the strength he had left, he folded his knees and pushed hard enough to shove Jei away, enough to ready his battle stance, hands tightly wrapped around his unsheathed sword to stop them from shaking.

"What do- What do you want from me?" He choked on his words slightly, alert for any possible attack from the other.

Jei snapped his head to the side amused "You have inherited your ancestor's sins child, the Gods are not as forgiving as  I w o u l d b e " His head snapped back into place, his tied-up hair swaying in the wind completely untouched by the rain "Because of that your soul is  f o r f e i t  and has been since your birth, you wouldn't want to cross  t h e w i l l o f t h e g o d s , would you?" And with that, he pounced once more.

Usagi tried his best to either parry or block the attacks, mainly because he was striking him so quickly it was hard for him to keep up, and the fact that he had a spear- or a yari if he recalled correctly, the reflected light on the dark blade bouncing off afraid of being swallowed in its darkness- another thing that made facing him that much harder.

One wrong move and he was toast.

Miyamoto Usagi was right- he couldn't defeat him like this.

He had to find the crystal no matter what, but in order to do that he had to survive this encounter, a task that looked harder the more he barely dodged a fatal slash.

After having blocked another attack with his sword, the wolf hit him again twice, swiping his weapon left and right, making two things happen respectively: the first, disarming him, making Willowbranch clatter on the floor all the way behind him, and the second, making him stumble and fall on his back with a panicked gasp.

In the same instant as the second thing passed, another happened- making the most of the last remaining crumb of sanity he had, Usagi rolled back just in time to avoid Jei's spear, which had just collided with the thankfully empty floor instead of his guts.

Back on his feet again only with his yoyo by his side, he blinked furiously ahead of him- he was officially done for.

Or was he?

Now with a full view of the building that previously was behind him, he noticed one important perhaps vital detail, there was a strange steel structure on it.

That sight gave him a maybe insane idea, but were any of his ideas not insane?

The tall wolf was still on his back, so he took the chance to grab his yoyo, which was buzzing a lot more than usual, and unwrap some wire off of it, leaving it dangling in the air waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

You must not spring the trap before the prey is in it.

Although in this case it was more of an evasive action rather than anything else, but still.

Jei twitched 'Here it comes...' And spun rapidly with his spear as a propeller.

In that second, Usagi shot forward and slid right underneath the spear, barely avoiding its edge, once on the opposite side he threw his yoyo on that structure and started running towards Willowbranch.

Behind him he could hear the now familiar noise of metal produced by the demon's spear, he was going to attack him from his back.

He wasn't going to allow it (hopefully).

Willowbranch fit back in his paw as he ran and then inside its sheath, the loud screech overwhelming his senses more and more.

With his heart officially threatening to spill out of his mouth, the samurai proceeded with the last step of his plan pulling at his yoyo's string- sling-shotting himself forward, the air behind him being swallowed by the wolf's weapon.

For a second he was flying, which would have been the coolest thing ever if it wasn’t for the situation he was in at the moment.

Still, from up there the view was awesome, he acknowledged it with a woozy smile.

And then- gravity ensued.

Now was truly the time to scream in terror and lose his dignity.

As he fell down the thirty-story building yelling in fear, probably waking up every single citizen in that city, his entire life rolled in front of his eyes: all the happy moments, all the sad moments including what had just gone down-

Wait wait- After everything he did to escape that whole encounter, he was going to die squashed down on the floor like those cartoons Auntie showed him when he was little, in a city far away from his home?

Absolutely not thank you, he looked around from his panicked frenzy and suddenly... There it was on the side of the building nearest to him- fire escape stairs, aka his new favorite things.

He threw his yoyo at them without much thought, something he would suffer from soon because now instead of falling to his demise, he was headed full speed toward the wall, so, still pretty much towards his demise.

Another horrified yelp escaped him as he closed his eyes waiting for the impact.

Something that strangely enough didn't happen.

Light slowly came back to him as he finally opened his eyes, still believing that maybe he was actually dead and he had turned into a ghost or something like that, but there he was, very much not a ghost and very much gripping his yoyo like a lifeline.

Once he registered all this information in his head, he finally let go of his yoyo and slid down the wall until he was sat on the concrete floor, chest rising and falling violently.

He was alive.

A hysterical laugh bubbled in his throat "I'm alive! I'm so alive right now" He threw his arms in the air victorious as he collected all the oxygen he had lost in this chase, with a reminder never to do that again.

Now with his newly collected clarity, he looked up at the sky, realizing that it had finally stopped raining, clouds clearing away letting the morning sun shine through- and then he looked down at himself.

Saying that he was thoroughly drenched was an understatement- Gen would have probably already been yelling at him for an hour about all the things that could happen to your immune system if you go outside while it pours down like that.

The thought made him smile a bit- he missed his friends so much.

A yawn broke him away from his thoughts, now that his adrenaline was running out the weariness accumulated in the past hours came crashing down like a tidal wave, but he couldn't sleep- he had a mission to put to fruition, and plus deep down he didn't really want to sleep, mainly because every time he closed his eyes he saw that haunted white glare, burned in the back of his eyelids. A shiver rolled down his spine.

Even that metaphor sounded eery.

He ran his pale paw on his face hard enough to scratch and then sandwiched it with his hands "Yuichi Usagi you will find this crystal and defeat Jei once and for all- so even if you're tired, very tired..." His words came out muffled as he fought back another yawn, he wasn't just tired, he was exhausted "...You must get back on your feet and continue your valorous quest no matter what, the lives of innocent people are at stake and you will protect them." He straightened his back with a resolute expression and sat up with his yoyo still clutched in his hand.

Said yoyo hadn't stopped buzzing, waiting to be acknowledged by Usagi, who looked at it with a smile "Thank you for literally saving my butt yoyo, I promise I will never insult you again." He put a fist to his chest and spoke those words like an official vow, the buzzing in the yoyo finally ceased seemingly satisfied with that answer.

And with that he was off to continue his quest, having thankfully shortened the distance to his goal thanks to his "evasive measure", feeling a bit prouder about the plan than he was before.

The young samurai stuck close to the shadows since he had genuine doubts about how "well regarded" he was by this city's police 'Even if it was all a misunderstanding' He sighed defeated, why did he always find himself in situations like this with people was beyond him- most say he's quite loveable actually! On second thought maybe only Auntie said that, but he does know how to win over people! Eventually.

He rattled his head to put an end to that whole mental argument before it got weird, he had other priorities, like the voices that suddenly echoed in the alley he was headed for.

Wait, voices? Usagi's ears stood up straight once he got closer to the source of those... Two voices. He flattened his back on the wall and peeked slightly to avoid being noticed.

' Wow, peeking from the shadows? This is a ninja level of sneaking, I don't know if I should be disappointed or impressed by my quietness skills' He giggled slightly and then caught himself before he got too loud 'Ok I'm still workshopping it'

He looked forward and what he saw were more of those strange fleshy people that seemed to roam this city, except these ones didn't look at all like those guys with the flames on their heads- well because first, they didn't have flames on their heads (bummer really), and second, they weren't wearing any ninja attire, actually they were all wearing identical outfits, alongside a shining green brooch.

Time for the plan of action, he could wait until those guys are gone so he could sneak in and look for the crystal... Wait, could this be seen as a robbery? He hadn't really thought about how this whole operation could be seen as morally wrong- but was it really bad if it was to save people?

No, it wasn't! He settled for that as an answer, and anyway, he could still give it back sooo it's more borrowing than anything.

"Fred I told you a thousand times, the gold things go in the red boxes!" He heard the shorter one say, his ears twitching a bit as he focused on getting the rest.

"And I told you that it makes no sense! The blue things go in the blue boxes and the gold things should go in the gold boxes." He did have a point, Usagi nodded to himself.

Both of them were handling medium-sized boxes full of shiny, and probably incredibly pricy things, to the other, and for a second Usagi wondered if these people were here to steal whatever was left in the building after those ninjas came in there. The second prolonged as he glanced at the gigantic truck right behind them, with even more boxes inside.

This was really bad- what if they took the artifact? The rabbit got a hold of his sword and was ready to pounce until the first person continued on with their rant.

"But we don't have any!" An enraged scream came out of them "You're making everything worse! Didn't you get the memo that we have to move all of the treasures at the Grand Nexus Hotel before the event starts?"

Hold on, the what now?

The taller one visibly shrunk in front of their coworker's rage, getting back to work and setting the last boxes inside the truck, closing it with a loud thunk "See? It didn't take long"

"Exactly why I told you to hurry ugh... Did you take the flyers from the deposit?" A beat of tense silence stretched between the two "See what I mean? I gotta do everything around here!" They finished saying while walking inside the building again.

Usagi let go of his sword and scratched his head in confusion, who were these guys? They didn't look like robbers, and they seemingly knew whatever was inside the deposit well.

Also, what was this... Grand Nexus Hotel? If they were moving everything there then it must mean that the crystal will also be held there!

But but, there was one problem, correction, two problems: he had no clue on how he was going to get in there without being noticed and where even was this place located exactly.

A frustrated sigh came out of him, resigned to the fact that nothing was going to come easy to him in this place no matter what he did.

After a few minutes, the one that went inside to look for the flyers got out with a big pile of them all wrapped up in cellophane, held close to their chest "Are you going to help me or not? It seems someone here damaged the plastic." They pointed at a flapping piece of cellophane with an unimpressed expression.

The tall one, who probably had enough of all the jabs, started screaming "No! You're always so mean to me it hurts my feelings!"

The flyer pile swayed threateningly "Fred if you don't take these flyers in the next minute I will rip your brooch off and drop you off at Times Square where all the humans will scream and shout at the sight of you."

While the two kept shouting, one of the flyers stacked on top of the pile escaped its cellophane embrace from the cut and followed the wind in Usagi's direction, who noticed it and caught it right in the nick of time, hiding his presence behind the wall once more.

The paper crinkled slightly in his grasp, the words 'Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle Nexus at the Grand Nexus Hotel!' Were written in capital and swirly letters on a purple background immediately catching the young rabbit's attention, who hummed and kept reading the smaller text right underneath the banner 'Bring your best clothes and costumes to the biggest party ever hosted in the city! Food and beverages are kindly offered to you by the Hidden City Catering Corp. to ensure a night of pure entertainment!'

"Woah that sounds fancy." He whispered in his palm, eyes skimming on the colorful illustrations of people dancing that framed the flyer and then back on the text.

Okay, so this Grand Nexus Hotel... 'Is the same place those guys were talking about!' One of his ears straightened up again as the shouting in the alley got a little less loud than before, interrupting his thoughts out of curiosity and making him peek from behind the wall, noticing with a bit of relief that the two had stopped arguing, the only noise that could be heard was the beeping of a watch.

"Ugh, come on or we'll be late for delivery hour, Mama will kill us personally if we aren't there." The shorted one backed away from the argument and dropped the big pile of paper inside the truck, keys in hand ready to start it.

"I wouldn't want that..." The other one followed their coworker towards the truck with a defeated look on his face, his back curved in an upside-down U shape.

A beat of silence fell between them, as the engine started up, and then another groan "Wow, if that was all it took to make you shut up I could have said that sooner."

Usagi stepped out of his hiding spot slowly once he was sure they weren't looking his way, and in that exact moment a realization hit him.

If they're going to this Hotel where there's apparently a party open for everyone... He could easily follow them and get inside!

He gasped and smiled at the air in front of him 'Guess this place doesn't hate me that much in the end.'

The pale rabbit lowered his hood once more and followed the truck towards the depths of the city, with a bit more confidence in his step now that his day had finally turned around. Hopefully.