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LAST CHAPTER OF WHEN SHADOWS RISE! I do want to ask: what did you like about this book? Anything you wished to see more of? Any favorite characters so far? Theories? I want to read them all! Don't be shy to comment your thoughts :)

The soccer game ended later that night, and the Hamato family drove back safe and sound back to the house. Mikey was babbling over Roosevelt Prep's winning score. Miwa was busy texting on her phone. Nobody openly acknowledged the elephant in the room (or rather in the comforts of the family's SUV), but it was evident in Leo and their father sharing glances and looking back every now and then at Mikey and Raph that they were mentally having a conversation about it. Raph, to say the least, hated it when they did that. Why couldn't they say what was on their minds? He wasn't a child that he couldn't understand how precarious the situation was.

When their father pulled into the driveway, Raph only realized that his older brother and sister were still here. It was late; shouldn't they get going back to campus?

"You guys don't have class tomorrow?" Raph directed his question to Leo and Miwa as he slammed his side of the door shut.

"About that—" Leo said, unbuckling and hopping off, "—I think it's best if Nee-Chan and I stay here for tonight. After what happened today, we want to be there in case something happens."

Next to Donnie, Leo was practically a perfectionist. Always showed up on time, never falling behind on his studies. So for Leo to say that he was willing to miss a day of school was so. . . bizarre. Foreign. It was like having an ink stain on a perfectly-ironed white shirt.

"Come on, Leo. That's really not necessary—" Raph tried to persuade him.

Leo was resolute on his decision. "It's plenty necessary, Raph. Shredder's soldiers are unpredictable. They could ambush us in our sleep at the expense of their master's orders."

Raph groaned. Maybe telling their father about the attack came with its cons. Once Leo turned on his overprotective side, it was hard to find the off switch. "Now you're just jumping to worst-case scenarios!"

"Shredder knew two out of the three assailants' identities who broke into the drug lab. And now because his soldiers saw you and Mikey using your skills to defend Talia and April, plus another student—"

"Are you trying to say that we shouldn't have done anything at all?"

"No. That's not I'm saying. What I'm trying to say is that Shredder gained more than what he expected— the third person's identity— a Hamato ninja— which he now guesses could either be you or Mikey."

"We don't need you or Nee-Chan's help in holding up the fort. We can—"

"It doesn't matter. You guys need the numbers, the skill. We need to be on high alert."

"Leo," Miwa said, nudging her brother's shoulder, "this isn't like the time when Raph was six years old and fell off his bike and you had to be behind his shoulder every step of the way because you were afraid he would fall. Dad taught all of us the same way; Raph and Mikey will be fine."

Raph nodded in satisfaction. Finally someone said it! Though, he didn't know why she had to use that specific embarrassing moment as an analogy. "Exactly! I don't need you, my strong and mighty big brother, to show up and prove that we can't achieve anything unless you're here. You need to step back."

Leo didn't know whether to feel stunned or hurt. He couldn't believe those words just came out of Raph's mouth. "I'm sorry if you feel that way, Raph, but I just want to make sure my family is safe."

"And we are! Besides, probably nothing is going to happen."

"You don't know that. None of you do. Nee-Chan and I are staying here for the night, and that's final."

"Ugh, you're so infuriating!" With a loud huff, Raph turned and stomped his way to the house.

"I really don't get what his deal is," Mikey said once Raph was gone. "You and Nee-Chan being here means we get to have one giant sleepover! Just like before!"

Leo frowned, like he was having a moment of regret. "Do you think I was being too. . . overprotective?"

Mikey pat Leo's back. "You know how Raph is. 'ARGH! I'm sixteen years old and that's plenty old enough to prove I can take care of myself!'" He took a moment to laugh at his exaggerative impression of Raph. "I think Raph is secretly relieved that you and Nee-Chan are here, but he doesn't know how to express it."

"You really think so?"

"I know these things, brah. Trust me. Anyway, what kind of pizza you all want for later? I know your usual, Leo, but Nee-Chan's—"

"Hawaiian," Miwa offered, "with a side of breadsticks and two things of cheddar jalapeño dipping sauce."

"Great! I'll get started on a list."

Leo raised a skeptical brow at Mikey. "For what?"

"For our sleepover, fool!" Mikey rolled his eyes. "You can't have a sleepover without snacks! You don't have sleepovers with your college roommate?"

"No, Mikey. I live alone, remember? So I can train?"

"That's so depressing. What are you doing with your life, man?"

Leo frowned. "Being productive."

"Well, that's why you have us! Just text me the things you want, dude. You can begin your health-nut diet next week."

"I don't—"

"Go ask Ariel what he wants," Miwa told Mikey, referring to Raph. "I'll get the car started."

Mikey high-fived his sister and sprinted away, leaping over the porch steps and opening the door in a rushed manner.

"You do know they have to go to school tomorrow, right?" Leo casually reminded Miwa, arms crossed over his chest.

Miwa shrugged. "If anything, I bet Dad won't make them have to go tomorrow. You told me he's gonna start making you guys train extra hard."

"For a good reason: The Foot Clan is a threat. We need to be prepared."

"So you think it'll be long before Shredder finds you, Donnie, and me?"

That was what worried Leo the most— Shredder knowing each and every one of his siblings' identities and then using that knowledge to trap them where they were most vulnerable. Especially now for Mikey and Raph. . . they had to be extremely cautious from now on.

"Given his connections, soon. But I don't want to think about that right now. I just don't know what plan of recourse Dad has. He went through so much trouble just to hide himself and us from Shredder, and yet it was all in vain in the end."

Miwa looked down at her unpolished nails like a little Madame. "I guess now we're going to have to change countries, dye our hair, change our names—"

"Why are you saying it so casually? You're not the least bit worried?"

Miwa sighed. She undid her ponytail and let it tumble freely down her back. For a moment, Leo thought she looked exactly like their mother. "This is very serious, yes, but all Shredder cares about is his grievance with Talia's mom and the money he's going to get when the drugs are ready to go. He's not really worried about us right now."

"He probably hasn't forgotten about his other grievance— you know, the one where he cursed every Hamato ninja for the slaughter of his family."

"In due time, my good brother. I get the feeling Shredder handles business first before personal issues."

On that, Leo wasn't too sure about, but he kept those thoughts to himself. If Shredder was too busy with The Count, then that could buy more time for Leo and his family to figure out more about what Genesis did for The Foot and where to go from there.

"It's been a long time since you've joined us for training," Leo commented. "We'll be happy to see you there."

"It has, hasn't it?" Miwa mused, braiding her hair. "I just haven't had the time since, y'know. . . I'm an adult and according to the world, I can't survive unless I go to school to get experience to get actual experience for what I want to do in life."

"I get it. We just never get to see you a lot, that's all."

"You're so sentimental." Miwa smiled, pinching Leo's cheek. Her face then became rock-hard, like she remembered something else. "About the other time—"

She was interrupted by the sound of running, equivalent to what a group of wildebeest would sound like if they were trying to outrun a couple of hyenas. It was Raph and Mikey, who came back outside looking like they wanted to share news. Leo could see Raph didn't look all that mad anymore. He didn't like that look on Raph's face. He could tell his younger brother was trying to contain his smile, for whatever reason. . .

"Gentleman—" Raph announced, "—and lady, we are presented with a new opportunity."

Leo felt like his spine had been plucked like a guitar's strings. "What opportunity?"

Raph smirked and held up his phone. Uh-oh.

***

An emergency meeting was held in the dojo. After Raph gave the basic details about the text message Talia sent him to his family, everyone was left to wonder what they should do with this information. Miwa showed indifference; Mikey was pumped that at least there was something new to do; Leo was a little bit hesitant (of course); and their father had an incomprehensible look.

"How did Talia obtain that knowledge?" Leo cocked his head.

Raph scoffed. "Who cares. We're finally going to get some action!"

Leo shook his head. As if the 'action' Raph and Mikey and everyone else at school received wasn't enough. "Where exactly, again?"

"At the docks tomorrow night. If they bring the drugs, we can throw them in the river and call it a mission completed."

"Imagine all the people we'll save!" Mikey gave one of his dimpled smiles. "We're gonna be heroes! Of course, heroes that have to remain hidden in the shadows, but still!"

Leo had a lopsided grimace. On one hand he and his family were getting somewhere, but he also knew there was a risk if he and his siblings' made themselves shown. He had a feeling he knew how Talia knew those private details, and that could put her and her informant in danger. "We observe only. The best strategy is to follow them to their stash house and from there, destroy the rest of the drugs."

Raph frowned, already feeling less enthusiastic. "But why? If we're already at the docks—"

"We'll only engage if necessary. We listen in on the details and follow whoever has the key to the drug stash and blow it all up."

"For that we're going to need bombs," Mikey pointed out. He turned to Raph. "Why didn't you bomb the drug lab when you infiltrated it?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Because I didn't have them. I didn't have time to plan that sort of thing. It was sort of a decision made on impulse."

"Whatever happened to 'think before you act'?"

Miwa snorted. "The words 'think' and 'Raphael' usually don't go together."

Raph grit his teeth. "Look, we can't just go on a mission just to sit there with our thumbs up our asses. We have to take action!"

"We will," Leo said firmly. "We just have to be patient and strike at the right time."

"Say that again when you start seeing news reports of tons of OD's."

"Raph—"

"Saru!" Their father commanded. The brothers fell silent. Yoshi had his back turned to his children, and when he fully spun around, his children saw his face scrunched with seriousness. "Disagreement before a mission is never a good way to begin."

Raph frowned. "Yeah, especially if Leo proposes a plan as bad as he did—"

Yoshi cut him off with a raise of his hand. "Whatever plan has the potential to stir a hornet's nest, but our main objective is the drug they will be presenting. We cannot let it be released into the streets."

"Uh, Sensei?" Mikey said. "While we're at it, shouldn't we try to track ShredHead and The Count to wherever they're hiding? Without them, this whole operation crumbles! There'd also be no more Foot if we defeat their leader!"

There was logic behind Michelangelo's line of reasoning, but although Yoshi knew his children had grown powerful, they were still young. He didn't know much about this 'Count' person, but he did know his children still had much to learn before they could ever face The Hamato Clan's greatest enemy. "You do not have the skills to face a man of skill and strength far more advanced than anything you've ever seen. He will shred you to pieces before you can strike a fatal blow at him."

"So that's it?" Raph pulled his mouth up towards his nose. "We're going to go along with a plan as crappy as—"

Yoshi shot a stern look at his son. "Shredder is not going anywhere; neither is The Count. If you are going to cripple an empire, you need to strike at its legs."

***

Per Miwa's prediction, Yoshi decided to let his two younger sons stay home from school. However, it was not a resting day; every one of his children had to work their asses off in the dojo and train. It was their second major mission, and they had to be prepared. The only exception was made for Donnie— who couldn't afford to miss not even an hour of morning lectures and notes— who promised to be on the next flight out as soon as classes were over.

There were five-minute interval breaks. Yoshi noticed how Miwa took a little longer to gather herself than her brothers after practicing a set of katas. He figured it was because she had been out of practice for too long. Yoshi shook his head. If his children were to go up against The Shredder and his forces, he had to make sure everyone was fit to do so.

"Out of shape, are we?" Raph said to his sister, whom he was sparing hand-to-hand combat with.

Miwa huffed. Her loose bun was movements away from coming undone. "I can still kick your ass, you know?"

"I quiver with fear."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Miwa attacked again. She put a lot more strength into her punches and kicks, and even managed to gain the upper hand a few instances, but ultimately it was a sharp pull in her thigh that hindered her next blow— giving Raph the opportunity to trip her and pin her to the ground.

"You were saying?" Raph raised an eyebrow.

"Brag about it later." Miwa pressed her thumbs against Raph's eyes to force him to let her go. Raph chuckled as he walked away, reveling that he watched his older sister eat her own words.

Miwa trudged to the sidelines and sat down, massaging her thigh. "I knew I should've stretched," she sighed.

Mikey, who was done sparring with Leo, went to join his sister. "I guess we both lost today, huh?" he said.

"Looks like it," Miwa said. She felt her rubber band holding onto a strand of hair, so she thought she might as well let her hair loose. "But it's fine. I just need to train my body to go into the habit again. You did really good, though! I thought you and Leo would be at an impasse."

"Really?" Mikey's eyes lit up. He liked it when his older siblings' praised him.

"Honest! I think one day you might even be able to beat him."

Mikey smiled. Every younger brother dreamed of beating his older brother; he would feel like king of the mountain. "You hear that, Leo?!" He hollered, even though Leo was only three feet away from him. "Nee-Chan thinks I'll be able to beat you someday!"

Leo was in the middle of executing another kata when he momentarily paused to face and talk to Mikey. "You definitely could if you just focused more on your training."

"I know, it's just. . . I also love video games and TV, too!"

Leo shook his head. He saw Miwa still gingerly attending to her thigh. "You alright?" He asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Leo. Just pulled a muscle. I'll be more careful next time."

His sister's smile of assurance dissuaded Leo from asking any more questions and he resumed what he was doing. However, something bugged him in the back of his head. He couldn't truly focus unless he addressed it one way or another.

When training was over, Leo left the dojo to get a glass of water from the kitchen. There, he was surprised to find Raph, taking one of his protein supplements that his coach suggested all his soccer players do, with Spike perched on his shoulder.

Leo carried on as normal, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and then going to the fridge's water dispenser. During this action, he and Raph had no kind of interaction. There was simply nothing to be said, but Leo was the kind of person to not be tranquil until he said what was on his mind.

"I hope there's no hard feelings about last night," Leo spoke. "I want to stop Shredder and The Count just as badly as you do."

. . .

"This is new territory for us. There's just so much at stake and I don't want to mess anything up."

. . .

Leo sighed. Raph was seriously giving him the silent treatment? "I know sometimes your visions don't align with mine, but—"

"I get it," Raph said, causing Leo to do a three-sixty and stare at him. "You're the leader and you make the decisions around here— besides Dad, obviously. Always has been."

"I don't know where you got this 'you're the leader' nonsense. I never said I was; I only want us to succeed, you know?"

"You certainly 'act' like the leader. And let's not forget to mention that you like to hear yourself talk sometimes, so you're on your way."

"I'm just being responsible. Besides, we all know the leader title belongs to Miwa. She's going to be running head of the Hamato Clan someday."

"I seriously doubt it."

Leo furrowed his brow. Spike chewed on the leaf Raph held. Raph cleared his throat to clarify: "What I mean to say is that I'm not so sure Miwa wants it. Sure, it's her birthright and everything, but look at her! She fell behind in her training— what happened in the dojo speaks for itself— and if you really pay attention to her, it just doesn't feel like she cares about the role."

Leo felt taken aback a little hearing Raph's points. It was true their older sister was a 'I-go-where-the-wind-takes-me' type of girl, relaxed and easygoing and never too occupied with thoughts of responsibility, but her taking her place as leader of the Hamato Clan was something she couldn't ignore; she had to face it one way or another.

"Well, she has to," Leo said. "This is the future of our clan. It's not like Dad is going to be around forever to hold that position."

Raph broke away from Leo's line of vision and stared out into nothing. Although the Hamato Clan's gears had been running for more than six-hundred and managed to squeeze a spot for itself in the modern world, weren't the gears rusty and aged by now? Wouldn't the clan eventually cease to exist altogether now? Because nothing lasted forever, did they not?

He didn't share any of his thoughts, only pressing his lips shut. Leo took notice of that. The silence once again relapsed between the brothers.

"What did you and Nee-Chan talk about last time she was here?" Raph asked Leo before he could leave.

Leo vividly remembered that conversation, and he could remember how confused as hell he was over it. He never thought much about it since that day, but Raph mentioning it prompted Leo to speak about it.

"It was really weird." Leo squinted his eyes as he recalled the details. "She asked me for money."

Money? It was Raph's turn to be confused. "Uh, why?"

"She said she needed something extra to help her get back on her feet— since she got a new job and everything. The amount she needed wasn't much, anyway."

"How much did she need?"

"Four-hundred bucks."

"That sounds like a shit ton to me."

"University jobs secure the bag. Anyway, she said she needed it soon. But her behavior was. . . odd, to put it that way."

"Odd how?"

Leo set his glass in the sink. He kept his eye on the dripping faucet. "I don't know. . . but she was definitely jumpy. Not to mention she never took off her shades. . ."

"Yeah, the shades I couldn't understand. I was half-expecting her to show up with them yesterday and never take them off."

At least there was something Leo and Raph could agree on. Just what was going on with Miwa?

***

When Donnie came home, the siblings' dressed into their ninja uniforms and prepared their weapons. They left for the docks as soon as they discussed the plan one more time. Like before, the quintet chose to travel on foot, giving them room to practice their parkour and determine which skills they need to work on.

"We really need to get together some night and run an obstacle course," Donnie suggested, following the others as he leaped off the building and to the next. "Do a few trials."

"We definitely should!" Mikey agreed. "Out of all of us, you know I'm the king of backflips!"

"Yeah, because you like to do backflips more than real combat," Raph put in.

"Backflips are the best kind of defense, bro!"

"You can't use backflips for everything, you know?" Donnie said in his know-it-all voice. "For example, a backflip isn't going to defend you from a seo-nage."

"Of course it can! Just don't think about it too much."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "How can I not? In a real fight, you have to keep your head in the game."

Mikey sighed loudly. He casually performed a few moves before finishing with a cartwheel. "You have so much to learn."

"You could've joined us, you know," Raph told Donnie when he was next to him side-by-side. "You were the only one who missed out on the 'training-until-you-puke' experience."

"And suffer with you guys?" Donnie smiled condescendingly. "Not a chance. I did hear someone pulled a muscle, though. Nee-Chan?"

Everyone averted their gazes to their older sister, who was leaning against the rooftop's satellite dish and took out her tānto, staring at it thoroughly. "What?" She said when she noticed everyone's eyes on her.

"You should put that away," Leo advised. "And get away from the satellite dish. We don't want some random John coming up here investigating why he can't watch FOXX NEWS."

"Relax, mom," Miwa said jokingly. "It's nighttime; no one's gonna notice a thing. Or care."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to give anybody that chance. Besides, we have to get going. The meeting will start in less than twenty minutes."

"Whatever you say."

Miwa, Raph, and Mikey picked up again on the trail, with only Donnie and Leo left to follow. Donnie only pulled Leo back to share a few words with him. "If she really did pull a muscle, was it a good idea to bring her?" Donnie questioned. "Especially since she's going to be overusing her muscles—"

"I don't like it either, Donnie," Leo said, twisting his mouth. "But I asked her earlier and she said she was fine. She wanted to get back on the lunchbox."

Donnie's russet eyes narrowed. "So she decides to compensate for all the times she didn't train? That's so—"

"I know, Donnie. But it is what it is. Let's just move."

The brothers followed their own. Nobody made any unnecessary stops until they arrived at the docks, which were as quiet as ever. The quintet used the 'back' entrance— a tall, wired fence secured with a lock— and found a good spot to hide out while the charlatans talked business.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry," Mikey announced as he crawled on top of one of the shipping containers.

"You're always thinking with your stomach, aren't you?" Raph said sarcastically.

"I actually really am! I haven't had dinner."

"Mikey, there are other things we need to worry about other than if you ate or not," Donnie told him.

"I can't concentrate with an empty belly!"

"Just don't think about it too much."

"How am I gonna—"

"Guys!" Leo hissed. "The Count and Shredder's goons will be here any second! We're supposed to be silent!"

His siblings broke into a jitter of mumbles, but they followed Leo's orders and waited lying on their stomachs so they couldn't be seen or heard. No one had a phone with them, so they couldn't tell how much time has passed. But everyone had a feeling the deal should've started by now. Soon, Mikey's stomach rumbled. Raph's patience started to wear thin. What was the hold up? Was there going to be a deal or did either side chicken out and bail?

"This bites!" Raph pounded his fist against the metal. "They're not going to show!"

"Have some patience, will you?" Leo suggested. "This deal is too important for both sides. They're not just going to cancel when they know everything depends on this deal."

"The person who gave Talia that intel has to do better. If they think I'm going to sit here with this cold wind blowing in my ass—"

Mikey bit his tongue to keep himself from laughing. "That sounds so weird!"

"—they've got another thing coming!"

Nearby, the quintet heard what sounded like wire being scraped against the concrete. Then they heard the tires running. Bright lights beamed against the warehouses, the light only growing in intensity as the vehicles drove closer.

"You were saying, Raph?" Under his mask, Leo didn't even try to contain his smile.

"So sue me," Raph grumbled.

Two sleek black vans parked out in the open. On one of the vans at least, it had inscriptions or symbols painted on the side. What better way to make yourself inconspicuous than to doodle your transportation vehicle with colorful letters and drawings?

Two men stepped out of the first van; the people in the second van did the same. The quintet recognized them, alright: Foot soldiers, arms behind their backs and standing still and upright like pine trees.

"Could one of them be The Reaper?" Mikey whispered to Raph.

"Beats me," Raph whispered back. "They all look the same under those stupidly cool uniforms and masks."

The unidentified man walked up to the group of Foot soldiers. His head was shaved and body was built like he had been in the military. "Let us get this over with," he said in an accent that sounded heavily Eastern European. "You have the money?"

The Foot soldier in the middle stepped forward. "And you have the drugs?" They asked.

Raph frowned, listening. Their voice was slightly accented, but it wasn't The Reaper's or any of his cronies.

The unidentified man nodded.

"Show us," the Foot soldier decided.

"You no trust us?"

"More like protocol. Besides, you would've done the same as well."

The man grunted. He snapped his fingers at his partner. "Get that boy to unload the package."

The quintet looked at each other. Boy? What boy? As far as their eyes went, they didn't see anyone else.

The back of the van opened. The siblings' held in their breath, feelings of anticipation and anxiety drumming their hearts. On instinct their fingers reached for their weapons. All they had to do was wait until the drugs were in sight. . .

A few seconds passed, and someone— 'the boy' the man referred to— came from behind the van, hauling a duffel bag over his shoulder. He was looking down the entire time, wearing a cap, so the siblings' couldn't get a good view of his face. The boy set the bag down rather harshly, earning looks from the two men.

"Careful," the man warned, snatching the boy's cap off. "No need to take out anger on the merchandise."

Now that the cap was removed, the boy's facial features could be seen at a better angle. He was young, of course, wearing an aviator's jacket and ripped jeans. His floppy black hair was matted with sweat, eyes shining with what looked like barely hidden contempt. He was. . . He was. . .

Raph could only widen his eyes. Casey?

Stay tuned for an epilogue! :)