Family is Forever

Bug Busters: Part 2

Aria's POV:

Raph: "Did Draxum create everyone in here?"

Big Mama: "Draxum? Whatever is a Draxum?

Leo: "I'm sorry, you've never heard of Baron Draxum? Tall, ugly dude with talking gargoyles for shoulder pads? Likes to make mutants in his spare time? None of this is ringin' a bell?"

Big Mama: "Hmm, sounds fascinating. No, we Yokai have existed for thousands of eons. Most live in the Hidden City, but my hotel gives them a chance to kick up their flippers and stretch out their hollydoos."

Fizzy-winkle, crackadoo, hollydoos? No offense, but this woman needs to get herself a dictionary. Big Mama taps her hand against a door to reveal an even bigger room with giant TV screens as various Yokai are offered drinks and food from bartenders and servers.

Mikey: "This place is amazing! What is it?"

Big Mama: "Our sporting lounge, where you can take in the ferocious fights of the Battle Nexus."

Mikey: "Sounds scary."

Big Mama: "Heavens, no, unless you're put off by bloodcurdling battles where warriors are ripped limb from limbity limb."

Mikey: "Guys, remind me not to ask any more questions."

Me: "Well, I've got a few of my own."

Big Mama leads the five of us into her office as she shows images of recently-mutated beings from the human world.

Big Mama: "So this Draxum's oozesquitoes are causing quite the tissle-tassle by creating all these new mutants. Oh, so troubling. Gives us Yokai a bad name. I prefer a low profile. Excuse me while I slip into something a little more comfortable."

Big Mama taps her broach to reveal she's a giant spider Yokai.

Leo: "Oh, I knew it. Not that specifically, but there had to be something."

Big Mama: "I see my true form shocks you."

Raph: "You would hurt a nice spider-lady's feelings, wouldn't you, Leo."

Mikey: "Boo!"

Big Mama: "You know, come to think of it, perhaps my webs could be of use in catching the bugs. I have no means to splort them around town, but surely a genius like you can create a clever device to use them to capture the bugs."

Donnie: "Ok, I know what you're doing. You're just trying to flatter me...with the truth, and I love it!"

Big Mama: "Well, then allow me."

Big Mama hands Donnie a small bucket as she regurgitates a ton of web goo, accidentally sticking him to the wall behind us.

Me: "Ok, but earlier, it seemed you knew something about me that I don't. Care to elaborate?"

Big Mama: "Oh, yes, I believe I knew your mother."

Everyone pauses in surprise at her revelation.

Me: "Well, how do you know I'm..."

Big Mama: "Well, it may be a coincidoodle, but you have the same eye color and accepting nature. And it's not every day I meet a woman of your age with such a unique name as 'Aria'. No, I only know one person with a daughter with that name."

Me: "But, she is..."

Big Mama: "Human, yes. She used to live here with me in the hotel, and we were very close until she ventured into the Hidden City and met your father."

Me: "So, I'm only half-human?"

Big Mama: "If you are who I think you are, it's a possibility. Once you catch the oozesquitoes, bring them to me, and I'll safely return them to the Hidden City. I'll also tell you where your parents are."

Raph: "You got yourself a deal."

Then, Leo pulls Raph and me over for another side chat.

Leo: "Raph, Ria, what are we getting into? In case you haven't noticed, these mystic types have a nasty habit of trying to kill us."

Raph: "You're being crazy. She's trying to help us catch the oozesquitoes. Don't look a gift spider in the mouth."

Donnie: *shudders* "Never look her in the mouth."

Me: "Leo, please. I need to know more about where I came from and who my parents are. Not to mention why the Foot Clan were, and possibly still are, after me. If I'm half-Yokai, I want to know to whom that half of me belongs. I've earned it, haven't I?"

I'd never leave Splinter or the Turtles behind, but I've talked about wanting to know more about who my family was, and Leo knows that.

Leo: *sighs* "Fine. But if anything goes wrong-"

Me: "I'll be the first person to follow you out the door."

Leo nods as we follow the others toward the hotel lobby when I place a hand on his shoulder.

Me: "I really appreciate this, champ."

Leo smiles as he walks with an arm around my shoulders.

Leo: "Hey, what are brothers for?"

{Time skip}

Donnie and I are running along rooftops, Mikey and Raph are inside the Turtle Tank, and Leo's sitting on the tank's roof to release the noxious gas from before.

Donnie: "I looked it up. Bitey bugs from phylum Arthropoda are attracted to carbon dioxide."

Raph: "Leo, let it loose."

Leo releases the gas into the air as Donnie leaps to activate and fly on his new device while I hop onto my motorcycle as the oozesquitoes fly in.

Donnie: "Genius powers, go!"

Donnie presses a button on the device to shoot web goo, and an oozesquito is put into the vat we keep in the Tank.

Donnie: "Deadeye Donnie shoots, and touchdown! Or insert correct sports reference."

Me: "He shoots, he scores."

By the end of the day, we have more oozesquitoes than we can count.

Donnie: "You know, Big Mama was smart to believe in me because I am killing it."

Me: "No arguments here, Handsome."

Donnie: "Much obliged, Beautiful."

Raph: "Nice work, team. We must have got a hundred of 'em. Good thing we didn't do Leo's idea of being afraid of spiders."

Leo: "I don't know. I still don't trust her."

Me: "Nardo, this arrangement is the closest I've gotten to discovering my origins in 6 years. Trust or no trust, I'm not about to back out now."

We pull up to the hotel and walk out to discuss future business with Big Mama.

TO BE CONTINUED