Haunt or be Haunted: Chapters 10-12

CHAPTER 10
Identities Become known
Everyone awoke to a rustling in the bushes just outside the cave.
“What is that?” Rose whispered.

Leo and Crystal looked at each other, then took out their katanas. They went to the entrance of the cave and looked straight at the bushes that were only a few feet in front of the cave. The rustling continued until...a bunny came out from the bushes. By then, everyone was gathered behind Leo and Crystal. Everyone, except Leo and Crystal, sighed with relief.
“Guys, it was just a little bunny,” Nikki said.

“No, there is something else there,” Leo replied.

After a few seconds of silence, four Foot Ninja and two Foot Tech jumped out from behind the bushes! Leo and Crystal took on the four Foot Ninja easily; it was the Foot Tech who were the pain in the shell. The group watched as Leo and Crystal battled an invisible force. Soon, they were both pinned to the ground. Crystal jabbed her katana in front of her. Red bolts of light flashed for a second, then the Foot Tech reappeared. Leo did the same thing and got the same results. They continued battling the Foot Tech until they defeated them.
“What was that all about?” Cordelia asked Leo and Crystal.

“I don't know, but I have a feeling something bad is coming,” Leo replied.
“Shredder?” Sonic asked.
“Could be,” Crystal replied.
“I think we should go looking for a new place to rest. I don’t think this place is safe anymore.” Joey said as he looked around.
“I agree.” Rose said.
“Alright,” Leo agreed.
The group went out of the cave and walked into the forest.

-------------------------

When night came, the Spooks found an overhang.
“We should camp here tonight,” Crystal said.

“Or better yet, why don’t we make this our new camp?” Shadow suggested.
“Yeah. We should.” Cordelia said.

“Okay. Let's build a fire and then get some sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow.” Leo said as he went to get firewood.
Nikki got the fire started and then everyone soon fell asleep.
The next morning, the gang heard a strange noise.
“What was that?” Rose asked as she took a couple of steps.
“What’s that smell?” Cordelia asked as she moved next to Rose.
“I don’t smell anything,” Leo said.

“Me neither,” Crystal agreed.
“I smell it. It smells like…,” Sonic started.
“Humans!” Nikki finished.
“Leo and Crystal, you guys need to hide.” Sonic said.
When everyone looked over where Leo and Crystal were, they weren’t there anymore.
“Well, Crystal did say they were ninjas,” Nikki said.

At that moment, three humans came out from the trees.
“See, I told you I heard people.” one human said to the other humans.
Cordelia, Shadow, Nikki, Sonic, Rose, and Joey pretended not to notice them.

“Hello?” the same human said. “My name is Ken, and this is George and John.” Ken said as Cordelia, Shadow, Rose, Joey, Nikki, and Sonic turned around to look at them.

“Hi.” Nikki said as she waved at them.
“What are you guys doing up here?” John asked Corelia, Shadow, Rose, Joey, Sonic, and Nikki.
“We were hiking and then we got lost.” Sonic said as he took a step forward.

“Oh, well did you need a ride down the mountain? We have plenty of room to fit you guys, if you want to.” George said as he looked at the group.

“Yes, we would like to take up your offer and ride down the mountain with you guys.” Nikki said to George, John, and Ken.
“Cordelia, Shadow, Rose, and Joey, can you guys get our stuff?” Sonic asked.
“Sure.” Joey said as he beckoned for the others to follow him.

When they were behind the humans, Cordelia, Shadow, Rose, and Joey looked at each other. They grinned baring their teeth and looked back at the humans with bloodshot eyes. When Nikki and Sonic saw this, they stared in horror and shook their heads “no”. George, John, and Ken looked to see what Nikki and Sonic were staring at. The vampires grinned with their mouths closed, careful not to show their fangs.
The group went down the mountain and jumped in the boys’ car.

“We’re forgetting about Leo and Crystal,” Rose whispered to Shadow.
Shadow told Cordelia and she looked in the back of the truck.
“No, we didn’t. They’re back there,” Cordelia replied as Shadow looked back.
Shadow saw them and gave them a thumbs up, then he told Rose.

--------------------------

When they got down the mountain, it was already evening. They then drove to an old town, parked, and entered a salon. Leo and Crystal slipped into a clothing store and snuck some disguises. Then, they joined the rest of the group at a table in the salon.

“Do you guys want to play poker?” Ken asked.

“How do you play?” Shadow asked.
The boys explained how to play the common card game called poker. Soon, they were all playing it, except Leo and Crystal, who went up to the roof tops. After a few minutes, Nikki and Sonic started to feel sick.

“Are you two ok?” Joey asked.

Nikki and Sonic gave each other worried looks.
“Yeah, just a stomach ache,” Nikki replied.

Then, the two went into the bathrooms. A few short moments later, two werewolves burst out and started going on a rampage. People were running out of the salon. Leo and Crystal heard all the commotion and rejoined the group.
“What’s going on?” Crystal asked.

“It’s Nikki and Sonic!” Cordelia exclaimed.
“Grab them before they do anymore damage!” Leo instructed.
Everyone managed to get Sonic and Nikki on the ground.
“Now what?” Rose asked.

“I don’t know. Take them to the forest where they could run free?” Joey asked.
“Yeah, because I remember that they would always go into the forest by themselves one night every month.” Cordelia said as she remembered Nikki and Sonic running away for a night.

“Okay, let's get them out of here.” Leo said as he picked Sonic up. Sonic then bit Leo. At the same time, Crystal picked up Nikki and Nikki bit her.

“Leo! Crystal!” Rose exclaimed as Shadow and Joey and Shadow grabbed some rope and tied their mouths closed.
“We’re fine,” Crystal replied.

“Yeah, but do you know what happens when you get bit or scratched by a werewolf?” Cordelia asked.
“You turn into a werewolf,” Joey answered.

“Do you guys feel sick or anything?” Shadow asked Leo and Crystal.
“No,” Leo and Crystal replied in unison.

“Weird, usually the side effects would have kicked in by now,” Rose said.
“We can’t focus on that right now. We have to get Nikki and Sonic to safety,” Crystal replied.
“Okay. We need to take them out from the back. That way no human will see us.” Shadow said as he tried to pull the werewolves by the ropes on their mouths.

Leo and Crystal then grabbed Nikki and Sonic again and the group went to the back of the building. When they got outside, Ken, George, and John were there.

“What are you guys doing with those beasts?” George asked as the three of them backed away.
“We are getting them out of here. Why, do you have a problem with that?” Cordelia said as she walked toward them.
Ken, George, and John backed farther away as Cordelia spoke.
“Cordelia that’s enough, we got to get them out of here.” Shadow said as he grabbed her wrist to pull her back.
“Okay.” Cordelia said reluctantly.

"Wait!" George called after them.

"Sorry, we can't right now,” Rose called back as they disappeared into the forest.
The boys just stood there wondering what to do. They soon decided to follow the group.

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, Leo, Crystal, Shadow, Cordelia, Joey, and Rose were untying Nikki and Sonic deep in the forest. After Nikki and Sonic were untied, they attacked Joey and Rose because they were the closest. Cordelia and Shadow ran in front and knocked them to the ground. When Shadow and Cordelia got up from the ground, their fangs were out. Joey and Rose ran to their side, baring their fangs also. Nikki and Sonic got up from the ground and started to attack the vampires since werewolves and vampires aren’t friends on full moons.

Just as Nikki and Sonic were about to bite Cordelia and Shadow, Leo and Crystal jumped in front of them, so the werewolves bit them instead. Cordelia, Shadow, Rose, and Joey then all stated to fight the werewolves. Shadow and Joey used their muscular strength while Rose and Cordelia were throwing fireballs close enough so that Nikki and Sonic got scared but not to where they got hurt.

As this was happening, Ken, George, and John were following the sound of the madness. As they got closer, they began to see figures.
“Is that Cordelia and Rose?” John asked as they got closer.
“I think that is. Is that Shadow and Joey?” George said looking at where John was looking.
“Let’s go find out.” Ken said as he started to walk toward the figures.

As the trio got closer, they saw that it was indeed their new friends, except there were two mutant turtles with them!
“Woah! We have to help them!” John said.

“Hold up. We can’t just jump right in. Let’s only go if they really need help,” Ken said as he got in front of John.
"Wait what is that noise?" Rose asked looking around while making sure that nothing was going to happen with Nikki and Sonic.
"Joey, go through the woods and find out what that noise is.” Shadow whispered to Joey.

Joey then ran into the woods and went to find what was making all the noise. After a few seconds, Ken, George, and John were flown through the air. Joey threw the trio out from behind the bushes. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at them. Cordelia, Shadow, and Rose, along with Joey, had their fangs bared. Cordelia and Rose also had fireballs in their hands.

“Yeah, we might’ve followed you and saw that you were fighting the werewolves and we kinda wanted to help you,” George said.
“Please don’t hurt us,” John begged.

-----------------------------

Leo and Crystal were still trying to keep Nikki and Sonic away from the others.
“Guys, we can't keep this up all night. Crystal and I are going to lead them off into the woods,” Leo calls from the shadows.
“Ok, we’ll find you later,” Joey called back.

But the werewolves quickly got bored and went for the vampires and humans.
“Guys, look out!” Crystal called, still in the shadows.

They turned around just in time to see the werewolves attacking. Sonic attacked Joey and managed to bite him in the shoulder. He screamed in pain.

“Joey!” Rose screamed as she tried to pull Sonic off of her boyfriend.
Sonic finally stopped biting Joey and he and Nikki ran off into the woods. Leo and Crystal followed them into the woods.
“Joey!” Shadow and Cordelia yelled as they ran toward their friend.
“Joey! Joey, say something.” Rose said as she held him in a hugging way.
Cordelia glared at the humans, baring her fangs. Cordelia ran toward the group and stopped right in front of them, all in one second.
She then said, “It’s your fault.”

“Cordelia, calm down.” Shadow said as he very slowly went to stand beside Cordelia.
“No, I won’t calm down.” Cordelia yelled back at Shadow. “Joey’s going to turn into a werewolf because of them.”
“Cordelia’s right.” Rose said as she got up from the ground where Joey was laying down. “They need to pay. Pay in blood.” Rose then said as she bared her fangs and her eyes went bloodshot.

Cordelia followed Rose’s lead and start to walk toward the trio.
“Wait!” Shadow exclaimed. “Joey would still be a vampire, which would make him a Hybrid.”
“Yeah, anyways, it wasn’t our fault,” Ken replied.

“Yes, it was.” Rose said.
“Okay that’s enough, both of you.” Shadow said as he ran in between them.
Cordelia and Rose backed off.

“I’m sorry, guys. The girls here are just worried for our friend. Don’t speak of this to anyone, or we will find you,” Shadow said.

“Yeeeaaah, we'll fiiiind yoooou!... I'm sorry, that came across super-creepy. We will find you, though!” Rose added.
“Okay, just one question.” John said.
“What?” Shadow said.
“What are you guys?” John asked as George and Ken nodded in the background.

“Vampires,” Cordelia said proudly as she showed her fangs.
The three boys freaked out.
“As long as you don’t tell anyone, we won’t hurt you,” Shadow said.
The boys just nodded their heads.
“Good, now SCRAM!” Rose exclaimed.
The boys took off running.

“Okay, well that happened.” Cordelia said.
“We have to get Joey out of here.” Shadow said as he picked Joey up.
“Okay.” Rose said as she followed Shadow as he walked back to town.
“Wait what about Leo and Crystal?” Cordelia asked.
“We’ll find them after we get Joey to safety,” Shadow replied.


CHAPTER 11
The next morning, Nikki and Sonic woke up next to each other under a tree.
“What happened last night?” Nikki said as she sat up.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember much, but the last thing I remember was that we felt sick and we ran into the bathrooms. It gets fuzzy from there.” Sonic said sitting up next to Nikki and thinking about what happened.
“Do you think we got drunk?” Nikki asked.

“No, I think something worse happened.” Sonic said looking at her worriedly.
Leo and Crystal came back and saw Nikki and Sonic awake.
“Hey guys,” Crystal said as she set down some water.
“What happened last night?” Nikki asked.

Leo and Crystal looked at each other.
“Um, you two just passed out,” Leo replied.
“Why?” Sonic asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe you guys ate something and got food poisoning,” Crystal answered.
“Really?” Nikki asked, not believing what they were saying.

“Ok, you caught us. It was a full moon last night and…” Crystal started to say.
“What! Why didn’t you say that in the first place!? Did we hurt anyone?” Nikki said scared that she hurt an innocent person.
Just then, Rose, Cordelia and Shadow found them.

“I’m glad you two are back to normal,” Shadow said.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone, besides Shredder, hate anyone else that much until last night. Werewolves and vampires are obviously not good friends on full moons.” Leo said.

“Wait, what?” Sonic asked worried.
“Just follow us,” Shadow said.

Everyone followed Shadow, Cordelia and Rose. They arrived in the abandoned town and entered an old, brick building.

“Where are you taking us?” Sonic asked.

“Wait, where’s Joey?” Nikki asked looking around for Joey.
“Upstairs,” Cordelia said as she pointed to old brick stairs in the far corner of the room.
“Follow me,” Rose said as she went up the stairs with Cordelia. Nikki and Sonic followed her while Leo, Crystal and Shadow waited downstairs.

When they got up the stairs, Cordelia went ahead and opened the third door on the left. Inside, Joey laid in the bed with a wrap around his right shoulder. A few seconds later, Nikki, Sonic, and Rose walked into the room. Nikki gasped in horror.

“Did one of us do that?” Sonic asked as he wrapped Nikki into a supportive hug so she wouldn’t fall on the floor.
“I hate to say this, but yes,” Cordelia replied.
“It was me, wasn’t it?” Sonic asked.
“Yeah,” Rose replied.
“I can understand if you guys are mad at us,” Nikki said.

“Don’t say that, Nikki. We know you can’t control it. We should have known it was coming,” Rose said compassionately.
“We should let him rest,” Sonic said.

“Wait, if a werewolf bites or scratches someone, doesn’t that mean they’ll turn into a werewolf as well?” Nikki asked.
“Yeah, but there might be a way to reverse the effects. For now, though, he’ll be a Hybrid,” Cordelia said.

---------------------------------

They all went back downstairs and met up with Shadow, Leo, and Crystal.
“Hey, Leo, Crystal? Can we talk to you guys for a second?” Nikki asked.
“Sure,” Leo replied.

“Well, you guys know all about ninja stuff and self-control. Do you think there is any way for us to control ourselves when it is a full moon?” Sonic asked.

“I don’t know much about werewolves, but I’m sure if there is a way, Master Splinter would know and Donnie could probably find a way to reverse the effects on Joey. Maybe even Mikey could help,” Crystal explained.
“How could Mikey help?” Leo asked Crystal.

“You know him and his comic books. Chances are he probably reads some comics that involve werewolves,” Crystal replied.
“I think I hear something, I’ll be right back.” Cordelia said before she went up stairs.
After a few seconds, Cordelia came to the top of the stairs and said, “Joey’s up, and he wants to see you guys,”
Everyone went up stairs.

“Joey!” Rose said as she ran up to him.
“Ugh, I feel so weird,” Joey moaned.
“Maybe cause you’re part werewolf now. But that doesn’t matter to me. I still love you,” Rose said as she kissed him.
“Awe!” Cordelia said as Rose and Joey kissed.
They broke away after Cordelia said that.
“Um, Joey?” Sonic said.

“Yeah?” Joey replied.
“I am so sorry for biting you. I never meant to do it.” Sonic said while he looked at the floor.
“It wasn’t you, Sonic. It was the full moon,” Joey replied.
Sonic smiled and said, “Thanks, buddy.”

--

Later that day, Joey was able to get out of bed and down the stairs with Rose’s help.
"So, what happened while I was asleep?” Joey asked the group.

“Well, after you got bitten, Nikki and Sonic ran off into the woods while Leo and Crystal followed them. Cordelia, Rose and I took you back here since the town is deserted after the turn last night. We set you on the bed and then went to look for the others. We came back and then you woke up.” Shadow explained.

“Okay, so I didn’t miss much.” Joey said, thankful nothing major happened while he was asleep.
“Wait, what about Ken, George, and John? Did they leave with the others in the town?” Nikki asked.
“Um, they ran off,” Cordelia said.

“Oh,” Sonic replied.

“Well, we have all had a stressful day. I’m going to bed,” Rose said.
“Me too,” Cordelia said, as she yawned.
“Me three,” Nikki agreed.
“Me four,” Shadow added.
“I guess I will too,” Joey said.

“Yeah, I’m going back to our new camp,” Sonic said.
“I’ll come to,” Nikki said as she followed Sonic.
“Wait, why don’t you guys want to stay in the sort of warm building?” Rose asked.
“I think we just need some time alone,” Sonic said.

“Oh, ok,” Rose said softly.
“I am going to stay up for a while,” Crystal said.
“Yeah, I will too. After all, someone has to keep watch,” Leo agreed.

“Okay. There are enough rooms where we can all sleep.” Cordelia said.
“Okay, lets go.” Rose said. She helped Joey back up the stairs.
Sonic and Nikki left to go back to the new camp.

When Cordelia, Shadow, Rose, and Joey got back upstairs, Joey and Rose went back into the third room on the left while Cordelia and Shadow went into the fourth door on the right. Leo and Crystal went to the rooftops.


CHAPTER 12

“Beautiful night out, huh?” Crystal said to Leo.
“Yeah. I wonder if my brothers are looking up at the moon, too. It’s hard to believe that it’s the same moon,” Leo replied.
“I miss them too,” Crystal said as she gave Leo a hug.
Something moved in the forest.

“Did you see that?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah. Let’s check it out,” Leo replied.
“Wait, what if it is a distraction?” Crystal said.
“Hm, good thinking, Crystal. You stay here and I’ll go check it out,” Leo replied.
Crystal nodded her head then Leo jumped down a disappeared into the woods.

------------------------------

When Joey and Rose walked into the room, they went and sat down on the bed.
“Rose, do you still love me even though I’m part werewolf?” Joey asked Rose, looking down at his hands.

“Of course I do. No matter what happens, I will always love you.” Rose said as she lifted Joey’s head and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back passionately. They stayed like that for a while.

---------------------------

Back in Cordelia and Shadow’s room, Cordelia and Shadow started talking as they laid next to each other on the bed.
“Leo and Crystal seem like they’ve been missing their home," Cordelia whispered.
“Yeah. Why are we whispering?” Shadow whispered back.

Cordelia answered, "Well everyone is probably asleep, so I just don't want to wake anyone up."
“Okay.” Shadow said as he faced Cordelia and propped himself on one elbow.
Cordelia looked up at Shadow, and Shadow looked down at Cordelia. He closed the distance between them and kissed her.

-----------

I hope Leo is alright, Crystal thought. Just then Leo jumped back out of the woods, holding his arm.
"Leo!" Crystal exclaimed as she jumped down to meet him.
"Get the others," Leo said.

"Wait, what happened to your arm?” Crystal asked worried.
"No time to explain. We have to wake up the vampires," Leo replied.
Crystal nodded her head and they ran inside.
"Let's not wake up Rose and Joey though," Crystal said
“Ok.” Leo replied.

Crystal went up to Cordelia and Shadows room and knocked on the door.
Cordelia and Shadow separated when they heard the knock on the door.
“Yeah?” Cordelia asked still out of breath.

Leo and Crystal walked in and noticed that Cordelia’s hair and the sheets were a mess.
“Um, are we interrupting something?” Crystal asked.
“Nope.” Cordelia said as she almost had her breath back.
“Okay, well, we need you guys to come outside.” Leo said.

Cordelia smelled the blood and looked at Leo’s arm.
“Oh my gosh, what happened to your arm?” Cordelia asked as she and Shadow sat up.
“Vampires.” Leo said. “We need to hurry. They're closing in.”
“Okay.” Shadow said as he pulled Cordelia off the bed.

They started to run outside when out of the trees came six vampires.
"I bit you. You should be a vampire by now," one of the vampires said.
"We don’t get affected by any werewolf or vampire bites," Crystal explained.
"Well, then I guess we'll just have to kill you if you can’t join us" another vampire said.
"Then take your best shot," Leo replied as he and Crystal got out their katanas.
"Gladly," a vampire replied.

Then two of the six attacked Leo and Crystal while the other four attack Cordelia and Shadow.
After a few minutes of fighting, one of the vampires scratched Shadow in the arm, and he screamed in pain. When this happened, Cordelia stopped fighting and screamed. All the vampires looked at Cordelia and Shadow.

“They’re bonded.” one vampire said.

Both Cordelia and Shadow’s arms were bleeding. They looked at each other with worry in their eyes.

“Take them! We need them for you know who.” one vampires said as he tackled Cordelia to the ground.
“No!” Leo and Crystal cried as the tried to fight their way over to Cordelia and Shadow.
Shadow was the next one to get tackled to the ground. Four vampires held Shadow and Cordelia up, two vampires on each person. One vampire on Shadow held a wooden stake to his heart.

“One more move, and we’ll kill them both.” the leader vampire said as he held a stake to Cordelia’s heart.
“Drop your weapons!” the other vampire with the stake commanded, pushing on the stake until it punctured the skin. Both Cordelia and Shadow winced.

Crystal and Leo dropped their weapons.

“Good. Now tell your other friends to either surrender themselves to us or die. Their choice.” the vampire leader said before the six vampires whooshed away, taking Cordelia and Shadow with them.

--------------------------------

After the other vampires were gone, Leo and Crystal picked up their weapons and put them away.
“What are we going to do?” Crystal asked.

“We tell the others immediately. Come on,” Leo replied as he started heading back to town.

-------------------------

The next thing Cordelia and Shadow knew was that they were tied to chairs. How they got there and how they got tied to a chair is a mystery to them.

“Shadow?” Cordelia asked as she looked around.
“Yeah?” Shadow’s voice came behind her.
“Thank goodness.” Cordelia said. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. Are you okay?” Shadow asked as he tried to look at her.

“I’m fine. You?” Cordelia asked right before the two vampires that held the stakes came into the room.
“Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. Two vampires who are bonded. How fascinating. Now, I would like you to tell me how you two got bonded.” the vampire leader said as he walked around Cordelia and Shadow.

“We’ll never tell you.” Cordelia said as she tried to give the vampires a deadly glare.
“Look Drake, she’s trying to give us the death stare. So cute. She is definitely a keeper.” the other vampire said as he walked closer to Cordelia and smiled.

“Leave her alone.” Shadow said as he tried to unbind his hands. His eyes were full of protection.
“Awe, Ralph look. Young vampire love. How adorable.” Drake said as he squeezed Cordelia’s cheek and shook her head.
Cordelia threw her head out of his grip and looked at the floor.

“Alright, if you guys won’t cooperate, then let's see how long you guys can last without food.” Ralph said as he and Drake left the room and locked the door behind them. After a few minutes, sleep engulfed both Cordelia and Shadow.

----------------------

By the time Leo and Crystal got back to the abandoned house, Rose and Joey were still in their room, asleep in each other's arms.
“I feel bad waking them up,” Crystal whispered.

“I do too, but this is an emergency. I bet they will be glad we woke them up,” Leo replied.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Crystal replied as she knocked on the door.
Rose and Joey jumped out of bed.

“Yes?” Joey asked sleepily.
“Joey, Rose, it’s us, Leo and Crystal. It’s an emergency,” Crystal replied.
The door flew open.
“What happened?” Rose asked, wide awake.
“Cordelia and Shadow have been captured by other vampires,” Leo explained.
“What!?” Rose and Joey exclaimed in unison.
"We have to go," Leo said.

"Yeah, who knows what is happening to them," Rose said.
The gang ran out the door and into the woods. Before they started looking, the group went to their camp and got Nikki and Sonic.
"How will we ever find them?" Crystal asked.

"Werewolves have excellent smell," Nikki said as she and Sonic turned into their wolf forms.
"And vampires have excellent hearing," Joey added.
"Right, I forgot," Crystal said.
After a few minutes, the group came to a cave.
"They're in there," Sonic said.
"I think they're asleep," Joey said.
"How can you tell?" Crystal asked.

"Shadow snores very loudly," Joey replied.
"It's really scary in there," Rose said staying close to Joey.
"And dark," Crystal added.
"Actually, not for us. We can see in the dark," Rose replied.
"Hey, we can too!" Nikki added.

"Ok, then you guys go in. Crystal and I will keep watch in case anyone tries to follow you," Leo said.
"Ok," everyone said as they entered the cave.

---------------------------------------

"I hope they'll be ok," Crystal said.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Leo replied. "If they need us, we'll know."
"Ok," Crystal said as she leaned against Leo.
There was a rustling in the bushes. Leo and Crystal immediately took out their katanas. Suddenly, someone fell out if the bushes.
"Usagi!" Leo exclaimed as he ran over to his friend. "What happened?"

Just as Leo asked that, a group of Foot soldiers jumped out from the bushes.
"No time to explain, Leonardo-san," Usagi replied as he got up.
Crystal ran to Leo's side and together they all fought the Foot Ninja. After the fight, Leo introduced Crystal to Usagi.
"So you're the famous samurai Leo has been talking about?" Crystal asked.
Leo smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I wouldn't say famous. My homeland is feudal Japan. I saw the Damio's son, the Ultimate Ninja, enter through a portal so I followed him. The portal opened not too far from here, but the Damio's son was nowhere in sight. I started wandering around trying to find clues when the Foot attacked," Usagi explained.

"Great. Just what we needed. It's not like we don't have our hands full with the Shredder already,” Crystal said.

---------------

Joey, Rose, Nikki, and Sonic went down into the darkness of the cave.
“Do you think we’ll get caught?” Nikki asked as she tried to sniff the air for the smell of Cordelia or Shadow.
“I honestly don’t know. Hopefully not though.” Joey said as he listened for Shadow’s breathing.
“Wait!” Rose said as she threw out her arm.

“What is it?” Sonic asked.
“Vampires.” Rose said as she lead the group to a shadowy part of the cave.
“Let’s follow them. They will probably lead us to Cordelia and Shadow.” Sonic whispered to the others.
“Good idea, Sonic.” Joey said.

“Okay, but we got to be quiet so they don’t know that we are following them.” Rose said as she got ready to find her friends.
“We better hurry. I can’t hear Shadow snoring.” Joey said with a worried look on his face.

---------------------

Cordelia and Shadow jumped when the door slammed shut. Drake and Ralph came in carrying a human with them. Cordelia and Shadow recognized the human, but they couldn’t put a name on him.

“Have you guys made your decision?” Drake said as he smiled tediously.
“Why do you want to know how we got bonded? What’s in it for you?” Cordelia asked.
“Oh, it’s not what’s in it for us, but it’s what’s in it for someone else.” Drake said as he stalked over to Cordelia to stand right in front of her.
“Leave her alone!” Shadow exclaimed

---------------------


“What was that?” Nikki said as there was a faint noise that she could hear.
“Shadow!” Joey and Rose exclaimed in a whisper, glad that they have a lead on where they need to go.

---------------------

“Why should we? You are trapped and we aren’t. We can do whatever we want to, like this.” Ralph said as he bit into the human's neck and drank.

“Leave him here. Let’s see how long they will last with the scent of blood and an innocent life on their hands.” Drake said before he and Ralph laughed maniacally.

Ralph and Drake then left the room, leaving the human, Shadow, and Cordelia alone.

---------------------

Leo, Crystal, and Usagi talked for a while when, all of a sudden, there was another rustling in the bushes.
“Now what?” Crystal asked as she, Leo, and Usagi got out their weapons.
“Probably more Foot Ninja,” Usagi said.

The rustling stopped and a rhino walked out from the shadows.
“Gennosuke, what are you doing here?” Usagi asked surprised.

“I saw you go through a portal, so I followed. I thought to myself, Maybe there is a new place Usagi has discovered that has delicious new food. But it turns out that there was no food, so now I have no way to get back because I don’t know the ritual to open the portal,” Gennosuke explained.

“You and your obsession with food, Gen,” Usagi said in a playful tone.
“Crystal, this is Gennosuke, aka Gen. Gen, this is Crystal,” Leo said.
“Cool. Hey, do you have any food? I’m starving,” Gen said.

Leo and Usagi looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
Crystal chuckled and said, “No, sorry Gen.”

---------------------

As the group continued deeper into the cave, Rose and Joey stopped abruptly.
“What is it?” Nikki asked as she stepped in front of them.

“B..b..b...blood.” Rose said as tears filled her eyes as she feared the worst.
“Blood?” Sonic asked.
Rose nodded.
“Rose, it’s okay.” Joey said as he hugged her. “It’s only a human. Don’t worry. Cordelia and Shadow are fine.”
“Okay.” Rose said as she hugged Joey back.

They started to follow the scent until hands grabbed each of them separately. Rose screamed.
“Shut up, now! You’re coming with us,” one person behind them said as they moved the group down a tunnel toward the blood.
Rose, Joey, Nikki, and Sonic continued to follow the vampires down through the tunnels.

---------------------

Crystal, Leo, Usagi, and Gen were talking when all of a sudden, there was a scream from the cave.
“That sounded like Rose!” Crystal exclaimed.

“Then let’s go in and find them. Usagi and Gen, will you two stay out here and keep watch?” Leo asked.
“Of course,” Usagi replied.

“Thanks,” Leo said as he and Crystal ventured into the cave.
As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Leo and Crystal saw something that made them worried.
“Blood?” Crystal asked, starting to get a little frightened.

“Looks like it. Come on, let’s follow it,” Leo replied with worry in his voice.
As the two ventured deeper into the tunnel, they saw light coming from inside the wall.
“Could it be a room?” Crystal whispered.

“Probably. Let’s check it out,” Leo whispered back.
As they got closer, they could hear someone talking.

“Well, well. Look at this. Now, we are finally together. How about that. Ralph you want to introduce us to these...fine looking vampires?” a voice said.

“That sounds like one of the vampires we fought earlier,” Leo whispered.
Crystal nodded her head.

Leo and Crystal peaked into the room. When they saw what was about to happen, they jumped into the room...

---------------------

Cordelia and Shadow looked at the door when they heard a girl scream.
“Who could that be?” Cordelia asked.

“Probably another human. Don’t worry.” Shadow said as he felt Cordelia’s hands tense up.
Shadow grabbed her hands in his.

“Okay, it’s just that, the scream sounded like Rose’s.” Cordelia said as she became worried.
At that moment, the door flew open, and Ralph, Drake, and three other vampires walked in with Rose, Joey, Nikki, and Sonic.
Cordelia fell silent at the sight of her friends. She feared the worse for every person in the room.

“Well, well. Look at this. Now, we are finally together. How about that. Ralph you want to introduce us to these...fine looking vampires?” Drake said as he looked around the room. When his eyes fell on Nikki and Sonic, he said disgusted, “And the werewolves.”

“Okay, so, the vampires that are tied to the chairs are bonded, and the two werewolves and the vampires are their friends. Now here is the real question. Do you, vampires, choose to surrender your friends and you will be free, or take your friends place and let them go free.” Ralph said as he talked only to Joey and Rose.

Rose and Joey looked at each other and nodded.
“We’ll take…” Rose started to say.
“No, don’t Rose!” Cordelia interrupted.

“Hey!” Drake exclaimed as he moved in front of Cordelia. “Do. Not. Talk.” Drake said as he slapped Cordelia across the face.
“Hey! Do not touch her.” Shadow said as he tried to free himself.

Ralph whooshed to Shadow and put the stake against his heart. Ralph punctured the skin and Shadow and Cordelia started bleeding.
“Now, what will be your decision?” Ralph said waiting for Rose and Joey’s response.

“Tick tock, tick tock. we don’t have all day. Answer now or we will kill them.” Drake said as Ralph pushed his stake farther into Shadow.

---------------------

Leo and Crystal jumped and did a ninja flip over the others, then landed on top of Drake and Ralph. The other vampires that were holding the rest of the group back and ran to help Drake and Ralph.
“Leo and Crystal!” everyone shouted.

Leo cut the ropes that held Cordelia and Shadow to the chairs. Rose and Joey, along with Nikki and Sonic, ran up to Shadow and Cordelia.

“Get Cordelia and Shadow out of the cave!” Leo instructed. “We’ll hold off the vampires.”
Everyone nodded and helped Cordelia and Shadow out of the cave.

“Wait.” Cordelia said before walking out. She looked at the human and said, “I need one bite.”
“Cordelia, no. We will go find you something else to eat when we get out of here, but for right now, we need to leave.” Rose said as she lead Cordelia out the door.

“Ugh, okay.” Cordelia said, annoyed because she has to wait for food.
They continued through the cave, until they found the tunnel that lead them out of the cave.

-----------------------
Leo and Crystal continued to fight the vampires.
“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,” Crystal said.
Leo looked around the room and saw the support beams that were holding up the ceiling.
“Just hang in there for one more minute,” Leo replied as he slashed one of the beams.

Crystal got the idea and started slashing the other beams. Soon, there was only one beam left. The ceiling started to crack. Leo and Crystal looked at each other and slashed the beam together.
“Let’s get out of here!” the vampires yelled as they ran for the door.

Leo and Crystal were already outside the crumbling room. Suddenly, the entire area started shaking.
“We should get out of here,” Crystal said.

“I agree. Let’s move,” Leo replied.
They were about five feet from the entrance when rocks started falling down and blocking their only exit.
“We have to jump!” Crystal exclaimed.

Leo nodded his head and they jumped, then they crashed into Usagi and Gen.
“You made it!” Rose exclaimed.
“Yeah, but that was a little too close for comfort,” Leo replied as he and Crystal helped Usagi and Gen up.
"What happened to you guys?" Cordelia asked, seeing Leo and Crystal covered in bite marks from their arms to their necks.
"What do you think?" Nikki asked Cordelia.

"Right, those, no-good vampires," Cordelia replied.
“By the way, this is Usagi and Gennosuke,” Crystal said as she pointed to Usagi and Gen.
“Do you have any food?” Gen asked.
Usagi rolled his eyes, Leo facepalmed, and Crystal chuckled.
“Well, I think we should get out of here.” Sonic said.

“Yeah, but I’m starving. I need to go hunt before we do anything.” Cordelia said dramatically.
“Okay, but stay close to Shadow. I bet he’s hungry too.” Joey said, winking, as Shadow went over to Cordelia.
Rose smacked Joey in the chest.

“Haha, very funny. Come on Cordelia, let’s go.” Shadow said as he put his arm around Cordelia and left the others by the cave.

-------------------------

"We should go back to camp," Crystal said.
"Yeah, I’m tired," Rose said.
The group went back to their camp. Soon, sleep had overtaken everyone.

----------------

Cordelia and Shadow walked deep into the woods.
“Why did Joey wink?” Cordelia asked when they were out of earshot of Joey and Rose.
“I don’t know, but that’s not important.” Shadow said.

“Oh, and why not?” Cordelia asked crossing her arms and stopping.
Shadow stopped in front of her and turned around.

“Because this is more important.” Shadow said as he went down on one knee. “Cordelia, I’ve known you for hundreds of years and you are the most amazing, beautiful, and intelligent vampire that I know. I couldn’t have asked for anyone else to fall in love with.” Shadow then pulled a small box out from his pocket. He opened it and said, “Cordelia, will you marry me?”

Cordelia started to get tears in her eyes. “Yes. Yes!” she said as Shadow stood up and put the ring on her left ring finger. He embraced her and then kissed her.
“Do you still want to hunt?” Shadow asked after a while.
“No, let’s go back to the others.” Cordelia said as she leaned on Shadow.
“Okay.” Shadow said as he kissed the top of her head.
They walked back to the camp, holding hands, and found everyone already there, asleep.