For those of you following 1056 Hours, I have the next chapter written in a note book, but due to exams, holidays and art projects I haven't had time to type it up yet, but I will get it up as soon as possible. In the mean time: Happy Leorai Week! :)

Appologies in advance if there are mistakes as I got back home from holiday yesterday and have had only around 4 hours of 'proper' sleep in 48 hours so am near to crashing. :(

Day 1: Getting Married

Heart beating in his chest, Leo ran, ignoring the sting of his wounds and the pained noises coming from his arms. He had to get back. Nothing else mattered. Clenching his teeth together he pressed his ear closer into the phone wedged between his shoulder and cheek, the long rings seeming to mock his desperation.

Riiiiiinnnnnnggggg

Riiiiiinnnnnnggggg

Riiiiiinnnn- click.

"Hel-"

"DONNIE!" Leo cut his brother off, barely keeping his voice level as tears chocked him. "I need the med-bay ready NOW! Stab wound. Gut. I'm nearly there." He blurted out each word, knowing his brother would need no further explanation.

"I'm on it." The phone clicked off and Leo breathed a sigh of relief that he had made contact. With only a short distance left to run, he didn't want to deal with his family when the wound was this extreme.

A moan came from his arms and the turtle brought his arms closer to his plastron, holding the shivering body as near to him as he could, as if he could will life back into her.

"Please, my love. Just hold on for me…"

"…And for Miwa…" Came the weak reply and Leo felt tears begin to slip past his guard. Lowering his head he planted a kiss on the wet hair.

"Yes. And for her." He allowed a desperate smile to grace his lips. "We're here." With these words, he jumped over the turnstiles with as much care as he could muster and ignoring the gasps and stares from the large gathering in and around the pit, he charged into the lab where Donnie and April stood beside the table they had often used as an operating table.

"Place her here." Donnie ordered, shock quickly morphing into a concentrated calm as he picked up a syringe of what Leo guessed was some sort of strong pain killer or sedative.

"I tried… the healing hands…" He gasped for breath and quickly scrubbed his eyes to clear the tears which were now running thick and fast. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked to his side and met April's pained expression face.

"We'll do our best." She promised and before he could help himself he collapsed to his knees as reality hit home. Karai was dying and there was nothing he could do. He touched the dark metal band around his finger, remembering the day, long ago when he and Karai had swapped rings and joined together as husband and wife. No… He told himself as April squeezed his shoulder and began to help Donnie cut away Karai's top and remove her armour, exposing the brutal wound beneath. Not long ago. 30 years. 30 years today.

It was their anniversary…

He watched in shock as a mask was placed onto his wife's beautiful face, saw the way the clan's resident doctors probed the wound and pressed cloths on it with grimaces showing how serious the injury was. He could still only stare at his partner as he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and lift him up, guiding him from the room to let his brother work. He heard words of reassurance, saw the concerned and comforting glances of his large family as he left the lab and saw the figure beside him wave them back. Shaking, Leo turned to the side to meet Raph's emerald gaze and saw the love, pity and fear beneath the cool gaze. It was too much. The leader of the Hamato clan shook himself free of his brother's embrace and pushed past the group nearby to force himself over to his and Karai's quarters. Without looking back he pushed through the door which used to lead to his bedroom but now opened to a corridor with four different doors. He pushed into the first and dropped to his and Karai's bed, put his head in his hands, and sobbed.

Despite not being a doctor, Leo knew enough about injuries and the basic human structure to understand the facts. When that Neo-Foot soldier had forced that blade through Karai's stomach, the piercing scream his wife had emitted and the blood that had seeped through her already crimson lips as he had picked her up told the turtle that something vital had been pierced. There was internal bleeding and the odds were not in her favour. As the tears fell, Leo recalled the reason he had proposed they left the lair for a midnight run together, how, when they were both just teenagers, they had met on the rooftops, fought (well technically, there was no fight, just Karai blinding and kicking Leo's sorry shell, as she loved to point out every time their first meeting was raised.) The idea tonight had been that Leo would distract her while their friends and family gathered for a surprise party to celebrate 30 years together, and for Miwa – their daughter now nearing 30 herself – to imbed a pearl in the present Leo had secretly crafted. However now there seemed no cause to celebrate.

Gathering himself he wiped his eye and left the room and knocked on the third door down the corridor. Inside there were hushed voices.

"Miwa?" He whispered, not trusting his voice, "Can I come in?"

"Come on in otousan." Came the reply.

The cheeriness of her voice made his heart break all over again, but he pushed open the door and found his daughter on the floor beside her girlfriend Akemi, her tail wrapped around the larger mutant's torso, both carefully attending to the final details of the anniversary gift.

"You're early what happened did okāsan sus-" The younger mutant's face froze as she met her father's eye. There was a moment of silent understanding as Leo struggled to find his voice.

"There was an ambush." He whispered, watching how his daughter's face, so beautiful yet serious like her mother's, as she absorbed his words. "She got stabbed. I don't know…" His voice broke but he quickly recovered himself. "She may not make it…" Miwa's face grew pale yet she composed herself.

"Take it." She held out the present as she uncurled her tail from around Akemi. "Let's go and wait for Uncle Don and Auntie April to tell us for certain." She rose and wrapped her arms around her father, both seeking comfort neither child nor parent would ask for aloud. Leo squeezed her shoulder in thanks and together they conveyed out of their apartment and back to the lab. The once cheery atmosphere around the pit had vanished, now replaced by a sombre hush as husband and daughter of the wounded sat beside the steps, calmly waiting for the inevitable.

For a long time nobody spoke.

Nobody dared to tempt fate.

Then Donnie emerged from the lab and gave the news they had been fearing.

It was time to say goodbye.

Nothing could be done.

Karai only had hours to live.

...

...

...

...

One by one everyone had gone to see the leader of the Foot clan, spoken to her once the sedative drugs had worn off and listened to her – at times quite frankly rude – final messages (an example of which being how she told Casey that if he ever dared try to kiss her or Shinigami again she would haunt his nightmares and would leave orders for someone to sew his lips shut for good) yet to everyone's surprise, she demanded she would talk to her husband last of all.

Eventually, as Miwa left the lab with tears running down her cheeks, it was Leo's turn to enter the room. He shut the door and took up the stool beside his wife's bed and took her pale hand in his own. Raising it to his lips, he kissed it and raised his gaze to Karai's amber eyes, watching her lips pull into a smirk at the gesture of affection.

"You're such a sap." Thanks to the drugs Donnie had administered, her voice was now much stronger than it had been earlier and despite the thick bandages around her midsection, the wires and tubes inserted into her skin and the faint tremor to her voice, one would think she were just suffering from a slight wound, not anything as fatal as the reality Leo knew to be true.

"This isn't what I had planned for tonight." The leader whispered.

"What were you imagining? Something dirty?" Karai teased, yet the usual glint in her eye seemed softened, as if her heart were not truly in the jest. Leo played along, wanting to savour every moment he had left with his love.

"Oh yes." He winked his eye, "Really dirty…" A pause for dramatic effect, "I was going to get you to clean Mikey's quarters."

Karai laughed, yet the sound was slightly wet, a sign of how fluid had entered her lungs despite Donnie's best efforts. Leo kissed her hand once again and lifted himself off the stool, squeezing himself on the bed next to Karai as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Don't do this again, Leo." She muttered, entwining their fingers. "Don't blame yourself. You couldn't know." The turtle ruefully shrugged, hating how transparent he was.

"It was an unnecessary risk. We know the Neo-Foot clan has been more active lately. I shouldn't have risked it."

"You overthink too much."

"It's my job."

"No. It's your job to enjoy life." Karai nuzzled into her husband's neck. "Knowing you, once I'm… gone…" She stumbled a little on the word and Leo flinched, "You'll blame yourself, close off from everyone again and you'll lose all the love of life you've… regained over our years… together." Out of the corner of his eye Leo saw Karai turn her face to his own, "Correct?"

Grudgingly, Leo nodded. There was no arguing with this woman, even if she was… dying… And even though her voice was beginning to weaken, she wouldn't let up. She was too stubborn.

"Your point?" He asked gruffly, hiding his growing distress as her breathing became more laboured.

"When we married… you were closed off... But as cheesy as this'll sound… by having… someone to… love… you found… a reason to… live…" She took a shuddering breath and Leo wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "If you… won't live for… me… anymore… Live for our… daughter… Be happy… For her…" The turtle nodded into her hair as tears filled his eyes.

"I will. I promise." Karai smiled and closed her eyes, yet still she wouldn't shut up.

"Talk to me…" She whispered. "Give me something… to hold onto…"

"Then hold this." Leo answered, suddenly remembering his gift he still held in his hand. The thing he had laboured so long over had almost slipped his mind. He passed it to Karai and watched as her eyes began to well up.

"Did you…?"

"30 years ago, Karai, you promised to be mine forever. I gave you a plain ring with a single dark blue sapphire," he touched the ring on her hand, "because I didn't want to give you anything you would deem "too soppy", yet you gave me a black ring with a dragon etched inside, and as you handed it to me, you said,"

"Hamato Leonardo… if you dare to think… married life will soften me… look at this ring… and remember how easily… the dragon within can rear… its head… and kick your butt… into the middle… of next week…" Karai finished for him and smiled. In her hand rested a black velvet choker with a silver dragon stitched into the surface, wrapping around the band with a single pearl imbedded in its centre, just above the heart. "It's beautiful."

"It's to show you how after 30 years, I can say the dragon's heart has grown and created a softer being, more caring, more loving than it would ever admit." Karai snorted. "But," Leo continued, curling his wife's fingers around the gift, "this compassion has only made the dragon more dangerous, more deadly and stringer than ever. The dragon has something to fight for and that…" His voice broke a little and a tear trickled from his eye, "that is what makes the woman I love so powerful…" He wiped his eye and sniffed. "I'm sorry…" He whispered. "I wanted it to be perfect…"

Karai leaned into his side further and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you… I'm just sorry… I won't get… to wear it…" Leo felt a tear land on his shoulder and looking down he saw Karai was also softly crying. "We had a good life didn't we…?" Her voice was so low it could barely be heard.

"The best a mutant turtle and a half mutant snake-girl could ask for." He teased and they both chuckled. "Do you remember the wedding?"

"How could… I forget…? You were wearing clothes."

"And later you removed them."

"You enjoyed it."

"You enjoyed my embarrassment."

"But you did look handsome…" Karai admitted, "Black kimonos do suit you."

"And something other than full body armour suits you." Leo countered.

"The sun set over… the mountains…" The weakening warrior continued, her eyes closing once more, as her breathing became more laboured. Leo lay down next to her and wrapped both arms around her body.

"And we watched the sun set from the balcony…"

"Noone… was around… for miles…"

"We spent the night under the stars…"

"And… the day… in bed…"

"It was so peaceful."

"You… were… so… hot…" Her voice was now barely a whisper.

"Remember everyone's faces when we got back and they found out we had married without their knowledge?"

"Raph… looked… ready to… explode…"

"Shini was the only one who looked pleased for us at first."

"I thought… Don… was… going to… faint..."

"I thought Splinter was going to banish me." At the name of their deceased father, the conversation turned serious.

"Do… you think… I'll… see him… again…?" Leo nodded into her damp hair.

"Yes. He's been waiting… He misses all of us, but doesn't want to see any of us for a long time…" The leader recalled the various conversations he had had with his father's departed spirit. "He said he just wanted us to be happy… And we are…"

Their eyes met once again and Leo watched his wife's eyes begin to dim.

"I love you, Karai… I'll keep my promise to you." He kissed her on the mouth which she weakly returned.

"And… I… You…" She struggled to get out. "And… Mi..wa…" She shuddered. "I'm… scared… Don't… want… to… lea..ve… you…"

"I'll be with you." Leo held her hand tightly, clutching the fist which held the dragon choker, "No matter what, we'll be together again… I love…" He faltered as Karai's eyes drifted shut and her hand fell limp in his grip. His eyes widened and he sat up just as the machine by the bedside let out a mournful beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppp. "No." Leo breathed. "No. No. No." The gripped his wife's wrist searching for a pulse just as Donnie, who must have been hovering outside waiting for any sign that his expertise was needed.

"NO! Karai! Please…" Leo sobbed, grasping her cooling hand, not wanting to believe she had gone so soon. He had so much to say, so much he had to make up for –

He felt two lanky arms wrap around him and pull him sideways into a fierce hug as the tears continued to fall.

"I'm sorry, Leo…" Donnie's voice was thick with emotion. "I'm sorry… She's gone… There's nothing I can do…"

Leo buried his face in his brother's shoulder and sobbed, his heart tearing apart.

Thirty years ago to the day he had married the first and only girl he had ever loved, and now, now he had to face a life without her... He had no idea how long he clung to his brother, yet when he eventually pulled away, he knew no medicine would mend his own wound, the one he now bore in his heart, the gaping hole which nothing, not even love, could ever truly heal.

The general idea of this collection of drabbles is that it will be moving back over time, looking at the different stages of Leo and Karai's relationship. I hope their ending will get a few tears or some sort of sad emotion! Just in case you're wondering Miwa and Akemi are characters from my story 'The New Hamato Clan' (well Akemi isn't there yet, but will be at some stage! ;P )

Hope you enjoyed, leave your thoughts in a review.

Hopefully see you tomorrow. :)

LL99 Out.