"I push those who try to get close to me away because, I want to remain strong in their eyes...I don't want them to see me for the shattered being that I am..."

"We do not know what we are made of, until we have been broken...and that frame those shattered pieces reside in, is all that holds us together"

The Beginning...

He woke to her alarmed cry. A shout of surprise; a yell of shock. That was what startled him out of the slumber a second before pain rocketed through his system as a foot connected solidly enough with his side to send him sliding across the shattered glass coated floor.

His scream of pain overtook that of the young girl, his eyes snapping open to find out what was going on. The stand he'd been put on inside a glass bowl was knocked over, the glass shattered and the young girl who'd picked him up off the street just the other day was yelling at a man scowling at him coldly, yelling at him to stop hurting her pet.

He didn't understand though, why was the man suddenly attacking him? What'd he do?

Moving his eyes to the side he then froze, catching sight of his reflection in the mirror. Staring back at him was a creature...that wasn't him. He was bigger than before, his limbs longer. He wasn't quite human despite some features been similar but he wasn't just a turtle though either anymore! What was he now?!

Pushing himself up he scrambled back, watching the angry man storm toward him, yelling out several words in harsh cold tone as two dark clad soldiers walked toward the terrified and now mutated turtle tot.

At the time, he'd been glad when Saki had given the order for the white lab people to stop, to...not dissect him as Saki had previously ordered. When he'd been given the chance to keep living, he thought it was a gift.

What he didn't know back then...was how dark and cold a life could become, when the one who pulled its strings...

...Enjoyed sending him to knock on deaths door, any chance he could.

Three Years~

You know, those steady sounds of everyday life...that just grow irritating if left going? Like the tapping of a someone using a computer when you're trying to read, the static of the television when you just want to watch a show, or the dripping of water in a silent house. Such normal sounds.

Yet in this situation, it wasn't irritating to hear...if anything, he was thankful for it.

That steady and echoing drip, drip of the water falling from the leaky pipe onto cold concrete floor below, was what reminded him, that he was still alive. That sound, meant he had survived another day at that man's hands. When he couldn't hear it, lying on that dark red stained floor, he grew fearful. Fearful the darkness wasn't just from the lack of light entering the cell he'd been thrown into. Fearful that the lack of sound and light, meant his body had finally given up on trying to stay alive.

But he could still hear it. He was still alive, walking away after knocking on deaths door for the umpteenth time since he'd been changed. Though when that had been, he wasn't sure anymore. Prying his amber eyes open as he forced himself back into consciousness, the small mint green turtle tot pushed himself up with shaking arms into sitting position, every muscle protesting and just, telling him to lay back down and sleep forever...

Luc winced, leaning back against the wall, turning his amber eyes to the cracked concrete ceiling high above. A frown rose up on his face, a solid resolve forming within the young tot's mind.

He wouldn't, couldn't give in to Saki.

Not now.

Not ever.

That, was a promise.

Five Years~

All he could hear, was the sound of his blood pounding away in his ears. His amber eyes were locked on the struggling beaten up woman before him, gagged and secured to a chair and looking back at him with wide terrified eyes, pleading to be let go from the young turtle since no mercy was going to come from their observer. Saki stood nearby with hands linked behind his back, watching the tot in his latest training stage.

The Kill.

Luc clenched his hand round the small dagger, the weapons weight heavier than it had ever been. Even at this age, he was more than familiar with using a weapon but, he'd never...never had to use it on a living person. His knuckles were blanched white with how tightly he gripped that blade in his hand, the blade he was supposed to use to end this womans life.

He knew her name, her home life, her family, her job, her hobbies; he knew her entire lifes story...laid out within a file he'd been told to read earlier. But...though he knew so much about her...the things that mattered, things he wanted to know...that information was kept from him.

He didn't know what she had done to put a target on herself.

He didn't know if she even deserved to die, let alone at his hands.

But he was meant to kill her. Without question. Without hesitation.

"End her, Lucian, do as you have been ordered." Saki's words broke through the daze he had kind of entered, making him turn to look at his master. He dared not to speak out a word against the man yet, even with all his training so far, and the promise he'd made to himself, Saki still was a source of fear.

Drawing in a deep breathe and expelling it, Luc walked toward the lady, only stopping once he stood behind her and letting the dagger fall to the ground. Rising his eyes until amber met pitch black, Luc placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and the other reaching round to grip her chin tightly, feeling her entire frame shaking. Not moving his eyes from Saki's, Lucian grit his teeth and twisted her head harshly, the sharp 'CRACK' of her neck breaking echoing through the cell.

She fell lifelessly limp once he let go, her eyes still wide open and glassy. Luc stepped back from her body, his expression completely neutral and tone flat as he asked,
"I've done as asked. I wish to leave now." At the simple nod he got from his master, Lucian turned on his heels and strode out of the room without once looking back.

Lucian ground his teeth together, fighting back the trembling in his limbs. He could still feel the woman's skin, feel that pulse come to a sharp halt. Her face swam in his mind, void like eyes lingering and he knew...knew that they'd never leave him, knew he'd never forget...couldn't forget...any of those that he would be made to kill...

Back in the chamber, Saki smirked in satisfaction as Luc left but it wasn't over the fact the woman was dead. No, he didn't care one bit. No...it was that look in Lucian's eyes. That blank but brilliantly cold gaze meeting his own. This was what he was after, this was what he wanted to bring out in the freakish turtle.

The killer.

Seven years~

The armoured foot connecting with his side sent him flying into the far wall, crashing into it then sliding down to the floor with his head spinning and flashes bursting across his vision. Shaking his head, Luc scrambled back up to his feet, forcing down the nausea threatening to rise as he looked back at his opponent and clenched his hands tighter round his weapons.

His sister, Karai, sat to the side, watching her father demonstrating a kill strike kata routine...and using his adopted son, Lucian, as the live dummy. She barely reacted as she watched Saki beat him down time and time again, yelling for him to get back in position and attacking with even greater force.

It'd been like this, for just over four hours...

"Back on your feet, you useless fool. Did I say we were done?!"

His shout snapped Luc's attention back to the man he called master, immediately shifting back into a defence stance in preparation for the attack to come. Wiping some blood from the gash on his cheek, Luc narrowed amber eyes at Saki, his breath coming in short but heavy pants.

If he didn't guess, he'd say Saki was enjoying beating his turtle son up.

And somehow, that didn't surprise him.

Blocking the sudden strike aimed at his main artery, Luc ducked and countered, aiming to least get one hit in this time! But Saki anticipated it, catching his ankle before it even connected with its target, smirking coldy as his grip tightened and a loud 'CRACK' rang out.

Luc's eyes flew wide, mouth opening to let out the scream of paint hat wanted to ride up before he snapped his mouth shut again, not a sound escaping exactly as he'd been trained. Grounding his teeth together, he flipped over so both hands were on the ground then kicked with every bit of strength he had, ignoring the stabbing pain shooting up his leg when both feet slammed into Saki's armoured bodice.

The slight satisfaction he felt at the grunt Saki didn't have time to stop from slipping out was almost like entering a high on a drug. Saki's grip loosened on his ankle as he slid back from the force behind the kick, allowing Luc to spin back over, using good ankle and hands to push himself back upright and aim hammer fist at the man's now exposed side.

But the high was short lived and he couldn't hold back the high pitched scream that rang out from him seconds later, Saki using the two blades on his armoured hand to pierce straight through Luc's lower arm. A snarl fell from Saki's lips, narrowing void black eyes on the turtle now trapped before him. Using those blades as a hold, he curled his hand into a fist, blades slicing further through his arm then sliding free as Saki threw the turtle once more to the far side of the room.

This time, a loud cry was ripped form Lucian's throat, another loud 'CRACK' sounding when his shell slammed full force into the metal pole, body almost arching around it prior to collapsing to the ground unmoving.

Fighting to stay awake was failing fast and, the last thing he saw, before his consciousness fully gave out, was Saki's satisfactory smirk...

TBC...

Ownerships:

Lucian (c) KJsPlace