TMNT Black Magic: Thesaurus Munitio-e Nox Thaumaturgy

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon and its creators. I make no monetary profit from this work it is only for entertainment.

Author's Note: Rated M for a reason! This work contains sexual content, violence, and at times dark themes that will become more developed as the story continues- you have been warned. Also, I have messed with the timetable the story is set a little later, so that the boys are 22 or so. Why? I wanted a post Shredder plot line, and since this will contain lemony-goodness I really don't want them underage- sorry for the inconvenience.

**Title is translated at the end!

We are all searching

for someone whose demons

play well with ours.

~Unknown

Chapter 1: First Aid

It wasn't his night. That much he knew before he had even left the lair. It was something that you just had a knack for after being a ninja for most of your life. There were some nights that there was just something off, and there was little to be done about it. Now though with the Shredder gone, and the Krang out of the way. It was far less dangerous for one of them to roam alone, usually. He still wasn't used to it. After spending so long fighting them, the "peace" hadn't quite settled in as natural. He never thought it could have been so simple, but with the help of all the allies they had made it had become a united effort, and the two most dangerous forces were destroyed. That said, one could imagine how ironic it was that this night he sat bleeding, likely to death, in someone's rooftop garden.

Earlier that night he was desperate to just get out of the lair. The family home just felt so small now that they were all adults, even with Donnie out. If he had the energy he would have rolled his eyes at the thought. After their tumultuous relationship through their teens April and Donnie were living together, but tonight he just had to get that phone call from Casey. The bastard was drunk, and couldn't be trusted to get home on his own. Even if he didn't always agree with Casey's actions the man was his best friend, but the call was a surprise since they hadn't spoken in weeks.

Casey had made one last desperate attempt to persuade April to take him back before "the move". He had almost succeeded, but then Raph had dropped in. The red banded ninja had a knack for walking in on such moments for that love triangle. He cared for April as family, but he never thought her feelings at 23 years old wouldn't be sorted out. His appearance was enough for April to make a run for it, and sparked a rather brutal altercation between the hot heads. Casey seemed to forget just how much larger Raphael had grown in the past few years. He now stood with Leo around 6 feet tall, and was easily still the brute of the family in terms of muscle mass. Last time he was on a scale he tipped near the 350 lb range. That said, Casey's 200 lbs might have made a difference seven years ago, but now they simply existed in different classes when it came to doling out damage.

His good timing also put him on just stellar terms with April. When he caught up with her that night he had not so gently told her that Donnie would know about it, and he hoped she had the balls to tell him first. Well, to be honest that was a nice version of the exact words he chose. He let Donnie tell their other brothers about that incident. All the angst was killing him. The brothers had not exactly been enthusiastic when Don had insisted on continuing with April. Leo was no help. He had this air about him that wreaked of his unrequited love with Kurai. Those two actually had the decency to conduct all of their business privately. Finally, Mikey was happily in a casual relationship with Renet. The goofball and the headdress were really the only example of a healthy relationship in the family, and they only saw each other a few times a month.

No one saw him draggin' the whole family down with him when Mona had returned to her planet. No, he never planned on any fucking romance, so it didn't matter when it was gone. But no, every single one of his brothers seemed to carry their hearts around their necks like lead weights. All that said, he was itching for an excuse to go topside. His big mistake was having a beer with Casey when they got back to his dingy apartment. The little fuck actually seemed to be getting his shit together, and was celebrating his first real job. He must have left his T-Phone there cause he certainly didn't have it now. Of course now it would be fucking useful, just hit the emergency tracker button and he might have a chance at surviving. Though to be honest he probably still wouldn't. He spared a glance at this left shoulder where his own sai was shoved to the hilt downward into his chest straight through his oldest scar. Nope, it was too hard to breath and he really should be in a hell of a lot of pain. He had been injured many times, but this was death, definately death.

He still wasn't even sure what had hit him. It had definitely been looking for him though. One thing he knew was that he was a damn good ninja, and he hadn't even heard whatever had attacked him until it was already in range. It had to be as big as Spike or Leatherhead and packed a punch like nothing he had ever felt before, and considering his line of work that was saying something. In his dazed state he thought of his brothers. Was it out for them too? A weak growl formed in his throat as more of a gurgle. Was there a way to warn them? He attempted to move again, but rather than rising to his feet, he only collapsed forward. Darkness licked at his vision the scent of rich earth and herbs filled his lungs.

"Well fuck", he muttered as he lost consciousness.

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The red banded turtle woke with a start. His vision cleared and he became aware that the awful hollering in the room was from him. A small hand shoved him back to the floor with surprising force, and the use of some kind of pressure point under his jaw locked his flailing limbs. Funny how all that pain came back in a flash, and suddenly he felt like a mack truck mowed him down. His breathing was weak, and his lungs burned. He smelled the rich smoke before he he saw it. Emerald eyes took in the room as adrenaline rushed through his surprisingly functioning veins. Above him was a high ceiling, and his fingers gripped at wooden floors.

Next to him he found a woman kneeling, her hands now hovering over his chest where smoke from dozens of candles that surrounded them converged and poured like a waterfall over his chest. She turned, and peridot green eyes spared him a glance. The golden flecks in those soft green eyes danced for a moment before she ripped a substantial chunk of fabric from her dress.

She spoke with full lips as she wadded the fabric, "Do you want to live?"

He managed a nod brought searing pain as the sai that still deeply lain in his chest shifted.

"Then, this hasn't even begun to hurt yet…" she grumbled shoving the wad of black fabric into his mouth.

He looked between the woman and the smoke hovering over his body. She was chanting with her eyes closed. Whatever language she was rattling off gave him the distinct impression she might be summoning a demon, but what really caught his interest was when the smoke started to form shapes… of his insides. A beating heart of smoke seemed to be her main focus, and once it was ebbing before her, she reached to her side. That hand lifted a large threaded needle, and the other hand gripped the hilt of his sai. He heard himself wail against the makeshift gag as the made a process of moving the weapon out just a tad, and then stitching the smoke replica of his heart. This continued for what felt like an eternity, before he heard the metal clunk against the wood forgotten.

Her long hair fell in thick waves over her shoulders as she pressed a bandage to the wound. Judging by the warmth he felt oozing down his side her little smoke trick hadn't worked. The room lurched and spun again. Then, the scrape of the sai being snached from the floor caught his attention, and his blurred vision caught the girl holding the weapon in her hands. Her green and gold gaze flicked to him again.

"You just had to wanna live!" she growled to herself.

He didn't see where the wound was made, but all too suddenly the room stopped spinning. A glance to the side showed a second pool of blood slinking along the wooden planks to meet the one under his shoulder which now lay still. The girl sat up straight in her kneeling position with blood soaked hands whispering in that lilting language again. His ears were ringing which wasn't helping him hear. He was able to take a deep breath, and then another. That was when he realized the room was quiet, and the smoke was rolling to the floor. This woman stabbed his sai into the floorboards where their blood merged. The smoke billowed to life as black thick smaug and he felt the numb crawl of darkness take over his vision again.

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The lazy warmth of the sun lapped at his scales. It was what roused him first. His vision had yet to clear completely, but sunlight wasn't something he was accustomed to, and the power of the unfamiliar had been enough to alarm his aching brain to wake. Slowly he could make out the ceiling, and noted that it seemed higher than most cramped apartments. He shifted slightly, and found he had been moved to a large overstuffed couch. The worn leather moaned at his struggled movements. Just as he was about to sit up a firm voice called out.

"No, lay still", the girl was all too suddenly looming over him.

He eased back down, but eyed her warily. She was maybe 5'4" and while she appeared healthy there was still no way that she would have lifted him on her own onto the couch. Hell how did she get him down from the roof? Her dark auburn hair fell to her waist, but the tendrils near her face had been clipped around her shoulders. She ran a hand threw them to shove the heap of it back and out of the way as she set to work. He watched her small hands skim his plastron. They moved with particular care over the crack that had been the entry point for the sai. Her heart shaped face edged closely to his as she leaned in to check under the bandages, and the scent of cherries sweetened her breath.

He tried to speak, but his voice was a crisp whisper. It still caught her attention, and the girl seemed to understand when her warm green eyes caught his. She nodded, and slipped away. He listened to her footsteps, and judging by how far she went he could wager this was more than just an apartment. She returned with three large fluffy pillows. She took up a spot behind him to help him gently ease up while shuffling the pillows to support carapace and head.

"Drink slowly", she urged lifting a glass of water to his lips.

Normally, he would have found the action demeaning, but his best attempt at moving his arms only brought them to his lap. So, he endured the gingerly tipped glass that only let him take a single sip at a time. The red banded ninja managed to clear his throat, and tested his voice again.

"Who the hell are you?" He ground out, but his voice was still course.

The girl rolled her cat-like eyes, and lifted the glass to offer him another sip. He shook his head and pinned her with a glare.

She huffed, "Well, sunshine I am Adalia Orfeo, and last night you almost died."

"Yah, I remember last night! What the hell kind of voodoo did you do to me?!" He growled.

She snarled at him, "That was not voodoo! It was…"

"It was what?!" he barked with the full power behind his voice.

"Oh calm down, its nothing serious for you", she sighed.

The sun caught her with a single ray. It made her hair gimmer with shades of crimson and mahogany, and made the flecks of gold in her eyes glow. Her creamy skin contrasted sharply again his emerald green where her hands lay so close to his. He almost groaned aloud at his fate. Why did she have to be so attractive? The light also made her silhouette stand out. In broad daylight he could see those blossoming curves snaking from her waist. Fuck was she talking…?

"What?" he frowned.

She lifted a brow, "I said I'm a witch."

Raph could actually feel his jaw go slack.

She pinned him with a glare, "I am a witch who worked very hard last night to keep you alive. Now, you are going to answer some questions."

A growl bubbled up from his chest, "What the fuck did you do?"

She nonchalantly adjusted herself into a relaxed position on the leather ottoman next to him. Obviously, she was all too aware of exactly how weak he was because she was well within his reach, and had no concern over his possible threat. The maxi dress clung to her curves as she drew her knees under her, and leaned forward. The motion forced the fabric to strain over her full breasts. The tops of the mounds exposed from the dark cotton fabric. Her pout drew his attention back to her face and those lush lips. He shook his head to force it to clear.

"I tried to repair the damage, but it was too far gone… You were dying, so I performed a binding spell." She took a swig of the cool water she still held. The motion gathering a pleasant clinks from the thin gold bangles she wore on that wrist.

"Binding spell?" he parroted gruffly.

She nodded setting the glass on the floor. She gave him a long appraising look before her sooty lashes fell closed adding to the curve of her winged eyeliner. "To put it simply I used my soul to patch your wounds. That's why you aren't in much pain. My life force is acting as a living bandage on your heart while it heals."

He blinked, and sputtered. "Your soul?! But...Why, I don't even know you!?"

"Would you rather be dead?" She snickered.

Raph grunted, "Why would you go to so much trouble to save a stranger?"

Adalia heaved a sigh, "Well, a stranger who I found bleeding to death on my roof? Fate is rarely so obvious. In my world, if I turned my back on you I would be asking for a bigger problem. Besides it would seem like such a waste. After all, I have met many creatures in this world, but never a turtle. That said, I hope you understand that no one can know about me or the binding spell."

He nodded, "Same here."

"Tell me, who are you?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity while her chin rested in the heel of her palm.

It was a nicer reaction than he was used to, but then again she wasn't a normal human. He never expected to meet a witch though. Granted, he had met stranger. He managed to give her some brief description of himself. She listened quietly, and her eyes watched over him carefully. He kept it as simple as possible partly because he really wasn't in a storytelling mood. When he finished she only nodded, and rose to her feet.

"You're hungry", she frowned.

Before he could respond she padded out of the room. He forced his gaze away from the rhythmic swaying of her full hips. Her gait was more a strut than walk, and it had a hypnotic quality that he had always appreciated on a female. It was even better when moments later she returned with a tray of fragrant food. Again she settled in front of his reclined form after assisting him into a position facing her.

"I was actually making this right before I found you. I went up to the roof for herbs to add seasoning", her voice was calm as she lifted the first bowl and spoon.

She lifted a spoon of the rich smelling soup to his lips. The hot head only fought his pride for a moment before allowing her to feed him. It was belittling and something that would have normally been unacceptable, but he still couldn't lift his arms, so his gut won the battle. It was a savory beef and rice which filled his aching stomach. It didn't help that she insisted on looking him in the eye constantly to appraise him.

"We'll see how that settles. If you keep it down, then I'll make you some grilled cheese", she offered him the glass of water again. He drank greedily after the sodium filled soup.

She smiled softly, "You don't enjoy being pampered."

He snorted at her statement, but quickly looked away from her amused expression. He was a grown mutant, and he wasn't going to blush like a child… No matter how luring that gentle smile was. Then, to make matters impossibly worse she leaned forward with a crisp cloth to dab at his lips. She was so close he could smell the cherries on her lips and the jasmine that lingered in her hair. Her soft touch only made him grind his teeth.

Adalia must have noticed, and she grasped his jaw sharply. "I know you don't like this Raphael, but it may take a few days for you to be in any shape to leave here. I get it, but for now it's my job to help you whether you like it or not. So, you will have to get used to my touch."

He grunted, but his sensei's voice echoed in his ears. "I'm grateful, but this is torture! How long till I can move?" Well, he tried to be polite. That had to count for something.

Her soft fingertips slipped away and she frowned. "I have no idea. Its rare that a binding spell be used for this. It was kind of a shot in the dark. To be honest, I'm a Capricorn witch, so I am a gatekeeper not a healer."

"Huh?" Listening to her was almost as tedious a Donnie. "You mean you didn't even know if it would work?"

She gave a simple shrug. "It was that or let you die. Besides I'm the one who will have most of the side effects from the spell."

"Yah, like what?" He relaxed back into the pillows.

"Well, part of my soul is missing for one. My powers will likely be diminished, and as a gatekeeper that could become troublesome. I have only read about couples using this spell successfully, but they were mostly doing it to shield one another from harm so the spell went both ways. That way one had to kill both individuals for the spell to be broken." She caught his vacant look, and tried to switch gears. "Say you are a witch and your mortal husband is off to war, and it's fairly likely he would be killed. Then, this spell would protect him so long as the wife was not mortally wounded. However, I have never heard of the spell working on someone who was already dying."

"So, I'm a lucky son of a bitch", Raph concluded.

Adalia smirked, "Pretty much. The couples who have invoked the spell before described terrible headaches during long periods of separation, but I have herbs for that. You should also heal faster if you stay here or at least in a close vicinity. Do you have a way of contacting your clan to let them know you won't be home for a while?"

"And how exactly should I go about explaining that to a clan of ninja? Oh no worries guys, I know this sounds like a hostage situation, or you know worse, but it's all good. Don't look for me or anything! I'll be home in a few weeks", his voice dripped with exuberant sarcasm and finished with him dragging a hand over his face.

She smirked, and pointed to his raised hand, "Looks like we may not have to."

He tested the other arm, and lifted his hands to flex in front of him. It made him a little woozy, but it was a start. He turned his emerald gaze to her with a smirk, "What's the plan now?"

She reached over to inspect one of his arms. He watched her slender fingers run over his scales. Observing the movements, and then tracing over his calloused palm. Her sunlit eyes turned up to him with a wicked smirk, "Well, handsome looks like we're winging it."

"So, what's a witch doing in New York anyway?" He grunted eager to dismiss her teasing compliment.

She sighed, "Well, I was called here. I'm a Capricorn witch, so the sign of my birth lets me do things most witches can't." Again she caught his blank look. "The astrological sign a witch is born to has a great deal of influence on both their appearance and their powers. Capricorn is an earth sign, well balanced, and brutally strong. We are gate keepers. It's my job to keep the certain creatures from causing trouble in the human realm. In the last few years while the city has been spared the previous tormentors it is not free. New evil has started to roust. It's my job to keep them in line."

"And just how are you doing all this without anyone noticing?" He huffed in disbelief.

She shifted, and her tone took a turn for the ominous. "Think about it like this witches, or at least the good ones, are bridges between the human world and the ancient one. We act as go betweens for all that you can see, and all that can see... you."

"So, when you say gatekeeper…?" He urged.

"I am a gatekeeper to the underworld, and all it contains", she whispered as wicked smirk curved her lips.

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AN: Well, I hope everyone likes it!

I am taking liberties with the guys by using witches, but after the episode "A Chinatown Ghost Story" the door for supernature was open… So, I just had to ram it.

Yes, I did mention Mona. She hasn't made her appearance yet, so I kept it simple enough that way I can expand on it later (if I feel like it).

Title translation: Loosely translated from Latin...

Thesaurus Munitio-e Nox Thaumaturgy (T.M.N.T.) - Treasure Defended by Black Magic

Reviews are incredibly important to me because they are my only real way to gauge the audience. I welcome all feedback, so please let me know how I did! Thank you so much for reading!

A great thank you to my lovely beta the amazing Dragon!

Thank you so much for reading!

Violet Blak