I stretch and yawn myself out of a sleepy stupor. Stumbling drunkenly around, I grope for the door. I locate it when I walk into it, bashing my head painfully. I freeze and look toward the bed on the other side of the room. In it, Raphael groans in his sleep and rolls over, not waking up. I breathe a sigh of relief and open the door with my hand. Heads were not made to open doors. I stagger down the stairs and nearly fall off, forgetting that they end a few feet above the floor. I catch myself and jump down. Getting this far is habit, but I've inconveniently forgotten why I'm here. I stand motionless in the middle of the living room for about a minute, doing a "Jack Sparrow", and I decide to have a shower when the reason for waking eludes me. I'm halfway to the bathroom when I realise I have no change of clothes, and going back to the room risks waking Raph, I change course and head to the kitchen. Upon entering it, I see with surprise clouded by tiredness that Raphael is already there. Wiping sleep from my eyes, I sit beside him and lean on his shoulder. He smiles a little and puts an arm around me, drawing me in. I smile dreamily, content to stay here forever. Yea, I know, Raphael is tough. Putting his arm around a girl and smiling softly doesn't fit. It's his gentle side. The side no one, not even his brothers, gets to see. No one, that is, except me. Why? I'll give you a briefing: my parents died in a fire, so, in order to avoid the foster system, I took to the streets. It didn't take long to figure out that something was going on in New York, and then I met the ninja turtles. I have a tough, independent mask, like Raph, so we clashed at first, but we go on eventually. Then, as we got to know each other, things started getting serious between us. He is often hesitant, mostly because he's a turtle and I'm a human, but I don't mind. Nearly every girl I knew liked guys for their looks, but for me, it has to go deeper. I saw... see, something in Raphael, and it was then I knew. So, here I am, snuggling up to the person I care for most in the world, dressed in shorty pajamas and a big, cuddly hoodie, happy. Still tired, I feel myself drifting off and let it happen. I can hear his heart beating a steady rhythm in his chest, lulling me to sleep...
I wake up in bed, feeling a bit disorientated and confused. Like what happened earlier was a dream. Then I hear chaos downstairs, glance at Raph's bed and, seeing it empty, I know it was real. I climb out of bed for the second time today and dress quickly, hurrying downstairs to see what the commotion is all about. Again I forget about the cut-away stairs and fall off. Picking myself up off the ground, I regain my dignity and go into the kitchen, where the noise is coming from. What I see is astonishing, inexpectation incarnated. Shock floods my body, as well as a shot of adrenalin. She is here. Her. I continue into the kitchen interior and stand by Raph, arms crossed. Karai. You ask why I resent her so much? Because she broke Leo's heart. Oh, I'm sorry. That was too euphemistic. She cut it out with a knife, shredded it, burned it and threw the ashes to the wind. I saw him crying one time in his room as I walked past. He sobbed her name and repeated a single word over and over to himself: "why". She has tried to tear my family apart, and has succeeded in hurting one. But I will die before she touches Raphael. Or anyone else. But now that I see her closely, I also see the tears that course down her pale cheeks. Karai...is crying? Now that is even more unexpected than seeing her here in the first place, and that's saying something.
"What's happening?" I whisper in Raph's ear.
Without looking at me, he replies, "Karai is here."
I roll my eyes. "No duh, Captain Obvious. Why is she here?" He gives me a cheeky grin, and then becomes solemn.
"The Shredder flew into a rage after he discovered she'd been dealing with the Kraang and he actually attacked her. Even if she'd never listened to us before about Shredder lying to her, she's definitely listening now. She wants answers. Now shush, I'm trying to listen," he relates. I feel a moment of sympathy for Karai, but quickly banish it. Karai is literally on her knees in front of Leo, begging him to tell her the truth. Leo gets downs on his knees, facing her, and gives her one life-changing sentence.
"Hamato Yoshi is your father." The room goes dead quiet as Karai searches Leo's eyes. When she finds there nothing but the truth, the tears run afresh and she runs from the room. Everyone except Leo moves to go after her, but the blue-masked turtle stops them.
"No, you must stay. This is for her to do on her own." I cast a discerning glance at Leo. His eyes shimmer with unshed tears, but by the resolve on his features, I know they will remain unshed.
I turn to Donatello and ask him, "Where do you think she's gone?" I have already guessed at the answer. He watches the door.
"Either one of two options, I believe. One, she's gone to speak with Splinter; or, two, she's gone to Shredder to tell him where our lair is," he estimates. I look at the door Karai disappeared through and I know; she's gone to speak with Splinter. I just hope he doesn't have a heart attack. Happiness can kill you if you get an overdose of it.
We don't see either Karai or Master Splinter for over an hour. But, when they do appear, he looks like someone just gave him everything he's ever wanted in life. In a way, someone did. I'm guessing next time he sees the Shredder, he'll say "thanks" instead of "I'll rip your head off for what you did to me". Karai, standing beside him, is smiling. Smiling! The very thought brings a smile to my face too. My family is safer. Karai's messed up life is over, replaced by a new life with her real, caring father. Not a lying, low-down, stinking, murdering, slimy, sneaking, revengeful bastard of a man. Sorry. I left out a few words which I would like to call him, because it would be best if you didn't see them. But you get the idea. We're all sitting in the living room.
Suddenly Splinter stands and says, "Leonardo. A moment if you please." An apprehensive cloud crosses Leo's face. Something tells me he knows what's coming.
"Hai, Sensei," he replies, and reluctantly stands and walks away from where he was sitting by me and Raph. He follows Splinter into the dojo. A moment later, Mikey exits the dojo with an offended expression. Now that Leo's gone, I close the space between me and Raph. He smiles through an intense look while reading an Avengers TM Comic. I take one look at it and yawn meaningfully. Raphael doesn't budge. Well, two can play at that game. I pick up a romance comic from my pile of stuff. Oh, right, I'll explain. We each have a pile of stuff in the living room. If we go in there for no other reason than finding something to do, we can pick something out of our pile of stuff. Unfortunately, Mikey's pile disintegrated after a couple of days. All that's left is a pizza box, an old comic book, and one of those old movies he found. Mine is mostly books: romance, mystery, action; a music player, the Star Wars movies one through six, and a bog of sweets. The latter I keep hidden, only bringing them out when I'm either alone or with just Raph. If Mikey found them... Well, he won't. Donnie shuts his laptop down and stands up.
"I'm, I'm going to my lab. If anyone wants me, that's where I'll be," he mumbles, and mopes off.
Mikey, ever sadly clueless, says, "What's got into him recently?" I know what it is. He misses April. It's really sad, her leaving and all. I never actually met her, but Donnie always talks about her like she's the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. He has a framed photo of her in his lab. The frame is a bit worn from him holding it all the time. My heart goes out to him; I know what it's like being lonely. And, to top it all off, he feels like he's responsible for her leaving. You know, after what happened to her dad. Anyway, moving on: I may be happy here, but it certainly gets boring and I realise unhappily that I've read this comic a dozen or so times.
I sigh, stand up and stretch languidly, ridding myself of sitting down stiffness, and say calmly, "I'm going topside, get something to eat, maybe buy a new book, be back in an hour or so. See ya!" I walk quickly toward the door, hoping the ensuing silence is assenting and not shocked.
"Hold it right there!" a voice calls after me, sounding a bit irritated. Freezing in midstride, my shoulders slump and I don't turn around. Raph doesn't sound extremely pleased. Or assenting.
Before he can spill out any reasons why I shouldn't go, I spin around, smile reassuringly and say, "Come on, Raph, I am gonna die of boredom if I don't get out. You know what it's like," Playing on his weakness always works; he hates being cooped up inside.
"That may be, but it's too dangerous. Shredder is probably looking for Karai, and he knows who you are. If he finds you...I don't even want to consider the consequences," Well, usually works.
"I'll wear a hood, and stick to the crowd. What could happen? It's very sweet of you, Raphael, and if you're so worried, why don't you come with me?" I challenge, but not challengingly. He looks at his brothers, well, the two of them that are present.
"I can't! It's daytime! Rhea, you know..." I cut him off.
"I know that you have a perfect disguise. I'm going, Raph, with or without you. I would rather you came, because we don't spend much time together anymore, but if you won't, I'm leaving now," I say, my tone almost pleading, but unyielding. His eyes betray a sudden weakness. He wants to say yes. He knows we haven't spent a lot of time together, just the two of us. But he is worried. Karai may have been the Shredder's right hand ninja, but he has a left hand too. His name is Conrad. And he is an insanely good martial artist. Not as good as Master Splinter or Shredder, but better than Karai. And he's human, so he blends in. I wait for an answer. Raphael opens his mouth.
"Alright, I'll come. Just give me a sec to get dressed up," he gives his assent, and heads toward our room. I pump my fist.
"Yes!" I mouth silently. Awesome! Raph comes out a moment later wearing a dark red hoodie and some big, black jeans. He doesn't look fat, but he does look tank.
"Nice," I comment appraisingly. He blushes, well, at least, that's what it looks like before he pulls his hood over.
"Are we going?" he asks. I nod enthusiastically.
"Let's go!"
Raph climbs out of the manhole first, at his own insistance. I follow once he says it's all clear. We walk side by side down the street, just enjoying one another's company.
Raph breaks the silence, "So, where do you want to go first?" I think about it as I walk, my thoughts picking up a rhythm with the thud of my feet hitting the ground with each step.
"How about we pick up some... oh, I don't know, maybe pizza giosa? Just a change from pizza," I offer, knowing how much Raph loves Muirkami San's invention. I can't see his face, but from the way his stride changes, I'd say he likes the idea.
"Sounds great, Rhea. I'm starving," he says. We walk a while more in silence.
"So, you're not mad at me? For saying I would go out with or without you, I mean," I venture. He looks at me, and I can just see the glow in his eyes.
"Who says I'm not mad?" he enquires haughtily, sounding exactly like Master Splinter. I won't tell him, or he'll get all upset.
I stifle a giggle and say innocently, "Oh, no one said anything, Raphael. I was just hoping that you had it in you to forgive me for my crimes against you." I can tell he's trying to hold back a laugh. Eventually it bursts out. I don't hear him laugh much and the sound is music to my ears. A second laugh joins in and I realise it's mine. A passerby gives us a weird look and I wonder how we must appear to other people; high on drugs or drunk. The thought brings on a fresh fit of giggles and I double over, trying to keep my balance by putting one hand on a nearby wall. After a moment, it becomes apparent to me that I'm laughing alone. I turn around to see why Raph has stopped, only to discover that I'm alone in every other way too. He's... gone. But where? Suddenly fearing the worst (I'm your typical instantly-assume-the-worst-case-scenario person), I whirl around, desperately searching for his dark red hoodie. And I see it. Empty. Dangling from a fire escape in the alleyway branching off the street where I'm standing. My jaw drops and I run to it, snatching it out of the air and staring at it, trying to fully take in what just happened. I hug the hoodie, blinking away threatening tears as they try to spill over. The tears dry up. My heart turns to stone. My fists tighten around Raph's hoodie as I try to remind myself that anger isn't the answer. But some, dark, forbidden part of me wants this, wants revenge for this. I pull the dark red hoodie on. The psychic (yes, I have minor psychic abilities) part of my mind kicks in and, wearing the hoodie, I can sense exactly where my stolen heart is. I can almost see the creep who took Raphael in front of me. An image of strangling the abductor promises satisfaction. More energy fills me and I sprint across the rooftop, following the mental path.. I could win an eight-hundred metre sprint twice over and still have not broken into my second wind. But nothing matters now. Nothing except finding Raph and making sure the guy who took him doesn't ever hurt anyone again.
A minute or two later, I'm standing outside a large abandoned building. The mental tracks go inside through the door. If I go through the door, I will likely be gunned down before I can take another step. My life doesn't matter, but without it, it's gonna be pretty hard to rescue Raph. So I climb up a fire escape and enter through a broken window on the second floor. I feel the rage at having my laughter stolen, and the meaning in my life. At the hopelessness he must have felt when that jerk snatched him away. I hear a scream, full of agony and...sorrow? It rips the air and penetrates my heart; I know that sound. It is the sound of one whose loved one has been taken from them, taken and never to return. Oddly, the sound isn't coming from me. It came from downstairs. Raph. I try the door to this room. Locked.
I remind myself what Donnie always says, "No door is ever locked. But some doors need some help to be opened more than others." I grin and "help" the door to open with a savage wrench of the handle. It's torn off, along with the keyhole and the wood around it. That is unfortunate. For whoever locked the door, that is. I march downstairs, knowing that whoever is inside the building will be alerted to my presence. Well, that's too bad. Stealth would have been better, but the sight that meets my eyes at the foot of the stairs floods every inch of my being with untamable Rage. Master Splinter always warned me of a darkness in my heart, one he sensed in Raphael too. I guess it's finally shown its face. About time, too. What I see makes me madder than I thought anyone could ever be. Raphael, the person I care about most in the world, is strapped to a massive metal throne of some kind. The fetters binding him in place have spikes on the inside of the cuffs. The inside! A long needle with a syringe attached is sticking ominously out of his arm. His eyes, swiftly falling shut, rest upon my vengeful expression. He mouths my name and blacks out. My scorching gaze turns to the wide eyed creeps standing around him. Shred them. Tear out their black hearts for what they have done to our love. A terrifying voice whispers in my mind, but now, it sounds great. My teeth bare themselves in a feral grin. I run towards the first man, who struggles to pull a gun out of his belt. I smash my knee into his lowered face, snatch the gun from his weakening hands, and shoot. I fire a bullet straight into the forehead of each of the goons, the Rage giving me inhuman accuracy. It is only after all the kidnappers are dead that I feel the Rage leaving me. I run over to Raphael, pulling out my own sais, which I'd forgotten about during the fight, and slice through the bonds. The metal is fortunately weak enough to cut. As soon as nothing holds him to the chair, he slumps into my arms. I hear him murmur my name, and judging by the bruises and gashes all over him, it's better that he stays unconscious.
"Oh, Raph, how could they do this to you? Why did they?" I ask the empty room brokenly.
"Indeed, how, could anyone do such a thing? But why are you asking that, when what you have done is just as condemnable?" a deep, ponderous voice echoes through the room. I spin around to face the intruder. A tall, white haired man stands in a doorway across the room, hands together inside the long sleeves of his grey robe.
"Who are you? What do you want?" I growl, instantly defensive. The old man's face creases in sorrow.
"Child, look what you have done. Look well. These were men. Living. Working. Loving. Now they do not live, work, or love, because of you," he says sadly. A feeling of dread freezes my gut.
"If I had not done it, they would have taken away something much more than life; they would have taken the meaning of it. I had to save him, don't you understand?" I stutter, trying to keep my mind from grasping the gravity of the situation.
The sage shakes his head, "I understand what you are saying, Troubled Heart, but this is life and death. For your own sake, banish the anger from your heart and save your family from the grief of a child who kills without remorse. For that is what you have done," he sweeps his arms emphatically at the strewn bodies, which I notice for seemingly the first time. I stagger backwards.
"No...why are you doing this?" I plead. The man stares at me, into my very soul. "If I do not, no one will, until it is too late. And by that too late, you may have already killed the ones who could tell you. That is why I do this. To prevent a dark, murdering future from taking place in your life," he explains mournfully. Turning to a table, he takes four glass jars. In each is a strange green-ish liquid.
"Take these to the rest of your family. Tell them this: if they drink it, they will be granted their humanity, just like they've always wanted," he hands me the containers. "Now leave this place, and take the Rage within you and lock it in a deep pit, and throw away the key." Without another word, he turns and disappears into the room he came from. I drag Raph back to the lair, arriving about half an hour after finding him. As soon as I make it inside, my legs buckle beneath me.
"Rhea! RAPH! What happened?" someone screams from far away. I look up. Donnie is racing toward me at full ninja speed, which is considerable.
"Raph... was... captured by some creeps while we were out. I..." I search for the right words without revealing essential details. "I got him back," I finish. Fortunately, Donnie is too preoccupied with Raphael to notice my lapse. He picks up his older brother carefully and carries him to his lab. I hardly notice. Now that my first and only focus has been taken away from me, the full weight of what I have done slams me to the ground, choking the air out of my lungs. I haul my sorry carcass to a dark corner and sob my broken, tainted heart out, wishing for Raph to come and put his arms around me and tell me everything is going to be alright. But he can't. Because of me and my selfish wants, he was taken and brutalised, and injected with God-knows-what. It's all my fault. I made him come out with me. I killed those men. I curl into a tight ball, fists clutching the neck of Raph's hoodie. Sobs wrack my whole body, and tears dampen Raph's hoodie. If ever there is a God, He sure has it in for me. A while later, someone sits beside me and pulls me into a warm embrace, a comforting hug.
"Rhea, what really happened? Donnie told me what you told him, but it's incomplete. Trust me, little sister, what happened?" Leo asks me. I bury my tear stained face in his chest.
"You will hate me, Leo; I can't tell you," I whisper, barely fending off being traumatised. The comforting warmth of Leo helps but a little, and he asks again.
"Rhea, I will never hate you. And, if you like, I will keep your secret. But allowing it to remain your secret alone could kill you. For your own sake, Rhea, you need to tell someone," he replies. I clutch him tighter.
"I... I... Leo, I killed them!" I burst out, sobs returning afresh. If Leo is shocked, he doesn't show it. Instead, he rocks back and forth, shushing me like an older brother should.
"Killed who?" he asks softly. Relieved beyond measure that he doesn't hate me, I pull back and look into his eyes. Speaking quickly, I relate the whole story, starting from just after Raphael and I left the sewers. At the end of the story, I pull the four containers out of Raph's hoodie pocket, extending one to Leo. Both suspicious and wondering lights flicker across his blue eyes, and he looks up at me.
"Four, one for me, one for Donnie, one for Mikey, and the last for Splinter. So that means that... Raph... must already have it in him!" Leo exclaims. An image of the needle flashes through my mind.
"They injected him with something before..." I don't take the sentence any further. Leo grabs my hand and we run toward the laboratory. Bursting inside, we give Donatello the fright of his life before making his day, holding out his container for him to examine. While the brothers converse excitedly about the possibilities of it, I glance around for Raphael.
"Donnie, where is Raph?" I enquire. "In his own bed. He can't sleep properly in any other bed, you know," the tech-head replies. Leaving the two to debate on the substance, I make my way up to mine and Raph's room. I hesitate before opening the door, fearful of what may be on the other side.
Summoning my courage, I tell myself, "Be strong for him, Nydia. He needs you to be strong." I square my shoulders in a comforting imitation of Raph, and step inside. It's dark inside, but I don't want to wake him by turning the light on, so I wait for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I flick them to Raph's bed. The lump in it, supposedly Raph, is noticably smaller. Premonitions arise in me, one much louder than the others: is it true? I cross quickly and silently to his bed and force myself to look down. Black, wavy locks partially cover a handsome face. A handsome, human face. He is still very tank, clearly muscular and strong. And he is alive. Oddly enough, every scratch and bruise has vanished without a trace. I stagger to my bed and plonk myself down on it. I can hardly believe it. The stuff worked. I have to tell the others.
Before I can leave, however, a voice stops me in my tracks, "Rhea?" I turn around. Raphael is sitting up in bed, staring at me through blurred vision. He stands up and shuffles over to me. With his eyes open, he is absolutely gorgeous. A head taller than me, but no more than. I watch him for a split second before racing into his arms.
"Raph, you're okay! I was so worried," He hugs me back. And then he gets a glimpse of his human, five-fingered hand. His jaw drops. I feel it hit the top of my head.
"Oh my freakin shell," he states. I smile into his wild green eyes. "Not anymore, Raph. Something those creeps injected you with has turned you human, and an old man gave me four more containers for your brothers and Master Splinter," I relate the good news. After a moment of comprehension, he gives a silly grin. It is followed by a spout of laughter, which in turn is follwed by a hearty laugh. It is good to hear him laugh again. More than good. It is... well, for lack of a word, it starts a fire in me. He flexes his new hands.
"Rhea, this... this is amazing! Ha hah!" He lifts me off my feet and twirls me around. I giggle wildly until he settles me back on my feet. I nearly fall over, still a bit dizzy, and I fall into his arms instead of the floor.
"Whoa there," he grins, and pulls me closer rather than placing me back on my feet. I gaze into his mischievious eyes. A flame flickers there. A flame that lights a spark in me. A spark I never thought I'd feel, and yet, there it is. A stray lock of hair falls into his eyes, and we both reach to brush it away at the same time. I tuck it behind his ear and he catches my hand in his. Acting on impulse, I place a kiss, intended to be a light peck, on his lips. But before I can pull away, he returns the kiss with more power than I meant to give it. We try to make the kiss last, but, like all good things, it has to come to an end. I pull back and search his eyes, finding nothing but love and happiness.
I smile and say, "Alright, hot shot, let's go tell your brothers."
We make it to Donnie's lab without being spotted by anyone, and I say, "I'll go in first and tell them that... that the stuff worked. Then you should come in." He hesitates, hating instinctively to be told what to do, and then nods in agreement. I enter the hazard zone. Leo and Donnie are still there, but Donnie has taken a few drops of the substance and is preparing to run some tests on them.
"Oh, you don't need to do that," I tell him, walking over to stand by him and Leo. "It works." Both turtles shoot me a look.
"Come again?" says Donnie. "Say what exactly?" Leo asks, not believing he heard me right. I sit back on the table and glance toward the doorway.
"See for yourself," I challenge, waiting for Raph to walk in. A few seconds pass.
"Uh-huh. Remind me what we're looking at," Leo says sceptically. I tap my fingers on the table top.
"Raph, this isn't funny," I tell the empty doorway. A deep laugh resonates through the lab.
"Oh, I thought it was. I thought it was hilarious," Raph's voice, made eerily deep by the concrete walls, announces his entrance. I should've known he would do something like this. He appears in the doorway, wearing a long full length hooded robe. It completely covers him.
"Now that is funny. You look ridiculous," I tell him. Donnie sniggers behind me. Leo coughs emphatically. Raph growls from beneath the hood. To anyone else, it would sound like a warning, but it creates a stirring in me that infuriates me further. Seeing my face, Raph gives up the joke and makes a great show of whipping the robe off to reveal jeans, a T-shirt, and a human body. The unsuspecting audience gasps.
"Raph?" asks Leo.
"In the human flesh."
"It does work after all," Donnie breathes. Raph looks uncomfortable with his brothers' stares.
"Yea, obviously. Now try it on yourselves so you don't have to stare at me anymore," he says irritably. Leo's face takes on a peculiar expression.
"Soon. I have something to do first. I should be back soon. If I'm not, don't come after me," he orders, and leaves the room. I shoot a panicky look at Raph and Donnie and run after him.
"Leo! Wait!" I call. He turns around in exasperation.
"Rhea, you can't keep asking to come on our missions, it's..."
I interrupt, "You're going after Shredder aren't you?" I say more as a statement than a question. A resigned looks clouds his face. "Did Splinter tell you to?" I press. He looks sideways at the ground.
"Look, Rhea..." he begins.
"No. No, Leo, the only thing to look at is the question: why are you doing this? You've disobeyed Splinter plenty of times in the past and even been right for it. So why accept this without complaint, backup or any real likelihood of winning?" I demand, my voice nearly breaking. Leo is an amazing martial artist, but he is no match for the Shredder. Suddenly I notice the misty sheen in his blue eyes.
"Because if I don't... if I can't do this, then I may as well be dead anyway, because I won't be worthy of her," he confesses. My heart breaks for my adopted brother.
I shake my head sadly and say, "Leo, she tore your heart out and fed you to the wolves. It is she who must prove worthy of you, she is the one who must work to deserve you. Karai could never be good enough for you, no one could," I say, almost pleadingly. Then he gives me that mournful look that I've come to dread, the one that means, "I've made up my mind. I'm sorry if you don't like my decision, but I'm not budging."
Then he says, "Rhea, go back to Raphael. Love him. Protect him. Laugh with him. But for the love of all you hold dear, never tell him of this conversation." Now he turns, scoops up his katanas, and leaves the lair. I stand in the middle of the room, mouth partly open, eyes glazed, mind uncomprehending, and I don't know if my big brother is gonna ever come home. Now he's gone. And I didn't say goodbye. I rejoin the brothers in the lab, finding that Mikey has discovered them while I was talking with Leo. He's practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
Donnie notices me come in and says, "Hey, Rhea, we're just about to try the stuff. Where's Leo?"
Having prepared for this question in the few seconds it took me to walk here, I reply, "Oh, he went out on some business for Master Splinter. He should be back... soon." Thankfully no one asks anymore questions. Donnie empties his container into a syringe and sticks his arm out.
He closes his eyes and whispers, "Here goes nothing. I hope to God it works." Then he plunges the needle into his arm. The instant it sinks into his flesh, I get struck by images of a long and forbidding needle sticking out of Raph's arm, standing in front of a bunch of men with a gun, screaming as I shoot them down, and those same men lying dead on the ground, never to move again. I feel my fists clench as I try to drive the memories away. I hear Raph saying something about it "taking a while" as if from far off in the distance. An image leaps unbidden to mind, a premonition in which I see two shadows, both out of focus, darting, dipping and ducking as they engage in a death dance. All at once, they both become clear, and I see that one shape is Leo, while I can only assume the one decorated in assorted cutlery is the Shredder. Even as I watch unwillingly, a blade, thrown by a hidden foe, slices through the air and curves toward Leo. I try to yell a warning but he neither sees nor hears. Horrified and unable to move, I am forced to watch helplessly as the knife sinks into his unprotected neck. Blood spurts from the wound as Leo stumbles and falls. I can see his face, the shock, the pain, and worst of all, the acceptance. A drop falls from the blade and plummets to the ground, where it splashes a tiny green puddle, stark against the red blood and gray concrete. A menacing laugh echoes in my head as Leo, never giving the enemy the pleasure of hearing him cry out, slumps to the ground, and doesn't get back up. A new shape moves in on the scene, one all in white. The figure retrieves the knife and... binds the wound? None of it makes sense. Then it dawns on me. The stuff that makes the turtles human? Shredder's plan. Why? I guess it weakens them. Easier to take them down. But why not just kill Leo? Why turn him human so he's weaker when you can kill him now? I grab my head and bend over. The conundrum is wracking my brain, and giving my headache a headache. Maybe the Shredder realises, through his revengeful insanity, that Leo is invaluable and irreplaceable, and he intends to brainwash him using Kraang methods to work for the Shredder. Against us. What better revenge for turning Karai against Oroku Saki than to turn Leo against Hamato Yoshi? None. I arrive at this conclusion witha horrible feeling in my gut, but if this vision has already come to pass, then we would be too late to stage a rescue. Take it as it comes and hope there is a way out. Well, there's always a way out, but I'm hoping to avoid the worst. Hard as it is, I've seen a lot, and been through a lot, and I choose to leave the vision out of future conversation. The brothers have got their biggest wish come true, for goodness sake! I tell myself I'm being paranoid, but something niggles at the back of my mind. I shake it off and force a smile, focussing on the current events. Suddenly Donnie doubles over, choking and gasping. My eyes widen as I rush to his side.
"Donnie! What is it?" I ask anxiously. A confused look comes over his normally clear features. He straightens with a frown.
"N-nothing. I'm unexpectedly fine," he says, bewildered. I give him a disbelieving glance.
"Then what was that?" I retort. He opens his mouth to answer, but no sound comes out.
"Donnie?" I hear Mikey say from behind me. Donatello doesn't say anything. His mouth closes, his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses without a noise into a motionless heap of turtle. Raph rushes forward and kneels beside him.
"Donnie!" he cries. I check his vital signs.
"He-he's fine. It's like he's just asleep, like you were, Raph," I say. I breathe out, not realising until now that I'd been holding it in. A relieved look crosses Raphael's face as he scoops his younger brother up carefully and carries him to his room. I let a smile show; Raph may be the toughest, meanest turtle, but he has a heart of gold. He would gladly die for them, his only qualm being that he wouldn't be around for them anymore. Another reason why I can't tell him about Leo: he would go after him, probably playing straight into Shredder's hands.
"Ow!" A sudden outburst wakes me from my reverie. While I was daydreaming, Mikey took it into his own hands to pour the contents of his own container into a syringe and inject himself with it. It obviously proved more painful than he anticipated.
I hold back a grin and say, "No pain..."
He glowers at me for a second before smiling widely and answering, "... no gain." Then he passes out. I guess Donnie has a higher injection effect threshold than his little brother. I decide to wait for Raph to take him to his room; there's no way I could make it, even with the littlest turtle. The black-haired teen re-enters the room and takes one look at his youngest brother before rolling his eyes and taking him out of the room. I remember the other two containers and glance over my shoulder at them. If my vision was right, we probably won't need Leo's one, but Splinter's one screams "tell him" at me.
"Who are you and what are you doing with my son?!" Splinter's stern and uncompromising voice penetrates the silence.
"Sensei!" Raph's voice is full of surprise. There is a moment of shocked quiet as Splinter digests this unexpected turn.
"Raphael?" he asks, a note of astonishment in the ninja master's voice I never thought to hear. I peek out of the laboratory. Raph is standing in the centre of the living room, holding the unconscious Mikey. Splinter is standing near the entrance to the dojo. I hold my breath.
"Hai, Sensei," Raph replies. Splinter looks ready to have a heart attack. Just then Karai appears beside Maser Splinter. Her face goes from curious to shocked. I observe the exchange from the doorway to Donnie's lab with interest. Master Splinter stumbles to a seat, where Karai helps him sit comfortably before taking a seat beside him. I stay where I am, watching silently as I have learned to during my time with the ninjas.
Raph says, "I'm sorry, Master, but I have to get Donnie to his room before the same thing happens to him. Ask Rhea, she'll tell you what's going on." And so saying, he walks out of the room leaving me to explain. I sigh and go down the steps to sit on cross-legged in front of Master Splinter. He looks up.
"Rhea. Tell me, why are my sons becoming human?" After I relate the events of the last few hours (leaving out the kiss), Master Splinter bows his head. But not before I spy the excited gleam in his eyes.
"So, a cure has been discovered after all this. Did the old man tell you his name?" he asks. I shake my head. "He sounds like an old friend of mine... one who died some time ago," he says, mostly to himself.
"Sensei, we have some for you too, if you want it," I offer. His head comes up again, and he doesn't bother to hide his joy.
He smiles a rat smile and replies, "I think I'll take you up on that." I never expected to hear that kind of talk come from Splinter's mouth, but let's go with it.
I return his grin and say, "Alright. If you'll just follow me..." It takes both Raph and Karai to carry Splinter to his room, and I feel a little helpless. When they come back, I can't help but notice their gazes travel straight away to the remaining container. Raph looks to me for an explanation, leaving the unspoken question unspoken: "Where is Leo really?"
I shift uncomfortably from foot to foot before Karai says it, "Rhea, is it, where's Leo?" I bite my lip and look down, not about to answer.
Raph comes over and lifts my chin to look in his eyes. "Rhea, where is Leo?" I worry my lower lip and stare into his eyes, not about to rat on my older brother. Raph releases me and curses softly, his handsome features creased in anger and frustration.
"He told you not to tell, didn't he?" My eyes go straight back to the ground. Raph steps back and crosses his arms, waiting. Man, I hate it when he does that. He's just as determined and stubborn as I can be. Suddenly, instead of Raph standing waiting in front of me, I see Leo, beaten, bruised, chained and human. Occasionally a guard walks past and delivers a brutal kick to his stomach. I feel my mouth drop open and tears of injustice well up in my eyes. His own eyes open and meet mine. He looks just as astonished as me, and he whispers my name before some guard delivers a savage blow to his head.
Then the vision fades and Raph is shaking my shoulders, saying my name, "Rhea! Rhea! Wake up!" I push him away and run from the room. I hurry upstairs and shrug out of my clothes, quickly pulling on my kunoichi fighting suit. Raph barges in just as I'm pulling it over my shoulders. He blushes and turns around. I finish putting it on and slap my half mask onto the lower part of my face.
I go over to him, look him dead in the eye, and say, "I am going to get our brother. Stay here. Raph, this is for me to do. I let him go, I bring him back. I know where he is, and I shouldn't be long." He opens his mouth in protest, but I place on finger on his lips and say, "I'll be fine, but if you love me, let me go."
He grabs my hand and replies, "Rhea, that is unfair. I should go with you. It's too dangerous!"
I extract my hand from his worried crushing fist and say, "Raphael, that is why I am going. I rescued you, I can rescue Leo. Don't forget, I love you." With that, I dash out of the room before I lose my resolve and stay. I run out of the lair, out of the sewers and up into the streets. All the way I am tortured by the look on Raph's face when he looked into my eyes and saw what I saw in my vision. Saw the possibility that I wouldn't make it back. I find the building where Leo is being held and slip in through a roof vent. I find myself in a network of ventilation pipes. Perfect. I follow the maze until I find myself above a grating. Looking down through it, I see Leo surrounded by three guards. One glance at Leo's bruised and brutalised face is enough to make the Rage rise up in me again. I try to quell it, telling myself I can do this without resorting to that. But when Leo shifts slightly and one of the guards kicks him, I can't keep it down any longer. I smash the grating in with one blow from my fist and it falls to the floor below. All the guards are instantly alert. I drop down into the room and, without waiting for them to make the first move, I whip out my sais and throw them straight into the stomach of two of the guards. The third guard has gathered his wits by then and let's fly with a dozen throwing stars. I dodge all but the last one embeds itself in my side digging in more painfully with every movement. The Rage throws me forward and the third guard ends up unconscious on the floor. I find keys in the first one's belt and release Leo's wrists from the chains. He opens his eyes and groans in pain as I lift him to his feet. I dig deep inside myself to my strength reserves and transfer some of my energy to him.
His eyes widen as it takes effect and he asks, "Rhea, how did you do that?"
I shush him and say, "It doesn't matter. All that matters now is that we get you out of here fast." Yea, before he sees what I can do to people when my loved ones are threatened. I help him up into the ventilation network. Shouting and footsteps sound outside the room.
"Rhea, come on!" Leo yells down at me, extending a hand to pull me up. By now, they're banging on the door. I gaze at the door, then at Leo, and then back at the door. I know what I have to do. Leo sees me make my mind up and panics.
"Rhea, think of Raph! You have to come now!" he says frantically. I close my eyes as the Rage makes a swift return. It gives me strength, which I use to seize the grating and bend it so Leo can't come back.
"Raph will understand. Tell him my last thought was of him," I say, and turn to face the door as it is torn from its hinges.
"Put your hands up!" a commanding voice orders. A Foot soldier examines the unlocked chains and the unconscious guards. He or she nods to the speaker and two more Foot come forward to cuff me. As they draw near, I burst into action and deliver killing blows to their temples. Without waiting for the others to react I dive to the floor and roll under their feet, slicing their leg muscles. As they fall screaming, I rush down the hallway. Every Foot that encounters me becomes too dead to wish they hadn't. Then I see something I never expected to see. The elevator at the end of the hall opens and the freakin Shredder himself steps out. Screw the elevator, I'm going for the Shredder. He barely has time to block my blow before I reach him. I score a half dozen cuts across his arm instead and knock his helmet off. Before his bodyguards can stop me or he can recover, I draw a knife across his throat. Suddenly the haze clears, and I'm standing over a bloody, scarred corpse. Two uniformed Foot soldiers stand either side of me, not sure what to do. I look down at my hand and see a bloody dripping knife. Feeling ill inside and yet relieved, I get into the elevator and press the ground floor button. I walk unscathed out of the building adn make my way back to the lair. Once I get there, I plonk myself down on a couch. Four heads look up. Four shocked expressions reach my eyes. One of the owners of the expressions gets up and picks me up, crushing me to him in a happy, relieved hug. I hug Raph back, realising that this is where I belong. And I'm never leaving again.
hope you all like it, im working on something really big and this is just up while i finish it. thanks everybody, dont forget to tell me whether you liked it!😜😝😜😘