LATE FUCKING DEAL WITH IT DX

"Oh yeah? Well I got one for ya! How come Utroms are always lonely?" Casey asked Don, Mike, Raph, and April around the campfire they'd made.

'Because they thought that they could steal someone at birth and raise them to fight their real family.'

"Beats me," Raph relented after a second.

"They ain't got 'no body'! Get it? 'No body? Ha!"

Leo sighed as he listened to his brothers and friends from where he stood by the water.

"Hey I got one for ya, Case!" Mike smiled. "How do you measure an Utrom?"

Casey stared at him, bewildered, as his brothers giggled, having heard this one multiple times.

"In inches!"

Casey's stare turned more confused. "Huh?"

"In inches! They don't have feet!" Mikey exclaimed with a laugh, enjoying his brothers' and friends' laughter.

April's laughter died down and she looked to the side, where Leo stood, back to her. She frowned and stood up, walking towards him. He sensed her presence and sighed, not in the mood to talk.

"Are… Are you OK, Leo? I know something's been bothering you," April said softly.

Leo looked away. "Yeah.. I don't know…" he sighed. April always had this way of making him open up… "I mean, I guess I do. I just can't stop thinking about the last time we faced the Shredder!" he said a bit louder, but not so the guys could hear. He clenched his fists and his eyes narrowed as he continued to speak. "The only way we could've defeated him was to blow ourselves up! I couldn't protect my brothers… My master… I feel like such a complete failure!" He punched his hand as April's confused expression turned to one of sadness. "Now matter how I try to rationalize it - justify it - it just keeps coming back to the fact that I wasn't good enough! Strong enough! I was too distracted in my own hate and revenge that I almost forgot what the whole damn mission was about!"

He breathed out angrily, ashamed to have spilled all that, when his eyes suddenly widened. "April, look!"

A green head with a fin on top started to rise out of the water. It came up higher, revealing a feminine body with many marks and scars, fins under her arms, as well. Leo's eyes immediately narrowed as he snarled, expecting a threat. She walked towards them.

"Um, guys?" April called to the others, who finally looked up and noticed it. The creature stepped on the grass, leaving footprints as the guys stood up from the campfire hesitantly. "We… have company…"

The creature walked a few more steps towards them, and then collapsed to her knees and fell to the ground.

Everyone hesitantly approached her. "And… she's hurt," April said.

Don turned backwards to his little brother. "Mikey, quick - in my backpack; get me the first-aid kit and my tech pad.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Mikey smirked, before sobering and running towards the tent.

"Somebody help me turn her over!" April ordered, and Leo came over and did so carefully, but only because April has said so. He trusted April's judgement completely, so if she didn't think the creature was a threat, then it wasn't.

"So, what is she? Some kinda fish?" Raph asked hesitantly.

"She doesn't have gills," April replied, putting her head to its chest, "and she stopped breathing. And her heart; I can't find a pulse!"

Don scanned the creature with his tech tab. "According to this, these marks are burns. Radiation burns! She's been exposed to a massive dose of radiation!"

"Casey! Help me out here!" April commanded as Casey came over quickly. "I'll check that her throat is clear, and begin the mouth-to-mouth."

Mikey looked worriedly at the water. "Um, guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are more fish people, and they are NOT looking happy!" he announced worriedly as more fish people, all males, emerged from the water. One of them let out a low, throaty growl.

"They must think we're hurting her! Keep them away! We need more time!" April exclaimed.

Leo snarled animalistically, his sanity leaving him for a quick second as he unsheathed his katana threateningly and sliced at one of the creatures. He knocked it on its back, but it kicked him into the water, another one following him in.

"Leo!" Raph called, growling and barrelling into another fish-man, sending them both into the water, as well.

They subdued Don and Mike quickly, tripping one and knocking the other in the head, making the genius groan and lose focus long enough for them to get a good enough hold of him to get him into the water.

"April! Them walkin' fishsticks! They got the guys!" Casey exclaimed as the fishmen dragged Mike and Don into the water.

WHATEVER I'M LATE I'VE BEEN DISTRACTED LATELY. PLZ REVIEW! BYE!

Shadow