"A/N: Here's an AU I'm gonna be writing somewhere else. Hopefully, people will like it. It's skimpy on details

4. Soul Collector
.Leo has to fit a mold to protect others from himself.

He could feel the essence claw at his throat as he tried to swallow it down. His jaw clenched tightly which allowed it to pop back into place. Even then the soul was still trying to escape, sticking firmly in his throat and making it difficult to ignore. His teeth were bared, acting as prison bars just in case the essence decided to spring out from his mouth. The most violent ones, the ones that refused to return back to their hells, were the ones that always caused the most trouble. Leo was practically an expert at keeping them down but the pain was still an annoyance every time.

The soul struggled but eventually was drowned into his body where it belonged. A small hiccup escaped him, Leo relaxed and exhaled in relief.

"Are you okay?"

Donnie was beside him, holding his shoulder to keep him steady while he battled to keep the soul within him. Leo nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. Donnie smiled weakly. He lifted his finger up to his mouth and bit hard on the tip of his finger to release a small amount of blood. Leo was about to protest but his brother was already chanting softly.

A sealing spell was place and drawn on Leo's stomach with Don's blood. Nothing goes out or in. It marked the end of their mission. Leo was a little disappointed to only collect twenty five but he didn't argue. Everyone was tired, bruised and bloody. The last spawn they captured had worn them thin even in the early hours of the day.

Raph tested his sprained ankle, wincing sharply, he hobbled over to the two with Mikey lagging behind. Leo was comfortable enough to move and speak again. He always trusted Donnie's spell to work and it also gave him a little numbing sensation throughout his body for him. It dulled a lot of the pain, he could focus on his brothers without worry.

"Ah, dude, my head hurts." Mikey complained tiredly.

"We should get home and rest." Leo said. He gently wrapped his arm around the youngest to help him steady himself.

Raph groaned, "With only twenty five souls? I don't think so!" His eyes darted to the sealing symbol drawn on Leo's plastron. "Urgh! You know that isn't even half of what we're suppose to bring back!"

"It's all Leo can carry right now, Raph," Donnie protested. The two exchanged a glare before Raph backed off. They were all too tired to argue with one another but Raph made it clear that he was unhappy. None of them were exactly happy about coming home short. Their father wasn't going to be upset.

–

'Where r ya?'
'Home. Bad morning.'
'...Oh? What happened?'
'Don had to use a seal. Only 25 today.'
'You okay?'
'I guess idk.'

Leo set his tphone down, not caring to look at the next message Karai had sent him. He contained only twenty five today..The realization hit him and made him sigh. As expected their father was upset and unforgiving. Splinter could smell the copper trail on him even though it was Don's blood. Donnie was the only one capable of using any sort of spells. They received no punishment but they were grounded. Actually grounded on Earth. They weren't allowed to come back to their realm without the one hundred and twenty souls.
Leo was expecting a harsh lecture from Raphael but it never came. Instead everyone scattered off to do what they wanted for their limited free time. Mikey and Raph went to April's for a movie day. Donnie stayed behind to help Leo secure the souls and send them to the hells. It was uncomfortable having them inside him for too long.

"Are you meeting with her again?" Donnie asked curiously. He was already corrupting the seal on his stomach so they could begin the process.

Leo shrugged. "I might. Just to talk.."

"You can always talk to me?" Don offered. "Besides I think you should relax and stay here."

The eldest had thought on it for a while but new company was much needed. Not only that, Leo wouldn't dare tell any of his brothers about his relationship with Karai. Their relationship was platonic to a degree and probably the closest thing Leo would ever come to an actual interest. None of them thought highly of themselves to even achieve love interests. Karai was different. The silence had stretched longer than Leo thought and felt ashamed. Donnie was always the one he came to if he ever needed someone to talk with. But today...

"Okay, ready?" Donnie piped.

The seal broke and sharp pain erupted from his chest.

"Leo!" Donnie shouted. He barely had enough time to contain the souls as they spilled out from Leo's mouth. Donnie kept them together in a tight ball, and once it was sealed, the ball turned quickly into a glass material. It lightly dropped on the ground between them with a small 'clank'.

His throat felt raw and sore. It was getting harder and harder to contain souls without a seal. One slip up like this and the souls could escape, Donnie might not have been able to catch them but he managed. It was Leo's fault. A black foam oozed from the corner of his mouth, dropping on the glass orb in front of him and slipping. He wiped his mouth, panting..

This..wasn't right.

–

She waited for him on the rooftops like always. On top of Anthony's pizza parlor, Mikey's favorite restaurant. Karai was hovering, pacing around and looking out for a turtle sized figure. Leo managed to climb up without being seen but his presence was already noticed.

"About time." Karai said. She turned around to face him and glided to him. "I was getting bored."

Leo smiled, "Today hasn't been a great day."

Karai gently lowered herself down and sat on top of the warm vet. She scooted over and tapped the space next to her. Leo walked tiredly to her and sat down.

"What's up?"

"Quotas.."

Karai chuckled, "Sucks, right? Being a hunter must really blow."

Leo shrugged, not really wanting to say anything bad out loud but he silently agreed.

"You said your brother needed to use a sealing spell, how come?" Karai asked.

"I couldn't hold anymore. We fought a demon crawler today that was kind of rough. I could barely hold it down. Don's been using spells a lot more and I..I'm worried that-"

"You'll break?" Karai interrupted. Her tone was less sympathetic and more intrigued. "Leo, eventually, you won't be able to control yourself. You know that, right? If you keep trying to fit in this mold that your father designed for you.."

Leo jumped up and extended his arms out, "I know!" He growled. "What am I suppose to do then? Quit this and start becoming a Savage?"

"Hey, I know some good Savages that could help you out." Karai offered. Leo glared, his hands clenched into fists in his irritation and turned away from her. "I'm sorry. I get it. You're worried that you'll loose yourself and your brothers."

He crossed his arms and sat on the ground away from her. "No. You don't understand."

She slipped off the vent and glided down to sit next to him again. Her arms wrapped around him, hugging him close to comfort him. "You're right. I've accepted who I am. I don't know what it's like but I do know that keeping who you truly are hidden is going to backlash horribly in the end. What you are-" Karai paused to lightly rub at a dirt spot on his plastron, "It doesn't have to be a bad thing."

Leo pondered the thought but he was too tired to think anymore. He just wanted to forget about today and sleep. He would eventually have to face the fact of who he really was and talk to father. And his brothers. What would they say? Would they be afraid?

Would they subject him to hell like the rest?

There was a comfortable silence between them and it was clear that it was time for some relaxation. Karai grabbed his hand and lifted him up to his feet. Her lair was only a few blocks away, away from the territory of chaos that his family got mixed up in. Leo wished he could stay away from the city forever, from Earth, but not really. There was a lot he liked about this world, less responsibilities and more time for himself. There was also Karai..

He settled the day laying beside her on her bed and surrounded by her collection of torn stuffed animal heads. They didn't try anything else, Karai knew Leo needed some time to rest with a close body beside him. Karai wasn't surprised to hear about all the turmoils Leo was facing with. Karai had predicted they would haunt him soon but she hated to see him like this.

She gently rubbed the top of his head as he slept, listening to his soft breathes and cute noises that would come from his nose. Karai never slept in her life but the look of peace on the turtle's face made her wish she could experience it for herself. She wished she could do a lot of things but none more so than ridding all the fears and doubts Leonardo had of himself. He needed to unlock his full potential, be who he was designed to be without regret or guilt. If it were to come true then maybe his dreams would be less dark and more clarity. She could only hope that Leo would make the right decision and not base it on his family or duties.

It was time to act for himself.

–

Savages
Class 12

Also known as 'soul eaters' or 'soul suckers' they are ranked as high risk demons at number 12 class danger. Typically dwelling in the deep levels of hells among all realms, Savages rely heavily on bright souls as an energy source and a means of surviving. Savages also revert to consuming lower spawn or human souls if desperate. Savages are only extinguished if left without an energy source for a long period of time. Once weakened, a deadly strike through the brain or heart will allow for instant death. Savages also service as soul collectors if contained correctly. More information on soul collection on page 65.