Prelude p3

Leonardo didn't know how many he tried to knock out and how many that he actually had no choice but to kill. He did know that the battle only lasted ten to fifteen minutes, and it was very…weird how fast everyone was being drained. He was lucky that he pulled his weight during training and tried to get others to train just as hard and often. It was possible that's why he wasn't draining himself down.

It still didn't mean that it wasn't frustrating having more people to attack. The Foot teamed with the Purple Dragons and the Snakes, and when they attacked together, he had to admit he could see why the Snakes landed being a Major. He just hoped that this little disaster meant them being taken off. They got better and then they get down to worse, as if the three gangs – well two and one clan – were playing around. He wondered what they were trying to do. Drop guards? Or just tormenting?

There was a grunt and then a thud behind the blue-wearing ninja brother and Brianna stepped beside him, "Damn it, Leo, pay attention to the fight, not your thoughts," she chided but smiled, a bit amused. She always found a way to make the fight exciting, different, because if she got too serious things tended to go downhill, for she and the other side though that would probably be a good thing at the moment.

"Gomen," Leo said softly, knowing that she was right. This fight needed every ounce of concentration; thoughts weren't needed until a moment of peace. Which was hard, "Gangs chose their leaders, don't they?" He looked over at Bria, an idea starting to form.

Bria drop-kicked a Purple Dragon over the edge of the roof and then whirled around to hook-kick another, "Well…He's a calm one, calculating and he watches his opponents to judge the best way to kill them. He likes power, just like any other cold-blooded criminal. Snake suits him well because he's so sly and secretly cunning. He waits and ambushes his next meal, and as they struggle he either squeezes them to death or," she rammed her fist into a ninja, "He injects venom into them so they die slowly and painfully. That though all depends on the person or people he's up against…"

"And we have yet to see him. Hiding in the darkness," Leo murmured. How to find him, and what would happen when he did? Leo knocked down a few others and managed to just knock them out without shedding blood, but the other person that went after Bria didn't have that choice and fell to the ground, dead. "If we went after him and killed him, I fear to who gets chosen after that…or does the gang immediately disband?"

"If the gang doesn't have anything strong holding them together, like the leader, someone who the leader puts in charge while gone, or an heir, they will break," Bria nodded, "I can't imagine Hector having someone willing enough to continue his work, however."

"I can." Leo admitted, depending on the person...and seeing how bad this gang was at being bloodthirsty, there had to be someone that was either worse or better than Hector that wouldn't mind getting the throne. He wished he didn't have to put up with the thought of having another battle like this one.

Bria frowned and then sensed a disturbance behind her. She smirked as she finally, for the first time that evening, whipped out her Bo Staff and twirled it in the Helicopter motion. She felt resistance and then the following 'crack' as it hit one person or other's head. "Let's move on, I see the wheels turning in that wonderful head of your, so let's get this party started," she smiled softly.

"Or at least end it on a good note before anyone else has to die." Leo agreed with a nod. He couldn't tell Bria about the plan aloud, just in case someone that was very loyal to the Water Snakes knew where he was...hopefully there was someone that was that loyal...he would just have to pick his target carefully, and follow them until they got to Hector's hiding place, and end it.

…Hopefully…

Lily twirled where she was in the air and easily avoided most of the kunai, but a shuriken decided to whip around and tear at her sleeve and shoulder. She grunted and pulled it out before tossing it down to knock out a ninja that was trying to attack Sam and Matt down below.

Donatello managed to start blocking and throwing the kunai and shuriken back at them, instead of wasting it away. His mind was thinking of what could have possessed the foot to start up a gang war and what it was in it for them. Not to mention, his eyes looked over wearily to a side, what possessed the Lighting Force to just start bombing at random, and where they got the equipment to even make them.

He dodged another quick kunai and concentrated some wind into a small tornado and tossed at them, trying hard not to laugh when they were knocked over like dominoes.

"Having fun, love?" Lily asked as she flew over to him, "Wind tends to lighten your mood, have you noticed?" she smiled and then caught a kunai in her hand, about to throw it back, when another rainfall of the ninja weapons were tossed to them. She used to kunai as a block and used her wind to send the others back.

"I have." Don said with a smile. Usually he would be worried about his brothers while battling, or trying to come up with ideas to make Leo's job a little easier to manage. Having a lightened mood while fighting was disturbing, but it made things easier to think about, and worrying constantly wasn't a problem. As if the wind took it as it's own burden.

He did a flip to dodge a kunai and decided to use the wind to make them go against the wall…hard enough to knock them out…he had a dreaded feeling that he might have accidentally killed a few…but that was from the way they all collapsed so fast.

Lily smiled ruefully, remembering yet again that her lover was not a killer. He had a kind soul, one who'd rather stay at home and do something other than fight. She floated up next to him and lightly brushed against him lovingly, but then she asked the question that'd been on her mind for the past few moments, "Why are we getting most of the Foot ninja's?"

"I don't know." Donatello admitted. He knew that Leo was taking on most of the Water Snakes, he wasn't sure about what was going on with Raphael, but Mikey was having fun jumping around from battle to battle and never staying long to see it to the end. Random like his nature, "It's possible that the ninja just happened to be closer to this place. It's not likely that it's spontaneous, but my guess would be that Karai has something planned for us all. And I don't think this has anything to do with Lighting Force. I think that was just an excuse to start the fight…maybe not to W.S, but to Karai and Hun."

Lily nodded, and then something clicked. "Oh, fuck…" she sucked on her bottom lip. She shook her head, and the ninja saw her distraction to start another shower, and she caught a kunai in her right leg, and a shuriken grazed along her side. "Damn you!" she tore out the kunai and threw it angrily, watching it slide through the forehead of someone or other, they were all the same to her.

"You okay?" Don asked, looking at her slightly scared.

"Do you want the honest to kami truth?" Lily asked as she now began turning slowly in the air, her eyes scanning the battlefield and rooftops.

"It'd be appreciated." Donatello looked over at Lily, "Very much."

"No. I'm not okay." Lily had frozen there in the air; she didn't even notice the next wave being thrown. Her eyes were locked on something else.

Don quickly pushed her out of the way from the wave and used the air to turn the shower of kunai and shuriken back to the ninjas. "What do you see?"

"Guess…its one word…a name…and it starts with a K," Lily answered through gritted teeth.

"Karai," Don muttered softly, "With Ciar I bet."

"Correct," Lily said, and then for some reason she felt dread. …Tons and tons of dread…

What was going to happen next?

They were close. Leonardo didn't know how to explain how he knew, but he knew that they were close. Close to finding him in the buildings that were falling apart, close to the alleyways that weren't going to be an alleyway for long, he knew. However, he also knew that Hector had to be one hell of an observer to know how to hide in the shadows. Either that or he learned from someone.

Payback was a bitch, Leo knew this. He knew it damn well. Being near death, and having Bria frightened...Hector was going to pay for hurting her, by hurting him.

"It's getting too quiet, Leo…" Bria murmured as she moved closer to him.

"It must mean we're getting close to where he is…its strange…where are his men? Are they all out on the battlefield or are they hiding in the shadows?" He looked up at the buildings trying to catch a glimpse of them. Who taught Hector about using shadows? He doubted Karai did…and he knew that Hun wouldn't have. Someone taught him, and taught him well…and Hector wasn't an idiot. He taught all of his men. That was what made this dangerous. More dangerous, than fighting the way they were. "It's worrying."

"Something isn't sitting right with me, Leo," Bria tried to tell him, "Of course it wouldn't…but still," she argued with herself next. She grunted softly and looked at the shadows. She couldn't explain it; it was just one of those feelings.

"Like something bad is going to happen right around the corner?" Leo asked softly, knowing what she was thinking through the link. He always tried to give her privacy, but this sort of feeling he knew.

"Maybe…I'm not sure," she murmured back and then stopped, a violent shiver running down her spine. She looked around, "He's here…"

"Somewhere," Leo agreed, looking around. Where was he?

A bullet rang through the air and Leo jumped back, narrowly missing it, but another one was aimed at Bria, missing her by inches. Leo narrowed his eyes slightly; he knew that if Hector was trying, even dodging wouldn't have worked. "Let's go." He murmured. "You okay?"

Bria had shrieked and was now backed against the wall, her heart beating wildly. Of course, she knew Leo's was doing the same since his breathing had turned ragged. She took deep breaths and answered truthfully since it was obvious, "No…" but she moved closer to him, looking harder into the shadows.

Leo gently rubbed her back soothingly for a while before he had to move and edged closer to where he knew Hector was. He walked through another alleyway and came to a stop when he saw that Hector was standing in the middle, twirling his gun. Leo took out his katana and twirled it only once, his grip was shaking and white. Being near death once had been enough for him.

"Are you men waiting to ambush us again?" Bria asked, fighting through her fear, "Or is it just you, Snake?"

He laughed, "Ouch, coming from a lady. You shouldn't even be here, little girl."

"She's not little." Leo said softly looking at him, "You are."

"Heh," Hector just smirked, "Says the one who got shot last time. May I add, by my own boys? Kyle was a good…toy to play with wasn't he?"

Brianna hissed dangerously, "He was a dangerous man who deserved the fate he got. Just as you will also deserve yours…"

"And why, should I deserve my so called fate?" Hector asked, watching them. "Fate is for people that look for reasons to their actions and to other actions. It's not real, and it's never going to be. Fate is just a word used as a myth. Nothing more and nothing less… Dissevering it…ha! Ironic…"

"A myth can easily become reality." Brianna said, folding her arms with a slight glare. "It just takes time."

"How much?" He teased her.

Her glare just narrowed and a smirk was trying hard to make itself known. "It can be now, and it can be later. Fate has no limit or deadline."

He rolled his eyes, "I bet you're saying this because you know one of you, or maybe both of you, are to die, today."

Leo's eyes narrowed.

Bria tensed and bit her lip. Hector had found the right button, and now her voice abandoned her as she shifted more toward Leo in a protective manner.

"What makes you so sure?" Leo demanded softly, his grip on the katana was tighter.

Hector just smiled, and raised his gun, "Because unlike you two, there's no 'fate' about it."

Leo quickly did a flash step that Bria taught him, and got to Hectors side. Hector was smart, he knew how to dodge and how to get away to get farther. To battle him, was like a cat chasing an intelligent mouse. Leo had to make sure that his gun wouldn't be raised, and that nothing would be shot at. Even if it was just fake hits, and even if it wasn't much of a fight since he had a big advantage, his aim was to disarm the gun.

Unfortunately, Hector had the same idea about the twin katana.

Bria saw the look in Hector's eyes and she gasped quietly. She crossed her hands together and looked at her fingers, glad she had added Ocean and River to the group. She uttered a small teleportation spell, and while Leonardo did a spin and she saw both of his own hands, she aimed her gaze at his pinky fingers, since they would be the only ones small enough to hold her rings.

She watched the light blue glow of River appear on Leo's right hand, and the dark blue glow of Ocean appear on Leo's left hand. She prayed this would help at least somewhat.

Leo felt Bria's aura surround his hands as well as the familiar element that he wielded. He barely cast a glance at his hands to realize that Bria had given him two of her treasured power rings. 'Thank you, dearheart…' He thought as he did a horizontal slice to Hector, but he was quick.

This battle had Leo thinking and thinking hard. There were so many ways to disarm him, and since he had the rings, he could disarm him and have him down and gone. However, honor came first. He already had too much of an advantage. He needed to lower that down to make it a fair fight, but Hector was cunning. Every dodge he made, no expression crossed his face besides a smile.

A smile that Raph would give Leo when the red-clad ninja thought that he had the blue one cornered… Cocky and damn prideful, but it also gave Leo a little jolt of fear.