A/N: So I've decided that it's time to finish this up soon so I can finish up Shadows on the Wall. It's been weird switching between the two when I update. We have only a few more chapters left followed by an epilogue. Thanks for reading :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or DtB.


He tore the manhole cover off and it clanged against a wall. He swiftly clambered out of the sewer and sprinted down the alley way. His hazel gaze was wild with panic and sweat dripped from his body. He paid no heed to the dull ache of broken bones poking at internal organs.

He came across the bodies of the two unconscious Contractors and stopped. He spun around, his eyes searching the ground franticly. His breaths came out in irregular gasps. He sprinted down the alley, back the way he had towed Raph through. How could he have lost the one thing he relied on for survival?

He was a Contractor, damn it. An obsessive compulsive perfectionist. He'd always been one, even before his change into a guiltless-emotionless-killer.

He came to a halt and glanced up at the top of the two-story building he had thrown Raph off of. He paid it no more thought and swiftly clambered up the fire escape to reach the top. He reached the top and swung his body over the lip of the roof, landing in a crouch. His gaze scanned the rooftop, passing over the charred corpse of his brother without emotion.

He caught a flash of silver in his peripheral vision and turned his gaze in that direction. His hazel gaze narrowed as he spotted a figure standing on another rooftop with his pocket-watch dangling from its hand. He rose to his full height, sweat beading his skin and his breathing erratic.

The figure wore loose fitting clothes and a mottled brown cloak and cowl covered most of his features. Leo watched the figure cautiously before he spoke loud enough for the other to hear him from across the street that separated the two rooftops.

"You have something that belongs to me." He bit off, though his voice was shaking from exertion. He clutched a hand to his chest, where he could feel a dull pain throbbing from his inability to complete his contract payment.

The other figure made no move. "You have something that belongs to us. A fair exchange is all we ask." He replied in a melodic and deeply male voice.

Leo winced as a sharp pain tore through his chest but his hazel gaze was focused on the man across the way. "You don't understand the full implications of what is going on."

The figure slipped the pocket-watch into the folds of his cloak. "If you won't cooperate, I will be forced to act, Wraith, and you are in no condition to fight me."

Leo released a shaky breath and widened his stance, glaring the other down.

The cloaked male broke into a dead sprint and leapt off the edge of the building, towards Leo's rooftop. Leo drew a tanto from within the folds of his trench coat and watched the figure close the distance between the two rooftops. The male landed on the edge of Leo's rooftop in a crouch, his cloak settling around his figure.

The cloaked male stood, drawing back his hood to reveal a bald head and brilliant green eyes. His features were smooth and pale. He was an attractive man, with high cheekbones and full lips. His green eyes were settled on Leo, focused and determined. A wooden cross hung from a thick cord around his slim neck.

Leo studied the other for a moment. "A monk and a Contractor. You must be the one from MI6 who was specially hired to kill me."

The monk held no humor at those words. He lifted the cross to lips and murmured several words in Latin. He bowed his head, pressing the cross to his forehead, before lowering it back to the end of its cord.

"Wraith, I bid you a final warning. Hand me the Gate Artifact or I will be forced to act."

Leonardo's grip tightened on the tanto. He couldn't afford to fight—but he couldn't afford to give up the Heaven Star. Either choice meant certain death. He tensed and entered a fighting stance. The monk scrutinized him for a moment. "The Lord's Will, be done." He spoke reverently before his eyes sparked red.

Leo ducked and rolled to his feet as something flashed brightly where he had been standing just a moment before. He sprinted at the monk. The monk held his hand out and a translucent object materialized in his hand in the form of a mace. The monk swung the weapon out at Leo as the terrapin drew closer. Leo ducked under the strike and raised his tanto, striking at the monk in a slashing motion.

The monk leapt back, but his cloak tore apart as Leo slashed through it. The terrapin snatched hold of the torn off piece and quickly generated some distance between himself and the monk, watching the monk carefully. Leo hurled his tanto at the monk as he removed a silver pocket-watch from the torn off part of the monk's cloak. The monk batted the tanto aside with a swing of his mace and his brows shot up as he noticed that Leo was now in possession of the pocket-watch. His mace shifted into the form of a spear and was hurled at the terrapin.

Leo leapt out of the spear's path and wrapped his fingers tightly around the pocket-watch, unwilling to release it. He spun around and leapt onto another rooftop, sprinting in a mad dash to get away from the monk. He needed to make his payment, and he couldn't do it with the monk trying to kill him.

Leo dropped into an alley, not bothering to look back and see if the monk was following him, he already knew that his enemy was not going to let him go so easily. He ran through the labyrinth of back alleys, his mind picking apart every detail as he ran, allowing his rational Contractor mind to aid his escape. He came to a halt and turned his gaze up to the dark sky.

Leo hopped onto a dumpster and clambered up a fire escape until he reached the rooftops again. His trench coat fluttered behind him as he continued his sprint across the rooftops. His breathing was still erratic and irregular as he had yet to fulfill his contract payment. His legs pumped tirelessly and his arms swung with each movement of his legs.

Rain began stinging at his eyes and sweat ran down his body. Lightning flashed, illuminating the world before plunging it again into an even blacker darkness.

Leonardo's eyes went wide and he stumbled onto his plastron in a puddle as a violent surge of pain flashed through his body. He grunted with effort as he rose to one knee, his pocket-watch clasped tightly in one hand, the chain hanging from between his fingers.

Another surge of pain had him bracing his hands against the ground for support. He clenched his teeth and screwed his eyes shut against it. He could feel his muscles spasming and twitching underneath his skin in ways he couldn't possibly control.

"Well. Well. Well. I've seen you before, haven't I?" An all too familiar smooth voice spoke from behind him.

Leo stiffened and turned his head to stare at the speaker. Memories flashed through his pale hazel gaze.

A dark-haired man of six feet and muscular build stood over the fallen figure of Fauna. The man was pale skinned and heavily tattooed. His crimson irises were lit with a dark hunger. He flashed Leo a pearly white grin of sadistic nature. He was clothed in loose clothes that looked too comfortable to be of any use in a combat situation. The man's dark hair was long and fell over his crimson gaze messily.

His eyes narrowed dangerously and he rose to his feet, ignoring the pain that threatened to break his control over himself.

"You." Leo bit off, glaring at the man venomously.

"Me." The dark-haired-red-eyed Contractor replied with a smirk, flashing a set of cosmetically altered canines. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit accented with red splashes that resembled blood spatters. His red gaze glowed with malevolent intent, his pupils faded to black as he studied the terrapin before him. "You can call me Ravage. That happens to be my contractor-code assignment."

Leo glared Ravage down, squaring off his shoulders and dropping his head low as he glared from under his brows at the Contractor. His hands tightened into fists at his sides.

Ravage's eyebrows rose at the display. "And what do you intend on doing to me, Wraith? You have no power left and you are exhausted from not making your payment. You are unarmed. You are just as weak as when we first were acquainted."

Leonardo's muscles tensed in memory of that event. Back then he had been too naïve to save Fauna. He was an emotionless-guiltless-heartless killer now. His gaze narrowed to slits. He could finally put his powers to a different use. He could kill Ravage, and he knew it would make him feel better. But with what?

Ravage was right. He didn't have any power or weapons and he was exhausted. Leo studied Ravage's figure, his Contractor rationality picking the red-eyed Contractor apart—searching for weaknesses. Ravage was thinner now—one might say he was emaciated. He dressed outlandish. His stance betrayed his cockiness and his arrogance. He saw Leo as an easy target. An easy kill.

Leo straightened and gave Ravage a cursory look. He was the type of Contractor who only relied on his ability and nothing else. Ravage had a powerful ability—Leo agreed on that—but Ravage didn't seem to rely on much else. He had no strategy and his sadistic nature made him feel that he didn't need one. Leo had fought many people just like Ravage before.

They had always relied on something else to get the work done for them—and their weapon always failed when they had needed it the most.

Leo sprinted at Ravage, knowing exactly how to take the Contractor down. Ravage smirked and his gaze sparked red. Leo stumbled and sprawled out on the ground at Ravage's feet, gritting his teeth against the overwhelming pain in his stomach.

Ravage crooned at the sight and knelt next to Leo on one knee, increasing the pain that Leo felt with but a single thought. The hazel-eyed terrapin gasped and screwed his eyes shut against the agony that tore through his insides. He felt as if everything inside of him was liquefying and burning like acid. Ravage lifted Leo's face to his own, licking at his revealed canines with a dart of a pointed tongue. He noticed a silvery scar on Leo's throat from the last time they had met and Ravage smirked at the sight of his mark on Leo.

"You were always mine." Ravage hissed as he lowered his mouth to Leo's neck to complete his contract payment. He sank his cosmetically altered canines into Leo's throat and the turtle stiffened and released a strained grunt as blood flowed into Ravage's mouth. The red-eyed Contractor latched onto the wound like a parasite, leeching away at the blood and swallowing it greedily.

Leo's fist hit Ravage's solar plexus. Ravage's air and drops of Leo's blood shot out of his mouth at the hit. Ravage doubled over, clutching his stomach with gasps for air. Leo rose to his full height, ignoring the blood that streamed from the wound on his throat. He sent a sharp snap kick to Ravage's face, sending the Contractor sprawling on his back.

Leo's gaze went dark with hatred and animosity as he knelt down and drew the stunned Contractor up, his hands fisted in the collar of Ravage's jump suit. He pulled the Contractor up to his height and glared him down, searching those bloodstained pools that were Ravage's eyes. Leo's gaze narrowed and he drew a fist back, the same fist that clutched his pocket-watch. Ravage's cheekbone cracked under a heavy blow from Leo's fist and the turtle spun him around in his grip, wrapping his arm around Ravage's throat and squeezing tightly, wringing the air out of Ravage's throat.

The Contractor struggled in his grip. Leo only pulled his arm tighter around Ravage's neck.

"Your power made you weak." Leo spat. "You relied on it. You used it to break the will of your victims. You didn't realize that I changed. I don't care anymore. I can ignore pain. It's nothing to me. I dealt with it my entire life—and you! You don't deserve to live after what you've done to me!" Leo snapped as he pulled even tighter, making Ravage squirm in his grip. "What's a Contractor who can't focus to use his ability?" He snarled.

"A dead one." Came someone else's answer from behind Leo.

The terrapin warrior spun around, narrowly avoiding a bright shard of energy that would have impaled him through the back of his skull. Leo dropped Ravage's body as he faced the monk from before.

The monk half stood and half crouched on the edge of the rooftop, studying Leo carefully.

"It's about time you showed up, Lumen." Ravage rasped through his burning throat, shooting the monk a glare.

Lumen didn't respond to Ravage's comment, instead he stood at his full height and his gaze sparked red.

Tendrils of bent light wrapped around Leo's arm and pulled him forward. Leo's gaze went wide and he leaned back, trying to pull away from the monk's ability. Ravage's gaze turned on him and sparked red. Leo grunted in effort as both of the Contractor's abilities wore out his failing endurance. The tendrils were wrapped around the same hand that held his pocket-watch, and he couldn't afford to lose that again.

"Scream for me, Wraith." Ravage purred with a sadistic smirk. The pain surging through Leo's body nearly dropped Leo to his knees. Sweat streamed down his body and he grunted through it all.

"I want to hear you scream!"

Lumen glanced at Ravage with a frown.

"Don't you start, choir boy." Ravage snapped at Lumen, who turned back to Leo—ignoring the jab.

Leo fought against the tendrils of light that threatened to take his arm and his pocket-watch from him. He pulled and dug his feet in as he struggled against the strength mounted against him.

"Leo!" An all too familiar voice cried. His pale hazel gaze turned to spot Raphael standing at the edge of the rooftop with wide eyes and his sais gripped tightly in both hands.

Ravage turned on the red masked brother with a smirk as his eyes sparked red. Raph released a cry of agony that pierced the night itself. His cry of pain tore through Leo's defenses and made him go taut with an emotion he had thought was long gone. Leo screwed his eyes shut as he fought to pull his arm free. His eyes snapped open, narrowed at Lumen, and snarls of effort escaped his lips as he fought even harder to free his arm.

Lumen only gave him a hesitant look and kept his reign over the tendrils.

Leo turned to spot Raph on his hands and knees, shaking uncontrollably—froth forming at the corners of his mouth, tears streaming from his eyes and a blank expression beginning to form on his features.

Just like Fauna—the night she died.

Leo's mouth tightened into a grim line as he closed his eyes and released a heavy breath. His hazel gaze turned on Lumen and sparked red. A katana formed in his free hand and he brought it down on his arm violently. A gasp of pain escaped him as the blade cut through flesh and bone effortlessly.

Blood spurted wildly from Leo's stumped right arm—flying and coating the rooftop with patches of red. Both Lumen and Leo stumbled back as the force disappeared on one side of the tug-a-war. Leo fell back, nearly hitting the flat rooftop on his shell—but he caught his balance just barely. He turned a tired gaze on Raphael and Ravage as his breath escaped his open mouth in short-quick gasps and his chest heaved with exertion.

The dark haired contractor turned at the sound of Lumen hitting the flat rooftop on his back and the red spark faded from his gaze as he stared in shock.

Leo stabbed his shadow katana through a piece of his trench coat with the remains of his energy.

"Raph!" He shouted over the sound of the rain.

Raph slowly rose to his feet, staring at his brother in shock. Leo swallowed his own blood down before he hurled his shadow katana at Raph—tearing his trench coat and revealing the Heaven Star impaled on the blade. The red masked terrapin caught it by the hilt and a blue glow overtook his entire body.

The blue glow transferred to Leo as well—and the older brother released a scream, his spine arching and his head thrown back into the sky. His eyes glowed red while the rest of him glowed a fiercely radiant blue.

The glow faded and Leo dropped to his knees in a puddle of blood and rainwater, his form wafting smoke. His head was bowed low and his one remaining arm was limp at his side. His pale hazel irises turned on Raph and he offered his younger brother a heartbroken expression as blood streamed from his lips.

Raph stared in horror, still clutching the shadow katana with the impaled Heaven Star.

Leo's eyelids grew heavy and the turtle tipped to the side ever so slowly before finally sprawling on his side in a growing pool of his own blood.

A brilliantly glowing purple star up above their heads slowly winked in and out of darkness and light before falling from the sky.

Lumen stared at Leo's broken body while Ravage whirled on Raph, his gaze narrowed but his lips curved up into a cruel smirk.

"I've always wanted to hear him scream, and I was not disappointed. Now you are alone—your brother gave his life to save yours. You should feel special." He said as his pointed tongue flicked over his lips. "Contractors don't do that very often." He snickered before his gaze sparked red.

"Ravage, don't!" Lumen suddenly shouted as he rose to his feet, staring at Raph with wide eyes.

Raph's wide gaze sparked red and a cocoon of shadows wrapped around Ravage, tightening around him and forcing a cry of pain from the Contractor as the sound of bones cracking filled the air. Raph stumbled back uncertainly, still clutching the katana and the Heaven Star. His gaze darted from Ravage and Lumen to Leo's body. His brother was sprawled out like a broken rag doll. His eyes were closed and blood dripped into puddles of blood and rainwater from the corner of his mouth. His face was calm—serene almost.

"Leo," He whispered as tears began blurring his vision. A ripple in the puddle at his foot made him look down. His eyes went wide as he saw the reflection of Mikey's face in the water. His baby brother looked calm and unemotional.

Leo gave a sacrifice so you could escape, Raph.

Raph stared at the reflection in the puddle. He hadn't heard Mikey's voice—his real voice—in such a long time.

Lumen glanced from Raph to Leo and swallowed. He turned back to Raph and his gaze sparked red.

Raph looked up, his eyes narrowed at the sight of red in Lumen's green gaze. He glanced from Leo's body to Lumen.

Raph.

Raphael swallowed back his emotions and wiped the tears from his eyes as he spun around and dropped into the alley below.

Lumen turned his gaze on the shadows that held Ravage captive. He lifted a hand and sent a wave of brilliant light at the cocoon of shadows. The shadows faded as the light broke through, spilling Ravage on the ground.

The red-eyed Contractor whirled around with indignation clear on his features. "Where is that little shit?!" He snarled at Lumen as he rose to his feet unsteadily. "I'll rend him apart until he can't tell pain from breathing!"

"Ravage! Stop, we have a job to complete." Lumen broke through Ravage's angry rant.

"What job? The Wraith is dead!"

Lumen turned his green gaze on Leo's body—laid like a tossed and broken rag-doll. He approached the body and knelt down next to it, watching Leo carefully.

"The Lord has seen fit to not take him yet, Ravage. He is alive. Barely."

Ravage frowned and all but sprinted to Leo's body. He dropped to one knee next to Lumen and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I'll be damned to Hell and back, he is alive." He turned to Lumen, licking at his canines. "He'll wish he wasn't soon enough."