Chapter Eleven

Leonardo thundered through the sewers, his heavy and deliberate footsteps spraying sludge in his wake. His side ached. He grinded his teeth and continued onward. He reached the nearest ladder to the surface and ascended it in two bounds. He shoved aside the manhole cover. A human hand reached for it.

Leonardo growled and slammed his fist into the hand. The cover dropped. He grabbed the wrist and yanked the Foot soldier through the open manhole. The ninja slapped the ground with a bone-crunching thud.

Leonardo vaulted out of the manhole and downed two more ninjas with a roundhouse kick. He drew his katanas and slashed three more in rapid secession. Pain stabbed his midsection. Clutching his side, he took several paces back and scanned the scene. Six more Foot soldiers were coming at him. A few dozen stood line by line in wait.

Pivoting on his heels, Leonardo turned and ran. He headed for the nearest building, the Foot in hot pursuit. He hurdled himself into the air and latched onto a fire escape. He was pulling himself onto the platform when a Foot soldier snatched his ankle. Leonardo shook his foot, but the grip tightened. He wrapped his hands around the base of a railing. The ninja yanked hard. Leonardo scraped against the cold metal railing as he fell off the fire escape. His ass hit the ground, and his head smacked the wall.

Leonardo's world spun around him and tumbled into darkness. He came to a second later, in time to catch sight of a sword thrusting for his plastron. He rolled onto his knees, his shell shielding him from the blow. A back flip dropped him behind the ninja, who was turning as Leonardo ran him through with his katanas. He jumped up the fire escape before the other ninja reached him.

Once on the rooftop, Leonardo grabbed his shell cell. "Karai!" he spoke as he leapt from building to building. "I need you!"

Karai bowed her head, and the screen went blank. Leonardo stowed the shell cell.

He was wheezing when he reached the Motegi building. He looked back. A couple dozen Foot soldiers were several buildings away, headed for him. He held his katanas at an X across his legs. Pain nipped at his scar. He swallowed hard, holding it at bay. His heart raced, pulsing through his body so loudly that he didn't hear someone approach from behind.

"You wished to…"

"Ryya!" Leonardo growled, whirling around with an extended katana. Karai blocked the blow with her sword. Leonardo swung the second katana at her throat, and she deflected. The two were face to face, weapons intertwined.

"You coward!" Leonardo sneered at Karai. "How could you?"

Karai shook her head. "Leonardo, I…"

"You lied!" he spat. "You never wanted an alliance! You've been using me all along!" He pulled his katanas from her hold and wielded them at her chest. She blocked each thrust, but Leonardo kept swinging.

"Leonardo…"

"I'm done listening to your lies!" He kicked her in the stomach and felled her. Crossing his katanas, he laid the blades on either side of her throat. "This is for Michelangelo!"

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with a splitting headache. His eyes focused in time to see a ninja sailing toward his face. Leonardo wrenched the ankle and dragged the ninja to the ground. With a swift roll backwards, he sprung to his feet. He impaled the oncoming ninja and blocked the swing of another's bo.

Two ninja came at him from behind. Leonardo spun on his heels and prepared to block when a familiar figure dropped in front of him and toppled the pair with a low kick.

"Raphael!" Leonardo shouted at his brother. "Go home!"

"I ain't leaving you!" Raphael protested. He plunged a sai into a Foot soldier's chest and kicked him to the ground.

"GO!" Leonardo sliced two ninjas at either side.

"Damn it, Leo! You don't have to fight alone!"

Growling, Leonardo shoved his brother to the ground. "This is my battle, Raph! Butt out!" He ran at the onslaught of Foot soldiers, bulldozing four like dominoes. One tripped him. Leonardo jumped to his feet and swung at the ninja.

From the back of the pack charged a ninja with a kusarigama, a scythe with a long weighted chain. Grasping the black steel handle in his right hand with his last two fingers and thumb, he wrapped the chain around his index and middle fingers and pulled it taut at arm's length in front of him. He swung the chain overhead and whipped it at Leonardo.

The metal kusari grappled the turtle's wrists. His katanas clattered to the ground, and he pulled at his restraints. The ninja pulled too, yanking Leonardo toward him. Two others came from the sides and slammed their feet into his plastron. One connected with the scar. Leonardo cried out and folded in on himself. The chain yanked him upward. The ninja with the kusarigama charged with the business end of the kama, wielding the sickle blade toward Leonardo's throat.

A flying sai sliced through the Foot soldier's chest, dropping him to his knees. Leonardo dropped with the ninja. With shaky hands, he took up his katanas and pulled himself to his feet.

He sliced and stabbed and snarled until all the ninja lay in a heap. He then leaned over his legs and panted, wobbling in place. The turtle tipped backwards.

Raphael caught his brother's arm. "Easy there, big guy!"

Leonardo clutched the black and purple bruise that now encompassed his scar. "Where's, where's Karai?" he wheezed.

"Leo, forget about her! You need to go home."

"No!" He pushed his brother's hand off his elbow. He wavered. Propping himself up on a katana held him upright. "No, I have to find her! I have to…"

Raphael shook his head. "Leo, look at yourself! You're in no condition to fight!"

Leonardo sheathed his katanas. Swaying back and forth, he held up his head. "I'm fine. Now, would you let me face my demons?"

He ran to the edge of the Motegi building and jumped to the next. His foot slipped, his arms hitting the ledge hard. Leonardo grasped the rooftop and pushed off his hands with all his might to pull himself up.

"Leo! Hang on!" Raphael cried. He leapt to the next building and reached for his brother.

Leonardo's hands were slipping. Terror washed his frame. His fingers frantically attempted to grip the ledge, but cold concrete scraped the tips instead.

"LEO!!" Raphael screamed as his brother fell down the side of the building. Leonardo's flailing form disappeared into the night.