Trip the Darkness
The scorching night air parched Leonardo's throat. Sweat beaded on his brow only to be absorbed by his mask. Temperatures still soared above normal and though it neared midnight the rooftop was hotter than hell.
The heat reflected back from the gravel at his feet, magnified tenfold. His palms roasted where they rested on the short concrete barrier separating him from the fall to the street below.
Leo eyed the drop, automatically searching for anyone suspicious or out of place. He didn't want to be here. His thoughts were back in the lair where Morgan and Alexis endured who knew what. Splinter, however, had sent him forth.
Returning from settling one son, his father caught him lurking outside the lab door. Dark eyes probed steel-blue as the rat laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"It does not take a master to sense the turmoil within you tonight, my son. You wear it openly upon your brow."
Leonardo bowed his head. "I am restless, Sensei, worried about this operation."
"Many trials led to this solution, but I am confident it will be a success. Donatello is experienced and our Guardian is at their side. We can ask for no more."
Father's acknowledging Alexis?
Hope lit his eyes. Perhaps she would consent to stay close if Splinter forgave her.
"You believe her, father?"
"That the woman is a Guardian? Yes. One other I have known and within her I sense a similar pact, an aural vibration which cannot be falsified. Her soul is bound to our clan, though I wonder whether it was by choice or for some other necessity."
"You don't think she assists us voluntarily?"
"We will not know until we speak with her further, but dragons are long-lived beings who do not take such vows lightly. She is constrained by her oath to offer assistance, but her aura pulses with fire and air, volatile and docile by turns. We should treat her with caution."
It is her fervor, her strength, which call to me.
"She is... loyal, Master. A repository for centuries of clan knowledge. She knows our history and fighting art like no other. When Morgan is well, I wish to ask if she will stay on and teach me—us. If you will allow it."
The rat's piercing eyes narrowed and he examined his student closely. Leonardo fought to keep his expression smooth but his father saw through him.
"Do not be misled by her current form, my son. While it is appealing, she is not one of us. Our ancestors chose simply to name her Guardian because anticipating her actions or labeling her as anything else is dangerous."
"I know what she is," Leonardo protested. "A fierce warrior. A devoted archivist. An unrivaled sensei. I heard it in her thoughts. Saw it in visions of the past. I understand her."
"Do you?"
The question was kindly, yet the gleam in his father's black eyes usually boded ill for his progeny. Leo braced himself for judgment, a bombardment of questions he could not answer to prove his claims false, but they didn't come.
"Your visions are a topic we will discuss another time, but do you truly seek the Guardian's continued presence solely out of a need for learning?"
Leonardo was not in the habit of lying to his father, especially not when asked in so pointed a tone. He dropped his eyes and answered honestly, but he kept it short.
"Not solely, no."
Splinter's whiskers twitched and his eyes softened.
"I thought not. Raphael told me of your... exchange with Brenellean in the tunnel. While I commend you for defending Miss Alexis, was it necessary to draw the blood of your kin? However different his opinion may be, he only wants the best for his sister."
"He acted the fool. So focused on his prejudice, he wouldn't listen to reason. I needed to get his attention."
Leo snarled the explanation with more heat than he would normally show in front of his elder. He flushed as Splinter's eyes darted over him again, this time examining more than the physical.
"Your aura pulses with agitation and your temper is short," he reproved. "This is not like you. Your family depends upon your ability to divorce yourself of emotion when making decisions."
Leonardo bowed his head, accepting the reprimand, but offered no defense.
"Your shields are lowered," Splinter noted. "For what are you listening?"
"She was injured, father, twice now on my behalf and this operation will harm her further. This time, I will not let her suffer alone. If she needs me, I stand ready."
"Morgan is unconscious. Donatello attends her and Raphael is nearby if help becomes necessary. You need not hover here."
He knows I'm not talking about Morgan, but he's forcing me to say it. To face it.
"My... attendance is for the Guardian."
Splinter sighed knowing such an admission from his understated son implied more than simple affection.
"This is a perilous road, Leonardo. Are you certain you wish to travel it?"
"Alexis almost died saving me. She is suffering to protect Morgan, and your grandchild, from severe pain. I trust her."
"I am most grateful for her actions, my son, and I know your faith is not given carelessly, but I fear you misinterpret her motivations. As our Guardian, she is driven to intercede in such situations."
Leo drew a choked breath. When conflicted, he depended on Splinter's wisdom to guide him. Tonight, his father's comments struck far too close to his original worries to be dismissed.
Am I misleading myself? Deliberately misreading Alexis in my desire to find a companion?
"Must I always stand alone?" he asked, bitterness tainting his voice. "Is my yearning for a partner wrong?"
"Wrong? No. I do not want to censor you, Leonardo. It is my deepest wish for all my children to attain love and happiness"—the old rat smiled wanly and squeezed Leo's shoulder—"You are entitled to more than a partner. You deserve a mate. One who adores and supports you. And I do not yet know if emotions weigh on this Guardian in the same manner as they do us."
"They do."
Splinter turned away, staring at the door closed against them as if he might see through to the mysterious woman on the other side, but her mind and aura remained locked away. He sighed, shaking his head.
"You cannot know this."
His father's face fell and Leo realized he was basing his judgment on the loss of his human family. How could he not? If the Guardian existed as a real, feeling creature, wouldn't she have saved them?
"Father, Alexis has been searching for you for years because her failures burden her heart. She told me she would give you her life. Does that sound like a being to whom emotions don't matter?"
Splinter shot him a startled look.
"I still advise caution, my son. If you wish to regain equilibrium, I suggest you separate yourself and meditate upon it." He glanced once more at the closed door. "She is not going anywhere tonight."
Leo wanted to protest, but he could not ignore a direct instruction from his master, no matter that it was phrased as a suggestion. Besides, Alexis' mental touch was strong. He need not remain in the lair to answer her if he didn't go too far. He bowed his head.
"I will do as you ask."
Splinter dismissed him with a small nod and Leo sprinted for the exit.
That had been an hour ago. Alone on a blistering rooftop, he still could not find solitude. Instead, he stared at the lights of the buildings, imagining the way Alexis would experience it.
What does flying feel like? Stars shining overhead with a matching glow from the city far below. The air must be cooler—
A sharp buzz shot past his cheek jolting him from his reverie. He caught the second arrow in his fist and avoided a third with a tight roll. His cracked shell protested with a fiery twinge and he growled.
Can I not get a moment's peace?
A shadowy form leapt out as he righted himself, black-clad foot swinging towards his head. He grabbed it and sent the body rolling to the gravel with a skillful twist. The attacker shifted out of reach of his counter strike, but their hood caught on a roof vent and ripped free.
Shoulder length hair swung into view and Leonardo snatched it. A leg swept his feet and they both went down in a tangle. He let out an 'oomph' as his opponent fell on his plastron, but felt no follow-up blow. Instead, dark eyes peered into his askance and the figure slipped his grasp with a smooth contortion.
They separated and stared each other down.
"You don't seem much the worse for wear," Karai said with a laugh. "From the damage reports, I thought you'd be at death's door."
Leo's eyes narrowed, but he relaxed somewhat as he scanned the area and realized she stood alone.
"That stunt was reckless, Karai. You almost killed hundreds of innocents. Since when are you so enamoured of explosives?"
Her face hardened.
"I am not."
"So, what ARE you doing?"
Her expression changed so fast it almost gave him whiplash. She smirked.
"I know how much you like a roof-top ambush. Thought I would return the favor."
He grimaced at the reference and sighed.
I suppose I owe her a 'sorry' at the very least...
"Karai, I'm—"
She slipped under his arm and laid a finger across his lips, coming so close he could feel her breath brush his face.
"No apologies. We all did what we had too."
He froze, stunned. By the time he gathered his wits and grabbed for her, she spun away.
I guess I worried about losing her good faith for nothing, but what does she want? Time is wasting and Alexis is going to—
The kunoichi lunged at him and again they exchanged blows. Hers were slow, almost tentative, testing. She fought bare handed and her easy strikes confused him. They'd clashed many times and their battles were never like this. This was more along the lines of sparring.
She's acting odd...
Leonardo didn't draw his sword, but he refused to pull his punches. His hands blurred and a couple of solid hits landed before she rolled away with a relieved laugh. She remained crouched and flashed him a grin over her shoulder, eyes gleaming.
"I'm glad you got the real culprit, though. I heard the screams," she said. "Tell me, did Raph vivisect Hargrove, or you?"
Discussions with Karai always tended this way; round-about, never straight to the point. He wasn't in the mood tonight to play her game, but she took the time to seek him out so there must be something important buried in her taunting. Rather than answer her questions though, he plied her with a few of his own.
"You were a welcome distraction, but what were your men doing at the water tower that night?"
She snorted.
"I was sent to put down a revolt. Hargrove, the slimy bastard, was plotting against us. If you hadn't killed him, I would've." She dropped her eyes as she added, "Morgan deserved that much."
"You didn't even know her!"
The words tore from him almost involuntarily, their vehemence lending credit to the rumor Morgan perished, but it wasn't entirely feigned. The Foot's role in her capture still irked him.
"I know you," Karai countered. "And you changed when you took her under your roof. Did you realize how quiet it had become between us before her?"
Warily, they circled each other.
"That seems to have ended," he said. "Twice now you've tried to kill us."
She frowned.
"My father has a new set of advisors pushing for your lives. I'm afraid their zeal reignited his fixation. You need to be doubly on your guard."
"Shredder's plots are not too hard to unravel."
"These ideas come from a more cunning mind. A pair of them to be exact. The ones behind Morgan's execution."
Wait. Someone besides Hargrove planned it?
The kidnapping had been a superbly realized long game; cloak and dagger of a higher order than they normally dealt with. He thought them safe from such manipulations with Hargrove's death.
"Who?" he demanded. "And why warn me?"
Karai blinked at him, her face blank. Either she hadn't examined her own motives or didn't think he would question them. She flushed and words tumbled out he never expected to hear.
"I've played the villain in our little games, but I am more than that. I'm a grown woman with aspirations of my own. Have you never considered an... us?"
Leo disengaged and backed away, eyes wide. She tilted her head, waiting for an answer.
Why, tonight, of all nights, would she voice such a thing? The fates are toying with me.
"Karai, I— "
"Surely you've thought on it," she interrupted, lowering her lids to stare seductively through her lashes. She drew a few steps nearer. "I have seen your rage, full of shadow and fury. We could be excellent partners."
He shook his head. "Your ambitions are deadly."
"Not with you at my side. We have collaborated successfully over the years. You rendered assistance when I asked and I— I tempered my father's bloodlust in return. This is more of the same."
"It's not. We've been uncertain allies, quietly building a truce. Honorable opponents, nothing more."
"You are hurting," she insisted. "Grieving. Wrestling with unfulfilled desires. I can relieve them, give you the companionship you crave. Together we could take back the Foot, return it to its noble beginnings. And with the Shredder gone your family would be safe."
The idea was tempting. To be able to finally relax? To free his clan from their long time enemy? The thought appealed to his baser nature.
However, a young Feyian had raised the bar. Shown him love was not impossible because of his mutation. And Splinter was right, he should not settle for mere partnership. Karai did not understand the true source of his pain.
Her company would never fill the void inside him, for a dragon had already stolen his heart.
She opened her mouth to say something more, but Leonardo did not hear it. A mental shriek containing nothing but his name ripped his mind in two. He roared, collapsing to his knees as pain and fear and regret rolled over him in vast waves. His vision blurred and he clamped both hands to his skull.
"Leo!"
Karai yelled, rushing toward him, but he ran. Sprinting away to answer a summons impossible to ignore. The dizziness and searing rock didn't slow his feet for an instant.
Alexis moaned, fighting to hold onto the black. Consciousness returned against her will, oblivious to the fact she didn't want to see her failures anymore, or watch as everything she loved perished again. But the voices wouldn't let her rest.
They argued over her in quiet tones as the leering blue dragon formed anew in her mind's eye. Whatever they said, she couldn't understand it. English words and phrases slurred together into complete mush.
"Alexis? Areyouok?"
"Whatthehellhappened?"
"Raph?Whatareyou—"
"Morganstartedscreamingatmetostopthedragon! What'sgoin'on?"
"Idon'tknow. Shejustcollapsed. Alexis? Canyouhearme? Herbreathing'serratic. Myguessissomesortofmentalshock."
Two of them. There are definitely two.
Once or twice she heard her name followed by a pause. They must be waiting on some sort of response but she couldn't form one. She didn't even recognize them.
"Where'sLeo?"
"Hecouldn'tchill. Senseisenthimouttorunitoff."
Deep inside, some small piece of her sanity remained, realized they were discussing something important, and if she could figure it out, she might escape this horror.
Those voices belong to... to...
A tiny hand covered in skin as rough as sandpaper scraped across her cheek. She whimpered, distracted by the ancient little boy, overcome by guilt. No matter what she did, she failed.
I should give in. Quit fighting. Let go.
Human screams. A man's full of horror. A woman's filled with agony. A child's shriek of fear. Drowned out by the crackle of flames. The last of the Hamatos chastised her and the anguish was overwhelming.
I will not survive what is coming next...
"Backupwillya? I'mstilltryingtoasses. Alexis?"
A hand touched her wrist and she flinched, twisting away. The physical sensation didn't ground her, it only added to the confusion.
The warrior appeared behind her eyes—whole for one glorious instant—gaze silently yearning.
No. Please. Stop.
She called out to him. If she could not control herself and halt the change, perhaps she could send him away. As the words left her mouth, she realized they were useless, all in her native tongue.
"Whatlanguagewasthat?"
"Dragon,Ithink."
This time the outside observations couldn't divert her. As soon as the warrior began to crumble, she would be lost.
"Herpulseisdropping!"
The fear in that shout yanked her up short. Her oath thrummed to life, required to answer such pleas. She stretched deep into her exhausted reserves and fought against the current of self-destruction to identify the plaintiff.
Donatello. That's Donatello. And he is frightened... for me.
Realization of her extreme danger came too late. She couldn't break free from the spiral of madness. Couldn't reach the ones trying to help, though they knelt only a few feet away. She was lost, unless... There was one left who could intervene if she but asked. Not this false warrior in front of her but—
With a last desperate cry, she reached out, calling his true name.
Time slowed. The images bombarding her wavered, then struck back, more powerful than ever. An external shield snapped up around hers but did little as the horrors burrowed deep inside her mind.
An unusual sound vibrated through the air, made more potent by its low tone. Part aggressive growl, part intense purr, it latched onto her very soul and would not let go, reverberating in a never-ending rhythm. It filled the room, as a vivid aura washed over the agony, coating her in a brilliant—pure—light.
The visions lost their hold, dissolving into ash-like dust as the spirits of the dagger screamed in rage. Alexis' heart ignited as Leonardo's bright presence knelt at her side. She extended her arms and his closed around her.
"I told you I would come," he murmured.
"Ti canna flurea, shay'el'esque," she mumbled before exhaustion overcame her and unconsciousness consumed her a second time.
"Alexis? Can you hear me? I need you to try to wake up. Can you open your eyes?"
The words were clear and the voice familiar, though not the one she hoped for.
Donatello.
She cracked her eyelids to be certain. The purple banded turtle leaned over her, his proportions distorted in an odd way. She blinked in confusion, then concluded she lay on the floor.
"I- Where? What occurred?"
Before he could answer, her memories rushed back.
The strange hybrid Feyian. The unique, precious babe. The Shadowspawn attack.
Abruptly, Alexis realized she could no longer feel the girl's mind.
"Morgan! Is—"
The genius' analytic gaze swept her face and his eyes softened.
"She's fine," he said, cutting her frantic question short. "So is the baby. Now, can you follow my finger? Hold your head still, only move your eyes."
She tried her best to focus as he tested her, but her vision wavered in and out.
"Do you know who we are?"
She smiled somewhat shakily.
"Clan-brother, you I must know to let hurt me so..."
He chuckled and stepped away to grab something. Behind him, she caught a glimpse of a blue bandana. Leonardo. Though blurred, the warrior's expression was grim.
Alexis' face paled and she averted her eyes as a flood of emotions overcame her. Shame for rejecting his proffered help to begin with, fear that he saw the root of her terrors, and an urgent need to be near him.
His aura no longer encompassed hers and without it, she felt... exposed, uncertain.
She glanced covertly up again and found him staring. They locked eyes. His smoldered. Within her chest, desire melded with embarrassment into a messy soup she did not want to face. She flushed and turned away as he approached.
"Alexis? How can I help?"—Donatello was back—"What do you need?"
She focused on him gratefully. Somehow, he understood the tension in the room, for he stood between her and Leonardo resting a palm on her forehead.
"A larger space. Somewhere to shift and feed. More swiftly will I heal in my primary form but"—her eyes darted to his brother and back again—"I do not wish to disturb the household."
"I know the perfect place."
Donatello smiled and she liked the way it lit his eyes. It showed his gentle soul, curious and sensitive. But he didn't flinch at the necessity of operating on his sister and Alexis knew he would do whatever she required to assist her as well.
Even if my need is to escape from Leonardo's eyes.
Affirming her thoughts, he lifted her and strode away without a backward glance at the leader.
Leonardo watched Don's shell intently as they retreated and frowned as his brother picked a cautious path through the splinters of the ruined door. He didn't remember the last few passageways home, or kicking in the lab door, but apparently, he had.
I'll have to help Donnie fix it later.
All that mattered at the time was reaching Alexis. Defending her against one of the strongest mental probes he ever encountered. It was like fighting the shadow man all over again. When he blocked one avenue of assault the insidious infection found a new approach.
He tried erecting shields around her, but the sickness lived deep inside. When Don yelled they were losing her, he redoubled his efforts. Her tormented mental screams driving him past all concern for himself.
Desperate, he attempted something he'd seen only once. In a time of great need, Raphael had thrown his aura through a wall to surround Morgan, bolstering her life force from within.
The two were bound at the time, committed in a way Leo and Alexis were not, but he was not about to let that stop him. No matter what she felt, he would fight for her with every ounce of his being.
It will have to be enough.
He dropped all his shields, let the rumble in his chest burst forth and used the light of his own life source to drive away the darkness.
In the glorious glow of full aural contact, she gasped something to him. A melodious phrase in her native language. A word—one particular unintelligible string of syllables—struck him solidly in the chest and riled his instincts.
She blacked out as she finished, so he couldn't pick the translation from her mind. He could ask her to repeat it, but a gut instinct told him he really should find out what it meant himself before he spoke to her again.
There was only one being he knew who might be able to translate it, but he debated the wisdom of asking Brenellean for advice. He reached into his belt pouch and clenched Morgan's speaking stone in his left fist. It offered the solution, if he could humble himself enough to use it.
As far as Leo could tell, the Feyian's guard duty in the Shadow realm should not prevent him from answering a few general questions. Of course, they were not on good terms right now, but the irritating elf was the only one he knew with any hope of understanding the bit of foreign speech.
He was only meant to use the stone if something went wrong during the procedure, but something had. Alexis shattered. After she woke, she avoided his eyes and refused his worried mental hails. Concern for her mental health made the decision for him.
With a sigh, he folded himself into a Lotus pose, gripped Morgan's amulet in one hand, and closed his eyes. It was more difficult, using the speaking stone than reaching for Brenellean's mind directly, but it was the only way to breach the barrier between worlds.
:Yes?:
The Feyian's rather snarky reply echoed in response to Leo's politely phrased greeting and he sighed. Before he could ask his questions, they needed to make some sort of peace.
:Brenellean, I'm sorry I assumed you were behind Alexis' collapse in the infirmary. I reacted poorly.:
He sensed surprise from the other end at the admission.
:Your perceptions were clouded by personal feelings. Still, I should have trusted your judgment. Your Guardian sacrificed a great deal to aid in Mauriagonna's treatment. My objection, in this case, was unreasonable.:
Leo suppressed a growl. Alexis' physical injury was more than 'unreasonable' and not something he could easily forgive, but he must put his anger to the side and temporize if he wished to gain answers.
:We each have issues to address. It is the only way one grows, but tonight I need your particular expertise. You know much about your enemy, but do you understand their language?:
Amusement met his question.
:Why? Is there something she will not explain? I do not speak dragon well, but I comprehend more than enough to translate most things. With what has she confounded you?:
Leonardo frowned and his brows drew together at the patronizing tone, but at least the Feyian seemed interested in answering.
:The word is 'shay'el'esque':
Silence fell for so long Leo began to wonder if he lost the connection.
:To what was it attached? And to whom was it directed?:
Brenellean's response was almost breathless if one could use such a term with mental communication.
Is he angry or stunned?
Leonardo's frown deepened and he silenced his first instinct to snap, "Does it matter?" It obviously did if the statement needed clarification. He traced his own thoughts backward to the phrase in his memory and projected it on.
:Don, Raph, and I were in the room, but she spoke to me.:
:She hallucinated? Mistook you for another?:
:No. Donatello asked if she recognized us. Why? What did she say?:
:'I never doubted you.':
That didn't seem right.
:That's what 'shay'el'esque' means?:
:No, the rest of what she said. But she was probably confused. You saw her scales in the tunnel, right?:
Leo bit his tongue to hold back a scathing reply. The change in Alexis' skin before the fight had been impossible to miss and he found her difficult to look away from, despite the life or death situation. But what did it have to do with any of this?
:Yes.:
:Did you note her colors?:
Of course he had. Even in memory, Alexis looked stunning. The light from her magical fire danced across her hide, highlighting each hue with its warm glow.
:Violet and indigo with a sort of iridescent green sheen.:
:As you said, I know much of my enemy. From their coloration, one can determine a dragon's house, their bloodline. One of those hues alone would put her high in their hierarchy. Both together is the highest there is. The dragon equivalent of royalty.:
:Your point?:
Brenellean's tone softened as if delivering the worst sort of news.
:She would never address one of another species by that term. Her future in that regard would have been determined long ago by the head of her family.:
Leo snapped off each thought, all patience gone.
:'Shay'el'esque.' What. Does. It. Mean?:
:Roughly? 'Center of my world.' It's a term of endearment dragons use only with their mates.:
