A/N: Hey all again. Here I am with the next chapter to the story. A lot of things are going to occur and even Leonardo will find himself in a situation, who he had never thought that he would be in. I would like to say a big thanks to those, who took their time to write a review for the previous chapter. It was nice to read. Enjoy…
Leonardo turned his eyes towards the brick wall in front of him. He had just exited the last tunnel which led to the location of the lair's entrance. For humans it would be impossible to see anything that even indicated any signs of a door. Leonardo knew that it wasn't Donatello, who was the one to praise for such a thoroughly hiding entrance. The lair was a building in the sewers that other creatures had made, but it had been abandoned for many years now. The turtles had discovered the creatures' identity for almost a year ago, when something strange had occurred in the dark tunnels. Monsters had been walking around and though it was a dangerous task for Leonardo and his brothers, they had chosen to find out the truth behind it. What they had discovered wasn't only why the monsters were in the sewers but they had also seen the origin behind the making of the lair. As Leonardo narrowed his eyes and silently turned his head from side to side, he gave any no more thoughts about it though. His heart was too concerned about the two persons, he loved the most.
Michelangelo placed the palm of his hand on his brother's right shoulder to insure his brother that he was with him. The orange-masked turtle was quiet as well, and the silence between the two brothers had given the normally cheerful turtle some time to think about what had happened in the sewers earlier. Michelangelo felt a shiver running through his body as his mind brought back the picture of the giant snake which had attacked him. He had never seen such a large snake that close in his entire life and at some point he wished that it was going to be the only time as well. He could still sense its dreadful coils around his torso and shell and without even noticing his own movements, his hands quickly ran up and down his arm as if his body wanted to make sure that the snake wasn't around him. Its purpose had been to strangle him to death. Leonardo cast a sidelong glance at his youngest brother. Michelangelo tried to keep a stone face, but the small wrinkles in his forehead showed his concerns. Unlike his oldest brother, Michelangelo had never been good at hiding his emotions.
Leonardo could understand why his brother was suffering after being the victim of a giant snake. He had almost died from him. Leonardo clenched his hands tightly together and turned his brown eyes towards the entrance of the lair. This was all Rex's doing. It was her, who had commanded one of her men to get down in the sewers to use the flute of the snake against them. Leonardo hadn't any illusions regarding their enemy. She had showed for them the last month how dangerous and cruel she was and her move with taking their father under control and using snakes against them was more than enough for the blue-masked turtle. He wouldn't let anyone threaten his family and he swore deep inside his heart that he was going to stop Rex at whatever cause.
Leonardo leaped with great speed and landed on one of the big pipes within a few seconds. Michelangelo was quick to follow him. As they had travelled through the sewers, they hadn't seen any more animals but the giant snake. However they weren't going to take any more chances as they knew that it was their life which was at stake. Leonardo pressed one the pipes in a special code which Donatello had designed for them and swiftly some of the bricks removed themselves as an electronic panel arrived instead.
"Somehow I'm glad that Rex don't have a flute of the turtle," Michelangelo whispered in a low voice.
Leonardo stopped before pressing on the panel keys and turned his gaze towards his youngest brother, who was looking at him with a humorous glint in his eyes. "Seriously Leo that would have been a bummer. Then we would be Rex's dummies, doing like this."
Leonardo couldn't help but smiling as his stupid brother began to imitate a puppet's movements while he had a goofy expression in his face. However; Leonardo's gaze immediately turned serious as he turned back to the electronically panel. He knew that Michelangelo was trying to lighten up the atmosphere between them, but Leonardo was getting stressed and when he got in that mood, it was best for Michelangelo to lay off his humour remarks as Leonardo didn't think that it was the right time to goof around. Michelangelo signed deeply as he also noticed his brother's serious gaze. Sometimes he felt sorry for his oldest brother that he didn't have time to relax. As Leonardo began to press the code on the panel, Michelangelo suddenly heard a faint sound, and he quickly placed his hand over Leonardo's to make him stop.
"Shh, listen," Michelangelo asked him with a firm voice. "I can hear something."
Leonardo frown his forehead as he wondered what had caught his brother's attention. Both turtles were standing still without moving a single muscle. Then Leonardo heard the noise as well. A faint sound of whispering movements caught their sensitive ears. Leonardo turned his face towards Michelangelo who nodded in confirmation. The noises belonged to animals which they had encountered in the sewers only minutes before their arrival to the lair.
"Snakes," Michelangelo concluded with one word and began to shiver lightly as he recalled his last encounter with a snake. "Do you think that there are more of them like the one we met in the tunnel?"
"I'm not sure Mikey," Leonardo responded as he was clueless of what exactly was behind the entrance door. "But it is weird… I'm still sensing calmness within Aki's mind. However; if the lair is full of snakes, then how can she be calm?"
"I don't know bro," Michelangelo answered and gazed upon the blue-masked turtle with an uncertain expression in his brown eyes. "Everything is acting strangely since Rex came back."
"I just hope that she is okay," Leonardo said and it was clear for both of them to hear the worries which he had for his love.
"Leonardo, I'm sure that she is fine," Michelangelo said seriously. "She has gotten much stronger the past few days."
"Yeah, I know, but it was after…," Leonardo trailed off, as he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Michelangelo about the kiss they had.
A terrible kiss which had confused them both deeply. Leonardo regretted his actions as they stroke painfully in his heart as he recalled their kiss. And yet there was a little feeling that was hard for him to ignore. A little thrilling excited emotion made his heart beating faster by the thought of their shared kiss. For as a little voice inside of him told him; she hadn't pulled away from him either when he pulled her closer into his arms. And whatever would happen after this, Leonardo knew for sure that he would always keep the incident deep within his heart. It would be his happiest and most painful memory.
Michelangelo gazed at his brother and watched the different emotions running through him. Leonardo was normally very good at hiding his true emotions from his brothers, as he hid his feelings behind a cold stone face, but sometimes, especially when regarding Aki, the blue-masked turtle's defences would crack. It was at that point Michelangelo found the courage to tell Leonardo that he was fully aware of his most painful secret. "Leonardo, I know you love her."
"What?" Leonardo looked at his brother with deep surprise in his eyes. However it quickly turned to rejection. "No, I don't Mikey. Don't be silly."
"Why are you lying to me?" Michelangelo asked and gazed at his brother with a stern gaze. "I have known the truth for a long time Leo. There is no reason to try and hide it from me."
"But how have you…?" Leonardo felt confused as he hadn't given it a thought that his brothers would have discovered his feelings for the young Asian woman.
"It wasn't hard Leo," Michelangelo had to admit and gave his brother a wry smile. "After all you have been acting all crazy since we met her."
"Do you all know?" Leonardo asked his youngest brother.
"Uhm…," Michelangelo mumbled and tried to avoid the piercing look from the blue-masked turtle. "I'm not sure Leo, if the others have noticed it or not."
"Do you all know?" Leonardo taunted and ignored his brother's last comment.
"Yes, we do," Michelangelo then confirmed and finally met his brother's gaze. "We are all aware of your love for her."
"Also Raph?" Leonardo asked.
"Also Raph," Michelangelo answered with a single nod of his head.
"Oh shell," Leonardo burst out and turned away from his brother. "This is horrible."
"No, it isn't," Michelangelo disagreed. "We are your brothers, not your enemies. The only thing that really matters is to save her, Leonardo and you know that!"
As he heard his full name being said, Leonardo turned his focus back to the entrance door and almost regretted that he had been so obsessed with how his brothers had discovered his secret. Though Aki was feeling calm, he didn't have a clue about what have happened between Aki and his father. Could he even be sure that Aki have stayed inside the lair with the snakes running around? Maybe it was all an illusion. Maybe Aki have died and found peace in death? The thought alone made his heart crumble and he quickly removed the thought from his mind. He had to see, what was going on, before making fake images of what might had occurred.
"I have to get in, but I have to be careful," Leonardo said and pulled out something from his belt.
Michelangelo knew what his brother intension was. He had taken a small gadget which Donatello had made for them to their walkout in the sewers. It was kind of a resembling to an ancient ninja tool and weapon; called a shuko, and Donatello had used it as an inspiration for his invention. Like the shuko, this crawling tool was made of two horizontal wide bands which were connected to each other by a vertical band. Donatello had used the metal material from the shuko, but instead of having small metal claws on the inside of palms of his hand, Leonardo had three small electronic circles which were used like magnets on the sewer walls. The shuko had been handy for the ninjas in the ancient Japan with the wooden houses and stone blocks which had small cracks to grip on, but in the present day builders have gotten experience in building more solid walls and therefore Donatello had changed the shuko into a new crawling tool, which made it possible for the turtles to crawl on every wall they met. They had one disadvantage against the old shuko though; it couldn't be used as a weapon. Yet, Michelangelo loved them. They worked and were making it possible for the turtles to climb on even the steepest wall in the sewers. It had been pretty useful for them many times. Michelangelo smiled as he glanced at them. The tool always made him feel like Spiderman. It was at that point that Michelangelo had noticed that Leonardo hadn't mentioned him in his sentence.
"You're going in there alone?" he asked in wonder by his brother's decision.
"Yes, I am," Leonardo responded while he put the gloves on his hands.
"But why don't you want me to go with you?" Michelangelo gazed confused at him.
"Because there are merely two options for me in there, either Aki is fine along with our father and the snakes, or she is dead with our father and the snakes," Leonardo told him with a severe voice.
"But…," Michelangelo tried to intervene, but was quickly interrupted.
"I don't need help in there Mikey," Leonardo cut off gently, while he placed his left hand on his brother shoulder. "But what I do need help with is maybe the most important task of all. Can you do that for me Michelangelo?"
Michelangelo gazed at his oldest brother who was starring at him with serious look in his eyes. Michelangelo knew better than most that when Leonardo had made up his mind, there wasn't many things to do than to accept his orders. Furthermore, Michelangelo trusted him. Even if Leonardo seemed a bit unbalanced by his concerns for Aki, Michelangelo knew that Leonardo as their leader in the turtle team had main focus on what was best for the family. He just didn't hope that their leader was thinking about sacrificing himself because of it.
"If you get hurt in there, I'm going to kick your shell," Michelangelo remarked with a wry smile. "But what do you want me to do then?"
"If the snakes and our Sensei are under control, then there must be flute players near the lair. Find them!"
"Sure thing boss," Michelangelo smiled and hugged his brother tightly. "Be careful Leo."
"You too Mikey," Leonardo said.
As Michelangelo quickly left the area to scout around the nearby tunnels, Leonardo turned his focus to the electronic door panel. He was still standing on the big pipe, which suited him well as he was aware that he had to avoid the floor. He suspected that there may be more snakes in the lair than he expected and Leonardo wasn't a turtle who was known for taking unnecessary risks. As he pressed one of his fingers on the key panel to implement the turtle code, his heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation of what he was going to find in there. He was soon going to see if Aki was still alive.
As the door slid to the side, Leonardo narrowed his eyes as he saw the first snakes coming out of the door way. It was after all something he had expected. With great speed he crawled around the wall through the door way and when he was on the other side, he quickly closed the door again. As the door smacked into its right position, it killed a few snakes as they were cut through by the weight of the heavy door as it met with the wall again. Leonardo then turned his attention toward the lair and gasped surprised. This was above his wildest imagination. The blue-masked turtle swallowed hard and found himself in a situation which reminded him of the Indiana Jones movies, where the snakes were covering the floor. At this point he was glad that the walls were so steep that it was nearby impossible for any snakes to stay on the bricks. Otherwise he would have been dead in a second.
There were thousand of them! Their coils were moving around another in different directions and twirling among another. They were all in different shapes and seizes and their overlapping scales varied with a different variation of colours. Leonardo hadn't the greatest knowledge about snakes but he knew some that might help him indentify some of the more dangerous species. He guessed that most of the snakes were non-venomous like some of the snakes he recognized as corn snakes, Burmese pythons and garter snakes. On the other hand; he knew perfectly well that Rex must have ordered a large amount of deadly snake to take part in the attack.
Leonardo had read once that cobras, vipers, and closely related species were using venom to immobilize or kill their prey. The venom was delivered through their fangs. In common humans venomous snakes were classified in two Venomous snakes are classified in two taxonomic families: The Elapids and the Viperids. The fangs of these more advanced venomous snakes like Viperids and elapids were hollow in order to inject venom more effectively Some even talked about a third family known as Colubrids. The rear-fanged snakes had merely had a groove on the posterior edge to channel venom into the wound. However not all in the third family were venomous. As far as Leonardo recalled, then snake venoms were often prey specific where its role in self-defense were secondary. And as he gazed upon the floor of the lair he still couldn't recognize many of the species.
"Leonardo!"
The blue-masked turtle drew a deep sigh of relief as he heard her voice roamed through the room. He turned his head toward the middle of the lair, where he saw Aki and Master Splinter flying above almost a few meters above the bridge, which were covered with snakes. Leonardo wasn't as brilliant and clever as Donatello, but he held some knowledge about the more venomous snake species and it ran cold down his shell as he realized that most of these were collected on the crossing bridge which they had over the small lake in the lair.
Most of the snakes were twirling around the floors but some were crawling on the side and top of the bridge trying to reach his love and his father. Leonardo swallowed hard as he gazed upon the Black Mambas, which he knew was the largest and most deadly snake in Africa. The Black Mambas were very agile snakes and the fastest snake in the world in terms of moving speed. Donatello had told him that the reason for it being called the black mamba came from the fact that it was black inside its mouth. Its body were however light greyish. Among the Black Mambas he noticed white and black coloured snakes, rattlesnakes and coral snakes, which were easy to recognize due to their distinctive coloration. There were snakes, which had dark coloured bands of varying widths across most of its body except for the tip of their tails, which almost looked greenish or yellowish to him.
However; the most terrifying sight was the cobras, which had risen up in their total height where they tried to spit after Aki. Normally the spitting was often used as a defence against the cobras' predators and humans couldn't die from a spit from a cobra snake. Nevertheless; Leonardo was glad that Aki was flying a few inches from the ceiling, making it impossible for the snakes to hit her. Aki had also known that she had to be cautious as the venom in the spit wasn't something to joke with. It could cause blindness.
Aki turned her head toward the blue-masked turtle and she was surprised that she suddenly felt tears coming to her eyes. Leonardo's gaze was so intense. How could she have been so blind not to see the great love which he held for her? One look at him showed her the deep emotions which he had for her. He had been worried for her and so had she for him. It stroked her that she might have had some concerns if the turtles would have returned to the lair. If Rex was able to make this attack on her, then what hadn't the turtles experienced in the city?
"Aki, please let me come to you," Leonardo asked and looked at her with a pleading look in his brown eyes.
Aki couldn't resist his plead. After all she wanted him close to her. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her, as it made her feeling safe and protected. Aki moved the air beneath his arms and lifted him up towards her. As he came to her, she felt a shiver down her spine. Leonardo wasn't thinking straight. He was so happy that she hadn't died from him. If he had been thinking straight, he would had kept his distance, but when he had seen the worried look in her emerald eyes, he found himself lost. She had been scared. He could see it and yet he felt so proud of her that she had found herself in using her powers. It had saved both hers and his father's life.
As he was only a few inches from her, he realised how badly he had missed her and the only thing on his mind was to hold her tight and close. The emotions were too strong to resist. Aki felt the soft touch of his fingers on her chin. The three fingers caressed her gently as if she was made of glass, and she finally let off her frustration. Leonardo brought her into his arm and pulled his hand behind her neck to move her even further. She was crying. Leonardo planted his lips on the side of her head and sniffed the wonderful scent of rose flowers.
"I knew you were still alive," he whispered. "I could feel it."
He lifted her head to face him and her face was covered with tears. He removed gently the water with soft strokes with his hands and she seized his hand and placed a small kiss on the palm of his hand. Leonardo quickly removed his arms away from her as stroked by lightning and as she gazed at him, he avoided her look shyly. It wasn't the time to talk about their feelings for each other and they both knew it. After all thousand of snakes were beneath them and Master Splinter was still under control of a flute. As Leonardo turned his face towards his Sensei, he felt like knives were stabbing his heart. The rat's grey eyes were empty and seemed dead. In his mind Leonardo hoped that Michelangelo would have success in finding the one who was controlling him.
"I was so worried," Aki said and coughed a little. "When the snakes arrived, I was beginning to think that Rex had killed you and your brothers."
Leonardo considered if he should tell her what have happened on the bridge, but he decided that it wasn't the right time. He knew that Aki's powers were counting on her concentration and therefore he wouldn't tell her something that might bring her more out of balanced.
"We're all alive and safe," he assured her. "Donatello and Raphael are out scouting for her hideout and Michelangelo are searching for the flute players which must be nearby to control the snakes… and…"
Leonardo trailed off and took a sidelong glance at the rat. Aki nodded in understanding and grabbed his hand to give it a comforting squeeze and this time he didn't remove his hand from her. She could sense the disturbing feelings inside of him, and she knew that it must be very hard for Leonardo to see his father like this.
"Did he attack you?" Leonardo asked and turned his eyes to her.
Aki swallowed and wasn't sure how to say it, but Leonardo's firm gaze told her that he was seeking an honest answer. However; before she got the chance to answer him with the right words, he turned the hand he was holding, which was still covered in the blood from the kitchen knife. "Yes, he did," he confirmed for her and gazed at her with dark gloomy eyes.
"It isn't a serious wound," she said and tried to give him an encouraging smile.
"Yes, it is," he interrupted and his eyes became seriously worried. "He could have killed you."
She turned her gaze towards her arm. The wound had gotten a more darkish red colour and she had to admit that she didn't like the sight of it. She knew that it would need to be cleaned to prevent any infection. However; the wound wasn't as serious as Leonardo presented it. It had stopped bleeding for almost an hour ago and the blood has already started to dry out on her skin. She turned her face toward him and gave a mild shake of her head.
"He didn't. And take a closer look at it. It isn't a serious wound."
After studying the wound a few more seconds Leonardo nodded in agreement. "You're right. It is just that…"
"I know," she smiled and squizzed his hand lightly. "But I survived it due to the training that you and your family gave me. I felt his attack coming."
"How long have you been flying around here?"
"I honestly don't know," she responded. "When the snakes arrived I decided to fly out here with Splinter. I tied the magic potion around my belt and decided to wait here a bit in case you returned… But such a long time went by that I began to think if Rex had killed your all."
"Rex encountered us, telling us about the attack she had made on you," Leonardo told her, but kept the details from her. "When we escaped, Michelangelo and I hurried down here to save you. It was strange, but I could sense your emotions and I knew that I had to hurry."
"I tried to contact you mentally, but I have no idea if it actually helped you," she admitted and gave him a weak smile.
"I felt that you suddenly got calm and relaxed," Leonardo continued and then gave her an uncertain look. "It was actually at that point I began to worry, if you had died from me and that you had found peace in death."
"No no," she gave a little shake of her head. "I had just found out that I was able to control my full strengths now in my magical abilities."
"You do?" Leonardo smiled brightly for the first time since he came.
"Yeah I do," Aki confirmed with a happy smile. "And it is a wonderful feeling. I can sense Rex too, Leo. I have never been able to do that. Only the Elements of Five were able to do that."
"That's so wonderful Aki," Leonardo said and then gazed at the floor. "But how the shell do we get out from here? The snakes will follow every step you take."
"Yes I know," Aki nodded. "This is also one of the reasons why I haven't left the lair. I wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark sewers"
Leonardo thought back to the memory of the giant snake which Michelangelo and he had encountered and he shivered slightly by the image of Aki being attacked by one of these animals. No, it wouldn't be a good idea to go out. Even though Leonardo had better chances seeing in the dark and was able to protect her from such dangers, he knew that it would be impossible for him to see all the snakes. A black mamba would easily kill her, and she would die from him.
Leonardo gazed at the elevator door. Maybe it was possible to take it to the surface? However the elevator was narrow and it would give Master Splinter an opportunity to make an attack. Aki placed her head on her shoulder and gave him a wry smile.
"I considered the same thing," she told him. "But it will be too risky."
"You're probably right," Leonardo nodded and turned his face towards her. "How long can you hold us in the air?"
"I'm not tired yet, so probably an hour or two still," she answered and raised her eyebrows in wonder. "Why do you ask?"
"Because it all depends on wether Michelangelo find the flute players or not," Leonardo confessed to her and sighed.
Aki nodded slightly. She understood how serious the situation was. It would be too dangerous to leave as long the rat or the snakes were controlled. On the other hand; if Michelangelo succeed in his task to take merely one of the flute players down, they would be able to escape from the lair. Leonardo kept his hand in Aki's. It pleased her as she needed his comfort and his strength. Leonardo wasn't aware of his effect on her and she blushed by her growing emotions for the blue-masked turtle. Leonardo noticed her cheeks turning red and wondered what had been the reason for her to react that way, but she avoided his look and after a while, he shrugged his shoulders and tried to think of something else. Please hurry bro, he thought and gazed down at the snakes. We need you.
With fast speed he moved silently through the dark tunnels. His mind was clear and serious about the task his older brother had given him. His family and one of his good friends were counting on him. He stopped for a brief moment as he came to a crossway. He frown his forehead and gazed at the two dark tunnels for a few second. He knew that one of the tunnels was leading away from the lair and a quick decision made him choose the other path. Aki had informed them that flute players had to be near the animals which they needed to control. The turtle slipped soundlessly through the tunnel using all of his stealth abilities to rush forward. He was used to stay hidden from the light and though he wasn't the most bright of Master Splinter's students, he knew perfectly when to use the ninja skill he had achieved during his childhood. With cunning speed he ran further into the darkness. As he progressed through the different pathways around the lair, he hoped deep inside of his heart that they hadn't been too late. He was almost near a corner when he sensed a strange presentence. The turtle stopped a few inches from the corner and turned his head to observe. A human male was standing near a wall with his arms lifted as if he was holding something near his mouth. There was no sound coming out of the flute, and he wondered if it was only the animals who would hear the tunes. It would make sense since it had only been their sensei who had heard musical tunes. As the orange-masked turtle studied the man a few minute, he became confident that this human was one of Rex's men. Who else would act like that near their lair? The turtle's hands moved to the front of the brown leather belt which was hanging around his shell. He felt the warm feeling in his heart, as his fingers touched his favourite weapon. The nunchakus had always seemed like a part of him and as he placed the wooded edges between his green fingers, he felt the cold metal touch his scaled skin. He grinned and moved further toward his prey. He moved the nunchakus with easy and in such a way that it would be difficult for the human to detect him. It was time to apply some turtle whacks. He absolutely loved being a ninja. The only sound which roamed through the tunnel was a single surprised scream that came from a man who was taken off guard.
"Leonardo; look at the cobras, they have stopped spitting at me," Aki burst out.
Leonardo moved his eyes towards the floor which were still covered with snakes. Yes, she was right. There were no longer any cobras near the bridge. As Leonardo observed the snakes below them, he noticed that many things had seemed to change. All the venomous snakes weren't any longer all sampled beneath Aki and they seemed less focused about what was happening above them.
"Maybe Michelangelo have done it?" Aki gave him a questioning gaze as she wasn't sure if she on her own was going to believe that it might was the case.
"I think so, but we have to check it first," Leonardo said and gazed at her without showing any expression in his face. "You have to test it, since it is you, they are after. Take us both down. I'll protect you in case they attack you, but be careful with keeping your eyes too close."
Aki nodded in acknowledgement and flew silently down towards the floor. Her nerves tensed for every inch, they came closer. She wasn't very fond of snakes. They were very sneaky and fast predators and she held a huge respect for the animal specie. As they came closer, Leonardo drew one of his katanas with the right arm, as he still was holding Aki's hand with the other. Leonardo kept his eyes one every movement the snakes made. However they didn't seem very interested in their presentence. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed as swift movement, but it was only from a large snake who began to attack a smaller one. As he saw that, he turned his face towards Aki with a wide smile.
"It seems they have returned to normal," he stated and nodded in the direction where he had seen the snake attack.
"Yeah, it could seem like it," Aki agreed and cast a sidelong glance at Master Splinter who was still hanging silently a few meters from them. "We should move then."
"I couldn't agree more. Place me on that wall Aki, and I open the door. We have to meet up with Michelangelo and find the person who is controlling Master Splinter."
Leonardo let go of her hand and gave her a single wave with his hand to indicate that he was ready. Aki followed his order and placed him near the entrance door. He planted his left hand on the wall and felt the small electronic metal circles connect with it. Then she removed the air which was keeping him flowing in the room, and he suddenly felt heavy as the gravity got hold of his body. He placed his katana in his belt for a brief moment as he opened the entrance door. Then he jumped forward and twirled around as soon as his feet hit the ground. He swung his katana from side to side, slashing through every snake body, which dared to get in his way.
Aki was quickly to follow him as she saw the door get open. In one second she gave a silent thanks to the orange-masked turtle who had managed to interrupt the person who was playing the flute of the snakes. Leonardo waited until they both were out from the lair, and then he immediately pressed the secret turtle code. With a low bump the door got closed and Leonardo signed in relief. They were out of danger.
It hadn't been a big challenge to fight this minion. As the turtle looked through the man's belongings it became clear to him that he had found the player with the snake flute. The turtle didn't believe in any gods. As raised in a Japanese spirit of his father, he believed the world consisted of different energies. As such he was glad that the faith had been in their favour. Not only should it be easier for Leonardo and Aki to escape from the lair, the turtles also now possessed one of the more powerful flutes. As he placed the flute in his belt, his eyes narrowed as he was thinking about his next move. He had to find the flute which controlled Master Splinter, so they could get their father back. The orange-masked turtle sat down for a few minutes, thinking of where the flute player could have positioned himself. Then he recalled the evening where Master Splinter had talked about of him hearing music. He was in the living room at that time. The turtle decided to take that tunnel first and hoped that he would be right. It took merely a few minutes to get there, and as he discovered the figure of a man standing near the wall, he gazed at him with a big grin on his face. He grabbed his nunchakus and began to move them once again. He was ready to make the strike.
"What… what happened?" Master Splinter moaned and grabbed one of his hands to his head. "Oh, my head hurts!"
"Master Splinter" Leonardo cried out and gazed at Aki with wild eyes. "Get him down Aki quickly!"
Aki wasn't sure if she wanted to do that yet. Even though it seemed like there was life in the old rat's eyes again, she didn't trust her eyes enough. What if it was some kind of trick from Rex's minion to let them off their guard? But as she saw the gaze in Leonardo's brown eyes pleading her for removing the air bonds around his father, it became too much for her, and she slowly removed the strong airwaves beneath Master Splinter's body. When the old rat float almost a half meter above the floor, Leonardo was there instantly to catch him in his muscular arms.
"Master Splinter," he whispered and pulled the rat closer.
"Leonardo," the old rat said in a tired voice.
Leonardo placed his hand on the father's chin, touching gently the soft fur as he gazed into Master Splinter's eyes, which sparkled with life. Leonardo heaved a sign of relief and smiled brightly as he was thrilled to see his father alive and well. Normally Splinter held some distance to his children, as he had to hold their respect for him both as a father but also as a sensei for his students. But in this moment, in this very second of their lives, it didn't matter if they were teacher and student.
"I'm so glad to see that you're okay," Leonardo said with a mild shiver in his voice.
It was hard for him to keep his voice straight as he was happy to see that his father had returned to them. Master Splinter gave him a wide smile to insure his son that he was okay. The old rat turned his head to the side, as he noticed a brief movement in the corner of his eye.
"Aki!"
Both she and Leonardo felt stunned by the tone in his voice. It was so full of regret. Master Splinter closed his eyes tightly as he recalled all this actions the past hour. How could he? What had he done? She hadn't done anything to him and he had attacked her with the intention to kill her. Master Splinter pushed Leonardo's arms away from him and shrieked out in pain as he thought about the things that had run through his mind while being under control of one of the flutes.
"Sensei, what is the matter?" Leonardo asked worried and tried to move closer towards the rat that was pulling backward.
"Please Leonardo, don't…" Master Splinter said and shook his hand in front of him to prevent his son to come closer.
There was more fight in this one. When he had attacked the man, it had only caused the human to drop the flute. With imminent speed; which was only common to people who had gained a little knowledge of martial art, the minion had rolled on the floor and twirled around to meet his attacking opponent. The orange-masked turtle had reacted quickly, trying to hit the most vulnerable places on the human body. Yet, this fighter was one of the more consistent ones and he blocked or dodged many of his attacks. As his weapon consisted of hard wood, the turtle knew that this man was used to hide and use his pain against his opponents. He did like having a challenge in fights; it only made it more fun to use more of his abilities and skills as a ninja. The man growled and it almost made him laugh and he simply couldn't help himself.
"Dude you sound like a dog, are you sure you have the right flute?"
The comment made the man even angrier and the turtle grinned as he spun to the left to avoid his attack. Then he saw the back of the man, he placed his elbow to connect on one of the side muscles beside the man's spine, making the man moan of striking pain while he flew towards the ground.
"You're too slow mate," the turtle grinned.
The man sampled his legs together and quickly rose from the sewer floor. In a flurry of movement that the turtle had a hard time keeping up, he hit with his fist the left side of turtle's head, sending the green mutant towards the ground. As he felt the sharp pain of hard cement connecting with his shell, he saw the man bent down to collect the flute from the floor. Then he felt something hard hitting the back of his head and all went dark.
Master Splinter turned his eyes away. He couldn't manage to face neither the young woman nor his son. He felt so ashamed and embarrassed. Master Splinter stunned as he felt his whiskers shiver and suddenly he began to feel calm inside as he heard sweet tunes coming back to him. They were alluring him, making him relax. Yet, he felt scared as he also was aware that it made him loose his mind. He turned his eyes towards a small stone on the floor. He had to persist the melody. He had to focus to ignore the soft tunes which were clinging in his mind and his heart. Look at the rock; he told himself, focus on the rock, then the music can't take your mind.
"Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked concerned.
He didn't understand his behaviour. First he was avoiding them and now he kept starring at the stone. The blue-masked turtle was about to make a step toward his father, when he felt the fingers from a known human hand stop him. As he turned his face towards Aki, he saw the same concern as he felt.
"Let me try," she asked him.
Leonardo nodded and stepped to the side to let her pass. As she wandered closer to the old rat, Leonardo noticed Master Splinter's hand seizing after the stone. Leonardo gasped as he saw a glint of the rat's eyes. They were cold, empty like a lifeless zombie. Leonardo ran towards the woman he loved, as he suddenly realized that she had become in a very vulnerable situation.
"Aki, move!" he shouted out loud.
Aki twirled around at his warning to face him, as she hadn't seen the change in the rat's behaviour and she shrieked out in deepest pain as she felt the pounding smash of a hard rock hitting her on the side of her head. Leonardo saw her falling to the ground, while his own Sensei lifted his head to face his other opponent. There was one down, one to go. Leonardo felt a big lump in his throat as he gazed at Aki's paled face. She was still alive, but unconscious and as such she wasn't in power to lift the old rat in the air, preventing him to attack. As Leonardo gazed into his Master Splinter's lifeless eyes, he knew that he had to fight his master, his own father!
A/N: That was all for now. Please feel welcome to share any opinions you might have about the chapter or the story :)