All TMNT characters are © Peter Laird & Kevin Eastman.
Author Note: Older : See Chapter 1. Latest Story Summery and Cast Info: See Chapter 23.
Please Read and Review what your thoughts are for this story/chapter!
Note: See the Art on my DA site called 'TMNT Draco and 3 Turtles' to see how the adult Turtles would look like in this story. There's mature content due to the reality issues I often put in my stories, so it's not really for the little kiddies out there. The swearing is no longer censored! Please check out my main site at www. cpbunnyart. com (remove the spaces) for the artwork of my fanfics & original stories! Enjoy! (( alaer. deviantart. com (remove the spaces) is being updated with new art/stories and still has plenty of my old art and stories))
Destruction of Turtle Trust
Hun grinned a wide sneaky smile as he watched the Turtle Donatello leave his personal bunker. He waited about five minutes before he called in Kano's best four stealth invisibility ninjas to spice up Don's test.
"Liven up that freak's test and make sure he fails." Hun said, his tone low and evil. He pointed to a case filled with deadly weapons. The stealth ninjas had a nice variety to choose from.
One took a nunti bo, a sai-shaped spear, while another snatched a kuwa, a deadly hoe. The third grabbed naga surujin, a weighted chain, and the fourth obtained a kama, a short bladed sickle.
"Attack him one by one and weaken him, then destroy him while he's down. Show no mercy. Kill the freak and bring his shell to me when you complete the job! Understand?" Hun ordered and the stealth ninjas all bowed respectively.
In a blink of an eye, they disappeared almost seemingly into thin air. Hun snickered, his giggling changing into full blown laughter. There was no way that Turtle would survive these stealth ninjas.
Hun positioned himself in front of his favorite chair and sat down carefully. All he had to do now was sit back and wait for the stealth ninjas to bring back that green freak's carcass.
As Don made his way through the city, he quickly realized he was being followed. But everytime he looked behind or around himself, there was no one in sight.
Don's nose told him otherwise and he figured this must be part of Hun's test. He was glad he took along his special shock shurikens that night.
As he passed a small water tower, Don devised a plan on how to really get these invisible suckers off his shell all at once. He turned around and went back to the water tower. He stood under it and waited for his pursuers to attack him.
A hard blow came to his chest and sent him flying backwards to one of the water tower's support beams. Coughing, Don struggled to put air back in his lungs after that strong hit when another slammed into his shell, forcing him forward.
He was kicked back as the nunti bo speared his left shoulder. Don grabbed the unseen weapon and yanked it from his bleeding wound. Don attacked back, but couldn't land any blows on them.
Suddenly, metal bit deep into his shell and Don cried out in distress. The removal of the kama blade was twice as painful, but he no time to even acknowledge it as the naga surujin punched the poor terrapin in the gut.
Blood splattered onto the rooftop as Don coughed in agony, his shaking arms barely holding him up while he was on his hands and knees. He was viciously kicked on the left side and he turned, falling onto his shell.
Don wasn't keen on letting these guys beat him up more, so he flung five regular shurikens into the water tower above him. The metal stars shot through the bottom of the tower and created some nice holes for the water to escape through.
As the water sprayed down, Don could see the vague outlines of his attackers and wasted no time throwing the shock shurikens into their chest plates. Then in the next split-second, he back-flipped out of the puddles and landed on the rooftop's edge to safety.
The shrieking screams of the stealth ninjas echoed throughout the night as they were electrocuted to their doom. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled Don's nose and he spat, wrinkling his snout.
"Ok, no one said this test would be easy." Don muttered, panting as he held his bloody shoulder. He felt wet drops dripping onto his tail and he knew the damage to his shell was extensive.
He wished he didn't have to move, but he had to. This wasn't the end of the test. Far from it actually. 'What a way to start off...' Don thought bitterly as he made his body go to where he was supposed to go in the first place.
Hun had said he wanted Don to go to Julterin Street where the KluTran gang's leader, Joe Holbant, lived. Hun wanted Don to retrieve Holbant's cherished wife Stacy and bring her back to a certain Purple Dragon hideout where he would be waiting at later.
They wanted to use her as a good incentive to make that disobedient gang leader pay for the markers he owed to the Purple Dragons. They waited a month for their payment and then out of the blue, Holbant flat out refused to pay anything back.
So, they were going to MAKE him pay one way or another. If Mrs. Holbant was killed or badly injured while she was being kidnapped, then Don would fail the test and be executed.
Easy, one might think to kidnap a 'helpless' female. Not at all. Stacy Holbant was no pushover. She was highly skilled in martial arts and that was why Hun's thugs couldn't kidnap her earlier to make Joe pay. Hun knew this job would at least give the freak plenty of trouble.
The KluTran gang wasn't a small time group with low level thugs and punks; they were on a higher scale like the Foot clan. Hun was almost certain that Don would be shot down mercilessly as soon as he tried to kidnap Stacy.
That was why he gave him this job. If the stealth ninjas failed somehow, then Holbant's men shouldn't. Hun lost close to a hundred men to those idiots when he sent them to take Stacy. What chance did one stupid green animal have?
Hun would have warned the Holbants that Don was coming to ensure his death, but his gang needed that debt paid back immediately, so he kept quiet. Six hundred million wasn't exactly something they could 'write off' and forget about.
Don poised himself flat against the west wall of the Holbant's mansion. Whoever this guy was, he had his home heavily guarded. He couldn't count how many times he was almost spotted.
If it wasn't for this terrible pain, he wouldn't be this 'sloppy'. He got up onto the second floor by scaling a study flower tendril holder and found the window to the Holbant's master bedroom.
Don was glad that prying the window open was an easy silent operation to complete. He snuck in and began to make his way over to the sleeping humans in their king sized bed.
Then he smelled them. Three Dobermans attacked him at once, growling and snarling. Don struggled with them as the humans instantly woke up from the disturbance.
Holbant yanked a pistol out from under his pillow and started shooting, screaming out obscenities. Stacy got her own gun out and did the same as her husband; shooting, swearing, and all.
Don dodged most of the bullets and felt sorry for the dogs as two of them got hit by their owners' weapons. He leapt onto their bed and wasted no time knocking the pistols from their hands with one sweep of his bo.
Stacy jumped at him, punching and scratching like a feline. Don managed to grab this spitting angry 'cat' and flung her onto his good shoulder.
He jumped off the bed with Stacy and headed for the window. Holbant scrambled out of bed and chased after them. He hollered out his protests and threw a punch at Don.
He caught the fist and crushed it within two seconds, then flung the man three feet away to the nearest wall. Stacy squirmed hard, trying to break free to beat Don up for hurting her husband. But Don was too strong for her.
"You damn green lizard freak! I'll kill you for hurting my Joseph! Let me go! Bastard!" she shrieked, grabbing the attention of her guards to come to her aid.
Five armed guards rushed into the bedroom and shot at Don like there was no tomorrow. In less than a second, Don was through the window and outside. He raced for the stone wall surrounding the mansion. Behind the wall, was the 'safety' of the woods.
Stacy realized this and grew afraid. She really was being kidnapped, no! But, there was no way this freak could scale that wall by jumping it! She screamed loudly while she was forced into flight as Don leapt clear over that eight foot wall.
Stunned and overwhelmed by the entire situation, Stacy passed out. Don kept running, not stopping for anything. The guards were chasing after him with rifles and more dogs.
Thankfully Don's scent was lost through the wide stream he had to cross and he finally got his pursuers off his tail. He ran for another mile just in case. Then fatigue overtook him.
Out of breath and energy, Don had to stop. He let Stacy fall off his shoulder as he went to his knees and bent over to catch his breath again. Due to his constant movements, his wounds were being reopened.
This was a very negative blow to his body, causing him to lose more blood and making him weaker. He wished he rest longer or even give up, but he knew couldn't. He reminded himself of how important this test was to complete.
If he climbed past this rung on the 'ladder' of Kano's forces, he would be a step closer to ending the war. He couldn't give up. He had to free his brothers, especially Leo, from Karai's hold.
The determination to do so pushed Don back to his feet. He placed Stacy onto his right shoulder and trudged back to where Hun told him to go to once he had Holbant's wife.
Hun was there relaxing in a chair, drinking a beer. He spat out his fizzy brew when he saw Donatello alive and with Stacy Holbant over his shoulder. Annoyed that the freak hadn't been creamed, Hun had to admit the mutant did good.
He was able to pull off a job none of his men ever could do. Maybe those Turtles weren't as inferior and contemptible as he first thought.
"Uhh, good work, um... What was your name again?" Hun asked, not remembering which one was which. He never cared to recall their names. They practically looked all the same to him.
"Donatello." The purple clad Turtle replied, his voice sore and scratchy.
"Looks like Holbant's guards gave you some hell, but you did manage to get Stacy so you pass. I'll recommend you to Kano and when he's ready, he'll summon you for the final test." Hun clapped his hands then and a servant rushed in.
"Yes, Master Hun." The minion bowed and awaited his orders.
"Have Stacy taken to the holding cells and get a vet..." Hun paused, noting the insulted look on Don's face.
"...I mean, doctor in here to patch up Donatello here. Hurry up! We can't have a fellow Purple Dragon left untreated like this." Hun bellowed, making a show of false companionship.
The lackey raced off to do as he was told. Hun smirked cockily, pretending to be friendly and accepting of Don now. The Turtle set Stacy down into an empty chair and his back was to Hun.
The blonde giant noticed the nasty long oozing gash in his shell and stifled a pleased snicker. So the stealth ninjas were successful at giving that creature some trouble.
It was kinda impressive to see the terrapin still standing after all those injuries. The new healing drug Kano's scientists just created needed a fresh guinea pig. Hun, always wishing negative things to happen to the Turtles, hoped the drug would harm Don instead.
The purple clad Turtle was skeptical to be given a new untested drug, but the lady doctor assured him it was safe. The lab rats shown a great recovery rate to different diseases and injuries.
"It's proven safe to animals; you should be fine." Dr. Sara Perry said as she flicked the needle with her finger to get the air bubbles out. Don scrunched his face in annoyance.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not just an animal." Don told her darkly. He was really sensitive to the subject where he was seen as only an animal. He was more than that. A lot more.
It wasn't that he was ashamed to have been an animal before, it was just his kind was usually seen as inferior and ignorant creatures. And he was sick of being seen like that by those who were the real ignorant beings...
"I'm sorry." Sara replied quickly, not meaning to offend. She was given the impression by Hun that Don wasn't on the same level as people.
He was a freak of nature, a stupid lowly beast that wasn't on par with humans. Maybe he wasn't a freak, but a human instead. She wanted to find out.
"Were you human before? Did Kano's father, the Shredder use you in his experiments? I could help you, if that's what you want." Sara was hoping to stay on his good side. Hun did say this creature was dangerous and advised her to keep a tranquilizer gun with her at all times.
"No..." Don answered, bitterness flooding every ounce of his being. "I... I never was a human before... You could never help me. Not in the way I want."
Being human was like a fantasy dream that Don knew would never come true. When Mikey was human due to Kano's curse, Don secretly was jealous. If he was completely human, Rose would take him back, no problem.
But somehow with Renet's help, Mikey was returned to normal and Don never got to find out how Kano did it. A thought crossed his mind of asking Kano personally once he was considered one of them, but he dashed the notion.
Kano had stripped Mikey's terrapin powers when he made him human. Don didn't want to lose his natural Turtle strength. If he did, how could he protect Rose? Having her back would mean nothing if some threat came along to take her away and he wouldn't be able stop it.
If he was human, he could have a good chance of getting Rose back, but he would lose everything else. His strength, his true identity, and even his brothers in a way.
They may still socialize with him, but he wouldn't be able to join them whenever they went on patrol or fight bad guys. It would never be the same, it would be like losing them. The price of becoming human was too high and it disgusted him.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I can at least help you heal and faster than normal too. This drug cuts the healing time by more than half. Your shell should seal up on its own within weeks, not months. And your shoulder will be completely healed by next week, I almost can guarantee it." Sara said, proud to be saying such since she was practically the one who created the new drug.
Don asked if he could have a sample of it to analyze and after he rattled on about how he thought it could work better if this or that was done, Sara was intrigued by his incredible intelligence.
She asked him what his age was and she was even more amazed. How could a young creature be this smart? Why, he made all the members in MENSA combined seem like a bunch of imbecilic fools.
Surely, she could learn something from this young one. She spent thirty-five years as a doctor and part-time scientist, yet this Turtle creature was extremely wise despite his youthful age.
Not that a juvenile couldn't be smart, it was just unbelievable that this creature that part animal was so intelligent. Fantastic! She asked him what his name was.
"Well, Donatello, I'm pleased to meet such a genius. I am Sara Perry." She held her hand out and Don shook it, feeling very tired. The healing drug had a sedative effect and after Hun's test, Don was nearly falling asleep right then and there.
"Perry...?" Don remembered that name even though he hadn't heard it in years. "Do you... Do you know of...a...man named Jordan Perry?"
"Why, yes! He's my husband. How do you...-" Sara had to catch Don as he fell forward, losing control and about to black out. Don struggled to stay awake as he replied.
"He was...my friend..." Don closed his eyes and dropped to the floor since Sara wasn't strong enough to hold him up. She called for her assistants to help move Don to Kano's medical facilities.
Hun was glad to see the freak go. It was up to Kano to either make or break him now. If Donatello was beneficial to Kano's clan and the Purple Dragons, then so be it.
Hun would be more convinced to let him live should that freak prove useful in the end. If not, he would be more than happy to be his executioner.
Karai left her private quarters to go to the front foyer and wait for Leonardo to come back from a minor scouting mission. She wanted to spend some real quality time alone with him on Kameko's 'secret' island.
There she could have her remaining troops trained to their fullest potential, while she worked on creating an heir to her Foot clan legacy. She had one concern.
Leo may not want to go since he didn't like being away from his brothers for too long. The island was far away from New York, he wouldn't be able to help his brethren should anything happen.
But Karai had to have an heir and staying in the skyscraper to create one wasn't working. She believed the stress of being around her unforgiving prejudiced minions was causing her not to conceive.
She had to persuade Leo to go by any means necessary. Once she had a powerful son, she, along with her robust assassin of a 'husband', would be revered and respected by their strength alone.
No one would dare try to topple them and she would make a real name for herself. An unwavering stature of sheer impressive might would be dawned upon her and her new family. She would be all-powerful and feared again!
As Karai thought up ways to convince him to go anyway, she bumped into an annoying employee that she had hoped would stay away at Area 51 for at least a year.
"Hello, Karai." Chaplin said, smiling a creepy grin at her. She frowned, narrowing her eyes and pushed past him.
"I've got those control collars you wanted." he added, pulling one out of his pocket and holding it up. He began to follow her to the foyer.
"Put that away. I'm expecting Leonardo to return and I don't want you two in the same room together." Karai ordered. She didn't see Chaplin's irritated expression and she began to leave. She heard Chaplin proceeding right behind her.
"Didn't you hear me? I said I do NOT want you to be near any of my assassins, especially not Leonardo. I can not guarantee you won't get hurt." she said, hoping he would be smart and fear for his safety. She turned her head to glare at him as soon as she finished talking.
"That's why you need to hold onto a collar! You never know when those unpredictable beasts will snap. For your protection." Chaplin purred, hinting as if she needed HIS protection and kept pushing the collar into her hands.
Angrily, she shoved him away and he narrowed his eyes. What was wrong with this woman? She used to be close to him, or so that's what he thought she was those years before.
He almost had her engaged to him then she let those animals into the organization. Curse those beasts! That Leonardo was raining on Chaplin's parade and trying to steal Karai away from him.
Why Karai favored that ugly freak of nature was beyond Chaplin and he was going to put an end to their so-called relationship.
Chaplin noted the ring on her left ring finger and knew it wasn't the ring he gave her. That had better not mean what he thought it did! Angrily, he snorted in contempt as Karai hurried away to her beloved terrapin beast.
As a baneful plot formed within his intelligent mind, Chaplin chuckled to himself. It would take some time, but he believed he knew a wonderful way to break up Leonardo and Karai for good.
But he had to be quick about completing the first stage and raced away to a forbidden area of the skyscraper, Karai's quarters.
As Leo approached Karai in the foyer, she signaled for him to join her in her private chambers. Several Foot members were going about their business and eyed the couple strangely as they made their way to Karai's room.
The snide whispers and snickering did not pass over Karai well. She cringed in discomfort, feeling shamed when she angrily forced herself not to be. She had every right to love whoever she wished.
She would not allow her minions to plague her with guilt and shame for what she was doing. Leonardo was not a lowly beast as they all thought. Karai could not get around the fact that Leo was indeed a Turtle. But she banked on that he was part man so heavily that she believed she was not committing any form of bestiality.
She was the boss here and her desires were not to be questioned whatsoever. Unfortunately she could not get her men to agree to that and the ones that stayed used her as sport for their crude remarks and belittling opinions of her.
In an upset daze, she didn't notice a control collar laying out in plain view on her coffee table. But Leo did and picked it up while Karai looked out her windows sullenly.
It had a heavy duty chain attached to it and had fairly sharp spikes inside it to pierce the wearer with tranquilizers or poisons. Breathing heavily, Leo held it up in front of Karai's face.
"What is this doing here?" he asked, his mouth dry and his voice tense. He could barely talk clearly due to the bile rising up from his gut. Donatello's warnings about Karai echoed in his mind. Don couldn't be right about her... He just couldn't be right!
Karai stared at the collar with great shock and then narrowed her eyes. He had better not DARE accuse her of wanting any use of that collar. She expected Leo to always have undying respect and complete trust in her, no matter what!
She quickly deduced that Chaplin must have left it in here. How dare he invade her private chambers! Enraged, she turned on her heel to pick a bone with him, leaving Leo to think she was guilty.
"Why won't you answer me?!" Leo snarled, not wanting to believe this was happening, but he had to. The collar was very real and the way it was engineered, easily told Leo it was created to control him and his brothers.
Karai stopped and turned to face him. She didn't want him to follow her to Chaplin's lab, he would probably attack the scientist once he learned it was his doing. Then Chaplin could say that Leonardo was rabid and dangerous and he would need to wear a collar to keep him tame.
The whole concept annoyed her greatly. Leonardo was a civilized Turtle man, not some crazed beast as Chaplin believed. But she was beyond certain that Leo would do harm to Chaplin for creating the collars and in turn, make himself appear like a savage.
She couldn't chance something like that. The walls of her fortress had eyes and ears everywhere. If her men were against her elite assassins, they would in turn become disloyal to her over time. She didn't need more reasons for them to think like that.
She quelled her harsh expression and put a hand to his shoulder, shaking her head. "You must suppress your anger, Leonardo. This is not what it seems. I am not to blame for the collar. Chaplin is." she said quietly.
"WHAT?! Why that son of a-" Leo was about to really kill that jerk when Karai pushed him back.
"Stop! This is what he wants! He wants to make you appear like a barbarous savage so he can convince everyone that you are deserving of wearing that collar..." Karai warned him and Leo forced himself to restrain his rage.
How dare that MONSTER play such a disgusting game as THIS?! He nearly lost all faith in Karai over a big misunderstanding. If he did, then Chaplin would have won! Curse him!
Karai took hold of his face with both of her hands and pressed her forehead against his. She went into a meditative state, sending a telepathic message to her lover.
Leo could sense she was trying to communicate with him in this way and closed his eyes, also going into a meditative state so he could reply. He met her on the astral plane and she held his hands.
"I want us to go elsewhere. We must get away from all these prying eyes and ears. By the end of this week, we shall go to the island where my sister Kameko tried to hide you and your brothers from Kano. Only my most loyal soldiers will accompany us so they train to their full potential unhindered. Then I will strike Kano's forces with the fury of a hurricane and destroy him utterly!" she said, filled with determination.
"I don't care what your clan members say about us. We don't have to run away, Karai. I promise I won't lose my temper with Chaplin. I'll just ignore him. There's no need for us to go so far away like that." Leo said, causing Karai to drop his hands. She stared out into the vast space of the astral plane.
"I need to get away, Leonardo. I am tired of being burdened with such unnecessary stress. I believe that is why I can not conceive." Karai looked at him and he avoided her gaze.
He didn't want to go, just as she assumed earlier. And she knew the reason why. How could he so ridiculously attached to those siblings of his when he had her?
Karai felt a twinge of jealousy. What about her and her desires? Shouldn't she come first now that she was his 'wife'?
"Your brothers will be fine without you. Just let them go. You and I are married, Leonardo. Should not I come first in your life now?" Karai gave him a strange almost pleading expression that tore Leo apart.
He couldn't abandon his brothers...his children, could he? He promised Splinter to always look after them. But he also made a promise to Karai as well.
Actually two. The blood oath obligated him to aid Karai so she could win the war against Kano while his acceptance of her ring binded his heart to her.
He couldn't find nor give an answer since either one would break one of the promises he had made. Trapped, he said nothing and left the astral plane. She too left quickly to confront him.
He saw Karai glaring at him murderously with tears in her eyes. She believed that he would never put her first and that he cared for his brothers more than her.
He loved them more than her! Meaning, they probably would never have a child together and her 'legacy' would never come to be.
This stabbed her heart deeply and the pain was more than she could stand. Since he valued his brothers more than her, then she would have to punish him until he started putting her first in his life.
"Karai, I'm sor-" Leo tried to say, but she unexpectedly kicked his legs out from under him. He fell hard on his right arm, landing on his funny bone. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain, but they flew open as he felt something being snapped onto his neck.
Leo stared at her in disbelief and terrible hurt rage after he touched the collar around his throat. He struggling not to explode into insane hysterics.
Karai was breathing hard as she backed away trembling, while holding onto the end of the chain attached to the collar. Again, Don's voice echoed in Leo's mind. His warnings repeated over and over, making Leo feel even more devastated.
"You brought this upon yourself, Leonardo." Karai choked out, behaving as if she was going to vomit from this altercation. She was that emotionally overwrought from all this.
"WHAT?! How DARE you say something like that?! You're the one who-!" Leo tried to say, but the collar automatically shocked him since it could 'sense' when the animal wearing it was getting hostile.
"If you would just forget about your brethren and concentrate solely on me, then I wouldn't have to use that collar! This is your fault! I am not to blame for any of this!" Karai shot back, her chin trembling as hot tears slid down her cheeks.
"I made a promise to my father to always look after them..." Leo said in a low tone, then raised it. "To care for them and to lead them! I can never abandon them, Karai! Why can't you understand that?! I can't break that promise! I won't!" Leo shouted, then got shocked again.
"You also made promises to me, Leonardo..." Karai said darkly, biting her lip as she wiped her tears away angrily.
"I know that..." Leo said softly, bowing his head as tears flooded his eyes. "No matter what answer I choose to give you, it will break a promise I made and so... I can't give you an answer. Ever..."
Karai stared at him with mixed emotions. She believed there was only one right answer and that was the one benefiting her. A husband was to put his wife first, not go back to his old family. Leonardo needed to learn that the hard way.
"You WILL give me an answer and until you do, you will be confined." Karai told him and scrubbed her face clean before she summoned her servants to take Leo away.
As he was chained to the wall in a very small room near Karai's private chambers, Leo wept silently. He didn't have any concern that the workers could witness him in this pitiful state. He was just too upset to care anymore.
Don was right about Karai. She was like the Shredder, ruthless and heartless. He even questioned if she ever truly loved him. Had she been using him this entire time? Leo felt as if he had been proven wrong, not just about Karai, but about everything.
He felt like a complete failure and an idiot, a silly fool too ignorant to heed the blaring warnings presented to him. He finally began to consider perhaps he had been too hard on his brothers... And that maybe his protection was in fact smothering them, sending them further away from him.
He acknowledged their loathing of Karai with a new understanding. He was certain that they must have hated him for everything he put them through with Karai.
They had every right to be resentful of him. They were right and he was wrong. So very wrong...
The room he was in had a toilet installed and a bed for him to sleep on. There was one window where he could look out and see the full moon shining. The chain was long enough for him to get to the toilet and the bed, but not the window.
It didn't matter since there was a electrified cage put around Leo's new living space. He couldn't call out since they took his cel phone from him. Leo couldn't escape even if he wanted to. He was too devastated to do anything anymore.
A day passed, then two. Karai checked up on him once a day and noticed he didn't touch any of the food given to him. She expressed her concern, but he didn't respond. He kept his head bowed off to the side, his eyes always hidden from her.
Angered that he wouldn't talk to her, she took this as a sign of real treason and she reverted back to her usually cruel self. In a hurt rage, she told him to just commit suicide and be done with it then.
He still had his katanas strapped to his back since Karai forbade her workers to take them from him. She had great respect for a warrior's need to keep his weapons as they were a part of his soul.
Karai's heartless words 'woke' Leo out of his zombie-like state of depression and made him realize that he longed to die. It would instantly end all his pain and suffering. Yes... Yes, that was what he wanted! Sweet soothing death...
Delirious with a crazed mixture of grief and joy, Leo poised a blade to his chest. Suddenly, he heard Splinter say 'Stop!' as clearly as if he were in the room with him.
"Father?" Leo's katana fell noisily to the floor as he frantically searched the dark room with his eyes. There was no one. Leo heaved a confused sigh as he sat on the bed and began to really think.
Giving in to suicide would only let Chaplin win and leave his brothers abandoned. He couldn't die, not now. He still had a promise to keep for Splinter. He couldn't give in to this extreme grief.
Leo looked at the ring on his left finger and pulled it off. He held it in his right hand and made a fist as he closed his eyes and grit his teeth in distress. He finally had an answer for Karai...
Raph scowled as he watched the evening news sitting on a couch. He had been living with Mona Lisa in her apartment near the west side for weeks now.
This wasn't exactly called a supreme highlight of his life even though he was spending a lot of time with Mona Lisa now. Playing house or whatever he was doing with her felt so odd; he wasn't used to it.
Going out busting up bad guys at night, then coming 'home' to Mona Lisa in the morning so dead tired that he'd fall asleep right on the floor at the door was becoming monotonous.
He longed to be fighting along side his brothers and enjoying their company again. They were four parts to a complete whole one 'being' so to speak. He missed them intensely.
They were part of each other and without them, Raph didn't feel like his real self. He had only been hearing Leo's voice on the pay phone for so long and nothing from the other two.
He found himself having a hard time returning home to ask for forgiveness from Donnie. He didn't really know how to go about doing it right. He wasn't too good at such things like apologizing.
He had tried to say he was sorry to Mikey for expressing that he was glad Kameko had died, but Mikey didn't accept that apology whatsoever. Raph didn't get it. He meant it and took it back, but instead Mikey hated him.
Remembering all that discouraged Raph greatly. What if Donnie hated him now too? What good would apologizing do? Raph just didn't know what to think. He really needed Master Splinter's insight for this. He felt so lost.
He wished he could hear Mikey and Donnie's voices again, not just Leo's which was annoyingly uptight every time he called him. He hadn't called for two weeks due to that. He couldn't believe he actually missed Mikey's horrific practical jokes or his annoying chatter.
But what he missed more was hugging him and telling him how much he loved him. He felt the same for Donnie too. He wanted his baby brothers to look up to and adore him, not hate him.
Angrily, he turned the TV off and snatched his sais from the coffee table. He had to work off this anger swelling inside him by finally finding Hun and making him pay. Mona Lisa came out from the kitchen and gave him a concerned look.
"Raphael, you're not going to look for them again, are you?" she asked, worried.
"Yeah, I am. I have to make those assholes pay for trying to kill us both. I ain't letting them off easy, so don't try to stop me!" Raph said roughly, then softened his demeanor as he took her into his arms.
"I won't get hurt, I promise." he told her, hugging her. They shared an affectionate kiss before he pulled away. "Don't worry, I'll be just fine..."
Mona Lisa nodded sadly and bowed her head. Raph made her look at him by holding her chin up. She snuggled against his hand lovingly before he went off on his hunt.
She sighed forlornly and closed the door, praying that her beloved would return safe this time as well. As she headed for the kitchen to wash the dishes, she heard a strange sound.
Mona Lisa gasped and backed away out of sight as someone was trying to break through the kitchen window. She grabbed a large frying pan as she ducked out of the kitchen and hid behind the couch in the living room.
She heard the kitchen window being opened and closed. Whoever it was got in and she was ready for him. Or so she thought...
To Be Continued in Chapter 27!
I'd really appreciate more reviews, so please let me know if you are still reading this story by leaving a review! Per chapter is preferred, thanks! :)
Current events/ In the next chapter(s):
Who got into Mona Lisa's apartment and will she be able to handle him? What will Leo's answer be to Karai? What will Don's next test be like? What in the world is Mikey doing these days lately? Keep reading to find out more on the story! Until next time! ^_^