All TMNT characters are copyrighted by Mirage studios and were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Annie's song belongs to John Denver and RCA, Violent Red to Konaka Riyu and SM, Danzai no hana (English version) belongs to Kosaka Riyu and Avex entertainment, Le pouvoir, and Les Rois du monde from Romeo et Juliette by Gerard Presgurvic and Polygram Int'l, Yoma Kazoe Uta by Sakashita Masatoshi.

The universe works on a basic economic principle: Everything has a price. We pay to create our future; we pay for the mistakes of our past. We pay for the changes we make… and we pay the same if we refuse to change." Dune: House Harkonnen


"…So be it!" The Utrom shouted raging as he received the news confirming his worst fears, the end of the game: she was gone. "I will show who was to fear, then. I will bring a new order to this chaos, a universe in my vision were nothing! Nothing will ever be taken from me again…"

"Then you will be the only bastard left in it." He could almost hear the Rylian reply, laughing from the beyond.


PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Don awoke and found the asleep turtle, who had sleepwalked and sneaked again to his bed during the night. He smirked painfully. He had never imagined it to be like this, he had not imagined how much joy and grief this would cause. He sighed, making his best effort to not awake her or the sleeping beauty spell would dissipate as it always did in the morning. He backed a bit, just a bit longer, just… a few minutes more before she would turn back to her daylight indefinable and unpredictable counterpart. Only in sleep would she seek comfort, only in sleep would she request… help? He sighed. Well, not that it was new, he had to admit. She turned, becoming uneasy and uttered some unintelligible things and cuddle to his side again. Which made his heart drop. How should he interpret those events in the Battle Nexus that night? Should he even try to analyze this as anything but an instinctual reaction caused by the odd bond with him that had been forced on her by the healers of the Battle Nexus? 'Anchoring bond' they had called it, or confront her about it, risking she would just glare at him briefly, almost as if she understood and suddenly stop it altogether without a word and would just go deeper in wherever her mind was now? So close, yet so far. Well, he could dream…. Dream? That this was an illusion and when he awoke Leo would be back to normal… Whatever normal was for Leo.

Come, let me love you, let me give my life to you,
let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms,

let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you.

He shook his head. He should not think of that, but were things different, he supposed this would be what paradise would look like, he thought looking at her now calm face. Her mere presence was enough to soothe his soul. However, he fully knew it wasn't. It could not be for her. Actually, it was closer to… a dantescal vision, he thought as he heard the accursed bracelets on her wrists scratch his plastron with certain loath.

The previous days however…. The Battle Nexus Days, that day in the cave… He blushed… The questions she had made in that confused state: Why are we fighting Don? Do you really know?... Does it matter? You will leave me alone too again… It still haunted him.

Traversing mystical portals to other dimension had always befuddled him as nothing he had read, described or explained them properly and that odd feeling had always made him… being completely honest, uneasy. Teleporting and transmaterialization was one thing not pleasant either: the risk of materializing in a completely inappropriate place or pieces mixing was low but still present, so it scared him a bit, ending with Raph or Mikey attached was enough to make him or anyone shiver. After accessing the Utrom knowledge database through Honeycutt fragmented database added to his knowledge on the strings theory and quantum mechanics, it made sense… Well to him at least. It required a source of energy and the proper device. Fortunately, none of the other turtles or his father had shown interest in the topic for that would have been a very long explanation. But dimension crossing that was a whole different thing: it uses the mystical mumbo-jumbo, as Michelangelo describe it. Not really going into it because he seemed to choose to be oblivious to it and to almost everything as much as he could.

Master Splinter had never been very talkative on the topic and considering the time it took him to open the portal, it was not his forte, Leo had done it faster than him the first time she had opened it after all, and this time…? In the cave… since when had she become so proficient to even open one of them in midair? …twice … thrice… Actually, why? And that open portal that opened suddenly and she had almost crossed alone before he caught with her and made her react… Where had she planed to go with that vacant look? Since she was not really conscious, who had…? Usagi? He thought, hopeful but quickly dismissed it. No, there was something weird about that portal. On open air you say? The daimyo had asked, unbelieving and not even Usagi could have taught her that and according to the Daimyo, no one should and be alive to tell the tale. They were really lucky she had survived, he had needed to try CPR after all, and that vacant and haunted look in her eyes when she awoke briefly… Why did you bring me back? He shook his head and clenched his fists. How could she say that after she had gotten hurt saving his sorry shell? He sighed, not wanting to wake her up… Well, sort of, and, well, it's Leo, he thought a bit unsure. If anyone could find one's way back, it was Leo.


"Power and deceit are politic's tools. But remember that power deceives its holders making them believe that they can overcome the defects in their own ignorance."

"And you just sent the turtle back young one!" Chikara said, unbelieving.

"As you instructed masters," The Ancient replied, wondering why he had been thinking of his lost family so much lately. Maybe even regretting some of his decisions which was futile, for the past was an illusion. "Who am I to contradict orders after all?"

"The sixth dragon?" Hisomi asked, doubtful.

"An unlikely possibility," Juto replied. "The sixth was supposed to be a true dragon and that one could not even bring a soul weapon."

"Or already had one… A true dragon would not need such implements. She certainly did not. A dreadful possibility: the soul the Tengu Shredder was probably originally after." replied Kon.

"The green witch, the demon summoner? But that would be…" Chikara started.

"Do we really know what happened in that so-called tournament he won?" Kon asked.

"I do not recall noticing him particularly happy afterward," Hisomi replied.

"Do we really know what the Tengu must have offered him? Somehow; this day I wonder if simple power would have been appealing enough to someone as proud as him." Chikara said.

"How much do we really know about Ryoko?" Juto finished.


"Hold it right there! I refuse to continue this round around until someone freaking tells me what the heck is going on! Where is Leonardo? Where the hell are we going and what is going on with him?" Raphael said, refusing to take another step unless he was treated as a thinking member of the group.

"Raphael!" Splinter admonished him "Is not the time for…"

"When then, father?" Don replied quite defiant. "It will be quite useless if she commits seppuku!"

Splinter sighed. "I doubt that is what Leonardo is after, my son."

"But that is what Leo asked you permission for that night, right? When she gave you the sword. Seppuku or death by your hand."

"What?" Raphael said disbelievingly.

Splinter sighed again. "To tell the truth, I still have not a clear idea of Leonardo's intentions, my son. As you have attested, there is nothing you can really forbid to a decided warrior. Leonardo has been… I believe, testing me for reason I cannot fathom."

"Wait a minute! What the heck are you…?" Raph intervened.

"Go back if you wish!" the annoyed Don said coldly, glaring at Raphael. "We will be better without you anyway! You will probably only get Leo killed anyway."

"Donatello!" Splinter reprimanded "The best tacticians try to avoid confrontation, particularly among their …."

"I am not Leo, father!..." Don finally erupted. "And I have no intention of becoming a Leo substitute for you either, guessing the meaning out of cryptic messages. I am not that talented in this warrior business you know it, I know. Even Raph and Mikey know it! I have proven more than once that my leading skills are not that impressive… I mean compared to … from the Foot to the Justice League and… even the battle Nexus? Who can compete against that? I cannot pretend everything is fine and keep my stoic face and cheer up everyone even when things are breaking down around me, I cannot obey things blindly and try to make the best I can of it… I know I must be even more of a disappointment to you than anyone here but I can't. I just… it's too much to ask of anyone!"

Raphael was about to explode too when his father hand on his shoulder deterred him. "I am not asking you to be Leonardo my son," Splinter said, a bit disconcerted, The Ancient One was right: he truly did not know his sons' hearts.

"Dudes!" Mikey shouted, standing in between them, trying to intervene as this emotional meltdown will not get them any nearer to Leo. "We know that Don, no one is expecting you to be Leo. But, seriously before we start singing kumbayas …" Mikey sighed deeply and look at Don and his father sternly. "What is going on? I mean…"

"Yes, that is what I want to know precisely Mikey." Don snorted, looking at him begrudgingly.

Mikey sighed. "Dude, chill out, nothing happened… and… and it's your fault: Leo just collapsed after you left and… why did you all leave me alone for so long? I mean, it's me?"

"Collapsed?" Don repeated anxiously.

"Yeah, like that other time but, I mean, Leo was out cold for… nearly, I dunno, one hour. I even called April."

Donatello sighed deeply. She probably was worse than LH thought. "We must find Leo as soon as possible you see…"

Soon will find the sun

Soon my dearest One

The key to your life is almost in my hands

Is the name of the game

"I am hoping there will be no mistakes this time. I am getting tired of this game, apprentice" the Utrom said, menacing.

"An Utrom using mystic forces? Unheard of." The Time mistress, sighing, said. "I assure you this time it will work. I mean, fortunately for us Leo is…"

Hear my heart, wandering inside your mind
I still can't let you go
Feel my hand, reaching out for you
there's nowhere I can rest my soul

The only clear memory he had held after the second retraining came to mind.

"What is it you want the most? Shall you be granted anything you wish, what would it be... power?" The Rylian had asked a bit doubtful, looking at the stars above her, not turning, not expecting an answer either and starting a song.

Funny enough that was the only time the lone Utrom had not been able to think of anything but staying there and keep gazing at the stars.

"Your attachment to that… pet is..." He remembered them saying.

"PET? How had he dared?" the retraining had done only one thing and it certainly had not been, as they later found out, what his former comrades expected.

Le pouvoir, ah! mes amis
Si vous en saviez le prix
C'est la mort qui vous sourit
L'éternité dans une vie

Et quand je rends la justice
La vertu contre le vice

(The power ah! my friends

If you knew the price

Death that smiles at you

Eternity in a lifetime

And when I impart justice

virtue vs vice)

"Me…? Evil?" The Utrom laughed "So…simplistic... and yet you dare call yourself a time master? I am justice, little girl. Power is justice after all… For without power, as you must know, justice is… meaningless, right?

"Is that a question?" the disconcerted time Mistress asked.

The Utrom just looked at her, unyielding.

C'est le père qui parle aux fils
Je commande, ils obéissent

(It´s the parent that talks

I order, they obey)

"Just look around you, time mistress." The Utrom said. "I have lived long enough to understand that power is everything and yet…" His lecture was interrupted by the appearance of a portal, a clear presence distinctive through it. "Oh! It seems finally you got it right…"

The Time Mistress shook her head. "Well … Utroms and their innate resistance to mystical powers you cannot cross but how are your persuasive skills these days?… Still, your request is odd. I mean, it must have been trying for someone like you to remain trapped in this isolated planet for so long."

The Utrom grunted. "Who said I was? I was just too… proud to request aid, I guess. My forces do control a nearby sector after all. Help has always been a call away" he said reluctantly.

Le pouvoir ça brûle en vous
Le pouvoir ça vous rend fou
Le pouvoir on s'y cramponne
Et quand il vous abandonne
On en meurt

(The power that shine in you

The power that maddens you

The power that imprisons

and if it abandons you

you die)

"Then why?" the surprised Time Mistress said.

The Utrom just laughed. The truth was the aid was always within reach, but it came in a shape he was not willing to request, unless he was truly trapped as the time in that accursed frozen rock that had oddly help him focus for the first time in a long time after a much needed hibernation. What had made that creature so appealing? he wondered. Why had he not given the decisive blow and had chosen instead to toy with his fellow Utroms for so long? "I am surprised that with your genius, it took you a thousand years to find us!" Treacherous Mortu's words had been and he was right: poor fool had never understood. He could not even understand he had been punishing them. Simple extermination was too merciful for them; had he just wanted that alone, his ninjas would have done it long ago, when he led the first attack on them. Their pathetic defensive efforts. And to think he once thought those creatures were worthy of his protection… The despair on their minds, being attacked without a reason, randomly, had been priceless. Of course, they went into hiding after his genius sabotage on their communication efforts. Little they know that to him, the Earth was not that bad. Human masses were quite easy to manipulate after all. Just a quick glimpse at human history could prove it. To him, this was a planetary playground, no rules to abide! It was hilarious it took the others… what? 200 years to find out the short living creatures could be used, and capable loyal hands were taking care of things after all. He was not really into world domination as the turtles seemed to believe and the turtle in question still would not accept, due to that vision or whatever the purple one had had apparently. He had unconsciously procrastinated his own efforts. After all, as deep down as he found during his forced frozen meditation, he dreaded ending the game. Funny enough, the turtle's appearance had made him redefine his goals by becoming an interesting, if not troublesome, opponent, the centuries-old cat-mouse game with his fellow Utroms lost interest. "Who looks for meanings where there are not? Would you follow a path that lead you nowhere? Troublesome! Why had he let the turtle go that day…? Had it been a whim or had he been unable to kill it and now two times now? He still wondered why had he attended that scouting in the first place. That uneasy feeling when he gave the extermination order… Too many things he had no answer to: and then, remembered the proud warrior's eyes that had faced him just after the failed first attempt to recruit Leonardo. "Boredom is a terrible thing after all, don't you think" he said.

Les rois du monde font tout ce qu'ils veulent
Ils ont du monde autour d'eux mais ils sont seuls
Dans leurs châteaux là-haut, ils s'ennuient
Pendant qu'en bas nous on danse toute la nuit

(the kings of the world do as they please

They have the world surrounding them, but they are alone

In their castles above they get bored

while we down here dance all night)


Don got up and put a blanket over Leo. He was not in the mood to put up with any of his brothers' insinuations. Well not that he could deny them completely now.

"Leo… is… sick" Don said finally. "Leo is… really… really sick… She…"

"Your brother's mental health has been of some concern to us lately and we fear… he might harm himself." Splinter finished.

"No, father!" Don spat. "She is sick as in medical attention sick. We need to get to Leo as soon as possible so I can treat the withdrawal symptoms she must be experiencing and treat her medication-induced anemia and determine what kind of drug was used on her. LH said she might be even…"

"Withdrawal? As in…? So perfect fearless was really using…?" Raph froze. Leonardo would not do such things! It was fearless! The perfect child, the good son... The one who did not drink alcohol, not even in New Year… Then it hit him. She is sick? Again with her?

Mikey looked at both of them, unbelieving, and spoke his suspicions aloud. "You mean 'her' as in going to a parade, joining the rainbow club right? Because, dude, that is… well each turtle's business I do not want to know about... I mean, because gender change does not occur in turtles right? Like in the toads from the TV show we saw the other day, because you said it would only happen from female to male, right? …Or that means we are girls? Ah! Overload! My brain hurts!" He said, remembering a show that talk about gender changes in the absence of males in toads.

Raph stood still, remembering that show as well and then burst into laughter. "Yeah, right! And this is another freaking dream and the show girls are about to appear in a second from door number 3 right?" He had never seen Raphael so shaken.

Don sighed. Yes, they sort of knew now but were subconsciously not really accepting it fully. Actually, Raph was in denial and Mikey was not talking about it in his Mikish way. Well, he was the smart one and had the information and it had taken him almost more than a week to digest the data and, well, to tell the truth, he was still too confused about the events in the Battle Nexus. The one who knew was not speaking at all and just replied in brief smiles or giggles and he was not going to allow anyone to force Leo into anything.

This world I am standing on
Needed some solitude
That truth I had to accept, soak it in
Your shadow I can see
Your dream I can't awake
I tried to trace it all

"What do you mean let it go for now?" The still shaken Utrom complained to the Time Mistress' sudden intrusion.

"Being acquainted with your great experiences in cloning I would say you should stop before you do need to make a clone. Something or someone is holding Leo there and… "

He was so close, yet suddenly, nothing except that eerie familiar song that had suddenly shaken so many things inside him he could not understand. He had not lied to the turtle: Utroms did not feel love; the word did not even exist nor in Utrom or Ryilian languages, he thought, annoyed. But, apparently… He sighed. They… he could still become obsessed.

"Attachments are unnecessary, that is the true Rylian way. That is why revenge is futile. However, the pathetic fools that designed me could not be called real Rylian. Can't fight programming, I guess, a good soldier a useful tool." she had said sarcastically.

But then what else I could have done? What was it you wanted from me? What it was I wanted all along? Where was I rushing to? It was something quite cruel to leave me behind.

Do you know how trapped
I am? Don't leave me here alone

He sighed, annoyed at this apparently new interfering force he had felt. He could not identify it yet but it mattered not. I am probably still much of a youngling, after all. He was not letting anyone else have his precious un-awakened dragon and, even if it awoke… Well... what could possibly be offered to it to anchor it?

Tucking the whole universe into my pocket

Daring like the night Dashing like the light

Name your wish and I will make a dream come true

A fabulous nightmare


Who was Leo talking to there? Don wondered, What was that thing Leo had been so determined to obtain?… How could that creature, that had lived so long ago, be connected to Leo? Who was Leo singing that eerie song too?

Hitotsu no hitoyo no koi naraba

Futatsu futari de…

Why was she crying? Why had the healers chosen him?

"You came for me" Leo's words had been looking blankly at the portal.

"A choice, a sacrifice, yin fate?" He closed his eyes and shivered, Feeling Leo's warmth embrace again, as though she was trying to ease him.


Author's notes

Thanks again to lady-Kassy.

The story just turned 1 year and still writing hopefully I will wrap things up soon. Can't believe it was supposed to be a one-shot.

Thanks to Dozer, Ninjalara54virusesMondhexefan, deathoftoast and Light of Reason for still reviewing sorry about the delay.

About the inspiration I have not read the Twilight series yet but I saw the movie so it will be Gunm (a.k.a. Battle Angel Alita) cool manga series too bad they only did 2 animated chapters too complex I guess I am crossing my fingers on the movie they could really mess it up like they usually do with Asimov, Death Note, Xenogears (great story, too bad disk 3 is a reminder of the original Dune movie last part (What was that powerpoint?), lately Dune.

Hi! It's been a while, yeah I still breath and things are fortunately going back to normal in the region I live, but several issues were at hand including a major writer's block, technical problems and I still know where I am going getting there has been an issue though. Hence so many musical references I guess. I thought the song the power from Romeo et Juliette fits here let me know what you think.

Well reality is truly wild the swine (I know is was just the name actually and we can keep eating pork unless there is a dietary restriction), the avian, the cow, heavy metals in fish... what next the attack of the killer tomatoes or "the happening" not really for they have pesticides. We are being attacked by our food! or rather we are making our food attack us and as the joke goes that leaves chocolate and ice cream and they make you fat!

Ok, My arguments before I get flamed: Secret origins; had Ch'rell really wanted to kill the other Utroms he could had done it as it was shown on the collective memory (before the turtle's interrupted and changed the story) , when he ordered an attack on them and probably sequestered most of the technology they had from the spaceship wreck but he let them go, no casualties apparently, which is absurd if he needed them to help him find a way out he should have just jail them and forced them to and I must admit it took them all a very long while to get out so and they seemed quite weary of strangers I think their latest guardians were either Robots, mechs or the reason why the were playing with the mutagen I am wondering why they did not requested or received help either, I mean carrying a dangerous convict and losing contact for a few hundred years did not raised any alarms?, I am assuming he did something to prevent them. There was an actual confrontation between Mortu and Ch'rell and he seemed baffled about his behavior. Also in SAINW he apparently was not in any rush to leave Earth (30 years I mean he had already subjugated the Utroms and the whole planet and had all the means so was he enjoying the view...?) and after they teleported he was frankly suicidal and making lousy choices even before I mean he just sent his troops away (meaning Hun and the Elite after Stockman?) to become outnumbered what kind of bad choice is that. Also he kept rambling about a revenge that was never really explained even before the crash on Earth so I am just using plot holes. The other part is he seemed to have full confidence in his allies in Tenella 5 (after a 1000 years?) I mean he basically told Karai, don't worry about the mechs, soldiers and everything we left behind. About the original don't you love those legends were none of the actual characters actually survives yet somehow the story gets told we even get to know what they thought in the exact moment, so if everything happened in the mind of the original Oroku Saki did he just shared his experiences with the others or what? He might have tried to recruit them though. I know too much rambling.

About the lyrics choice, Violent Red is not a translation is a song from Vampire Princess Miyu from an obscure drama disk cool song very hard to get, Danzai no hana from Claymore is the actual English version, not a translation. Le pouvoir and Les Rois du monde I love those songs, Yoma Kazoe Uta from Blood reign that one can be found on the net A.k.a ninja counting song.

Thanks for reading an reviewing