All TMNT characters are copyrighted by Mirage studios and were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Sexy, Sexy by Hysteric Blue from Gakko no Kaidan, Rinbu no mori by Kakinouchi Masami Vampire Princess Miyu, Danzai no Hana by Riyu Kosaka and Avex entertainment, Aka no kakera by Naoki Maeda from 07 ghosts, Karma by Kokia from Requiem for phantom, Walk Through the Fire by Joss Whedon and 20centuryfox, Nemo by Nightwish and Phantom Sound & Vision record company.


"From ignorance, lead me to truth; From darkness, lead me to light;" The blue-clad turtle recited the old mantra."


DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Well… It's easy: we take the freaking things off!" Raphael yelled, he was about to use his sais in the glowing artifact s on Leonardo's wrists, back in his 'let's hit it and we will figure it out later'. He was still feeling twinges, coldly ignoring how forcefully he had been repelled from the blue-clad turtle on his last attempt of approach.

The pale looking expressionless healer gave the turtles a disconcerted glare and then looked back to the Daimyo who nodded. "It would be inadvisable: even though they might be related to your sibling's current condition, taking them off would only make it worse."

"But…" Donatello said, not understanding.

"Those are complex mystical devices I had only seen once, on her," he said pointing to the statue Leonardo had been looking at. "Rylian I believe a champion and an interesting creature… Actually, at least one of them belongs to her, if not both of them, but it had never reacted before and an odd creature indeed, probably a yin dragon."

"So we call this champion gal, whatever, right? So she can take them off." Mikey said as it was the most natural thing in the world.

The Daimyo addressed only Splinter. "That would be impossible my friend. I met her in my youth before I ascended the Nexus throne, about a 1000 years ago, in your time, she is long gone…" Foreseeing the next question, he continued "Rylians are an almost, if not already, extinct race, my friend… Very wary of strangers very zealous of their knowledge and technology, the ultimate warriors … Complicated creatures, yet only she was summoned to the Nexus."

"Summoned? So how did Leo get the other one?" Don asked.

nee? heya ni konai? NAISHO no HANASHI kikasete ageru (Why don't you come in the room? So you can hear a secret story)

koyoi NORE nai nara TAKE AWAY shite mo dou shiyou mo nai ne (If you don't, It looks like I will have to take you away)

Suddenly Leo had nodded. "Understood" she said in a low voice and turned, ignoring them and now facing the Oroku Saki statue in front of her. The slash blue marks on her shone and slowly transformed into an intricate pattern. She said in a very collected voice:

"Baka: Toki wa modosenai!" (Fool. Time cannot go back)"

"What is that?!" Mikey exclaimed, his jaw dropping to the floor, recognizing the familiar face of the Shredder. "Dude! I only thought good guys made champions."

Leo had gone on singing Don recalled trying not to think in the omen too much:

hoshi wa aozame hana wa midareru (The stars paled, flowers deranged)

YAMI no naka kara KIRAKIRA to utsushiteru no (Are you shinning from the darkness?)

Don paused trying to evoke all the details he could have missed...and then, she had knelt to put her hand on the ground. And then, the flash of light and a portal had appeared. Luckily, he had been close enough to follow her. She had not been really attentive to them or anything else. Oroku Saki?! A former champion, in the honor hall the one who had supposedly defeated, the ever elusive and overly powerful Tengu Shredder! Don punched the wall again trying to organize his memories trying to keep his cool and remain objective. How was he involved in this? He should have seen it coming when he heard the tale of this unearthly foe. The Law of conservation of energy: energy cannot be created nor destroyed but that would mean… He refused to believe it. They needed the tribunals knowledge but ….¨if the tribunal finds out he… She is doomed¨ had said Splinter

They had other means of information though but…

"Rylian you say? Oh Dear, I have few data about them, I don't think we can contact them" Honeycutt had said. "Not through the Utroms, at least, they called them the harbingers of destruction. The only known Utrom recorded to have had a somehow "friendly" relationship of sorts was…. Is…" Don gulped.

karamitsuku yubisaki no shinkirou (A mirage from our held fingers)

jirashite jirashite jirashite jirashite (tease me, tease me, tease me, tease me

JIRIJIRI ikasete (let me in!)

itsu made mo kono atari de koi shiteru (Forever, I'm in love with you around here)

I MISS YOU I MISS YOU I NEED YOU I NEED YOU

"You sure are a handful, reckless child…you should have said something if you did not feel alright I…I really should kill you for giving me all this trouble youngling… warrior." The Utrom said.

"I dare you! Make my day! You are far easier to deal with in your 'kill them all' mode... Why did you have to kill master Yoshi anyway? I mean… is so…" Leo replied giggling drowsily.

The Utrom sighed. "There is something I think you must know about that, but I don't think you would…" The Utrom replied as he carried her back to her room.

"More hitsuzen blabber Hm? Predestination my…" Leo replied groggily feeling a cold shiver as the robotic hand caressed her cheek.

"Hush, you are still unwell …something else …, but never mind laughing if you want… You know, the first time I saw you, I could have sworn we have already met and I was quite close not to let you go at all and now… getting a chance to know you better has made my time in this accursed place … well… worth while."


Leo awoke, hyperventilating again and shivering.

"Leo…Leo what is wrong?!" She could hear Donnie ask in the background. Good Don… Always worrying… Who is Don? Who is Leo? She shook her head and made an effort to collect herself, the second bracelet had made things increasingly difficult. She was over the pain, the confusion but….So much information… present, past future… All in one so many things. How had that creature managed to have coherent thoughts occasionally to interact with Ch'rell eluded her. Probably her mind was stronger, obviously more Utrom like, that was why. She so not comforted herself as she could hear the cold Rylian thoughts resounding in her head

"It is your choice though, but I must warn you, the truth you have asked for is rarely simple and pure. I speak out of experience. You and me and universe; how things are interconnected. The whys; how can I know? I am just a figment of memory, of a time past. You are the being now, you decide. After all, you cannot be possessed by your own spirit can you? ... Or you can remain here is your choice… Nature, the universe makes no mistakes. Good…bad…are categories we were like genetic mirror images. How could a monster like me know? And I had my orders. By my people, I would have been regarded as a hero." she laughed bitterly. "I mean, it brought an Utrom to trial, to show the rest of the galaxy how nice and correct those hypocrites really are."

Red and black, a world of tranquility.

You can sleep for as long as you are here


"No! He said so… they are not mine!" Who was she talking about, Don questioned himself no longer sure knew if he even wanted to know so he looked at his father who was giving him an equally suspicious glare, probably questioning his relationship with Leo with his censoring eyes. Well… she kept sneaking into his room….

"I was just thinking father, I was just… trying to make some sense out of it."

"How is she?" The old rat sensei asked.

"Heavily sedated. Medically speaking, she is stable now, the transfusion seems to have worked so she is able to breathe better. She is still exhausted, confused and fortunately, no long-term damage seems to have happened to were LH could tell but…"

"Her mind is the problem right?" The rat said remembering why she had to be sedated.

"My child, do you hear me?" he had said. "Please come back to us, I….. there are so many things I need to tell you. Please believe me when I say I never meant you any harm. If there is something, anything..."

She had replied not looking at him. "What you seek no longer exists, have you come to a decision or should I make it for you?" She had said.

"I believe." he sighed painfully. "This is out of out hands. Now, the tribunal is bound to come for her and I don't think I…"

"And they'll do what Father?! Kill her? Lock her in a coffin for a few thousand years as they did with their former comrade? For what we know, they could be as clueless… and still I think we are missing something."

"Leonardo needs help but I am not entirely sure it's one you can provide. I wish she had consulted me. I..."

"Stop thinking soap opera like father," said he. Finally, he had had it with Raph's accusations. "So, how did Leo get yer silence, wise guy?"

"I know how this looks, but Leo and I are not…" He stopped; he really didn't know anymore. "I just can get this off my mind, the similarities between that creature's statue and that body armor are…"

The rat sensei looked at him inquisitively.

Don breathed deeply. "She had been fine, more than less considering the situation, and ready to talk but then, that day happened. Leo's trust in us, or rather lack of, how often we have taken her for granted, we just expect her to solve our troubles. I mean, first on that accursed Christmas Eve and then on her "training"… I keep thinking: had it been any of us, Leo would have gone after us one day, hour or minute regardless of your orders. But that accursed day, when the feud with the Foot started… That day… she was not behaving any different from the rest of us… Actually, I believe it was Mikey who put the challenge, bragging about his wonderful nun chucks, you know Leo had no plans to leave that night, she was just joining the game, trying to be… I don't know… one of us for a change. Yet, you swept the floor with her, belittling the only thing she took pride in, which is fine. I mean, there was a lesson to be learnt but we all should have received it, not just her; I wonder, Father. Do you even notice how hard you have been on her anymore?"

"Your point is… my son?"

"I am wondering: the following time Leo was returned to us… badly beaten," he said, clenching his fist. "but alive, it made no sense: he had her in his grasp. We did not question…"

"I too have wondered about that, but I did not want to burden her more."

"My point is, Leo was being… harassed by that creature at the time… had been for a while."

"Harassed?" Splinter said.

"She did not tell you then, father? no wonder after how you…we mop the floor with her, she would probably not want to bother. You would not want to give us more reasons to humiliate her, but for what she told me, he had been pretty insistent. I think we are just mere obstacles that creature had no interest in us whatsoever. Thorns in his side, he had said. It was Leo it was after?"

"But… master Yoshi"

"Master, don't make me choose because I will choose Leo's life a thousands times over a vendetta! And forgive me, but let's face it: I don't think master Yoshi meant that much to him. Master Yoshi was probably just a means to end, in that case get to the Utroms… I would be surprised if that creature Shredder…gave him a second thought. I mean, you saw him in the tower until Bishop showed up, he was merely toying with us. What, or whom, is the Shredder anyway? The Utrom, Karai, the 2000 year ghost warrior former ´Nexus Champion´ we fought," Don said with a tad of sarcasm. "The Tengu, none seems to know anything about how he fought and how is the omen interpreted? Do you know? Because despite all the evidences, I still can't take from my mind that she was more than less fine, tempering the storm until…. I won't accept that you think she is to…"

The rat lowered his eyes. "They feared Leonardo might turn into a new Shredder but now…I don't know. I knew she had a strange fascination on that creature but I never…she never…"

I heard your voice go hoarse as you screamed

Unravel the darkness that resides in your memories

Don continue dwelling on his memories. They had landed in a secluded place of the Battle Nexus and Leo had just kept walking forward swiftly. "He was so sad…" she said sighing, "So sad…because… of me? It's so easy how grief turns into rage; and vengeance takes over discussion."

True you have lost sight of what is real and what isn't

But in order to regain your sparkle

You must cross over a thousand years worth of time

"Who was sad Leo?" Don had asked trying to get her attention. "Who are you talking about?"

She had smiled sadly. "Karma, falling into the same endless repetition again and again, like a spiral. Even if I were reborn, I will continue to wander… someone whose heart I broke long ago, someone who would not let me go."

"Leo…" Don said hoping to get a clue. "Who were you talking about?"

"Not shining and yet not covered by cloud; on a night on a spring the misty moon is beyond compare," Leo said in Japanese, touching a rock in front of her and opening another portal. "He used to say to me, I can't see the moon from here either. He can be kind too you know? Sometimes." she had said with a halfhearted smile.

Don't you know, there is a beginning
in every single pain
Anxiously waiting for the end
to come for it to fade away

Don remembered he had barely made it as she crossed. He had had no idea where they were, the images had been blurry and he had difficulty focusing, they had been transported back in the honor room but at the same time they weren't. It was different as if they were ghosts? an inter-dimension thing probably. He could see a blurry image of Raph covered in a red light and Mikey with a yellow and orange tone mixed with multiple colors, your regular fruit salad no doubt, his father had a dull mustard tone over a blue and greenish tone and behind him was…? He had brought his hand to his eyes and shook his head to clear his eyes and his own glowed in a green tone like the healer but with some brownish spots, the Daimyo's had a blue golden color. Had he seen their auras? He wondered. He then had suddenly felt a twinge and he had seen many shadowy creatures' beady and shiny eyes that lurked in that place. He remembered feeling disoriented and looking for Leo until he found her near the statue, where a trophy now laid in the statues hands. She looked surprisingly clear, save for a whitish grey tone on her that gave her and eerie look. She almost seemed to belong there. They creatures seem to ignore her but began crawling towards Donatello who had taken his bo staff out to try to frighten them away, to no avail, as he saw Leo's figure walking forward to take the crystal thing, He had felt overwhelmed as if they were smothering him.

I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and it's black
Why can't I feel?
My skin should crack and peel
I want the fire back

"They feed on fear," she said coldly, not turning her back making those creatures retreat.

"Leo, I… you see them," Don said.

"Always do, just ignore them." Leo shook her head. "Sorry… Leo is not here right now, well, not the one you know. Sorry about your car, by the way, I thought you had forgotten." What had she meant by that he wondered?

"Car?" Don had repeated confused back then.

"Had I been paying more attention, it would not have fallen at all... You would not have fallen. I did retrieve it but I was afraid you would fall again as you seem to value it more than your safety, my bad. I kept it as a reminder. It must be somewhere in the remains of our first lair. I tried to fix it but it seemed that, no matter how I tried, it would not work again. I thought that if I did, you would look at me with that same interest. With effort and patience, I can approach Mikey's talent, but he still wouldn't look at me; with foresight and skill, I can approach Raph's strength, but he would still despise me. However, your genius… Sorry, I am not that talented. Never was. I guess that is why I am a burden to you. He is right: you are better without me."

"No, we are not… What are you talking about?!" Don asked.

"You did not even miss me right? You did not notice? He said so. Oops! My bad…" she giggled. "Why are we fighting, Don? Do you really know? Sorry for dragging my problems to you." she said, pointing at Splinter. "I hope he does… You saw it too, didn't you? Does it matter? You will leave me alone too againNow where were we?" she said, ignoring him again.

So I will walk through the fire
'Cause where else can I turn?
I will walk through the fire
And let it-

"Leo? Leo!" he had called as Leo crushed the crystal in her hand and a grey smoke started evolving her, she still had some superficial cuts from that.

Suddenly they had been forcefully pulled back to reality as the Daimyo used his staff to bring them back as he learned afterward. However, they both appeared on the rooftop of the building. Leo had graciously grabbed an adornment but Don had not been so lucky and began a free fall in front of the turtles' and his master's despaired eyes.

It had been a matter of seconds: Leo had jumped, embracing him... then a light and, before he knew it, they had both plunged into the water of an underground cave that he was certain it was not there before.

Leo had hit her head on the descent and had nearly drowned. He had barely coordinated, pulling her out of the water and giving her first aid. It had been almost mechanical.

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
All I wish is to dream again
My loving heart
Lost in the dark
For hope I'd give my everything

"Please breath! Leo… Don't… please stay… DON'T LEAVE ME!" What a great hero he was he remembered clenching his fists.

"Why did you bring me back?" she had asked suddenly and had returned to sleep the glistening marks on her losing their glitter.

The rest of the time there had been a torture: she would just awake briefly and then fade again into unconsciousness, uttering things, some understandable, some gibberish, he was not even sure.

"Long ago, word a promise, whispered in the wind."

"Leo!" Don had said. "Everything is alright."

She shook her head and focused her eyes on him.

"Make it go away, please. Please, make this… things go away." she had pleaded.

"Leo? What is wrong? What is hurting you? You can tell me, whatever it is. How can I help you?" Don said, tenderly caressing her cheek and looking at her vacant eyes and worried how she shivered. She was ice cold and slowly falling into brumation. He had to do something. Anything!

"What lies at the heart of the curse… you ask?" She said suddenly. "The white face one asked me that."

"Curse?" Don had replied. White face… tribunal?

"A stolen kiss in the heat of battle that burnt like fire." she had said muzzling, her beak against his.

"The ashes of a… 'love' turns to loath and lust with a dreadful result," she said taking his hands to her face.

"The cycle turned into an impossible obsession." She whispered to his ears and paused, retreating a bit.

"An Accidental Tragedy brought guilt and spun vengeance. A curse that had kept going, just causing sorrow through millennia turns to an indescribable thing, but before that, there was something else. That lies at the heart of the curse you asked, as they did before you?" she said with a painful smirk.

"Just regret, fear, anger, hatred, and sorrow that will beget more of the same emptiness." She started shivering violently.

Will drive a man right off his head -
it's easy!

"I can't make it go away, I can't make it stop… Too much… Too many voices. Show me, please… I just don't want to feel this anymore. I want something, anything real…I dare you to tell me everything is all right, that everything will be fine. Please, show me this." and saying that, she brought him closer to her and kissed him with passion… Don cold shivered. He had almost lost himself in her embrace, trying to warm her up a bit. Who could have told Leo could be so… he blushed. It had taken all his will not to take advantage of the situation. He was a fricking teen after all. He had been so close of losing control to his basic instincts, when April's comment hit him 'not to run until she is ready', a fortune Leo's scent was almost suppressed by her self medication attempts, because otherwise … He dreaded to think about it because, yes, his selfish inner self would have loved to give in and forget everything else. Think of the consequences later but… it was just too complicated, too many things at stake.

This is me for forever
One without a name
These lines, the last endeavor
To find the missing lifeline

"Final lesson learnt! Illusions, the world is... Now you need your own guidance to develop your own voice, to grow up and become your own master… For your master cannot carry your burden for you anymore, for you no longer child."

"Focus," she told herself. "You are stronger than this, there is no obstacle I can't overcome..."

"You could have stopped him!" Leo yelled with her leader tone.

"Probably, but you know, though slicing him was tempting and all, you have gotten practice, slice now, ask later, haven't you but… I, the one with all the answers was… afraid…terrified would be a more appropriated word, of finding out, so I ran, I hid. Can you blame me?" The Rylian laughed cynically. "Unlike you, I was never cared for before… Never… how you say it?…Whatever that was, so the possibility of betrayal was a truth I was not eager to face. But I must say, I am a bit jealous though: he never courtshiped me like that, I never let him either though, one of the disadvantages of being the best warrior."

"Courtship?!" Leo said.

"You know, showing off how mighty you are and nearly killing its intended one was a Rylian way of courtship, that was why we were a lousy race to let in the wild, the survival rate was not high. I wonder if he has even rationalized it. Though we were terrific armed forces! Our original masters knew it a safety measure. As they knew their almost immortal planners, the Utroms would end up disappearing due to their tendency to lose themselves in thought for the collective, always pondering. You see, we were both the same race after all: two artificial subtypes with a common origin in struggle due to laughable technicalities.

An Utrom with a Rylian mind and drive, a Rylian with Utrom empathic abilities able to foretell any enemy's weakness but without its restrictions, a match to behold that should have ended in mutual annihilation just for a small detail: a paradox, an order conflict, being Rylian yourself you should understand what I mean… So, the question is: knowing this do you really want my help?"


Donatello! Focus!" Splinter reprimanded.

"Father, can we be absolutely sure that creature has not approached Leo again?"

"But you said…" Splinter stopped.

The shell cell rang and LH voice spoke "Donatello I believe you should come here. We have visitors."


Author's note

Hi everyone, it´s me again.

Once again several issues had delayed this chapter but I have not given up so bear with me and thanks for reading.

Once again my infinite thanks to Lady-Kassy for putting up with this massive story.

Special thanks to deathoftoast I agree with you it is not something easy to digest even for the reader's great song selection, by the way, funny Pokemon music had never struck as good before maybe I´ll use it. Dozer thanks for your continual reviews, yes I know the Utrom is not that popular hence the very few not let´s just bash him stories available but it helps the story flow without an antagonist no epic is possible. April01 Thanks for giving the story a chance.

I was a bit annoyed by Splinter's attitude in the chapter the Shredder Strikes in which the Shredder is introduced. Splinter had been obviously withholding information from them regarding this ninja army foe but did not forbid them to approach or fight leaving them clueless, which was in obvious conflict with any sensible planning and then interferes in a brotherly friendly fight, I mean Leo had been just playing along and Splinter instead of reprimanding him privately just sweep the floor with him humiliating him in front of the rest causing Leonardo enough discomfort to leave the lair. After witnessing Leonardo's improvement in his brief appearance from the future in Timing is everything the Shredder would have seen the need to strike with full force this thorns in his side in the Shredder strikes back however there is a loose end, why did he let Leo live more than less? it is just not his style to let loose ends to run free and in return to New York the Shredder is sort of disappointed Leonardo did not join him when he offer him the chance when was that exactly? in the time frame when we see Leo collapsing to the Elite attacks and being thrown through the window probably which was not shown but certainly Leonardo would not have lead the Foot to April´s apartment, he would have died first. And finally in Exodus he seem to be playing with them until he was informed Bishop was in the building and decided it was time to flee.

Finally, Don is starting to piece the facts together I remember reading somewhere that usually the truth is only known by the directly affected and they might have their own interpretation. I remember reading about a strategy War Game in which an editor reviewer blamed a squadron leadership during WWII for not achieving a victory as it seems so easy in the game and was rebutted by someone who was an actual combatant who reprimanded this desktop general replying that was described to be in the books regarding that battle conditions was not the reality they had lived so keep that in mind.

Instincts can be a tricky thing we "civilized societies" tend to ignore on their effects believing we are over them that we reign supreme over our ids as Freud call them but the reality is more like the Lock and Key song by Rush. We are not that evolved.

I must say that lately I must agree with the the more I know people the more I like my dog saying. Not just corrupt politicians those are scum everywhere I wonder if is a requirement, with them is usually the bad and the worst to choose from talking about the id running wild, but I saw a fragment of Taken (the movie not the series) the plot is in the imdb about the underworld slave trade on "the civilized society that banned it long ago" which targets children and women and is chilling since I got a mail requesting help about a stolen child and it is really heartbreaking, since let´s face it normal people would not be able to do a thing unlike Liam Neeson in the movie if involved in a similar situation. The "is a business" catch phrase is a despicable way to rationalize what cannot be explained to any conscience but true. Well I guess most of us get an idea in the too abundant forensic or crime oriented programs, I don´t know if that is good or bad there are so many, feeding the morbid tastes of the audience well not that is new something had to take over the public execution audience maybe is a reflection of our apathetic society in general that puts a blind or a cynical eye on the darkness beneath which is even more disturbing for what is ignored or taken as an as it is cannot be fought or changed, I used to watch the discovery channel I learned about animals, civilizations, legends and lately its been taken over too prisons, and crime cases, forensics dominate the primetime though there are some good shows still I wonder what would an extraterrestrial intelligence would think about our societies as a whole and I don´t think we will be marked as friendly or civilized.

Well, enough gloomy ramble post-election blues I guess.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.