Chapter Seventeen:

A Bittersweet Ending



Shredder stood, straight backed, facing the Turtles, his hands still clenched in anger. The setting sun bounced its rays off the top of his helmet, revealing only a portion of the decaying skin underneath. The light also caught Shredder's eyes, flashing over the red in his pupils. He could sense of nervousness coming from his enemies as they realized he wasn't the man they had dealt with years ago. Saki's mouth formed a smile, his lips cracking, and the skin peeling away. It had been so long since he had a treatment for the detrition of his skin; the decay had finally caught up to him. The sunlight flashed again, this time catching his face, showing the Turtles the greenish-gray color of it and his right eye, still barely hanging into its socket.


"I think I'm gonna be sick.." Mike grabbed at his mouth after the sunlight passed on.

"What- I don't understand," Leo's voice jumped in horror. " How is that possible? He died. We all saw it." He turned to Don, who stood on the other side of Splinter. "He was dead, right?"

" I think the Madria had something to do with this," Don said, not taking his eyes away from Shredder, stuck somewhere between fascination and disgust.

"But why him? Out of the all the dead people in the world, why him?" Raph argued.

Don's only response was shoulder shrug and a shake of the head.




Linda still held to her father, brushing at his face and hair. Han was near death, his body shaking and convulsing from the loss of blood. He reached his hand up to Linda and held onto her cheek.

"My dearest Linda,"

"Father," Linda sobbed. " Father, I am so sorry."

"I do not understand, Linda," Han paused to cough. "Why did you turn on me and join the Foot? They have been my enemy for so long. Why did you dishonor me?"

Linda shook her head. " Please Father, don't think that! I did not mean to dishonor you! I just did not understand why you went to them! Why you stood by Saki's side! Why did you ignore me when I tried to talk to you?"

Han coughed again, spitting blood across his chin. Linda wiped it away quickly as he spoke.

"Dear Linda, there are times in your life when you do things, with you only knowing your purpose, and you don't have time to explain it to others. That was my mistake. I went back as a spy for my friends, and I left you with no explanation. That was my fault. If you had known, you might have stayed hidden with Splinter." Han's eyes began to fall back, but Linda shook his body, bringing him back into consciousness.

"Please Father!" Linda almost screamed. " Don't leave me! I have no one else in my life! Please!"

"Linda," Han replaced his hand to her face. " Why did you go to Saki and join him?"

Linda took a deep breath. " Father, I did it because I thought you had, and I didn't want you to leave me behind. I thought if I joined them too, I could help get you out. I also thought I could help Leonardo and his brothers finally defeat Saki." The Turtles overheard this, turning their attention away from Shredder.

"I didn't mean to cause so much confusion among everyone!" Linda's crying became louder. " I didn't mean to hurt you, Father, or hurt Leonardo! I loved you both so much! I didn't want any of this!"


The three Turtles turned to Leonardo, watching as his eyes dropped to the ground. Raph then felt a sudden shame come over him, finally knowing he had been wrong about her all along.

"Bro, I'm sorry, I-" Raph reached out to Leo.

"It's okay," Leo made eye contact with Raph. " It doesn't matter. It's been done, and it still hurts. She brought this on herself." He turned his back to Shredder and Linda; his brothers feeling cold vibes echo off of him.

"Father, please," Linda patted Han's face. " Don't hate me. Please..."

Han made a smile. " Linda, I understand. You wanted to help, I understand. Your love for others is very...admirable..." Han took a deep breath, his eyes beginning to glass over. " You must know, dear Linda, sometimes some battles are better left to the ones who know how to handle them." Linda watched as Han smiled again, his left hand reaching towards the sky.

"Look Linda. It's your mother. She has come to take me home."

"No Father! Please! You can't leave me here!" Linda buried her face into Han's shoulder, and then felt her father's body go limp. She slowly raised her head, and brought her fingers over Han's eyes, and shut them forever. She raised her head, her eyes glaring in anger, and looked Shredder in the eyes.

"You killed my father." She felt anger stir up in her soul. " You are a monster, and you will pay."

Shredder only laughed at her. " It was your fault you father died by my hand! And if you dare challenge me, you will join him!"

Linda took a step towards Shredder, reaching down into the belt of her Foot uniform for the sword she carried. She gripped the black and red handle tightly, whipping it around above her head, letting the breeze catch the long red and black tendrils that hung down.


"Hey," Mike pointed to her. " Isn't that the sword her dad gave her?" Then Leo turned back around, not saying anything, but only watched silently.

"What the hell are we doin!!" Raph suddenly shouted. " Why the hell are we not helping her? Shredder is gonna tear her to pieces!" He looked down at Splinter, who was still staring down at Han's lifeless body. "Sensi! Come on! We gotta help!"

Before Splinter could answer, Leo spoke, his voice coming out in a mix of anger and hurt.

"Why? Why should we? After all she did to us? It's her own fault! We're not helping her!" His mouth quivered as the tears streamed down his face. Mike and Don stared at him in shock while Raph narrowed his eyes.

"Leo, Shredder is gonna kill her. She can't beat him by herself!"

Leo narrowed his eyes at Raph. " I don't care. I'm not helping her."




Linda held the sword in front of her, readying herself for any sudden movement from the Shredder. Her anger raced through her body, causing her hands to shake under the pressure of the sword. Linda had never used it before, and was not used to the weight of it. Saki could see this, and it only made him laugh again.

"You stupid girl," He advanced towards her, making Linda take a step back. " You cannot defeat me! Do you not see what I am? Do you not see the power I have? You are fighting a losing battle! You will die before you can even strike me!"

Linda then jumped towards him, bringing the sword down across his forearm, making a long incision, which didn't bleed. She flew around to his other side and brought the sword down again, this time hitting him in the back and cutting a huge chuck of skin off of his spine. Shredder howled in pain and turned around at lightening speed, barley missing Linda's head with his fist. She whipped the sword in the air, then hit her next target, which happened to be the top of Shredder's head, not realizing the sword would become lodged in Shredder's metal helmet. Linda gasped and let go of the handle, not knowing what do next. Shredder wasted no time in recovering and grabbed at Linda's throat, picking her up into the air. Her feet kicked at him as she struggled. He pulled the sword out of his helmet and threw it to the ground behind him.

"I had forgotten how skilled you were." Linda tried to turn her eyes away as Saki peered into them with his own. " How much of a loss it will be when I destroy you." He then began to squeeze, using the alien metal in his body as his source of power. Linda dug her fingernails into his hand as she tried to free herself, but only pulled the decaying layers of skin away from the bones.. Her tears reappeared, knowing that this was the end of her life. As she sobbed, she did manage to speak one more time.

"Leonardo! Leonardo, help me please!"

Up on the opposite hillside, Leo heard her hoarse whisper, and it caused him to turn around.


"He can not hear you!" Shredder laughed. " He doesn't want to help you! You have betrayed your friends ! Why would they help you now?!" His laughter continued, carrying down around the valley and back into Linda's ears. The pressure around her throat increased and she let her eyes stay closed, letting the last bit of oxygen escape.

"Let her go, Saki."

Linda's eyes flew open, knowing at once it was the voice of the one she loved.

"Let her go." Leo growled again, holding his twin katanas steady in each hand, keeping his eyes locked to the shadows that hung over Shredder's face.

"You alone are going to save her?" Shredder asked. " Why just you, and not the others? Is there something that binds you to this girl?"

"Just let her go, Saki. It's us you want, not her." Leo's nerves jumped around in his stomach.

"I will do no such thing, Turtle!" Shredder raised his other hand. "If you want her, you must come claim her!"

Linda heard Leo take a deep breath, then the clang of his swords as he took a fighting stance. Linda closed her eyes again, only listening to the sounds of Leo's feet moving across the grass, then the metal grinding noise as Leo's swords hit Shredder's armor. With the next hit of metal on metal, Linda's eyes jerked open as she felt Shredder's body tumble to the ground as he let out a cry. He released his hold on her and she rolled away to safety. She rose to a sitting position and saw that Raph had run up behind Shredder and had kicked him in the back. She watched as Raph helped Leo to his feet, Linda guessing he had been knocked over as well, and the two passed a few words. Then her eyes grew us she watched Shredder rise to his feet again, and he charged right for Leo.

"Leonardo!" Linda cried though her crushed voice box. " Look out!"

Her warning was too late. Shredder pushed into Raphael, knocking him in his broken arm and sending him to the ground in intense pain, and this time grabbing Leonardo by the throat. Leo pulled and fought against Shredder's grip, only causing Saki to squeeze harder.

"You! I should have destroyed you years ago!" He then turned to see Mike, Don and Splinter running towards him, weapons raised and ready to fight. Shredder lifted his opened hand and reached his fingers out to them. They all dropped to their knees, with only Donatello remembering the crushing feeling they all suddenly began to feel.

"Not....again....." He grabbed at his chest, feeling Shredder's mind power tearing at his heart.

"None of you will leave here alive! I will finally be rid of you all! You will not haunt me ever again!" Shredder's voice seeming to take a demonic turn as it carried in the air.

Linda sat and watched as her friends suffered, knowing that soon they would all be dead. She looked at Leo, watching as the color disappeared from his face. Her heart ached, which made her mind race faster, looking for some way to defeat Saki. Her eyes scanned the land around them, and they finally settled on her family sword. She climbed to her feet, still feeling dizzy from the lack of oxygen to her brain, and ran in a drunken slant towards it. She slid down into the dirt, catching the handle as she went by it. Linda stayed on the ground for a second, watching for Shredder to turn around. Then, not wanting to wait a moment longer, she jumped to her feet and raced to Shredder, screaming in rage as she did. She lowered the sword down and rammed in straight into Shredder back and out through his chest, barely missing Leo's own body by mere inches. Shredder instantly released the hold on Mike, Don and Splinter, and let Leo drop to the ground. Raph had too recovered from the pain in his arm, and ran to Leo's side. They're eyes then focused on Shredder, who still stood, his arm still stretched out, and the blade of Linda's sword. There was no blood at first, but when it began to pour, it was of a grayish color, and it poured out in rivers, soaking the ground as it fell. One final gargle escaped Shredder's lips, then his heavy body fell forward, and then, the Shredder was no more.

Linda rose to her feet and walked over to Saki's body, ignoring the eyes that watched her. She bent down, place a foot on Saki's back, and pulled the sword back out. She held tightly in her hand, letting the blood drip off the tip as she stared down at the lifeless body below her. Then, she lifted her eyes to meet Leonardo's. He stared back, feeling his thankfulness and his hurt mixing together. Knowing that he would not respond to her, Linda bowed down to him instead, then turned her back to them, and began to walk away.


She made it halfway across the grassy hills when a voice called out to her.

"Linda! Wait!"

She stopped on a hill, turning back to face Leonardo, who stood on another hill across from her. The wind passed by again, catching the long black strands of her hair, and whipped them around her face. Leo watched her intensely, then began to speak out to her.

" Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. My mother is gone, my father is gone." She bent her head down in shame. "The only other one I ever loved is suffering from my mistakes-"

Leo winced at her words. "Linda, I, as my brothers, are grateful for saving us. But it still does not change the fact that you hurt me." Linda's head raised, almost in shock at how blunt Leo's words were. " I trusted you. I let you into my thoughts, my feelings, into my life. I loved you."

"Leonardo, please! We can work through this." Linda begged. " I did not mean to hurt you! I loved you so much, and that has not changed! I want to be with you."

Leo then lowered his head. " I'm sorry Linda. I don't think you will ever know the pain I feel in my heart, and I don't know if it will ever heal." Linda watched Leo raise his head back up, the tears visibly running down his face. "I don't think we can work through this, even if it was just a mistake."

"I understand." Linda let her own tears fall. " Then before I go, I have one more thing to say to you."

Leo said nothing, just nodded his head, waiting for her to speak.

"When we met, I knew there was something about you. Something I had never felt with another person, and something I never thought I would. We had a connection, and I know you felt it too. If you believe in fate, then it was as if we were meant to be-"

"I don't believe in fate." Leo stated blankly.

"Well, then I guess that is where we differ." Linda looked down at the sword, noticing all of the blood had dripped off. She placed it back into its sheath, and looked back at Leo. " I'm going to leave now. I don't know where I will go, but I will make it on my own. Tell your father and your brothers good bye for me." Linda turned around, then turned only her head back to Leo.

"Maybe one day our paths will cross again, and maybe then, time will have healed our wounds. Farewell, Leonardo." Linda then continued down the hill and out across the valley.


Leo watched her as she walked, fighting with himself to not run after her. His brain told him to stay, but his broken heart told him to go after her, to grab her in his arms and tell her that he loved her with every part of his soul. Instead, Leo grabbed at his face, fell to his knees, and let his feelings pour out of his eyes. He did not even hear the footsteps of his family as the joined him on the hill. Splinter stood behind Leo, placing his hands on his son's shoulder in a silent comfort. Raph dropped down on Leo's left side, and patted his oldest brother's arm. Leo dropped his hands from his face, not caring to let them see him in his state, and he grabbed Raph's open hand. Mike dropped down to Leo's other side and leaned his head on Leo's shoulder while Leo grabbed his hands too. Don stood behind Splinter, placing his bo staff on the ground and wrapped his arm around Splinter's shoulder. They all sat together as the family they were and watched Linda fade into the distance. After she had disappeared from sight, Mike turned his eyes to the sun, staring in amazement at the beautiful pinks and reds that shot out across the sky.

"Look at that you guys,"Mike said as he pointed upwards.

They all turned their heads towards the east, and watched as the sun faded over the ocean.

"Come my sons," Splinter sighed. " Let us now go home."