Occultish Occurences

Chapter Three

Leonardo walked into the living room and found Donatello and April talking on the couch, while Lotus had settled into the opposite couch and turned something over in her hands. He sat down beside her while Don started talking.

"April says she was chased from the news station all the way down here by that mist thing. It followed her through a fog and a busted fire hydrant that was spewing water everywhere!" He was grinning as he spoke.

Lotus looked at him in confusion. "And why is that cause for celebration?"

Mike laughed as he entered the room, hands still wet from the sink. "Donatello finds the most boringest things exciting. Ask him to show you his spore collection sometime."

"Don't you see?" Don asked. "A mist went through a fog and through water, without its particles diffusing through the other gases and liquids. It's a violation of basic physical laws. There should have been some kind of mixing, but there wasn't!"

"Maybe it was like oil and water?" Lotus asked. She turned the dagger in her hands over and started to polish the other side.

"Even then some oil displaces the water," Don said. "This mist went through them like they weren't even there!"

"Yes, it's a mystery for the ages," Mike said, flopping down on the sofa.

"Oh, Don said you wanted this," April said, pulling a green block of stone from her pocket. She handed it over to Leonardo.

"That's the head!" Lotus said. "From the statue."

"How did you get this?" he asked, examining it.

"I caught it. I was outside in the parking lot, and I opened my purse to get my keys, and that thing just landed inside. Right after that, this purple fog moved in and I took off."

"How did you know to run?" Mike asked.

"Instinct, I guess. I just realized I had to get away."

"I think it's safe to assume the other women also had other fragments," Leo whispered to himself, oblivious to their looks. "Those were probably the only other pieces, so we have half. Now how do we find the other two?"

"And once again, Leo's not telling us everything," Mike said to no one in particular.

Bit by bit Leo explained everything he and Splinter had discussed, though he left out the argument about Lotus.

"Cool!" Mike said. "Just like in a comic book."

As Donatello tried to explain the severity of the situation to his youngest sibling, Lotus turned to Leo.

"Let me see your arm, will you?"

After a moment's hesitation, he let her slide the bandages away. She narrowed her eyes and started taking the bandages off. "You don't need these anymore."

He stared at his skin, which no longer even hinted that major damage had been done minutes ago. "Damn, that was fast."

"So, what do we do now?" Mike asked.

"Good question," Leo said, then realized the room had gone deathly silent. He looked up and found all eyes on his miraculously healed arm.

"Wasn't that torn up a moment ago?" Don asked slowly.

Leo sighed and nodded. "You noticed..."

"Then how...?" Mike wondered.

"'Cause he's a werewolf and I'm a vampire," Raph muttered, coming into the living room. "You two weren't the only ones to get an upgrade."

"But doesn't that mean...you drink...?" Donatello wasn't able to finish.

"Blood? Don't know for sure yet," Raph said.

"Just don't get too close," Leo whispered. "To either of us."

Sensing that everyone was feeling far too awkward, Lotus heaved a sigh and glanced at Leonardo. "Well, it's really late. I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning."

"Good idea," Don said, stretching. "Been one hell of a day." He stood up and headed for his room.

"Where do I sleep?" April asked.

"Well, since Lotus is in the sick room..." Mike said.

"You can have my room," Leo offered.

"I'd hate to intrude--" April started, but Mike laughed her down.

"Relax, he hasn't slept in there in years."

"Really?"

"It's true," Leo nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be out here if you need me."

"Good night," Mike called, disappearing into his room.

April smiled and ducked into Leo's room, shaking the dust off of the blanket before she climbed into the bed.

Raph stared at Leo. "If I don't get up in a few hours, don't try to wake me."

"I know."

As he left, Lotus smiled at Leonardo. "Will you be all right?"

"Sure, no problem. Pleasant dreams."

"I hope so."

He watched her disappear into the sick room, then got up and turned off all the lights and made certain the door was latched and locked firmly, with the bar drawn. They rarely used it, but right now he felt a bit safer with it down. Once he was certain they were fast asleep, he took the new fragment to Splinter.

"This is the head?" Splinter asked, placing it next to the other piece. "This seems to be half of the statue."

"What do we do tomorrow?" Leonardo asked.

"Find out who did this, and where he or she is. But that is for tomorrow. Get some sleep, you seem exhausted already."

Knowing Splinter was right, Leonardo nodded and lay down on the couch. Five minutes later, even though it was pitch black, he felt someone drape a blanket over his shoulders and body.

"Goodnight, Lotus," he said, and smiled when she laughed. He listened to her walk back to her room.

"I just didn't want you to freeze," she whispered.

Leonardo's eyes opened just a bit, even though the room was pitch black. Something was wrong. He knew something had woken him up, but he didn't know what. Everything was silent. He started to tense up in anticipation. His instincts were going wild. As quietly as he could, he eased out from under the blanket but left it in a pile on the couch, as if he was still under it. Without a sound, he backed away into a corner and waited.

Half a minute later, he heard the door to one of the bedrooms open ever so gently. Usually he could tell the doors just by the noise they made, but this time it was so soft and so faint he couldn't tell which one. He almost got up when he heard a footstep come into the living room. He stopped breathing.

As tense as if he were in battle, Leo listened to the clock scream out each second. There was someone else in here, he could hear them breathing. He knew it wasn't April, she just wasn't that silent, but then he wondered if that was in fact April sleeping in his room, or if it was some strange monster that had taken her place.

Getting too damn paranoid now, he tried to tell himself. Maybe Raph is right. It could be Mike off for a midnight snack.

As soon as he finished that thought, there was a soft hiss, and then the sound of fabric tearing apart. Leonardo made a move for the lightswitch, hoping to blind whatever was there momentarily, but the other person must have heard him. He recognized the sound of a body turning to face him. Leo leaped across the room towards the light just as his enemy jumped for him. As his hand hit the switch, he heard a body slam clumsily into the wall. He turned, then froze.

Raphael was in front of him, eyes completely black. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain, and Leo noticed the dent in the wall. Raphael had meant to kill him in that lunge but had slammed his head into the wall instead. Thin threads hung from his newly formed claws, and Leo spared a quick glance at the blanket. Sure enough, it was in tatters.

"Raph, don't do this," he warned him, unafraid of his sibling. In fact, he was so energized he didn't notice that he was looking forward to this fight.

"Shifter," Raphael snarled.

Raph darted forward again, moving so fast that his body was blurry. Without any chance to dodge aside, Leo wound into a vicious spin kick that somehow threw his brother against the other wall. Not missing a beat, Raphael was back on his feet, unharmed. That infuriated Leonardo. He ran forward and vaulted over the couch. Raphael watched, ready to attack, when suddenly Leo...shifted.

It was as if his body disappeared into a swirl of shadows and reappeared in a new shape. He was almost the exact likeness of the werewolf he'd fought, only his fur was entirely black. His claws glimmered in the light. When he landed in front of Raphael, he was easily twice his size.

Moving faster than humanly possible, Raphael backed away from Leonardo's first slash, then aimed his own strike. Leo's body moved like liquid, twisting wildly to avoid the attack, and he leaned forward to bite, his snapping jaws barely missing his sibling's throat. He swiped with one paw and caught Raphael's side, sending him flying into the practice room. Raph turned midair and landed nimbly on his feet, crouching down for another attack.

As he ran after him, Leonardo seemed to realize that this wolf body was big on strength but far too slow. With each step his body vanished into moving shadows and rearranged, and when he was visible again, his body was much more elongated, with a feline face and a long tail flickering behind him. He hissed and reached out, trying to cut deep into his brother's face.

"You won't end this fight that fast," Raphael growled, aiming his own claws at Leo's eyes.

"But I will!" came a loud voice.

They both stared in surprise at Splinter who stood in the doorway. "Both of you, stand down!"

"But--!" they tried to defend themselves.

"Stand down!"

"But--!" they tried again.

"Now!"

With furious sighs and glaring sullenly at each other, they backed away slowly, each certain that the other would try to attack again. Splinter, unafraid of his two sons, stepped between then. "Leonardo..." he said angrily.

Knowing he'd lost control, Leo allowed himself to return to his normal shape, still keeping an eye on his brother. They both knew he was vulnerable to Raphael's attack this way.

"What are you two fighting about this time?" Splinter demanded. He held one hand up to silence them as they launched into angry accusations. "Leonardo?"

"He tried to kill me," Leo said.

"Raphael?"

"He nearly killed me!" Raph said.

"I gave you the chance to back off," Leo argued.

"So you could attack first!"

"You mean after you attacked the couch?" Leo growled.

"Leonardo, be quiet," Splinter said. "Raphael, did you attack your brother?"

Raphael sighed, then nodded once.

"Why?"

"He's a shifter," Raphael spat the word out like an insult. "They love to kill."

"How do you know?" Splinter asked.

"I...don't...I mean..." Raph said. "I just do!"

"Leonardo," Splinter said, turning, "out."

Leo hesitated, but Splinter glared at him. Without another word but with one final glare at his brother, he turned and left the room. Apparently the battle had been so quiet no one else had heard it. Everyone else was still fast asleep. He tossed the shredded blanket away and turned out the light again, but he didn't try to go back to sleep when he lay back down. The light hurt his eyes.

Splinter watched Leonardo leave, then closed the door softly and stared at Raphael, who had lowered his eyes. "How could you attack your own brother?"

Raphael growled. "He's a shifter, and shifters kill."

"So do vampires," Splinter pointed out.

"Yeah, but he likes it," Raphael argued. "All shifters love to kill anything they can get their claws into."

"Raphael, you must have some kind of proof to this accusation."

Raphael snarled in frustration, and his newly formed fangs showed as he did. "Look, I know this sounds weird, but when that damn vampire bit me, I've been seeing things I couldn't normally see before. I've been recognizing different things. I can hear the water rushing through pipes half a mile away, I can practically feel Don's staff just glowing with power, and Leo...Master, I know this is weird, but his whole body's acting crazy."

"What do you mean?" Splinter sat own on the mat, indicating for Raphael to follow.

Raphael knelt in front of him. "His heart's beating faster and faster, and his breathing's gotten real shallow, like he's always anticipating an attack from everywhere, or more like he's going to attack anyone. I can't trust him."

"He is certainly not going to trust you any more," Splinter sighed. "Raphael, you say it is when you were given these new abilities that you felt these things?"

Raphael nodded once.

"Then until there is proof of what you think Leonardo is feeling, I suggest you ignore these new senses of yours."

Raphael's eyes opened in shock. "But...but..."

"I know your mind is certain of what it sees and feels, my son," Splinter started, gently this time. "But the fact is, you struck first, and you did not give your brother any chance to do anything other than attack."

"But it felt so right..." Raphael said.

"Which is why those new abilities are so dangerous. Raphael, we do not yet know how or why you have received these senses. You cannot trust them blindly. Do you understand?"

Raphael nodded. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We have to find out where the other pieces to this statue are. I am certain that once we have put it back together, the boundaries between worlds will be re-established."

"But to do that, we have to find out who broke it in the first place."

Splinter nodded. "That will probably be difficult. We must find out which way the energy fueling the spell is running, out or in. Either way will lead us to the person responsible."

"And how do we do that?"

"Through a spell of our own." Splinter's whiskers twitched. "But not tonight. We must all be well rested, for tomorrow could prove as dangerous as tonight was."

Recognizing that statement as a dismissal, Raphael bowed and stood. "Um...what about Leo?"

"I will speak with him shortly. Get some sleep."

Not about to argue this time, Raphael left the room. Even though the living room lights were off, he could make out the form of his brother laying across the sofa. He lowered his eyes and headed for his room. "Leo, I--I'm sorry, man."

Leonardo glanced up at his shadowy figure. "It's all right. Is Splinter coming in?"

"Yeah, said he wanted to talk to you."

There was no reply. Raphael sighed and ducked into his room, eagerly falling into a dreamless sleep. Leonardo wondered if he would have time for a catnap, but Splinter came in from the practice room too soon.

"Leonardo, we must talk."

Inwardly steeling himself, he got up and followed his master into his room. He watched as Splinter sat down and lit a candle, then sat down on the indicated mat. He held silent, waiting for the first question.

"Why did you retaliate against your brother?"

"Self-defense," Leonardo said.

"I understand that," Splinter said. "But when you were both in the practice room facing off against each other, you ceased to stay on the defense and actively attacked Raphael."

"I wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible."

"With his death?"

"Raphael will heal from just about any would I could inflict on him," Leonardo said with a frown. "There was no danger of killing him. He is just as strong as I am, when I've shifted."

"That brings up another question. Why did you...'shift'?" Splinter pronounced the word as if he had never heard it before.

"I'm no match for Raphael in my normal body," Leonardo answered. Is this a trick question? "I shifted so I could defend myself without getting my throat torn out."

"And how did you shift?"

The question seemed to catch Leonardo off guard. "I...just did." He paused, trying to think of a decent answer that would satisfy both of them. "Like...instinct, I think. I just...knew how."

"Did you automatically become that feline hybrid?"

Leonardo shook his head. "No. I looked more like the wolf I faced earlier, but that form was too slow, so I altered it a bit."

Splinter nodded faintly. "Leonardo...I do not think it wise for you to use these new abilities."

Leo had expected that comment, but it still stung. He felt as if Splinter was implying he was too immature to use them. "I did not lose control. Raphael was in no danger." He couldn't tell if that was a lie or not.

Splinter narrowed his eyes. Leonardo's voice sounded remarkably sullen, almost like Raphael's. "You do not know where these abilities come from."

"There is no such thing as evil inherent in magic or skill," Leo said, "only in the way it is used. You told me that."

Splinter almost bristled at that remark. "So the child becomes the master now?"

"Child?"

Splinter could have slapped himself. That statement usually only worked on the other three. With the eldest, though, it could only be a cruel insult, not a deserved rebuke. "A mere phrase of speech," he said, trying to dismiss his comment. "The point is, you do not know for certain that these recent turn of events have not been manipulated, and that your abilities are not the result of an enemy's intricate planning or deceit."

The returning look of attentive reasoning assured Splinter that Leonardo was no longer thinking about that past comment, but that did not guarantee his pupil would come around to his thinking. In fact, Leonardo still looked rather unconvinced.

Finally Leonardo shook his head. "Until I see proof that this is evil or beyond my control, I will not hold myself back from using this ability, especially where it might save my life or the lives of my family," he said, looking up into Splinter's eyes, "but...I will refrain from using it casually or without need."

Knowing he would have to be content with that or else risk provoking his son's rare impulsive side, Splinter nodded his agreement. "Perhaps it is best if you go back to sleep," he said. "There will be much to do tomorrow."

Leonardo could hear the disappointment in his master's voice, but he hid the discomfort it caused. He bowed once, then returned to the living room. I'm not going to get anything near to resembling a decent night's sleep, he grumbled to himself. Of course, I usually only get a couple hours anyway, so what's so awful about that? Aside from the fact that all that shifting's made me exhausted...and starving...

Deciding to put off sleep for the moment, he headed into the kitchen for a midnight snack raid. There was a small stack of pizza boxes in the fridge, and the topmost one held almost two thirds of one large supreme. It only took a few minutes to completely devour it, leaving him sated but not full. It was if his metabolism had increased dramatically, and his body was already converting that food to energy. Accepting it as part of the "shifting" package, he put it out of his mind and went back to sleep.

TBC...