DISCLAIMER:
Here goes Disclaimer 7:
I DO NOT OWN THE TURTLES, OR ANYTHING THAT THIS STORY MAY REMIND YOU OF. FOR EXAMPLE: tenku no shiro Laputa; OR CASTLE IN THE SKY IN ENGLISH, OR ATLANTIS, THE LOST EMPIRE. OR ANY OTHER STORY.
Additional notes:
'thoughts'
"talking"
dream sequences
P.S: I suck at latin, so please don't try to correct me. Thank you! Oh, and most words I just make up, and may mean something in latin, but the grammer is all horrid and incorrect and makes NO sense whatsoever, so don't correct and don't say anything about it. 'Cause I'm aware of it all! THANK YOU!
P.S.S: Oh, and if for some reason you feel like any of the characters are out-of-character, please remember that this is how I imagine them, so it all makes sense in my little world. Thank you and remember that this is just a story. Thank you.
Leo sat still. Mikey had come in a few minutes ago, to tell him that it was time for dinner, but Leo declined.
He sat still, thinking about what Boreus had told him. Letting out a soft breath, Leo knew what to do.
Everyone sat at the dinner table. Raph looked around, noticing the many strange and less-than-appetizing foods on the table. One type of food caught his eye. Fried rat surrounded by dipping in turtle shells.
Raph winced. He knew that it hadn't been meant as an insult, but still…it was pretty disturbing…
Looking around once again, Raph noticed something else.
"Guys? Where's Leo?" He asked, gritting his teeth. 'So the perfect bastard won't even join us at the table?'
Don sighed. "Mikey went to get him, but Leo wouldn't come."
Raph growled. "So he thinks that he don't even gotta sit with us low-lifes…"
Splinter snapped his head up. "Leonardo is currently in deep meditation.—"
Raph rolled his eyes. "Sure…I'd say that too if I was all mighty and stuff!"
Splinter's eyes narrowed. "Raphael. Enough of this nonsense. You have no right to say things like that of what you do not even know!—"
"Know? Oh I know enough." Raph snapped. The whole table was quiet now, everyone was watching him and Splinter. "He has that goddamn little shard and now he has to act all high and mighty!—"
This time, Mikey interrupted. "That's not true, Raph! Leo didn't want it! He said so!"
Raph scoffed.
"Raph, I suggest you get out of that hole you dug yourself into and look at Leo!" Don snapped. "I mean, really, look at him."
Raph shrugged. "What for? He looks just like he always did; the same perfectly bastard self he always is."
Don nodded. "And that is your problem. You're too wrapped up in your own jealousy and anger that you don't see the real situation."
Everyone was silent. Even Splinter. Raph cocked his head as he looked at Don.
Don continued. "In case ANYONE but ME noticed," He started, his voice rising, "Leo's way too pale…he looks more ill than anything, I would say. Whatever that little crystal shard is, it's sapping Leo's energy!"
Silence. Don looked around the table. "None of you realized did you?" He asked in faint surprise.
Silence.
Don slowly stood up. "Well, then. I guess this goes for all of you too. I've talked to Caurus. And he told me that that stone," He spat, "That stone, takes outside energy and creates everything that is essential: air, clean water, protection, longer life, healing, etc…
However, the energy it takes, is its vessel's. Meaning, Leo's."
Don took a breath, letting everyone around him register what he said. "So, basically to narrow it down, the stone is taking Leo's LIFE ENERGY and turning it into what is essential." Don suddenly rounded to Raph. "Are you still jealous? 'Cause if I were you, I'd rather pity him than be angry at him!"
With that, Don kicked aside his chair and marched out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Leo slowly stood up. He looked around the room once, before his eyes fell on his swords. He sighed. He never went anywhere without them, but now, he must leave them behind.
Leo shook his head. He was hating the little shard more and more by the second. Sure it was good and all, but it caused too much pain and unhappiness and chaos. Leo shuddered at the last word.
Quietly, he opened the door. Poking his head outside, he scanned the hallway for any sign of life.
There was a small flicker of light coming from Don's room, but the door was shut.
There was no one else.
Leo let out a slow breath and stepped outside, before quickly and quietly hurrying down the hallway.
He silently slipped past the dining room, where he could hear laughter. Then, he quickly slipped outside.
The underground city of Aether was much darker now. There was no one about, and small lamps were flickering behind makeshift curtains of the houses.
Leo quietly slipped past them all, before disappearing down a narrow path that led even deeper down underground.
A figure sat on a throne, carved from white marble. He had a scowl on his face. Suddenly, he slammed his fist onto the armrest of the throne. "Damn." He hissed venomously. "An OFFWORLDER has the stone. AN OFFWORLDER!" He roared, and everyone outside the throne room shivered with fear. Their lord was dangerous, but when he was angry…the Gods help them.
The figure suddenly jumped up from his throne and marched over to a small stand in the center of the room.
Above the stand floated a small red shard. The red glow from the shard illuminated the figure's face.
His face was pale but stout. There was a long, thin scar running from his right eye down to his chin on the left side of his face. He had long, white hair and black eyes. He wore a cloak of black, under it was a soft glimmer of a dark red armor, which covered him from top to bottom.
The figure hissed in anger as he stared at the lazily rotating shard. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing." He spat. "The Gods humor themselves. They give the MOST POWERFUL TOOL IN THE UNIVERSE TO AN OFFWORLDER!" He yelled, his voice bouncing off the cold stonewalls. Then, after the echoes lessened, he continued in a calmer tone. "An offworlder, who cannot even COMPREHEND the power in that stone!"
The figure shook his head at the irony. "Which just proves that I will have to right this once more…and this time, I won't make the same mistake as I did with Boreus…"
Splinter's ears flickered. He sensed something. Something was telling him that one of his sons was gone.
Splinter slowly stood up from the table, catching the attention of everyone else.
"Master Splinter? What is it?" April asked, worry evident in her voice.
Splinter frowned, his ears flickering. "Leonardo…where is Leonardo?" He asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
Mikey giggled. "Leo didn't come to eat, remember Sensei?"
Splinter shook his head slowly. "No…I cannot sense him…He seems so distant…as if he is somewhere other than here…"
Everyone looked at each other worriedly, when Don suddenly burst into the room. "Have any of you seen Leo?" He asked hurriedly. "He isn't in his room and he isn't anywhere else…I was hoping maybe you've seen him…"
Splinter shook his head. "No we have not my son."
Casey suddenly stood up. "Don't tell me that he ran away!"
Don shrugged helplessly. "I don't know…"
Suddenly, Caurus burst into the hut. "I am sorry, but the enemy has been sighted not so faraway from here! Please if you will, will you help us defeat them? We are weak in numbers and we really need help…"
Splinter nodded almost immediately. "We will help. But we need to find Leonardo…"
Caurus froze. "The warrior? He is gone!"
Don nodded. "Seems like it…"
Caurus seemed to hesitate before, "We will give you a couple of men to search for him, but right now, we really need to stop the enemy…I am sorry…but many here are the old and the children…I cannot endanger them anymore than necessary…"
Splinter nodded. "We understand. We thank you for your offer, but you are right."
Caurus nodded and bowed. "You are truly kind." He said before leaving quickly.
Mikey turned to look at Splinter. "But Sensei…Leo has the stone…aren't the 'enemy' looking for the stone?"
Splinter nodded gravely. "And that is why we must go fight them. We must keep them from Leonardo."
Leo closed his eyes. He stood in the darkness and listened. The shard was glowing a pale blue and emitting a warmth in the cold darkness.
Leo smiled. He was hearing a faint trickle of water. He was nearing his goal.
Raph shifted uncomfortably as he lay on the top of a steep cliff, looking down at a vast army before him. "Good god…" He whispered, and Mikey, who lay beside him, nodded.
Quickly, they scooted back before hopping up, taking care not to make a sound. Then, they silently scaled back down the cliff to a slightly smaller army hidden in the shadows of the cliff.
"There are about a hundred of them…tops." Raph reported to Caurus. He nodded, looking a slight shade of green.
"We only have 50 men…but we have a chance if we take them by surprise…" Caurus whispered, peering out from behind the cliff, before hinting his soldiers.
Immediately, they jumped out from behind the cliff and attacked the surprised army.
Leo quietly walked down the narrow corridor, heading towards a lighter end of the tunnel.
He stepped out of it, to find a huge, huge underground cave, lined with vast amounts of cliffs and trenches, while in the center of it all, was a huge lake. The lake was crystal clear and was almost glimmering.
Leo closed his eyes. There was an echo of voices whispering from the lake. He was almost there.
Suddenly, to his left, Leo heard a roar and then clashes of thousands of weapons.
Hurrying over, he peered over the edge of a rather high cliff and looked down.
There were two huge armies fighting down there. Leo's heart almost stopped as he saw his brothers and father in the fight.
'I've got to help them!' He thought desperately, starting to climb down the cliff.
Come.
Leo stopped. He looked around quickly. 'Where had that voice come from?'
Leo waited a few seconds to hear it again, before deciding he was hearing things.
He took a step towards the fight, when he froze.
Come.
Leo blinked. 'There it is again!' He thought, before taking an unconscious step back.
But he quickly shook his head. 'Oooh no. I gotta help my bros, THEN I can go find whose saying-'
Come…come…come…The voice echoed now. But Leo shook his head and rushed towards the fight, wishing he had a sword.
But before he could even reach the fight, he stopped. A sudden feeling overcame him. He just felt the irresistible urge to turn around and just walk to the lake…
Leo shook his head stubbornly. 'My brothers…'
Forget them. Come.
'NO!'
Come.
"No!" Leo whispered stubbornly.
COME.
Leo suddenly realized that that was not a request. It was an order. Leo shivered but took a step towards the fight. The shard he wore flashed an angry indigo, and Leo's vision was ate away by a dark blue.
Raph knocked away another enemy soldier, when his eyes caught something. Standing not so far from them, was Leo.
"LEO!" Raph yelled, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. Mikey, Don and Splinter looked over and they, too, felt relieved.
But then Raph's eyes caught something else. "What the?" He whispered as he lowered his Sais.
Everyone around him was lowering their weapons and instead watching the lake.
The lake was glowing.
And not just any glow; but blue.
Suddenly, Raph became aware that the soldiers to his right were parting. Glancing over, Raph gaped in shock.
Leo was walking towards them, his eyes blank, but glowing an intense blue. He was outlined in a deep sapphire, and the shard he wore around his neck was floating, almost as if pointing directly strait ahead, towards the lake.
"Leo?" He heard Mikey question, but Leo walked past them without a glance.
Leo slowly, but purposefully continued down towards the lake, without a glance to his left or right, his glowing eyes focused only on the lake.
He stopped at the edge of the lake, before finally glancing down. But only for a second. Then, he smiled and stepped onto the water.
Raph couldn't help but gasp as Leo stepped into, or more correctly, onto the water.
Leo was walking across the water, as if it was solid underneath him.
Raph heard Don whisper, "That's not possible…"
Raph had to agree…although they had seen a lot of things that weren't possible, but this took first place.
But what surprised them most wasn't that Leo was walking on water, it was what happened next.
The water in the center of the lake, began to swirl; slowly at first, but picking up speed. Then, jets of water shot out from it, before forming an arch-like portal.
"Leo!" Raph whispered as he saw his brother walk towards the portal.
Then, without thinking, Raph pushed his way through the silent spectators and rushed down towards the lake, not hearing the cries of Caurus and his men to "STOP!"
Raph ran into the water, half expecting himself to sink; but was surprised to find that he only sank just a little bit.
Leo had already stepped through the portal, and it was starting to disappear; but with a burst of speed, Raph through himself through it as well.
Note: The 'Gods' as so many times I've written in the story, are not God or Jesus or whatever you believe in. (No offense, really!) This story is in a different place, far, far away from earth; therefore different rules apply. (NO OFFENSE MEANT!)
RR PLEASE!
