Warning: This contains turtlecest don't read if you don't like.
Chapter 12 - A Bloody Path
"Father…Father…Father!"
"My son what is wrong?"
"I couldn't find you."
A smile spread on the old rat's face as he pulled the younger turtle into his arms. "My son, even when I leave this physical realm I will always be by your side."
"But father, I do not want you to ever leave. I want you to stay with us forever."
"I am afraid Leonardo, that there will be a time when I am no longer around."
"But what about us? Who will take care of us?"
"That my son, as the oldest will be your job in the future. But no matter what happens, always remember, I will always love you and your brothers, Leonardo."
He was not there. Leo stood looking at the empty cage before him. Master Splinter was gone. He tried closing his eyes, drawing upon his unique ability to sense but he could not feel him. It felt as if Master Splinter just vanished.
But there was something else he was able to draw upon. Derius. Like a silver carpet lining his path. If anyone knew where his father was it would be him. He made a few steps towards that path and froze. He could feel his brothers, struggling, fighting for every second of their life. His instincts told Leo to run to them to help them.
Leonardo was torn. He was not sure what to do. His heart ached at the different paths he could take. Then it dawned on him. Even if he joined his brothers he would struggle just like them. The only way he could help. The only way Leo could save them all – was to take on Derius…alone.
The anger he felt, an after effect from spiritually connecting himself to Raphael, on top of his own anger was almost suffocating. Leo was thankful for his Master training him on self-control, or he would be fighting Derius blind. Something that Leo knew he could not do. Cause if he let his emotions take the better of him, he might as well call himself dead.
Keep fighting Raphael, I will do what I can to help. Leo sent the last message to Raph mentally and made his way up the stairway that he knew would lead him to the demon.
Raphael had always felt like a stranger within his own family. He knew it was because of all the secrets he kept. All the lying about his dreams, and the resentment he felt that his brothers could go about life not knowing about the shadows around them. But now… it was different…
They were a team. Raphael could feel it deep within his heart. Despite being outnumbered, despite a member of their team missing they moved as one single unit.
Mikey and Don both worked together to drive the creatures to Raphael so he would take them out.
Slash, jump, kick, move, dodge…turn and repeat. It was like a well planned dance, a fight planned way ahead of time. They all seemed to know where the next shadow creature would appear..
But the illusion was soon broken when Raphael stabbed about the hundredth shadow beast but instead of glowing and shattering it shook off the hit and lunged back at him. Before he could yell out the order Mikey and Don had already driven it off him, it was then Raphael notice the stance he was in, a stance much like Leo would be when leading the team.
Then it hit him, they were all one. Spiritually they could sense one another and move without uttering a word. Raphael knew at that moment that Leo finally awoken his powers.
"I guess this means your super powers need a break huh Raphie?" Mikey stated, breaking the silence as he usually did.
"Ya," Raph muttered looking around, they were surrounded and outnumbered. There was this loud wheezing and breathing around him. Raph realized it was himself, his knees buckled and he started panting as he clutched his plastron where his heart was.
Don and Mikey both moved as one in front of Raph holding out their weapons, as Raphael stared at his brothers he saw a faint light surrounding them.
"Hang on Raphie," Mikey stated.
"You can't pass out on this fight, you know Mikey will not let you hear the end of it." Don said right after.
Smiling Raphael forced himself on his feet and held his weapons out before him. "As if I am going to let Leo take all the glory today!" And with that all three charged towards their death as one.
A labyrinth, he was pretty sure this place was one. After all how many hallways and dead ends do you meet in a normal castle? Leo clutch unto his blades and started running down the hallway.
SMACK! Leo staggered to the ground his hand instantly going to his head and then realize there was no pain. Confused he stood up and reach his hand out, there was no invisible wall or anything.
Suddenly, a sharp pain like jaws biting on his arm, he could feel warm blood trickling down. And a fear unlike any caused his heart to pound against his chest...then nothing.
Leonardo blinked the tears from his eyes and looked around, "Raph…" he whispered trying to reach out, trying to grip upon that anger that was eating him up earlier, but nothing. Leo felt panic rising in him, the irrational wanting to take over and drive him to just keep on running…
Shaking his head Leo knew he needed to concentrate, taking deep calming breaths he drew upon his meditation during training to push away the panic.
A door open beside him, drawing his blade Leo pointed it at the neck of...Master Splinter? "Father!" Leo said, "where were you?"
"I was trapped in this maze Leonardo, where are your brothers?" Master Splinter asked as they walked through the maze side by side.
"Fighting outside, I came to find you so we can go help them or take down Derius?" Leo asked hoping his master would have the answer.
There was a pause as the old rat begun thinking, "we need to take down Derius," he stated finally. The way he said Derius, no hate or anger…Leo drew his blade and slashed at him, as the rat jumped out of the way the entire room seemed to shimmer away like water falling into a drain.
Around him were tall dark walls with wide windows, the room was beautifully decorated with red and gold. Symbols that appear to represent each element: fire, water, wind and earth were on the tapestries.
The person before him was no longer Master Splinter but Derius himself. "Seems I never give you turtles enough credit, I really thought that dagger would have taken you out," instead of sounding alarmed Derius sounded amused as if Leo was just prolonging his death. "It seems I also underestimated your ability to see through illusions Water-dancer and here I thought it was a Raphael only talent," a chuckled as he walked down the carpeted floor.
"Enough Derius!" Leo yelled his deep brown's glaring at the demon before him, "you have terrorized my brother long enough! This is your last warning leave us alone!"
Derius stopped walking, stopped smirking and turn to glare at Leonardo. Those silver eyes narrowing with anger and hate, "No, Leonardo. Raphael has not suffered enough for what he has done!"
"What was it then? Raphael escaped like he normally should since you kidnapped him to begin with! Ultimately everything that has happen is your fault!"
Derius laughed, his laughter bouncing off the walls. "You have no idea do you? No clue the reason you, Raphael and the rest of your family got into this in the first place? The reason why Raphael was kidnapped years ago." He continued laughing, "you have no idea the powers each of you have hidden deep inside. You know nothing!"
Master Splinter awoken with a start yelling out, "my sons!" He realized he was in a dungeon as the chains around his ankles scraped against the cement floor. "I see," Master Splinter muttered as he look around to take in his surroundings. His eyes travelled along the walls judging possibly of escape to the ceiling and even to the barred doors behind him.
He had already mapped out a few escape routes when a voice disrupt the ninja's planning, "you know I tried it all right?" Master Splinter blinked as he found himself staring at a silver white fox, "a kitsune?" Master Splinter asked.
"And your a rat," the fox said out of annoyance at the obvious. Master Splinter realized the fox had only two tails, he was young and his powers unrefined. It would explained why the spirit fox was unable to escape this place. "So Raphael has returned hasn't he?" The fox asked.
Looking confuse Master Splinter nodded, "you know my son?"
"Your the one who has trained him?" With that the fox bowed, "Raphael saved my life many years ago. It's too bad I was unable to make that much useful since Derius caught me. Because my life became intertwine with your son, Derius was able to keep watch on him using me." The fox looked sadly at the roof, "above us he fights alongside with the other guardian. Unknowing their potential, unrefined - They will not last long."
Looking up Master Splinter shook his head, "my sons are fighters to the very end, they will find a way as long as they remember they are a team." With that Master Splinter crawled closer to the fox and undid its chains with a lockpick he always keeps hidden in his robes. "Now, my name is Splinter."
Licking his sore paws the fox smiled, "I am Kumi."
After undoing his own chains, Splinter sat down with his legs cross. "Kumi, please tell me what you know and we can find a way out together."
Looking at the calm rat Kumi nodded and laid down in front of Splinter, "let me first explained who I am, I am Kumi the Spirit Protector of this realm. It was my mother who saved your son so many years ago and it was your son who saved me. And I assure you Splinter, your family is here for a reason. After all none can truly escape who they are."
"Donnie!" Raphael screamed as there was a flash of purple and green. Mikey who was fighting behind Raph turned around to witness the scene of a black dog now chewing on the neck of Donatello.
"NOOO!" Mikey screamed out in agony, tears welling in his eyes as he rushed blindly to his brother's rescue. Raphael was doing the same. As they both hit the shadow hound off of Donnie at the same time, the ground around them seemed to suddenly shattered.
Mikey pulled Don close to him to try and break the fall, Raphael using his reflexes stabbed his sai into the wall and tried to grab Mikey's hand as they fell. Raphael felt the tips of his brother's fingers and then they were both gone.
"MICHELANGELO! DONATELLO! NOOO!" He couldn't feel anyone anymore, he was exhausted. His hand was slipping. Using the last of his strength Raphael pulled himself up to the surface again. Only to find himself surrounded by the shadow creatures. Closing his eyes Raphael dropped his other sai, it was over. He knew that he had no more strength left, no idea if his brothers could even survive that fall and Leonardo he could no longers sense him. So Rahael waited for those teeth to sink into him.
He waited for the darkness to stop this nightmare.