The boys were almost eight years old when Splinter found her. She became a part of the Hamato clan, raised alongside her brothers, trained in the art of the kunoichi but with a twist of her own. When the Kraang find their stolen experiment, the team must work together to stop their plan to destroy the Human race once and for all.
A/N: My OC's name has always been Alina. I did not steal it from Shadow and Bone on Netflix.
A/N: This story is NOT related to my first story, Taken. You do not need to read that one first.
A/N: Any relation to other stories is purely coincidental and I apologize in advance. I do not plagiarize.
A/N: Rated M for adult language and content.
It was time for Splinter to go on his weekly scavenger hunt for food and supplies. The night was a calm, warm evening to do so. He carefully mapped out his trips to the easy, fresher pickings, being careful not to spend too much time in one place and staying in the shadows.
As he readied for his journey to the surface, he opened the door to one of the chambers in his abandoned subway home. They barely fit on one bed; it would be time to separate them into their own rooms soon. Splinter smiled with warmth in his heart when he saw that the Turtles couldn't get any closer to each other. Leonardo had his shell closest to the door in a protective fashion, he cuddled his closest brother, Raphael who formed a cocoon around Michelangelo with his brother, Donatello. Mikey was always in the middle and as much of a nuisance he was to them, they all felt the need to protect him.
Once Splinter was certain they were heavily asleep, he closed the door quietly, gathered his sack and made his way to the exit turnstiles. His first stop would be the alley behind Antonio's Pizza where lots of fresh food, especially vegetables, were tossed out daily.
The night had stayed quiet, and the streets had stayed empty. The occasional breeze picked up a page of a newspaper here and there. The alleyways provided Splinter lots of coverage, and food. He was bountiful in his hunt this evening. His sack was full, and he decided to return to the sewers.
As he made his way to the nearest manhole cover, a van backing up to an alleyway across the street caught his attention. The back door to a building flung open and Splinter instantly recognized the men from that fateful night. He lowered his sack to the ground and snuck across the street into the alleyway to get a better look. He saw two of the men exit the door from the building and open the back doors of the van, they stood guard with odd looking weapons that Splinter had never seen before, and then he saw her. Another man, looking the same as the other two, exited the building with a small child in tow. She couldn't have been more than five or six years old. But this was no ordinary child, she was a mutant.
She had the stature of a human child, walked like a human, had limbs like a human, a human face, only she seemed to have been mutated with a bird of some sort. A white dove perhaps. She was white in color with large, feathered wings like that of an Angel from Heaven. She was covered in pink, sparkling stripes across her white body, not as heavy as Zebra stripes but just the right amount to notice and she had long, light pink hair to match.
She looked scared and had tears forming in her bright pink eyes. Her hands were tied in front of her body and the man pushed her towards the van. She was clearly a prisoner of theirs and a valuable one at that as more men arrived from the front of the van to supervise the transport, weapons in hand.
When they approached the van, the men just stood there, talking in a strange tone, using a strange version of English Splinter had only heard once before. These men were his enemy, and they had a child, most likely a kidnapped child that they mutated for their experimental reasons. Too many children had gone missing from the city and Splinter could only guess what this girl had been through, so he made the decision to save her from further torture.
He threw two shuriken to the other side of the alley, which made a clinking noise as they collided with the brick wall. The men all turned towards the sound, powering up their weapons. Splinter used the distraction to charge at the man holding the girl captive; he blinded the man and threw him against another wall which appeared to knock him unconscious, only his body sparked and made robotic noises. The other two men then began firing, shooting laser-like blasts towards the area where Splinter had thrown their comrade, but Splinter had grabbed the girl out of harm's way, cloaked her with his robe, and hid her behind a dumpster, using a tanto to cut her bound hands loose.
She was so bright that they could easily find her, but his robe helped conceal her. He looked into her eyes and simply held his finger up to his lips, gently keeping her quiet. She nodded nervously and backed into the robe as far as she could. Splinter turned to face the men and with more stealth than a shadow, he launched at them, disarmed them, attempted to maneuver their limbs but was unsuccessful, so he settled for wall smashing again and dumped their bodies in the back of the van. He closed the van doors and quickly returned to the dumpster and found the girl where he left her. She stared at him with large wet eyes that still showed fear and confusion.
Splinter held out his hand to her. "There, there my child, I will not hurt you." He gently said.
She looked at his hand but did not take it. She curled her fingers around his robe for safety.
"My name is Splinter." He told her. "What is your name?"
She simply shrug her shoulders at him and looked down at the ground.
"Do you have a name?" He asked her.
She shook her head. Splinter was relieved she understood English. "Are you hungry, little one?" He asked.
She quickly nodded her head and returned her gaze to meet his. She seemed almost excited with a small smile growing on her lips.
"Would you like to come home with me? I can make you some warm soup." He offered.
She nodded, outstretched her hand into his and let him pull her up from behind the dumpster.
He picked up the child. She was so light, perhaps too light. He wondered what her diet had been. How long had she been a prisoner? How long had she been a mutant? Has she had any kind of education? He shook his questions aside, looked at her again and smiled. She returned the smile this time and rested her head on his chest. He retrieved his sack, removed the manhole cover, and carefully entered the sewers with his new daughter.
When he returned home, he made his way into the kitchen, child still in his arms. He set her down on the kitchen table. "I will be right back, stay here." He told her.
He left the room and returned a minute later with a large blanket. "Perhaps I could have my robe back?" He asked with a smile offering the blanket in exchange.
She nodded, removed the robe and swapped it for the blanket. When Splinter tied the robe around himself, he wrapped her up in the blanket, tapping her nose playfully. "Thank you, little one." He said with a smile. "Let's see about that soup." He walked over to the stove and turned on the burner. He retrieved some vegetables from his sack and began washing and chopping them.
The young girl watched him carefully as he worked. She found him interesting. She had seen other mutants in her imprisoned childhood, but Splinter was different. She examined his fur, his ears, his hands, then his tail.
Splinter caught her looking and playfully lifted his tail to give her a better look. She realized her staring and apologetically looked down. "I used to be human before this." He gestured to his whole being. "I am thankful I still have my humanity… Do you know anything of your past?" He asked.
She looked at him and shook her head, "I don't remember much." She finally spoke. "I remember being strapped on a big metal table and then I saw this green, glowing stuff. Then I remember waking up and I looked like this." She gestured to herself. "I never had a name, just "experiment forty-three"". She said in a robotic voice, mimicking the men Splinter saved her from.
So, she had been mutated from a human child. Splinter's heart dropped at this realization. He quickly composed himself. "Well, my child that will not do. Would you like a name instead?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Okay, I will give you a beautiful name in time." He spoke. He checked on the now boiling soup. The vegetables were soft enough to eat now. He poured a bowl for the girl and added a little salt for flavor. He blew on the hot soup to cool it for her. Once he was satisfied it would not burn her mouth, he offered it to her along with a spoon. She happily took the bowl and ate the soup.
"You can sleep in my room tonight. Tomorrow, I will make you your very own room." He wondered how she slept with such large wings. Then he remembered, "Oh and of course, you will get to meet your brothers tomorrow."
She sputtered some soup at this statement and looked at him, again with fear.
"No, do not worry child. They are young as well, close to your age, and are mutants just like you." He soothed. Then corrected. "Well, not exactly like you, but are kind and gentle, like me." He added with a smile.
She relaxed at his answer, smiled back, then returned to her meal.
Splinter left to make his bed more comfortable for his new child. He burned some incense to calm the atmosphere and make her as cozy as he possibly could. He lit a candle for her to have some light. He returned to the kitchen where she was finishing the last drop of soup. He scooped her up in his arms, took her to the comfy bed, and tucked her in. She took the blanket off however and wrapped herself inside her wings, then accepted the blanket. He stood and put his hands behind his back and said, "oyasuminasai", and turned to leave. As he shut his door, he saw she was already asleep. He retired to another chamber, one that would soon belong to one of his sons. As he laid down on the bed, he soon felt his heavy eyes shut his world out for the night.
The introduction went better than Splinter expected. He was up before his children and prepared a healthy breakfast. The aroma of eggs and toast eventually coaxed the boys into the kitchen with Mikey full steam ahead.
"Good morning, sensei." They said in unison.
"Good morning, my sons. I trust you slept well?" Splinter asked.
"Like the dead!" Mikey answered. The others nodded and murmured in agreement as they climbed onto the chairs ready to eat.
Splinter served them their plates, made himself a small plate, and sat down at the head of the table. He waited until they were about half-way done with their meals to say something. "My sons, I have an announcement to make."
The boys, except Raphael looked up from their plates. Leonardo lowered his fork and gave Splinter his full attention. "What is it, sensei?" He asked.
"Last night, when I was gathering supplies, I came across a situation." He noticed his son's eyes widen in worry. "Do not worry my sons, everything is okay. We have a new addition to the family." He said with a smile.
Raphael choked and coughed on his food, dropped his fork, which hit the plate, which then fell onto the floor. Donnie patted Raph's shell to help him recover. Mikey however threw his held fork and his other hand in the air in extreme excitement. With a mouthful he smiled and sputtered out "WHAT?!"
"I will return my sons, do not leave the kitchen!" He said sternly but he knew it was a possible lost cause. Their curiosity would get the better of them.
He exited the kitchen and went to his room. He gently slid his door open and found his new daughter sitting quietly.
She looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning." She greeted him.
"Good morning, my child." Splinter returned the smile. "How did you sleep?" He asked.
She simply nodded and stood up. She stretched her arms up high above her head and her wings as wide to the sides as they would go. She walked up to him and held her arms up to him, silently asking to be picked up.
Splinter obliged and picked her up in his arms. "I have made some breakfast for you…" he paused "…and it is time to meet your brothers." He felt her breathing quicken and she clutched on a little harder to his fur. He stroked her back in soothing circles. "Now, now little one. No need to be afraid. They are excited to meet you." He carried her out of the dojo towards the kitchen and saw four little green faces peeking out of it. He rolled his eyes as they quickly retreated to their seats.
They saw her immediately as Splinter entered the room. She was not hard to miss. She was so bright it was like Splinter was carrying a lit lamp. Their eyes were so wide that their eyeballs would have popped out if it were possible. "My sons." Splinter began. "This is your new sister." He gently turned her head to face them, then looked at her. "My daughter, these are your brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and…"
"I'M MIKEY!" Mikey interrupted his father figure whilst waving excitedly at the girl in his arms. Raph grabbed his little brother to stop him from jumping into her.
She smiled at them and offered a little wave, then leant her head into Splinter's chest out of shyness. Splinter pushed her off however and moved to sit her down in his seat. Once she was seated, he went to make her a plate of food. The boys resumed their seats and the ever-happy Mikey spoke again.
"What's your name?" He asked her.
She looked at him with an open mouth, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth and looked at Splinter in question as he offered her some breakfast.
"She does not yet have a name, Michelangelo, but she will soon." Splinter said as he looked at his youngest son and placed a reassuring paw on the girl's shoulder.
He studied his other son's faces and noticed Donatello's infatuation with her wings. "Donatello my son, is there something you would like to say to your new sister?" He encouraged his intelligent son.
Donnie shrunk into himself a little at this and averted his eyes elsewhere. He had been caught and was already shy, he hated being put on the spot but had to come up with something. He cleared his throat, looked at his sister, and asked "um, are they, um, your wings, um, are they heavy?" He managed.
Raphael snorted a sarcastic laugh at his brother's ill attempt to communicate earning a stick in the head from Splinter. "Sorry." He muttered whilst rubbing his head.
They turned to the girl for the answer. She smiled at Donnie, shook her head and said, "No, not really." She carefully outstretched her left wing to show them.
Donnie couldn't help but geek out at the immense size of it. "Wow! Can I take a closer look?" He forgot about being shy and rose from his seat to walk over to her.
She let out a giggle and nodded her head in permission.
He gently touched each feather, closely admiring their shimmer against the kitchen light. "Can you fly?" He asked her.
"Not yet." She answered.
"Well, the presence of flight feathers suggests you might be able to do so pretty soon, just look at these intricate placements of….." Donnie went off in his own head again, thinking out loud and the girl tried to follow but couldn't understand him. She looked at her new brothers with questioning eyes.
"Don't worry, this is normal for him." Raphael said. "You learn to ignore it." He smiled at her and went back to eating.
"Donnie's the smart one." Mikey added. "He fixes all of our stuff. Even our TV! Oh, do you want to see our TV?!" Mikey asked her.
"After training, my son." Splinter interrupted.
Splinter ordered them to finish eating, then guided them into the dojo. "Every morning, my child, we train here for an hour, sometimes longer depending on the lesson."
"What do we learn?" She asked.
"I am a Master of Ninjutsu." Splinter proudly announced. "I train my sons in this art so that they may defend themselves against the evils of this world. I would also like to train you to be a kunoichi, a female ninja." He turned to her for her input.
She watched as her brothers kneeled next to each other, teasing and pushing each other playfully. She suddenly felt like she was where she was supposed to be and that she was part of something special, she was with a family that would love and protect her. She looked at her father figure and said, "yes, please."
"Then, when we train, you will bow to me, like this." Splinter showed her how to bow to her Master. "When I address you, you reply with "Hai, sensei", understand?"
"Yes." She answered.
"Hai, sensei." He reminded her.
"Oh, Hai, sensei." She corrected herself. "Sorry."
"Come sit next to me." Leonardo offered as he patted the mat next to him.
She joined her brothers for her very first training session. It was difficult for her to understand the language and the names of the katas she watched her brothers do. She tried a quite simple kata but got discouraged when her wings got in her way. Leonardo comforted her and told her to never give up. He was ahead of his brothers in the art and Splinter knew he would guide her in the right direction quickly.
After training, Mikey showed her the infamous TV, the VCR, his videos, and his comic books. Then Donnie showed her his lab, or what he had started of it. He was only allowed to go to the city dump with Splinter and he rarely went there, so Donnie did not have a lot of equipment just yet.
Raph continued the tour, showing her their eventual individual bedrooms and which one he had picked and how he was going to decorate it.
Leo watched from the center, book in hand, pretending to read but making sure she wasn't getting overwhelmed. It dawned on him that she wouldn't have a bedroom. He would offer his to her when they stopped sleeping in the same room.
She watched a movie with her brothers that evening whilst Splinter made her a comfy bed in one of the other bedrooms. She sat between Mikey and Raph, curled up next to Raph whilst Mikey held a blanket over her. Her wings made it difficult for the blanket to stay over her shoulders.
Splinter announced bedtime and the boys retired to their chamber. Splinter guided her to her own room which seemed so much larger than the room she slept in last night, she stopped before she entered the room and looked over to the boys' room. Splinter sensed her fear and realized she should not be alone, especially after bonding so well with the Turtles. So, he gathered up the mattress and blankets and moved them into the boys' room. After making her another comfy bed, he offered it to her, and she gladly jumped in it. He tucked his children into bed, read them a story of a Japanese warrior and his beautiful wife until they fell asleep.
As he shut off the lights around the lair, and walked to his room, he smiled a large beaming smile. He was so happy with how his family had come together so quickly.
He named her Alina, meaning 'light'. She grew into a beautiful girl and had the personality of an Angel in his eyes. She grew into her wings although they were still quite large. She preferred to wear black leggings with her signature color pink t-shirt. She wore her long hair up in a simple ponytail. She couldn't stand it falling in her face when she trained. She spent a lot of time with her father figure but had a unique relationship with each of her brothers.
Donatello gave up his room for her. Leonardo had first offered his, but Donnie brought up a good point that he slept in his lab most nights so it was agreed she would take his. His lab was getting very well-equipped. He had acquired some great hardware that Alina loved to help him set up, although she mostly told him where to put them. She enjoyed decorating where she could and insisted on setting up his 'bedroom' in his lab since he gave her his room. He tried not to make a big deal out of it but secretly, he loved it.
*Memory*
When she was almost eight, he helped her learn to fly by fixing up some old, thrown out industrial fans. He angled them upwards from the floor, set a chair in between them and had Alina stand on the chair.
"Here, hold onto this." He said as he offered her a bungee cord that he had tied onto a heavy weight on the floor. "It'll help you keep your balance until you can do it yourself."
"Okay." Alina said nervously. She glanced over at her other brothers and smiled a little.
"Donnie, are you sure this is safe?" Leo firmly asked.
"Don't worry, Leo. The bungee cord will prevent her from falling while she's in the air." Donnie said.
"Or go smashing into the ceiling." Raph added.
"Yes, that too. I will control the speed of the fans, guys, she'll be fine." Donnie reassured them.
"Alina, when you fly, can you take me with you?" Mikey cutely asked his little sister.
Alina smiled. "Sure... I'll try not to drop you." She said laughing.
Raph joined in the laughter and said, "Yes and I won't be there to catch you, but I'll be sure to take a video."
"Psssh, whatever, my supreme ninja skills will save me. I'll land on my feet like a dog." Mikey crossed his arms and leaned on the edge of Donnie's desk; brow furrowed.
Donnie rolled his eyes. "It's a cat that lands on their feet, Mikey, not a dog." Then he turned to his sister. "Okay, Alina here we go. A slow speed to start so you can feel the air. Then when you're ready, I'll increase. Just let me know."
Donnie pulled out a box with a dial on it attached to a cord coming from the fans. He turned the dial one click clockwise, and a whirling sound began to build up from the fans. Alina watched as the blades started turning. She spread her wings as far out as she could and when she felt the air hit them, she smiled. It felt good, refreshing.
It wasn't enough air to lift her, so she gave Donnie the go-ahead to increase the speed. "Okay D, let's go up a little." The air got stronger with one more click from Donnie's dial. She felt her right wing start to buckle a little and she looked over at it.
Donnie saw it too and hit the red button next to the dial, shutting down the fans. She just about caught herself on the chair, making Leo, Raph, and Mikey about to jump forth to catch her.
"So, I think we should keep the speed here for a few days training until you get the strength in those wings to hold steady." He told her.
"Donnieeee, that will take too long…" Alina whined to her second oldest brother, slumping her shoulders and wings. She tried the puppy dog eyes with him that she and Mikey had already perfected.
"Donatello is right." Master Splinter chimed in, making them all jump.
"SENSEI!" They all yelled.
He chuckled. "What? You didn't think I would hear large fan noises in my own home?"
"Sorry, sensei. I didn't think they would disturb you." Donnie said.
"I am happy they did." Splinter said sternly. "I would like to supervise such an event and appreciate a little notification next time."
He wasn't happy they were so comfortable doing this without his approval and was glad he was able to witness it before it got out of hand. His intelligent son was advancing at an amazingly fast pace.
He turned to Alina. "My daughter, I know you are eager to fly, and rightfully so, but you are still young and have plenty of time to learn. Donatello will continue at this speed until I am comfortable increasing it, not you." He said strictly.
"Hai, sensei." She replied with a pout.
After that day, Donnie and Alina trained in exercises to build strength in her wings. She did push-ups with her hands at first, then used her wings with her hands, then eventually just her wings. Then Donnie had her lie on her back and use her wings to push herself up which was harder, but she got it down.
Master Splinter supervised their next flight with the fans. She was able to hold under the second setting without buckling under the air. Donnie received the go ahead to increase the speed and she was off the chair soaring in his lab over the fans but still held onto her bungee cord.
It took three more days of this before Leo, Mikey, and Raph heard a scream from Donnie's lab. They all went sprinting in that direction fearing something bad had happened only to find Alina soaring her highest yet… without the bungee to support her.
"ALINA! You're FLYING!" Mikey yelled over the fans.
"Check it out guys!" She beamed with a large smile.
Donnie smiled proudly at Master Splinter who returned it.
*End memory*
Splinter noticed that Alina and Raphael shared one thing in common, their tempers. During training every morning, they competed hard in the need to win a spar. Sometimes Raph would win, and sometimes Alina would win.
However, Raph and Alina both had tempers when they lost. Raph's was definitely worse and often resulted in thrown weapons and storming out of the dojo. Alina had better control over her temper, she mostly just pouted, kicked a few items around, and sought comfort from Mikey and Donnie when she was out.
When she was eleven or so, Master Splinter began a sparring session to end that day's training.
*Memory*
"You have all trained well today, my children. We shall end with a spar. Last one standing goes up against Leonardo." Master Splinter announced. "Leonardo, kneel beside me." He ordered his eldest.
Raph huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms across his chest. "Teacher's pet." He mumbled.
"Why can't the winner ever go up against me?" Alina whined to her father figure.
"Yeah, sensei! Why can't any of us go up against…. Us… Me?" Mikey added, a little confused.
"As you advance in your training, you will all get the chance to be the final competitor." Splinter answered. "As of right now, Leonardo is the defending champion." He chuckled as Leonardo knelt next to him. "Face each other." He ordered.
Alina and Mikey faced each other as Donnie and Raph did the same.
"Hajime!" Splinter firmly told his pupils.
They had no weapons this time. Raph lunged at Donnie, but Donnie ducked at the last second, shot up with his hands against Raph's plastron and pushed him over his head. Stunned, Raph quickly brought his feet above him, did a somersault in the air and landed on them. As Donnie was grinning at his short victory, Raph then did a quick spin, kicked his leg out and took Donnie's feet out from under him, knocking him on his shell on the floor. "Close, but no cigar, D." He said to him. "Now go sit in timeout." He said in a low voice, much like a father would say to a toddler as punishment. Donnie rolled his eyes as he got up and knelt aside from the spar.
Mikey and Alina were still sparring when Raph turned to see his next partner. Mikey had attacked first, yelling his classic "Booyakasha!" war cry. His fists were blocked by Alina's wings, and she used them to shove him aside. She then shot up in the air and much like a tornado, headed for his chest with a foot. Mikey blocked her foot with his carapace, making her yelp in pain but she didn't falter. She was determined to win against Leo this time. She opened her wings to steady herself and gently lowered herself to the floor, carefully planning her next move. Mikey ran at her, turned his back to her again and did a backflip to kick her backwards. She countered the kick with her forearm, swiftly brought a wing under his shell, wrapping him in it, and sent him flying into the tree. He landed on his head, seeing stars. "No Bueno, Mikey." She said as she brushed off her wing. She then smelt it and scrunched her nose. "You need to take a bath, bro." She added.
"Okay sis, love ya an all, but I'm winning this one." Raph said to get her attention.
"Mmmmm, I don't think so, Raphie." She said as she turned to look at him. "If I recall, it's my turn today." She grinned.
They faced each other and took their stances. They stared each other down for a good twenty seconds before Raph spoke up. "Ladies first." He offered her the space between them.
"Then how come you haven't moved?" She said earning a laugh from her other brothers. "I don't have all day, darlin."
Growling at her retort Raph launched at her, but he wasn't bringing his fists first. She tried to read his next move, but he was good at surprise attacks. She brought her arms up in a defensive position and kept her wings low. He leapt and jumped over her, caught her shoulders in his hands and threw her over his head. She was indeed surprised but used her wings to catch herself and gently landed on her feet. "Nice try, Raphie."
"Oh, I'm not done yet!" Raph said as he ran to her again. He threw punches that were all blocked by her forearms and wings. He continued this until she noticed that he was beginning to tire out. She brought both wings up in front of her so he couldn't see her arms or legs, spun around and kicked out at his abdomen but he caught her foot, twisted it and threw her back. This was twice she had hurt that foot today, but she was able to break her fall with a wing behind her. "Darn those wings!" Raph panted out.
She was also panting. "Give up, already!" She barked at her brother as she charged him. She managed to get a hit on his jaw, knocking him off balance but he was angry now and used the momentum from the hit to spin around and clock her in her jaw.
"HEY!" Leo, Mikey, and Donnie yelled in unison. Leo began to rise to stop the fight, but Splinter gestured for him to kneel back down. "Sensei, this has gone too far." Leo said.
"She is kunoichi, Leonardo. She is being trained for this type of combat." Splinter answered.
Rubbing her jaw, then spitting out a little blood, Alina took another stance. She was angry but tried to hold it together. She took a deep, shaky breath and closed her eyes. She began a kata she learned from Leo which only angered Raphael even further. He yelled a war cry, ran at her fists first aiming for her chest and right before he made contact, Alina finished her kata, placed her palms together at her side, opened them and shot them out directly in front of her, barely touching Raph. The force she had created sent him flying backwards where he hit the wall and fell to the floor on his side. Alina simply bowed earning an approving smile from Leo. Of course, her wings helped with the blow.
"Yame!" Splinter ended the spar. "Well done, my daughter."
Alina went to help Raph up off the ground, but he shoved her hand aside, got up and started yelling in her face. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHEN DID YOU LEARN THAT?! DID 'TEACHER'S PET' TEACH YOU IT?! ARE YOU THE NEXT LAME-O-NARD-A?" He started shoving her hard against her chest.
"Ow! Raph stop! That hurts!" Alina said as she was being shoved backwards. At this, Leo, Mikey, and Donnie all stood and began to approach the hot-headed brother.
"That's enough Raph, back off!" Leo ordered as he held Raph's hands down to prevent shoving Alina any further.
"FUCK OFF, LEO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Raph screamed at the eldest and he went to punch Leo but was stopped by Mikey and Donnie. All three of the brothers practically jumped on him to hold him down.
"Calm down, man. You'll get it next time, bro!" Mikey tried to soothe his angry brother.
"Yeah dude. It's over, let it go." Donnie added.
"GET OFF ME! LET ME GO!" Raph struggled against his brothers. He managed to get a hand loose and punched whoever was closest, which happened to be Donatello. Donnie buckled at the winded stomach shot, struggling to catch his breath, he fell to the floor holding his stomach in pain.
"Donnie! Oh no, are you okay?!" Alina dropped down next to her genius brother. She helped him roll onto his side to make it easier to breath. "What the heck, Raph?!" She angrily looked at her hot-headed brother.
Raph managed to get Leo and Mikey off him but before he was able to get up, Master Splinter used a nerve pinch to temporarily paralyze him and he fell back down. "We will discuss this later, Raphael." He said sternly. "For now, you will stay here and calm down."
He followed Leo and Mikey, holding Donnie between them, to the lab. Alina looked at Raph's painful expression, sighed, and said, "I'm sorry" and followed the others.
*End memory*
Donnie of course recovered. Alina wouldn't leave his side until he had to practically push her out of his lab. She felt terrible for what happened, and she couldn't help but feel it was mostly her fault for matching Raph's anger.
Raph was reprimanded by Splinter for his actions and underwent another lecture about controlling his temper. Once he was calm and levelheaded again, he apologized to everyone, especially Donnie.
He and Alina still enjoyed sparring with each other outside of training with the others, but tempers still flared here and there. It was a love-hate relationship between them.
Alina, being the youngest, had the most fun with Mikey. They loved to prank each other and their family members and often spent their free time coming up with plans to do so. One time, when they had instigated a water balloon fight, Alina had aimed for Leo, but he ducked, and the balloon hit Master Splinter in the face! She was mortified and the fight ceased immediately. She braced herself for punishment but to all their amazement, Splinter simply walked into the kitchen. They waited for a minute before assuming her pardon and continued the playfight.
Later, when they had dried off and were watching a movie together, Splinter walked towards the pit but instead of sitting beside them, he asked for Alina's help with something. She reluctantly got up and walked towards him. He put his arm around her as if to hug her, only to swing her into the pool below the dojo. Her brothers laughed so hard that they could barely stand. Mikey had to run to the bathroom! Alina crawled out of the pool with sopping wet wings. They were heavy and would take forever to dry. "Touché, sensei." She said smiling at him.
Around age twelve and fourteen, the two youngest siblings had some fun in the sewer tunnels.
*Memory*
Mikey came running out of Donnie's lab with a new toy. "GUYS! LOOK!" He yelled as he proudly held a skateboard above his head. Only this wasn't a normal skateboard. Donnie had lovingly helped his little brother attach a small rocket-type engine to it. Mikey did love speed after all. "Who wants to see me ride it around the lair?!" He asked.
From the dojo, they heard Splinter yell "IN THE SEWERS!"
"Awww YEAH! Permission already granted! Let's go guys!" Mikey ran towards the turnstiles with his siblings in tow. He positioned himself on the tracks, used his foot to push a button on his board, and went off in a flash.
"Whoa! So cool!" Raph said. "Donnie, when do I get one?" He asked his immediately younger brother.
"When you find everything Mikey did." Donnie answered. "He found all of his own materials at the dump last month when he went with Splinter."
"Consider it done!" Raph said.
Leo watched as Mikey disappeared into the sewers. "How far will it go before it slows down?" He asked.
"Oh, about 50 miles give or take." Donnie answered.
"50 MILES?!" Leo exclaimed. "He'll be out here for a while; I'll be in the dojo if anyone needs me."
Right as Leo headed towards the turnstiles, Mikey came around the corner and started to slow down. He was curious to know how it went, so he stayed.
Mikey came to a stop. "Donnie, you are the BEST! It actually hovered off the ground and I surfed the walls!" He had gone so fast that his mask had stretched above his eyes which made Alina giggle.
"My turn!" Raph said.
"Okay Raphie, but I get to borrow your comic books for a whole week." Mikey tried bargaining. He earned a slap over the back of his head signaling the answer was 'no'. "Okay dude, chill. I'll just take em when you're not looking." He grinned. He showed Raph what to do and before long, Raph was riding the sewers as well.
Everyone took turns, except Alina.
"Okay Lina, your turn." Raph said as Leo returned, mask also stretched and a big smile upon his face.
"I have an idea." She announced. "How about a race?"
They all perked up at this.
"Alina, there's only one board." Donnie countered.
"Yeah, and you all can race against me." She said as she proudly lifted her wings. "I'll fly, you board, and we'll see who the fastest is."
"I'M IN! Me first!" Mikey said.
"Me next!" Leo added.
"I'll smoke you, sis!" Raph chimed in.
"I'll do it only out of sheer curiosity." Donnie said. There's no way she was faster than this engine. Right?
She lined up next to Mikey on the tracks.
"We taking bets, boys?" Leo said. "I've got 'Space Heroes Issue 18' on the books."
"You're such a nerd, Leo." Raph said rolling his eyes.
"I'll meet you Leo, except you do my chores for two days. I have no interest in comic books. That engine will beat her in five seconds." Donnie proudly said.
"Done. If Alina wins, you do my chores for three days." Leo countered.
"Done." Donnie shook Leo's hand.
Raph got in front of Alina and Mikey, held up his hands and said, "on my mark". Alina raised her wings and Mikey revved up his engine. "GO!" Raph yelled as he brought his hands down.
Mikey shot off in true rocket fashion, shortly followed by Alina. He was fast but she wasn't struggling either. Her wings were so large that she was able to cover a lot of airspace. Donnie kind of regretted his bet with Leo as he watched them turn the corner out of their sight. They turned around to see who would approach the other corner first.
Alina bided her time and chose to stay a few inches behind Mikey. She counted on him running out of gas before the finish line but also noticed how easy it was to keep up with the 'little engine that could'. Every corner they turned; she kept her wings dipped up which splashed water against Mikey.
"HEY! NO CHEATING!" He yelled over his engine.
She just smiled at him and shot off in front of him. She turned to seemingly fly on her back and looked at Mikey behind her while faking a yawn. She was so busy making fun of his board that she didn't notice the tunnel was ending and instead of taking a left into the next tunnel, she accidentally kept going in the large sewer where all the tunnels ended into. She stopped and caught herself. She watched as Mikey took the correct turn laughing at her as he went. Growling, she followed him. "Shit, shit, shit!" She said to herself.
Leo, Raph, and Donnie could hear the engine approaching. A hint of panic hit Leo as Mikey was the only one to turn the corner, a big grin on his face. "SHE TOOK A WRONG TURN!" He yelled to his bros.
Then there she was, splashing water against the walls, she turned the corner at an amazing rate of speed. She flapped her wings harder gaining quickly on Mikey. She was inches from his shoulder, then had an idea. Her cheap shot ways to win that she shared with Raph kicked in, she hovered over her immediately big brother, wrapped her hands under his arms and pulled him off his board.
When his foot was lifted off the button on the board, the engine shut down. "HEY!" Mikey yelled as he watched his board fall to the floor.
She flew him just to the finish line but before he crossed it, she put him down, then slid her foot over it. Grinning just like Raph would.
"CHEATER!" Mikey yelled at her again.
"There weren't any rules!" She countered with a laugh.
"You got my chores, right Don?" Leo smiled at his genius brother.
"Wait, my board… uh, Mikey would've won! That doesn't count! There's so many factors that changed the possible outcomes here, we need to race again." Donnie said trying to get out of the chores.
"Nah, my girl's got skill. Loved what you did there, Lina." Raph said as he hugged her.
"You definitely have the speed." Leo said to her.
"I'm with Donnie! I wanna rematch!" Mikey said pouting.
"I think that is enough loud noise for today, my children." Splinter announced from the turnstiles. "We do not want to draw any attention to our location, Michelangelo." He added.
"Hai, sensei." They all responded.
"Perhaps another day." Splinter suggested. "Donatello, maybe more of these 'rocket boards' could be built?" He smiled and winked at the purple-banded Turtle.
"Oooh, oooh, let's call them T-Boards!" Mikey announced as they ascended the stairs.
"I still won this one, though." Alina added as she flew over the turnstiles.
*End memory*
Alina's relationship with Leo was different from her other brothers. She knew he took his ninjitsu training and his role as the oldest very seriously, so she kept herself in control when she was with him. Unless she was already playing with the other three, then she would try to get Leo to play as well.
Leo took it upon himself to train his siblings individually if they wanted to. Alina often did this due to her competitive nature. She couldn't let Leo have all the fun. She enjoyed it though because he always found a way for her wings to be used efficiently in the katas.
As they entered their teenage years, Leo and Alina were the only ones practicing their skills in their free time. Mikey attended all the training exercises but wanted to do other things in his free time, like playing video games, pranking everyone, and watching TV. Raph chose to read his comics or beat up on his training dummy, and Donnie spent almost all his free time in his lab.
Shortly before the boys turned fifteen, Splinter awarded his children their weapons.
*Memory*
"You have all done well today." Splinter announced. "Wait here." He turned to go into his room and returned with weapons in his hands.
They all gasped in excitement. Mikey got teary eyed and held his fists up to his mouth in adoration at the shiny new toys Splinter was holding. "It's finally time, guys!" He said in almost a whimper.
"You have all trained well with various weapons. A weapon chooses its master just as much as the master chooses his weapon." Splinter announced. "Michelangelo, please step forward."
Mikey stood and walked up to his sensei.
Splinter pulled out a pair of Nunchucks decorated in the Hamato clan symbol and handed them to his youngest son. "The Nunchaku symbolizes two strengths of different origin chained together to work in harmony." He told Mikey. "You have the heart of a true warrior, Michelangelo." He said as he held up one chuck. "And the spirit of an imp." He added, holding up the other. "Combine these two together at the right time, and you are that warrior."
Mikey gleamed with pride as Splinter handed them to him. "Thank you, sensei."
"For added fun, you have a Kusarigama chain as well." Splinter added with a grin.
Mikey took his seat next to Donnie.
"Donatello, please step forward."
Donnie stood in front of Splinter and looked a little disheartened when he pulled out the Bo Staff.
"The Bo Staff is only as strong as it's wielder, Donatello." Splinter started. "Your mind is full of wonderous possibilities, my son, that can be used to do great things during battle." Splinter balanced the Bo on one finger. "A perfectly balanced warrior can make quick decisions on offense or defense." He quickly snapped the Bo in the air, spinning it, he turned a circle, grabbed it from the air and pointed it away from Donnie when suddenly, a blade erected from the end. "You have proved you can do both among other things." He retracted the blade and handed the staff to Donnie. "The Naginata Bo Staff is your weapon as it is perfect for quick-thinkers, like you."
"Thank you, sensei." Donnie was actually quite impressed with the added blade and sat down between Mikey and Raph admiring his new weapon.
"Raphael, step forward, please."
Raph walked up to his father-figure in a proud stance.
Splinter presented the Twin Sais to his hot-headed son. "The Sai has been thought to be a symbol of peace in the Buddhist community. As we know, it is commonly used as a deadly weapon. You my son, are a fierce warrior and are loyal to your family." Splinter handed one of the Sai to Raphael. "This Sai represents your strong, protective nature." He then handed his son the other Sai. "This Sai represents peace, Raphael. Use them to help control your temper!" He smiled at his son.
"Thank you, sensei." Raph spun his new Sais before he took his seat.
"Leonardo, step forward."
Leo got up, walked to Splinter and knelt on one knee, bowing his head.
Splinter pulled out the Twin Katana and held them in front of his eldest. "Leonardo, you are the eldest of your siblings and bear a great responsibility to them. You have proved time and time again your dedication to your training. The Katana are the weapons of a leader. Use them wisely."
Leo looked up to Splinter. "Thank you, sensei. I will not fail you." He stood up and took the swords and bowed his head again.
Raph rolled his eyes as his brother sat down next to him. "Great, the 'leader' now. Don't let it get to your head!" He whispered to Leo who returned an angry look.
Splinter placed his hands behind his back and walked up to Alina who sat next to Leo. "My daughter, stand up." He asked her.
She did so.
Splinter continued. "You have become a beautiful and very skilled kunoichi. You have the perfect mixture of your brothers' personalities as well as your own. You are a dedicated warrior, and I am very proud of you."
Alina smiled and waited patiently for her weapon.
Splinter continued. "Given your great skill with your wings, you will not need an additional weapon. You are very fortunate to be able to carry your weapons with you at all times."
Alina never thought of her wings that way but sighed in disappointment. She bowed her head to Splinter. "Thank you, sensei."
"You are all dismissed." Splinter turned to his room and the siblings retreated from the dojo.
Alina walked towards her room and Leo noticed how her shoulders were slumped. He followed her and gently touched her arm before she reached her room.
"Hey." He said softly. "You okay?"
Alina turned to face Leo and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. I guess I was really expecting a weapon." She looked at the ground slightly embarrassed.
Leo took her hand and started to lead her to the lab. "Come on, I want to show you something."
Alina followed. She took notice of how he held onto her hand the whole time. It made her smile and slightly blush.
"Donnie, come here for a sec." Leo said to Donnie as they entered the lab.
"What's up, Leo?" Donnie answered.
"Could you hand your Bo to Alina?"
"Okayyyy…?" Donnie questioned as he handed over his weapon.
Alina took the Bo and looked at Leo with a puzzled look.
"Perform the Bojutsu but wings out." Leo ordered Alina.
Alina, confused, got into her stance and began the kata. The second she swung right; the Bo collided with her wing. She ceased and realized what he was doing. "Ohhhh. I see. I can't with my wings out." She said as she handed the Bo back to Donnie.
"In battle, you might need to open your wings to take off. If you're brandishing a weapon as large as this, or even the Katana, you risk injuring yourself." Leo said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Plus, you can't really store these weapons on your back."
"Good point, Leo." Donnie added.
"Okay, but why not have a smaller weapon?" Alina asked.
"I think a Tanto blade would be a perfect addition." Leo answered. "The Sai and Nunchaku are still too big and would interfere with your ability to fly." He reached into his belt and pulled out his own Tanto that he made by hand. "Here, take this." He handed it to Alina.
"Really?" Alina asked.
"Of course. I can make you a holster for it if you like?" Leo said.
"Wow! Thanks Leo!" Alina took the blade and admired Leo's handiwork. He had delicately stitched the Hamato clan symbol onto the hilt. "I'll take great care of it." She bowed to him in respect then randomly hugged him. She silently cursed herself for hugging him, why did she do that?!
Leo returned the hug, smiled and walked out of the lab.
Donnie had already gotten back to his computer, forgetting what just took place.
Alina watched as Leo left the lab, feeling a little numb. She was confused at the gentleness of his touch. Leo was always the one to help his siblings if they felt down but he had never offered lengthy physical touch as a means to help. But she was a girl, and was the youngest, and was the only one that didn't get a weapon, so maybe he just felt bad for her. Yes, that was it. She brushed it off and left the lab for her room.
*End Memory*
Becoming a teen and going through puberty sucked! Alina hated it. She was the only female in the clan and had to deal with everything alone. Of course, Donnie was always there to help but it was so embarrassing, and she felt like a burden when she went to him for literature off the internet. She could do it herself, but Donnie insisted on helping when it came to using his computer.
Her brothers came by the teenage years so easily. It pissed her off. At times, she had an even bigger temper than Raphael. He teased her only one time and she almost knocked him out. He chose his words carefully after that.
When Splinter allowed the boys to go topside for the very first time, she was not allowed to accompany them. She was 'too young' as Splinter put it. She argued that she'd have her brothers, but he would not budge. When she looked to her brothers for support they did not oblige, and she stormed to her room. She didn't speak to them for a whole day after that. Until they brought April home the second night.
She had been cleaning her feathers with Splinter that evening. He liked to help her when she was younger, so it was their bonding time together.
"Sensei, I'm sorry I've been so snappy lately." Alina said.
"My daughter, you need not apologize. I am aware of the changes you are going through. Although I am more experienced with males, obviously." He chuckled which made her smile. He gently cleaned one of her feathers. Before he was done, the boys entered the lair with a strange, red haired girl in tow. Splinter immediately stood up in concern. "My sons, is this the girl you rescued?"
"Hai, sensei. But her father was taken by the Kraang." Donnie said, disappointed in himself.
The girl simply smiled at the giant rat standing in front of her.
Leo looked at Donnie and said, "Donnie, you did all that you could."
Mikey led the new girl towards the pit of the lair, up to Alina. "April, this is our sister, Alina. Alina, April." He introduced.
Alina was polite but was nervous that April would find her form scary or weird. "Nice to meet you." She said holding out a shaky hand.
"Likewise." April said as she shook Alina's hand not afraid at all. It seemed that meeting four humanoid turtles had numbed her from further shock.
The Kraang became the subject of that evening's conversation. Alina knew them all too well as a child, but it wasn't clear why they were after April. The brothers escorted April to her aunt's house and came back where Alina was already asleep.
She was eventually allowed to join her brothers topside and her skills only improved. It was because of her ability to fly that they were able to avoid numerous tragedies and win many battles. They scouted the Kraang several times and eventually found out what they wanted April for. She joined Splinter in training April as a kunoichi and often went out with her at night for some extra training. They became very close friends. When Casey came into the picture, he tried his best to woo Alina but she, along with Raph, made it clear he was to leave her alone.
A few months went by when a miracle happened. Alina and April had chosen to stay in the lair one evening while the Turtles and Casey went on patrol. They were sitting in the pit laughing at something in a magazine when they heard Mikey screaming for help.
"SENSEI!" He yelled.
They turned to see Mikey and Casey running for the dojo, then saw Donnie and Raph carrying a very bloody Leonardo between them. He was barely conscious and had a deep, bleeding wound on his inner right thigh, above it was Donnie's mask acting as a temporary tourniquet.
"He's been shot!" Donnie notified them as they made their way to the lab.
Horrified, Alina flew as fast as she could to open the lab door for them, then followed them in. April was right behind them, followed by Mikey, Casey and Splinter.
Raph laid Leo down on the makeshift hospital bed. Leo was a much paler green than he should've been. His eyes rolled upwards, then back to the center as he tried to fight going to sleep.
"He's lost a lot of blood. Alina, set him up for a transfusion." Donnie ordered.
Alina retrieved Leo's blood supply from the nearby medical container while Mikey helped set up the IV line. Donnie had made sure to collect blood from everyone over the years and teach them how to help in an emergency like this. He had tried to teach Raph but at the first sight of blood, he nearly passed out. Which he was close to doing now. April got him a chair since he refused to leave Leo's side and Splinter placed a cool washcloth around the back of his neck.
After Alina had done her part, she moved to Leo's head and cradled it in her hands. She spoke to him in a soft voice. "Leo, stay with me, okay? Focus on my face."
Leo tried to focus on her but couldn't control his eyes as they kept threatening to close. She would gently nudge his cheek when he'd start shutting them.
Splinter knelt beside Raphael. "My son, can you tell me what happened?"
Fighting the nausea, Raph answered. "We were fighting the Purple Dragons when we caught them stealing. They aimed a gun at Donnie, but Leo kicked him out the way at the last second." Raph buried his head in his hands. "I was closest but didn't see the gun."
"The bullet has hit his femoral artery!" Donnie reported in a panic.
Donnie removed his mask from Leo's leg and placed an actual tourniquet above the wound. "Leo, this is gonna hurt." He quickly tightened the tourniquet, making Leo scream out loud and start panting in pain.
Alina kept soothing him.
"Mikey, how's that blood doing?" Donnie asked his younger brother.
"It's flowing, dude." Mikey answered.
"Alina, I need your help with this wound." Donnie gestured at his sister.
"April, can you take my place?" Alina asked their friend.
April nodded and took Alina's place.
"Just make sure he doesn't go to sleep." Alina told April.
Alina moved next to Donnie. "What do you need, D?"
"Just clean the blood out of the way when I reach in so I can see." Donnie instructed.
Alina grabbed the gauze Donnie offered her and began to dab at the wound, earning a hiss from Leo. But as soon as her hand neared the wound, it began to glow pink. She quickly retracted her hand with a gasp. "What was that?" She asked.
Donnie and Raph hadn't been looking when it happened, but everyone else had. "What was what?" Donnie asked.
"Do it again, Lina." Mikey said.
Alina moved her hand towards the wound again and her hand began to glow. Leo wasn't making any pained sounds, so she moved to completely touch the wound. Her whole body began to glow, and the light obstructed the view a little, but Donnie could see the healing that was taking place. He stopped his rushing and watched in awe as Alina kept her hand in place, and the bleeding stopped. The wound began to heal from the inside out and the bullet was emitted from the wound. It fell to the floor with a 'clink'. Raphael was standing up now and had moved closer to the bed along with Splinter. Not a minute later, Alina's hand stopped glowing, so she removed it and they all gasped when they saw that the wound had completely healed, and Leo's bright green color had returned. He opened his eyes fully and began to sit up.
"What just happened?" Leo asked. "I feel amazing!"
Mouths gaped open, they all looked at Alina who was staring down at her hand. She started to shake a little and Donnie put a hand on her arm. "Lina? You okay?" He asked.
Before she could answer, she suddenly felt extremely drained of all energy. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed backwards but Donnie was able to catch her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lina?" Donnie gently placed her on the floor and checked her vitals. He looked up to his family. "I think she just passed out."
Leo ripped out his IV and jumped off the bed and ran to her side. He gently picked her up and placed her on the bed, careful not to lay her on the blood-soaked sheets. He cupped her face with his hand and gently nudged it. "Lina? Lina? Can you hear me?" He asked.
No response.
"I think Alina has healing powers!" Donnie said.
"It would appear so, my son." Splinter confirmed.
"Perhaps, healing drains her own energy and that's why she passed out." Donnie added.
"We should let her rest." Splinter informed.
"I will stay with her." Leo said.
"Me too. I'd like to monitor her vitals and see how she feels when she wakes up." Donnie said.
"Very well. Raphael, Michelangelo, Casey, and April, let us leave. Perhaps we can make some food, Michelangelo?" He asked his youngest son.
Still a little shocked, Mikey answered slowly, "Hai….. sensei….". He slowly accompanied them out of the lab, looking over his shoulder along with Raph.
She wasn't out for longer than fifteen minutes. As she stirred out of her sleep, she felt someone stand up next to her in a hurry.
"Donnie, she's waking up." Leo informed his purple-banded brother.
Donnie came to the other side of the bed and checked her vitals again. "Pulse is nice and strong, respiratory rate is steady." He looked at Alina's face. "Lina? How're you feeling?" He asked.
She opened her eyes and when the blurriness cleared, she saw Leo worriedly looking into her eyes. She felt him holding her hand. "What hit me?" She asked rubbing her head.
"You passed out after you… healed Leo." Donnie said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if she would even remember what she did.
She suddenly gasped and sat straight up and looked at Leo's leg. "Oh God, are you okay? Let me see." She asked him.
"Whoa, Lina, take it easy." Donnie said as he braced her back with his hand. "You're gonna pass out again if you move too fast."
"Lina, I'm totally fine." Leo answered, then showed her his leg. "You completely healed me!"
She relaxed and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, so she was fully sitting up now. Donnie still ready to catch her from behind. She faced Leo and looked him over. He was holding both of her hands now. "You look amazing!" She chuckled.
"I feel amazing!" Leo said.
"Lina, do you remember what you did?" Donnie asked.
"I remember everything." She answered as she turned to Donnie. "When my hand got near the wound and glowed like that, it felt almost like a small electric shock." She informed. "That feeling lasted the whole time until it just stopped. That's when the wound was healed. Then I felt really tired. I don't remember anything after that."
"That's when you passed out." Donnie told her.
"How long was I out?" She asked.
"About fifteen minutes."
"Ha!" She laughed out loud. "This is crazy!" She grabbed the sides of her head with each hand.
Mikey, Raph, Splinter, Casey, and April walked into the lab having heard her talking. "LINA!" Mikey yelled. He ran over to her, pushed Leo aside, and wrapped her into a hug. "You scared me!" He added.
She returned the hug. "Awww, Mikey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
He backed out of the hug when Splinter started talking. "It seems you have a rare gift, my daughter." He told her. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I feel fine, sensei." She answered. She got off the table onto her feet.
"I am happy to see it." Splinter said with a warming smile.
"So princess, do you think you could do it again?" Raph asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.
"I don't know." She answered leaning into him.
"Sensei, do you think this is something we could experiment with?" Donnie asked his father figure.
"And how do you propose we do that, Donatello?" Splinter asked.
"I will volunteer." Donnie said. "She can practice on me. I'll administer small wounds to myself. That way, I can also feel the healing."
"I didn't feel anything." Leo added.
"You had lost a lot of blood and were about to pass out. Your senses weren't fully heightened." Donnie countered.
"I'll do it too!" Mikey chimed in.
"I can manage scratches." Raph added.
Splinter sighed. "Very well but work together and no serious wounds! For some strange reason, I am hungry." He walked out of the lab towards the kitchen.
"What d'ya say Alina? Wanna to see how you work?" Donnie excitedly asked his sister.
"I do, but first, food. I'm starving!" She smiled and followed her sensei to the kitchen.
Raph managed a few scratches and settled for bruises when blood put him off any further experimenting. Casey was happy to provide those bruises but in return, he got the biggest wound from a Sai blade. Not on purpose of course, but it bled quite badly. Alina was able to heal small cuts, scrapes, bruises, and burns without passing out but the wound on Casey's arm sent her to the floor again.
While Leo watched after Alina, Donnie wrote more notes on his notepad. "So, it seems if a wound is heavily bleeding, that it requires more of her energy to heal. The small cuts you had Mikey, were easy for her to heal. The question that remains is how deep and how big does the wound have to be before she passes out from exhaustion." He thought out loud. "I think we need to take measurements on the next round."
"Let's wait for another day. We've been at this for a good three hours now." Leo said.
"Agreed." Raph added. "C'mon Case, let's get April home before Splinter bores her stupid."
Casey turned to leave the lab with Raph, then turned back to Leo and Alina. "Tell her I said thanks for the heal, yeah?"
"Will do, Case." Leo gave him a thumbs up.
A few days later, Alina gave the go-ahead to try again. Splinter chose to be present this time since April reluctantly went on a date with Casey, much to Donnie's annoyance. The ever-willing Michelangelo volunteered to get the first cut.
"Okay Mikey, we're gonna start with a three-inch-long and approximately one-inch-deep wound. Alina, does that work for you?" Donnie asked.
"Okay with me." She replied.
Donnie marked the length and turned to the eldest. "Leo, if you don't mind." Donnie said to the leader gesturing at Mikey's arm.
Leo unsheathed a Katana blade and lined it up against the mark. "Want me to count, Mikey?" He asked.
"No dude, just go." Mikey said behind closed eyes.
Leo moved the blade quickly and tried to go as deep as he thought an inch was.
Mikey muffled a pained squeak. Blood began pouring out of the fresh cut on his arm.
"I seriously can't… do… this…." Raph managed to murmur out before he passed out on the floor.
"I will check on him." Splinter said as he knelt beside his unconscious son.
"Okay Alina, you're up. Now, remember your deep breathing." Donnie reminded Alina.
"Okay, okay, I can do this." Alina reassured herself as she placed a glowing hand on Mikey's bleeding arm. "Just breathe."
The electric shock feeling made it hard for her to concentrate on her respiratory rate and Donnie noticed she held her breath a few times. But she got it under control and after the arm was good as new, she stayed standing upright with Leo behind ready to catch her.
"I think I'm good." Alina reported to her genius brother.
"No light-headedness?" Donnie asked.
"No, I feel good." She replied.
She fibbed a little as she clumsily turned to Donnie and her wing knocked a scalpel blade from Donnie's surgical tray. As it fell to the floor, she tried to catch it and cut her hand in the process.
"Ow!" She yelped as she instinctively covered it with her other hand.
"You okay?!" Donnie took a step forward, then stopped when he noticed it. Her uninjured hand wasn't glowing. He gently removed it so he could see her cut. It was only small and oozed a tiny amount of blood. "Try healing it?" He said questionably to her.
She focused on her cut and covered it again with her good hand. Nothing. She sighed in disappointment when she removed it and the cut remained. "Well, that sucks." She said as she slumped her shoulders.
"Interesting!" Donnie exclaimed while writing down notes. "But I don't understand why you wouldn't be able to heal yourself." He added thinking out loud again.
Leo gently wrapped her hand with a light bandage. He caressed it with his thumb. "It'll heal in no time." He smiled at her.
She experimented alone, trying to heal herself from injuries sustained during training sessions but to no avail. So, she remained focused on healing others. The testing continued for weeks and eventually became a training exercise for her. She learned to control her breathing and was able to heal larger wounds every time.
Alina had never liked Karai. Like Raph, she knew Karai was trouble and could never be trusted. Leo was hell-bent on trusting her though and ignored his team member's pleas not to take Karai back to their home. When Leo took Karai's hand to lead her into the sewers, Alina felt a wave of jealousy overcome her and had to stop herself from lunging at Karai, flying her hundreds of feet in the air, and dropping her dead on the concrete below.
"Hey." Raph's voice snapped her out of her interior rage.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down and looked at Raph. "We can't let Leo do this, Raph." She told him.
"I know but how the heck do we get him to listen? He's stupid lovestruck!" Raph answered.
This angered her again. Why was she so jealous all of a sudden?! "Well, he's the fucking leader, so I guess we just stick real close and watch her like a hawk."
Happy he wasn't alone in this, Raph followed Alina to catch up with the rest of the team and while she took the lead next to Leo, he watched Karai from behind.
After the trap Karai had set was discovered, Raph and Alina were ready to kill the Foot clan's kunoichi, but Leo backed them off. Tiger Claw was able to retrieve Karai and took her back to the Shredder. Mikey's shell was so badly knocked loose that Alina was unconscious for almost two hours after she healed him.
Splinter couldn't stop thinking of his daughter, Miwa. He would meet with Leonardo to discuss the various rescue plans for her, and Leo would lead the team on each mission, failing to bring Miwa home every time. Karai's mutation just about killed Splinter.
One morning, the team met in the dojo for their morning training session. A tired-looking Splinter emerged from his room holding that damn photo again. "There will be no training today." He said solemnly and turned to go back into his room.
The Turtles retreated from the dojo deep in thought about what to do next.
Alina had a thought and went to retrieve her bathing stuff.
When she returned with the warm soapy water and sponges, she walked up to Splinter's door and gently asked, "Sensei? Could I come in?"
Nothing.
"Sensei?" She balanced the small bath on her knee as she used her free hand to slightly open his door. "Father?" She asked.
His silhouette appeared in the doorway, and he looked down upon her.
"I thought maybe we could wash my feathers? Maybe take your mind off…" She didn't get a chance to finish.
Splinter threw the bath and soapy water across the dojo, hooked his cane under her leg that was held up balancing the bath, and launched her into the air. She crashed down hard on the dojo floor. "NOT TODAY!" He yelled before he shut his door.
She laid there stunned and a deep sadness took the place of anger. She'd never felt this before. She felt completely unwanted. What was their 'bonding' time together was just tossed away like it was nothing. Feeling the tears welling up in her eyes, she pushed herself up off the floor, then heard footsteps coming into the dojo. It was Leo. She quickly turned her reddening face away so he couldn't see it.
Leo saw the tossed bathing items then looked at Alina. "Lina, are you okay? What happened?"
Trying not to sniffle under the threatening flood, she mumbled through a quivering chin, "I… just had… a little acci… accident." She turned to leave the dojo but made sure not to show him her face. "I'll cle… clean it… up."
Before she could rush past him, he put his hand out to stop her. When she stopped, he put his hand on her chin and gently lifted her head so he could see her face. The tears were flowing now, and Leo realized what had happened.
"Oh Lina. I'm so sorry." He pulled her into a tight hug and let her cry on his shoulder.
Splinter continued to distance himself from the family. Leo did all he could to help find Karai, but the team was unsuccessful on each mission. Training became few and far between and when he did train, Splinter wasn't really present and often ended them too soon, prompting Leo to take over.
Alina was affected the most. She tried to keep herself occupied but the 'separation' Splinter put her through began to take its toll. One day, she emerged from her room to find Mikey in the pit playing video games. The other three weren't in sight. She tried to sneak past her brother to leave the lair. As she walked towards the turnstiles, it didn't go unnoticed, and Mikey spoke up.
"Where ya goin' sis?" He asked from the pit eyes still glued to the TV.
She turned to him. "I just need to leave for a bit. I'll be back soon."
"You're going to the surface? But it's daylight out." Mikey warned now looking at her.
"No, just going for a sewer stroll." She answered.
"Oh, want some company?" He asked.
"Thanks Mikey, but I just need some time alone." She smiled at him.
"Okay, you got your phone, right?"
She patted her pocket in her leggings. "Right here." She then turned and leapt over the turnstiles and disappeared down the stairs leaving Mikey to continue his gaming.
She roamed the sewers for a good hour. Her mind was racing with thoughts about everything and everyone. Although April was her best friend, she knew that she and Casey had been spending a lot of time together, especially since Splinter wasn't really training them anymore. She didn't want to bother her friend with her troubles. Leo was busy trying to find Karai, Donnie was busy, Raph was busy, even Mikey was busy. She seemed to be the only one not busy. She loved to read and draw but found no interest in it right now.
She stopped and leant up against the wall and sighed heavily. "Meditation!" She said to herself. She continued walking until she found a quiet, lone tunnel. She followed it until it ended, and a steel grate separated her from the ocean. The sounds coming from the gentle waves mesmerized her and she sat and began deep breathing.
Leo emerged from Donnie's lab having found himself getting discouraged at his genius brother's failure to create another retro-mutagen for Karai. He looked around and found his orange and red-clad brothers wrestling in the pit. He walked to the bedrooms and knocked on Alina's door but got no answer. He returned to the pit where Raph had Mikey in a headlock. "You guys seen Lina?" He asked them.
"Nope." Raph simply answered.
Mikey waved his hand in the air whilst tapping out on Raph's arm with the other, gasping for air and trying to say "ye…yes…yes."
"I think Mikey knows." Raph said with a smirk looking at Leo.
"Uh huh, could you let him go so he can tell me?" Leo said sarcastically.
"Not sure I want to." Raph answered.
Mikey started beating on his brother's arm in a frenzy. "C'mon… plea…please…" He choked out.
"Raph." Leo ordered.
"Ugh, fine!" Raph released his hold.
After coughing and gasping for air, Mikey stood and nudged past his brute of a brother to face Leo. "She went for a walk in the sewers. Said she needed some time alone. She has her phone." He reported.
"Did she say how long she was gonna be?" Leo asked.
"No and I didn't think to ask." Mikey said. "She seemed pretty down."
"Yeah, well I think we all know why." Leo said. "I'll give her another hour, then I'll call her. Thanks Mikey." Leo said as he walked towards the dojo.
"Sure thing, bro." Mikey smiled, then yelped as Raph jumped him from behind.
"Never turn your back on your enemy, Mikey!" He said as he continued to wrestle his little brother.
Alina did return after several texts and calls from Leo. Having a clearer head helped her spirits rise a little and she came home to the smell of ramen, her favorite. Before she could make her way to the kitchen, a worried Leo approached her from the dojo.
"Hey, are you okay? I've been trying to get a hold of you for ages." He said whilst checking her for any injuries.
"I'm fine." She said smiling. "I just needed some space. Did some meditating and feel much better." She reassured him.
"Could you just let me know next time you leave?" Leo requested.
"Yes, dad." She said sarcastically. She smiled and continued her journey into the kitchen, followed by Leo rolling his eyes.
They all sat down for dinner, sans Splinter. For once, they did not talk about Karai or any plans to locate her. After dinner, they went on patrol, encountered some Purple Dragon fanatics, listened to Mikey's boredom sighs and returned home.
Alina went on a few more sewer strolls and always ended up at her tunnel. All she could see and smell was the ocean. She figured out how to unhinge the grate so she could hang her legs out of the tube and just stare at the water. She listened to the seagulls and the commotion coming from some docks nearby. Eventually she snuck a sleeping bag, pillows, and blankets to her 'quiet place' and often slept there at night.
Leo of course had noticed her absence. They all had. Given Splinter's withdrawn behavior, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey chose not to confront her on her whereabouts, but Leo had to know. She was hanging out with Donnie when he decided to ask.
"Hey Lina, could I talk to you for a sec?" He asked.
"Yeah sure." She jumped down from Donnie's desk and walked over to Leo.
After ensuring Donnie couldn't hear them, Leo quietly asked "I know you've been sneaking off most nights and I don't blame you, but I thought you were gonna tell me when you were leaving."
"I know Leo but I'm almost nineteen now and as much as I respect you, I don't need your permission to leave." She answered him with a slight attitude. She crossed her arms.
"Whoa hey you don't need to get snippy." He said with his hands up.
"I'm not snippy." She said annoyed. "It's not like I'm gone for days at a time."
"No, I know, I just…."
"Just what, Leo?" She quickly snapped back at him. "Just want to keep me on a leash?! Coz you never approach Raph when he goes out alone."
Leo took a step back to show her he wasn't looking for a fight. "I'm sorry, Lina. I didn't mean to upset you." He gently touched her hand and lowered his voice to ensure Donnie couldn't hear him. "I just miss you when you're gone, and I worry."
Wide-eyed and gob smacked, Alina didn't know what to say. She looked down at his hand touching hers, then back up to his eyes. She cleared her throat and changed her tune to a nicer one. "Thank you, Leo. I'm sorry for my attitude." She curled her fingers around his. "I'm fine, really." She placed her other hand on his shoulder to comfort him, retracted her hand from his and walked out of the lab.
Leo watched after her as she left, perhaps a little too long. He then turned to Donnie who was not looking at his computer anymore. Leo realized Donnie had been watching them. Sighing, he walked over to his brother. Donnie stayed seated and waited for Leo to say something, but Leo was silent, not knowing what to say.
"Okay. I didn't hear anything, but I know how to read body language, Leo." Donnie started. "What's going on, bro?" He asked.
"I just worry about her, D." Leo answered as he looked towards the lab door. "Splinter's actions really hurt her, and she's been so quiet and… not home." He turned back to Donnie.
"I know. I see it too. All we can do is be there for her and trust her. She's older now and has been coming home regularly, so wherever she's going must be somewhere safe." Donnie fell silent for a few seconds and carefully thought about his next sentence. "She's right though, you don't drill Raph on his nightly outings."
Leo raised an eyebrow at this.
"Okay, maybe I heard a few things." Donnie confessed. He stood up and put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Do you have feelings for her?" He asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Leo asked ashamed.
"Body language, bro." Donnie replied with a smile.
"You're not mad?"
"Why would I be mad?!" Donnie said a little taken back. "Alina has always treated me, Raph, and Mikey like brothers but with you, she's different. When you guys train together, it's not like a brother/sister match. It's more Yin and Yang moving in sync with each other. It's quite a spectacle to watch." Donnie realized what he said. "Not that I watch, just that I've caught glimpses, heh heh."
Leo sighed and put his head in his hands. "What am I gonna do? If Splinter finds out that I have feelings for her, he's gonna freak!"
"Then don't let him find out." Donnie answered.
Leo lifted his head to look at his brother and smiled. "Thanks, D." He patted Donnie's hand on his shoulder and turned to leave. He then stopped and turned back to Donnie. "Oh, and maybe let's keep this between us?"
"No problem." Donnie said with a thumbs up.
Leo pondered over his feelings for days after that. They got stronger with every patrol they did. When they weren't fighting the Purple Dragons or some other goons, he found himself staring at her and would quickly snap out of it, hoping that Mikey hadn't caught on to it. Raph would often continue his evenings with Casey instead of going home with them after patrol and Alina decided she would do the same this time.
"Okay guys, I'll see you later." She announced as she walked towards the end of the rooftop they stood upon.
Trying not to sound desperate, Leo spoke up. "Okay, uh, be safe. Will you be coming home later?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure yet." She answered before she spread her wings and lifted herself into the cool, crisp air.
Leo watched her fly until her figure disappeared, then realized Donnie and Mikey had left him behind. He really didn't want to go home just yet; his mind was racing, and he felt like he could run a bunch of marathons at that point in time. Instead, he walked over to an AC unit and plunked himself on the floor, leaning against it. He hung his head in defeat and rubbed at his temples.
His T-Phone signaled a text. It was from Donnie. "You okay?"
He texted his brother back. "Yeah, just stayed behind to think."
Donnie simply sent a thumbs-up emoji back.
Leo sat there for a good hour in complete silence. He tried to meditate but should have known better with the 'City That Never Sleeps'. A female voice suddenly spoke up and he was so startled that he jumped up, drew his Katana, and took a defensive stance against…. "April?!"
"Whoa there, ninja." She said sarcastically with her hands up. "Put the blades down and no one gets hurt."
"Jeez you almost had me out of my shell!" He relaxed and put his swords away, feeling a little embarrassed at his reaction. He looked behind her, then around the rooftop. "You alone?" He asked.
"Yeah… Donnie may have asked me to check on you." She said sheepishly. She moved to sit against the AC unit and patted the floor next to her, signaling Leo to do the same.
Leo sank down next to her with a sigh. "Did Donnie tell you?" He said with a little annoyance.
"Tell me what?" April said.
Leo knew his genius brother better than that! Donnie was the quiet one and never spilled gossip about anyone. He mentally slapped himself for thinking he would tell April.
April spoke again. "He just told me you were a little down and could use a friend."
That sounded more like Donnie. Leo smiled. "I think we're all a little down, April."
"True, but I see what Donnie means. You're definitely a little more down." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders next to her. "Wanna talk about it?"
Leo knew he could trust April with anything. He also knew she and Alina were close friends which could be an advantage or a really big disadvantage. April could help their possible relationship or unknowingly ruin it along with her own friendship. He growled and buried his head in his hands again.
April simply sat with Leo and gently rubbed her hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to talk; I like sitting in silence too. I cherish silence these days since Casey can't keep his mouth shut!" She heard Leo chuckle at that statement which made her smile.
After about twenty minutes of silence and April had moved her arm from Leo's shoulders and almost fallen asleep against the AC unit, Leo finally spoke up. "Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it. I think I'm falling for Lina." He scrunched up his face in preparation for the slap… but it didn't come. He opened one eye to see if it was still coming but only saw April smiling at him. He opened both eyes and relaxed his face. "Is it so wrong?!" He asked her.
"No, it's not wrong, Leo. You were raised as siblings but you're not actual siblings." April told him. "I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for you two, or at least one of you to realize it."
"What? How do you mean?" Leo asked.
"Body language." April stated.
Embarrassed, Leo hid his face again. "Gawwwwddd, I'm such an idiot! Lina must think I'm a fool!"
"Lina hasn't said one word to me about it." April said. "I thought she'd be the first but here we are." She gestured to herself and Leo.
"Please tell me no one else has noticed my dumbass body language!" Leo said.
"No way. Raph and Casey are too headstrong to notice anyone else but themselves, and Mikey is too head-weak to know what body language is." They both laughed at this statement. "Despite being a ninja, that turtle is oblivious to his surroundings." She ended. "Don't worry, Leo. Donnie and I are the only ones that have caught on. I can't speak for Splinter since I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks."
Smile quickly fading, Leo said, "Yeah, he rarely leaves his room anymore. We haven't had a training session in 4 days now. That's the longest we've ever gone without one. He's driven everyone away April, and I'm sorry for that."
"The night is darkest before the dawn, Leo. He will come back to us." She comforted.
"What do I do about Lina?" He asked.
"Tell her how you feel." April said softly. "Lina has been so misplaced by Splinter that she is blind to love right now. A father cast out his daughter and although it is unintentional, it has really messed with her to where she feels she doesn't belong anymore. She's told me she hates to show weakness and doesn't feel comfortable talking to her brothers about it. She feels as though she needs to go out on her own now, but she really has nowhere to go. As you know, being a mutant has its disadvantages. She needs you now more than ever, Leo."
Leo felt extreme heartache at this. He stood up and offered his hand to help April up too. "Okay, I'll do it." He told her.
April gave him a hug. "Bring my happy Lina back."
Raph and Mikey sat in the pit watching a movie when Splinter emerged from the dojo. Leo was behind him but played no part in bringing him out of his room. Splinter saw the computer screen lights flashing from the lab and knew his tallest son was in there. He looked for his daughter, but she wasn't in sight.
"My sons, where is your sister?" He spoke.
They hadn't heard his voice for so long that it made Raph and Mikey jump. Leo knew she wasn't home but came up with a quick fib for her absence. "She's with April, Master Splinter. I think they're having a 'girl's night' at her house."
Donnie, having heard his father's voice, emerged from the lab. "Sensei. It's good to see you." He told him.
"My sons, I have neglected you all for far too long and for that, I am sorry." Splinter said ashamed. "I got too involved in Miwa's predicament that I forgot the rest of my family." He hung his head.
Raph and Mikey walked up to Splinter along with Leo and Donnie. Mikey wrapped his father figure in a hug. "We've missed you, sensei." He muffled into his robe.
Splinter returned the hug and gestured for his other sons to join. "Please forgive my arrogance, my sons."
Leo, Raph, and Donnie reluctantly and slowly joined the hug. Leo kept it quick and as he retracted, he said, "Sensei, not to make the subject worse but Alina has been the most affected of your… situation." He chose his word carefully.
"Yeah, she's been very quiet, not joining in with anything and overall is just sad." Raph added.
"I treated her poorly and very much punished her for my loss in Miwa. I was so very wrong to upset her the way I did. I will wait for her to return this evening." Splinter replied.
Leo had to expand on his fib. "Uh, well you might be waiting a while. I think she's staying the night at April's."
"Very well. Tomorrow then." Splinter looked at the TV. "Perhaps I could join you for a movie?" He asked.
"Duh! What took you so long?" Mikey said. "Wait, forget I said that." He said grinning. "I've got your spot already set up, sensei."
"I'll get the popcorn." Leo said.
After the movie, Splinter retired to his room. Donnie went into his lab, no doubt to stay up all night with some project, Raph and Mikey went to their rooms, and Leo went to his room. After a while, Leo snuck out of his room and checked that Raph and Mikey were indeed asleep.
When he was sure that they were, he moved towards the lab and peeked in. Donnie was still awake but in a deep computer trance. Leo left him alone and went to the pit. He waited for Alina to return. He waited and waited and eventually fell asleep on the pit couch.
Alina returned in the early morning hours. She often came back at this time to avoid talking to anyone and she would retire to her room and sometimes act like she'd been there all night. As she flew over the turnstiles, she immediately saw Leo asleep on the couch and gently touched down on the ground.
"Shit." She whispered.
She looked towards the lab which was no longer emitting any light. She lightly walked up to Leo and stood above him. Memories of them sparring together came flooding in and what she hadn't noticed then, suddenly became evident. He taught her so much, they all did but Leo taught differently, caring, gentle but a tough kind of gentle. She realized he always looked at her with a different kind of love, more of an adoration that only got stronger the older they became. She looked him over as he slept. His muscles, his strength, physical and emotional impressed her. She imagined him carrying her effortlessly, holding her tight against him, breathing softly against her neck, running his strong hands slowly down her back tracing her spine with his fingers, gently grabbing her around her lower waist and hoisting her onto his hips….
She snapped out of her fantasy and realized how damn creepy she was being and then became disgusted with herself. She quickly ran to her room and shut the door quietly. She leant up against the door panting, but not from running.
"Shit." She whispered again.
Leo awoke to the smell of brewing tea. He got up from the couch and entered the kitchen to find Master Splinter at the kettle. "Good morning, sensei." He greeted.
"Good morning, Leonardo." Splinter said as he turned to face his eldest. "I noticed you were not sleeping in your room. Is everything alright, my son?"
"Hai, sensei. I couldn't sleep so I came out to watch some TV." Leo lied not wanting to mention anything about Alina.
"Very well. Gather your siblings for training in one hour. And please call your sister to come home." Splinter asked.
Leo bowed and exited the kitchen to wake his brothers. As he passed into the bedroom corridor, he sensed that Alina's room was occupied. He gently knocked on her door. "Lina?" He quietly asked as he opened it. He peeked in and saw she was asleep in her bed. He walked in and stood by her bedside admiring her. He slowly knelt and put a hand on her arm to wake her. "Lina. It's time to wake up." He informed her.
Alina stirred awake and turned to see Leo smiling at her. It was so warm and loving. She felt his touch on her arm which sent tingles to her throat, and she felt it tighten. Rather than clearing her throat, she gave him a smile back. "Good morning." She said softly.
"You're becoming very stealthy. I had no idea you came home." Leo said with a chuckle.
"The student has become the teacher." She answered with a small giggle. She put her hand on his and squeezed slightly. For a moment, they stayed like this, looking into each other's eyes. Leo put his other hand on her cheek and gently rubbed her silky, smooth skin. She couldn't move she was so numb. His touch paralyzed her, making her weak, making her succumb to him in anyway he'd like.
Leo forgot to breathe and took a deep breath in. "We need to talk about this." He said in a nice way. He didn't want her to feel like it would be a 'bad talk'.
"Mmm-hmm." She agreed.
"I'm gonna go wake up the others. Master Splinter is training us this morning." He said happily.
"He is?" She responded a little surprised. She sat up now and stretched.
"Yes. I think he's back to his old self." Leo reported. "See you in the dojo." He got up and moved to the door, turning back to look at her before he closed it. "Kireina."
She blushed as he shut her door and became breathless herself. She was indeed falling for Leonardo and couldn't stop it now that he shared the same feelings.
She entered the dojo, followed by Donnie and Mikey. As she sat next to Leo, Raph sluggishly entered and sat down with a groan.
Donnie was high on coffee and ready to go. Mikey had a full stomach and was play punching Leo, getting rowed up. Master Splinter exited his room and laid eyes on his sons, then his daughter. "Alina, please stand." He requested.
Nervous, she slowly stood and kept her head down in respect.
Splinter walked up to her and knelt in front of her on both knees. The Turtles were silent with wide eyes and dropped mouths. This was a sight they had never seen before.
Alina nervously looked at Leo, then back down at Splinter. "S..Sensei?"
"My daughter. You are my youngest child. My beautiful kunoichi. So talented and loving. I am so proud of who you have become. Yet I treated you so very badly. I cast you out in my selfish behavior over the loss of Miwa. I forgot about you." He reached up and took her hands in his. "Can you forgive me?" He then bowed his head to her.
Almost in shock and frozen solid, Alina didn't know what to do or say. Her master kneel before her begging for her forgiveness and confessing his sins to her was so out of the ordinary that even her brothers were at a loss. Still, Splinter was truly sorry, and he was trying to move forward now and that meant the world to her.
She tightened her grip on his hands and moved them up, signaling for him to stand up. Once he stood, she looked him in his eyes. "There is nothing to forgive, father." She let go of his hands and wrapped him in a hug. It felt so good to feel his fur again.
On the verge of tears, Splinter hugged her back. "I am sorry, my child."
Training went well that morning. Splinter pushed them hard, but they welcomed it, especially when Mikey would make a game of it. After training, they all spent time with Donnie in his lab. He had made some tweaks to their flying machines so they could keep up with Alina. She doubted they could but chose to keep that to herself.
Later in the day, Alina sat on the couch reading a book when she was pulled away by Leo walking up to her. "Care if I join you?" He asked with his own book in hand.
She smiled at him and simply patted the spot next to her.
He got comfortable next to her and opened his book.
Donnie came out of his lab and observed his surroundings; Raph was beating up on his training dummy and Mikey was setting up the video game console. Mikey saw Donnie watching him and excitedly asked, "D! Wanna play?" He held up his Super Mary Girls game.
Donnie smiled then rolled his eyes. "Mikey, video games are so bad for the brain, especially the way you play them. Did you know that the effects of some video games have been known to cause seizures in some people?"
Raph stopped beating his dummy and turned to walk over to Mikey. "Don't worry, Mikey. I'll play with ya. Sounds like Donnie is too scared to lose." He teased his genius brother.
"Hey! I'm not scared! I can beat you both. It just takes me time to get used to the controls, Raph!" Donnie took a seat next to his red and orange-banded brothers and picked up a controller.
When the games began and they got really into it, not moving his eyes from his book, Leo moved a hand over Alina's. She smiled and grabbed it, rubbing her thumb against his. They kept their hands down by their sides so the other three couldn't see.
That night, Leo waited for her by the turnstiles. He knew she would leave to wherever she was hiding at night. He kept out of sight on the other side of the exit. He saw Raph leave for his nightly run with Casey and this time, Mikey went with him.
Alina soon ventured over the turnstiles and started her trek to her new favorite place. Leo waited, then followed. She wasn't flying this time, so it was easy for him to hear her footsteps. She made several turns into tunnels he hadn't been through before. When her footsteps ceased, he peeked around the corner of the last tunnel to find her opening the grate. He saw her little setup of a makeshift bed with pillows padded up against the walls. Alina bent down to light a candle, let her hair down, then settled down on the edge of the tunnel, looking out at the horizon.
"So, this is where you go every night." Leo spoke softly so as not to startle her.
Not startled at all, she simply turned her head to him and smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to follow me here. It's been what, three weeks I've been coming here?"
"You knew I was following you?" Leo said as he walked into the tunnel.
Alina patted a spot next to her, signaling him to sit with her. "Remember, the student has become the teacher?" She reminded him. She put her hands behind her on the ground and leant back on them to support her weight. "I saw you leaving the lair before Raph and Mikey left. I figured you were going to follow me."
"And that's why you didn't fly. Smart. I gotta work on my stealth." He said with a chuckle and mentally slapping himself at the same time. He looked out at the ocean in front of them. "I can see why you come here. It's so peaceful." The moonlight shone against the small waves running in the water. The only sound was them slightly crashing against the small rocks below their feet.
"Just before the sun comes up, I fly around this little cove. No one is around, not even the birds. Sometimes I even go for a little swim." Alina said as her eyes got lost in the waves.
"I have something for you." Leo said as he reached into his belt behind him.
She watched as he presented a holster for her Tanto that he gave her years ago. She gasped at it. "Oh… Leo! I love it!" She carefully took it from his hands. He had stitched the same Hamato logo in pink thread against the black leather sheath. She pulled out her Tanto and it was a perfect fit. "Thank you!"
"I added a little something extra on the back." He said and as he turned the sheath around in her hands, he presented the wording he had added on the back. It read 'Forever Together' in white thread.
She was speechless. She could only look at him with the immense gratitude she felt.
Leo saw the moonlight reflect off her bright pink eyes, if he looked hard enough, he could see they had waves of their own. Her pink body marks glimmered against the moon, something he had never paid attention to until now. He turned on his knees to face her. "Lina, I can't stop my feelings for you. I've always loved you but what I feel now is so much more and it doesn't feel quite right but not wrong either." He put his hand on her arm and started stroking her skin. "Everything about you lights me up. I think, I think I'm… falling in love with you." He confessed. He looked down in hopes she wouldn't reject him.
Alina turned to him and lifted his chin so that their eyes met. "I'm falling in love with you too." Both relieved and happy, he moved his hand from her arm and cupped her cheek. He slowly leant towards her, and she followed. Their lips met and they both inhaled sharply through their noses. That kiss felt like it lasted a thousand years. Her hair fell to the side and Leo ran his fingers through it. Each strand felt like a soft electric current pulsed through it and he soon felt it running down his spine.
They pulled apart, slightly catching their breath. He stared into her eyes deeply, like he was trying to reach her soul and she allowed him, wanting him to find her and make her whole. He placed his other hand on her other cheek and leaned in again and she wrapped her arms around his neck doing the same. Their second kiss was more intense and just as loving. None of them wanted it to stop. He moved his hands down her sides slowly, his fingertips caressed her skin, giving her goosebumps and she inhaled sharply again. She moved to sit on his lap, then parted her lips from his, looking at his expression to make sure he was okay with it.
A little unsure of himself, he allowed it. He moved his hands to her other cheeks now. They were so soft, yet tight. He couldn't squeeze them; they were too perfect to do that. So, he rubbed circles around them. She leaned in for another kiss which he gladly accepted. She too ran her hands slowly down his sides caressing his plastron with her thumbs as she descended. He pulled back to catch his breath from the new, most pleasurable feeling coming from his erection. He looked at her as he gently panted. "Are you sure?" He asked her.
The excitement she felt in her chest rose and spoke for her. "Yes." She whispered through a smile. She reached behind her and guided one of his hands around her hip to the front and let go hoping he'd know what to do next. He obliged and ran his fingers down. He nervously kissed her again trying to plan his next move since this was his very first time exploring the female anatomy down there. He had of course read about it and seen pictures, he remembered the infamous clitoris and its location. He used his finger to gently find it and applied pressure in a circular motion earning a moan from his partner as she pulled her lips off his to get some air. She watched his face as she pulled out his member and began stroking it slowly, making him close his eyes and emit a moan of his own through faster panting. "Oh God, that feels amazing!" He said as he opened his eyes to look at her. He then moved his other finger and teased her entrance while still rubbing circles above it. He could feel the wetness dripping from her which only made his erection throb harder. He began to put his finger inside her but only slightly, then pulled out, then back in, then back out. Her slick lube now dripping from his finger only made him want to go further. He began to gently rock her hips with his other hand still on her buttock moving in sync with his fingers.
Moaning wildly and trying not to lose herself, Alina used her hands to remove her top, exposing her beautiful breasts to him. They were at the perfect height for his face, and he stopped rocking her to trace his hand on one of them. They were incredible, so soft and supple and he planted a light kiss on her hard nipple. She couldn't take it anymore and pulled his hand away from her pulsing hole back to her buttock. "I'm ready." She then paused to look him in the eye. "Are you sure?" She asked him.
"Oh, yes." He answered. He put his other hand back on her other buttock and pulled her into him. Being a mutant gave him the incredible advantage of a large member and right now, it was rock hard and leaking pre-cum, looking for its penetrable area. Leo lifted her over his member and used a hand to guide him into her. He couldn't keep his eyes open as they rolled back into his head, the sheer pleasure was almost too much. Her slick lube allowed an amazingly smooth entry and her tight, ribbed walls hugged him perfectly. He slowly let her sit down on him until he was as far in as he could go. When he hit her end, he could feel her tighten around him when she moaned in ecstasy. His lungs forced air in and out trying to keep up with the adrenaline now rushing through him and he couldn't help but let his own moan escape his mouth.
As he entered her, the tingling feeling multiplied, and it was as if her body opened for him by itself. She had no control of it nor the sounds that escaped her lips. She moved her hands to cup the back of his neck to steady herself from rocking backwards off him. The further he made it, the harder the pulsing got for her. She could feel his tip swell against her end when he hit it. She was all the way down on him now and wrapped her legs around him. She started to rock against her will, her body knew what it was supposed to do, and she let it take over.
Leo could feel his tip sliding against her end as she rocked against him. Her soft, slippery, cushion-like end bounced against him as her ribbed walls tightened and released over and over again. He leaned up for a kiss to help slow himself down. She kissed him back with so much passion that he could feel her heart pounding against his plastron. Before he could control it, his member began to throb ten-fold. "Oh, no… Lina…" He whispered through his panting. "I'm gonna…"
"Me too!" She whined as she threw her head back. Her walls suddenly closed in on him and pulsated many times creating an ecstatic lightning bolt all the way up her body.
Once her walls clamped down on him, that was it. "Gahhrrrggghhh." He moaned loudly as he placed his forehead on her chest and panted through the multiple shots cumming from his tip against her end. The perfectly warm sensation exploding from his member sent electric tingles down his legs and up into his chest, making him gasp for air against her breasts. Their bodies tensed in unison for a glorious unknown amount of time until the ecstasy subsided, and they relaxed once more.
She let her head rest on his shoulder as he let her slide off him. He kissed her neck whilst catching his breath and wrapped his arms around her body, never wanting to let go. He let them fall onto the sleeping bag and pillows she had made, making sure not to hurt her as they landed. Laying down, they looked at each other. Their breathing had almost normalized, and Alina let out a small chuckle. "That was the most amazing feeling I've ever felt."
He stared into her eyes once more and chuckled back. "I have no words." He smiled.
She laid her head on his plastron. "What do we do now?" She asked.
"I don't know but I never want to let go." Leo answered.
They soon fell asleep together as the moon and the stars watched over them.
Leo stirred to the sound of birds, seagulls in particular. All he could smell was Alina and the ocean, a perfect combination to him. He felt for his lover but came up empty handed. He opened his eyes. The sun was barely peeking above the ocean, and he saw Alina surfing the air in the pink hue. Some birds were flying with her. Leo moved to hang his legs over the edge of the tunnel and smiled as he watched her. She suddenly drew her wings back behind her and dived into the water hardly creating a ripple as she disappeared beneath the surface. She came back up and flung her long, pink hair over her head making a short but beautiful rainbow.
As she floated peacefully, she watched the sun begin to rise. She turned to the tunnel and saw Leo looking at her. She smiled and waved at him, and he returned the wave. She then brought her large wings out of the water and began to flap them to lift herself out and back into the air. She soared over to Leo who made room for her to enter the tunnel. She walked past him and grabbed a towel from a stack she kept next to her sleeping area and started drying herself off. She noticed Leo's eyes were pasted on her body and chuckled. "What are you looking at?" She said cutely.
"How unbelievably perfect you are." Leo said as he stood up and walked to her.
He cupped her face and rubbed her cheeks in complete adoration and leant in for a kiss. She accepted, giving him a hug.
"You're so beautiful." He told her when they finished their kiss.
She blushed and smiled. "Thank you." She ran her hands up his arms, feeling the outline of each tough muscle, then descended his arms and down his sides making him close his eyes.
"I just cannot resist you." He said as he picked her up and wrapped her legs around him, grabbing her ass softly. He kissed her again and they fell into another passionate love-making session.
After another ecstatic and further bonding orgasm together, Leo lowered her to the ground. "I could stay here with you forever… but we should probably head home. Training starts soon." He nuzzled his face into her neck taking in her mesmerizing scent. How was he supposed to focus on anything else?
"Mmmm… I don't want to. But you're right." She loved feeling his breath on her neck, it made her melt, completely under his control.
He pulled back trying to get some self-control. "Okay. Want to go ahead and I'll follow about ten minutes behind?" He asked.
"Ugh… I hate hiding secrets. But I know we have to hide this one. I'll go ahead and say I was with April." She agreed. "What will you say?"
"Early morning rooftop run." He told her.
"Okay." She smiled and finished drying herself off. "I smell like salt." She said laughing.
"You smell amazing. All I smell is bliss." He sighed when he realized Alina had mentioned April's name. "April and Donnie know I have feelings for you." He admitted.
She was a little surprised by this. "Well, I know they won't say anything. Better them than Raph or Mikey." Then she stammered. "I mean, not that I don't trust Raph or Mikey. Raph would just be super angry, and Mikey would be so loud that the whole city would know! Oh my God, I hope Casey doesn't know… and Splinter!"
Leo grabbed her hands to calm her down. "Hey… hey… don't worry. April knows better than to tell Casey. And I know you love our brothers and I agree that they don't need to know. April and Donnie won't say anything." He reassured her.
She exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Okay, okay, thanks Leo."
She turned to leave the tunnel, then quickly returned to kiss him again. Then she laughed and told him, "Okay, I'm going. See you at home."
Leo watched her exit the tunnel. 'She's so fucking cute.' He thought to himself. He then turned around and closed the grate. He tidied up her makeshift bed and left after her to return home.
Alina peeked over the turnstiles, the coast was clear, and she made a beeline for the shower. She got lucky again when she went to her bedroom to get dry and dressed for morning training.
Leo wasn't so lucky. He hadn't seen Donnie exit his lab when he went to take a shower and almost bumped into him. "Whoa Donnie, sorry about that." He said backing away from his brother.
Donnie could smell it instantly and his eyes became wide. He pulled Leo into his lab and shut the door. "Dude! Leo, what are you thinking?! You reek of pheromones!" Donnie informed him.
Leo was thankful he ran into Donnie instead of anyone else. At least Donnie knew. Well, he didn't know they'd had sex until now. "That's why I'm trying to get to the shower, Don. Mind covering for me?"
Donnie sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure." As he walked towards the lab door again, he put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Leo, you sure you know what you're doing? You both need to understand the potential consequences should Master Splinter find out… and Raph… and Mikey." He added.
Leo got defensive. "I'm counting on you not to say anything, Don."
"It's not me talking that you should be worried about, Leo. Just the smell alone is enough to tell everyone. You guys need to take care of that before you come home." Donnie told Leo. He then had a thought that slightly worried him. "You are being careful, right?"
"Careful?" Leo asked.
"You know… protection?" Donnie reiterated.
"Uh… yes. From now on."
Donnie palmed his face in his hand. "Leo! You know better than that!"
"Heat of the moment, D. It won't happen again."
"It better not." Donnie released his hold on Leo and opened the lab door. He looked out and saw Raph moping towards the kitchen. No sign of Mikey or Splinter. He signaled to Leo as he approached the kitchen to distract Raph and Leo ran to the bathroom.
The day continued like a regular day. No one suspected anything that Leo could tell, although Donnie kept sending him concerned looks here and there.
They all left for evening patrol and met up with Casey and April. Although the two were officially dating, Donnie got between them as much as he could which proved to be a useful distraction from Leo and Alina. Whenever they could, they would stay behind the group and hold hands or sneak a quick kiss. Thankfully, they were almost caught by April who simply smiled slyly at them and mouthed the words 'be careful' as she pointed at Casey, Raph, and Mikey.
Alina and April went off alone a few rooftops over but made sure to stay in sight of the guys. April made sure they weren't in earshot and turned to her best friend. "Tell. Me. Everything!" She said sitting down and patting the ground next to her.
Alina laughed and sat down next to April. "I don't kiss and tell… but I will say that I've never been happier in my life." She leant back on her hands and looked up at the stars. "How have I missed his signals all these years?!"
April laughed. "He is so in love with you. Do you feel the same?" She asked.
"Definitely." Alina answered.
"So… uh… I know you said you don't kiss and tell and all, but I have to ask… have you guys…had sex?" She asked carefully as she looked behind her at the guys, who were wrestling.
Alina smiled and said nothing.
April gasped which made Alina start laughing. "No way!" April said playfully punching Alina in her arm.
"Oh, come on! Like you and Casey haven't done it." Alina countered.
Their late nights away from the lair became a regular thing. The passion ran so high, it was hard to say 'no'. They stuck by Alina sleeping at April's and Leo doing some early morning training and thankfully, no one was up and about by the time they made it home. Except Donnie and despite his warnings that they needed to 'back off a little', 'take it slow', 'be more careful', etc, they just couldn't stop. The thrill and excitement of their hidden secret made it that much more worth it. They fell harder for each other after every night.
It didn't take long for Raphael to catch on that something was different between them. After they had come home, showered, etc, they would have 'close' spars during morning training. Perhaps a little too close. They would always sit together, whisper, giggle but it was when Raph caught them holding hands when they thought no one could see them, that he decided to confront Leo.
After morning training, Raph sat down in the pit with a comic book, and he peered over the top of it to watch Leo and Alina. They stood by her bedroom door, but he couldn't hear what they were talking about. She eventually went inside, and he went to his bedroom. He came out seconds later with a book and sat down in the pit to read.
Raph spoke up from behind his comics. "So, you wanna tell me what's going on between you two?"
Leo looked over at Raph. "Huh?" He asked.
"Between you and Alina. You know, our sister!" Raph now dropped his comic book and met eyes with Leo. "You didn't think anyone would notice you? I saw you holding hands with her, Leo."
Leo sighed. He'd been caught and he hated lying to his family. He got up and sat next to Raph but didn't know what to say.
Raph waited for Leo to talk but got agitated when nothing came out. "Ugh, just tell me what's going on!" His brows began to furrow in annoyance.
"It's… it's none of your business." Leo panicked.
Raph grabbed Leo by his shell and threw him on the ground. He knelt on his plastron and used his forearm to hold Leo down by his neck. "I said… tell me!" He gritted his teeth.
Leo got mad now. He tried to overthrow his brother but Raph, being the strongest, had the upper hand. "Back off, Raph!" He managed to get an arm loose and socked his brother in his jaw making him fall to the side. Leo stood above Raph. "What I do is my business. What Lina does is her business. I don't go prying in your business, nor Mikey's, nor Donnie's. We respect each other in this family." He said with the older brother tone.
Raph lunged at Leo's legs from the ground, and they tussled, trying to overpower one another. Punches were thrown, jaws were kicked and Raph was able to get Leo in a chokehold. "She's our fucking sister, Leo! What are you thinking?! Are you sleeping with her?!" He said through angry, clenched teeth.
Leo reached behind Raph's neck and grabbed his shell and yanked him forward, releasing the hold Raph had on him. He brought Raph's arm behind his shell and pulled upwards, making him grunt. He leant down to his brother's head. "I love her, Raph. That's all you need to know." Leo released his hold.
Raph scrambled to sit up and turned to face his brother. They were both panting from the fight and Raph's expression turned from anger to sadness, maybe a little disgust as well. "I can't believe you! Mr. Almighty. Splinter Junior. The one who never breaks the rules is fucking her!" He pointed to Alina's room.
Leo looked up to find Alina standing behind Raph, arms crossed with a furious look on her face. "Lina!" He said shocked.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" She demanded. She had heard enough.
Raph stood up and turned to her. "So, you're dating our brother now, huh?"
She kicked Raph in the chest and sent him flying backwards. "Even if I were, it's none of your fucking business!" She yelled.
Raph got up and yelled. "Why him?!" He pointed at Leo. "Why not me, or Donnie, or Mikey? Why did it have to be any of us?! There are other mutants out there! But no, you'd rather choose to destroy your own family!"
"Love doesn't choose, Raphael! Leo and I didn't exactly plan this out to hurt anyone. It just happened!" Panicked tears were welling up now that their secret was out.
Leo walked over to her and hugged her. "It's okay. It'll be okay." He calmly told her.
Seeing his brother embrace his sister only made him angrier. "I can't believe you two! This is so wrong! How could you do this?!"
Raph's yelling only drew attention to their location and soon Master Splinter, Donnie, and Mikey had joined them in the pit. Donnie kept his distance as he feared the worst.
"What is going on in here?!" Master Splinter bellowed.
"Sensei! Leo and Lina are a couple!" Raph told Splinter as he pointed at them.
Hurt by his brother's tattle, Leo looked at Alina, smiled sadly, and held her hand. He then turned to look at Splinter. "It's true, sensei. I do love her. Please don't punish her, only me." He let go of Alina's hand and walked over to Splinter and knelt before him.
Splinter looked at Alina. "My daughter, is this true?" He asked her.
"Yes... father. I love him as well." She bowed her head and when Splinter returned his gaze to Leo, she glared an evil stare at Raph who just crossed his arms.
"Leonardo, have you and your sist… Have you and Alina, consorted?" He calmly asked his eldest.
Embarrassed but not willing to lie, Leo told the truth. "Hai… sensei." He couldn't bow his head any lower if he tried.
Splinter's brow furrowed in great anger. The image of his youngest child, his daughter, lying in bed with his oldest son shook him to his core and he began to shake. "You have brought great shame to the Hamato clan!" Splinter drew his cane from his side. "You are a great disappointment and will suffer the consequences."
And right there, in the pit, Splinter attacked his star pupil. Leo attempted to defend himself but was taken down each time. Punches and kicks were thrown all over Leo's body and blood was drawn from multiple cuts. Alina screamed for her father to stop but her cries went unheard. Splinter used his cane to put Leo in a choke hold and spoke in his ear. "How dare you defile my daughter."
Leo choked out while trying to push the cane away. "Sensei, please… I'm sorry."
"Denounce your love for her!" Splinter ordered.
"Leo, do it!" Alina begged him.
"I… can't…" Leo tried to speak. He looked at Alina. "I… love… you." He told her as his eyes started to roll backwards.
Splinter let go before he went unconscious, leaving him coughing gasping for air on the ground. "I had many hopes for you!" He took his cane and brought it down on Leo's left leg and a sickening crack echoed throughout the lair as the bone snapped in two.
Leo buried his head in his forearm trying to muffle his scream and it was at this time that Raph realized what he'd done. Tears were falling hard from Leo's eyes as the pain only intensified when he tried to crawl away from his Master.
Alina ran for him. "Leo!" She called as she embraced him. She looked up at Splinter. "Stop it! Stop it, father! He's had enough." She pleaded.
Enraged once more, Splinter raised his cane in the air to strike them both. "Do NOT call me 'father'! You disgust me, both of you!"
Donnie had seen enough. He pulled at Splinter's arm. "Sensei, please, don't do this."
Mikey joined his purple-banded brother. "Yeah, sensei, please stop."
Alina used their distraction to start to heal Leo's leg, but once Splinter saw the familiar pink glow come from her hand, he spun and threw Donnie and Mikey off him and kicked at Alina's chest making her fly backwards at incredible speed. She hit her head on the pit ledge and fell unconscious.
Raph felt heartache at seeing this happen and he ran to her. He cradled her head. "Lina? Lina? Talk to me!" When he didn't get a response, he turned to Splinter and yelled over to him. "Sensei! Alina's hurt. Please stop."
Splinter looked over at Alina's limp body and ceased his attack. Although he was furious at her and Leonardo, he still saw his 'little girl' injured and it was enough to make him stop altogether. Panting from his attack, he looked at Donatello who lay in a lump on the floor with Mikey next to him. He pointed at Alina. "Donatello, Michelangelo, tend to her." He ordered.
"Hai, sensei." They said in unison. They ran over to Alina, picked her up and took her to the lab.
Raph went to follow them but was stopped by Splinter. "Do not think you did no harm here, Raphael. It is because of your jealously and temper that your brother and sister are injured." Splinter pointed at Leo who had managed to crawl a good distance away from him but was gasping through pained breaths. "You will stay with him until Alina can heal him." Splinter then walked to Leo. "And you! You have betrayed your clan. You are cast out of this family into exile." He turned to leave the pit. "Be ready to leave by nightfall." He added. Then he turned his head to his oldest son. "Alone!"
Splinter retired to his room, leaving Raph and Leo in the pit.
Raph looked at Leo's broken leg, then his bleeding wounds, then his wet face from tears. Speechless, he simply hung his head in shame.
Leo was still panting from the pain and trying to stop the tears from falling. When Raph said nothing, he let his forehead rest against the floor. "Are you…happy…now?" He asked Raph.
When she regained consciousness and learned of his exile, she let quiet tears fall as she decided her next move. She couldn't tear apart her brothers. She may be part of this family too, but they were all here before her and they needed to stay together. Brothers need each other. She would leave, not Leo.
Donnie and Mikey followed her to the pit towards a wounded Leo. He had been propped up by Raph who was trying to find the courage to apologize. She walked up to Leo and stroked his face, taking note of his injuries.
"Donnie." She said to her genius brother. "Remind me to keep breathing." She asked him and she began to heal Leo's broken leg.
Leo hissed when he felt pain. Why was there pain this time? He also felt great sadness in her touch. He reached up and placed a hand on her arm to comfort her, but she did not respond to his touch.
When she had finished with his leg, she began deep breathing and Mikey sat behind her just in case she fell backwards. Donnie sat next to her and put his arm over her shoulders. "Doing okay, Lina?" He asked her.
Once she was sure she wasn't going to pass out, she covered a deep gash on Leo's forearm that he still had placed on her own arm. "Yep. I'm fine." She answered short, trying to mentally sever her ties to her brothers.
"Lina?" Leo asked but she didn't look at him.
Once she was finished with the gash, she became nauseous and lightheaded and slightly fell backwards into Mikey who caught her.
"Keep breathing, slowly and deeply." Donnie told her as he too supported her weight.
She weakly forced herself upright and placed a hand over another wound and watched it glow again. After that one, she fell forward a little and Raph caught her. She was shaking now but managed to look up at him with sadness. She took a deep breath in and pushed him away, supporting herself with her other hand on the floor.
Leo had regained his strength now and stopped her hand from healing the remaining small cuts and scrapes. "That's enough now. I'm fine." He said as he tried to hold her hand that reached for his face.
"Don't…" She said as she quickly pulled her hand back to herself and she tried again, successful in healing his bruised jaw. After that she fell all the way down, completely exhausted. Leo caught her but she turned to Donatello. "Donnie…. Please…. Take me…. Away from…." She glanced up at Leo and Raph. "These two…" She panted through forced breathing.
Hurt and confused by her words, Leo reached for her hand again. "Lina?" She weakly pulled her hand away and wrapped it around Donnie's neck as he picked her up. "Lina!" He rose his voice thinking maybe she didn't hear him, but Donnie walked away with Mikey in tow, taking her to his lab again.
When the door was shut, Leo turned to look at Raph who only hung his head. "I'm… sorry, Leo." Raph apologized.
Leo stood up. "I have to start packing." He retired to his room.
Raph let a single tear fall before burying his face in his knees that he had pulled into himself.
She snuck out when Donnie was knocking at Leo's door and Mikey was trying to console Raph. She left a short letter to her family, begging Splinter to allow Leo to stay and permit her to take his place in exile. Once in the sewers, she flew as fast as she could to the nearest manhole cover and left her home behind.
She stood on the last rooftop before the ocean. A container ship's lights were on the horizon, no doubt on its way to Europe. She knew what to do now. The sky was clear, and the light of the moon would help her navigate the ocean until she needed to rest on the ship during the daytime. She slowly spread her wings out, looked at the city behind her sadly and took the stance to leap into the air.
She was forced to abort when a group of six airborne Kraang droids flew up from the ground to meet her. Startled, she fell back a little but caught herself and managed to get in a defensive stance.
One of the Kraang droids spoke up in that annoying monotone, robotic voice. "Kraang, it is the one known as experiment forty-three."
Another Kraang spoke up. "Kraang must capture experiment forty-three for Kraang Subprime."
"Oh shit!" Alina said as they began to surround her. She suddenly pictured her hot-headed brother and said to herself, "Not without a fight." She smiled as she launched herself into the air and began attacking the droids. She managed to rip off some mechanical wings, some robotic limbs, even a couple of heads. She laughed as she floated back down to the rooftop, watching the little pink brains scatter away. She turned to no-one as she forgot she was alone.
A signal must have been sent out because suddenly, a whole bunch more arrived, some flying and some not. "Okay, time to go." She told herself and as she went to fly off the rooftop, a dart embedded itself into her right wing. "Ow!" She cried. She brought her wing around and inspected the dart, watching the red liquid finish seeping into her skin before she could pull it out. "Well, that can't be good."
She threw the dart aside when two droids approached her with cattle prod-looking weapons, and she charged them. Her effort was severely decreased when she quickly experienced the effects of the red liquid. She fell forward before she could reach them, and they began to electrocute her. It didn't take her long to fall into unconsciousness. The last thing she saw were four metal feet approaching her and a dart in a hidden corner behind them.
As Leo made his way to the turnstiles with his bag, Donnie came running out of his lab with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Sensei!" He called as he ran towards the dojo.
"Donnie? What's wrong?" Leo asked. But Donnie kept running. Leo saw Raph and Mikey follow him into the dojo but chose to stay where he was. He was too ashamed to face Splinter again.
Splinter met his three sons in the dojo. "What is it my son?" He asked Donatello.
"Lina left a note, sensei." Donnie handed it to Splinter.
Splinter read the note:
'Father.
Please accept my apology for what happened. It was never my intent to hurt our family, but you should know that I do love Leonardo. You once told us that love is the most powerful energy in life that no evil could stop.
Leonardo does not deserve to be exiled and I am pleading you to allow him to stay. He is the stronghold of us all and I fear the clan will only fall apart more without him. I will take his place instead. I hope my absence helps heal these wounds I have made upon you all.
Love always,
Alina.'
Splinter lowered the paper in sadness. "It appears your sister has departed." He told his three sons standing in front of him. "Where is Leonardo?" He asked when he looked up at them.
"He's on his way out." Mikey responded.
Splinter walked towards the dojo exit. Once he saw his eldest son, he walked up to him. Donnie, Raph, and Mikey followed cautiously.
"My son." Splinter began.
Leo bowed his head.
"Do you truly love Alina?" Splinter asked.
Leo lifted his head and looked Splinter in the eyes. "Yes. Very much. I would do anything for her." He then looked at his brothers. "I would do anything for all of you." He added. He looked back at Splinter and knelt. "Please understand we couldn't fight the love that grew between us. Please forgive us. Please forgive me." He bowed his head once more.
Splinter sighed, then looked at his sons behind him. Donnie gave a pleading head nod. He turned back to Leonardo. "Alina has chosen to leave in your place." He told him.
Leo jumped up. "What?!"
Splinter handed Leo the letter she wrote. Leo read it quickly. "No. She can't do this! I have to find her!" Leo turned towards the turnstiles, ran, and jumped over them.
Splinter turned to his other sons. "Go with him."
"Hai sensei." They said and they ran after their leader.
"Leo! Where are we going?!" Mikey called after the blue-clad turtle. Leo was running so fast and was too far ahead to hear his brother's calls for him. He was panicking, fearing he was too late to stop her, but he knew exactly where to look.
"He seems to know where to go, Mikey. Let's just follow for now." Donnie answered the youngest.
Leo led them to the docks and stopped on a rooftop to look around. His brothers caught up to him, all panting.
"I don't think I've ever seen you run that fast before, bro!" Mikey told his brother.
"She loves the ocean." Leo simply said.
"Huh?" Raph asked.
Leo turned to his brothers. "Alina loves the ocean. If she was going to leave, it would be across the sea." He told them.
"Surely she can't fly across the Atlantic without a break?" Donnie thought out loud.
Leo turned back to the docks, then saw it. "The ships." He thought out loud.
Mikey came up next to Leo. "The ships?" He asked.
"She would have sought refuge on the ships during the day, then fly more at night." Leo concluded.
Raph hung his head. "She's probably already left by now." He said sadly.
Leo slumped to the floor and held his head in his hands, thinking the same.
Donnie sat down next to him and wrapped his arm over his shoulders. "Don't give up hope, Leo."
Leo looked at Donnie with a sad smile. Then looked at Mikey and Raph. "Guys, I'm so sorry."
Mikey went in for a hug. "We love you bro. And we'll find Alina. I don't know how but we'll find her."
"Yeah brother." Raph agreed.
They stayed in that spot for another five minutes before Leo stood to leave. "C'mon guys. No use staying here all night."
They followed him as he leapt to the next rooftop and before they jumped to the following rooftop, Mikey saw it. His extra ninja senses picked up the slightest glimmer in the moonlight in a dark corner on the roof. Curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate.
When Raph made it to the fourth rooftop, he looked behind him to make sure his little brother was close, and he came to a halt. "Leo, Donnie, Mikey's missing!" He announced.
Leo and Donnie turned around and ran to Raph. Leo drew his Katana. "MIKEY?" He called.
"MIKEY?" Raph joined in.
Donnie got out his night specs and peered through them. He scanned the rooftops until he saw the familiar turtle silhouette. "There he is. Come on."
When they reached Mikey, Leo replaced his weapons when he saw there was no threat. "Mikey, what are you doing?" He asked.
"Dudes, look." Mikey said as he held up the item that caught his eye. It was a dart.
Donnie moved forward and took the dart from Mikey's hands. He examined the needle tip that had a tiny drop of red liquid hanging on. "This is fresh." He reported.
"LEO!" Raph shouted from a few feet away.
Leo ran to Raph's side, and his heart sank when he saw what Raph had found. At his feet lay a mess of feathers belonging to Alina. She had clearly been in a struggle.
Donnie put two and two together. "She's been taken."
"By whom!" Leo said getting angry.
"Judging by the remnants of robotic pieces laying on the ground… the Kraang." Raph said as he looked over the edge of the rooftop. "She put up a fight. That's my girl!" He added with a small smile.
Donnie examined the dart. "TCRI." He said to Leo.
"That building is abandoned though." Mikey said.
"Or so we thought." Leo said. "Let's go check it out."
Hi brothers nodded in agreement, and they took off in search for Alina.
The building was indeed abandoned yet they searched every floor from top to bottom. Leo refused to believe she wasn't there.
"Leo, we gotta call it. She's not here. No one is!" Raph said as he walked up to his brother.
"Yeah dude and I'm tired!" Mikey whined.
Donnie finished scanning the floor with his infrared tech. "Raph's right, Leo. No one is here but us." He reported.
Leo sighed in defeat. "You guys can head home. I need to think." He told his brothers.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Leo." Donnie told him. "It's almost 1:00 am and Splinter's going to have a fit if we don't get home soon."
Raph put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "C'mon bro, let's think at home, yeah?"
"I can do a search for Kraang activity on April's blog." Donnie offered.
"Yeah, okay." Leo reluctantly agreed and followed his brothers home.
She woke in a haze. The room spun when she tried to open her eyes. She quickly shut them and scrunched them up tight. The remnants of a headache remained from the tranquilizer. She shook her head and tried opening her eyes again. The room didn't spin as much, and her eyesight became clearer. She tried to reach her head but found her hands had been bound to the cold, metal table she was strapped on. As were her feet. She lifted her head to get a better look of her surroundings. She lay in the middle of a classic metal and purple Kraang lab and was encircled by Kraang, some in droids, others in their stupid flying saucers as Mikey called them.
"Kraang. Experiment forty-three has awoken." The familiar voice spoke from behind her.
"It's about Kraangy time!" A different voice replied.
Alina gasped in fear. She had heard that voice before when she was very young. Every time his voice was heard, one of her friends was taken away, and never returned. The last time was when she was taken away but was rescued by Splinter.
"Experiment forty-three!" Kraang Subprime said as he approached her side. "It's been a long time!" He taunted.
She said nothing and simply stared at him in fear.
"Nothing to say, eh? That's a good thing. It means you remember me." He told her. He turned to his fellow Kraang. "Kraang! Let's begin the energy test." He ordered them.
She could just about see a Kraang droid turn a dial on a control pad. She then felt tingling in her wings and realized some leads had been attached to them. "What is this?" She asked as she started to struggle against her ties.
Kraang Subprime was viewing a screen that only Donnie could understand aside from the Kraang. He looked over at her body which was now glowing a very bright pink. "Excellent!" He yelled. "Kraang, stop the testing."
She felt the tingling go away. "What happened?!" She asked again.
Kraang Subprime returned to her side. "You, my dear, are part of a very important experiment I started over ten years ago! A total of fifty-three of you were created but only eight were successful. You were the last one I needed to complete my creation but then you went missing!" He rummaged through a drawer next to the table she was attached to and pulled out a syringe. "Now that I have you again, I can finish what I started all those years ago!"
"Wait, what is that? What are you doing?" Alina said looking at the syringe.
"Oh this? Just a mild sedative until I can get you ready for the big show." He jeered at her.
"WHAT BIG SHOW?! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ME?!" She shouted at him in pure fear. She had no hopes of calming herself down.
"Well, since it's your last day, I'll tell ya. Your energy source is the last I need to revive my second Kraang Prime! She will be our new leader and queen! Your energy, along with the other seven I have harvested will give her immortal powers. She will turn these pathetic humans into our slaves! She will be unstoppable and Kraang will be able to rule many worlds!" He gave an evil laugh, proud of himself. He then raised the syringe to her again. "Unfortunately for you, along with your fellow mutants, you will die from the lifeforce removal."
Her eyes went wide. She just learned that the Kraang had been killing her young childhood friends to create another massive Kraang leader, and she was next. She started to really struggle against her hold. "NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" She yelled at him.
The table began to shake from an unknown power to Kraang Subprime and her bonds began to loosen, allowing her to move more. "Okay, that's enough." He said as he plunged the syringe into her arm.
She could feel something different about her. She could almost feel the table below her obeying her order for it to fold. And then the drug kicked in. She stopped moving her limbs and wings and started gasping when she felt the heaviness hit her lungs. She couldn't keep her eyes open when the heaviness traveled to her head, and she fell unconscious yet again.
"Kraang! Get her outta here! Take her to the chamber!" Kraang Subprime ordered.
Leo paced impatiently in Donnie's lab but ceased when Splinter entered. He immediately bowed his head. "Sensei." He said as Splinter walked by him.
"Donatello, my son, have you found anything?" Splinter asked his genius son.
"I've got three solid places we can search that have shown Kraang activity in the last month." Donnie answered. He then left his desk for the city map on the wall and circled the locations on it.
"Very well." Splinter spoke. "Donatello and Leonardo will look here, in spot one." He said as he pointed to one location. "I will search in spot two." He pointed to another circle. "Michelangelo and Raphael search spot three." He turned to Donatello. "Donatello, call April and Casey to join us."
"Hai, sensei. Everyone have your phones on the ready. We need to be quick if one of us finds something and needs help." Donnie told them.
"Here, sensei, you can have mine." Mikey said as he offered his T-Phone to Splinter.
"If we do not find anything, I want you all to meet me here in two hours." Splinter ordered.
Mikey and Raph nodded and went to leave the lair.
Leo had remained silent for the entire conversation. He hated to admit it, but he was afraid of getting pummeled again should he speak out of line. Splinter hadn't exactly followed through on his threat to kick him out earlier, but he wasn't about to push his luck.
Splinter looked at Leo. "My son. Although I am greatly disappointed in your behavior, Alina reminded me of the power that love can have among us. You are no longer exiled from your clan but your title as leader has been revoked."
"I understand, sensei." Leo told him sadly.
"You will also travel with me to a location yet to be determined. We will spend two months training outside of America until I feel you are ready to return to your post." Splinter finalized.
"Hai, sensei."
Donatello returned from his call with April. "April and Casey are going to meet us at spot one." He reported.
Splinter nodded, then continued. "Donatello, my son, you are acting leader until I say otherwise. I will inform your brothers of my decision."
Donnie never wanted this role, but he knew Raph couldn't handle it from their encounter with Snake Weed, and Mikey was way too airheaded to lead a team in battle. Not that he couldn't do it, Donnie just wouldn't trust him fully. He looked at Splinter. "Hai, sensei." Then he turned to Leo. "I've learned from the best." He said with a smile.
Leo returned the smile.
"I will see you soon." Splinter said as left the lab.
Donnie walked up to Leo who was watching his master leave. "You ready, bro?"
"Yes, let's go…. um… after you, leader." Leo sarcastically told Donnie.
"Oh no… not quite ready for that yet." Donnie chuckled nervously.
They both left to check spot number one.
Spot Three.
Raph and Mikey explored the empty apartment building. Some windows were smashed in, doors were either missing or hanging on one hinge, and floorboards had been torn up throughout.
Mikey entered a room on the third floor. "Bing bing bing!" He announced.
Raph followed his brother into a makeshift lab with classic Kraang equipment that had been rummaged through and destroyed. Spiders had run their webs through some of it as well. "Looks like an abandoned lab." He looked at Mikey. "I'm calling it." He said as he pulled out his T-Phone.
"Hey Raph, find anything?" Donnie said over the receiver.
"Nah, it's an old, deserted lab." Raph reported.
"Okay, why don't you head over to spot two with Master Splinter. Call me if you find anything. Leo and I just arrived at spot one." Donnie told him.
"Okay, bro." Raph hung up. "C'mon Mikey, we're going to Master Splinter's spot."
"Okie dokie." Mikey said as they headed out of the room.
Spot One.
It looked like a normal office building from the front. It was in use, although not currently occupied at this hour. Leo and Donnie scouted the exterior first, each taking a side, then meeting behind the building.
"Leo! Donnie!" They heard April say.
"Thanks for coming guys." Leo greeted them.
"When Donnie told us what happened, we couldn't say no! She's our family too!" April responded.
"I guess we'll go inside, then." Donnie said as they came up empty handed behind the building.
"Let's go in through the roof and work our way down." Leo suggested.
They made their way up the fire escape ladder, onto the rooftop. Donnie used his keycard replicator to enter through the maintenance door. They searched each floor, all full of offices with desks and computers. They searched all closets, even the bathrooms and came up empty handed after each floor. Once they exited the first floor back behind the building, Leo became increasingly anxious.
"Any word from the others?" He asked Donnie.
Donnie checked his phone to find nothing and simply shook his head.
"AARRRGGGHHH!" Leo yelled out and threw two shuriken in the air behind the building.
The shuriken struck a hidden object and Donnie caught sight of the structure before it disappeared again. "Nice job, Leo." He smiled. "You found it! I'm calling the others."
"We just need to find an entrance." Leo said as he started making his way up to the invisible Kraang formation.
Spot Two.
Master Splinter was just exiting the clothing store when Raph and Mikey arrived.
"Sensei, did you find anything?" Mikey asked.
"Nothing is here my sons. There are no signs of the Kraang's presence here."
Raph's T-Phone rang, and he answered it. "Donnie, what's up?" He asked.
"We found it, Raph. Head over to us." Donnie answered.
"On our way." Raph said, then hung up. "They found it. Let's go." He reported to his sensei and brother.
"Finally, a lead." Mikey said as they ran to spot one.
Spot One.
Leo impatiently worked his way around the structure as best as he could, trying to find an entrance. "Donnie! Is there anyway to make this thing visible?!" He grunted.
Donnie was working on said task. He was trying to find a port to plug his tech in to shut down the shield. "Doesn't it look like I'm trying!" He grunted back. He used his fingers to locate the familiar shape. "Found it!" He quickly plugged in his device and got to work.
Right as the others found them behind the building, Donnie disabled the cloak and a giant, floating Kraang cube showed itself. It had to have been the size of five skyscrapers put together! How was it hidden so well in downtown Manhattan?!
"Nice work, D!" Leo said excitedly. He looked up and found a way in. "There!" He pointed and used his grappling hook to soar up to the Stealth Ship entrance.
"Leonardo, wait!" Master Splinter yelled at him, but his order went unobeyed and he watched his son disappear into the cube. He sighed when his brothers and human allies followed, and he eventually did the same.
Alina was waking up. The sedative didn't have the same nasty after-affects the rooftop tranquilizer had so she had her wits about her pretty fast. She looked around and gasped in fear when she found herself floating inside a purple bubble of some sort but what really made her shake was the GIANT Kraang Prime propped inside her mechanic housing in front of her.
She tried to move but seemed paralyzed although she could still feel her body. She looked below her to find Kraang droids working at their stations. Then he spoke.
"Thank you for joining us!" Kraang Subprime bellowed from a platform that was approaching her and Kraang Prime. "Beautiful, isn't she?" He said while admiring his queen.
Alina scrunched up her nose. "Hardly." She mumbled.
Kraang Subprime scowled at her comment. Then smiled evilly. "Let's begin, shall we? Kraang! Begin!" He ordered the droids below him.
She saw five metallic hose-looking tubes approach her. They attached themselves onto her suspended bubble, then to the metallic housing of the Kraang Prime. One was above her head, two were at each side, and two were at her feet. She heard machines making a whirring noise as they powered up and her bubble began to glow the way she glowed when she healed. The glow was coming from her. It swirled around her body inside the bubble and the tubes appeared to be sucking it out and delivering it to the giant Kraang Prime.
"Yes! It's working!" She could hear Kraang Subprime yell out. He moved his platform to seven other canisters and switched a button on all of them. She could see other glowing colors; red, yellow, blue, green, purple, white, and orange being emitted from the canisters towards Kraang Prime.
She suddenly began feeling weak. "Oh no." She said to herself.
It was at this time the Turtles, April, Casey, and Splinter entered the chamber. They ran into a mob of Kraang and Leo, or rather Donnie, didn't have to say anything as they flew straight into battle.
Aawww yeah, boiii! Take this!" Mikey said as he lunged his Kusarigama chain which wrapped around one droid. Then he pulled it down to the ground and used his Nunchaku to disable the robots head, making the alien pop out and run away.
More Kraang came at them, but the team wasn't backing down. April was using her mental powers to crush the bots. Casey was holding his own aiming exploding hockey pucks at multiple Kraang droids. Raph jumped from bot to bot working with Mikey's chains and removing their heads, then kicking the aliens that jumped out against the walls. Donnie used his Bo staff and blade to disassemble the wiring on each bot rather than decapitate them, and Leo ran his swords through whatever stood, or flew in his way to Alina.
He looked up and saw Alina inside the glowing bubble. "LINA!" He yelled for her.
She faintly heard him and looked down. She smiled weakly at him. "Leo!" She said quietly. Her strength was diminishing fast.
Donnie came alongside Leo and examined what was happening. "Oh no!" He spoke.
"What's going on Donnie?" Raph said as he joined them. Mikey, April, Casey, and Master Splinter were finishing off the last of the Kraang and joined them as well.
"It looks like the Kraang are stealing Lina's lifeforce…" he then followed the hoses from her bubble to the Kraang Prime's metallic housing. "… and using it to power another Prime!"
"NO!" Leo shouted, then ran to the nearest wall to jump onto the next level, then the next, then the next, until he reached Alina's height. He then charged to the bubble, swords drawn and tried to slice it open only to be sent flying back to the ground. Mikey used his grappling hook to haul himself up and caught Leo, then landed safely on the ground. "Thanks, Mikey!" Leo said.
"Anytime, bro." Mikey said as he looked up. "So, how are we gonna get her out?!" He asked.
"On it." They heard Donnie say as he ran to the screens to disable the project.
"Not on my watch!" Kraang Subprime yelled as he fired a laser beam at the screens, destroying them. The rubble and shattered glass hit Donnie and sent him to the ground.
"DONNIE!" April shouted for her friend.
"This happens TODAY! I've waited long enough!" Kraang Subprime continued.
April tried to mentally sway him to crash but she was tired from the fight and couldn't move him more than a few inches.
Raph ran to where Alina could see him. "LINA!" He called to her.
She could barely keep her eyes open but caught sight of her brother. "Raph?"
"Yes, Lina, it's me! Listen, you've got to put all that you have into stopping this!" He spoke loudly to her. "You're strong enough to break this. Don't give up!" He then told her, "I'm so sorry about what happened."
Splinter joined his son and called to her as well. "Alina, my daughter, seek your strength inside you. Focus on that power and break free!" He told her.
Seeing her sensei and Raph made her look around slightly and she saw April helping Donnie get up, Mikey and Casey fighting alongside Leo against Kraang Subprime. Donnie was hurt! She hated to see any of them hurt. She could see the desperation in her lover's eyes. How he couldn't take another minute without her near him. His dire need to protect her. But she was strong, just like Raph said. She had to help her family. She had to prevent this monster of a Kraang come to life. It was up to her!
She took deep, slow breaths and focused on her inner strength. Despite how weak she was she could find that feeling she felt in the lab earlier. She suddenly felt her lifeforce around her and even though it was leaving her, she used it, focused on it. The hoses attached to her bubble began to shake, slightly at first, then became stronger.
"What?!" Kraang Subprime looked up after he heard the whirring noise die down. He saw the pink lifeforce cease to flow towards Kraang Prime's body. "NO!" He yelled and he pulled out a remote-control device and hit a button. "Time to speed things up!" The hoses became more stable and Alina's lifeforce was taken away from her stronger and faster this time.
She hissed in pain when the force changed.
Casey saw her pain. "That's it!" He said and he threw three of his last photon hockey pucks in the air. "Casey Jones shoots!" He hit all three with his hockey stick and the photon pucks hit Kraang Subprime's floating platform and it exploded. "HE SCORES!" Casey said lifting his stick in the air in victory.
Kraang Subprime's platform fell from the air to the ground in an explosion. His unconscious brain-body was thrown underneath the giant Kraang Prime's location above.
Casey yelled up to Alina. "LINA! Girl you got this!" He encouraged her.
She focused again.
Donnie crawled to the remote that Kraang Subprime dropped in his fall. He tried to operate it, but it was broken. "DAMMIT!" He yelled.
"Hold still, D! I've almost got this piece of glass out." April ordered while focusing on Donnie's cut leg.
Leo moved to stand in front of Splinter and Raphael. He felt so helpless, all he could do was talk to her. "Lina. Hear my voice. Focus on it. Let go of 'you' for a second and focus on me."
She did as asked and listened to him. She blocked out the machines around her and only found him.
He closed his eyes and continued. "You are Alina-Chan. First Kunoichi of the New York Hamato Clan. You were trained by the greatest Master in our clan's history. Only you can break free of this hold against you."
She heard every word.
"You are also the one I choose, Alina. I will journey to the fires of hell if it means saving you. I will dive the deepest depths of the sea if I get to be with you. I LOVE you." He told her.
She felt every nerve ending in her body tingle at that last sentence. She embraced his words and followed every blood cell through every blood vessel to every limb and wing. She could feel everything! Every molecule that surrounded her, especially those that belonged to the giant Kraang Prime coming to life in front of her. She opened her eyes that no longer showed fear but brightly glowed her color of pink. She could feel so much power and was able to move her limbs again.
Screaming she stretched out her arms and wings so fast, the momentum broke the bubble around her, making the tubes fall off, severing her ties with the Kraang Prime. The bright pink light emitting from her body pulsed outwards making her friends and family below her fall from the force. She effortlessly floated to the Kraang Prime monster and still feeling life in it, she pulled her wings behind her, took a deep breath in and forced them forward with a scream. The force blew against the creature's metallic housing, knocking its restraints against the wall loose and causing it to go crashing down landing on top of Kraang Subprime, ultimately crushing him to death.
Leo could only get up fast enough to push his brother and sensei out of the way before it landed… on him.
"LEO!" Raph screamed.
"LEONARDO!" Splinter yelled.
She could no longer feel the beast's life. But she could no longer feel her connection to Leo. Her bright light suddenly dissipated, and she fell to the ground as well.
"LINA!" Mikey cried as he stumbled up and ran to catch her. She was just inches from the ground when he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
Raph, Casey, and Master Splinter ran to Leo's location and started to dig him out of the rubble, out from under the now lifeless Kraang Prime.
"No!" Splinter said when they found him.
Struggling to breathe, Leo lay in a growing pool of blood coming from a large puncture wound from a shard off the monster's housing. The shard went completely through his shells, through his abdomen.
"Oh shit, shit, shit! Leo! Hang on, bro! DONNIE!" Raph yelled in a panic.
"I'm coming!" Donnie said as April helped him limp over to them.
Mikey sat up with Alina in his arms. "Lina?" He said as he stroked her face. "Imoto?" He noticed her normal bright light was severely diminished and she looked a sickly pale.
She stirred in Mikey's arms and cracked her eyes open. "Mikey?"
"Yes, yes, it's me." He said with a smile.
Raph knelt behind Leo and cradled his head in his lap.
Leo was sputtering up blood now and Donnie began to panic. "April, go find Alina!" He ordered.
April ran to find her best friend. "LINA? LINA?" She yelled.
"Over here!" She heard Mikey yell from the other end of the chamber.
She ran to find a very weak-looking Alina in Mikey's arms. "Oh no! Lina, are you okay?" She asked her friend.
"Leo." Was all that she could say.
"Mikey, can you carry her to Leo. He needs her help." April asked.
"I got it." Mikey responded as he lifted his little sister up in his arms.
They ran back to Leo who was now shaking in shock. Donnie looked at Alina in Mikey's arms.
"Lina?" He noticed how her light was so low. Like a lightbulb about to die. "What's wrong?" He asked her.
He didn't get an answer before she saw Leo and scrambled from Mikey's hold into his arms. "Let me… through." She said struggling to stay upright against Donnie.
Donnie limped her over to Leo.
She saw Leo's broken body and began to cry. He was trying to breathe and had blood dripping from his mouth. Blood continued to pool underneath him. He looked at her and a single tear fell from his eye. "It's okay. It'll be okay." She soothed as she carefully lowered herself onto him. She cupped his face with her hand. She was so tired it was hard to fight the darkness threatening to take her. She shook her head to keep it clear. "Someone… take… it out." She asked, referring to the shrapnel embedded in Leo's stomach.
Casey complied and positioned himself over the shard. "Sorry Leo!" He said as he pulled the shard out as fast as he could.
"AAAHHHHHH!" Leo screamed as he arched his body upwards. He could feel Raph's hands trying to soothe him, but the white-hot pain seared every nerve in his body. It was a miracle he hadn't passed out from the pain or the shock, but Leo only wanted to see her, and he wanted to stay awake for her. Panting, he slowly let his body relax against the ground. He looked up at Raph. "R..Ra..Raph…. I… I need…"
"Ssshhhh, bro. Don't talk." Raph said as he fought his own tears.
"Ta… Take… Care of… Her." Leo managed through pained breaths.
Alina took a deep breath in and moved her hand over the wound. She did glow but it was not as strong as usual. She kept trying to push the power through his wound until it finally did, and she began to glow brightly.
She looked in his eyes and smiled a sad smile. "I love you too." She told him and leant in for what would be their last kiss.
Leo realized what she was doing and tried to fight back. "No… no, don't… do…" She met his lips before he could finish his sentence. Not wanting to ever lose her touch, he kissed her back.
Raph let his tears fall as he too saw what she was doing.
Mikey leant down next to Donnie and wrapped his arms around him, seeking comfort. Casey moved next to April and hugged her as well.
Splinter knelt next to Leo and placed a paw on his shoulder and the other paw on Alina's shoulder. "Love is here." He thought out loud.
Leo began to sob when he felt her lips drop from his. Her hand fell from his healed wound, and she fell limp against his body. He scrambled to sit up and pulled her body into his arms. "NO! NO! NO! NO! LINA?! No, please. Lina?! Please… please." He cried into her neck. "Wake up, Lina. WAKE UP!" He screamed to no one.
Splinter saw the light leave her body and hung his head. "Oh, my daughter. My sweet child." He said sadly.
April buried her head into Casey's chest and cried. Mikey and Donnie pulled each other into a tight hug, trying to muffle their sobs as well. Raph buried his face into his hands not caring how loud his cries were.
Leo just kept pulling her into him, begging for her to wake up. Splinter checked for a pulse against his daughter's neck but felt nothing. She was gone.
Splinter had to pry his daughter from his son's arms when his ears picked up the sirens. He carried her body home and April helped him lay her on a bed in the dojo. They lit candles and incense around her. April cleaned the blood from Leo's wound off her and draped a silk blanket, so she looked as though she was simply asleep.
Casey joined April in saying their goodbyes to Alina. They knelt on each side of her and held her hands in theirs.
"I will miss you so much, Lina. You were my best friend. Thank you for teaching me and for guiding me. Rest in peace." April said as she gently wiped a lost pink hair away from Alina's face. She kissed her friend's hand and got up to stand behind Casey.
"Rest in peace sweet angel." Casey simply said while fighting the tear threatening to leave his eye. He patted her shoulder, gently laid her hand back down and solemnly left the dojo with April.
Mikey came in next carrying some daisies he'd picked from a nearby garden while his sister's body was being readied. He knelt beside her and held her hand. "I got you your favorite flower." He told her. He kept his smile bright so as not to upset her. "I was remembering our race in the sewers. That was fun, right? Even though you cheated." He chuckled. He then bent down and rested his forehead on her hand and let silent tears flow.
Raph entered just as Mikey put the daisies on Alina's body. Wiping away his tears, Mikey tried to walk past Raph to give him his time, but Raph stopped his little brother and pulled him into a hug. He let Mikey sob into his shoulder and rubbed circles on his shell to comfort him. "You can come to me if you need this hug anytime bro." Raph told him.
"I just… can't… believe she's… gone." Mikey mumbled into Raph's skin through sobs. He pulled away and looked his brother in the eyes. "I kept thin… thinking she'd come… back to… us." He managed through the hyperventilation.
Raph wiped his brother's tear-soaked cheeks with a caring smile then looked over at his sister's body. "Me too, little brother. Me too."
Mikey noticed his brother's eyes beginning to water and took his leave, looking at his sister one last time.
Raph stood over her dull body trying to squint away the tears but not wanting to wipe them away either. He was sad beyond all belief, and it was against his morale to show it, but Alina needed to see this, she needed to know how terrible he felt.
"Lina." He said softly as he let his body kneel to the floor. "I'm so sorry." He looked at her face. "I'm so sorry I did this to you. Had I not gotten so jealous and told Master Splinter, this would have never happened. You would have never left and gotten captured and…." He trailed off when the sobs began and buried his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry!" He muffled through his hands, then pulled one off his face to grab hers. Trying to catch his breath, he leant down and placed her palm on his forehead. "Please…. Please forg… forgive… me." He begged.
It took him a long time to calm down. So long as to cause Donnie to come check on him. Donnie only peeked his head in to see Raph kissing his sister's forehead and telling her he loved her. He quickly retreated his head, so Raph didn't notice him looking. As Raph exited the dojo and saw Donnie standing there he ran into his brother's arms seeking refuge. Donnie wasted no time in returning the hug.
"It's okay, Raph." He said gently.
"Do… do you think the dead… can… forgive?" Raph asked him.
"I don't think she's dead, Raph. She has passed on to the spiritual realm. And yes, she has forgiven you. She has forgiven all of us." Donnie told him.
Donnie watched his grief-stricken brother walk to his room and when he closed his door, Donnie went to say his goodbye. He sat down next to her and pulled a photograph from his belt. It was a picture of Donnie and Alina right after she had taken her first flight in his lab. Behind them were the large fans Donnie had used to help her. He smiled at the memory. He chuckled and looked at Alina. "Had we gone any further on that first flight, Master Splinter would have been so mad at us!" He tucked the photo under Mikey's daisies and placed one of her hands on the gifts. "I'm so sorry how things turned out. It looked like another Kraang rescue we could handle. I guess we underestimated this one and look what happened." He hung his head in silence and watched his tears quietly fall off his face onto the floor. "I wont ever forget you and your beautiful soul." He lifted his head, bent over and kissed her cheek. "Until we meet again chisana tenshi." He smiled and got up to fetch Leo.
Leo had shut himself away in his room. He was reading a book Splinter had given him years ago. It told a tale of lovers forbidden to love each other. Much like Romeo and Juliet with an ancient Japanese background. The woman had been torn from her lover's arms from her father and placed into an arranged marriage and no matter how many times they tried to run away together, they always got caught and one day, the man was put to death so she may not see him anymore. The image of his death haunted her dreams until she could not live one more day without him, and she ended her own life. He waited for her in the spiritual realm, and nothing could keep them apart from that moment on.
Leo sighed as he closed the book. There was so much emptiness, so much loss in his heart that it hurt just to breathe. Alina was his lover, his mate of sorts until they were torn apart. Now she is the one who is gone. The thought briefly crossed his mind. What if he could join her?
He quickly shook his head. "No!" He scorned himself. How could he even consider that?! He was the eldest and despite not being the leader anymore, he still felt the need to lead his brothers and protect them. Alina would want that.
Knock, knock, knock… "Leo?" Donnie asked from behind the door.
"Yeah, come in, Don." Leo answered as he pushed the book under his covers.
Donnie opened the door and peeked his head in. "She's ready for you." He said solemnly.
He said it as though she was still alive and simply waiting for Leo to join her. That statement could mean so many things. She's ready for you to go on a mission… She's ready for you to watch a movie with her… She's ready for you at the altar… She's ready for you to join her… That made him lower his face so Donnie couldn't see his sad expression.
As if reading his mind, Donnie went and sat next to Leo. He put his arm around his brother's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put it like that." Though quite uncommon, Donnie's mouth moved faster than his brain and he scolded himself for it to happen right now. He pinched his tired, red eyes in frustration.
"Don't be sorry, Donnie." Leo spoke up. He looked at Donnie with a sad smile. "I know what you meant." Leo patted his brother's hand on his shoulder and stood from his bed. He started walking towards his door when he suddenly stopped and turned back to face Donnie again. "I never thanked you." He said.
"Huh?" Donnie questioned.
"I never thanked you. For seeing how hopelessly I was falling for her. If not for you pushing me to tell her how I felt, I would have never found love. And even though I've lost it, I'm still so grateful to have experienced it." Leo walked back to Donnie and gave him a hug.
Donnie returned the hug with a smile. "You're welcome." He said with a little extra squeeze.
Leo was almost too afraid to go into the dojo. As he entered, he noticed the room was dim with only the flickering candlelight gently covering a woman's silhouette in the middle of the room. When he approached her, he noticed the flowers and the photograph placed on her silk blanket and it made him smile. He looked at her face. She was still so beautiful, even without her bright light shining through her skin. He sat down beside her and placed his hand on her cheek, softly running his thumb over it as if wiping away a tear. He then ran his fingers through her hair, admiring each strand that seemed to be getting darker instead of its usual bright pink hue. He saw that her whole body was only getting darker, and this caused the silent tears to flow. He bit his lip to keep it together and took a few deep breaths while looking at the ceiling. When he was sure his tears had stopped for now, he looked back down to her face and gently turned it, so it was facing his. "You took something with you. Something I can never get back." He began. "So please, wait for me and you can keep it forever. With me by your side. I will never love another like I love you. Even in death, our love will survive."
His bottom lip began to quiver, and he let the tears fall freely now. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." He said through a croaky voice. He started to sob loudly, unable to control it. His whole body shook and his lungs forcibly inhaled and exhaled, trying to regulate his breathing.
Master Splinter entered the dojo having heard his son's cries. Leonardo was laying on the floor next to his beloved, hugging and crying into her. Splinter knelt next to his son and slowly pulled him off Alina's body into a hug. Leo grabbed on to Splinter's robe, trying to find something to hold onto, like he was falling and there was nothing to stop it. Splinter only strengthened his hug, squeezing tighter to provide that sense of safety to his son. Something he used to do when they were little and very scared.
"You will not fall for much longer, my son." Splinter said as he stroked Leo's head.
They buried her at the farmhouse, on a hill, under a Willow tree. Her favorite tree. She often sat under it reading a book with the sunlight peeking through the flowing leaves around her. A stream trickled nearby offering nourishment to the tree and birds chirped happily in the branches above.
Raph offered one of his masks and a set of Sai to 'remind her of him and their spars together'. He smiled as he liked to think he was the victor in said spars, but he knew she was really the better fighter.
Leo buried the Japanese love story book with her so she could have something to read under her tree. When the last pile of earth was put on top of her grave, he couldn't hold it together any longer and fell to his knees. His brothers quickly surrounded him in comfort.
Master Splinter placed her Tanto blade Leo had given her on top of her headstone. He also placed a framed photograph of their family against it. "So that you may always defend yourself with your family beside you." He said, and he silently said a prayer asking his spiritual ancestors to guide her safely home.
They stayed at the farmhouse for almost two weeks. Leo barely left Alina's grave. Raph often joined him, trying to find some peace, some forgiveness with his brother and sister.
Donnie grieved in his own way inside the barn, trying to distract himself by churning up new inventions to help around the farm.
Mikey took to playing a banjo he found and when he wasn't cooking, he practiced playing next to Alina's grave. Laughing at himself when he got the tune wrong.
They all talked to her which Master Splinter encouraged. He said it would help the grieving process go by faster.
The time finally came when Master Splinter felt they had grieved enough for her there, and he asked April and Casey to take them back home.
Another two weeks went by before Splinter implemented morning training sessions again. His sons were getting back into the swing of things slowly but surely, except Leonardo. Splinter tried to distract him with meditation sessions and individual time with tea in the dojo. He offered lavender incense to help relax the grief-stricken Turtle, but he couldn't seem to bring the happiness back.
It all went backwards when Leo caught Donnie taking empty boxes into Alina's room.
Donnie brought the first box into her room and realized Leo had been sleeping in there at night. Before he could retreat, Leo met him in the doorway.
"What are you doing?" Leo asked with an annoyed tone.
"Leo! Uh… I was just… uh… going to box up some… stuff..." Donnie nervously answered as he noticed Leo's hand twitching at his side.
"What stuff?"
"Well, I read that it helps the healing process to clear out the belongings of the deceased." Donnie said before he realized how therapist-like he sounded. "I MEAN, not all of the… HER belongings, of course. Just some of them."
"You want to erase her memory completely?" Leo asked again.
"NO! Not at all, Leo. I just thought it might help." Donnie folded up the empty box and put his hands up in a defensive stance. "Please, Leo. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."
"YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE SOMEONE DISAPPEAR, DONNIE!" Leo shouted at his brother. He lunged at his brother who didn't fight back and brought Donnie's arm behind his shell and yanked it upwards.
"OW! LEO!" Donnie yelled in a pained surprise.
This caused Raph and Mikey to appear in the doorway from the pit. They saw Leo aggressively shove Donnie out of the room. He then threw the folded box at Donnie.
Donnie stumbled forward and Raph caught him before he fell to the floor.
"What the hell, Leo?!" Raph said as he helped Donnie stand upright.
"GET OUT!" Leo yelled before he slammed the door.
"Whoa, dude! What happened?!" Mikey asked.
Donnie hung his head, feeling terrible. "I was going to box up some of Lina's stuff and put it in storage. I read that it helps with the grieving process. But I didn't know Leo was sleeping in there and he got mad." He turned to Raph and Mikey. "I'm sorry, guys." Thinking he'd put everyone back from the progress they'd made.
Raph put a hand on Donnie's arm. "You didn't do anything wrong, Donnie. I didn't know Leo was sleeping in there either. He's just gonna need more time to process this."
"Yeah, dude. No worries. Want some pizza? Raph and I are gonna watch a movie." Mikey announced. "Wanna join?"
It had been a while since they all sat down and enjoyed each other's company. Donnie had to admit he missed it and even if Leo and Alina weren't there, he'd still hang with his other bros.
"That actually sounds really great, Mikey. I'll get the popcorn!" He smiled and headed for the kitchen.
Raph gave a scorned look at Alina's bedroom door, then it turned sad as he realized what Leo is putting himself through.
A few nights later, Master Splinter caught Leo retiring into his daughter's bedroom. No one had wanted to tell him about it to prevent Leo from going crazy upset on them. He approached Alina's bedroom door and opened it without knocking. Leo was already curled up on her bed, hugging one of her pillows.
Splinter entered the room and closed the door. "Leonardo." He said firmly but got no response. He moved so he could see his son's face and saw tears falling quietly. "My son." He sighed as he pulled a chair and sat beside the bed. "You are making this very hard on yourself. I understand everyone grieves differently and I also understand you and Alina were very close, but it has been some weeks now and you have not attempted to go on patrol with your brothers or give any effort during training." He placed a paw on Leo's arm. "You MUST talk about your feelings, my son."
Leo could only muster up enough energy to look at his father. "I don't know how, father. I don't know how to move on. I just miss her so much." His eyes returned to staring at nothing.
"I will get you some tea." Splinter said as he rose to leave the room.
Rather than go into the kitchen, Splinter made a beeline to Donnie's lab. He signaled to Raphael and Michelangelo to follow him.
Mikey closed the lab door behind him which made Donnie look up from his computer.
"Sensei. Everything okay?" He asked.
"My sons, I fear your brother is unwell." Splinter began.
"Duh!" Raph said sarcastically earning a stern look from Splinter. "Sorry, sensei." He said with an apologetic grin.
Splinter turned back to Donnie. "Donatello, what do you know of depression?" He asked.
"Oh man, where to begin?! It's a chemical imbalance in the brain. The inflicted cannot control their emotions which get worse over time without treatment which includes experimentation with certain types of medication and therapy." Donnie reported. "It's also common to see outbursts of crying, sadness, anger, sleeping excessively, hardly eating or eating too much."
"I see." Splinter said stroking his beard. "Do you feel Leonardo is suffering from this?" He asked his genius son.
"Most definitely, sensei. The issue I'm running into is the lack of treatment options."
"Oooh, what about one of those thingy's where everyone gets together and tells him that we're worried?" Mikey asked.
"An intervention?" Donnie asked.
"That's it!" Mikey said. "It might help him open up and get some stuff off his chest."
"Very good, Michelangelo." Splinter commended his youngest son.
"Wait, do we have to write letters?" Raph asked.
"Not necessarily Raph. You can just speak from the heart." Donnie informed.
"Let us speak to Leonardo tomorrow morning instead of training." Splinter said as he left the lab.
Leo had been the last Turtle to arrive for morning training for weeks now. He was usually always the first one to arrive, having already completed at least three katas before his brothers arrived. Now, they were lucky if he arrived five minutes late. He sluggishly entered the dojo to find his brothers knelt on pillows and saw one was empty, no doubt for him.
Mikey patted the empty pillow next to him. "Come sit, bro."
"Okkaayyyyy…" Leo cautiously walked and sat next to his brothers. "What's going on, guys?" He asked.
Splinter exited his room and approached his sons. Standing behind Leo, he spoke. "Leonardo, my son, your brothers and I have noticed a great sadness building up inside you. This is very unhealthy behavior and you have exhibited aggressive attitudes, particularly to Donatello."
Leo looked at Donnie. "Don, I'm so sorry I did that. I meant to apologize but just forgot."
"Leo, we're really worried about you. You're showing classic signs of depression, and this will only get worse if you don't talk to us about your feelings." Donnie answered.
"Guys, please. This is not necessary. I'm just taking a little longer to move on, that's all."
"Sleeping in her bed is not going to help, Leo." Raph spoke up.
"That's none of your business, Raph!" Leo quickly retorted in an angry manner.
"LEONARDO!" Splinter shouted, making Leo sink into himself. Splinter cleared his throat and spoke more softly. "Leonardo. Raphael is right. You must move back into your own room. Donatello and I will be clearing out SOME of her items today."
"NO!" Leo yelled as he stood up to face his father. "No, please. Can we not just leave her things where they are?" He pleaded.
"Hey, Leo. It's okay bro." Mikey said softly as he stood up next to his brother. "We won't remove EVERYTHING and maybe you could take a few things to keep in your room? Right, Master Splinter?" Mikey sent a pleading look to his father.
"Of course. An excellent suggestion, Michelangelo." Splinter said.
"See, bro?" Mikey smiled at Leo.
"Sensei, it might actually be beneficial if Leo helped us box some things up?" Donnie asked.
"Another excellent suggestion, Donatello." Splinter said as he put a paw on Leo's shoulder. He noticed Leo's skin felt hot to the touch. "Would you help us, my son?" He asked him.
Leo sighed and looked at his family one-by-one. Realizing that they were trying to help him recover only made him feel bad. He felt bad that Donnie was having to carry the role of leader every night while he slept for hours on end, not seeming to worry about them. He felt bad that Mikey was having to experience more sadness which was rough on the ever-happy Turtle. He felt bad that Raph had been trying to bring him back from practically nowhere, only to be ignored. Raph hated to be ignored.
"Oh man. I'm so sorry. I've been so caught up in myself, so selfish, that I haven't even thought about you all." He faced Splinter again and knelt. "Please forgive my behavior, sensei. I understand now what I've been doing wrong."
"There is nothing to forgive, my son." Splinter told him. "Let us not look behind us anymore, only in front of us." He smiled at his other sons, hopeful that Leonardo would begin to heal now.
Leo did go through her room as suggested. He became defensive over a few items, but Splinter was able to calm him down before he lashed out at Donnie who thankfully didn't take it personally. He was allowed to keep some objects of his choosing in his room; one of her books she'd read many times, The Secret Garden. Her pillow and a couple of photos she took of the sunrise over the ocean from her tunnel. She had also managed to sneak pictures of herself with him as well that made him smile.
He rejoined his brothers on patrol and upon a rooftop one night, Leo watched Raph and Mikey wrestle. He turned to Donnie who was smiling at them. Suddenly, a great heaviness filled his chest that made him gasp for air and he instantly fell to the ground, clutching at nothing in pain. Just as fast as it came, it left. He stood back up a little stunned but felt fine.
Donnie was next to him in an instant. "Leo! What was that?!"
"I don't know." Leo answered.
"What did you feel?" Donnie asked.
"Just a lot of pain, tightness in my chest." Leo said rubbing his plastron. "But it was only quick, and it's gone now."
Mikey and Raph were next to him now.
"Everything okay?" Raph asked.
Donnie felt Leo's forehead earning the rolling eyes from him.
"You're warm, Leo." Donnie told him. "You sure, you're okay?"
"I feel fine now." Leo told them. "C'mon guys, I'm hungry."
"PIZZA!" Mikey yelled in excitement.
They followed Mikey towards Antonio's, but Donnie wasn't fully convinced his brother was 'fine'.
Raph sleepily walked into the dojo at 7:06 am. Yawning, he noticed Splinter giving him a stern look. "Uh…" He bowed. "Good morning, sensei." He said with a cute smile to avoid a lecture.
"Kneel, my son." Splinter said.
Raph knelt next to Mikey and suddenly noticed Leo wasn't present. He looked at Mikey and mouthed "Where's Leo?"
Mikey shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, signaling he didn't know.
"Donatello." Splinter bellowed out.
Hai, sensei?" Donnie answered sitting up straight.
"Have you seen Leonardo this morning?" Splinter knew Leo and Donnie were often the first Turtles up so Donnie would be the first brother to ask.
"No, I haven't sensei." Donnie answered.
Before Splinter could ask for someone to check, Leo approached the dojo entrance. "Sorry I'm late, sensei."
"Hmmm, this is the last time I will excuse tardiness. I expect you all to be ready for training at 7:00 am sharp from now on!" Splinter told his sons.
Leo moved to kneel beside Raph. As he got down, his chest tightened again, and he let out a gasp. "Ah!" He grabbed at his chest.
"Leonardo? What is the matter?" Splinter asked.
"Chest again?" Donnie asked as he rose to leave the dojo.
"Yeah. It's weird…" Leo could feel his heart skipping beats and it made him light-headed. He started taking deep breaths when the stars began floating in his vision.
"Whoa, bro. You gonna pass out?" Raph said when he noticed his brother swaying.
"Yep…." Leo said before his vision blackened, and he fell backwards.
Raph caught him and laid him on the floor gently.
Donnie came back in with his stethoscope. He saw his brother unconscious and ran over to him. When he knelt beside Leo, he placed his stethoscope on Leo's chest.
"It's definitely his heart. It's skipping beats." Donnie reported as he pulled his stethoscope away.
"Well?! Why is that happening?!" Raph said impatiently, worried about his brother.
"I don't know!" Donnie also felt Leo's forehead. "He's a little feverish as well. Let's get him to the lab so I can run some tests."
Mikey and Raph carried Leo in between them and once they laid him down, Donnie began hooking up EKG leads. He watched the 'ski lines' as Mikey liked to call them, then went to his computer.
"I need to research this. Mikey let's put an oxygen mask on him for precaution." Donnie said.
"You got it, D." Mikey said as he began to set up the oxygen.
Raph and Splinter stood behind Donnie which made him uncomfortable. "Uh… Master Splinter, Raph, you're… uh… really crowding me here… heh heh." Had it been just Raph, he wouldn't have been so nice about it.
"My apologies, my son. Come Raphael, let us leave your brother and sit with Leonardo." Splinter said.
Just then, Leo began to wake up.
"Oh, hey bro! How ya feelin?" Mikey said to him.
"Like crap!" Leo muffled through the mask.
"Well, I think I know why." Donnie said as he walked up to them. "Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy." He announced. "Also known as Broken Heart Syndrome."
"Huh?!" Raph exclaimed.
"It's a condition where the heart muscle suffers from extreme stress. One side starts to lack in pumping the blood, so the other side works overtime trying to compensate. The muscle gets damaged in the process." Donnie explained. "It makes sense given how you've suffered so much from Lina passing away." Donnie said to Leo. "Doesn't explain the fever though… probably also stress-related." He added.
"Oh, hence the 'Broken Heart' name." Raph thought out loud.
"Will he get better?" Mikey asked.
"Yes, he will. As long as he controls his stress, his heart muscle will heal in time. I'll need to monitor your heart though, Leo. Just to make sure there's no permanent damage."
Leo simply gave his brother a thumbs up.
"You will need lots of rest, Leonardo. I am sure you are tired from this ordeal." Splinter said.
Leo nodded.
"Exhaustion is to be expected when the heart is compensating for anything." Donnie added. "I recommend lots of meditation, Leo." He said as he returned to his computer.
"Come Michelangelo and Raphael, let us allow your brother to sleep." Splinter said as he turned to leave the dojo.
Mikey hugged Leo and Raph simply squeezed his hand.
It didn't take long for Leo to fall asleep. The clicking of Donnie's keyboard could put the dead to sleep at the rate he typed.
Leo found himself floating in darkness. Slowly, numerous stars began to sparkle around him, like he was in space. He felt peaceful. His body lowered itself into a shallow pool of cool water that reflected the light of the stars, and he didn't dare move a muscle to disturb this bliss. Then, a lighted figure approached from his right side, and he turned his neck to get a better look. As the figure got closer to him, he could make out the silhouette of a woman, and then her wings. He smiled brightly when her face came into clearer view.
"There's my Angel." He said to her. He slowly sat up, then stood to be at her level.
She was smiling at him and reached out to touch his face. He closed his eyes at her touch. It was like icy air against his skin but still so comforting. "Hey you." She said to him.
He brought his hand to hold hers. "Hey." He said smiling back at her.
"Leo, my love, I wanted to see you one last time until we meet again many moons from now." She told him. "I know you are still suffering but the time has come for you to let me go. I cannot be at peace if you aren't. Neither can our family."
A few shooting stars flew over them and Leo wanted to stay here in this moment forever. But he knew she was right. His brothers needed him to keep fighting and become stronger than he ever was. He would tarnish her memory if he continued to grieve.
"I understand, my love." He told her. "I will survive this."
She smiled at this. "Now, tell our family I love them so much, okay? Give Mikey lots of hugs and don't forget to play games with him. Support Donnie with his ideas. You'd be surprised how much he actually likes having the help."
Leo chuckled at his memories of her doing these things with her brothers.
"And Raphael…" She continued. "My big, strong, sensitive brother needs love more often than he lets on." She chuckled this time. "Just let him win a few fights here and there, stroke his ego, and join him on some of his nightly runs with Casey. He may not act like it but he's a 'more the merrier' kind of guy."
"Don't worry, I can do that." He told her.
"And tell father, 'Thank You' for saving me all those years ago. And that I love him?" She asked.
"Of course. I promise."
She lowered her head. "I have to go now." She told him.
He hung his head as well, a sad look taking place of his smile.
She then leaned in for their last kiss and it was electrifying. Leo felt a surge of pure energy light up his body and when she pulled back, he felt like a whole new Turtle. "Feel better?" She asked him with a smile.
"Amazing!" He answered.
"Good." She chuckled. "That should hold you until we meet again." She placed her hand over his heart and a soft pink glow emitted from her hand. "There." She said to him. "Now, you will always have a piece of me in your heart."
He held her hand on his chest briefly before her spirit began to fade away. He watched her walk backwards to where she arrived from and kept smiling for her, telling her he'd be okay. And when she disappeared, he let her go.
Leo stuck by his promise to Alina and spoke of their last encounter with his family who embraced him with tears of joy.
When Donnie checked Leo's EKG only twenty-four hours after he woke up, he was satisfied that his heart was just fine. "Well, I guess I don't need to worry about that anymore. Sounds like Lina healed you." He said to his brother.
"Yeah. She really did." Leo hugged his brother who gladly returned it.
He caught Mikey filling up his water balloons one day. No doubt to prank them all sometime soon.
"Leo! Uh… hey bro! What's up?" Mikey asked trying to hide the evidence.
"Oh, nothing." Leo answered. "What are you doing?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Mikey grinned.
"Oh, okay. So, I guess you don't want any help launching those balloons then. I mean, you're good and all but four hands are better than two." He smiled slyly.
Mikey's eyes lit up in excitement. "O.M.G. This is gonna be EPIC!" He said as he showed Leo his plans for that night's patrol.
Donnie and Raph didn't think it was epic at all. April and Casey joined them and got soaked as well but Leo supported his little brother's happiness and that was all that mattered at that time.
A few evenings after that, Raph was making his way to the turnstiles to join Casey for a run when Leo approached him from behind.
"Care for some more company?" He asked him.
Raph turned and looked surprised. "Uh…. Sure! But, well, you might not approve of some things." He warned his brother.
"THEY DRINK BEER!" Mikey yelled from the pit with a laugh. He was sucked into his video game but had to eavesdrop.
"MIKEY!" Raph yelled back.
"So what." Leo said, making Raph's jaw drop. "Let's see who carries who home later." He said with a challenging smile.
"Serious?!" Raph asked.
"Unless of course, you can't handle your liquor." Leo countered.
"Oh, ho ho! It. Is. On. Big brother!" Raph said with excitement. "Let's go."
"BE CAREFUL!" They heard Splinter call from the dojo.
When they left, Mikey called to Donnie from the pit, still enthralled with his video game. "HEY DONNIE!"
"WHAT?!" Donnie answered from his lab.
"MAKE SURE YOU'RE TRACKING LEO AND RAPH TONIGHT." He said with a smile.
"WHY?" Donnie asked.
"YOU'LL SEE."
Leo and Raph had to carry Casey home that night and April rolled her eyes as she helped him into bed. She looked at her friends swaying and giggling in her living room and brought them some pillows and blankets to sleep there but they opposed.
"Hey, April." She heard Donnie over the receiver.
"Hi Donnie. Just giving you a heads up. Leo and Raph are drunk, but they wouldn't stay here. They babbled something about carrying one or the other into the lair." She informed her friend.
She could hear Mikey laughing in the background.
Donnie sighed. "Thanks for letting me know, I'll keep an eye on their phones." He told her.
"Great. Thanks, D." She hung up.
After they kept falling over their own feet, they settled for leaning against a sewer wall trying to control their laughter.
"Man! This was fun, Leo!" Raph exclaimed.
"I definitely needed this." Leo said with a hiccup at the end.
"I love you, man." Raph said as he leant his head on his brother's shoulder.
"I love you too, Raph." Leo replied, leaning his head on Raph's.
They saw two flashlights approach them but instead of being on the defense, they found it funny and began to laugh again.
"Oh, jeez." Donnie said with a sigh as he and Mikey walked up to them.
"Dude! They're wasted!" Mikey laughed.
"Alright, c'mon guys." Donnie said putting Leo's arm around his shoulder to lift him up. "Let's go."
Mikey followed suit with Raph.
"No! No! Wait!" Leo suddenly became alert. He looked around and gathered up his strength to relieve Donnie of his weight. "Guys! Follow me!" He said as he walked in the opposite direction.
Donnie rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, Mikey. I'll go get him."
But as always, curiosity got the better of the youngest Turtle and he pulled Raph along, following after them.
After a few tunnel-turns, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph came to a halt when they found Leo standing in Alina's tunnel. They saw her sleeping bag, the pillows, the blankets, and the candle. Leo pushed open the grate and sat on the ledge.
"Isn't this beautiful?" He asked looking out at the ocean with the moonlight reflecting off the soft waves.
"Wow!" Mikey exclaimed.
"I have no words!" Donnie said as he sat next to his brother.
Raph said nothing as he watched the moving water and listened to the waves lightly crashing against the rocks below. He was mesmerized and a single tear fell down his cheek.
Leo took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar ocean's sea-salt smell and his lover's scent on her blankets. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around Donnie's shoulders, Mikey and Raph joining in.
They slept in her tunnel that night, much like they did when they were little. Leo's back was to the tunnel's exit in a protective fashion hugging Raph, who formed a cocoon with Donnie around Mikey who lay in the middle.
The End.
