"Leo, slow down will ya?" I shouted from the back of our group. Damn Leo, making us train when we could be finding Liza. It was his fault she got hurt, it was his fault she lost her memory of us and was stolen in the dead-of night, and yet he acts as if he didn't care. He avoided anything that had to do with Liza. I hoped he was doing that because he felt guilty and not out of stubbornness to be correct.
"No. We got another thirty minutes to go, now keep up." Leo shouted from the head of the group. I followed my brothers as we leapt to the next roof, and kept my head up so as to not hit Don. In the split second we were in mid air, I caught a glimpse of Donnie looking down. I knew something caught his attention when he stopped following Mikey.
"Hey Leo! Come back." Don shouted in a low whisper as he did a complete U-turn. He dodged around me as I came in, and I had to skid to keep from falling into Mikey, who had turned around on the dime. Anger bubbled in me as I pushed off Mikey, and I got ready to punch him when Leo whispered in shock.
"No way." He breathed. I looked up to see Fearless Leader's shocked face. I barked a laugh at him and walked over to see what's got him so paralysed.
I looked over the edge of the building we were on, and saw the Shredder. He wasn't wearing his body armor, just a white Kimono with a foot symbol on his left shoulder. He wasn't alone either. In front of him a white ninja bowed.
"Rise, my Light Ninja." Shredder ordered. A shiver rolled down my spine on reaction to his voice, and I shared a glance with Don. What the shell was going on here?
The foot ninja, dressed in a silver that glimmered in the light, rose slowly. It took me several seconds to realize how slowly she rose, because she seemed to disappear and reappear with her moves. An outfit that light should make her a beacon, but it didn't. She blended in with the surroundings, and hid with light and dark. A true ninja. She was one with Light and Dark.
"I smell trouble." Mikey said quietly.
"Quiet." Leo hissed.
"My Light Ninja, do you remember this place?" Oroku Saki asked with a slight upturn of his lips. The ninja shook their head, and he continued, "It was where we met, a year ago, when you were alone. You had asked me for food, and I saw something more in you, and I took you in. It proved to be a good choice, you rose in my ranks quickly, and became a close commander in little less than eight months."
"Eight months… Holy shell! If she could rise to Shredder's Elite Guard in eight months, imagine how good she must be." Donnie said quietly.
Shredder's Elite guard was commanding? Who else was commanding? Those element freaks? Karai?
"I knew I smelled trouble. She must be as good as Karai. Yikes!" Mikey said, feigning scared. Leo rolled his eyes, and squinted at the silver foot.
"If she was a commander already, why are they back here? Is he giving her more than a commanding title?" Leo questioned aloud.
"I am sorry for making you train with the Foot soldiers again, but it has made you better. Which leads us to why I brought you here. Light Ninja, you are now a commanding officer again." Shredder finished, which answered that question. Whoever they were lost the title, and just now gained it back.
"Thank you, Master." A strong, female voice answered. She sounded familiar, and it tickled me to know why. Then again, we've been fight Shredder since we were what, thirteen? We had to learn some voices by now.
"I'm afraid I have forgotten your prized katana when we made our way here, as a gift for your accomplishments; I have to get it. I will be back in ten minutes, don't leave here." Shredder said. He turned, and he left the alleyway. The foot soldier stayed still for another minute, and then she sighed deeply. She walked backwards to the wall behind her and leaned against it.
"Stupid mask." She muttered aloud. She raised her hands up and pulled the silver mask off of her face. I was greeted by the sight of pale skin, brown hair, and green eyes. There was a scar over her left eye.
"It's Liza!" Leo whispered a bit loudly. Liza looked up immediately. She moved away from the wall and into a defensive position.
"Way to go Leo. Ya blew our cover." I whispered at him harshly. Leo turned to glare at me.
"Not now Raph. Look, we found Liza, and your eyes are on me." He hissed at me.
"Who are you?" Liza shouted up at us. We all looked over the edge, and into Liza's line of sight. Her eyes widened slightly, and she blinked. She called up to us, "Okay… Whatever you are, get down here. Or I'll come up. Either way, we'll be meeting."
"We no speak English." Mikey shouted back in a fake, heavy Japanese accent. Let's just say he got three whacks in the head. I did one of them.
"Koko de... oriru?" Liza shouted up in Japanese after some deliberation. I looked at Leo, silently asking what she said.
"She said 'Get down here'." Leo muttered.
"Well then let's obey her wishes." Mikey laughed out as he jumped over the edge.
"Mikey, no!" Donnie called back. He jumped over after our suicidal brother, and Leo and I follow in hot pursuit. When we reached the bottom Liza had her hand on her dagger, and Donnie was holding Mikey back.
"Nanidesu..." She jargoned at us in disbelief as she stared. I felt smug that her eyes lingered on me a moment longer than my brothers, and then didn't so much when I realized she probably saw me as the biggest threat.
"We actually speak English. Mikey was joking. We're teenage mutant ninja turtles, to answer your question." Leo answered. Her eyes widened more, and her hand reached up to grab something over her shoulder that wasn't there. It was a move Leo had made before, and it reminded me of something.
"You hate swords." I blurted out. She looked at me with a sarcastically raised eyebrow.
"And, pray tell, how did you come to that conclusion?" She asked. "My Master said it was the first weapon I picked up when I went to him."
"Before ya got amnesia three months ago, ya knew us. Leo kinda... kicked ya out of our house two months before that. We've been tryin' ta-" I stopped when Liza looked at me sharply and pointed her dagger at me. I knew it could do quite a bit of damage.
"Three months ago? Three months ago I was on a mission. Someone snuck up on me and sliced my back. The police found me out cold, in a pool of my blood, barely alive. I was convicted of being the Black Mask Terror, and was put in prison for killings I don't remember doing. Hun came and got me out before a proper judgment was placed." She said angrily.
"So it was Hun who made that huge hole in the wall?" Mikey asked. Liza nodded. "Makes sense."
"I'm still thanking him for doing that. Now, explain to me how was I living with you four, when I was working for The Shredder?" She asked.
"Ya weren't workin' for the Shredder. Ever. In fact yoa told us ya were tryin' ta stay clear of him. Ya came from Oregon with Hitoshi after yer family died in a homicidal train crash. It took ya three years ta get here. Ya became Black Mask Terror while in NYC, under the teachings of your actual sensei, Hitoshi. When ya got here, ya put it upon yerself to help the weak, killin' the criminals. After three months, I ran into ya stoppin' a robbery. I brought ya home, and Donnie here helped the bullet that was lodged into you right forearm. That's how ya got the scar there." I explained in a big whoosh. Liza looked down at her covered arm, and rubbed the exact spot I meant. She looked back up and glared at me.
"How dare you-"
"Ya lived with us for a month before Leo here kicked ya out. Don, Mikey, and I spent the next three months tryin' ta find ya. Then yer found by the police. The long scar on yer back, a foot ninja gave to ya, or so we think. We think you had been helpin' us silently by gettin' rid of as many Foot as ya can, and it nearly cost ya yer life. We had made a plan ta get ya out of prison, but then… ya were gone." I finished, before she could talk.
The atmosphere was tense as Liza looked ready to attack us and believe me at the same time. While she debated what to do, I stared at her. She wasn't very different physically- her hair was shorter than last we met, at her chin, but that was it- but she herself... Felt different. Her face was softer, even though it was pinched into a look of suspicion, and it looked like she was missing a few years in her eyes.
Liza turned to Don.
"You're Donatello, or Donnie?" She asked him. Donnie smiled brightly and nodded. Liza pulled away her dagger and put it in its sheath at her hip. I couldn't figure out why she was doing this, I could only hope it was positive.
"Michel… Angelo? Or Mikey?" She asked Mikey. Mikey nodded once, and twitched where he stood. He wanted to hug her, but wouldn't. Liza turned to Leo, and smiled at him.
"That would make you Leonardo. Or Leo, as your brothers call you." She said. Leo nodded, and he crouched into a stiff stance. I don't know why he did, it sounded like she was trying to be friendly. Did he see something we didn't?
Liza turned me.
"If I have my history correct, each of you were named after a famous Renaissance artist. Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, which means your Raphael. Am I correct?" She asked. I nodded once, because now that she talked to me I felt something was off. "Well, Karai's lessons don't go in vain I guess."
"Will you give us another-" Leo began, but Liza cut him off.
"No. But, I will give you this. Master Shredder, you're back." She said pleasantly.
I couldn't turn around fast enough. Shredder stood three meters behind me, at the entrance of the alleyway. He had a speculative look in his eyes, and a katana in his hand.
"Yes, Liza. What have you gotten so far?" He asked as he walked farther in.
"Their names, and the history of how I got here." She answered easily. She didn't spare us another glance as she dropped to her knees. I kept my body towards Shredder as he walked around us to get to Liza.
"Is it the same as mine?" He asked. Liza looked up at Shredder, and then over at me.
"No." She said. I swore I heard her breath falter in that one word.
"Why is your mask off?" Shredder asked, an abrupt change of topic.
"I took a breather. I didn't have time to put it back on." She answered, and looked back at Shredder. Oroku hummed for a split second.
"Do you think that you can take them?" Shredder asked her. I tensed at that. Take us. As in fight us?
"What do you want me to bring back Master?" She asked. Shredder handed her the katana he held, and she took it without hesitation.
No, not fight us, kill us.
I shared a look with my brothers. We needed to get out of here, but with Liza back on our side. How?
"Their masks, with their blood on it." Oroku Saki ordered. Aw shell. We're gonna get boxed in. How are we going to convince her when she wants our blood?
Liza stood up then, and bowed once to Shredder. She said, "Yes Master. I will not fail you."
"Gulp." Mikey whispered to us. Shredder's laughed as he left, and Liza only looked up once he was gone.
"Okay, no more play time." She muttered. She tossed the katana over her shoulders and I watched as her stance immediately changed. Her entire body language changed in that one move.
Now with a new weapon, she was far more confident than before. She pulled the sword from her sheath, and she turned to Leo. Leo sighed heavily and fell into a crouch, but he didn't pull out his katana.
"Out of all the times I don't want to do this... I don't want to fight you Liza. Please don't make me." Leo pleaded.
"Should we help?" Don asked me. I shrugged, because I honestly didn't know.
"You don't have to fight me Leeeo," She drawled his name out, and evil smile appeared on her face, "All you have to do is let me kill you."
"I will never give up a fight." He hissed at her, and he took a step closer. Liza mimicked him and stepped closer as well.
"Pity." She said, and probably meant it. She lunged at Leo, and I couldn't move fast enough to stop the collision.
"No!" Mikey hollered.
I said I couldn't, but that didn't mean someone else couldn't. Mikey jumped in front of Leo and used his nunchucks to stop Liza's blow. I saw his body weight down from Liza's force, but for only a second.
"No one will hurt my family. Not while I can help it." Mikey told Liza, and he slowly lifted his body. The katana that were mere centimeters from his head becomes an inch. Which leads to two. Liza's face fell at the face of Mikey, and I wondered if for a moment she'd stop. She didn't do that though, she growled and swung her knee up and into Mikey's side.
I heard a crack and Mikey was sent flying from the trick. Liza landed on both legs, not a single thing on her hurt. Which meant it was Mikey who cracked something.
"Mikey!" Don and I shouted, and Don ran to Mikey to check him over. Leo didn't look back like I did, he stopped trying to be peaceful and pulled out his own weapons. He lunged at Liza, and things became a blur. It wasn't my blood pounding in my head, it was how fast Liza and Leo moved. Liza had barely been able to keep up with any of us when she trained with us months ago. To see her move so fast... All I could see was flashes of green and silver, all I could hear was the constant clashing and singing of metal. And voices.
"You're good. It's sad I have to kill you. It's a waste of so much skill." Liza said. There was a loud clash, and they froze for a moment. Neither looked hurt, which was a definite good sign.
"I would say thank you, but I doubt that was a compliment." Leo huffed back. Liza smiled at him,and they were moving again.
"Take it however you like. In the end it won't matter to me." She said cruelly, and a shiver went down my spine.
"Raph." Don whispered. I tore my eyes from my brother and the girl I liked and over to Don. He was cradling Mikey's head in his lap as he checked over our youngest brother. Something told me that crack I heard was a rib. Or two. Liza had gotten better at fighting, and while normally that would be awesome, it wasn't a good thing now.
"What? Do ya need help?" I asked, already taking a step towards him. Don waved me off.
"No. I have an idea. I need you to do something that will make her remember us. Whatever you can think of. Just do it. Mikey's out, and Leo might not last long enough for me to pitch in and fight. You'll have to do something that doesn't involve fighting for once." He said.
I looked over at Leo and Liza where they fought. They were slowing down, and they almost looked closer together. Leo really might not last, it was hard to fight someone you didn't want to fight.
"Okay. I'll try not to fight. Just this once." I answered.
Leo and Liza stopped suddenly. Leo had his knees bent so that they were holding his weight and extra force pushed on him. His arms were up, and his twin katana formed an X to stop Liza's blow.
Somewhere during the fight Leo cut a bit of her shirt off. Just a spot on the shoulder, and blood seeped through the gap. I smile at that. So we can hurt her. Glad Shredder didn't make her a robot.
Liza turned herself inwards and pressed her back out like a stretching cat. Her arms held the handle of her sword down constantly so Leo couldn't get an opening.
"Give up. In the end, I'll beat you." Liza grit through her teeth. Leo lifted his swords up a bit and gave his head more space to move.
"Not while blood moves through these veins." He growled out. Liza's eyes lit up like fire. Her left arm moved into a more comfortable position on her sword... It almost looked like she was going to split the sword in half with how she was grasping it. Wait a second… She couldn't.
"Then I'll stop your pulse." She whispered. Liza lifted her left arm, and her katana became twins.
"Leo, move back!" I shouted. I ran forward to my brother, hoping to be fast enough, or that he was. Liza's arm flew in a downwards motion and caught Leo's shoulder. He jerked back as if he had been burned, which got him successfully out of the danger zone as the sword slipped off his shoulder in a light scratch. He fell backwards and rolled over to Donnie to get out of the line of fire.
I took up his place and charged Liza. I grabbed both of her wrists and shook her right arm until she let go of her katana. Liza shook with my movement but was quick to get her balance. She ran her knee upwards to get my abdomen, and I let go of her right arm to block her leg. She used her free arm to try and punch me.
I grabbed her hand before it could meet my face, because I did not want to know how powerful it was now. It hurt before all this happened.
Amidst blocking her melee attacks, I wasn't aware she'd twisted her left hand around enough her blade struck my arm. It wasn't too deep, but I still hissed at the pain.
I shoved Liza back until she hit a wall, which was when she dropped the other katana. She gasped from the force of my push, and was I not so concerned about stopping her I would be worried.
I pressed against her until she had little moving space, and pressed a leg between both of hers to stop her from kicking me. She wrapped her legs around me, pulled me closer, and tried to ram her head against mine.
"Woah, that would hurt you more than me." I said as I pulled my head away from her.
"What are you doing you overgrown reptile?" She hissed at me. She bared her teeth like she threatened to bite me, and despite her insult it made me smile. I grabbed her wrists a little tighter and raised them over her head. She froze at my move, and she squeezed her legs like she wanted me away. She likely did. I couldn't let that stop me this time though.
"That scar of yers looks pretty hot. I told ya that two days after we met, when ya finally decided to wake up." I said cheekily. She froze and stared at me. Her eyes looked over my face feverently, and then she twisted her head sideways to hide the left side of her face.
"Two days before Leo kicked ya out, ya did the same move. We were even in this position. 'Cept it was on a couch. Ya turned yer head to the left ta hide it for some reason." I continued.
"What did you do after I did that?" She asked shyly. Was I getting to her? I think I was getting to her. Yes! There was hope.
I leaned in close enough she could head butt me or bite me, but she didn't try either. I was able to press my lips along her neck where she radiated warmth.
"I bit you. It was a sensitive spot of yours. I'd show you but it's covered by those damn foot clothes." I answered. Liza's head whipped around, and she tried to head butt me again. I pulled away to a safe distance again.
"I am your enemy." She hissed.
"Yer the girl I like," I answered back, very simply, "And I think ya liked me too, once."
"Even if you could get me to remember anything about my past three years, what good would it do? I can't escape Shredder." She said. She looked at me and I could see a bit of her mask crumble.
"Raph." Don urged me. Liza's eyes flickered over my shoulder, and her eyes soften a bit. She looked back to me, and she frowned deeply.
"It might be enough ta make ya stop." I whispered. Liza looked confused at what I said, and even tilted her head for it. I steeled my nerves for this, leaned forwards and pressed our lips together.
Last time we did this, it was so that I didn't drink another beer, and that kiss was filled with passion; nothing pure, just desire. I don't think I was thinking clearly that time, and Liza did it to distract me. This time I was conscious, I had a reason to kiss her. To convey what I don't know how to say correctly, to bring Liza back to the light, to make her understand that there is always a way out.
Liza stiffened against me at the sudden onslaught. Her legs squeezed impossibly tight, her back stiffened so that it was pen straight. There was a moment of silence, and then Liza moved. She relaxed against me, pressed against me tighter. She pressed her mouth to mine with purpose.
"Raph!" Leo shouted past the haze of my mind. I pulled away and looked at Liza. She could have kissed back for any multitude of reasons, I couldn't assume she was good.
Who stared at me wasn't the Liza I'd known, but it also wasn't the Liza we'd met tonight. She looked at me like she knew me, but she still had questions. She removed her legs from around me and let them dangle to the ground. I let go of her hands only then, and Liza fell back to the ground.
"Thank you, Raph." She whispered quietly as she pushed past me. Wait, What? I turned around and watched her pick up her katanas. She put them back together and put them in the sheath.
"What do ya mean "Thank you"?" I asked her when she faced me once again. She looked at me, and then at my brothers.
"I remembered enough to not want to finish what I started," She answered. She looked at the four of us slowly, with a different purpose. She faced me again. "But, I told you even if I remembered something, it wouldn't do any good. I still have to go back to Shredder, because he won't let me go. If I go missing and he finds me, he won't be too supportive of my desertion. If I go back to him without your masks and blood, I'll be punished for failing him. If I go with your masks and blood, he still won't let me go. We can't win." She answered. Oh, that's what she meant.
"What we can do is prolong your lives, just long enough to come up with a plan. Donnie, what are your blood types?" Liza asked Donnie. Don didn't spare her a look as he worked on Leo with what tools we had.
"Leo and Mikey are A Positives. Raph and I are is A Negatives." Don answered, hard.
"Good, take off your masks, all of you. Leo, Mikey doesn't have any wounds on the outside, his mask will have to have yours on it. And Don, since you were never hurt, your mask will have to have Raph's on it. Same blood types will help disguise your deaths." She explained.
"What about our bodies?" Leo asked. Liza looked down for a moment in thought, before she smiled.
"I'll say I burned them in an incinerator at a hospital. Which means there will be no real traces. Besides ashes, but there's no DNA in ashes. Hurry now." She ordered.
I took off my mask instantly, grabbed Donnie's when he offered it, and I pressed both to the cut on my arm. I felt a sting at the pressure and waited the few seconds it took for the masks to be soaked. Don took Mikey's and Leo's and held them very briefly to Leo's shoulder. Once we were both done Liza took our masks and turned to leave. She stopped beside me close enough her arm touched mine.
"Wait. Liza, I'm sorry for kicking you out of the house." Leo said sincerely. It surprised me as much as it probably surprised Liza. She looked at our blood soaked masks, and then to the ground.
"I hated what you did, but, I forgave you the day you kicked me out. I understood why you did, and no matter how angry I was at you for doing that, I know I would have done the same if you were a danger to my family. No harm." She answered.
"Will we see ya again?" I asked. Liza laughed this time, and she looked over at me.
"Of course. We have unfinished business." She answered, and with her words she leaned up and pressed her lips to the corner of mine. Then, she left, and disappeared into the night.
"Come on Raph, we need to get Mikey and Leo medical attention." Donnie ordered. I sighed and turned away from where I'd watched Liza leave. I picked up a limp Mikey while Donnie got Leo. I rested his bare head on my shoulder, and was careful to avoid his ribs. Donnie opened the manhole, and he dropped down first. Then Mikey, myself, and Leo last. We walked through the sewers easily, but we could all feel the dread.
However this ended, may it be we die or Shredder dies, whatever or whoever is left won't have the last laugh. It wasn't going to be fun.
A/n: Those who know the story before I edited it, I switched her from third command to commanding officer because a.) Third command is a stupidly high title for someone who's only known Shredder for eight months and is only seventeen years old, and b.) The things she does under Shredder is more a trainer than a guard, which is probably not something a third command would do.