A/N: Sorry for the long delay guys! This was SOOO hard to write, but I think i did okay. Also, I won't be updating for a little while again after this, because I'll be going on holiday, and then I'll be back in college. Just a heads up!
Also, BIG thanks to the 101 reviews! i can't believe it's gotten that many, so thank you!
I OWN NOTHING!
Enjoy!
Chapter 15
"It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one."
― Voltaire, Zadig
It was during his evening meditation session with his father, Tiger Claw, that a Foot soldier had been escorted from The Shredder in order to retrieve Leonardo immediately for his next mission out in the city. As the soldier left the room shortly after, the two mutants shared a puzzled look, and Leo only shrugged before standing up and preparing to leave for Shredder's throne room. A firm paw on his shoulder stopped him before he could make it through the door, and he turned around as Tiger Claw regarded his son, his stripped catlike features firm, yet his amber eyes were concerned. "Remember, my son," he said to him, "anger is self-destructive. Do not let it conquer you, Leonardo. Wakarimasu ka?"
Leo hesitated for a moment, contemplating his words, before nodding his head and bowing to his sensei in understanding. "Wakarimashita," he replied automatically, sending him a faint but sure smile before he left his father standing alone and watching him leave. Tiger Claw frowned as the boy escaped his sight and ran down the halls. Ever since this mission had begun, the cat had been seeing less and less of his son, whether it was due to Tiger Claw's own missions or Leonardo's grief. He personally deemed it unwise to leave the boy alone whilst he was in such a state, but accompanying him wasn't his decision to make; it was the Shredder's. And deep down, he felt that the longer they spent apart, the farther they would become before they barely knew each other anymore…
And yet, in the back of his mind, the old tiger couldn't help but wonder to himself…was this all planned somehow? Was Shredder's intention to show Leonardo independence…or to purposely draw the two of them away from each other? His ochre eyes narrowed at the thought. Shredder was a crafty man, and only revealed his deepest and darkest secrets with those he trusted the most, and that was seriously saying something considering his trust issues.
Just what did that man have planned for his young cub? Knowing this dangerous man, he knew it wasn't good….
When Leonardo entered the large room moments after receiving the message, Shredder was already sat upon his throne waiting for him, watching with cold, bloodshot eyes as the turtle bowed before him on one knee, awaiting his instructions and keeping his eyes on the ground. Without averting his glare from the boy, Shredder spoke, "Leonardo, tonight you are to rendezvous with Bradford and Xever at the den of The Purple Dragons. From what they have told us, they have come across the three turtles earlier this evening."
Leo looked up at that, his eyes slightly widened. This didn't go unnoticed by Shredder, and behind his metal mask, a knowing cold smirk seemed to form as he stood up from his throne and strode purposefully towards the turtle, until he was but a few inches away. "Once they tell you the whereabouts of the turtles, you will accompany both Bradford and Xever to the location. Find those turtles…and this time, do not hesitate," he warned lowly. "Your relation to them means nothing to me, nor should it mean anything to you as a warrior and servant under the emblem of the Foot. Is that understood?"
Leo remained unaffected when Shredder had approached him, but is brows creased together with a scowl when he'd uttered that last sentence. Despite not being given any permission to do so, Leonardo stood up straight, keeping his narrowed blue eyes glaring up at the armoured man before him. "…You can be sure, Master Shredder," growled Leonardo, "that my relation to the turtles means nothing to me either. They will be dealt with by my hand, and mine alone…but know that it's not for your personal 'victory' over Hamato Yoshi, but my own."
Shredder's eyes narrowed down darkly at the boy standing before him, and the air became thick with silent tension as the two of them glared each other down. If it were not for the plans he had in store for the blue clad mutant, Shredder would have already disposed of him for ever daring to address his master in such a manner. He would have thought that his experiences as a child would ensure that he feared and respected him…but the child's spirit could not be so easily shattered, not even from a killing. Such strength was admirable, as he had pondered over in the past once before. But Shredder would make sure that when all was said and done, Leonardo would know true fear by his hands.
For now however, he would have to wait until the time was right. Then they would see just how strong this boy really was.
Shredder let a low growl from his throat, and with a swish of his black cape, he turned his back on the turtle. "Go now, Leonardo. Do not fail me…or the consequences will be severe," he threatened, striding back to sit upon his throne.
Leo bit back an animalistic growl of his own, before turning on his heel and marching out of the room, simply glad to be out of that man's presence. His aura made his scaly skin crawl with disgust.
He'd wasted no time in gearing up and leaving the Shredder's fortress, but he was both surprised and slightly amused to find that when he landed on the roof opposite the Purple Dragon hideout, it was nothing but an abandoned toy factory. Well, he had to give them credit for being inconspicuous, unlike Shredder; no one would ever think to look for a so-called dangerous street gang in a toy factory of all places. Rolling his eyes skyward and sighing, Leo leapt the distance from the two buildings with ease and entered the hideout through the hidden door on the roof, slipping inside without a sound. From the support beams above, he could already spot Xever and Bradford just walking in from the bottom entrance, being greeted by two Purple Dragon members as they led them up the stairs to the second level of the factory, where a table littered with cards and gambling equipment stood.
Leo scoffed to himself and shook his head; what was it with humans and pointless money games like these?
The two Dragons told Xever and Bradford that their leader, Fong, would be a little while longer, for he'd stopped off at a tattoo parlor. Bradford rolled his eyes, clearly not wanting to be here any longer than he needed to be, (and despite his issues with the man, Leo couldn't help but agree with him) but Xever merely nodded in response. It was then that the smaller bearded Dragon asked them both, "Wait, wasn't there supposed to be three of you guys here tonight?"
Grinning wide enough to make Karai proud, Leo whistled loudly once, chuckling to himself when they seemed to jump slightly at the sound ringing through the air. "Up here, numbskulls," he called, and just as their heads snapped up t look for him, he leapt down to the ground, landing in a crouch just in front of Xever and Bradford. As he straightened up again, he smirked at the aghast expressions on the Dragons faces as they pulled out whatever weapons they had on them, which were merely sets of dull knives.
"It's one of the turtles!" the big one cried, "How'd he find us?!"
"Get him!" the smaller one yelled, charging at the blue clad turtle with his knife in hand.
Leo only rolled his eyes and sighed as he stepped aside nonchalantly, letting the guy go sprawling to the floor instead. "Calm down, you morons," he droned, his expression as flat as it had ever been. "I'm not one of them. If you've seen them before, you'd have realized that there were only three turtles, not four. Unless you blockheads can't count, that is."
The Dragons shared a skeptical look, and then turned to Xever and Bradford, who had been standing there the whole time simply watching the whole scene play out, and they both nodded. "Yeah, he's with us," Xever answered, "but just don't get him angry." He then grinned mockingly over at Leonardo. "You won't like him when he's angry."
Planting his hands on his hips, Leo jeered at the Brazilian man. "Hardy har har, very funny, Xever. Let's see if you're still laughing later on when I break those stick legs of yours later," he spat, walking over to the railings at the edge of the top floor and leaning against them with his arms folded, ignoring the cautious looks he was receiving from the Dragons. In response to his threat, Xever only huffed and smirked.
A few silent moments passed as they continued to wait, and Leo busied himself with adjusting the scarf around his neck so that it hung a little looser; it was starting to get warm in this room, and his patience was wearing thin. He sighed, and then unsheathed a single katana, deciding to busy himself with practicing a few katas. "How long is this 'Fong' guy gonna be?" Leo finally asked as he swung his blades gracefully, his tone suggesting immense boredom. For his first mission out in the city since the events of three nights ago, couldn't Shredder at least give him something that was actually worth his time and effort? Was that walking garbage can trying to test his skills or his thin line of patience with him?
From the other side watching him as Leo fought his invisible opponent, Bradford shrugged from where he leaned against the wall. "Beats me. These commoners have no shame in showing up whenever they deem it appropriate," he hissed, earning a look from Xever, which he of course ignored.
The turtle paused his katas, turning to the human and raising a non-existent brow. "Says the 'fashionably late' rich boy over there," retorted Leo. He heard Xever bark a laugh as Bradford growled at him. Leo grinned smugly in response, sheathing his katas and taking a page from the 'Book of Karai' as he taunted him yet again. "Whoa there, keep growling like a dog and you'll wind up looking like one. Although, with that much facial hair I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
Xever, along with the two Purple Dragons sat at the table in the middle of a game, actually laughed at that one, with Xever slapping a hand over his mouth to try and stifle it as Bradford clenched his fists together in anger, marching right up to the smaller, unfazed turtle. "You want me to smash in that face of yours, turtle?!" he shouted, raising his fist threateningly.
Before the 'fight' could ensue, the door on the bottom floor opened up to reveal a scrawny looking Purple Dragon, and Bradford backed away from Leo and took his place against the wall again as Fong walked up the stairs. He spotted Leo and stopped mid-step, lifting a brow. Fong looked to Xever, gesturing the turtle. "He with you guys?" he asked simply, and Leo found himself surprised that he wasn't freaking out like the other two did; maybe this guy was smarter for a goon than he cared to admit.
Xever nodded to the Dragon leader. "Yeah, he's with us."
Fong looked once more at Leo, who silently nodded his greeting to the human, and Fong shrugged. "Cool. We got a ninja turtle on our side," he said, and then a smug smile replaced his surprise as he turned back to the two henchmen. "And speaking of turtles, we saw the other ones you were looking for. And I'll tell you where…for a price."
For the umpteenth time that night, Leo rolled his eyes again and sighed. "What is it with you humans and money?" he muttered under his breath, casting his gaze towards the window instead. Then his eyes narrowed when he caught three large shadows illuminated on the other side. "…what the –?" he murmured…and then the realization hit him. "MOVE!" he shouted, gaining the attention of the entire room.
Leo had only seconds to dive to the floor and roll out of the way as suddenly, broken glass shattered and showered over them as three large figures burst through the large window, flipping over their heads and landing with narrowed white eyes and weapons drawn at the Purple Dragons. As Leo stood up from where he'd landed with his hands already reaching back for his swords, he froze in place as his eyes widened and the breath left his lungs with a gasp…
It was…
"Freeze, dirt-bags!" Donatello shouted at them, spinning his Bo staff threateningly as he, Raphael and Michelangelo glared them down with their own poised to attack.
Leo couldn't move for several seconds as he stared at the three of them, his heart pounding hard against his chest. What…what where they doing here? How did they find this place? Had they followed him here? The thought that he could have let those three amateurs actually sneak up on him like that made his insides churn…
It was in that moment that the three turtles spotted Leonardo standing between the gang members and Shredder's goons, and they gasped as their eyes widened. "Oh my god…Leo?!" cried Donatello. What was Leonardo doing here? Had they known they were coming and brought him along? Or was he looking for answers from them? Well, whatever the reason for their older brother being here was, one thing was for sure; they wouldn't be leaving this place without a few broken bones…
Maybe this plan wasn't such a great one after all.
Behind his taller younger brother, Raphael's green eyes narrowed angrily as he glared hotly at Leonardo, raising his Sais higher in a defensive stance. Brother or not, they would have no choice but to fight him if he attacked them first…and he still had to repay him for what he did to his shoulder…
Leonardo snapped out of his stunned trace at Donatello's outcry, and he returned Raphael's glare with one of his own as he stood up straight, unsheathing his Katanas in one swift movement as Bradford and Xever came to stand by him, both of them grinning in smug satisfaction at the three stunned turtles before them. "…hello again, brothers," Leonardo spat. "You must be suicidal to let me see your faces again."
Michelangelo's baby blue eyes were wide with confusion and a hint of fear as he stared at his big brother. This wasn't what was supposed to happen! They weren't supposed to fight like this, not again! "Leo…what the heck are you doing here with the Purple Dragons and Bradford?!" he stammered, "and…that other guy?!"
On Leo's right, Xever smirked smugly. "The name is Xever," he announced, "So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells…with these!" He then flicked out two knives from his belt, grinning in anticipation.
And then without warning, the gang members and the two henchmen charged the three turtles. Donnie and Mikey took out the Dragons without much hassle and then headed for Bradford and Xever. However, Raphael no longer had any interest in them, and managed to kick the largest of the Purple Dragons over the railing with ease, and he powered straight towards Leonardo instead, his Sais bared and ready to attack. With a low, animalistic growl rumbling from his chest, Leo charged the red clad turtle head on in kind as their weapons collided with a clang of metal that rang through their ears, and then hell finally broke loose in the old factory as the fight ensued.
The two estranged brothers bartered hard, swift blows with one another, neither one hitting their targets despite the ferocity of their assaults. As they fought, Leo began to feel a sense of release with every blow collided with the other angered turtle. Yes, this was the release Leonardo had been looking for! This was what he wanted, to let his anger out on those who deserved it, starting with his second, hot-headed brother, the one who he was sure had hated him the most.
It was as the two turtles locked blades once more that Leo noticed Raphael's shoulder was now scarred from where his blade had pierced his flesh three nights ago, and there were two symmetrical cracks on his plastron and carapace left behind. Leo smirked coldly at the other. "Nice scar, Raphael," he mocked, "It suits you well."
Despite how hard he tried to fight it, the red clad turtle's temper seemed to snap once again. "Shut up!" Raph snarled at him in rage, launching a flurry of kicks and punches at Leo that missed by inches, until finally his fist connected with Leo's jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. Raph watched as Leo flipped himself to his feet again, flicking off a trail of blood that made dripped from his bottom lip.
Drawing his hand away from his face and staring expressionlessly at the blood, Leo's gaze lifted back up to Raph. "…good one," he said, his eyes narrowing darkly as he gripped his Katanas tighter as he pointed them at his foe, crouching low and snarling as though he were an animal on the hunt for its next meal. "…but don't think I'll let you do that again."
As Raph spun his Sais and assumed a defensive stance, he felt nothing for his older brother in that moment, though deep down he knew he should. This wasn't supposed to be his enemy…this was his brother, his lost, confused older brother who he'd loved so long ago…but right now, they were anything but brothers, and if Leo had his way, he would make sure that they never walked out of here alive. Raph growled under his breath. He had to get through to him somehow…and if beating some sense into him was the only way, then so be it.
Raph readied himself just as Leo charged him again with a loud cry, and after taking a leap off the railings, the two of them clashed with swift, hard strikes as they fought in mid-air. And as gravity pulled them back down to the lower levels, Leo managed to grab Raph and flip them both in such a way that when they landed, it was Raphael's shell that seemed to crack upon contact with concrete. Groaning in pain, he blinked his eyes open again as a queasy vertigo came over him. Did he hit his head or something? He didn't have time to find out or even get up again as a foot planted hard on his plastron, keeping him pinned to the ground as he let out another grunt of pain. His vision cleared enough for him to find that Leonardo had his sword pointed at his throat, his glare cold and unmerciful as he stared him down. Eyes wide, Raph leaned as much away from the blade as he could, but with Leo pinning him down, he was going nowhere. "…L-Leo, you gotta listen to me," he strained to say as the blade came closer to his throat, "we're not your enemies! Just put the sword away and –"
"Save your breath, Raphael," Leo snapped, raising his katana as he prepared to bring it down upon him, ignoring the look of fear in his green-eyed gaze, "…It won't last."
Whenever Leonardo was about to make a kill on any mission he was sent on, his mind would always revert back to that night, back to the creatures that tried to kill him as a child. It happened all on its own accord, but it made the killing all the more easy when he saw their soulless faces instead of his victims'. This time however, he didn't see it. Instead, he only saw the turtle, shrinking in fear underneath his blade, waiting for the death he deserved…
Leo's glare faltered, his expression softening as his blade lowered slowly to his side. The look in Raphael's eyes as they met his own…they were full of fear, fear from the inevitable death that was sure to come. They reminded him of how he felt that night all those years ago…but that couldn't be right. They were the ones who abandoned him, the heartless ones, the liars…
So why couldn't Leonardo bring himself to kill him?
Without warning, the dull ache in his head suddenly arose once more, and he brought a hand to his temples as he staggered off Raph, letting out a cry of pain as he collapsed to his knees. Why was this happening again? Why now, when Raphael was free to strike him down? He had to get this under control and move –
Suddenly, a loud crash on their right made them turn their attention to where Bradford had smashed both Michelangelo and Donatello into a pile of wooden crates. Bradford stood up and smirked coldly at the both of them as Mikey tried to help Donnie stand, but his legs were shaking beneath him and his body was badly bruised. Mikey glared up threateningly at Bradford, which didn't seem to look right on the turtle that always smiled. Beside him, Leo could feel the rage emanating off of Raphael as he ground his teeth together, twirling his Sais in his grip as he prepared to leap after Bradford, but before he could move, several Foot Soldiers suddenly burst through the brick walls of the hideout, surrounding them all as they prepared to attack. Both Leo and Raph's eyes widened, but for entirely different reasons.
For Leo, he was wondering why on earth the Foot were here, and Raph was just shocked that they were here.
Donnie looked up and saw that the situation had definitely gotten out of hand. He should've known that this mission was a failure from the very start, and yet he had foolishly led his brothers into it. They had to leave, now, or they would all die here. "Guys, we're getting outta here! Now!" he called, unslinging himself from Mikey and dodging a sweep from Bradford's fist, responding with a solid kick to the man's face before he and Mikey took to the support beams and swung themselves across, evading flying shuriken and knives as they hurried back towards the window from whence they came. Despite himself and his overwhelming desire to stay and punch Leonardo some more, Raph forced himself to follow after his brothers, pushing past Leonardo and running along the walls, flipping off the railings before landing by their side. With Raph now accounted for, the three turtles leapt out of the window, making their escape.
His previous abnormal feelings long forgotten, Leo growled in rage as he leapt to his feet again and moved towards the window, glaring after their retreating forms. "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" he bellowed into the night.
He was closely followed by Xever, who didn't look very pleased either. "Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!" he shouted after them.
Leo curled his lip into a snarl as they watched them retreat. They were running away from him again. Xever was indeed right about one thing; they really were cowards. He didn't understand what happened before he had the chance to strike Raphael down, but he knew he wouldn't let it happen again. The next time he saw them, there would be no hesitation.
No more mercy.
As they leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the three battle worn turtles tried to ignore the aggravated calls of their enemies, until Mikey suddenly skidded to a stop. Donnie and Raph turned upon noticing that Mikey had stopped running, and despite their calls for him to keep going, he wouldn't budge an inch, and instead he turned back to the Purple Dragon hideout. "We can't go! W-What about Leo?!" he cried desperately, gesturing the hideout behind them. "We have to bring him back with us! We gotta tell him the truth!"
Donnie bit down on his lip in uncertainty, his eyes filled with sympathy and remorse as he placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Mikey, we can't do that right now," he said, and felt his heart ache when Mikey's shoulders slumped in dejection, but he continued. "But I promise you, we will get him back…eventually. Right now, we gotta get outta here before the Foot decide to come after us again. Come on!"
His baby blue eyes now gloomier than ever, Mikey nodded once, and after Donnie patted him reassuringly on the shoulder once more, the three of them took off again. But Mikey couldn't help but glance one last time at the hideout, a glimpse of blue mask tails fluttering in the distance…
The lair was utterly silent now, apart from the beeping of game machines and the whirring of Donatello's latest inventions inside the lab. The three turtles sat downcast in the pit that served as their living room, none of them speaking to one another as they sat against the bench. Donatello had his head resting against the edge of the bench, his gloomy eyes staring up at the network of pipes on the ceiling. He shifted his reddish brown gaze towards Raphael, who sat against the practice dummy with a stormy look in his eyes as he glared at the floor. Then he looked over at Michelangelo on his right, who had the bear from the dojo hugged to his chest as he stared at the floor despondently. Donnie sighed dejectedly as he watched his brothers in silence. Not only had that mission failed miserably, but they'd also lost the chance to get Leonardo to come back with them…
If only he hadn't been so stupid, and instead have just left the Purple Dragons alone in the first place. Now they had Bradford, Xever and Leonardo on their side. Last time they had barely beaten the two thugs on their own…and Leo had come so close to killing them before.
But what Donnie found interesting was that no matter how close Leo got, he could never seem to do it…
A groan from Raph on his left caught his attention, and he turned to the red clad turtle who had since stood up with his fists clenched. "Man, could that fight have been any more embarrassing?!" he snarled, giving the dummy a good punch for emphasis.
"Well, would you rather have died?" Donnie deadpanned, raising a brow at his already hot-tempered older brother as he sent him a growl. Rolling his eyes skyward, Donnie then stood up and faced his brother. "Listen Raph, I know it sucks, but if we stayed we would've never stood a chance! Purple Dragons, no problem, but against The Foot, Shredder's two henchmen and Leonardo –"
"The only reason they win, Dork-a-tello," Raph interjected, jabbing a finger at Donnie's chest, "is because they're willing to fight to the finish! The only way to beat them all is to be just as ruthless as they are!"
"Raphael."
Raph and Donnie both froze, and they spun around to find that Master Splinter was walking out of the dojo, casting a sympathetic glance at his youngest son holding the bear, before returning his attention to the matter at hand. "This 'Xever' will cross lines that you won't," he continued. "This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong."
Donnie's brows creased together in thought over his Sensei's words, but before he could voice his opinion, Raph already beat him to it, as usual. "But Xever wins fights! Isn't that what matters?" he barked up at his father in protest, "And he never shows anyone mercy, and neither will Leo if he gets the chance!"
From the center of the pit, Mikey finally looked up at his brothers, and his expression turned from downcast to slight fear and surprise at his older brothers' somewhat harsh yet somewhat truthful declaration. But Mikey didn't want to believe that, not for one second. Hugging the bear closer out of old habit, he stood up from the bench. "But…but we can talk to him!" he argued weakly, "We can tell him everything he thinks isn't true and then he won't be –"
"Talking ain't gonna cut it, Mikey!" Raph snapped, making Mikey flinch back as the red turtles stomped towards him, his fists clenched. "He's not just gonna sit there and listen to whatever we have to say, he'll just kill us on the spot! Face it, Mikey, no matter what we do, Leo isn't gonna be on our side! He's not our brother anymore, he's the enemy! He belongs to The Shredder!"
"Raphael!" Splinter snapped, "That is enough!"
Mikey's eyes were shining now as he glared hotly at Raph, holding the bear tight enough to burst. "That's not true! He isn't that bad, I know he isn't!" he insisted, his voice cracking slightly but he paid it no mind. "There has to be some good in him! I mean, what about when he was gonna kill you at the Dragon hideout? He didn't do it, did he? No matter how much he hates us he's never gonna kill us! Because…because deep down, he still loves us! And he needs us to help him see that, Raph!"
Raph growled through clenched teeth. Mikey just didn't get it, did he? Why was he still clinging onto false hope? Why couldn't he just grow up and face the fact that they were never going to get him back? "Enough, Mikey!" he yelled, not noticing how Splinter was taking a step towards him. "All Leo needs from us are our dead bodies on the –"
The argument came to a stop when the sound of a phone ringing. All eyes darted down to Raph's belt, and with a roll of his eyes and a small grunt, he picked it up and answered it. "Moshi Moshi, Raph speaking," he droned automatically, "What's up, April?"
"Raph, you and the guys need to come to Murakami's right now!" April's panicked voice cried through the speakers, gaining everyone's attention now as they listened closely. "Something bad has happened! He's gone!"
Leonardo leaned against the water tower, his arms crossed firmly over is chest and a dark frown creasing his features as he glared down at Xever and the Purple Dragons surrounding him. This was disgusting. It was pathetic and dishonorable, and the worst part of it was that Xever knew that, yet he didn't care. Involving innocent people into their dealings was always wrong, and Leo went to great lengths to make sure that never happened, but this time he'd failed. He'd let Xever drag him into beating up and kidnapping a blind man, tying him up and hanging him by a wooden beam which was all that stood between him and long drop to an untimely death. The poor man didn't deserve to be bait for a petty trap that the Foot had in store for the other turtles. Yes, Leonardo wanted them dead, but if this was what they had to do to achieve that, then he would rather save them the trouble and kill them all himself…which was sounding very tempting right about now.
Standing at the edge of the building, Xever grinned down smugly at their hostage hanging helplessly below them. And that only fueled Leo with even more anger and hatred towards that man. He was far worse than Bradford…speaking of which, where was he? He was supposed to be here already. Maybe he's trying to make a flamboyant appearance again. The thought made Leo roll his eyes.
A noise to his left caught his attention, and he turned to find the three turtles had finally made their appearance. They were hauling up a chained up trashcan onto the roof as well, which made Leo raise a brow. What were they doing? Was that some kind of secret weapon they had stashed in there?
Just as The Purple Dragons and Xever turned and saw them, Raphael made eye contact with Leonardo. He scowled up at him, his green eyes ablaze. Leo glared right back with a low, rumbling growl from his throat.
"We're here, Xever," Donatello affirmed, "Now let him go!"
Xever only smirked. "Sorry…there's been a change of plans," he grinned complacently, just as a few dozen Foot Soldiers burst from their hiding places with their weapons drawn and poised to strike. Leo leapt down from his perch on the water tower and landed in front of the soldiers, his twin Katanas drawn as he glared at the three of them. However, to his mild surprise, they seemed unfazed, and instead…they looked just as smug as Xever.
"Actually," Raphael announced, "there's been another change of plans!"
With a giddy grin, Michelangelo sliced off the chains with his kusarigama blade and revealed to them all what was inside the trashcan...and Leo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped comically at the sight of Chris Bradford tied up with a strip of duct tape across his mouth. Leo felt his left eye twitch as he stared incredulously at them. What? What where they trying to pull off here? They couldn't be…
"If you let our friend go," Donnie declared, folding his arms over his chest, "Then we'll let your friend go."
They were.
Leo sighed and shook his head, slapping a hand over his face at the sheer stupidity of what they had just done. They couldn't be serious. Were they really that dense? "…you…idiots," he mumbled under his breath.
Behind him, he heard Xever laugh. "Ha! He's not my friend!" he snorted. The other Turtles shared a look that clearly said 'uh oh'.
Then before Leo could stop him, Xever walked over to where Murakami hung, and with a flick of his wrist, he whipped out his knife and began cutting the rope. Leo's eyes widened. "Hey! What are you doing?!" he snarled, "They're here now, so let him go!"
Xever turned to him and smirked. "What do you think I'm doing?" he leered, "I'm letting him go."
Leo's breath hitched as he ground his teeth together. He had to stop him, but if he made any move towards him, he would cut the rope completely. But he couldn't just let the man die! He'd done nothing wrong! On his left, the other turtles felt the same, and so Raphael grabbed and pushed Bradford closer to the edge of the roof, much to Leo's shock. He didn't think they had the backbone to do something like this in the first place. "H-hey, we're not kidding," Donnie insisted weakly, "s-so stop, or we'll toss him!"
"Go ahead," Xever shrugged nonchalantly, turning back to cut the rope once again, "It'll save me the trouble!" Bradford's muffled angry protest went unheard by all of them.
Leo hated Xever, but he had gotten to know him well enough to know that he wasn't kidding; he was fully prepared to let that man die. Desperate now, Leo turned towards Donatello, and the two of them locked gazes for a moment. Leo knew that Donnie was the leader of their group, so he called the shots. And Leo prayed that he could understand what he was saying with his eyes. This had to stop. They had to pull Bradford over; it was the only way to save that innocent man.
Donnie was smart enough to understand that, right?
Donnie met Leo's gaze, and he was taken by surprise that there was no malice or hatred in his eyes this time. In fact, he almost looked like he was…pleading with them. He was trying to tell them not to do it…It finally hit Donnie that Leo actually didn't want Murakami to die either, though he couldn't understand why. Perhaps Leonardo wasn't as heartless as they deemed he was…perhaps Mikey was right, though he would never admit that out loud. Hesitantly, Donnie finally turned back to Raph, who held Bradford by the collar of his shirt. "Uh, Raph?" he called over to him.
Glaring, Raph turned to the tied up man that he had leaning over the edge of the roof. "…aw crud," he cursed, and then tossed the man back on the roof. Leo let out a breath of relief as Xever noticed this, and stopped cutting the rope. Thank goodness that the man was safe for now.
But now it was time to end this once and for all.
"Attack!" Xever commanded, and without another word, Leo pushed his feelings aside as he and the Foot attacked.
As chaos ensued on the rooftop, Raph once again charged for Leonardo with his Sais pointed at the ready, and Leo met him halfway as his Katanas clashed against his brothers' weapons. Then the two engaged once again in a fierce battle, with Raph's strikes far more forceful than their last encounter, but that didn't faze Leo in the least. This was going to end with their deaths, one way or another. "Why the hell did you think that would work, you idiot?!" Leo growled at the red clad turtle, "For a team of so-called 'highly trained ninjas' that was a pretty stupid move!"
Raph's eyes were blazing with anger as he sent a kick to Leonardo's face which was blocked with the other turtle's wrist. "You should talk!" he snarled, "You're the ones who beat up and kidnapped an innocent blind guy!"
Leo ground his teeth together as he launched a fist into Raph's face followed by a solid kick that sent him skidding to the other side of the roof. "I never agreed to that! I don't stoop that low, which is more than I can say for the likes of you!" he retorted.
Wiping blood off his lip with an angry swipe of his thumb, Raph flipped back onto his feet, punching the lights out of a Foot soldier that tried to sneak up on him from his left before he charged Leo again. "Shut up! You're just another dirty liar like the rest of them!" he blared as his Sais met Leo's blades once again, both of them leaping up to the ledge underneath the water tower. "But what do you expect from someone raised by The Shredder?!"
Leo's eyes snapped wide open, staring blankly at Raph for what felt like an eternity. Finally, something snapped inside of him, and he reacted. "…What?!" he bellowed in outrage, shoving Raph with all the force he could muster against the wooden beam of the water tower, bringing his sword close to his throat. "You actually think I was raised by that thing?! How dirty do you think I am?!"
Raph's features creased with a mixture of fear of the sword pressing against his throat, and confusion. Leo wasn't raised by Shredder? Then if not by him, then who could have? Or…or had he somehow just survived completely on his own, and trained himself all these years? Was that why he hated them, because of the loneliness? Had it driven him insane, completely bent on getting revenge …and then found out about The Foot Clan, where Shredder then fueled his rage further? The thought sickened him.
Below them, Raph heard a pair of pained grunts and cries, and he craned his head so that he could see Mikey and Donnie, now slumped against each other and covered in cuts and bruises as the Foot, Bradford, now free from his bonds, and Xever closed in on them. Raph let out a gasp, his eyes going wide. "Donnie! Mikey!" he cried, straining against Leo's hold on him, but that only made the other turtle press his katana closer to his neck.
"You're not going anywhere this time, Raphael," Leo snarled, casting a glance behind him to see what had become of the other two, ignoring the Japanese curse word Raph spat at him. He watched as Xever sauntered arrogantly towards them.
"You see?" Xever jabbed at Bradford with a grin, "that is how you catch turtles. And next…I'll show you how to fillet them!"
Raph let out another horrified gasp. No…he was going to kill them! And he couldn't do anything but stand there and watch if Leo didn't let him go. But any move now would put him at risk of getting his own throat slit. He ground his teeth together, glaring at the one who had used to know as an older brother. "You can't let them do this, Leo!" he barked, hoping that would get his attention and possibly provide him with an escape, but to his dismay, Leo continued to ignore him, instead keeping his focus on what was about to happen below.
Leo's eyes narrowed as Bradford and Xever engaged in a little argument. Then his eyes drifted from them to Donatello and Michelangelo, who were slowly regaining consciousness. From where he lay next to Mikey, Donnie looked up and caught Leo's gaze once again. And Leo was both surprised and aggravated to find that they were just as how he had been before, when they were both desperate to save than old man. Donnie's weakening gaze was pleading now, begging for Leonardo to help them. Leo scowled darkly. Why should he help them? They'd done nothing for him, except leaving him to die. They deserved this more than anyone, and they knew it as well as he did. This was the only way he would be free from everything, all the pain, the anger –
Anger.
Leo's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. He remembered now…
"…anger is self-destructive. Do not let it conquer you, Leonardo…"
Tiger Claw was right. Leo was letting his anger take over him, and now it had gotten to the point where he'd almost forgotten himself completely. This wasn't him at all; he wasn't a heartless killer. If this continued, he would be no better than Xever or Bradford…or worse, The Shredder. They showed no compassion, no mercy to their enemies or to anyone in fact…but Leo did. Despite everything he'd been through, despite the many reasons he had to hate them…even they didn't deserve to die like this.
Leo shut his eyes tightly, heaving a sigh. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't, and for reasons he didn't understand. Opening his eyes again, he turned back to Raph. "…never again, understand?" he said low enough so that Bradford and Xever below them couldn't hear. He took note of Raph's confused expression as he brought his katana away from his neck, and simply said, "Duck."
Raph raised a brow. "Duck?"
Leo brought up his katana, and Raph only had seconds to duck and let out a yelp of surprise before Leo swept his blade neatly across the wooden beams holding up the water tower. The thing gave way with a groan, and then water was pouring out of it, taking the villains below, including the Purple Dragons much to their dismay, utterly by surprise as they were swept away by the current and flying right off the edge of the roof. Leo managed to leap away before he too was carried off by the water, landing safely on the other side of the roof. He looked back up just in time to see that the rope holding the old man had finally snapped, sending him falling to his doom. Leo let out a horrified gasp, but then a streak of orange whizzed past and leapt off the edge of the building, catching the man before he could touch the ground as he suspended them only with a kusarigama chain. Leo let out a breath of relief, watching as Raphael and Donatello hurried towards the edge.
"Don't look down, Murakami-san…or, um, listen down," Mikey stumbled. Murakami only smiled and chuckled at the boy's antics, just glad that he wasn't going to be pavement sushi.
"Way to go, Mikey!" Donnie praised as he and Raph began to haul them both up by pulling on the chain, not stopping until they were both safely on the roof again, where they all heaved a sigh in relief and then set upon untying the old chef.
Mikey's smile suddenly dropped, and he searched the roof as he turned his head left and right. "Wait, where's Leo?" he asked. His brothers followed suit, and then they spotted him standing a few feet away from them, watching them with an even expression and his arms folded across his chest. He made no move to attack them or to retreat along with the rest of the Foot. Slowly, Mikey got to his feet and took only a few steps towards him, looking up at him with big baby blue eyes filled with confusion, and slight hope. "…why…why did you help us?" he asked quietly, "I thought…you hated us…"
"I do," Leo snapped instantly, and Mikey flinched backwards slightly. "Don't get the wrong idea; eventually I am going to destroy you…but not like this." He looked over to where Murakami sat next to Raphael and Donatello, who watched him with wary expressions. "…I may be an assassin, but involving innocents into our affairs disgusts me. I'm not like Shredders' other lackeys in that regard. I still have my honor…and…" he turned away from them then, looking down at the ground with a frown, "…someone I care about reminded me of mercy. But don't think you'll be getting it again from me. Understand? Next time, I will kill you." Without waiting for an answer, Leo turned and leapt off the building, running back towards Shredder's lair, and not daring to look back.
And ignoring the fact that there was no pain coming from his head anymore…
The three turtles watched him leave, and even though they had once again been threatened with death, Michelangelo was not afraid. He'd been right all along; there really was good inside of him, even if he refused to acknowledge it was there. He spared them when he had the chance to kill them, and he'd saved them from dying at the hands of the Foot.
He still cared.
He smiled sadly as he watched the retreating form of his older brother. "…no, you won't," he whispered into the winds. "…you never will, big brother."
A/N: Could this be the start of something between the brothers, guys? Well, we shall see!
Well, that is if Shredder doesn't kill them first...