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Leonardo Pov

I stare across the table at Michelangelo, who is holding Raphael in his arms. My baby brother's lips quiver as he fights back a waterfall of tears. Karai lays limp at my feet, and I bend down to grab her. My hands curl around her waist, lifting her off the ground and onto my lap. I caress her head in my left hand, the back of my right petting her cheek delicately. Hot, wear tears fall silently from my eyes. They are careful, moving in a smooth stream. They bend with my face, rushing over my cheekbones and hidden-away dimples. Finally, they are on my chin, where they drop down, landing on Karai's closed eyelid.

An echoing sob escapes my throat as realization dawns on me like the twelfth stroke of midnight. She's dead. Karai—my fiancée, my lover, my best friend, my happiness, the only one who I would ever want to be the mother of my children—is dead, and laying in my arms. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep the pain at bay. But, I can't. And I'm not surprised. Because the love of my life is lifeless in my arms. "I'm so sorry," I murmur softly.

I pull Karai upward, her body lifting more towards mine. Her head is pressed again my chest as I bury my face in her hair. "I love you," I whisper, my words droned out by the thickness of Karai's precious locks.

Tears drain from my eyes as memory upon memory upon memory comes flooding back into my mind, shining bright like the diamond engagement ring banded around Karai's finger. In an instant, I'm dragged back to our first kiss.

Shared atop the Byerly building, the place we've adopted as our own. The skies were bright, but not from stars. It was lit with the reflection of the city lights. Those lights ignited Karai's Amber eyes like a fire, the passion in her soul licking at me like flames.

"Sorry about Raph," I'd said in an apologetic voice, blushing deeply. My hand rubs the back of my neck, growing hot with embarrassment. All in a matter of five minutes had I tried to kiss Karai, Raphael shoved her to the ground, and I got into a mini-brawl with Raphael in front of the entire school. If she really had liked me before, she certainly hadn't then. And besides, I was a turtle.

Karai shrugged, a faint smile playing on her cherry lips. "It's fine, he did us a favor, anyhow."

Confused, I repeated her words, only with more confusion, "He did us a favor?"

"Yes. Because, I'd rather have this moment alone."

And in a split second, her lips are crashing into mine. She's a professional at this, I can tell by the way she tilts her head to get her lips at certain angles. The feeling is a sensation, her lower lip between mine, her top lip grazing the top of my own. Though, it isn't until her tongue comes slithering in like a snake that I'm taken to the point of desperation. My arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto my lap.

How much we'd trusted each other, even then. For her to willingly sit on my lap while my legs dangled over the edge of a building, that took pure confidence to allow. Even if she had only been with me at that time because her father's strict demands, she still had enough faith in me to not throw her over the edge. Not that I would. I was always in love with her, the only difference that day was that I was kissing her and holding her, dreaming of making love to her.

Of course, that comes later in our story. Halloween night, in her apartment. The dim lighting, the red wine that intoxicated me, spinning my head until I felt dizzy. The irresponsible action of not using protection—allowing Karai to impregnate—driven by the overpowering feeling of lust and need. I hadn't had the time to think about what could happen, I just went right now ahead. The breathtaking experience was just so . . . astonishing. Her body curved the most perfect ways, her breasts bulging against her thin form. If I think hard enough, I can hear her slick voice moaning my name as I pleasured the both of us. Funny, how one, itty-bitty night turned the next eight months into a hell of a ride.

Eight months. Yes, only eight. We only had another month to go when the incident occurred. Looking back, thinking of now, I realize that referring to it as the "incident" is like ignoring it. And, by ignoring it, we are all together isolating the thought of what we lost. Who we lost. Sakura.

Our baby daughter, never even born, was dead in a second. I'd never even got to hold her, never got to stare into her eyes. I often wonder what color they would be. Would she look like me, or her mother? I'll never know. Well, not in this life.

Karai is finding out now, in heaven.

This thought comes flying at me like a baseball bat, sending me into a state of pain and misery. It sucks me back into the real world, where Karai is limp in my arms.

Biting my lip, I sniffle, holding back a waterfall of tears. I brush a strand of hair back behind her ear, leaving her porcelain face broad and clear. The slightest smile forms on my lips as I eye her mouth, straight, and open slightly. God, what I would do to press mine against hers just one last time.

"Leo," I jolt up at Michelangelo's quiet call. He hovers over Raphael, holding our brother's hand in his. Mikey's index and middle fingers are placed on Raph's wrist. "He's breathing."

My eyes widen, shock coursing through my veins. No way.

I grab Karai's hand, checking her pulse. It's normal, and, sure enough, soft breaths come in and out of her nose. Inhale, exhale.

"Karai," I murmur, a smile playing on my lips. "You're alive."

"But not for long." The Shredder's deep voice comes booming as he enters the room. His one good eye glares menacingly at us, the arch of his eyebrows as they narrow is tall and pointed. The gauntlet on his left arm is unsheathed, revealing three Katana like blades. I gulp, instantly missing my swords.

"Shredder," I hiss between clenched teeth. My lips are curled, white teeth baring as my eyes narrow down to slits. I reach my hand behind me, fiddling over the table until my fingers grasp a knife. It's small, yet deadly. It'll be harder to make a move, I'll have to inch closer that usual to the Shredder with such a short weapon. But, nevertheless, it'll work.

Shredder studies my form immensely, his stare traveling up and down my body. "Leonardo," he states dully. Yet, the dullness of his voice is dangerous and frightening enough to send chills rippling down my spine. He eyes my hand as he says, "I see that you are still engaged to my daughter."

I snarl. How dare he call her his daughter. Karai is noble, honorable, strong. As well as pure, beautiful, and loving. A man like Saki has no right to refer to Karai as his child.

"She is not your daughter!" I bellow loud enough to rumble the chandeliers.

"Karai is as much my daughter as you are a freak."

Up until this moment, I'd completely forgotten about Mikey being here with us. But, as usual, he has an astonishing way of entering a fight.

My little brother leaps off of a chair, a pan swung back. "Never. Call. My brother. A FREAK!" Then, it's as if the world is in slow motion. Mikey lunges at Shredder, screaming a battle cry. The pan, still steaming, hits Shredder hard enough to send him flying backwards. The blow to the face startled the man. He growls as his helmet quivers, and lands on the floor with a grunt.

But Mikey isn't finished with him yet. He lands swiftly on the ground, looming over our enemy. The second Saki attempts to sit up, Mikey's pan is in his face. "That's for Shen!" He yells. My brother's voice is deep, and posture is strong. He looks like a real warrior, not that he didn't before. This is just, well, different. Before when we would fight Shredder, Mikey was more hopeful and, despite him wanting to kill us, was careful enough to not murder him, only injure him. Tonight, Mikey is the exact opposite. The look in his soft blue eyes as he repeatedly brings the pan down shows that he is ready to kill. "And this is for Miwa!"

"And this is for Sakura!"

I stop, I freeze. My brother's words ring through the air, sounding loud and harsh to my listening ears. Sakura. She's dead, because of Shredder. The man laying on the floor in front of me, barely conscious, is the reason for my suffering. Me and Karai fought for so many nights after our daughter's death, both depressed from our loss. We channeled our sadness into anger, taking it out on one another. Everything that has happened within the past few months leads back to Saki. I have to avenge my daughter, and I have to save Karai.

Gears turning rapidly in my head, a plan quickly begins to form. Spinning the knife in my hand, a slight smirk wounds its way onto my lips.

"Mikey!" I call out, walking over to my brother. Michelangelo halts, the pan clenched between his two fists. "I think our little friend has had enough don't you?"

Mikey opens his mouth to argue, but closes it again when he sees me kneel down in front of Shredder.

"You're lucky I didn't let my brother finish you," I whisper menacingly.

Oroku Saki narrows his eyes, staring at me with a fierce glare. "Get away from me, Kame."

I chuckle. "As you can see, I'm no longer a turtle."

"Once a mutant, always a mutant," he growls with a hiss between his teeth.

Behind me, Michelangelo slams his foot onto Shredders chest, keeping him pinned to the ground. "Once a bastard, always a bastard," my brother throws in my defense.

"If you're going to kill me," Shredder starts, eying my weapon, "make it fast, won't you? I'd hate for the police to become witness to my demise."

"Oh, we aren't going to kill you." Then, I place my blade over his throat. The tips hat barely punctures his skin; I let it sit where it'll send chills running down his spine. "We just wanna ask you a few questions."

"I am not afraid of your threats."

Ignoring his statement, I continue on with what I'd been saying. "Tell us what the antidote to the gas is, and we won't damage you. Well, permanently, anyhow."

"If you don't back away, so help me, I will-"

"What? Hurt me? Sit up so you can torment me? In case you haven't noticed, I'm holding a knife over your throat, therefore, if you move even the slightest bit, the blade will dig through your skin and we'll have no choice but to leave you here to die. So I'm going ask you once more, what is the antidote?"

"There is no antidote, the consumers will wake up when the poison wears off."

I'm not as satisfied as I could be with this response. I want My family awake now. I want Karai awake now.

"How long will it take?"

"How am I supposed to know?!" Shredder demands with a snarl.

"You're the one who let it polute the atmosphere, not us," Mikey says with narrowed eyes.

Staring down at the form below me, I come to an understanding that Shredder isn't going to budge.

I stand up, removing the blade from where it sat above his neck. Mikey takes a step back, but still holds his pan in a way that he'll be ready to swing it.

"Leave," I say in a deep tone. Saki doesn't move, he looks up at me with eyes narrowed info slits. "Before I change my mind and decide to finish you," I add.

Shredder stands up in one swift movement. "Foot soldiers!" His low, scratchy voice calls out to his followers. Just before he leaves, he says, "I'll be back for my daughter, and when I come, there will be no survivors."

Then, with the night, he's gone, taking the threat with him.