Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles. Je ne possède pas les Tortues. Yo no poseo las Tortugas. Ich besitze die Schildkröten nicht. 私は海ガメを所有していません。
XD There. I think that's probably clear enough, ne? Lol.
Now, before I go any further, I have something to say: THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I got what was absolutely the best, greatest surprise of my life ever; I found out I got six nominations for the FF comp:D :D :D I honestly can't believe I got nominated once, let alone six times. So if anyone who nominated me is reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!! Writing is so important to me, and knowing that people like it…it's the best. So thank you soooo much; I can't tell you what a great day I had when I found that out. :D
Anyways, now it's time once again for our favorite tradition: me apologizing for being a crappy updater. . You'd think I'd be used to it, but I still can't believe how much crap always seems to come up whenever I'm trying to work on a story. Exams, speeches, finals…bleagh. I know it's college, but still. Anyways, at least it's done, right? . I know, I suck. I'm sorry. But seriously, the next chapter WILL BE UP MUCH SOONER. Yes, capital letters mean that I'm swearing it. :D Honestly, my classes are all over, and then next week is exams (boo!), and then I'm home free! So if all goes well, the next update shouldn't be more than two weeks away. I refuse to do any more "three weeks between updates". It's annoying, and it's totally unfair to you guys. Not to mention, we're at the most action-packed part of the story, and I don't want you guys to kill me for leaving you with a cliffie for three weeks. 'Cause if that happens, I'll be dead, and then I'll never finish the story, and then no one will know what happens! XD
As usual, a large amount of thanks must go out to my reviewers for Chapter 4: skyle, Veriandise, RandomlyInsaneWhitePony, BubblyShell22, and 999999999. I really appreciate all of your support, and I'm so glad you like this fic. :D
Thanks again for putting up with me, and please enjoy Chapter 5!
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"Mikey."
"…"
"Mikey."
"…nnnggh…"
"Mikey, c'mon, it's time to get up. Get your butt out of bed."
"…Don't wanna."
"Ask me if I care."
"Don't wanna do that either. Go 'way."
"Michelangelo, either get up or I'm sending Raph in here to get you up."
"Bleh…" Mikey craned his head up and around, glaring blearily at the figure in the doorway. "Don, aren't you supposed to be the nice brother?"
"You've gotten to sleep in till 10, there are no blunt objects flying at your head, I have not literally thrown you out of bed, and you are not bruised. That does make me the nice brother. Up. Now."
Mikey groaned and hauled himself out of his bed. Stretching, he yawned and tied on his bandana. "How come Leo didn't do the wake up call? That's normally his gig."
Don sighed. "Yeah, well, he's currently MIA."
"He's what?" Mikey looked over at his brother, confused. "Where'd he go? And why? I mean, with today being…today, and everything."
"Mikey, that's probably why he left; he needs some time to just kind of collect himself. And as for where…well, we don't know. He left a note on the table saying that he was going out just for a few hours and that he'd be back before dinner, but he didn't mention where he was going; intentionally, I'm sure."
Mikey blew out a heavy sigh. "So now what?"
Don shrugged. "Now we wait for him to get back. Other than a small training session once Leo gets back, Master Splinter wants us to just kind of…save our energy today. So we're off the hook for the kind of practices we've been having lately."
"Woo!" Mikey promptly grabbed a stack of comic books from his shelf and plopped down onto his bed. "I can totally appreciate that."
"I bet you do," Don said, his tone amused. He shook his head and strode out of the room, throwing a departing wave back at his younger brother. "I'll be in my lab, Sensei's meditating, and Raph's in the living room, just so you know."
"Gotcha."
At the sound of the door closing, Mikey glanced up from the comic in his hands, then dropped the book and sighed. He leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
This is it. This is the big day, the day where we know, but don't know what's gonna happen. The day Leo said someone—someone's gonna die, and we don't know who. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew his legs to him, clasping his arms around them and resting his forehead on his knees. So how come we aren't spending that last day together?
The optimistic side of him that normally held sway protested at the morbid thought. We don't know that it's gonna be one of us.
But we're pretty sure it will be. After all, who else would it be? Leo said it was someone really important to him.
…There is April. They did take her, after all.
Mikey sighed and shook his head, trying to scatter the unpleasant thoughts. Scooting over to his bedside table, he slid open the drawer and reached to the very bottom, pulling out a slightly worn album book.
A small smile lit on Mikey's face as he ran a hand over the cover of the photo album. For as long as he'd been able to, he'd been collecting pictures of the family, namely him and his brothers, so that he'd have an album of his own. Some of the pictures were extra copies that Splinter had given him, and some were ones that he'd taken himself, namely when he'd caught his brothers with the camera unaware. The sheer amount of pictures in it had taken a while to accumulate, but he definitely felt like it was worth it. Settling back on his bed, he opened the cover and started flipping through the dozens of pages. Distant memories occasionally brought a smile to his face as different pictures met his eyes.
The four of them, age 6, celebrating Don's birthday.
The day they all received their first bandanas, all four of them looking ready to explode out of pride.
His ninth birthday, the picture showing him hugging Raph and Leo, who were covered with icing from a failed cake experiment, while Don could be seen covered with foam from trying to wield the fire extinguisher.
Pictures of the first time they got to use the real weapons in practice…
Followed by pictures of the consequent injuries; Mikey with a large bump on his head from his nunchaku, Leo with a slice on his arm from his katana, Don with a sprained ankle after tripping over his bo staff, and Raph with cut fingers from his first attempts at spinning his sai.
A picture of Klunk when Mikey first got his new pet.
A picture of their first Lair, their first home, after the Mousers had destroyed it.
A picture of their second Lair when they first moved in, another once it actually became home, and one after it, too, had been destroyed in Karai's attack.
Then came some of the sneaky pictures that Mikey had taken himself, quick snapshots he'd taken when no one knew he was around and armed with the camera.
Don sleeping at his computer, his face on the keyboard, and key indentations visible on his cheeks.
Leo meditating in the dojo, a peaceful, unguarded look on his face for once.
Raph sleeping on the couch, one hand resting gently on Klunk, who was curled up fast asleep on the hothead's plastron.
Master Splinter shaking his tea cup at the TV screen as one of his favorite soap operas played.
And finishing off the album were possibly the two most important pictures to Mikey, taken of him and his family by April and given to him as presents…pictures taken once Leo had finally come home from Japan, when Mikey finally got his brother back.
The four of them all sleeping together peacefully in Leo's room on one of the first nights after he returned from Japan.
The five of them, the whole family reunited, eating dinner together, Don and Mikey laughing while Master Splinter tried to stop a food fight between Raph and Leo.
Mikey sighed, setting aside the photo album. He lay back again, staring at the ceiling. Is everything gonna change now? He wondered, glancing over at the last two pictures again. Are those gonna be the last times, the last pictures, of all of us together?
The thought was too depressing, and Mikey quickly put the album away, then made his way down to the living room.
Just as Don had said, Raph was sitting on the couch, engrossed in a movie, his attention firmly fixed on the screen. Mikey walked over and sat down next to his brother wordlessly, staring ahead at the screen as well.
Raph turned his head to look at his brother, surprised at his quiet entrance. He was about to ask what was wrong when he sensed the worry and turmoil in his youngest brother. The red-banded turtle sighed and shifted slightly, putting his arm around Mikey's shoulders.
Now it was Mikey's turn to be surprised; of all of them, Raph was normally the least likely to show open affection.
"I know yer worried, Mike," Raph said quietly, his gruff voice softer than usual. "We all are. This is a lot different than it normally is; we ain't evah really had any warnin' before, 'specially not as bad as this." His hand tightened on Mikey's shoulder, though he kept his eyes on the TV screen. "But I swear, I won't let anythin' happen. I don't give a shit what Leo saw, I ain't gonna let you, Don or Ape get hurt."
"What about you?" Mikey asked softly. "Leo said someone he cares about dies, and that includes you."
Raph glanced over at his younger brother, a trademark cocky grin flashing across his face. "Don't worry 'bout me, Mikey; like Leo says, I'm way too frickin' stubborn to die an' give him any peace."
"Promise?"
A single, firm nod. "Promise."
"Okay." Mikey scooted a little closer to his older brother, getting farther under the protective, reassuring arm. "What're we watching?"
"'The Italian Job'."
"Cool."
The two turtles fell silent, watching the movie in a quiet moment of closeness. Mikey felt himself smile slightly. Despite knowing that anything still could and probably would happen, Raph's words had helped. His fierce, often violent protectiveness for all those he cared about had always been enough to calm Mikey, no matter what they were heading into.
After all, if anyone could defy Fate, Raph would be the one to try and do it.
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Leo made his way through the sewers quietly, rubbing his temples slowly in an attempt to quell the thumping behind his eyes. He'd slept badly last night, understandably, and that combined with his knowledge of today's events were making him a little anxious, to say the least. With all the tension and worry roiling inside his mind, he desperately needed to calm his mind and spirit; however, with everyone else's emotions running high as well, trying to meditate in the Lair would be a waste of time; Mikey would be almost everywhere, trying to be near or with everyone, Don would be tinkering anxiously and constantly double-checking with him for details, and Raph would be wound tighter than a spring, covering his own worry with anger and annoyance as he stalked around ready to blow. All of that, combined with Leo's own frayed nerves, and he'd be better off trying to meditate on Main Street in the middle of rush-hour traffic.
Hence why I pulled a runner, Leo mused to himself wryly.
He sighed as he finally reached his destination. The old Y'Lyntian Lair was a shambles, and Leo felt his heart twinge as the sight of their old home. Our second broken home…The damage from Karai's attack still remained, though slightly decreased through the Turtles' clean-up efforts. Snippets of distant memories floated past Leo, and he shook his head, pulling himself back to the present. He entered carefully, senses alert for any sound or movement, then relaxed as he felt no danger in the old chamber. Leo made a quick round of the Lair, checking on the weapon and supply caches that they had hidden around the first floor, just in case they ever needed them.
After he'd visited each cache and made mental notes on what might need to be added, he carefully climbed one pile of debris, then jumped the rest of the way to the second level of the Lair. Out of habit he checked all of his brothers' rooms, just glancing at their conditions; despite living in a new home, the path and routine were still familiar. Leo finally came to his own room, and halted in shock.
The door was open.
How…? He was at the door in an instant, and set a hand on the doorknob. A sudden flicker of a familiar spirit met him at the contact, and he dropped his hand with a sigh.
Master Splinter. I guess he must have stopped here on his way back from April's the other day.
Leo stared at the door, feeling his anger flare up. Why couldn't he have just stayed out of it?
The last time Leo had been at the old Lair was after he had returned from Japan. After the family had been reunited and moved safely to the old foundry, and once everyone was asleep, he'd slipped out and went back to the Y'Lyntian Lair. He then spent half an hour in his old room, meditating and letting things go. He'd gathered all the remaining anger, and pain, and hatred that still remained, and he'd pushed them out of him, out into his room. Leo then closed the door tightly, symbolically leaving the past behind him for good.
Leo walked into the room quietly, remembering how he'd felt last time, remembering the emotions he'd released. It was one thing to forgive myself in Japan…it was another to do so once I was back with my family.
Especially after learning what Karai had done.
Despite the healing he'd done in Japan with the Ancient One, coming home to find his home destroyed and his family scattered had torn part of that old wound open again. That was a large part of the reason why Leo felt he'd needed to come here to let things go; that second betrayal from Karai, following so shortly after the one on Shredder's ship, had been a lot to handle. And not being there when his family had been attacked was hard to take; it had begun stirring up that same dark anger again. So he'd come here, and as odd as his actions were, they'd helped; he had finally felt totally at peace, and had made his way back to the foundry, back to his family.
And now I'm here again, Leo thought wryly. Hoping it works as well this time as it did last time…
Leo shut the door behind him, a difficult task given the structural damage done to the room, and carefully took a seat on the floor. Folding his legs, he took a deep breath and let himself sink into meditation, the act almost as natural as breathing after so many years. Delving into his mind, he easily found the dark cloud of thoughts and concerns bothering him this time, the thoughts flowing past him.
…haven't done enough, haven't prepared enough…
…don't know if April's okay…
…Karai won't stop coming after us 'til I'm dead, 'til we're all dead…
…April and Casey shouldn't be involved…
…who's going to die?
Leo caught himself, pulling out of the influence of his fears, and falling deeper into meditation. Using his mind, he slowly began gathering all of his fears together, pushing the thoughts into a tighter, smaller ball. He met every thought and doubt, discarding each one with firm belief.
We're as prepared as we can be…
April has to be okay; Karai will want to keep her alive…
There will be an end to this tonight, one way or another…
They'll be fine…
I will not let any of my brothers die.
When he finally got the dark mass dissolved into a thin cloud, he took a deep breath, gathering them all together, then exhaled, imagining himself breathing all of the poisonous thoughts out. As the final doubt left him, he opened his eyes with a sigh of relief, coming out of his meditation trance. Leo stood jerkily, grimacing at the pins and needles in his legs, and made his way out of the room. Slipping out quickly, he then struggled to get the door closed once more, once again shutting his dark emotions behind him.
I won't let my worries and concern consume me again. The Ancient One showed me just how dangerous of an enemy I can be to myself, and we don't need any more enemies just now.
Glancing around, he found a large chunk of mortar and brick lying near the door, and dragged it closer. Pushing it into place with a grunt, he firmly lodged it in front of his old bedroom door, preventing it from being opened again.
Leo stepped back with a sigh, sparing one last look at the door, then turned to leave. He quietly made his way down to the first floor, feeling decidedly more peaceful than he had when he'd first come.
I guess it really is the best way to do things…forgive and forget…
Then, as had happened so often over the past few days, Leo's thoughts turned to Karai. A familiar pain throbbed in his chest, his emotions flaring up again, and he chastised himself.
Just let her go. She needs to stay behind that door, along with everything else. There's nothing for either of you down that road. Not anymore. There hasn't been for a long time. So why do you insist on still trying? She's proven time and time again where her loyalties lie. What made you think it would make any difference if you gave her 'one more chance'? She's thrown all the others away.
A familiar voice answered quietly, the hopelessly optimistic one that, oddly enough, seemed to be located in the same place as that throbbing pain in his chest. I guess I was just…so naïve. I thought I could change her, save her…
You can't save those who don't want to be saved.
I can't believe that. I won't. If she could just let go of her hate, if she would just realize what kind of a monster Saki truly is, if she—
"If, if, if." How can you trust her, how can you hold out hope for her, when her possibility of changing hinges on so many dependencies? Even if she did all of those things, do you really think she would change? You can't force her. And she knows what kind of a monster Saki is; you showed her, and the Utrom judging council showed her. And she did not thank you for that knowledge. She hates you for it, for shattering the image of the father she thought she had.
I know, but…there has to be hope for her.
There's hope for everyone, but she'll never allow you to act on it.
I—I should still try…
Why do you try so hard to save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
Because I know she could be so much more than what she is now.
That's not the real reason.
Leo froze, a current of fear running through him at the path his thoughts were taking. Yes, it is. That's the only reason.
You're lying.
I'm not—
Why else would you help someone so many times, especially when they hate you?
She—I just…she is a—friend. Or an ally. Or, she was. I'm not sure what she is to me, but—but that's it.
Liar.
I'm not lying!
You love her.
Leo fell to his knees, slamming a fist into the floor in frustration and confusion. I don't. I—I can't. She—I can't love her.
But you do.
No…no, I don't. Once…once, that might have been true; but not anymore. Leo sighed, finally admitting his feelings to himself. Yes, I did—care for her once. But now… He raised his head, looking around him at the destruction that used to be his home. How could I love someone who would do this? Someone who would go so far to hurt me? To hurt my family? She refuses to stop fighting…it's funny, I used to think that was one of her greatest strengths. But she wants to fight a fight that is best let go. I've let it go. I forgave her. That's all I want her to do.
Forgive and forget?
…Forgive, at least. There's too much between us, between our families, for either of us to forget.
She won't do it. The time when she even could is long past.
…I know. Her hate is too much a part of her now; which is why we are being forced into an end tonight.
It will not be a happy end. There will be loss either way. You do realize that?
Leo sighed, running a tired hand over his face as he stood. Yes. I hate it, and I'd do anything, give anything to change it, but yes, I know. This cannot end well, only better than the worst.
Yes. But at least, one way or another, there will be an end tonight.
A mocking smile twisted Leo's mouth. Small blessings.
Leo pushed his thoughts aside, relieved to feel the weight of his worries falling away. He made his way to the exit of the Lair, casting one last glance backwards, before turning. With one hand trailing across the doorway, he sighed.
I need to be thankful for the warnings I have, and for what certainty I do have. Because it is true…
One way or another, it all comes to an end tonight.
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Raph stretched carefully, shutting off the TV. He glanced down at Mikey, who was now sleeping soundly at his side. A small grin pulled at his mouth. He's kinda like a pet…cuter when he's sleepin'.
"Hey."
The red-banded turtle looked up at the soft greeting. Leo was standing by the couch, looking tired, but much calmer than the last time that Raph had seen him. "Hey. How're ya feelin'?" he asked quietly.
"Better," Leo replied with a ghost of a smile. "I had a few things I just…needed to get off of my chest. And when it's crisis time around here, well…"
"It ain't exactly quiet," Raph finished with a smirk.
Leo looked at Mikey, fast asleep beside Raph, and smiled slightly. "Not normally."
Raph shifted slightly, a twinge of embarrassment flaring up at being caught with his guard down; his arm, however, still stayed firmly around Mikey's shoulders. "Didja need somethin'?"
"Yeah, actually. I wanted to let someone know that I was back, and I wanted to see if you could answer a question for me."
"Depends on the question."
Leo reached for the back of his belt and pulled out Hun's dagger. Dangling it in front of Raph by the blade, he raised an eye ridge in challenge. "Think you can hit a target with this?"
"Think I can?" Raph asked derisively as he carefully removed his arm from around Mikey and stood. "Damn, bro, we both know I can."
The blue-banded turtle smirked and flipped the dagger towards his brother, then motioned with his head towards the dojo. "Prove it."
Raph caught the dagger easily, and the two of them made their way out of the living room. Leo rummaged through the supply closet and pulled out a worn target, set it up at his end of the dojo, and stepped back. Raph threw the dagger in the air and caught it several times, testing the weight and balance of the blade, the sent it flying towards the target.
The dagger sunk deep into the target, landing in the center of the second ring.
"Shit," Raph grumbled, catching the dagger once Leo pulled it free and threw it to him.
"It wasn't exactly a bad shot, Raph," Leo pointed out.
Raph snorted. "I missed the frickin' center of the target. I always hit that sucker." He studied the blade more closely, examining the size of the handle and the serration of the blade. The hothead then flipped and caught the dagger a few more times, then threw again. This time it landed in the ring just outside the center of the target
"That was better."
"Hn. The blade keeps throwin' me off. I'm used ta havin' a straight blade like my sai; this gut-ripper flies differently." Raph threw the dagger straight up in the air, the stood underneath it and watched how it spun.
Leo moved towards him, a sound of protest coming from his throat. "Raph—"
"Keep yer shell on, I need ta see how this thing moves."
"You won't be seeing anything if that lands in your skull."
Raph shot a quick smirk at his brother. "It ain't gonna hit me." With the dagger a mere foot above his head, he stepped to the side and caught the blade by the handle, then glanced at Leo. "Told ya."
Leo sighed, the action full of long-suffering as he rubbed his temples. "It's so good to know that your talent with projectiles hasn't gone to your head."
"'Course it hasn't. I'm as humble as they come." Raph lined himself up in front of the target again, then snapped the dagger towards the target once more.
This time, the blade landed dead center in the middle of the target.
"Finally." Satisfaction flitted over Raph's face in a pleased smile.
"Good, now we know you've got that down," Leo said, handing the blade back again.
Raph snorted. "I got it right once outta three tries. That ain't "havin' it down"."
It took five more times of Raph putting the dagger in the exact same spot in the center of the target for him to be satisfied. He then flipped the dagger back to Leo, looking at his brother questioningly. "So what was all this for? I know ya didn't ask me ta try this sucker just outta curiousity."
Leo sighed as he caught the blade, running his fingers over the Foot insignia on the handle. "You aren't going to like this, but you need to hear it anyway."
Raph rolled his eyes. "Just spit it out, Leo."
Another sigh escaped as Leo finally raised his head to meet Raph's eyes. "Hun's going to be there as well tonight."
The hothead stopped and stared at his brother. "Yer kiddin' me, right?"
"I wish I was."
"Dammit, this just keeps gettin' better and better. What, didja see him in yer premonition?"
Leo shook his head. "No, it's just a feeling. That, and this," he explained, gesturing to the dagger. "If he left his new toy behind, he was one of the ones who kidnapped April, and he wanted us to know that. He'll be there, even if for no other reason than to taunt us."
"So this little target-practice session…" Raph said slowly, his mind flitting through Leo's words. "Ah. So that's what ya meant when you said we'd make sure we "returned" Hun's dagger to 'im."
"Yeah," Leo said quietly, nodding. "With the amount of Foot ninja that are going to be there, as well as Karai…we can't afford them the added bonus of Hun, or of any one of us fighting without even one of our weapons. So I thought that if you were able to hit Hun with this…it might buy us the time we'll need to set off the smoke bombs and get April out of there."
Raph chuckled darkly. "Killin' Hun with his own blade; if that ain't justice, I dunno what is." He glanced at Leo slyly. "You've got a bit of a vindictive streak in ya, bro."
Leo didn't laugh, his eyes falling to the floor again. "I know this isn't right, and I know I shouldn't be asking this of you, but you've got the best aim of any of us. You don't have to—"
A second later the dagger was gone from Leo's grip. Raph shook his head as he spun the dagger in his hand. "Sometimes I jus' don't getcha, Leo. What, ya didn't think I'd be willin' ta do it?"
Leo's eyes were serious. "There's a difference between killing someone in a fight and—killing them like this. If we were to meet him in battle, I'd feel absolutely no remorse over his death, but planning it ahead…"
Raph gripped Leo's arm firmly, holding his brother's gaze. "You ain't doin' anythin' wrong here, Leo. Plannin' ahead like this keeps one of us from gettin' killed instead, which, if ya ask me, is the most important thing. There's a difference between plannin' ta kill an innocent person, an' plannin' ta kill someone like Hun. Besides, this protects us, our family, an' April too; if that don't balance out plannin' Hun's death, I dunno what does. I'm more than fine takin' this on, so don't worry about it. Don't let it bug ya; of anyone, you oughta know war's an ugly thing. Sometimes ya gotta do things ya'd rather not do, just ta survive. But this?" Raph held up the dagger, looking at it in dark satisfaction. "This is somethin' I'll take on my conscience gladly. Even Master Splinter wouldn't go against it, bro; especially after what Hun did ta his Master Yoshi."
"I know that we need to deal with the threats we know about, and that we need every advantage we can get. But to premeditate something like this…" Leo trailed off, discomfort and confusion shadowing his face. "Is it really honorable?"
"Honorable?" Raph shook his head. "Leo, we're goin' up against Karai an' almost all of the Foot, from what ya've told us about yer premonition; that's four against a frickin' army. That is dishonorable. This ain't, bro; this is us tryin' ta survive. And there ain't anythin' dishonorable 'bout killin' someone like Hun. Hell, if anythin', it's honorable, what with all the people he's killed an' all he's done. If we've got honor to avenge against anyone, Hun's at the top'a the list."
"I don't say this too often, but Raph's right," a calm voice interjected.
Both Leo and Raph turned to see Don leaning against the entrance to the dojo. He smiled slightly as he looked at Leo. "This isn't anything horrible that you're doing, Leo; this is just a tactical strike. Besides, you know that any of the Foot, or Karai, or Hun, would do something even worse than this without a second thought."
Leo sighed, relaxing slightly. "I guess you guys are right."
"Of course we are," Don agreed easily. "You're doing all you can, Leo; we all are. That's all anyone could ask for."
"It is indeed, Leonardo."
The three turtles turned to see Splinter walking into the dojo. Leo opened his mouth to speak, but the ninja master cut him off with a raised hand.
"I believe I know what you would say, or try to apologize for, my son, and I have to echo your brothers' words; you dishonor no one with this plan of action."
A weight seemed to lift from Leo's shoulders, and he bowed. "Thank you, Sensei."
Splinter inclined his head in return. "Now, we have only a few hours to go, so if you would fetch your brother, I would appreciate it."
Don smiled at his brothers "Come on; Mikey's sleeping again, and he's an easy target."
The older turtles grinned and quickly followed.
The Lair was quiet for several moments, then a roar came from the living room.
"Body slam!!!"
"Agghh!! Raaaaaph! My legs!!! I can't feel my legs!"
"Hey, Leo, what's the sibling special of the day?"
"Well, Don, if I remember correctly, when anyone gets more sleep than everyone else combined…it's free punches!"
"Ouch! Hey, c'mon guys—ow!—geez, Leo, this isn't the honorable, ninja-like thing to do! Ow! Three against one—ouch!—is totally unfair! Ow ow ow ow!!!!! No noogies!!!"
"Stop yer whinin', Mikey!"
"Ahem."
"…"
"I believe I specified fetching your brother, not abusing him."
"But we were jus' bondin', Mastah Splinter."
"…"
"We're coming, we're coming!"
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Splinter watched as his sons finished up another kata, and sighed. "Yame, my sons. That is enough."
The four turtles halted as requested, bowed, and knelt smoothly into seiza.
The old teacher stared at his sons and students, his heart clenching painfully. In truth, he'd already kept them longer than he'd originally intended to, but his paternal instincts had taken hold while watching his sons practice. He had almost been able to convince himself that this was just another day in their lives. It had been simple to pretend that after this practice, his sons would go and roughhouse like usual…instead of going out to fight a battle that one of them might not come back from.
Which one? Splinter's mind wondered. Which one of my sons will I lose? Or which one of our friends will we lose?
Splinter closed his eyes; the idea of such a loss was more than he could bear.
"Sensei?" Michelangelo asked hesitantly.
Another sigh escaped as Splinter opened his eyes and stood slowly. "You are dismissed, my sons. I shall…be in my room." The old master padded into his room, and quickly fell into meditation. Turbulent emotions flew in a frenzy around his mind and heart, and he was soon absorbed in trying to calm them. He was the father; he had to be strong for his sons.
In what seemed like no time at all, he heard Leonardo's soft voice in the living room.
"It's time."
Splinter pulled himself out of his trance and stood, walking heavily out of his room. Leonardo was already at his door, and his brothers stood along with him. The four of them lined up again, waiting in front of Splinter.
The ancient master smiled sadly at his sons. "For all that this feels like a familiar scene, I find that I do not know what I should say…so I will instead say what I need to say. I love you, my sons. I am proud of all of you, and I shall see you when you return." He then went to each of sons, planting a kiss on each bald head, just as he'd done when they were young turtle tots.
Each of the turtles said a quiet goodbye.
"See ya, Sensei."
"Bye, Master Splinter."
"Later, Sensei."
"Goodbye, Master Splinter."
Splinter stepped back and looked at them all once more. "Be careful, my sons. Remember that you are one, and fight as such. I shall await your return."
Don, Mikey and Raph bowed and headed for the door, but Leo stayed by Splinter. The ninja master glanced at his eldest, who was watching his brothers leave the Lair.
"Leonardo?"
Leo kept his eyes fixed on his brothers. "I swear to you, Master Splinter, I will keep them safe. I will do everything I can to make sure they make it home."
Splinter felt a part of his heart crack. "And what about you, my son?"
The blue-banded turtle's eyes wavered towards Splinter, then fell away. "I…I will not dishonor you, Sensei."
"My son—"
"Goodbye, Sensei." Leo bowed again, unable to say anything more, then quickly joined his brothers in the tunnel. He carefully pulled the foundry's heavy door shut, resting his forehead against it for a moment.
Raph's voice sounded from behind him quietly. "We doin' this?"
Leo straightened and faced his brothers, leading the way through the sewers. "You know we are." They walked quietly through the dank tunnels, and Leo cast a last glance back at the way they'd come. Please…he thought, sending the prayer up to anyone that would listen. Please let us make it home. Even if I don't, even if I can't…let them make it home.
Please.
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The four of them were soon passing swiftly over the rooftops of New York. None of them said a word, all of them tensely silent, contemplating what the night would bring.
Raph glanced ahead at Leo frowning as his older brother stumbled a couple times. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he pulled up alongside Leo, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
"You okay, bro?"
Leo gave a short sigh of frustration. "I'm fine."
"Uh-huh. That's why yer runnin' like a drunk, right?"
Another sigh, this one resigned as Leo's shoulders drooped. "Really, I'm fine. It's just that…things are—distorted. I've already done this; run this way, made these moves…I've seen all of it in my premonition. And I keep remembering that vision, and images from it keep flashing through my head, almost right at the same time as I'm running along the path I'm seeing. And sometimes the overlapping isn't exact, and there's—two of everything, in a way. It's a little—disturbing. Makes it hard to know what I'm seeing."
Raph looked at his brother sharply. "You gonna be alright?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, it's fine, Raph. I'm sure once we get there things will be…busy enough that I won't have time for it to be a problem."
"…Are you sure yer okay?"
A sad smile bloomed on Leo's face. "No," he said softly. "I'm terrified. I'm going to lose someone important to me for the second time tonight. I already felt that person's death in my premonition, but that was like—like an echo of a scream…a fragment, a shadow of the real thing. I'm running towards the real thing now, and I don't know what to do."
Raph paused, unsettled by Leo's words; fear was one of those things that the two of them never talked about, and to have Leo admit to being scared honestly scared Raph slightly in return. "Ya…ya never said anythin'."
Leo chuckled dryly. "What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to tell you the truth? Tell you that I wanted nothing more than to lock everyone who was important to me in a steel room where they'd be safe and then hide under my bed until this was over? Or how about the fact that there were times during the past few nights when I wanted to go out and do my best to kill every single Foot soldier in the city, in the hopes that if they didn't exist, then maybe all of these events would fall apart and never happen. Would any of you really want to hear that, Raph?"
The red-banded turtle glanced away in discomfort.
"Of course you wouldn't," Leo answered for him gently. "Leaders aren't supposed to be afraid, aren't allowed to be afraid. I blow that "rule" out of the water every day. Leaders also aren't allowed to show fear; of course, that's a rule for a hypothetical situation," Leo added sarcastically. "Because everyone knows that leaders are never afraid. That tenet, not showing fear…that's the only one I'm vaguely able to keep." He sighed. "I've gotten way too good at hiding things from you guys."
Raph agreed silently; as much as he hated it, Leo was notoriously hard to read most of the time. The hothead glanced over at his brother again, trying for a weak smile. "Well, if it makes ya feel better, bro, you don't hide as much as ya think. I hate ta break it to ya, but it's true. As good as you've gotten at hidin' things, we've gotten almost as good as findin' them. It's one of those "little brother" things."
Leo smiled. "Don't I know it."
Mikey and Don pulled up alongside their brothers at that point, glancing at the older turtles.
"You guys alright?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah. We're as fine as we can be, Mikey," Leo assured his brother.
"You guys ready?"
"Ready as we can be," Raph replied.
"We're here," Don pointed out.
The four of them halted a couple rooftops away from their destination, blending into the shadows. They could easily see dozens upon dozens of Foot ninja on the rooftops, as well as three other buildings close by.
"Damn…" Raph murmured. "You sure as hell didn't mention there'd be this many of 'em, bro."
Leo shook his head, staring at the forces as well. "I didn't know…" Swallowing slightly, he pulled his eyes away and looked at his brothers. "Everyone knows the plan?"
Mikey raised a hand and waved it wildly like a kid in class. "Pick me, pick me!"
"Mikey…"
"It's pretty basic, really. Leo provides a distraction, Raph provides a distraction, I provide some more distraction, Don tries to give us lung cancer and worsen global warming—"
"It's non-carcinogenic smoke!" Don objected. "And there's nothing even remotely aerosol-related in it, either. It's completely biodegradable and environmentally friendly, and even if it wasn't, there's not enough of it to cause damage, and I know I've told you this before now—"
"Then Raph gets April, and we're good," Mikey finished, grinning at his intelligent brother.
Raph snorted. "Yeah, then we just have to deal with the horde of Karai's pets. No sweat," he added sarcastically. "Well, at least it's a nice night ta get our shells waxed. You ready, Leo?"
Leo stood staring at the Foot-covered rooftops again. "How can I be doing this?" he asked softly. "I'm leading us right into a trap. I know it's a trap, I've known for days that it's a trap, and I'm still doing this. How is this right?"
"It's right because we don't have any other choice, Leo," Don said solemnly. "April's down there, and we owe it to her to save her. And even beyond that…you said yourself that this isn't something we can get around. This is something that's been coming for a while now; if our confrontation with the Foot didn't come now, it'd just come later, and we probably wouldn't have any warning then."
"Someone's going to die."
"We know, but that don't change the fact that we're in this together. We trust ya, Leo," Raph said firmly. He stepped beside his brother, pulling him into a one-armed hug.
Mikey came up as well, on Leo's other side. "Always have."
Don joined his brothers, completing the circle. "Always will."
Leo pulled all of his brothers closer, the four of them meshing tightly into the group hug. He then took a deep breath and pulled away a moment later. "Thank you." His eyes moved towards their destination. "And so it begins…let's go."
They took off again, springing from the shadows. No more than two minutes later, they leapt off the last building and landed suddenly in the middle of the ring of ninja.
Raph smirked, gratified to see the ninja around them starting in surprise. Same crappy Foot…can't sense an enemy even when they're expectin' us.
"Eight o'clock on the dot," Don reported softly, a hint of morbid humor in his voice.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," a deep voice rumbled mockingly. "If it isn't everyone's favorite freaks."
The turtles turned towards the voice, and Hun soon walked out of the shadows, dragging April along with one massive hand wrapped around her arm. April's hair was messy and ragged, and a black eye was swelling rapidly on the left side of her face. Her hands were tied behind her back, and a volatile mixture of fear and anger flickered on her features. Raph grit his teeth, and could feel his brothers tensing as well at the sight of their friend.
Hun sneered at Leo. "Leading your brothers right into a trap and delivering them right to us…I guess you took the Master up on his offer of partnership after all, though it's a bit late."
A snarl clawed its way out of Leo's throat and he moved towards the giant man, only to be held back by Raph and Don. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I'll die before I even think about joining with Oroku Saki."
The behemoth released April only to crack the knuckles on each hand menacingly. "Oh, you'll die alright; and I can't wait to watch. And help."
"That's enough."
Four green heads turned towards the new voice as Karai strode towards them out of the swarm of Foot ninja. The ranks of black-clad figures parted quickly before her, then resumed their positions just as swiftly. The kunoichi kept walking until she stood a mere five feet in front of them, between them and April, and locked eyes with Leo. A small smile crept onto her face, there and gone in a flash.
"So. You came," she noted calmly, dark satisfaction coloring her voice.
Leo stared back at Karai impassively. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't?"
"Truly? No. I knew that you would come, otherwise I would not have wasted my time with this woman."
The comment drew Raph's eyes to April for a second time. She seemed slightly calmer now that the four of them were there, but she still looked decidedly scared. Raph held her eyes carefully, then looked pointedly over to the fire escape. He subtly moved one of his hands in her direction, palm out, cautioning, trying to reassure her silently.
Wait. We'll get you out of here. Just wait.
April gave a tiny nod and shifted away from Hun slightly, her movements small and almost unnoticeable.
Raph shifted his attention back to Karai, who had begun talking again.
"Your loyalty is admirable, but I must admit I am still confused," Karai noted casually, her tone calm as though they were merely having a harmless conversation. "As you can see, you are greatly outnumbered. How exactly do you expect to rescue her?"
Leo's eyes drifted towards Raph's. "How indeed…"
In that instant, Leo dove forward, drawing his swords and lunging at Karai from one side while Mikey followed right behind him. The kunoichi instinctively darted away from them, unintentionally giving Raph a clear shot at Hun.
The red-banded turtle needed no further encouragement. Jerking the dagger from his belt, he pulled his arm back and then sent the blade flying towards Hun with a snap of his wrist.
His practice had paid off. The dagger flew straight at Hun, too quickly for the behemoth to dodge it, and landed firmly in the man's chest with a wet, sickening thump.
A shocked silence fell over the figures on the roof, and all eyes were glued on either Raph or Hun.
The large man stood just as still as everyone else, shock frozen on his features. Hun's eyes were fixed on Raph's, and they never left the red-banded turtle as the behemoth gave one strangled choke and fell backwards, landing heavily on the rooftop. The resulting thud echoed across the rooftops, and the entire city seemed to quiet in that one moment.
Silence reigned for only a moment longer, however, as Leo's voice rang through the night.
"Now!!!"
Raph barely caught the motion as Don's hand shot out, the remote clicking sharply six times as he activated the smoke bombs. The hissing of smoke became audible, and thick, billowing clouds of dark smoke immediately began pouring seemingly out of nowhere. The Foot began shouting as the visibility quickly died, but over the noise Raph could hear a quick snatch of words from Don.
"Go, Raph; we've got a three to five minute window, tops, before this breeze clears the smoke. Get April out of here."
"Already gone." With that, Raph dove into the billowing smoke clouds, his senses easily leading him to the last place he'd seen April. His sai were out and ready in his hands, and soon enough he encountered the first Foot ninja still guarding his friend. The black clad man was down and out before he had hardly even registered Raph's presence, quickly followed by three more of his fellows. And then suddenly he was beside April, slicing through the ropes on her wrists and hauling her to her feet. Raph moved her behind him carefully and began heading for the fire escape. "You alright, Ape?" he asked in a low undertone.
A quick hug was wrapped around his neck from behind. "I am so glad to see you guys," April breathed shakily.
"Same here. Now stay right behind me, we're gettin' you the hell outta here. Where's the rest of the goons that were guardin' you?"
"Gone," April reported. One of her arms moved past Raph's shoulder to point in front of them, off to the left. "After you killed Hun and the bombs went off, I guess they figured that you'd try and go after Karai next, so most of them ran towards her to protect her."
Raph followed her finger with his eyes, and his stomach tightened as he realized that he could vaguely see the black shapes April was talking about through the smoke. "Dammit, this stuff's clearin' out faster than I thought." He sheathed his sai with a quick motion, then grabbed April by the wrist and took off for the fire escape. The ladder quickly came into view, and Raph turned and picked April up abruptly, holding her bridal style. He then took the last few steps to the ladder and leaned over the edge of the roof.
"Raph, what are you doing?!" April demanded, trying to move her arms from where Raph's hold had pinned them to her side.
The hothead winked at April and gave her a thin smile. "Take care'a yerself, Ape."
Then he dropped April over the side of the building.
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"Raphael!!!!" The shriek tore its way from April's throat as she fell through the air, then started in surprise as she felt herself land in a pair of muscular arms, shifting around to see who it was that had caught her. "Casey!!"
The dark-haired man grinned at April as he quickly carried her down the fire escape stairs. "Hey, babe. You okay?" He turned her face towards him carefully, and his smile quickly changed to a dark frown at the bruising on the side of her face. "Those pieces of shit hit you?" he demanded, his voice rising in rage. "Who was it?"
"Casey, we—"
"Who was it?"
April sighed quietly. "It was Hun," she admitted.
"Hun?!" Rage darkened Casey's face dangerously. "When I get my hands on 'im, I'm gonna—"
"Casey. Raph—Raph killed him."
The vigilante paused in shock. "What? He did?" Emotions chased each other across his face before a dark smirk took hold of his mouth. "Good. If it wasn't me that was gonna do 'im in, I'd want it ta be Raph." He helped April off the fire escape and carefully set her on the back of his bike, handing her a helmet. "C'mon, Ape, we gotta go."
April stared at him, refusing the helmet. "Go? Casey, we can't! We can't just leave them here, they'll be killed!"
Discomfort and anger danced across Casey's features as he put the helmet on April himself. "Sorry, babe, those're my orders. The guys'd kill me if I let ya stay here."
"Let me stay here?! Casey Jones, you—"
Casey cut her off, wrapping her arms around his waist and kicking the motorcycle into life. "They'll be okay, Ape. We gotta believe that. Leo ain't gonna let anythin' happen t'anyone, an' neither will Raph."
The motorcycle's roar cut off any response April might have made, and the two of them were soon tearing down the streets towards the Lair. During their talk the other day, Raph and Leo had both told Casey to take April back to the Lair; if the Foot knew where April lived, they might know where Casey's place was as well, and they couldn't risk taking that chance. The Foot still didn't know where the new Lair was, so it was the safest place to go. Casey tried to keep his mind on the road, but thoughts of his friends kept making him cringe.
What'm I doin'? The guys can't take that many pajama freaks alone, they need help! He felt April's arm squeeze tighter around his waist at a particularly sharp turn. But I gotta get April somewhere safe. She ain't in no shape ta be gettin' in a fight. Casey swallowed hard, then poured more speed into the motorcycle. I'll get her back to tha Lair, an' make sure Mastah Splintah can keep an eye on her, then I'm comin' back t'help the guys. They can handle themselves fer a little while, I know it. They'll be fine.
I gotta believe that.
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Leo glanced over his shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when Raph signaled him that Casey and April were safely away. That's two deaths I don't have to worry about having on my conscience. Now let's just hope I can protect my brothers too.
He glanced up, and his heart sank into his stomach as the smoke cleared. Don and Mikey were both restrained by a dozen ninja, and Raph's curses could be heard clearly as another dozen swarmed and subdued him. As for Leo himself, he was staring at six Foot armed with bows and arrows, all standing merely five feet from him.
The nearest ninjas in front of him parted suddenly, and Karai paced towards him through the opening. Without sparing him a glance, she walked past his brothers as well to stand over Hun's body. A few quiet moments passed, and then Karai finally spoke, looking at the Turtles behind her.
"I suppose that I should be upset about his death, if for no reason other than he was a soldier of my father's…but he was a fool, and an arrogant one at that. His death is no loss." She leaned down and grasped the handle of the dagger, then braced a foot on Hun's massive chest and pulled the weapon free. Blood dripped readily from the blade, and Karai grimaced and wiped the dagger clean on Hun's shirt. She examined the weapon for a few minutes, then glanced at the Foot surrounding Raph. "Release him," she ordered.
The ninja hesitated, then slowly did as they were told, backing away from Raph quickly. Karai met his glare with her own steely gaze, then threw the dagger at Raph, who managed to catch it. She sniffed, vague disappointment flashing over her features. "You may keep this, I suppose. To the victor go the spoils."
Leo narrowed his eyes. Karai's gaze drifted towards him, then to his brothers suggestively, and finally back to him. He met her eyes firmly as they stared each other down, while he tried to control the surge of anger he felt at her implication. My brothers are not trophies, he hissed at her in his mind.
A slight smirk flitted across Karai's face as she held Leo's eyes. "Release the other two as well."
Don and Mikey made their way to his side, with Raph coming up behind him, and the three of them arrayed themselves around Leo. As soon as the four of them stood together, another six Foot ninja drifted to the front of the lines with drawn and loaded bows.
"Should we make a run for it?" Mikey asked quietly.
Leo shook his head regretfully, the movement hardly visible. "No," he breathed. "The smoke bombs didn't last as long as I'd hoped they would, and all of the Foot are still surrounding the perimeter of the roof. And as handy as our plastrons have been in the past, I really don't want to test them against a bunch of arrows," Leo said softly. "We got April out of here, but I think that's all the luck we're going to get tonight."
Raph grumbled behind him. "Not ta sound ungrateful or anythin', but it'd be nice ta have everythin' go our way fer once. Like now."
Don laughed softly. "You don't ask for much, do you, Raph?"
"Silence." Karai's voice cut through the air as she approached the four of them, running a hand over the claws on her wrist. She spoke to all of them, but her eyes were fixed firmly on Leo.
"I suppose you are wondering why you are here," she mused, her tone cold.
"Not really. It ain't exactly a hard one ta figure out," Raph snapped. His eyes flicked between Leo and Karai as he tried to draw her attention from his brother, uncomfortable with how the kunoichi was watching Leo. "I mean, it's not like yer tryin' anythin' new."
Karai's only reaction was to cast a short, derisive glance Raph's way; her attention then returned to Leo.
"And you, Leonardo? Of course you know why you are all here."
Leo remained impassive. "I'm here because you threatened someone I care about," he said quietly, his voice calm.
Karai's face darkened. "And as for why she was endangered because of you?"
Tenseness seeped into Leo's muscles as Karai's words tugged at his conscience. "I have my suspicions."
"And they are?"
Leo stayed silent.
"So shy? You had no problem sharing your opinions the last time we met." Karai glared at him. "So why was she taken?"
Leo's teeth grit together. "Because you refuse to let go of the past."
Karai hissed and struck out, scoring two shallow slices into Leo's plastron. "You are here because my father is gone!" she snarled.
Raph growled and stopped forward, one hand jerking a sai from his belt. "Didn't Daddy ever teach you ta keep yer hands to yerself?"
Rage flashed in Karai's eyes, and her claws repositioned themselves to point at Raph's throat. "You are not fit to talk of my father, scum. And unless you want to watch your brothers die, I suggest you sheathe your weapon and hold your tongue."
The hothead's only response was a derisive snort. "Oh, right, like you weren't gonna kill us in the first place," he sneered tensely, flipping his sai so that the point faced away from Karai, despite his rash words.
"I never said that I was going to kill you. Leonardo's is the only life I need; he is responsible for my father's banishment."
"Your father is responsible for his own banishment," Leo said quietly.
Karai glared at him, refusing to answer the comment, then spoke to Raph again. "His death is the only necessary one. The rest of you will die soon after him, regardless." She nodded to Raph scornfully. "Without him to hold you back, your own stupidity will see you running off to your own death soon enough." Her gaze shifted to Don and Mikey. "And you will not last long, either; grief will run you both into your graves. The rat will meet the same sort of end, after the loss of his precious son. You are a weak whole; I can destroy all of you by killing just one."
Don spoke up, vehement anger ringing clearly in his quiet words. "Don't count on it. We've survived a lot, and we will continue to do so."
"Yeah," Mikey retorted. "We don't stand alone."
The kunoichi snorted. "Believe what you like."
Karai's attention finally moved back to Leo. "You, no doubt, will appreciate how fitting this end truly is; our fathers started this feud, and are now beyond it, and now we, as the next leaders of our clans, will end it."
Leo sighed, and distractedly wiped some of the blood off of his plastron. "Your anger still controls you, Karai. The battle between us is already over."
"It is over when I say it is," Karai hissed. "As I told you before, Leonardo, nothing will be enough until you lie dead and broken at my feet."
Raph growled. "Yer gonna have ta go through us ta get to him."
Karai smiled darkly. "No, actually, I will not." With that, she glanced beyond them and gave a curt nod.
Leo tensed, his hands going for his swords, when three shouts sent him spinning around. Mikey, Don and Raph were all holding one of their arms or legs, and a single shuriken jutted out of each one.
Don grimaced as he jerked the sharp metal out of his leg. He threw it onto the roof, straightening again, and then fear slowly spread across his face. His eyes flew to his brothers. "Tranquilizers…" he whispered.
Mikey and Raph's eyes grew just as wide as Don's, and they quickly ripped the shuriken out of their arms. Raph snarled and turned back to face Karai, his hands curling into fists. "You little ikeike (1)," he spat. "I swear I'm gonna—"
A dull thud cut him off. Don now sat lazily on the roof, holding his head in one hand. "I can't…can't think…"
Raph moved towards his brother, but no sooner had he taken a step than Mikey collapsed as well. He tried to change directions and ended up falling as well.
Leo was beside him in a second, grabbing Raph's shoulders. "Raph! Don, Mikey, you need to stay awake!"
"Get…outta here, Leo," Raph mumbled drowsily, his eyes slipping shut. "Get…'way…"
Panic flared brightly in Leo's chest as his brother went limp, soon followed by Don and Mikey.
Karai's voice sounded from behind him, her tone cool and unconcerned. "I must admit I did not expect the serum to work so quickly. I wonder if perhaps I should have asked Chaplin if it was fatal."
At her words, Leo flew to his feet and whipped around, his hands reaching for his swords as anger and fear flared in his gut. However, he no sooner had turned to face Karai when a stinging pain seared across his right arm. Leo glanced down to see a slice on his bicep, shallow but already leaking blood. Looking up at Karai, he saw the shuriken she held.
Oh, shell.
Karai smiled darkly, dropping the shuriken. "Sleep well, Leonardo; we shall see each other again soon enough."
Leo breathed heavily, panic rising in his chest. He could feel a strange, numb tingling spreading through his body. It was creeping through his arm and seemed to move faster with every second. His thoughts started blurring, but one was easy enough to focus on:
Gotta get them out of here.
He turned back to his brothers, trying desperately to get to them before he lost consciousness. Unfortunately, the move racked him with dizziness, and his legs crumpled beneath him. He landed heavily on the ground, barely managing to catch himself before his face hit the pavement. And suddenly, it seemed like the best idea in the world to just lie down and go to sleep.
No…have to…have to…do something…
Footsteps echoed blurrily around him, and he managed to lift his head enough to look up. A familiar steel figure wavered in front of his eyes, and hollow words reached his ears.
"Look carefully at the brothers you have failed, Leonardo, for it is the last time you will ever see them alive."
No…I didn't…didn't fail…again…
Leo's thoughts were far too weak to last, and it seemed like the only thing he could do was obey the words echoing in his head. He somehow managed to turn his head, and three motionless green forms seemed to fill his entire vision, until he felt he was swimming in emerald.
No…
Then the drug-induced exhaustion swept over him, and all color faded to black oblivion.
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Karai stood motionless, watching impassively as Leo finally succumbed to the sedative. It took several moments for her to compose herself as she sought to banish the memory of his gaze; barely conscious, a fear she had never seen before seemed to have floated in Leonardo's eyes.
"Mistress Karai? Your orders?"
The timid, carefully respectful voice of one of her ninja successfully brought her back to herself. "You may proceed. Bring Chaplin."
The ninja bowed deeply and signaled several of fellows that were standing by the rooftop entrance of the building. They opened the door, revealing the redheaded scientist, and escorted him to Karai.
"Awesome!" he piped up upon seeing the motionless Turtles. "That stuff really did work!" He glanced at Karai quickly. "Not that I didn't think it would; I'd never give you something that wouldn't work, it's just great to see that it worked so fast! I kinda thought that with their mutated systems it might have taken too long, but it looks like everything went great!" Chaplin paused momentarily upon seeing Hun's corpse. "Oh…I—I guess everything didn't. Geez, that's a bummer."
Karai sighed sharply. The young man was wearing on her already short nerves. "Chaplin. Hun is dead, and that is not to be dwelt on. I need all the time that this sedative of yours can give me. Secure the bugs to Leonardo's brothers."
"Oh, right!" The redhead quickly set down the bag he was carrying, flipping it open to reveal a small box. He opened it and carefully removed the three tiny bugs within, fixing a small piece of adhesive to the back of each, then activating each one.
"You are certain they will not fall off?" Karai asked as she watched him.
"No way!" Chaplin said. "They only come off if they're pulled off, but that's why we're hiding them." The young man set down the bugs, then moved towards the nearest turtle, Raphael. He struggled with the turtle's motionless bulk for several moments, but finally managed to move him onto his front. Chaplin then grabbed one of the bugs, and carefully attached it to the inner rim of Raph's shell, directly behind his right arm. "See, by putting them here, there's no way these guys'll know they're bugged, 'cause there's no way they can reach this part of their shell. It'll work, no problem!"
"See that it does."
Chaplin finished attaching the bugs, then flipped on his laptop and opened a trakcing program. Shortly after that, three green dots flashed onto the screen, marked precisely on the grid. The young man grinned. "All systems are go!"
Karai allowed herself a small smile, throwing a bit of praise towards the eager young man. "Excellent. You have done well, Chaplin. The Foot Techs will take you back to headquarters, and I want you to link your computer to the main grid and find the Turtles' new hiding place."
"You got it, Mistress Karai! I'll see ya later!"
Once the young man was gone, Karai knelt down and removed the phone from Raphael's belt. Flipping it open, she frowned; the contraption looked little like a normal phone. A small number two etched into the casing near the top caught her attention, however. Reaching over to Donatello, she removed his phone as well and checked it; it bore a three. Karai pressed the three on Raphael's phone, and was gratified when Donatello's rang, Raphael's name flashing on the calling screen.
Pre-programmed numbers. That should make this easier.
Checking Michelangelo and Leonardo's phones resulted in the numbers four and one. So they are each a number between one and four…then the rat must be five. Returning the phones to three of the turtles' belts, she kept Raphael's and pressed the five, holding the screen up in front of her face.
The phone had hardly finished ringing once before a face appeared on the screen.
"Oh, Raph, I'm so glad to hear from you! It's been forever, and we hadn't heard anything, and we wanted to go back, but Splinter wanted us to stay put, and—Karai!" April went pale, then glared at the kunoichi. "What are you doing with Raph's phone? If you've hurt any of them, I'll—"
"You will do nothing, yowamiso (2). I have no business with you. Put the rat on the phone now, or they all die."
Karai felt a surge of smugness when the woman paled again and said nothing. Moments later, Splinter's face replaced April's.
The rat's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he hissed at the screen. "You…"
The kunoichi felt tempted to draw back at the hatred she could almost feel in his voice, but she quickly mastered the sensation. "Yes, rat. Me."
"What do you want? Where are my sons?"
Karai sneered. "You know very well what I want. I want all of you dead and broken. I want my revenge, and so I am taking it. Your sons are in my hands. That is why I have called you. I have a proposition that I am certain you will want to hear."
The rat's whiskers twitched, but he showed no other emotion. "And that is?"
"I will give you three of your sons back, alive and well. You will find them on the roof of the building on the corner of Hargrove and Prudence. My ninja will wait there. You have ten minutes to retrieve them, or they will be killed. And if you do not take them and return to the hole you live in, you all will be killed."
"And as for Leonardo?"
Karai suppressed a smile. The rat was no fool; he knew very well which son he would not be getting back. "He is no longer your concern. He is mine; his life is my forfeit. You have ten minutes, gaichou (3)." She shut the phone with a snap and stuck it back on Raphael's belt.
Standing, she summoned the Elite to her. The silent figures bowed, their red eyes fixed on her.
"Go. Deliver the Turtles, then report back here."
The quartet bowed again, then took hold of the Turtles. A split second later, all seven figures disappeared in a puff of smoke. Karai gestured at one of the Foot soldier groups. "Follow them, and guard the Turtles. Watch for the rat, leave once they are collected, and report back to me. If he does not appear, you know what to do." The men bowed, and then the twenty ninja were gone, disappearing over the rooftops. "The rest of you will return to headquarters."
Seconds after the forces dispersed, the Elite returned, bowing to Karai once again. The leader approached her, speaking in the strange whispery hiss that was his voice. "It is done."
"Good."
The man hesitated, then spoke again. "My lady Shredder…why do they live? We have had opportunities innumerable to slay them, and you have no love for them. Why are we restrained from killing them?"
Karai stared at Leonardo, answering the man coldly. "Because they are bait. Were the rat and the Turtles' allies to not hear from them, they would come out searching for the four of them. I will not tolerate any interruptions as I destroy Leonardo. And the rat's affection for them is a father's love; he will not risk three of his sons' lives for one. By the time they are home and awake, by the time the rat is certain the three of them are safe, by the time they set out to find Leonardo…he will already be dead. And by returning home to "save" their lives, the rat and his allies will lead me right to their door."
The Elite bowed in silent acknowledgment of her plan.
She turned to the man, raising her head. "Call the police and alert them to the whereabouts of Hun's body; we shall see how well his spotless reputation holds up after this. And make certain that his underlings in the Purple Dragons know of his death as well; I want them to know that they are leaderless and vulnerable now, nothing more than baggage. I will decide later whether I wish to continue our dealings with them. But for now, deliver Leonardo to the battleground, and watch over him until I arrive. No one is to touch him; he is mine to kill. I shall arrive shortly."
Another bow followed, and soon Karai stood alone on the rooftop.
Everything is falling into place, she thought, allowing herself a short moment of satisfaction. Her gaze drifted across the skyline, towards the rooftop she knew Leo now rested on, and that satisfaction turned dark and bloody. And soon, Leonardo, your family will fall, and then you yourself will fall into your place, as well…
Dead at my feet, and out of my life forever.
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(1) ikeikeb!ch
(2) yowamisoweakling
(3) gaichouvermin
A/N: And that's done! Holy crap, this thing was 33 pages long, and it's almost 4 in the morning. I'm insane. And I'm also sooo sorry again for the long wait. Hopefully, though, the crazy length and goodness of the chapter will make up for that. I'm very proud of this chapter, and I hope you guys like it too. I also hope you liked the snippets of Japanese that I threw in there; I'm going to be doing that more often, because I love it and it's fun. And yes, the Elite can transport people along with themselves. Why? Because I said so. :D And now I am off to bed, because I'm exhausted. Please read and review, and take care. Happy writing to everyone!