Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.
Leonardo stood in the elevator, flexing the muscles in his hands as the transport beep with each floor it passed. He studied the bandages covering his hands as he waited for the elevator to reach its destination: the top floor. Suddenly the elevator shuddered and stopped; Leo dropped into a crouch with a hand hovering over one of his katana hilts. He waited, but nothing happened. Leo slowly approached the doors and attempted to pry them open to no avail. He stood up straight and studied the ceiling tiles. Leo unsheathed a katana and jabbed at one of the tiles, popping it off and creating an opening. He nodded once and leapt up, grabbing the edge of the opening with his free hand. He ignored the brief sting of pain from his still raw hand and pulled himself up. Leo glanced about the elevator shaft, noting that he still had a ways to go to reach the top floor. He turned to the counterweight cable and wrapped his hand around it tightly. Leo flicked his katana out quickly, cutting through the part of the cable that was below his hand, sending himself flying up and the elevator dropping.
It wasn't long before he swung off the cable and landed lightly on the edge of the doors reading "PH". Leo shimmied his katana through the crack between the doors and wriggled them open. He stepped through the open doors and into a long hallway with wooden paneled flooring and screened walls. Leo's eyes narrowed, he knew there were traps in the room. He removed a small pouch from his belt and removed a handful of a strange purple powder. Leo drew in a breath and blew the powder. It floated lazily through the air, drifting this way and that towards small cracks in the walls and flooring, revealing the traps. A smirk found its way onto his features. The shredder had not bothered to change the pattern of the traps. He sheathed his katana and took a few steps back. Leo breathed in calmly before sprinting forward.
He leapt to the side and bounded off the screen wall to the other wall. He somersaulted and landed in a crouch at the exit. A floorboard creaked behind him but no traps were set off. He let out the breath he was holding and unsheathed a katana. He stood and slashed the screen door open. The door fell apart and he stepped through, into the Shredder's main audience chamber. He stilled, though the grip on his katana tightened.
In the center of the room, though all the braziers were unlit, he could make out the form of Karai prone on the ground and covered in blood. Her own katana was sticking out of her abdomen and Shredder's gauntleted hand was wrapped around the hilt. He yanked the weapon free of her body with slurping sound and flicked the blood free of the blade. The blood spattered noisily on the wooden floor. Leo noticed that the Shredder had both of his arms. Leo's own right arm began itching at the too recent memory of his arm being chopped off when he was in the Shredder's body.
"Leonardo, you have come to slay me?" The Shredder spoke in that grating voice. Leo's eyes took a darker hue. "My original intent was to slay Karai, but it seems you beat me to it. I didn't think that even you could stoop so low as to murder your own daughter." Leo replied casually. The Shredder chuckled lowly. "She was a fool who went on her own and disobeyed me. But the damage is done and you are here. Let us finally finish this mess, Leonardo." The Shredder said, raising the katana.
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Oh," he began as he raised his own katana, "I intend to."
The both of them sprinted forward and their blades clashed with flying sparks. They became a furious whirlwind of blades as sparks continued flying and clanging echoed in the dark room. Leo feinted a strike for Shredder's leg but reversed it at the last second, aiming for Shredder's left arm. Shredder moved to block the feint and twisted aside to avoid the debilitating strike. The Shredder's right hand, covered by his bladed gauntlet, whipped out for Leo's throat. The turtle dived under the strike and into the Shredder, sending them both rolling. Leo, having dropped his katana, tore the tanto from its sheath on his belt and jabbed in into the Shredder's abdomen multiple times, tearing through the gaps of his armor and sinking into flesh. They rolled to a stop as they banged into a screen wall, which separated the audience chamber from the garden, with Shredder on top.
Shredder, who had dropped his katana in the scuffle as well, roared his rage and pain. He dug his armored left thumb into Leo's right eye with sickening squishing sounds, eliciting a cry of pain from the turtle. "Ignore it! Ignore it!" Leo thought franticly as he kept stabbing with the tanto. Shredder brought back his right hand to slash Leo's throat open. Leo kicked him off, finally unable to withstand the pain, slashing out wildly with the tanto as he clutched his ravaged eye. Shredder landed in a crouch as Leo rose to his feet, blood streaming freely from his ruined and bloody eye. Leo unsheathed his second katana with his bloody and bandaged left hand. He tightened his grip on the tanto. Shredder's hand wrapped around the hilt of the katana Leo had dropped while his other hand held him steady. Blood dripped from the gaps of his armor over his abdomen.
There was a creaking sound behind Leo and he instinctively leapt aside. His good eye caught the form of the last elite ninja, holding a twin bladed sword. The ninja sprinted at him and Leo was moving back quickly. The ninja struck randomly, having seen what Leo was capable of. Leonardo easily dodged the strikes to his left side but was having extreme difficulty dodging the strikes to his right. The elite picked up on this and aimed the brunt of his attacks for Leo's right side. Leo spun to the right and slashed swiftly with the tanto, slicing through nothing but air. His artificial heart thudded painfully and his stomach clenched up. He ducked under a strike from Shredder's bladed gauntlet and rolled aside to dodge another sword strike from the elite.
Shredder laughed as Leo continued to run and evade the strikes. "You have improved." He remarked with amusement as he followed them at a casual pace, just watching and waiting for Leo to drop. Leo leapt back and his shell thudded against a wooden pillar. His face was covered with his own blood and sweat. The elite ninja brought back his strange sword for a finishing blow when a red-green blur struck him.
The Shredder turned at the sudden movement. Leo leapt forward, slashing his weapons out. The Shredder brought up his blade in time, blocking the strikes. Leo spun and ducked underneath a swing that would have cleaved him in two before shoving his katana deep into the Shredder's right arm pit, shearing off what connected the artificial limb to his body. Still, blood spurted wildly and the Shredder stumbled back, wresting the katana free from Leo's grip. The Shredder dropped to one knee and Leo took the chance to turn and spot Raphael pummeling the elite with his bare fists. Leo's one responsive eye narrowed to a slit. "Dammit, Raphael! I told you to go home!" He snarled. Raph shot him a look and he seemed to say: "You'd be dead if I was home."
Leo shook his head angrily, now was not the time. He tossed the tanto to his brother who caught it easily. He quickly brought up a forearm in time to deflect a powerful swing from Shredder's left hand. He smarted at the heavy hit and leapt to the right as Shredder lifted Leo's own katana. Leo rolled and his right hand wrapped around the hilt of his other katana. He rose in a spin, turning to face the Shredder who had broken through the screen and was now in the garden waiting for him. Leo approached, glancing once to be sure that Raphael had his situation handled before turning his full attention to the Shredder. He knew that even as wounded as the Shredder was, he still faced an extremely dangerous enemy.
They were both in the center of the garden now, being pelted by rain as the dark clouds swirled over head. The powerful and howling wind whipped at them as lightning flashed overhead. The Shredder chuckled in ill-humor then just as he spoke. "Several months ago today, you remember it, yes?"
Leo's grip tightened on the katana. "How could I forget the day my life was dashed into pieces?"
The Shredder cocked his head to the side, a very un-Shredder-like mannerism that made Leo tense up. "Do you know what happened to us when we rejoined our physical forms?"
Leo paused, beginning to dread this conversation. He sprinted forward and slashed, not wanting to hear the Shredder's words. The Shredder dodged easily and remained evasive. "You went through my memories. You learned my fighting style." He continued, feeling the sting as Leo's katana tore through the edge of his abdomen. Leo couldn't help but reply to that, leaping back as he threw the answer with a smug grin. "I couldn't allow such an opportunity to pass me by." He said as he landed on both feet easily.
"You were always a quick learner." The Shredder remarked with a laugh. "But back to the point, we left our own memories in each other's minds as well."
Leo shuddered at that and his face hardened. "I know. I saw my father die."
The Shredder laughed again. "The pathetic rat's face made my day! He thought his own son had slain him!"
Leo growled angrily. "I'll make you pay for what you did!"
The Shredder quirked his head to the side again, giving Leo a shiver. "You still don't understand. I'm not myself anymore, and neither are you. Even if I were to kill you right here and right now, you would still live in my own body. If you were to kill me, I would still live in you." He spoke. He shook his head with contempt. "But you! You left too much in my body! You left more than half of yourself in my body! I have become softer because of your filth! It sickens me! But you… you are so much stronger now. You are more like me than I am, Leonardo." He hissed.
Leo lowered his katanas in shock and a tinge of fear. He took a step back and Shredder advanced. "Ah yes, you can feel it festering inside of you. A need for blood. A need to dominate. A need to feel the pain of others. You are not yourself, Leonardo, or should I say Oroku Leonardo?" He finished with a bark of laughter, seeing his words were deeply affecting the young turtle. "I may die tonight, Leonardo, but my spirit and power will live on through you!" He roared. Leo's grip tightened on his katana and he rushed forward with a wild eye, not caring if he was hit by the Shredder's blade or not. He needed to shut the Shredder up.
Leo slashed angrily and the Shredder held his arms spread out, reveling in the pain and promise of death. Leo's katana tore through the Shredder's bone and armor as if it were butte. His greatest enemy fell before him and his blood sprayed wildly. Leo slashed and slashed and slashed. He ignored the rain. He ignored the blood coating his body. He ignored the pounding pain of his eye. He ignored the blood that streamed from his wounded hands.
"My spirit and power will live on through you!"
~.~.~.~.~.~
Raphael was sitting with his shell to a wooden pillar, glancing from the elite's cold dead body to the direction that Leo and the Shredder had gone. It had been a good half-hour since Leo had gone after the Shredder. Raph would have gone to help his brother but his left leg would not allow it. There were three extremely deep holes in his thigh that were covered by Leo's mask. The blood had soaked through the mask and small rivulets of crimson were gently streaming down his leg. Raph shifted uneasily but froze at the sound of steady but light footsteps. He turned his gaze up to the open screen door that led to the garden. His brother's silhouette filled the door frame. Leonardo appeared haggard and bent over. He breathed raggedly and would not take his one eye off the helmet he held in his hands.
Blood dripped steadily Leo's bandaged hands and dried blood covered his body. His skin was more dark crimson than green. His right eye was covered in dried blood as well. Raph, who had seen plenty of bloody disasters and dead corpses, found himself fighting a gagging sensation when he noticed chunks of flesh hanging from the Shredder's helm which was in Leonardo's hands. The Shredder's head was still in the helmet.
After several minutes of shocked silence, Raph struggled to rise and he gargled something. Leo flinched at the sudden movement and the helmet fell from his hands. It clanged as it bounced several times on the floor. His one hazel eye then dropped to bore into Raph. The red-masked turtle wasn't sure whether he preferred his brother staring at the severed head or him. Raph rose precariously, leaning heavily against the wooden pillar. Leo cocked his head to the side, so that he could get a few view of his brother with that one eye. He slowly approached Raphael as the red-masked turtle stared at him.
"Leo, what the hell was that about?" Raph signed with his hands angrily. A smirk slowly formed on Leo's face. "He still remembers the signs that Sensei taught us…" He thought to himself. His smirk quickly vanished at the thought of his father.
"I needed to believe that he was dead." Leo replied stiffly, nodding his head at the now still helmet.
But I'm not. I live in you.
Leo shook his head and assisted Raphael, letting his still suspicious brother lean on him. They began a slow shambling walk towards a window. Leo gently rested his brother against another wooden pillar and removed a grappling hook from his belt. Leo smashed his padded elbow into the window and it shattered noisily. Leo began swinging the hook, ignoring the tiny shards of glass that made their way past his elbow pad. He suddenly hurled the metal hook through the window, aiming for a water tower. The hook struck true. Leo tugged on the rope, making certain that it was secure. He turned to Raphael after tying the other end of the rope to an overhanging pipe. He turned to Raph. "You go first. Tenjin and the others should be waiting there." Leo said. The red-masked turtle nodded, though his eyes were narrowed and scrutinizing his older brother. Raph limped forward and grabbed hold of the rope. He began swinging down the rope, careful to keep a strong grip.
Leo turned suddenly as there were a series of stomping sounds. His one eye narrowed as a familiar voice rang through the audience chamber. "Get him!" Hun shouted. Leo's head whipped to sight the huge form of Hun pointing at the bloody form of Leonardo. He stood tall, broad-shouldered, and very much alive. Leo's brows furrowed suspiciously. "That's not possible…" He muttered.
It doesn't matter. Kill him and the others.
Leo quickly unsheathed a katana, holding it in his right hand. He glanced back at Raphael who was nearly across the rope. Leo whispered an apology to his brother before slicing through the rope with a swift flick of his katana. He rolled aside and behind a wooden pillar, narrowly avoiding an arrow that flew out the broken window where he was standing a mere second ago. He glanced back again, releasing a small sigh of relief as he saw his brother standing on the other rooftop looking very much displeased.
A foolish ninja crept up on Leo's left. Leo moved quickly, stabbing his katana through the ninja's forehead with a wet crunch. A smirk formed on his face at the sound.
Yes! Feel his blood stain your skin! Revel in the easy kill! Teach them a lesson! Teach them to fear you!
Leo's smirk vanished and his mouth was set in a grim line as he calculated his odds. He glanced past the wooden pillar and ducked back just in time as a wave of shuriken flew at him. Several of the shuriken embedded themselves in the wooden pillar with thuds. One of the metal stars, however, tore through the back of his left hell, ripping the edge of his Achilles' tendon. He bit back a gasp of pain and leaned heavily on the pillar. He reached into his belt and hurled a handful of smoke pellets at the ground. He then smashed the pommel of his katana into the window and rolled aside, near the dead elite's body. He sheathed his katana quickly and removed the tanto from the elite's body. He then retreated into the shadows of the audience chamber.
Once safely in the shadows, he carefully looked over the debilitating wound. It wasn't serious, but, it would deeply affect his balance. His gaze snapped back up as the ninjas began moving about in the smoke. Leo gripped the tanto tightly in his right hand and shuffled forward silently. He came up behind a lone ninja investigating the dead elite's body. Leo stood and covered the ninja's mouth in a quick motion as he dragged his tanto across the ninja's throat. Leo dropped the body and melted back into the shadows.
Hun was cursing loudly now. Leo smirked, his plan was working. He had broken the window to trick his enemies into thinking that he had escaped by leaping out the window. Now he could silently assassinate his foes. Leo slunk through the shadows, both delighted and saddened by the small number of present ninjas.
Kill them now.
Leo grinned in response to the thought. He had only counted five other ninjas. He could make this fun. Leo, in a crouch, sheared the dead ninja's head from its body. He cut through the neck bone with an audible snapping sound and hurled the head into the center of the room. The five ninjas and Hun jumped before quickly approaching the object. Hun began swearing again while the ninjas' head whipped about to find the source of the gory surprise. Leo took a deep breath, waiting for their guard to lessen and he sprinted forward, catching them by surprise. His tanto whipped out quicker than the ninjas could react.
It was a blur of blood and the flash of gleaming metal. Leo stood still, listening intently. Five bodies dropped to the ground, hands clutching blood-spurting throats. Leo turned to Hun to find the big man running. Leo smirked. "What a coward."
Kill him.
Leo started forward, limping slightly, but he stopped mid-stride. He shook his head and turned back to the five ninjas with a sadistic grin on his face. "No," He whispered, "I want them to know pain and suffering." He finished, and his grin widened. Leo knelt down, next to the nearest fallen ninja. He smiled at the ninja and knew the human was alive
still. He thrust his tanto into the ninja's gut, just deep enough to cut through the skin and muscle. The ninja shuddered as Leo cut through the flesh across his abdomen. Leo heard the other four stir angrily. The ninja's entrails began spilling through the hole Leo made and the ninja whimpered as he weakly tried to push them back in. Leo's eye lit up with maddened glee and he tore the ninja's mask off.
All feeling left the turtle's body and his grin disappeared in a flash. He froze and stared. He stared at a young fifteen year old boy's face. He glanced back at the others with a slow fearful turn. They looked just as young as him. Leo's one eye turned back to meet the pain filled gaze of the fifteen year old.
Give these fools pain and suffering, Leonardo.
Leo ignored the thought and stabbed his tanto into the youngster's heart. The ninja's eyes glassed over and Leo withdrew the blade. Leo stood and began a limp towards the broken window. He slid the bloody tanto back into its sheath on his belt, not bothering to clean the blood off of it.
What the hell are you doing? Go back and finish them, weakling.
Leo ignored the voice again. His foot brushed up against something cold and metal. He froze in place and looked down to see the Shredder's helmet with pieces of flesh hanging from it. The eyes in the helmet were dead, just staring listlessly at him. Leo bent down and picked it up with shaking hands.
Leave it… return to the fools…. who opposed you…
Leo found that the voice seemed weaker, more distant than it had a second ago. He stared into the Shredder's dead eyes and he remained silent as he stared at it in realization. He continued his silence as he moved the helmet under his arm and approached the broken window. Leo closed his eye and allowed his body to fall forward.
The wind whipped painfully at his wounds and the cold rain pelted him heavily. Leo's heart thudded painfully in his chest, as if it knew his body was in a freefall from a skyscraper and planned to escape before he hit the ground.
What are you doing?
Leo's eye snapped open, seeing the ground rushing up towards him. He could feel the immense pull of gravity; it threatened to dash him apart. Leo's eye caught sight of a ledge and he angled his legs to bound off of it. He took a deep breath just before his feet made impact on the brick ledge. He bent his knees and made his body as flexible as possible, but bursts of pain erupted in his head. He ignored it and leapt off, redirecting the force of his drop, and onto a lamp post. His chest rose and fell quickly as he gasped for air. He glanced down at his feet and noted that bright blood streamed gently from his ankle as a small white shard poked through his skin. Leo stared, still in shock of his own actions.
"I didn't mean to do that…" He whispered.
I did.
Leo's brows furrowed. He moved the helmet back into his hands and stared into the dead eyes. "You're not real…" He said.
Yes I am. There is no point in denying it.
"No, you're dead. There's no possible way you are talking to me. You're just a part of my imagination. Leave me alone."
He was met with silence and the drumming of rain upon the city around him. He clutched the head tightly to his chest. "He's dead. He's dead. He's dead."
A/N: Review please, and there is now a sequel called "Shadows On The Wall". It's on my page and I will be updating every weekend.