Chapter 16

Hearts of Gold

A wise warrior once spoke," When something is too good to be true, it is."

They are right. So right.

When the king had proposed banishing us, I thought, for a moment, that maybe it would be the end of our problems. But alas… It was a vain hope.

I leapt into the portal, and fell, fell, into void. I shouted, but no one returned my echoing cries. What has happened to me? Where has my spirit gone?

Am I finally dead? Or is this yet another hopeless dream of dreary non-existence?

Then, something happens. A coldness grips my very soul and a mirror lights up my vision.

I look into the mirror and the bane of my existence stares back, smiling her devilish smile, her cool, calculating brown eyes staring back into mine. Suddenly, my vision melts.

And all at once, it is myself who stares back from the mirror.

I scream in horror, looking down at my hands, feeling my teeth with anguish. My teeth have become like those of my enemy, the teeth of a monster, a vampire.

My skin had changed from rich ebony to light, earthy brown, like her's. My hair is no longer heavily curled about my back, but light brown, woven into many braids.

My reflection then laughs. It is my voice, but so altered I scarcely recognize it. It sounds cruel and evil.

No… Oh blessed Luana, no!

She has taken my body!

My soul is trapped within her monstrous form!

And suddenly, I am hurling back to the earth. I land, crouch and cry. My tears are acid, like hers. My breath is poisonous.

I am become a beast. Spinning round and around. Where do I go from here?

As I cry, I wipe my face, shuddering. This is not my skin. I pause, however, as i see a windmill, spinning in the distance. I walk towards it, breaking into a run. Something tells me this windmill is important. I can hardly believe it, but it is the model that I created myself, in my homeworld. The one that was banned, because of my wretched curse.

I must find out what is inside it.

8~8~8~8~8

I scream and scream. Writhing and twisting against invisible bonds. I pant, unable to move my arms and legs. Space wheels all around me. And then I see those eyes. Those horrid, wretched eyes that have haunted my darkest dreams. The eyes that smiled at me, as the one I loved lay bleeding and defiled.

"RATRI!" I screamed. She will not silence me. Never! I will die before I….

Something is happening. Her image is changing. The image I see now is myself. But the expression is one I will never forget. I see myself, a monster in my own way.

And then, i realize that I am no longer the same. I have taken on her appearance. I scream. Rage and fear. fear is an emotion I rarely allow myself to feel.

This time, I cannot hold it back.

As I scream, I feel myself falling into a black chasm. I land in a darkened forest. This place is familiar… where have I seen it?

What kind of terrible nightmare is this?

My skin is scaly. My nails long and black. I feel my teeth, like those of the barracuda, sharp and deadly.

What has she done?

I no longer care. I race. I bolt through the trees, hoping to find someone, anyone, who can save me from this dream.

As I run, however, I stop short. I see a grave.

Remorse and deep anguish grip me. I recognize this grave.

Silas. My first love. This is his grave. I walk, barely concealed by the darkness of the trees. I stop short. There is someone there, weeping at the headstone. I see a familiar form.

It is my body. But it is his killer.

And I surge forth, claws outstretched.

8~8~8~8~8~8

I have fallen onto a beach. But I no longer feel the joy that used to burst from my soul at the sound of crashing waves. There is a mist, that swirls all around me. What is going on?

When I woke, I found myself in the body of my most hated enemy. What am I going to do? My sisters are gone. I called and called for them, but no one answered.

As I walk, I suddenly hear a voice call out," Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there!"

And then, my heart grows chilled. For i hear my own voice reply," Oh, thank goodness! I'm so glad you found me!"

"Ha, ha, don't worry, sweetheart… I just need to figure out… something."

I race forward, my breath ragged. I recognized the tone, if not the voice.

And as I run, I see a form. A familiar form, strange as he is. And I scream," STAY AWAY FROM HERE!"

He reacts at first by a light-pitched scream. If the situation wasn't so… well, horrible, I would have laughed.

But then, I see a heroic firmness grow in his stance and he takes out weapons of which I have never seen before.

"Wanna dance? Let's dance, ugly!"

A hiss breaks from my mouth.

"Ladies first."

8~8~8~8~8~8

Splinter refused to leave his sons. Sitting by their sides, he sat. Suddenly, he noticed a slight change, in all of them. Leo had tensed. So had Donatello. Raphael jerked violently. And Mikey had groaned.

Something was going on. He closed his eyes in meditation, slowly begining to feel for his sons psyche. He felt their emotions, fear, anger, and confusion.

But further then this, he could not go. A presence suddenly filled the room.

Elsewhere in the city, Usagi, Ue-Sama and Traximus both raced alongside Alala, the serpentine young woman. She had been in the midst of asking a question, when a jolt went through her body. She turned to her companions and reported," I have picked up the scent."

8~8~8~8~8

Leo kept walking, ever upwards. The scent grew stronger, but he was noticing something else. Water. It dripped and poured softly down the stairs, as though someone had left the sink water running upstairs. Leo moved faster. The pouring water disturbed him. Where was it coming from?

Unless the tower has indoor plumbing…

He smirked slightly at the thought before suddenly coming to a halt. The stairs had ended. There must have been at least 500 steps. The floor now stretched out six feet, stopping at a solid door.

Leo approached the door, taking his katana out and walking towards the door. Water gushed from beneath the door.

He took a breath before pulling the door open. To his surprise, there was no wave of water waiting for him. A room, brightly lit, was at the top of the tower. Like sleeping beauty, there lay, by the window a bed. Leo took in his breath sharply. The scene cut into his mind's eye in a matter of seconds.

There was a maiden there. The young woman from his dream. She was sleeping, like an angel. And right by her, standing like an ashen shadow, was a monster. A monstrosity with a sword, aimed directly for the angel's heart.

She had looked up, as soon as Leo walked in. The golden eyes widened, the red lips pulled back, revealing fanged teeth.

Leo wasted no time, with a sharp yell, he raced forward, using his swords, he knocked the monster away, snarling," Don't you DARE touch her!"

The vampiric specter, though caught off-guard, righted herself with no difficulty. Her voice oozed forth, like honeyed oil," You attack the wrong person, Spirit."

Leo responded roughly," I am no spirit."

"Then why do you torture my dreams? Why do you stand between me and the key to my freedom?"

Leo snarled," I do not know what you talk of! This woman asked for my help! And i will not let you kill her as she sleeps."

"Your faith is placed in the wrong hands, warrior," The vampire slowly circled around, her golden eyes narrowed, her ashen skin like that of a corpse.

But for her lush lips and beguiling voice, Leo would have thought her hideous.

"Who are you?" Leo asked, his voice husky with emotion. He couldn't help it. This thing threatened a helpless, beautiful creature, like a spider would a butterfly.

The vampire looked, almost as though right through him and responded," I no longer can tell. It is as though my life is shadowed. I only know this; despite my horrible appearance, I am innocent. Despite her lush and glowing expressions, she is evil. I am sure of this. I have sworn an oath to battle against evil. She is the bane of my existence."

Leo snarled," You speak madness. Leave, before I am forced to make you leave."

The specter shook her head," I cannot. If you truly wish to defeat me, and all that I stand for, then you will turn to the monster that sleeps on the bed and you will kiss her. But if you do this, then you will be damned, just as she is."

Leo stared at the creature. This was making less and less sense. This had to be a dream.

One of those horrible dreams that you want to wake up from, so you can make sense of your reality…

Suddenly, the riddle that had been written across the fortress in the woods came to mind, "Only the wise may decide for themselves. Only the foolish shall pass. Strength and bravery are nothing, when the appearance is inward. A heart of gold beneath scales, a heart of stone encased by gold. Choose thee Wisely… thou fool."

She breathed," I am not what you see."

Leo walked to her, wondering, trying to reason. There was no wisdom in believing her. There was nothing to be gained by heeding her words. But why, then, did she not attack him? Why was she standing there, watching him so quietly, with those golden eyes. Her appearance, her voice, they were evil.

But in this realm of dreams, was appearance really so trustworthy?

He looked silently looked down on his own green hand. Others in his world called him monster. A freak. Was he any different from her?

He looked down on the woman on the bed. She had not moved. He asked," Why does she sleep?"

"It is a deception. She is waiting for you to take the fall."

"How do you know this?" Leo whirled back on her.

"I know her well," was the only response.

With a sudden resolve that surprised him, he walked to her and asked," If I did believe you, what would I do?"

She stared into his eyes and responded," If you do choose me, you will be cursed. Your doom will fall on you, whether you choose the greater good or the greater evil."

Leo bent and kissed her.

8~8~8~8~8

Raph had been walking for what felt like hours, the scent drawing him nearer.

he stopped when he heard the sounds of weeping. creeping up, he heard the sound grow louder. there was a slight clearing up ahead. The mist had rolled off, revealing a pale moon in the sky.

And there, kneeling in front of a grave…

No way.

She was crying, her long hair like blood, flowing over her shoulders. She was knelt, hands covering her face. Raphael was about to speak, when a horrible figure dashed from the opposite sode of the trees, ugly, long claws outstretched.

He growled and leapt forward, tackling the figure to the ground. To his utter amazement, she matched the description Usagi had given the worst of the Hybrid witches. Blue skinned, with draconian features. She was hideous.

With a roar, he set about attacking her with every fiber of his being.

She snarled," YOU SON OF A LOTHARIO!" as she, in turn, set about attacking him with a fury he had never seen before.

"SHE IS NOT REAL!" The snarling grew as they finally broke apart. She tried circling, to get around him, to get to the woman at the grave. Raphael growled," Don't even think about it!"

"Too late. I've been thinking about it for a really, really long time, reptile! if you have any sense of honor, you will step out of the way and let me drag that witch to hell!"

"NEVER!" Raphael snarled as he attacked her again, with all the fury that was wrapped into his being.

8~8~8~8~8

Donatello, walking through the field of barely, made it to the Windmill. This time, there was a door. He was about to open the door, when a voice spoke," You are being led into a trap!"

He whirled around. A creature stood behind him. She was brown, all browns, like a spirit of the earth. She was monstrous, though not deformed. But there was a soft, sincerity in her tone, that made him pause in his logical ration.

She pointed out," There was no door before… was there?"

He stared and swallowed," Who are you? Do you know where she is?"

"It depends on whom you seek."

"The one imprisoned in the Windmill."

She stared at him, as if trying to remember something.

"You… look familiar to me," She murmured," Like a dream. I do not even know whether or not i truly am in reality any more."

Donatello replied," I don't recall falling asleep."

"Nor do I."

There was an awkward silence. Donatello had never felt such discomfort. There was something about this werd creature. Something that made him pause. She was a monster. Her teeth were like those of a vampire. Her form was lithe and she moved with a grace that was inhuman. But despite the hissing, huskiness of her voice, behind the voice… in the tone…

There was a despair. It was… familiar.

"Who are you?"

"I am called Rabi. But this is not what I look like," She looked embarrassed. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she screamed," Look out!"

Donatello turned. But she moved faster, placing herself in front of him as a sword was thrown.

She looked at the blade that had pierced her, then back at him, her lips twitching in a strange smile. Donatello gasped as the world around him changed. She changed before his eyes, from a strange monstrosity, to the girl from his dream. In fact, this was just like his first dream…. but now, he saw the cause of the redness of her chest.

A sword, a killing blow, taken for his own safety. And shame and despair flooded him.

She smiled though as she told him firmly, "It is up to you now. You know the truth. Set me free."

And Donatello woke up.

8~8~8~8~8

Leo didn't even know what caused him to do this.

But as his lips brushed her reddened mouth, a wail rose from the bed. Leo, startled, turned to see the angel on the bed. Her blue eyes blazed, changing from as she hissed," Be cursed then, fool!"

And she vanished.

Leo turned to the vampire maiden. She was speechless, it seemed. And suddenly, life rose into her cheeks. She stared at him in wonder, as a transformation began.

Her skin turn dazzling white. Her golden eyes deepened and lightened into sapphire blue. Her black hair turned silver and then pure white. Her lips lightened, becoming fuller and flushed pink.

Her teeth became normal, her ears more pointed. She closed her sapphire eyes, breathed a sigh of releif and then fell forward, as though faint.

Leo caught her, unable to believe what had just happened.

The image smiled up at him and whispered," I am Taima. I am your bane and your one true love. My life is for you."

As she touched his face, with her cool, sweet hand, Leo caught her hand and asked," Why do you talk in riddles?"

She sighed," because, the truth would take longer to tell."

"We don't have time?"

She suddenly asked," Am I not dreaming?"

"Then your dream is mine."

A focus came to her face. A stern look. Strength flooded her body as she stood to her feet, using him to steady herself, she murmured," I have been cast out. Cursed. My body was stolen from me. I hunted her, to kill her and then myself. But you came. You broke her deceptive spell. What now? If we dream as one, where do we go from here?"

Leo was seeing more questions then answers and he now queried," If this is a dream… why are we still asleep?"

"My guess would be this is no ordinary sleep. It is the slumber of one enchanted. I know little of magic, and the dark arts. But from what I do know, Only if the outside force is removed will we wake."

Leo looked at her and asked, with an emotion he didn't understand," What was she trying to gain?"

"Your own suffering," Taima responded sadly," My mother killed her father. Therefore, it is fallen to me to receive the wrath of the bereaved daughter. I and my sisters. I... I have dreamt of you before. She knows this, through her dark arts, no doubt. She wanted to cause you pain."

"Wait, so… you do remember me?"

"I remember you, yes. I dreamed of a warrior, who was my last hope. You look like him. You act and speak like he did."

"How were our dreams connected then?"

"I know not. But it wasn't her doing. I would have been able to tell. I can tell this, our connected dream, is her doing."

Suddenly, a low rumble shook the ground. The young woman looked at him," We are waking. I believe I may be in your dimension, wherever it may be. Be on your guard, when you wake. She will have your blood, for you have made yourself my friend."

And with that, Leo woke, suddenly and unexpectedly.

8~8~8~8~8~8

With a cry, Devaki, the eldest of the Hybrid witches, woke from her trance. Her objective had failed. And in waking, she saw that her other sister, Belloma, had also woken, apparently in failure.

Devaki growled," The two brothers will wake. Curse Taima! Even confused and disoriented-"

"I told you this would never work. You don't ever listen to my counsel. But one thing that will work to our advantage. They may not believe us to be their enemies. We can still use that confusion to our advanta-"

"You are a fool," Devaki snarled," The only thing left now is to reveal our presence. You remain here. I will deceive them, and tell them that the last two sons have succumbed to limbo. And that they will only waken if the Nexus is handed over to our hands. The rat is clearly attached to his small family. He will never suspect the price that he will have to pay," She smiled wickedly.

Belloma shook her head. But she gave up arguing. Devaki was her leader, though she was a fool. She was the eldest, the favorite of their mother. Belloma then hid a cunning smile.

When their mother heard of this latest failure, Devaki would be punished. And when she was, Belloma would enjoy every moment of it.

Belloma then turned her thoughts to the turtle who's dream she had been controlling. It had taken her quite a lot of focus to get him to believe that he was in reality. Rabi, with her infuriating calm and naive disposition, had completely ruined the whole plan. Belloma shook her head. After studying her enemy for so long, she knew Rabi was too pure-hearted to actually lash out in complete rage. Devaki should have listened to her.

Now, as they moved, Belloma looked at Ratri and Hecate. The two were still in hypnosis. Still in control. Obviously, Nariko and Elysia were reacting like they always did… predictably.

Belloma opened a trap door in the floor. Chained to the floor, were their four prisoners. two which were awake, though still fighting the effects of the drugs they had been given.

Belloma crouched by Rabi, smiling," Very clever, my dear. You earned his trust so quickly!"

Belloma then stood up and her form began to change. Rabi moaned," Not… not again."

Belloma shrugged," I can't change reality… but I can create illusions in reality."

Taima hissed," Your sins will only drag you to hell in the end."

"Tut. None of that."

Belloma left.

Taima's fierce look now gave way to despair as she leaned her head back," Rabi… we have to help them some how."

"I know."

"I don't even know his name."

"…me neither. But he had the kindest eyes I've ever seen."

Taima looked at Rabi, disbelief," he did not attack you?"

"No. He was wary at first, but then, with his gentle words, he made a friend in me. And Belloma, in her wrath, tried to harm him in the dream."

"Oh, if only Nariko was awake. Her anger would wear through the drugs quickly, and she would be able to-"

"Taima?"

"Yes?"

"I have an idea."

Yay! another chapter! I hope more confusion is gone, I apologize. I really wasn't sure how to write this chapter. If there's still confusion, please let me know.