Chapter 4

Raphael slumped on the couch, he felt weak. He didn't like feeling like this. He tried to dredge up some of his usual anger and couldn't seem to find it anywhere. He looked at the room where they had decided to put the woman. He could hear Donny puttering around trying to figure out a way to contain her. Although if he took much longer she was probably going to wake up before he got the thing up and running.

He had overheard Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo arguing over what they should do with her armour. Not that she was wearing much of it, or much clothing for that matter either. She wore black metal shoulder guards that were inlaid with a swirling silver pattern. She also wore matching shin guards, made of the same black metal, but bound together in plates instead of a solid piece. There was also a wicked spike that crowned the guards that went over her knee. If she kneed you she could inflict some serious damage. The only other armour she wore were her gauntlets that reached her elbow. Silver plates were interlaced on a leather glove. The fingers of the gauntlet were metal and like the claws of a cat, but unlike a cat the inside of the claw was razor sharp. The claws also extended back so that if she were to backhand you, the reverse spikes would get you. Otherwise she wore a black strapless leather bra of some sort with white linen strips which looped around her neck and back. Her scabbards were attached by the linen strips, which made removing the scabbards a problem. Nobody wanted to take the swords out of the scabbards. They gave everyone the creeps.

She also wore a floor length white linen skirt (If you could even call it that.) It had been cut into two strips in the back to allow for her black reptilian tail, but also it was spit up the sides. Around the top band of the skirt was a strip of black cloth that met in the centre and trailed to the ground in front.

It had eventually been decided to just leave her with everything because after all she really didn't seem to need weapons to kill them, she was a walking weapon. He felt where she had bit him. He had bandaged it up but it was still a little sore.

"Here you go Raph." Mikey said as he jumped over the back of the couch to flop down beside him. Michelangelo handed him a slice of pizza and some orange juice. He didn't feel much like eating, but knew the only way to regain his strength was to eat.

"Thanks Mikey" He said as he bit into the pizza. The strong taste of garlic assaulted his taste buds. "Geez Mikey, easy on the garlic, I'm not a vampire you moron." He tossed the unfinished slice on the coffee table and finished off the orange juice to get the taste out of his mouth.

"Just makin' sure bro." He said with a smile.

Raphael punched Michelangelo in the shoulder, which made him feel a little better.

He stood to go find Donny and make sure he was taking care of himself.

He walked into the room and saw her laying on a table. A sheet had been draped over her as most of her clothes had been seriously destroyed. He looked at her face,. It was covered in blood and dirt. Something in Raphael's heart twisted looking at her like that. He looked at the containment field that Donatello had placed her in. He touched it, but nothing happened, it was a solid shield.

"I used some of those crystals that we found about 5 years back. The field should only affect anything biological. All inanimate objects should be able to pass through the shield." He looked at Raphael. "That's the best I can do."

"Good job Donny." Leonardo said as he walked into the room. "You two need to go and get some rest, me and Mikey are going to take first watch."

"Come on Donny, let's get something decent to eat, Mikey killed the pizza by putting garlic all over it to ward off us soon to be vampires." Raphael said jokingly, but some of what Mikey had said had rung true. She had been in his head, he knew it. She had called him to her, and he went running. It was a frightening thought to have someone able to do that to you. Control your mind, get in your head.

Raphael and Donny sat down to eat some garlic free sandwiches. Mikey was playing video games in front of the TV. Donatello and Raphael ate in silence for a few minutes before Donatello finally spoke. "How do you feel Raph. She seems to have got you a little worse than she got me."

Raphael shrugged. "I'm fine, just can't seem to get what shell for brains over there has been blabbing about out of my head."

Donatello took a drink. "I know how you feel. Jeez Raph when I looked into her eyes, I couldn't look away, couldn't move. I felt completely helpless, and when she bit me," He paused shaking his head. "I would have let her drink every last drop in my body just to keep feeling the way she made me feel."

"Don't worry bro, I know." They lapsed into silence for a few more minutes, or maybe it was longer. All he knew was the next time he looked up he had to bring his head up off the table. Donny was sleeping at the table as well. Groggily he was helped up by Leo.

"Come on Raph, let's get you two to bed." They walked towards his room. Leonardo left him at the door as he went to go wake Donatello up.

He flopped down on his bed and fell into a nightmare filled sleep that involved beasts with slashing claws and razor sharp teeth, and her death over and over.

She woke up and looked around her. She seemed to be encased in some sort of technological field. She looked over at the Kame who was guarding her. He was wearing orange, so it was not Raphael, who seemed to wear red. The orange Kame was sleeping. A necklace of garlic adorned his neck and several pieces of sharpened wood lay nearby. He had in his belt a weapon that was familiar, yes, nun chucks is what they were called. She looked around at her cage and slid off the table she was laying on. She walked over and touched the field. It resonated when she touched it. It was annoying that she could not just walk through the shield like she normally would be able to.

She had spent the last several hours poking about in her Soul Room. This was the place in her mind where her soul resided, everyone had one, hers was just more crowded than most. She had poked and prodded at the poison that had leached into her body, but had found that it had attacked her spiritually as well. Her usual ability to call upon her magic had been disrupted, and she was unable to figure out a way to remove the poisonous Binding.

Someone had been busy playing with the genetics of the Syna to bring her to her knees. But why use it, and without giving the Syna orders not to kill her? The Syna would have killed her, but why bind her magic? To make her easier to capture, or easier to kill? As far as she was aware He wanted her alive.

She could think around in circles all day and not ever understand Him. But just as she thought of this she remembered who it was who had called her to this place and time. Since favours were going to be owed, the fact that she was called may have more far reaching implications, like a full scale rebellion. She felt a slight sinking feeling at this last thought. She did not want to be dragged into the middle of that particular battle. But she knew she would go, if only to make sure that the balance was maintained. Besides she would go with the devil she knew, as opposed to the one she didn't. And even though that would be a really dangerous and irritating position to be in, helping Him, she would do it. She put this problem to the side and decided to focus on getting out of her cage.

She placed a clawed hand on the field again as she pushed. Her claws went through the shield until they hit her flesh. She looked around the containment field and smiled. It would only let inanimate objects through, keeping in the flesh. It was an interesting position to be in, actually caged. She did not wish to wake the Kame so she thought of the best way to get out without waking him. She knew she could rip the metal parts of the containment open like a tin can, since both the floor and roof were metal, but it would be very noisy. She looked at the sheet that had covered her and smiled. She looked at the crystal that was powering the machine. It was perhaps 5 feet away. She threw the sheet out of the field making a nice soft pillow on the ground for the crystal. She took off her skirt tied one end together in a knot so there was a little weight, and also a loop that could pull the crystal. She twirled the skirt like a lasso and her aim was perfect. It caught the crystal and she gently pulled it out of its little holder. It fell to the ground with barely a sound. She smiled in triumph as the field collapsed around her noiselessly.

She looked at herself and decided she wanted nothing more than to get the smell of blood off her body. The dirt she didn't mind as much, but the blood, it made her teeth tingle. It made her want to rend flesh and drink the sweet coppery taste down. She wanted to feel the pulse slow, the heart fight to pump, and hear the silence that death brought. She wanted to feel death, cause death, revel in the destruction of life.

She flicked her tail in irritation as she looked at the sleeping Kame. It would be so easy, he wouldn't even know she was coming. And this time it wouldn't be just a taste, it would be the full bloody experience.

She walked over to the Kame and gingerly lifted the garlic necklace from his neck. She knelt down and lay it at his feet. She stared at him dozing softly. She closed her eyes, stood, and walked out of the room. She was hungry, but she was not starving, not yet. The little blood she had from the other two Kame would have to do for now. The desire to kill, she would ignore it, no matter how tempting it was to just let go of that little bit of control.

She managed to avoid any other Kame. The place was silent. She found the bathroom after finding two other sleeping Kame. There seemed to be four of them. Raphael, Donatello, the blue one she had saved and the orange one she had slipped past. She looked around the bathroom and was a little impressed. It wasn't as disgusting as she was expecting a bachelor pad to be. She could smell the faint scent of a human woman, but it was very old.

She looked in the shower and noticed there wasn't any shampoo or conditioner, which didn't really surprise her too much since the Kame were hairless, but there was soap so she figured it would have to do. She stripped herself of her weapons and armour. What little clothing she had left was pretty much ruined anyway. The skirt was a bloody mess and so were the strips of linen that held her swords in place. The only thing salvageable was her black leather bust covering. It was also designed to help hold the swords in place. It was very hard finding clothes designed to accommodate the wings and tail. Her cloak was a blood drenched mess as well, which was a shame because she loved that cloak. She looked at her clothing, shrugged and dragged it all into the shower with her. She would wash the blood out as best she could.

She turned the water on and revelled in heat as it poured down her body. She had forgotten what having a shower felt like. She soaped up her body and hair and watched the rust stained water pour down the drain. She had forgotten many things. It was strange being in the company of mortals. She had almost forgotten about the simple day to day things that they did, like shower. She washed the blood out of her clothing best she could and threw them over the sides of the glass shower to dry.

Her ears twitched as she heard a noise. She turned off the shower and listened again. Could the Kame have woken and found her gone? She heard a yell this time, followed by more yells, and a distinct voice that yelled "Raph!"

She leapt from the shower grabbed her swords, using the leather ties wrapped around the scabbards she strapped them to her back and ran towards the yelling.

"Raph, calm down. Raph, look at me, it's your brother, Leo. I don't want to hurt you!" Leonardo was trying not to draw his katana on his brother, but he thought he might not have a choice. Raphael had his Sais drawn and was in a fighting stance. It had taken him a moment to realize that Raphael was in the middle of a waking nightmare, and so far he and Donatello were the enemy.

"I will destroy you, monsters. I will save her, so come and get me!" He yelled as he taunted them.

"Leo we have a problem!" Michelangelo yelled as he ran into the room. He skidded to a stop. "What's wrong with Raph?" He asked.

"He's having a nightmare." Donatello replied. "Unfortunately he seems to think that we are the enemy." Donatello dodged Raphael's strike.

"Leo, she's gone." Michelangelo said in a panic.

"Mikey! How did she get out!" Leo yelled, taking his attention off of Raphael who seemed intent on skewering Donatello.

"I may have fallen asleep, but I swear it was only for a moment." Michelangelo looked contrite and frightened.

"I have other things to worry about right now Mikey." Leonardo said as he dodged a strike Raphael aimed at him. He drew his blades hoping just to defend himself against Raphael's increasingly dangerous assault.

The door behind Leonardo suddenly burst open. The force of the entrance ripped the door from its hinges, again. Everyone stopped and looked at the intruder.

"Um Leo, I think we found her." Michelangelo said as he backed away from the woman who had entered the room, both swords drawn.

She was dripping wet and completely naked. She didn't seem to mind at that moment as she looked around the room. Her ears were moving and she was smelling the air. She scanned over the combatants in the room and relaxed slightly.

Leonardo backed up slowly protecting his brothers. Raphael was slumped against Donatello, his assault seemingly stopped.

"I couldn't save her Donny. I tried, I only made things worse. That monster, you have to help me stop it before it gets her. I have to save her this time." Raphael was panicked. He pleaded with Donatello who looked helplessly at Leonardo.

"It's okay Raph, calm down." Donatello said soothingly.

"It's not alright!" Raphael shouted. "She's dead because of me!" Raphael began breathing faster.

The woman sheathed her swords and studied Raphael. She took a few steps forward bringing herself into Raphael's line of sight. Leonardo blocked the woman's advance with his swords. She glanced at the swords flicked a glance at him and turned her attention towards Raphael. Leonardo's breath caught in his throat at that glance. Her eyes pierced him to his very soul. That glance told him all that he needed to know. Whoever she was, she thought of him as no threat to her. He was as insignificant as an ant she could crush at any time. He knew this and he still stood his ground.

"Raphael." She said in a voice that was like a little taste of heaven, and a little taste of hell. It rolled off his skin like the softest silk, all promise and seduction, desire and innocence, wrapped into a voice that could tempt angels.

She took a step closer, brushing up against the blades of the Katana. Leonardo strengthened his grip on the blades.

Raphael looked at her. "I tried to save you." He said in an anguished voice.

She tipped her head to the side and gave a lopsided smile. "You cannot save what is already damned Raphael. No one can save me... not even me." Then she was gone. Leonardo blinked. He hadn't seen her move. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing in front of Raphael and Donatello. "You need to rest Raphael. No more bad dreams shall bother you this night. Sleep."

Raphael closed his eyes and went limp in Donatello's arms. Donatello collapsed under the unexpected weight. She knelt down and picked him up as if he weighed no more than a doll. She placed him on his bed and touched his forehead as if checking for a fever. She frowned in thought. She glanced over at Donatello then knelt down. She reached out a hand and Donatello flinched back. "I am sorry I injured you Donatello. I just want to make sure I did not injure you too badly." She reached her hand out and peeled the bandage from his neck. She nodded and put it back. "I was gentle, it will heal up in a few days, and you will be none the worse for wear in a month or so." She helped him to his feet and looked back at Raphael. "Donatello I need to check something with Raphael. It is very important, but I don't think your brothers trust me, but I need you to trust me."

Donatello nodded then asked, "What do you need to check?"

She looked back at Raphael, "The state of his soul. Do you trust me?" She asked looking at Donatello. Donatello looked at her and whatever he saw comforted him. He nodded his head tersely.

"Ahh! She's using her mind control on Donny!" Michelangelo yelled at Leonardo. She reached her hand back and clasped the grip of her sword. She drew the blade. Leonardo panicked. "What do you think you are doing!" He screamed as he leapt at her. Donatello blocked him with his staff.

Leonardo panicked, "What do you think you are doing! Donny!"

"Leo stop, do you really think she means us any harm? She escaped and could have killed us at any time. I trust her Leo." Leo glanced over Donatello's shoulder looking at the blade she had drawn. It was the second blade, the one with the blue blade, but at this moment instead of the faint black light it had given off before, it glowed blue. It flickered and pulsed almost seeming to alternate between feeling malicious and kind.

She had stopped and looked to be waiting for his approval. He glanced at his brother who may or may not be brain washed. He backed off a step. "What do you mean you want to check the state of his soul?"

"It is a very long story and I will explain all later, but simply put, I need to make sure your brother's soul is in tune with his body, if it is not he will die. I resurrected him from a very traumatic death, sometimes these things happen."

"What are you doing with the sword?" Michelangelo asked.

"This is Morte Morosus,"

"Capricious Death." Donatello mumbled.

"Somebody speaks Latin, nicely done. Yes she is a very capricious sword. She can give life as easily as death." She smiled, then turned a very serious gaze upon Leonardo. "That is why you feel the need for death mixed in with the need for life. It was forged for the goddess Persephone, a goddess of life and death. Now if you will let me continue." She turned and lifted the sword blade down above Raphael's heart. She let the blade go and stood back. It hovered an inch above his steadily moving chest.

They all watched as the sword turned clockwise 360 degrees, then swung counter clockwise 360 degrees. As it continued to do this it began to chime. She had closed her eyes and listened intently. A minute passed and she opened her eyes plucking the sword out of the air and sheathed it. She was frowning slightly and Leonardo felt his heart drop.

She looked over at him. She blinked at him, seemingly coming out of a deep thought. "His soul is fine. It is ringing in tune with his body. Clockwise for soul counter clockwise for body. If you heard any difference in the chime he would be in trouble. "

"Then why are you frowning?" Donatello asked.

"His chime isn't as strong as I would like it to be. His soul has been damaged, which is not unexpected considering, and before you begin to worry his soul will recover, it will just take time. Until then there will be many more nights like this one." She put a hand against Raphael's cheek softly touching him. She looked at Donatello and moved over to him. "Thank you for trusting me Donatello. I know it must have been hard after what I did to you, and I am sorry." She gently and slowly reached out a hand and brushed it against his cheek. This time Donatello did not flinch but gave her a small nod.

She walked past Michelangelo then turned quickly. "Boo!" She said to him. Michelangelo jumped and screamed. She chuckled to herself as she looked at the damage she did to Raphael's door. "That stuff will not work on me, I'm not a vampire, and it would not even work on a vampire." She said as she walked out the door.

"Wait, you can't just leave." Leonardo said angrily.

"I can do anything I wish." She said over her shoulder. "Right now I intend to find something to wear." She stopped and turned slightly the lights from the hallway lighting her in profile.

Leonardo felt himself blush. The terror he felt for his brother and the confusion of her entrance had made him forget that she was a very beautiful, very naked female. Donatello and Michelangelo blushed as well.

"The goddess Artemis killed a man for accidentally happening upon her as she bathed in a moonlit pool. You are lucky I am not Artemis." She said with a smile. Their blushes got deeper. The smile disappeared from her face. "I go nowhere this night, I will be here in the morning. You all must rest, I will answer questions in the morning." With that she left.

Leonardo felt the weight of her suggestion. He had never felt so tired. He sheathed his swords and lay down where he stood. Michelangelo and Donatello slumped to the ground as well.

"She's playing with our minds again Leo." Michelangelo said as he struggled to stay awake.

"I know Mikey." Leonardo said. He found he didn't care, which was his last thought before sleep claimed him.