Chapter 6

Two weeks passed and a routine of sorts was started. The goddess was ever watchful, constantly on guard for the first few days. She then began to relax, she was still wary but began to take an interest in the four brothers. She helped them each night as Raphael screamed in terror as he imagined the Syna ripping him apart night after night. He no longer attacked his brothers, but thrashed around so badly they were worried he would injure himself.

"Is that all you've got?" Her silken voice taunted him. She stood there unarmed, arms folded across her chest.

He was already breathing hard, sweat rolled down his neck. He was starting to get angry. He had been sparring with her for two days and she was really beginning to piss him off.

"I think that even if I were to move at mortal speed you would still be too slow." She taunted as he charged and threw a punch at her face and missed by half an inch at best. She had just tipped her head to the side, she then moved a foot to her left as his other fist tried to strike her in the gut. He had hit air both times. She backed up leaving space between them.

"So predictable." She said with a condescending smile. He had had misgivings when she had first suggested she spar with him. It seemed wrong to try to beat up a girl, but when he had tried to go easy on her he had found that she was mocking him. She was still mocking him. He couldn't lay a hand on her. No matter how fast he moved, no matter how fast he changed his tactics, she was always just not where the punch or kick landed. Today he was using his sai, not that they had given him any advantage at all against the weapon-less, armour-less, practically naked goddess.

He screamed in frustration as he threw one sai at her and charged. He was so angry all he saw was red. She dodged his sai and leapt over him placing a hand on his shell as she flipped over him. She landed behind him gracefully and without sound. He kicked out aiming low and sweeping with his injured leg. He winced as pain shot up his leg. She was of course not where he had aimed his kick. She had leapt to the side again his kick just missing her by a hairs breath.

She looked at him. "Time to stop Raphael." She said calmly.

But he couldn't stop. The rage had built itself up and it needed an outlet. He punched out again and again, as she dodged each time. He kicked, spun and lashed out with his sai. Each time he caught nothing but air.

He charged again throwing a punch with his injured arm. He looked at her eyes which had begun to bleed amber. She didn't moved when his blow connected, instead she caught his fist in her hand. She looked at him, eyes blazing anger and she crushed his hand in her grip.

He screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. "I told you to stop Raphael." She said softly. She released his fist and walked a few steps away.

He shook out his hand and tried to stand. He found he couldn't put weight on his injured leg. "I told you to stop because you had reached your limit. Now you have injured yourself and increased the amount of time that it will take you to recover."

She walked back over to him and helped him up. He was still angry but his rage was slowly being replaced by pain. "If you learned to control your rage instead of letting it leak all over the place you would be a much better fighter." She said angrily. Her eyes were beginning to return to their usual moss green.

"Yeah, Master Splinter has been trying to get me to control my temper for years, I ain't changin' lady, not even for you." He said the last with a cocky challenge.

He was leaning against her. He had recognized the advantages of having her help him this last week. Her arm was across his shoulders and he could smell her flowery scent as it drifted up to him. Although her body was a little cold it felt good pushed up against his more flushed one.

She looked up at him and smiled that seductive smile of hers. "We will see." She purred. He laughed. It felt good to be able to laugh again.

The last two weeks had taken some adjusting to. He still woke up in the mornings more sore than when he went to bed. He had also found that he was tired, very tired. Some mornings it was all he could do to manage to get out of bed. But he had also noticed that his brothers didn't seem to be doing much better. The goddess apparently didn't sleep. His brothers seemed to still be on edge, but he felt as if things were maybe returning to normal.

He looked covertly at the goddess. He had found she had a sly sense of humour and frequently made him laugh. He had been relegated to bed rest on the couch for the last 12 days and it had been hell. They had all sat with him. Leo had brought him some magazines, Donny and shown him his plans for a new shell cycle and he had given his input into a few ideas of his own. Mikey had brought out some of his movies and she had watched a few hockey games with him. He had tried to get her to watch some football but she had refused. She had said football was boring, rugby was better.

She led him over to the couch and helped him to sit.

"Raph got beaten by a girl...again." Michelangelo laughed at him.

"And do you believe you could do better Michelangelo?" She asked sweetly showing her fangs.

Michelangelo laughed and leaned his elbow on Raphael's head. "Nope, not stupid enough to try. Plus I'm okay with being beaten by a girl." Michelangelo looked at where Leonardo was sitting and watching. "But I know who would be stupid enough to try. Hey Leo, why don't you spar with her, have a good old sword fight. You've been a little tense and grumpy, burn off a little of your anger."

"I'm not angry!" Leonardo snapped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She moved fast so that when he opened them he was staring right into her eyes. He started and glared at her.

She tipped her head to the side. Raphael and his brothers had noticed that she did this when she was thinking. It didn't seem to be a conscious thing, just something that she did. "Do you have a spare set of katana?" She asked.

Leonardo nodded his head. Raphael knew that after Leo had lost his swords a few times he needed to keep a spare set. All of them had at least one spare set of weapons.

"Mortal speed, mortal strength, your swords, which are by far different than my own. Odds would actually be tipped in your favour." She said backing away from him. She shrugged.

"Hey, that's not fair. You never gave me those odds. I want a rematch." Raphael complained.

She turned towards him and glared. "You will be relegated to the couch for the rest of the day Raphael."

"Yeah and are you going to make me." Raphael taunted.

She smiled, but the smile wasn't threatening. "Oh believe me Raphael, I could think of a few ways to keep you happily relegated to the couch for the day." She purred showing her fangs. Blood rushed to his face and other areas.

He opened his mouth to say something smart but nothing came out. His mind had stalled and sat there in idle.

Michelangelo laughed. "Mark it on the calendar, Raph is speechless, and he's blushing."

"Fine I will go get my second set of swords." Leonardo growled as he stood up and walked to his bedroom. She blinked looked at Leonardo's retreating form thoughtfully.

Raphael crossed his arms. "I still want a rematch." He said crossly trying to cover up his blush.

She just looked at him. "Raphael may I ask you a question?" She asked him.

Her eyes studied him seriously as she walked over to him all curves and swaying hips. She leaned down as he scooted back into the couch as far as he could. "Do you really think you could beat me as I am?"

He opened his mouth, rethought what he said then shook his head no.

"Then why do you fight me?" She asked.

"Because I want to get better, because I want to be able to beat you." He growled.

"So you fight me, get angry, fight harder and injure yourself more because you want to beat me even though you have already admitted that you cannot win against me."

"Something like that yah." He said slightly frustrated. When she put it like that...

"Then you are a fool." She said to him as she stood.

"Hey!" he shouted, anger surging back.

"You fight with a Fool's Chance Raphael."

"Take it back." He growled as he tried to stand.

She looked at him unbothered by his anger. She just pushed him easily back down into his seat. "Never underestimate the power of a Fool's Chance Raphael. I will admit to admiring that particular quality."

Leonardo stood behind her weapons held out for her. She reached back and took hold of them without looking away from him. "Nonetheless, this conversation is not over Raphael." She stood and turned her attention to Leonardo.

"I'm not a child." Raphael said angrily. She was driving him nuts.

She looked at him with a heated stare, that told him that she was very much aware that he was not a child. He swallowed hard. Damn it, he felt like he was on some sort of hellish teeter totter fluctuating between being turned on and pissed off.

"Compared to her, you are Raphael." Donatello said as he joined them. "Think about it, she's a goddess, she's got to be ancient." He said with awe.

"Thank you Donatello, way to make a girl feel old, and to think I didn't feel a day over 2000." She said with a smile dripping in sarcasm.

Donatello blushed. "Way to go bro." Michelangelo said laughing.

She turned her attention to Leonardo and took a sword in each hand.

"Why don't you just use your own swords?" Raphael asked her as she began testing the balance and feel of the swords.

She was inspecting the blade. "Because my swords are immortal weapons, forged by gods upon the godly plain. Which basically means they slice through mortal weapons like they are tinfoil." She looked at Leonardo. "You made these didn't you?"

He nodded in surprise then looked angry. "Just because they weren't crafted by gods..." He began hotly.

"They are very well made. You put a little of your...heart into it." She said ignoring him.

Leonardo flushed in anger and embarrassment. She walked over to him and gave him the swords back. Leonardo looked shocked as he took them. She got close to him, bodies almost touching as she reached over and pulled his swords from their scabbards. She inspected them as well. "These are your fighting swords." She said looking at them. "Your soul has been forced into these ones." She placed them back in their scabbards and took the spare set back.

"My soul?" Leonardo asked.

"Not your actual soul, more like part of your spirit, part of what makes you ...you."

She tested the swords again. "These are a little longer than the two swords I usually use." She crossed the swords together and bowed her head. Leonardo took up a position opposite her and bowed as well. She looked up and they began to circle each other. Leonardo took the offense first striking her crossed swords. She tried to push him away but found she couldn't. Suddenly she fell to the ground. Leonardo who had been pushing against her fell forward. She got two feet on his chest and using his momentum she threw him over her. She rolled and got to her feet as Leonardo caught himself with an arm and managed to flip back onto his feet.

"You're pretty strong, stronger than my body is when just using mortal strength." She said with the faint hint of surprise.

She charged Leonardo and what followed was a steady clashing of swords, grunts of exertion and yells of triumph or failure. Neither backed down. She was clearly outmatched, Leonardo was stronger, faster, heavier, and more familiar with his weapon.

Raphael watched as playfulness was replaced with cold determination. Her eyes remained a steady green so she wasn't angry...yet. All three brothers remained silent as the battle progressed. She stood there calmly, whereas Leonardo was covered in sweat and breathing hard. They hadn't seen Leonardo so worked up in a long time.

Leonardo looked focused, determined and slightly angry. Leonardo practiced his sword skills constantly, but it was usually with a cool focused determination. Raphael didn't think he had ever seen him fight a sparring match with this much...passion, was the only word he could think to describe the anger that had taken over his brother. This match wasn't about testing skills or winning. Raphael understood winning, but his brother didn't look like he just wanted to win, he looked like he wanted something else, but he couldn't seem to understand what it was.

Leonardo screamed as he charged her. She tipped her head to the side thinking something as he charged her. She quickly knelt, placed her swords on the ground and sprung up, charging him unarmed. If Leonardo was shocked or had any intention of ceasing his attack against his unarmed opponent he didn't show it.

"Leo!" He heard himself yell. He felt the adrenalin push through him as he tried to move to stop his brother.

His other brothers were shocked into immobility. She ducked his sword swing and grabbed him by the wrists as she twisted sliding between his legs. Leonardo flipped over landing hard on his shell. She rolled over and straddled him around the shoulders pulling her body backwards, which pulled his arms close to his body. The move seemed somehow erotic when she did it and Leonardo stilled as she yanked the swords from his grasp, crossed them and held them to his neck. Her face was an inch from Leonardo's face, lips almost touching. Something passed between them, then Leonardo glared angrily at her. "Enough?" She asked her voice devoid of any emotion.

Leonardo nodded and she stood. She offered him a hand up which he declined. She just shrugged and handed him swords back.

"Leo..." Raphael began, but she held up a hand. Leonardo picked up his other swords and walked wordlessly to his room and slamming the door shut.

"Wow, and I thought Raph was bad." Michelangelo commented.

"I haven't seen him that angry since before he went to see the Ancient One." Donatello commented.

"Look we're sorry about..." Raphael began. She looked distracted but held up a hand to silence him. She turned her attention back to the closed door.

He looked at his brothers. Then she turned her focus back to them and gave a half smile.

"How old are you anyway?" Michelangelo asked.

She blinked, surprised by the question. "I am Four thousand six hundred and twenty one." Stunned silence greeted this. "But I have memories stretching back around eight to nine thousand years ago, if not longer. Why are you so surprised?" She asked.

"That's incredible." Donatello said.

'That's really old." Michelangelo added. "You don't look that old."

"She's a goddess shell for brains, of course she doesn't look old." Raphael said hitting Michelangelo up the side of the head.

"You guys don't understand. Being that old would put her to being a goddess from the stone age, a Palaeolithic or Mesolithic goddess." Donatello said with awe.

"Do you have any idea what he is talking about?" Raphael asked Michelangelo. Michelangelo shook his head.

"If I was a goddess of this world then yes that would be true." She said to Donatello.

Donatello looked at her in confusion. "Many of the memories I have are from earth, but..." She stopped. "How can I explain this. I have been on my world for over 4000 years. I have memories of being on that world for much longer another four to five thousand years. I know there was a goddess of magic that existed on this world, but what happened to her is not known. I have a vague remembrance but..." She shrugged. "I can travel through time on Earth, but I cannot travel through time on my own world. So for example I last saw Lucifer about 4000 years ago, give or take a decade. However when I am now, for Lucifer it will have only been 198 years."

"Is it just me or is it really creepy that you just casually throw the Devil's name around like that?" Raphael asked.

"How can you have memories that aren't your own?" Donatello asked.

She smiled her secretive smile and winked. "That is a story for another time. I can hear stomachs growling. I believe it is dinner time."

Donatello and Michelangelo left to go dig up some grub leaving Raphael alone with the goddess. She watched his brothers leave and turned her attention back to him. He still hadn't gotten used to the full intensity of her moss green gaze.

"So..." He began. He felt awkward with her. She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. She drove him nuts most of the time. She had a very serious side, and yet at times she was playful and flirtatious. It was something that he wasn't used to dealing with. He was a giant mutated turtle, women that he could have a relationship, that wasn't just friendship, were non-existent. He was confused and didn't know what to think, if he should act on her flirtatious behaviour or if it was habit. He had only known her two weeks, but she made him laugh, and when she wasn't pissing him off she made him feel happy. But she was a goddess! What could a goddess want with a freak like him?

She looked at him with concern and he realized that he must have let some of what he was feeling show on his face. "You want to trade scar stories?" He finished lamely. He could have kicked himself after the words left his mouth.

She looked at him and shrugged. She stood in front of him and removed her cape letting the fabric whisper to the ground. She usually walked around with her wings wrapped around her body like a second cape. He realized then that he had never really got a good look at her whole body. She was petite and perfectly proportioned, with an hour glass figure that remained feminine even though you could see her muscles ripple when she moved. She had the body of a warrior.

He looked up at her as she pointed to a scar that bisected her body from hip to ribcage. All of her scars were delicate silver lines that were barely discernable. It was then that he noticed that the scars that had mirrored his own had disappeared.

"Disembowelled by a short sword." She began.

"Disembowelled! " He asked in shock. "As in..."

"Yes, as in bowels falling out disembowelled." She pointed to her legs where tiny circular scars covered her legs along with an inch long straight scar. "Zombie rats, goblin knife." She pointed to a bite mark on her shoulder.

"Werewolf." She turned around showing him her ass. Four claw marks bit into the flesh. "Weretiger." She turned around and pointed to her eye. "Lost the eye to the sword of an Utukku, basically a Babylonian demon." She moved on pointing to the slashes that ran through the right side of her face from eye to jaw. "Given by the goddess Iknet-Mah-Se-Ah to remind me of favours owed." She stopped there and he stood up, reached out and touched the only scars left. Two scars that looked like two X's were directly over her heart. She breathed in, her chest moving as she looked into his eyes, her hand covered his and he felt himself moving closer to her, body pressing against hers. Touching her was like touching a little piece of heaven. Her body was soft and velvety. He could feel her heart beating beneath his hand. She closed her eyes as if she was affected by his touch. "Two arrows, one shot from a friend, the other from an enemy. One shot out of love, the other shot out of hate." She whispered. When she opened her eyes blue had managed to trickle in around the very outside of the iris.

"This mortal body suffered much when it was still human." She stepped away from him pulling her cloak from the floor.

"What do you mean human?" Raphael asked confused by her words and already missing her touch.

"I am not a creation goddess Raphael. I cannot create something from nothing, therefore a suitable mortal body had to be found."

Questions began flying through his mind as the implications of what she was saying dawned on him. "What do you mean a suitable body, and why would you even want a mortal body?"

"Gods do not...feel as mortals do. They are incapable of feeling the depth and breadth of emotions that mortals feel. Mortal lives are short, so you burn brightly, experience more fully than any god could possibly ever comprehend. It is why some angels who have gained a mortal body cannot go back to being angels. They have felt the full spectrum of emotions that mortals are capable of. Love, hate, anger, jealousy, despair, every tiny emotion that they never experienced in Heaven. For gods it is the same. I have the ability to walk the mortal plain and experience all of the emotions that go with it. It is my greatest weakness as well as my greatest strength. If my body is killed I will die. The goddess or goddesses of Magic will still exist, but I will die, possible even cease to exist."

"To feel and to walk on the mortal plain, a mortal body was chosen, chosen hundreds of thousands of years ago. A mortal body with the pure soul of an innocent. Pure souls are very rare. To have a pure soul the human must have lived a pure life, in every life that they had. Reincarnated time and time again, and remaining innocent."

"What happened to this innocent?" He whispered.

She touched the scars over her heart. "She was slain."

"By you?" Raphael asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I told you how she died."

"So this woman managed to survive all of this damage?" He asked.

"She had the help of one of the men she loved. He was a vampire. Like my blood his held the ability to heal. She was able to survive much that should have killed her. But in the end when she was slain, he tried to bring her back, turn her into a vampire. It was a mistake he could never forgive himself for."

"What happened?" He asked, wrapped in the story of this unknown woman who had survived so much.

She looked at him and said. "I was resurrected into the form you see before you."

"But what happened to her, she just died?" He asked.

"She died, but her soul..." She shook her head.

"What happened to her soul?"

She looked at him, her eyes were the colour of a raging storm at sea. "Her soul was...damaged."

"Damaged, as in...?"

"Ripped asunder."

With that she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving the lair.