A/N: Alright, I caved. I smutted. But it's not overbearing smut, the chapter isn't even about smut. So there..It's a longer one. Like I promised I would! Heh. I was feeling that there needed to be more of a display of the conflict between Shiho and Saundra, how they butt heads. But it's different this time! Yee! Read and Review please!

NOTICE: THIS STORY HAS OC CHARACTERS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ANY OF THEM LOOK LIKE, PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE FOR YOUR VISUAL AID.

Previously: "You're such a naughty, little fox. C'mere," Leo growled and had her giggling again as their wrestle between the sheets commenced and their situation on the rooftops was long forgotten.

It never took much for Shiho to fall back into her normal personality and habits after something rustled her jimmies. All she needed was the time alone with Leo, time with him seemed to heal everything.

And right now, Shiho really was in the mood for healing.

Falling back into their rhythm wasn't a difficult task for Leonardo and Shiho, they had their bumps…hell, they had their jagged cliffs, but they somehow always managed to come back to each other. To the place they were before where there was balance, tranquility, and love. Shiho was Leo's wild child, the one thing on this planet that kept him grounded and crazy at the same time. But to Shiho, Leo was her lifeline…an anchor. The only being capable of bringing her serenity and guardianship. The jagged edges of each creature collided and geared together like the workings of a delicate clock.

Leo started this night on a romantic note and he was going to end it that way despite the raging need to get off. The delicate woman that writhed beneath him beckoned for not just the physical touch of his affections, but something deeper. A level only achieved by Leonardo. They both had their scars; physical and spiritual. Shiho had the rings around her neck and wrists from the countless years of being shackled by electric chains, but the deeper wound was her inability to trust easily. Leo's scars were more prominent, that deep, jagged slice in the upper ridge of his carapace from that near fatal blast when he was a teenager while taking care of the Shredder, just before being saved at the last minute by the Utroms. The gripping handprint left on his spirit was from almost failing, a fear that was constantly with him.

The fear of failing and losing everything he loved terrified Leo and often woke him in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. If Shiho weren't there to caress the wounds he wasn't sure how he'd handle the torments of his own conscience. From the gaze he was receiving from that beautiful vixen beneath him brought him back to that peaceful plateau in his mind.

"Shiho," The vixen stopped the slow trail of kisses that she was travelling up the middle of his throat and laid back to give him her attention. He smiled when those ears opened full bloom.

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath.
And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth.

"What?" One of his hands made work to remove her tank top and discard it to the side of their bed. His heart thumped painfully under his hard plastron as her soft hands caressed his cheeks. Through his nose, he exhaled slowly and leaned down to ghost their lips across each other which made her glossy pair tremble at the touch.

Tell me that we belong together,
Dress it up with the trappings of love.
I'll be captivated,
I'll hang from your lips,
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.

"I love you," Her heavy lids fluttered closed as he heavily brought their mouths together in a kiss sensual enough to make his heart burst. He made fast workings of her undies and hastily worked his already stiff shaft into his lovely vixen. Hasty his movements were, but not sloppy and Shiho noticed with the arch of her spine. She guessed Leo was still in that deep sensual place in his mind where it was more than just sex, a place that she often loved to visit.

I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older,
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

Lover's grasped hands and laced fingers as best they could, faces and lips never strayed too far from each others skin. Leo's heavy panting heated her skin to a moistness that chilled in the air and rose sun-kissed goose bumps in its wake. Slow, deep thrusts pressed against her heat with soft thumps giving rise to even softer moans that climbed the height of her lovely throat. The ninja churred and clenched her hands and pressed them deep into their pillows.

And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed.
You're my survival, you're my living proof.
My love is alive and not dead.

"Leo…" Shiho gaped when he pressed firmly into her with a clench of his teeth. He released her hands and her arms came around his neck in desperation as she squeezed her bright eyes shut with those tears in the corners. When she arched against him, his left arm slithered beneath her back and held her as close as he could. With everything that was about to happen sometime in the near future, Leo wasn't sure when he'd get the next chance to love his fox in this way. It was with that notion that he thrust into her just a little harder.

"S-…say it, Shiho," He grunted, barely able to keep his eyes open from the blissful ridges inside her core stroking his length to rigid perfection. Shiho couldn't answer with words yet, she was buried deep in her beautiful desires of just wanting to be with Leo. Another soft moan came through her part lips and her head tossed back against her pillow in ecstasy. He leaned down with his beak nuzzling the white fur inside her ear. "Let me hear it,"

Tell me that we belong together.
Dress it up with the trappings of love.
I'll be captivated,
I'll hang from your lips,
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

"I-…I love you, too, Leo…" She said through a broken gasp, it almost sounded like a sob. But not a cry of sadness or a broken heart, rather a heart drowning in its overwhelming love and compassion. Minutes ticked by; five minutes at first, then ten, fifteen, and eventually thirty. Shiho and Leo often lost their concept of time when it came to being together like this, the more lost they became the better.

I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older,
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

Strong hands gripped her by the hips and created the anchor for an increase in speed and power for Leo's thrusts. The change only made her moan with more intensity, but still exited her lungs with an airy tone. The candle on their bedside table flickered in response to the shift in the bed and sheets as the mates tangled together and became one. Leo couldn't handle how much he loved her; right now in this moment. If the thick shell of his plastron wasn't over his chest, he was sure his heart would explode through his skin.

And I've dropped out, I've burned up, I've fought my way back from the dead.
I've tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said

"Shiho…I-I'm,"

"It's okay," Shiho gasped as he lost control of himself; lost the control of his mind and body working together and became weak against his need. Faster, Leo stroked himself inside of his mate, her moist heat creating the perfect environment for his inevitable release. He felt the twitch in his member and almost lost the stability in his arms as they shook and he came down for a hot and heavy kiss. Leo groaned from his throat into her lips as he hit the roof of his orgasm and clenched the pillows in his masculine hands.

Shiho nearly tore away from his lips to scream in her euphoric release when she felt his own break out inside her. It was Leo's essence that brought her over the edge as that familiar burning sting spread throughout her belly and womb. The sensation never failed to leave her gasping.

I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older,
I'll be the greatest fan of your...
I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older,
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

Both mates panted through open mouths and said nothing but stared at each other through hazy vision. Shiho still felt that lingering fear of being taken away from Leo, that rotten fear that left a pit of emptiness in her stomach so deep that she couldn't stop the single hot tear that slipped from the corner of her eye. Leo slowed his rhythmic thrusts and eventually stilled, his thumb clearing her face of that meddlesome moisture.

"Don't be scared," He said before kissing her in the center of her forehead. The fox relished in the bittersweet tenderness of her mate, not a single person treated her with as much care as he did. When he looked at her the way he was now, eyes filled with compassion and desire…need and want…love and respect, Shiho couldn't stop the painful thumping of her heart.

The greatest fan of your life.
...greatest fan of your life.

"Just a few small adjustments and I'll have this new earpiece all finished up. Try to hold still," said Donatello. After Shiho and Leo disappeared into their bedroom, Fiona had scurried out in a rush to hide the new "assistance" that her sister had given her. She'd bumped into Donnie on her way back downstairs and he pulled her into his workshop to work on some new pieces. His most recent project was a communicating and recording earpiece for the foxes since their ears didn't hold his current gadgets too well.

So, there the little redhead sat on a stool with her sea-grey eyes wandering about with a turtle up in her tall orange ear. His fingers bent wires and adjusted the small speaker just right so it wouldn't fall out, the contact made her giggle as it tickled her soft down fur. "D-Donnie, hurry. That tickles,"

"I'm sorry, eheh…almost done. This new communicator will dramatically help you guys in the long run for this upcoming heist and any other missions we might have," He said, busy inside her ear as she tried to not make it twitch.

"I've never done anything like this before. Shiho tells me stories of all the adventures you guys had before we came along. Mikey even told me about that big competition…what was it called…?" Her thin fingertip pressed against her lip in thought as Donnie rolled his eyes. He knew exactly what she was talking about and made a mental note to smack his brother for boasting. Again.

"The Battle Nexus Championship?"

"Uh-huh!" Donnie slapped a hand over his face dramatically and pulled downhis eyelids and face.

"Oh jeez…he's been going on about that for years. He never fails to rub it in Raphael's face whenever he gets the chance. I tell ya, Fi, I don't think he's ever going to shut-up about being the Champion until the day he dies. Or until Raph kills him, whichever comes first," The fiery vixen chuckled quietly as Donnie moved away after finishing and turning on the device. He used his Shell Cell to test it out.

"Okay, can you hear me in the speaker? Testing…testing…" Fiona shook her head to see if it would jerk loose and fall out and twitched her ears back and forth to test the flexibility of the wires.

"Sound quality is a bit grainy, but I think you can work the kinks out of that with a few diagnostics. But other than that, it seems to be a success. Good job, Donnie," She said with a smile. Her smile wasn't quite like Shiho's, her lips weren't dark and glossy but rather a pale rosy pink that were baby soft. Just above the left corner of her mouth was a small freckle that always put a mad blush on Donnie's face whenever she grinned.

"Grainy? Might need to readjust a few of the wires, but I'll do that another time. Thanks for the help, Fi. Your sister runs and hides whenever I ask her to test something out," he said, taking the device out of her ear and rubbed the fur. She leaned against his palm in response and hummed.

"That's not surprising. Marcus was always testing things out on her more than the rest of us. I'm glad she found you guys though, she doesn't act as terrified as she used to," Donnie stopped what he was doing and looked at his mate, perplexed. He remembered the night Leo brought her back after finding her in front of the burning lab. She'd acted in such an extreme panic that he wondered just how bad the tests and experiments were in her past. Whenever he tested something, he always made sure she was as comfortable as she possibly could be. Donnie couldn't bring himself to force anything on someone as fragile as Shiho.

"Just what did he do to you guys? I mean, drawing blood out of Shiho's arm sent her heart rate through the roof,"

"Marcus is just the definition of evil. He doesn't even care about Maggie, just pretends that he does so she'll do the dirty work. Each of us had our designated field of testing. Shiho took the blunt of almost everything though. Fighting, injections, electroshocks, extreme weather. You get what I mean," The redhead vixen moved over into her rolling chair and buzzed over to her own computer to go through a few things.

Donnie sat nervously beside her in silent wonder, his eyes darting from the small earpiece in his hands to her profile. Her curly strands were pulled back into a loose ponytail that left a few springy curls to fall in her face. The computer screen that she was staring at cast a blue glow onto her pale, cream colored skin and lit up those grey eyes that made his breath catch in his throat whenever he caught himself looking at them. They'd only recently become mates, he understood what it was about Shiho that Leo seemed to be drawn to. The girls were all so unique in their special ways; Shiho had the obvious flare and outrageous beauty with such a powerful presence. But she was Leo's; it was no contest that he'd have her.

But Fiona was quiet and intelligent. Thinner than her older sister, too. Fiona lacked those Spanish genes that Shiho inherited from her biological parents; no she was 100% raging Irish. Springy, bright red curly hair that came to the middle of her back and framed her narrow face. But her most outstanding feature wasn't the brunt orange ears and tail; it was those eyes that reminded him of a stormy sea sky. Her delicate beauty left him baffled, confused as to how anyone could do horrible things to someone that fragile and lovely.

"Fiona, if you don't mind me asking…"

"Hmm?" Grey eyes lingered on the screen but her ear opened in his direction to tell him she was listening. He set the ear piece on his work bench and rolled closer.

"What was your experimented field?" The quick typing of her slim fingers stilled and her little canines tugged at her pink lip for a moment. Donnie gulped, feeling that perhaps that was something better left unasked.

"Well, vision and breathing capacity I guess you could say," She guessed that by the look on his face, he was both confused and feeling a tinge of regret. The red fox laughed softly and rose out of her chair and settled into his lap sideways, one arm slung across his shoulders. Donnie blinked once or twice in question.

"Marcus would put me in a room and fill it with toxic gases of all sorts, it depended on the day. I'd have to go through some sort of maze through the gas cloud in order to get out of it. He'd record how fast I was, how efficient I was, and if I blacked out," He swallowed thickly again with a sigh. He couldn't understand what sort of breakthrough Marcus was looking for by putting her through that sort of torture.

"Jeez…That's just…awful. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Like her sister; Fiona was very affectionate in her gestures. Her finger tips grazed along his purple mask, touching under his eyes and to the side of his head before cascading down to his neck and shoulder. He understood what it meant she would do that, telling him that she wasn't upset by anything he'd said.

"Don't worry about it, we're mates right? Besides, information like that might benefit us sometime in the future," Donnie grumbled something she couldn't hear and didn't look at her. She arched her manicured scarlet brow in slight agitation. "Donatello, really. It doesn't bother me."

"No, but it bothers me. I couldn't understand before why Leo would get so upset when Shiho would tell him things. I do now."

"And why is that?" She said, tilting her head just slightly.

"Because I wasn't able to stop it and it makes me angry. When Leo would find out new things about her past, the things Marcus did to her, he'd be furious and storm off topside. I thought he was just being an idiot until I met you. It's infuriating to know that I wasn't there to protect you..." Her tall ears folded flat on her curly hair as she pressed a sweet kiss against his beak giving way to the spread of a crimson blush on his olive green skin. Tightly, his arms came around her slender waist and gave her a squeeze.

"Oh Donnie, you're so sweet. I don't want you to feel bad, you didn't know me when it happened," Donnie sighed sadly, he knew that. But that didn't stop him from wishing he had been there to save her from all of that pain. Fiona felt that obvious doubt and tried to lick the wound. "I guess I'm guilty of catching on to remarkable things late myself," Twirling a thick finger around in her spring loaded curls Don glanced up at her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie; when I first saw you I was terrified. I couldn't imagine what Shiho was thinking when she said she was Leo's mate. But now I'm starting to get the gist she knew what she was doing, you guys are really out of this world. You in particular, Donnie. You're something special—OH MY!"

Donnie grinned like a dope and dramatically leaned her backwards in his lap with his arm holding her shoulders. She desperately clutched the rim of his carapace, afraid he'd drop her on the floor. "Donatello! Put me down!"

"Something special, eh? Could it be my outrageously handsome mug? My limitless intelligence? My cooking?"

"Oh you lush, get me up! I'm gonna fall," She whined. The turtle only chuckled and leaned in and pressed a kiss on her lips; both to shut her up and thank her. She made half an attempt to protest but was essentially powerless to the influence of Donatello's kisses and gave in. Against his lips, she giggled wildly, like some teenager with a crush before he brought her back up straight on his thighs.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it? Don't you trust a ninja?"

"I oughta smack you..."

Shiho had emerged from her room late that evening, Leo had fallen asleep and she was feeling restless. Her thoughts were deafening and all over the place in her head, she couldn't silence them no matter how close she snuggled next to Leo. She felt like her skin was too tight, her chest was hot, and she just couldn't keep her eyes closed. Leaving Leo in bed was always the last thing she wanted to do, but ruining his sleep with her tossing and turning just wasn't fair. So she decided to ease her nerves with some of the raspberry iced tea April brought over yesterday.

"Hey, you can't sleep either?" Shiho was in the middle of pouring herself a glass of tea when a gruff voice made her jump. Glancing behind her with a luminescent gaze, the fox relaxed her shoulders and smiled before grabbing another glass and filling that one as well.

"Hey, Raph. Nah, can't sleep. What are you doing up?" She said, nudging his middle with the drink and walked away towards the couch to see what was on TV at 2am. The turtle looked down into the dark, chilled fluid and swirled it around in his glass before following and plopping down beside her. One foot propped up on the ottoman with his arm slung over the back of the couch. Shiho shifted her legs under her bottom and leaned back.

"Cave Baby had a nightmare and ran into me when I was comin' outta the bathroom," Shiho folded her ears flat in guilt. She or Leo were usually the ones to console the little fox in her nightmare fits. Raph picked up on her heavy energy and flicked her in the side of the head.

"Butthead!" She hissed, rubbing her sore ear.

"Relax, I took care of it and she's in Mikey's room, hehehe." Shiho chuckled softly and brought the drink to her lips and let the cold fluid go down easy. It put out that scorching heat behind her breastbone, her anxiety attacks were often silent ones but that didn't make them any less uncomfortable. "She's a good little knucklehead."

"Heh, when she wants to be. Thanks though, I was tired. Dealing with Miss Personality tonight and meeting that woman just really put me out of sorts…" Raph wiggled slightly and settled deeper into the cushion as he swiped the remote out of her hand to scan the channels. She shot him a dirty glare and he winked in response. Asshole.

"Yeah Leo told us what happened. You shouldn't let Karai get under your skin, though. It's not like Leo is about to trade up a babe like you for an annoying runt like her. I personally can't stand her," That got a giggle out of her and Raph felt slightly better, at least he was able to get her to lighten up. She'd been so moody lately and tonight she just seemed like someone else altogether. Saundra picking fights like she did early that evening certainly never helped matters.

"Listen, about Sandy—"

"Raph, I really don't want to talk about my sister right now. She's been a bother to me since the day she was born. I told you guys we don't get along, and when we do, it doesn't last longer than a few hours," Shiho snapped, her hand clenching around her moist glass. Raph twisted his lips into a frown and sighed, the tension between those two was on another level compared to him and Leonardo.

"I know but…agh, I know this is really the pot callin' the kettle black here but you two really need to sort it out, ya know? Leo and I fight yeah, but we still cooperate."

"Raphael, it's different with us. Saundra is this way because she isn't the same as the rest of us. She's always going to hate me," His thick fingers pinched the soft flesh of her ear and gave it a rough tug. "OW! Raph that hurts! Will you stop it?!"

"Listen, Shiho. Right now, you two need each other. If this Marcus guy actually follows through and takes you, she's going to fall apart. You may not realize it but the woman does give a damn. She tells me so…" Shiho gave him a look that made him flinch. "Okay maybe she doesn't come right out and say it but I know she does."

"I don't know," She said with a sigh. The fox set glass on the flat surface of the ottoman and braced her knee with her elbow, sliding her hand back through her hair until it grasped the back of her neck gently. Raph could see just how conflicted the sisters were, their issues with each other ran much farther down than something skin deep.

"She doesn't understand Marcus like I do. I know what he's capable of doing and that he'll do it without fear of any consequence. He's expecting her to lash out, it'll make her easier to catch. It's like he's baiting her," Raph gulped, he didn't want Saundra to be taken. Even he had his reasons for being afraid because now he had a mate just like Leo and Donnie. A tugging sense of fury pulled at the unstable nerves in his mind that controlled his anger.

"I'm trying to make her see that once he has all of us that he'll more than likely take us apart and start all over. I don't want that to happen, Raph. And who's to say someone else won't try to catch her? She'd be dissected in a heartbeat," He could see where she was hinting at. Scientists these days were always looking for something new to hook their claws in and understand. A giant walking, talking, gecko with an attitude was just begging to become the new lab rat in the world of science.

"I get ya, sis. Heh, I think I'm starting to get why Leo is so up in the shell about you."

"You're just now noticing that? We've been together for what…almost two years. I know you've got a bad attitude, but dense?" She said it with that joking smile he knew all too well and pinched and twisted the skin on her arm, making her squeal. "RAPHAEL!"

"Hahaaa, that's what you get. Sheesh. Two years huh? Who woulda thunk that a couple of mutants woulda wound up with dames like you and the girls," Shiho's ears opened full bloom as she heard the signature dragging of Saundra's heavy tail on the ground. From behind, a pair of slender hands smoothed over Raphael's shoulders and plastron and laced together at the fingers.

"You comin' to bed, Raph?" The gecko eyed her sister with a sneer which Shiho purposely ignored and stuck her nose back into her glass for a long drink. April really knew how to whip up some raspberry tea, Shiho was addicted to the stuff and begged the girl to make her some whenever she was coming down.

Raph tilted his head back and planted a kiss to the underside of his mate's narrow jaw. Her snout pulled back in a sharp toothed grin.

"Yeah, I'm goin'. I'll see you in the mornin', sis," Shiho waved aimlessly as he disappeared upstairs. The gecko didn't move from her spot behind the couch and just kept her eyes steady on the fox.

"You going to say something or just stand there and stare at me all night?"

"You got a lot of nerve talking to Raphael about me," Shiho made a dramatic long roll of her violet eyes and set her nearly finished beverage back down. She stretched her spine and stood to make it crack, her long tail curling in tight against her body as her bones popped.

"You know what? He started that conversation, not me. So save it, I don't have the energy to deal with your attitude tonight, Saundra. Sleep tight," Shiho picked her glass up and moved on towards the kitchen to leave it in the sink to wash it in the morning. Saundra's skin crawled with agitation as her sister just brushed her off without even so much as looking at her. The gecko thought the fox was so smug, acting like she couldn't be bothered.

"Hold it, Shiho. I'm not done yet," Shiho stopped her navigation to the stairs with a grunt.

"Oh my God, Saundra. What is wrong with you, now?!" Shiho was slowly losing her nerve with her sister and felt her hands twitching to scratch the hell out of something. Saundra moved away from the couch and approached her leader with a puffed out chest and bared teeth. The fox remained un-phased and stared at her with the most bored expression which only added fuel to Saundra's ever growing fire. Dirty blonde hair was pulled into a side ponytail, out of her honey-brown eyes so they could glare daggers into Shiho.

"You think you know it all don't you? Just because you're the oldest, the leader, huh? Well I have news for you big sister, you don't have all the answers. You don't know what Marcus is going to do. You sure as hell don't know that I might be captured by other people—"

"Have you taken a good look at yourself? You want to go out in the city in the daylight and ask humans for information. You think that any normal human being is going to take one look at you and not call the police? You don't know what it's like out there, Saundra," The gecko hissed and balled her clawed hands into tight fists. Shiho stood her ground and refused to move, she'd knock her down a notch or two to put her in her place if she had to.

"What makes you so smart?!" Saundra shouted, her voice carrying and echoing through the lair. Shiho clenched her jaw, now she was trying to wake the whole family up. Shiho had enough and wrapped one hand tightly around the gecko's throat and snapped her snout closed with the other. She made sure to dig her nails into the scales and draw blood, her sister wincing as her skin was pierced. Shiho backed her up until she smacked into the wall and held her firmly in place with a sinister grin on her dark lips. Saundra instantly felt the presence of The Madness seeping into Shiho, she could see it in those eyes.

"I know far more than you will ever be able to imagine, baby sister. I'm not about to let you destroy yourself or endanger my family because you feel the need to assert your dominance. You will," Shiho's grip around the gecko's neck tightened and her breath caught in her throat. "You will obey my orders, Saundra,"

"Shiho…d-…don't!" Saundra gasped and squirmed. Shiho had more strength than she did in the days of living in the lab. Before, Saundra could have easily brought her to the ground, but now Shiho had the upper hand. A deep, menacing growl rumbled in the core of Shiho's chest that brought fear into Saundra's eyes for the first time.

"What I say goes. Do you understand me? You will not question me, you will definitely not question Leonardo. Or you'll be hurting from a lot more than just exercise flips. Am I making myself clear?" When Saundra didn't answer, Shiho tore her nails deep into her snout.

"Yes! Yes I understand!"

"What is going on down here?" Leo's voice broke the tension between the sisters. He moved in fast when he noticed the rigidity in Shiho's tail and pried her nails out of her sister. "Shiho what are you doing?!"

"Heh. Teaching her a lesson."

"Have you lost your mind? It's been over a year since you last fell into the Madness, do not let it take you again. What happened?" Shiho flicked her wrist and flung droplets of Saundra's blood from under her nails. The gecko choked and rubbed her sore throat where Shiho's hand had been, she wasn't that strong two years ago.

"Why don't you ask her? She's the one who wants to go topside in the daytime and put us all at risk. And she is the one who got in my face first," Shiho didn't take her eyes of her sister for a second while she responded to Leo. He knew what that intensity in her stare meant, if he hadn't interrupted when he did Saundra would either be very unconscious or very dead. Seeing that glow in her eyes brought him back to that night when she'd lost all control and nearly killed Donatello.

"That isn't an excuse. You're the leader, dammit. Act like it," Leo flinched when her gaze snapped at him, that terrifying smirk pulling her lip over her deadly teeth. He couldn't stop the cold sweat that broke out over his skin when she looked at him like that, like he was delicious.

"I was. She won't defy me now, not if she wants to keep that pretty neck of hers in tact," Shiho advanced the cornered reptile once more but was stopped by Leo's arm around her chest. A hot breath seethed between her grinning teeth as Saundra trembled, for the first time, she was afraid of Shiho. And that was just where she wanted her. "Sweet dreams, Saundra,"

Leo gasped when Shiho flipped into a back handspring and went on towards the stairs. He watched her vanish in the darkness of the hallway but could hear her chuckling the entire way. He'd deal with her soon, but now he had Saundra to focus on. She quivered and slid down the wall until she landed on her backside and drew her legs in to her chest. The turtle felt horrible for the girl and knelt down beside her with his hand on her shoulder. It had been quite some time since he'd seen Shiho that angry.

"Are you alright, Sandy?" She couldn't look at him. She was embarrassed beyond all comprehension.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine. It was my fault, really…I started it, she was just ending it like she should," Leo shook his head and looked back to the stairs with a frown. Shiho's mood swings were now growing into a real concern to him, no matter how angry she was…that never happened.

"It doesn't matter. She shouldn't have taken it that far. I'll talk to her and fix it. But you two need to stop fighting. It's getting out of hand and creating a rift."

"Y-yes, Leo. I promise I'll try," That was good enough for him, at least for now. Like the good guy, Leo pulled the gecko to her feet and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Alright…now go to bed. Do not tell Raphael about this. If you think Shiho fighting with you is bad, you don't want to see how those two can get. Just tell him you scratched yourself in your sleep."

"I won't…thanks Leo, for helping me I mean," Leo didn't answer and just nodded his head. Saundra didn't bother sticking around in case Shiho came back and made a sprint to her room to cower beside Raphael. Shiho really put the desired scare that she wanted right into Saundra's very core. Leo didn't like that she'd gone that far and almost lost complete control. Just hours ago she was the beautiful creature of affection that he'd made powerful love to and now it felt like he was losing her to the Madness all over again. He had to stop it before it made even more conflict for him to handle.

"You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" Leo demanded, shutting the door behind him. Shiho had crawled back into bed but waited for him to return, sitting up with her nose buried in a book. All signs of the Madness were long gone, but she certainly didn't look sorry. He looked at the katanas on his wall and wondered if he'd ever have to use them on Shiho again. The idea alone made him shudder with disgust.

"Listen Leo, I'm not the least bit sorry for what happened. Saundra has been mouthing off and chesting up to me for years. It's about time I put her in her place," She sounded like she didn't give a damn that Saundra's snout was punctured and bleeding. Sitting up in bed, the fox set down her book and gave Leo her full attention. The Great Gatsby again.

"There's a way to do things, Shiho. You can't force your sister to listen to you by hurting her—"

"Oh yeah? You think so? Gosh, Leo, it looks like I haven't been trying anything different for the last 20 years. Thank you so much for pointing that out to me. I'll be sure to write that down," Leo sneered and she glared right back. She wasn't afraid of Leo and he knew it.

"Don't give me that attitude, Shiho. I won't tolerate it."

"She isn't Raphael, Leo. Trust me. I know how to handle my own sister."

"That isn't the point and you know it. You could have really hurt her or worse. I saw what was happening and you were slipping. This fighting between the two of you has to stop." Shiho sighed with a growl, she was getting tired of hearing the same thing about the relationship with Saundra.

"I know, dammit! None of you will understand what I went through with her, what I'm still going through because she refuses to listen. Do you want Aanika to get taken away because she stupidly went topside?" Leo froze. Shiho hit him below the belt to make a point and he didn't like it.

"You know I don't."

"Then let me worry about how to take care of Saundra. I know what I'm doing and I don't need you or anyone else telling me how to handle it. Now, just fucking drop it, Leonardo. I'm sick enough of her as it is, don't make me sick of you, too." Shiho stilled when she saw the look on his face. This had to be the first time they'd ever argued about anything. Leo appeared to be gravely distraught and wounded, the expression marring his handsome face more than she would have liked. He turned to leave and rested his hand on the wall, dropping his head morosely. Shiho sprung out of bed and ducked under his arm bracing against the wall.

"Leo…?" There was undeniable moisture in his eyes that shattered her heart into a million pieces and she couldn't understand why. Shiho had her bouts, but she'd never been this bad or spiteful about it. She'd hurt him, badly. It felt almost as painful as that night he thought she was leaving him for Raphael, that execrable look in his eyes that ripped her heart out of her chest. "Oh God Leo I'm sorry…"

The turtle released a breath of tension and relief when her arms embraced around his neck. A sniffle in his nose held his composure and restrained the dams in his eyes. Strong arms came around the heated vixen and held her tenaciously. Nothing could stop Shiho from feeling regret when she noticed anguish in those eyes of his, Leo could bring her to her knees just by looking at her with an ounce of pain in his eyes. Her reaction was good enough for him to let the subject fizzle down and dissipate. They'd deal with it soon enough.

"I'm sorry, Leo, I'm sorry,"

"Shh…I know, Baby, I know," He whispered into her folded ear. Again, he shushed her gently when she whimpered. "Shhh, it's alright."

"Leonardo.." Shiho said through barely contained sobs.

"You're scaring me, Shiho…" Her eyes squeezed shut when he spoke of his fear. Her nose tucked against his neck as he stood still and held her firm. "You've been so easily provoked and furious lately, it's like you aren't even my girl anymore. My girl who was dancing with me on the roof, my girl that reads stories to our Aanika...You're so different.."

Shiho bit into her lip when he spoke, she hadn't materialized in her head that she'd been more irate these past few weeks and it hurt so bad to hear him come out with it. The last thing she'd ever wanted was for her actions to upset Leo. He felt the muscles in her arms tighten and her grip constrict around his neck as she came to grips with herself.

"I don't know what's going on with me, Leo. But I'm still me. I'll always be your girl," Leo released her just enough to scrutinize her countenance and genuine words.

"Just kiss me, Shiho," Leo said at last. He couldn't take the tension anymore and had to soothe it over. When his favorite smile crept to her beautiful lips, he felt she had returned again and leaned down. Shiho was more than eager to please and kissed him fiercely. Their lips crushed together divinely and fit together when she added a tilt in her head for a better angle. Leo chuckled against her mouth and dragged her back to bed, her toes grazing along the floor as he did so.

One thing was definitely for sure, there was never a dull moment when Shiho was involved. One minute she was passionate and making beautiful love to her mate and the next she was literally at her sister's throat with a fierce and imminent glare in her eyes. Preparing for their next dangerous venture was going to be vexing.

Leo remained confident that he'd keep his family and his mate safe. He didn't care how difficult it was going to be, how exhausting and trying, he'd do it. For Shiho. For his brothers. For Aanika.

For his family.

A/N: I had a fight playing out in my head between Shiho and Saundra, but then I thought it would be too close between chapters for one of those. So I decided to go with the forcing fear approach. I dunno, it sounded saucy to me! And! DUN-DUNNN. Leo and Shiho's first real fight D: Good lawd! Heh, next chapter will be up soon! Gotta take my puppy to the vet tomorrow ._. Not sure how much time I'll have to write. But, enjoy my duckies!