Chapter 3

Leo trudged back into his home with a heavy heart. All the hope he had built up that this girl would help them had flooded his body and left him utterly exhausted. Just like Karai, she was a disappointment. An ally they wouldn't receive. He sighed as he entered the living room of his home, seeing Raph petting on Spike and Mikey watching some movie on the television.

"At least I didn't get attached to her," he told himself, remembering how hurt he had been when Karai had betrayed him. He trudged passed Raph and flopped down on the couch, falling to his side and curling up into a ball.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in, Spike!" Raph exclaimed as he stared at his pet turtle, which was perched on his shoulder. "So, how'd it go with your new girlfriend, Leo?"

"Save it, Raph," Leo growled. He didn't face his brother, but he knew Raph was smirking in victory.

"I guess it went bad. Looks like Spike and I were right, as always."

"How did you even know I had gone to see her?" Leo asked. He lifted himself up to face his brother who was now feeding Spike a leaf.

"April texted us. She wanted to make sure we knew in case you turned into dog food. Of course, we would have known anyway. I mean, you just can't leave the girls who are bad news alone, can you?"

"Knock it off," Leo warned. "And for your information, she isn't a dog. She's a wolf."

"A wolf!?" Raph shouted in laughter. "Are you serious!? Is that what she told you!? Oh man, you'll believe anything they tell you, won't you?!" He began to laugh; Leo only rolled onto his other side so his eyes would be burning into the back of the couch. He was hiding his shame.

"What's that Spike? You can't believe he's this gullible when it comes to trusting girls? Oh, I know. I guess when he says 'Turtles first,' he means 'turtles first, but only after any girl that has a bad aura surrounding her.'"

"Guys, trying to watch this movie here," Mikey stated without turning to look at his brothers.

"Oh ha ha!" Leo shouted, sitting up and facing his younger brother with brewing hatred. "It's all fun and games, isn't it? Well, for your information, I thought she could be a valuable resource to us and help us take down the Shredder, but apparently, you think you're too good for help."

"Valuable ally? Leo, did you not see the way she was completely creamed by those guys? Even if she wanted to help us out, she would have just got in our way!" Raph argued.

"It's because she's not used to being a human! She prefers being a dog!"

Mikey sighed as loud as he could and moved closer to the television. He then proceeded to turn the volume to its maximum just so he could grab his brothers' attention and give them a hint that they were being too loud. Raph and Leo weren't fazed.

"Oh, and you just automatically trusted her because she said so, just like Karai said she wouldn't come after us, right?"

"Would you stop bringing Karai into this? December is nothing like Karai!"

"December? That's what she called herself in front of you? What a lame name! She can't even come up with good aliases!"

"Oh, so you're going to judge her now based on her name?"

"Trying to watch this movie, guys," Mikey voiced again, this time louder than the last, his ear completely against the speaker of the television.

"No, I'm judging her based on the way she presented herself. Leo, she's bad news!"

"No, you're judging her as bad because she didn't bow down and praise you for saving her life, Raph, let's just be honest."

Raph was now growling. "Praise me?! Leo, if I wanted praise, I wouldn't save the city as a ninja. I'd just dress as a human, go out into the open, and do what we do, as loudly and obvious as possible!"

"'Did you hear something?'" Mikey shouted, making Raph and Leo stare at him in befuddlement. "'No, Tony! I didn't! Did you?' 'I thought I did. C'mon, let's just go investigate this abandoned building and hope that our brothers don't yell at the top of their lungs so Michelangelo can watch this movie in peace!" He was staring them down with his face plastered in anger. He breathed heavily from where he had yelled nonstop without taking a breath of air. Leo and Raph only stared at him in both confusion and astonishment. Satisfied that he had gotten his brothers' full attention and his point through, he turned back to the movie and watched it in silence.

Leo returned his gaze to Raph. "Look, you don't have to worry about it. She doesn't want to help us out; it's over. Alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Leo."

"Alright, good. We should gear up and get ready to head out for patrol."

Mikey let out a frustrated sigh. "Dude, c'mon! I'm trying to watch this movie!"

"They all die in the end," Raph said as he arose from his seat. "Turns out the killer was actually the girl they were trying to protect."

"Are you serious?!" Mikey shouted, jumping up from where he had been sitting. "That's the biggest load of BS I've ever heard in my entire life! Whoever wrote this movie should never write another movie again!"

"I gotta agree with you on that one, Mikey," Raph commented as both of them walked towards Donnie's lab. Leo headed towards his room where he had stored his katanas before leaving.

"Donnie!" Raph yelled. Donnie was piecing together another invention of his using a screwdriver. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear his call.

Raph only smiled, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles in the process. He then walked over to Donnie and smacked his older brother on the head. Donnie, in surprise, grabbed his staff that was sitting on his desk neatly and leapt to his feet, looking around for the culprit who had struck him.

When the purple-banded turtle saw both Mikey and Raph laughing, his face fell back into chagrin. He put his staff into its position on his back and sighed. "Time to head out?"

"Yup. Leo's back from his visit with his girlfriend, which was unsuccessful, just like I predicted."

"When's he gonna learn that he picks the worst type of girls? Now, if he was like me and chose the more sophisticated girls, he'd -"

"Just c'mon, Romeo," Raph growled, motioning with his hand for Donnie to follow him. Donnie sighed sadly and exited his lab with his brother.

Leo was waiting at the entrance for them, one of his hands on his left hip. Once they arrived, he motioned with his head for them to move out, and they raced out of their lair, into the dark, damp sewers, and finally exiting the nearest manhole. From there, they hopped up atop the nearest building and began their nightly patrol.

"I can't believe you actually thought she'd join us, Leo," Donnie stated as he and his brothers ran across a building top.

"Look, it was a stupid mistake. You guys don't have to worry about it happening again," Leo voiced, glancing behind him briefly to see his three younger siblings following him closely.

"Dude, you sure now how to pick 'em," Mikey laughed, leaping atop an air duct and cutting a back flip off of it.

"Yeah, well," Leo fumbled inside his head for a witty comeback to say to the orange-banded turtle. He finally found one, but didn't voice his reply.

A scream pierced the night air, making the four turtles stop in their tracks. They looked around, confused as to where the scream actually came. Each one gazed around with curious and alarmed eyes. They scanned through the darkness. Despite being in a very well-lit area, they couldn't exactly see much around them, and they certainly could not pinpoint sounds.

Another scream filled the silence, and Donnie was able to narrow down its location. "It sounded like it was coming from one of those buildings over there!" He pointed towards a few apartment complexes that were looming in the distance.

"Let's go have a look!" Leo ordered, and he and his siblings ran towards them.

Once they were on the fire escape that clung to the building's depressing walls, they began scanning the windows, searching for any clues that would lead them to the possible source of the scream. Raph noticed one of the windows was open. He climbed up and saw that it was broken open. Glass shards were scattered around his feet, which somewhat amazed him since he was at least three four floors away from it.

"Guys, that window!" he whispered down to the others as he pointed up it. "It's broken!"

"Nice work, Raph!" Leo complimented with a smile. He then averted his gaze to Donnie and Mikey. "Alright, Mikey, you and Raph take the left side of the window. Donnie and I will take the right. No one enters until my signal, got it?"

Donnie and Mikey nodded. Leo looked up at Raph. "Did you hear that?"

"Loud and clear!"

"Alright, let's go!"

The four ninjas began climbing up the fire escape as quietly as possible. They reached the floor the broken window was located and Raph and Mikey snuck over to the left side it where they pressed their bodies against the wall, making themselves as flat as possible. Leo and Donnie did the same. Slowly and silently, each one withdrew their weapons.

Leo's eyes were narrowed as he peered around the corner cautiously. Inside, all he could see was darkness; the only light was that which filtered through the broken glass panes. It didn't look like there was anything moving around in there, and so he moved his gaze over to Raph and Mikey, who were anxiously awaiting their leader's signal. They both nodded their heads. He peeped over his shoulder to see Donnie nod to show he, too, was ready. Leo nodded back and they all piled in.

"Halt, villain!" Leo shouted, pointing with one of his katanas towards the darkest part of the room. He could hear his brothers groaning behind him.

"I thought we went over the whole 'halt, villain!' speech?" Raph asked, placing his hand, which was gripping one of his Sai, on his forehead.

"Yeah, I said that's how heroes talk, and we're heroes."

"Heroes?" a dry, hostile voice called from the shadows, making the turtles return their attention to whatever it was lurking around them.

A pair of deep crimson eyes began glowing through the black abyss, slowly growing larger and larger. From the depths of the shadows emerged a solid black, ghostly figure. On its face was a sinister smile of jagged white teeth. The smile was so wide that it made Leo's face hurt just looking at it.

Upon seeing this villainous figure, the turtles were taken aback by its presence. As it began towards them, the black auras that surrounded its shrouded body swirling around as if fire, the young ninjas would step away in fear. Even fearless Raphael was struck with this overwhelming sense of fright at the sight of this figure. This thing was in the shape and form of what appeared to be a human, but they weren't entirely sure it was just that – human. It was too supernatural to be human.

"Did you just say… heroes?" it asked again, mouth never moving from its jagged, crescent shape.

"Um, no?" Mikey voiced with uncertainty.

"Good," it said, taking another step towards them. "Because I absolutely despise heroes with every ounce of evil in my body."

"You must really despise heroes," Raph commented.

"Man, it sucks to be heroes right now," Mikey chuckled. "Sure would hate to be some, right Leo?"

"Mikey, we are heroes," Leo voiced, looking at Mikey with narrowed eyes. "And we're here to stop you." He returned his gaze back to the creature. His hands tightened their grip around his katanas' handles. He was bracing himself.

"Stop me?!" the thing laughed. "You're here… to stop me? Oh, this is almost too humorous to be true!" It broke out into a fit of laughter, throwing its head back and roaring in it. "Oh, I haven't laughed like that in ages. You see, my green enemy, you can't stop me." It then pointed to itself with one of its limbs, presumably a hand. "I do whatever I want."

"Well, it ends here," Leo stated firmly.

"Oh, how adorable. You actually think you can stop me. I'll almost be sad when I crush you." It then chuckled to itself as it stiffened, smile growing ever wider, which the turtles had thought impossible. "Almost."

They gripped their weapons tighter, Mikey beginning to swing the end of one of his nunchucks. Leo's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his footing slightly. He then pointed with his left katana towards the creature that stood before them. "Let's get 'em!"

He leapt forward and slashed at it with one of his katanas, but the creature merely side-stepped his attempted blow and with only one hand, punched Leo in the shoulder, sending him flying into the wall on the other side of the room. His shell hit it with great force, leaving a significant dent in it. He fell to the floor, stunned.

Michelangelo attempted to land a hit on it, swinging his nunchuck at it. The creature only grabbed the end of it with its left hand and threw both his weapon and Mikey towards the opposite side of the room where he, too, collided with the wall just like his older brother had. When Mikey hit, he emitted a small cry of pain.

"Nobody hits Mikey but me!" Raph shouted. He and Donnie surrounded the creature, Raph behind it and Donnie in front of it. They exchanged glances and nodded before launching their attack at it.

Donnie twirled his staff around and swung it at the creature, but it leapt up into the air, soaring over Raph and landing behind him, where he punched the red-banded turtle. He sent Raph and Donnie soaring towards the window. Donnie was sent out of it and into the railing that was on the fire escape. Raph collided with the bottom of the windowsill.

Leo was on his feet now and racing towards the monster at full speed; he swiped at it with his left katana, but it only dodged, smiling at him with its rigid smile. Leo again attempted to strike it with his blade, but it leaped up into the air and landed atop the katana's edge elegantly. From its position, it cocked its head to its right, the monster's grin widening ever more. Much to Leo's surprise, it wasn't heavy at all. In fact, it startled him that it was able to perch itself on the end of his blade and Leo was able to hold it there. He was so caught off guard, that the creature effortlessly swept him with its leg, making him let go of the katana it had been settled on.

Raph had recovered by now and was charging full speed at it, fire burning deep in his green eyes. In a split instant, the monster reached down, grabbed Leo's fallen katana, and blocked the blow Raph had attempted. Both were now locked in a deadly gaze, jade eyes burning into deep red ember orbs. Raph's scowl versus a maniacal grin. Exerting no effort at all, the monster pushed Raph away, sending him flailing back slightly, stunned by the strength it had.

Donnie and Mikey were now moving in on it, both throwing random blows in hopes of striking it, but each one was blocked by this creature's extraordinary agility. It didn't even seem to be exerting any sort of energy and with only one hand, the hand in which held Leo's katana, was blocking every strike they ever attempted to deliver. Raph could only stare in disbelief.

He would use this to his advantage, however. While Donnie and Mikey had it distracted, he would run around from behind and deliver a devastating wound. Raph leapt into the shadows, concealing himself from the monster's view as he watched his brothers tussle with it, growing more and more tired.

Don't tire out yet, he thought, watching as Leo joined into the battle. He waited for his moment in the shadows. It had to be perfect, completely flawless; he couldn't miss.

Leo jumped in, taking Donnie's place in the battle as he slashed and jabbed away, but each blow was blocked, and each time it blocked Leo's attempts, the smile on this thing's face grew ever wider. Mikey attempted to thwart it by doing a random kick, but using its other hand, it swatted him away as if he were nothing, sending him spiraling into the wall once more. Donnie jumped in and tried to swing his staff at the creature, but it caught the bow staff in midair with its free hand. Then, with a small chuckle, its hand enclosed completely, breaking the staff's end into tiny bits, the blade that had been concealed in it shattering into small shards. Donnie stepped away and stared at the damage his weapon and taken.

It was then Raph took his chance. From the shadows he jumped, landing just behind the creature. With his right hand, he attempted to slice the monster's Akeley's heel, rendering it partially crippled, but with lighting speed, it blocked Raph's attempt with the katana, and so Raph took this opportunity to do his second plan. With his other Sai, he jabbed at the creature's thigh, this time actually landing a direct hit. The small blade shoved itself almost effortlessly into the flesh of the creature.

It let out a cry of pain and Raph leapt back, taking his Sai with him. He watched as it glanced down at the wound, falling to one knee.

"Turtles, fall back!" Leo shouted, running towards the window; Raph didn't argue for once. In fact, he, along with Donnie and Mikey, were glad to be getting away from that thing, whatever it may be. They dashed out the window and practically tumbled down the fire escape, jumping onto the nearest building and booking it towards the closest manhole.

"You think it's following us?" Donnie yelled at Leo.

"I don't know!" he yelled back.

Mikey took a moment to glance behind him only to see what he had hoped wasn't there. "Guys! It's—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a shadow fell over them, and before the turtles landed the creature, Leo's katana still in its hand. Without removing its fiery gaze from the four brothers, it tossed the sword into the alley to its left. From its right thigh, a black substance would spurt every now and then. They assumed that this was its blood.

It was then that it began to morph. The black figure began to undergo a brief metamorphosis, shifting itself into what appeared to be this four-legged animal. Its muzzle was long and pointed like that of a canine, but the roar it emitted once finished transforming was that of a large cat, lion-like. The monster was enormous, at least Leo's size in height.

"Do you think you can escape so easily?" it demanded in its dry voice, which now filled with frustration and tiny bits of laughter.

"Yeah, kinda," Mikey admitted with a shrug.

Its tail, long and bushy like that of a fox, flickered casually behind its massive body. "No… I'm having too much fun. In fact, I haven't had this much fun in what feels like a millennium!" it laughed, throwing its head back and staring at the sky as its pearly smile returned to its face. "And no one ever escapes me… Ever."

"Leo, what are we gonna do?" Raph asked, panic plastered all in his voice. Leo's brothers stared at him, awaiting his answer.

Leo knew that running was now out of the question. He withdrew his single katana from its sheathe, letting the hand that gripped it tightly fall to his side. He watched as the smile on the creature's muzzle widen to a larger crescent, one that if any human tried would surely break his face's muscles.

Upon seeing their brother withdraw his weapon, the other three turtles knew exactly what his choice was. They, too, readied their weapons. Raph twirled his twin Sai around between his fingers as he smiled over at Donnie and Mikey.

"Guys, it's been an honor fighting by your sides," he stated. "And I'm gonna be honest here. I regret being mean to you all these years."

"Really?" Mikey asked, gazing back at his brother with warm eyes. Raph grabbed his younger sibling around the neck, pulling him close, and rubbing a knuckle into his head.

"Yeah, really."

"I just wish I had spent more time with April," Donnie sighed, his body slumping over with his staff in between his hands. He then realized that Raph and Mikey were staring at him with this hateful look and he smiled, revealing the gap in his teeth. "And you guys of course."

"It's not over yet," Leo stated, not taking his gaze off of the monster that stood before them. "We can beat this guy. We just have to work together."

"Yeah, well, when the odds are against you, it doesn't hurt to say your final goodbyes," Raph shrugged.

"Let's give it our all," Leo stated, taking a few steps back to stand with his brothers. They each exchanged glances at one another, smiles on their faces, before finally focusing their eyes on the creature.

Then, in unison, they all shouted, "Booyakasha!"