Ch. 10-Aftermath

Mona Lisa squeezed Raphael's hand and pulled herself right up against his shell as the room shook with the force of the explosions. She was vaguely aware of his other arm wrapped around her waist as debris began to fall around them. Minutes seemed like hours, as she sat there with her eyes tightly closed, too afraid of what she might find. Suddenly a voice began to pull her away from her thoughts. "Mona? Mona are you okay? Mona Lisa open your eyes, come on, I know you can hear me. Listen: we're not dead! We're not dead Mona! Mona!" Raphael? We're—not dead? The lizard opened her eyes slowly, to find herself staring straight into two beautiful neon green ones only inches away.

"We're alive?"

"Bet your tail we are." He grinned when two arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a giant hug.

Mona Lisa pulled out of the hug for a moment and smiled "I can't believe it."

Raphael smiled back at her, and then he realized how close they were. All I'd have to do is lean in a little closer and…No, no, bad Raph don't go there. The last thing you need right now is to a girl involved. Your life is dangerous enough as it is, bringing her into the picture would only make it worse. But she's so beautiful, so—perfect. Then his body took matters into its own hands and began to lean in closer. Raphael was surprised when Mona began to do the same. So close. They were so close that Raph could feel her warm breath on his lips.

"We're alive." She said one more time as she stared into those beautiful green eyes of his.

"Not for the time period that is known in Earth terms as long."

They both jumped up from behind the control mechanisms fists clenched and ready to attack the Krang unit in front of them. Both Mona and Raph were covered in soot and dust from the explosion, masking their usual green color. Raph's bright red mask looked brown and his normally emerald green skin was covered in dark gray streaks and smudges.

The Krang bot turned and made a gesture to someone standing in the doorway. Krang bots began filing into the room, until they had created a circle surrounding Raphael and Mona Lisa who were trapped in the middle of the room where they stood back to back. When the soldiers stopped moving all motion in the room stopped and the Krang spoke again. "The ones who were prisoners will now be eliminated by Krang once and for all and become the prisoners who are destroyed."

Raph felt Mona's back pressed against his shell and thought Looks like it's the end of the line. Oddly enough, I don't mind. After all, I'll have Mona to keep me company. Besides, no way am I going down without a fight! He closed his eyes and tightened the grip on the Krang gun in his hands. And right when they thought it was all over… It couldn't be-

Raphael watched in surprise as the Krang in front of him were slashed into bits by a big green blur that was currently screaming, "GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

The first blur, who upon closer examination was wearing a blue bandana was followed by two more blurs. A littler green one with an orange bandana and tall skinny one wearing a purple one. Raphael smiled wider than he ever had in his life. "Perfect timin' guys." He said loud enough for them to hear as they fought off the Krang.

"Raph."

He turned just in time to see his older brother slicing up a couple more Krang, but there were more coming up behind his back. Something shiny in Leo's belt caught Raph's eye. My sai! Yes! The red, currently brown-clad turtle ran towards his brother, using the older turtle's shell to propel himself into a backflip, not forgetting to grab his sai on the way. When he landed the sai-wielder spun his weapons before stabbing the two Krang bots in the head, making the little brains run off squealing. The blue-clad turtle turned around and made eye contact with his younger brother nodding his thanks. Raphael nodded back.

Then he turned and his gaze was immediately drawn across the room to where Mona Lisa was fighting the Krang shooting them left and right, hitting them in the face with her gun. Yep, definitely my kind of girl. He thought with a smile on his face. Until he saw what happened next. She moved to whack a Krang in the face with the gun, but he caught the blow when it was right in front of his face. The Krang pulled the weapon from her making her stumble forward. The Krang took the opportunity to punch her as hard as it could, laying one right on the side of her face. "Mona!" Raphael yelled, letting out a cry of absolute fury. The lizard girl collapsed to the ground her beautiful brown hair spread across her shoulders. Raphael ran towards the Krang that had attacked her, but soon found himself confronted by six more Krang.

Mona Lisa blinked a couple of times and began to push herself up, rage welling up inside of her. She was a little bit wobbly when she first stood, her body bent slightly forward as blood dripped down from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. With a ferocious battle cry she leapt up into the air and front flipped bringing down her foot on Krang unit's head, snapping its robotic neck and taking it to the floor where she gave it a hard punch in the face for good measure.

All three of Raphael's brothers had turned their attention when Raph had stalked through the room looking like he wanted to kill someone. The Krang were pretty much defeated for now. Raphael himself had finished the six Krang bots just in time to see Mona Lisa kick the Krang bot to the floor. Leonardo finished off the last two Krang before moving over to where Donnie and Mikey were standing and joined them as they watched her take out the Krang that had hit her in the face. Leo winced when she punched the already defeated Krang unit in the face, making a loud, metallic-sounding thud. "Word of advice: Never mess with a lizard." Then the lizard mutant opened her mouth slightly and wiped the blood that was dripping down from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Whoa…they thought.

Leo Mikey, and Donnie looked at their brother with one eye ridge raised. Raphael just smirked. "You guys have a way out of here?" He asked.

"Yeah," Donnie pulled out the portable portal and pressed the button to open it, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Ooh I'll go first!" Mikey said and immediately ran through before anyone could say otherwise.

"He always that energetic?" Mona asked Raph with a sideways glance.

"You don't know the half of it." Raph said with a roll of his eyes.

Leo took a moment to actually look at her and take her in. She was probably their age. Dark brown wavy hair, brown eyes, green complexion with a long tail, probably a lizard, and a little bit on the skinny side as far as most girls were concerned. A little too skinny for Leo's taste, but not bad overall. Obviously Raphael's type, if the way she pummeled that Krang unit was any indication.

He returned to the real world as Donnie went through the portal. Raph gestured for the older turtle to go first but Leo shook his head. "No. I want to make certain you make it back this time."

Raph smiled and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, his other hand holding the lizard girls. He looked over at her. "Ya ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"On three?"

"Okay. THREE!" She yelled as she jumped through the portal, dragging Raphael after her. Leo smiled and followed a moment later.

Four turtles and a lizard walked through the dimensional interim at a leisurely pace, searching for the right portal to enter. "Uh, guys what's this one?" Mikey asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness. The four others came closer and peered into the triangular portal to see an entire battalion of Krang coming towards it.

"It's another part of Dimension X. They must have found out about the computer. They're probably on high alert."

"What computer?"

"Now's not the time Don. We need to get out of here, fast."

Leo took command. "Split up search for a way back home, hurry."

But at that moment the Krang battalion came through the portal and started firing on them. Leo pulled out his katana and deflected a few shots. "You guys find the portal, Raph and I will hold them off."

"So will I." Mona added.

Raph looked at her about to start arguing when Leo interrupted. "No time to argue." With that he jumped in and began slicing up the Krang. Raphael frowned, that didn't make him any happier.

Mikey searched frantically for the right portal. He looked into a portal, it was filled with goo and things that looked like giant jellyfish, then he looked into another one. Oh that's the one with April wearing a jumpsuit. Hm. What about that one? He went over and looked into it—Ah yes, home! Finally! "I found it guys!" Donnie ran over to his side and they turned to Leo, who was still busy slicing up Krang.

"You two go ahead, we'll be right behind you."

They nodded and jumped through. Leo called out to his brother, "Raph come on we're leaving."

"Roger that, fearless leader." Raph pulled back from the Krang he was fighting and gestured to Mona, who quickly joined him. The three of them ran for the portal all the way at the end of the inter-dimensional hallway. The Krang opened fire on them, pink plasma fire raining down on them. Leo was almost in the portal when he heard a scream from behind him. He turned just in time to see Mona Lisa fall to the ground, shot in the leg. He looked at his brother, who had an expression on his face that Leo had never seen before. And the red-banded turtle jumped back into the fray and ran to her, scooping her up in his arms bridal style despite her insistence that he leave her behind. "Go Leo." Raphael shouted at his older brother as he ran towards him. "I'm right behind ya." Leo nodded and disappeared through the portal. Raph ran as fast as he could with Mona, her arms wrapped around his neck. Suddenly a bright pink shot from one of the plasma guns hit the portable portal. Raph's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted the last three meters. Those three meters felt like an eternity. At two meters the portal generator began sparking and at one meter it was starting to close.

Raphael jumped with all his might into the portal, emerging on the streets of New York once again, or more like the rooftops. When Raph realized he was about to hit the rooftop he pulled Mona Lisa against his chest to shield her from the impact and then they rolled over several times before finally stopping, the lizard mutant laying lightly atop his plastron. She opened her eyes and looked around in awe.

The turtle stood up and held her in is arms, before lifting her up and spinning around joyously. We're alive! And we're home! The two of them rejoiced, taking no heed of the other three turtles watching them. Raphael lowered her to the ground as she leaned on her good leg. It's probably just a bad plasma burn, she thought to herself. She looked up into his eyes and still pumped with adrenaline, put her arms around his neck and pressed her beak to his. Leo, Mikey and Donnie's eyes were the size of dinner plates. Mona pulled away quickly, her ash-covered face turning pink with embarrassment.

"Guys did she just?" Michelangelo asked, pointing at them.

"Yes she did Mikey. Yes she did." Leo said with a smirk.

Mona looked anywhere but his eyes as she blushed and stammered. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so…"

The red-banded turtle grabbed her hand in his own. "No, it's okay. I don't mind."

The lizard girl smiled and blushed a second time. For a few moments they just stared at each other. Raph's brothers said nothing as they watched the scene play out. Mikey smirked and chuckled evilly before approaching his big brother and tapping him on the shoulder, killing the moment. "MIKEY!" Raph yelled as he tackled his younger brother to the ground. Mona Lisa giggled until the support that she had been getting from Raph was gone. Isn't that just like a boy, she thought. Leo immediately stepped up and wrapped her arm across his shoulders for support before she could fall over.

Donatello spoke, making the two brawling brothers pause, "Come on guys, it's been a long couple of days. Let's go home." Both Raph and Mikey nodded.

Raphael approached Mona and Leo, giving his brother a grateful glance that Leo returned with a gentle smile. The red-clad turtle swept the teenage mutant lizard up into his arms with a smile on his face, one that his brothers hadn't seen in a very very long time.

Of course leave it to Mikey to ruin the moment, "So Raphie, is she your guuuuuurlfriend?"

But instead of an angry outburst, or a foul-mouthed retort, that they would have expected, Raphael just grinned, looked down at the girl and replied, "Yeah Mikey. She's my girlfriend." And the lizard girl, laying half-asleep in the arms of her savior, smiled.