Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Well, here's the next chapter! Another character from the Mirage comics will appear in this one! You'll soon see who... 0.0
Also, I'm not good at describing battles. Just saying...
"Who are you guys?"
"We're the Komodo Dragons, gramps."
"Yeah, we rule this part of New York."
Sixty-nine year old Vincent Walter, owner of the Aunty's Cottage grocery store, was face to face with two young men wearing black leather clothing and pointing guns at him.
Vincent wasn't the least bit intimidated by these punks.
"Komodo Dragons?" he snorted. "Never heard of you. Who's your boss? Ice N Dice? Draco? The Jester?"
"Nah," the taller kid named Bones said. "Our main man's King Komodo."
The shorter kid, whose name was Skull, drank a bottle of vodka. "Ahh. Yep, Komodo's the king of this neighborhood. Big mutant. Can crush a guy's skull with one stomp."
"Lot of teeth, too," Bones added with a chuckle.
"Don't you kids have anything better to do with your lives?" Vincent crossed his arms.
"We make 80 grand a week, old man," Skull growled. "That's more than what you make in a year."
"Where do you get the money, anyway? Robbing grocery stores? You think stealing from your elders makes you men?"
"Enough yapping," Bones slammed his palm on the desk and gestured toward the cashier with his handgun. "Open it, or we blow your brains out, smart guy."
"Sure," Vincent reached for the cashier with one hand, but then whipped out a shotgun with the other, aiming it at the two robbers. They immediately dropped their handguns and put their hands up, slowly backing away from the old man.
"Wh-oa, easy, man," Bones nervously said. "Ain't no need for that."
"You two made a big mistake trying to steal from me," Vincent grinned. "I'm not your average grocery store owner. I also happen to be a veteran. So don't try my patience."
Vincent then heard a growling noise from behind him. He turned and saw an enormous, muscular mutant komodo dragon that was looming over him and snarling. Immediately he pointed the gun at the lizard, but then it grabbed the weapon with its jaws and jerked it out of his hands. With one powerful bite, the gun was split in half.
The beast grabbed Vincent by the neck and lifted him up, choking him.
"Ko...Komodo...I presume?" Vincent choked out.
"That's King Komodo to you," the mutant sneered. "And you made a big mistake pointing a gun at me. Either you've very brave or you're very stupid."
"Boss!" Skull gulped. "What are you doing here?"
"Making sure you rookies don't screw this one up, too," Komodo glared at the two robbers. "Last time you cost me 15 grand." He picked up the cashier and threw against the wall. It broke into pieces and the coins and dollar bills were scattered all over the floor. "Get the cash. I'll take care of Rambo here."
He leaned his face close to Vincent's, the tips of his forked tongue touching the old man's cheek. "You're willing to die for this country. But are you willing to die for this store?"
The sound of objects dropping caught everyone's attention. They saw a buch of chicken soup cans rolling across the floor.
"Bones, check it out," Komodo commanded. Said robber immediately searched the aisles for any intruders.
Seconds later they heard a bloodcurdling scream.
A mysterious figure then stepped out of the shadows and was holding twin katanas, one of which was dripping with someone's blood. When he got closer to the trio, they realized that it was the infamous vigilante the Serpent.
"Oh, snap!" Skull cowered away from the approaching warrior. "It's that Serpent dude! Screw this! I'm outta here!" The robber then sprinted toward the exit. But before he could reach the doors, a couple of shurikens hit him in the back. He fell to the ground, twitching and moaning in pain.
Leo then turned his attention to the mutant crime boss and gave him a predatory smirk. "Long time, no see, Komodo."
"Leonardo," Komodo narrowed his eyes and growled. He dropped the store owner, who scotted away and reached for the phone. "You know, I haven't had the chance to thank you for cutting off my tail." He pointed behind him at the stump that used to be his long magnificent tail.
"Your head is next," Leo pointed his sword at the huge lizard.
"Not before I bite off yours," Komodo smirked before he lifted the desk and threw it at the Turtle, who jumped out of the way in time. Komodo then leapt through the storefront window, shattering it. Leo was about to give chase when he heard Skull groaning.
"Oops," he said as he walked to where Skull lay and knelt over him. "Almost forgot about you."
"Yes, hello," Vincent talked to the police on the other line. "The Komodo Dragons tried to rob my store. Their boss got away, but one of the robbers is still here with..." He paused when he saw Leo place the sword at Skull's throat and then slit it. "Oh, my god," he whispered.
Leo sheathed his swords and headed to the broken window. "Sorry about the mess," he said as he passed by Vincent. The old man stared in shock as a puddle of blood formed around Skull's head.
The mutant lizard arrived at the junkyard, mountains of garbage and debris towering over him. He cautiously looked around him, listening for the predator that was hunting him.
"What's the matter, Komodo? Is his Highness too afraid to face the Serpent?"
Komodo could hear Leo's voice taunting him, but he was nowhere in sight.
"I'm not afraid!" Komodo called out. "You're the one hiding behind all this garbage! You truly are a snake...a cowardly snake!"
He heard a can falling down a pile of garbage, and he turned in just time to see Leo diving toward him, his swords drawn out. But instead of jumping out of the way, Komodo did something that even surprised Leo: he leapt right at him! Before Leo could react, Komodo headbutted him, causing the Turtle to see stars and fall to the ground.
The dazed Leonardo continued to lie on the ground as Komodo stomped toward him.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Komodo chuckled darkly and cracked his knuckles. He reached down to grab Leo with his large hand...
A foot suddenly kicked him in the snout. He cried out in pain and shock and stumbled backwards, holding his hands to his nose. He opened his eyes and saw a woman with long black hair and wearing silver armor with aurburn material underneath. On her breastplate was the Hamato symbol. She glared at him and unsheathed her swords.
"Stay away from him," she growled.
Komodo chuckled. "Who's this?" he asked Leo, who was regaining consciousness. "Your girlfriend?"
Karai only charged at him. She kicked and stabbed at him, but he blocked and avoided her blows. At one point, while she delivered a kick, he grabbed her ankle and threw her against the side of an old, rusted car. She groaned and gripped her shoulder in pain.
Komodo licked his chops and stomped toward the kunoichi...
...then a sword pierced right through his chest.
Komodo gasped and his whole body twitched, before he fell to the ground. Leo looked down at him with cold white eyes as he raised his sword over his head.
"Told you I'd have your head," he said before he brought the sword down, decapitating the mutant lizard right in front of Karai.
She put her hand to her mouth in shock, her brown eyes wide and full of fear.
Leo looked up and gave her a soft smile. "Good to see you again, Miwa." He walked over to her and offered her hand. Hesitantly, she took it and got back on her feet.
"Y-yeah," she said nervously. "Good to see you, too. Listen, Leo, we need to talk."
"I like your new look, by the way."
Leo and Karai sat on a rooftop, staring at the city lights and the moon hovering above them.
She looked over at him and smiled. "It reminds me of when you fought crime with me and Shinigami years ago."
Leo nodded and traced the snake tattoo on his plastron. "You could say that you inspired me."
Karai's smile turned into a frown and she lowered her eyes sadly. "We never killed anyone, though," she whispered.
"I know," Leo said impassively. "And that's why they kept coming back. We never actually got the job done. We just toyed with them."
"Our job is to protect this city," Karai snapped. "Not to...to execute criminals."
"I am protecting this city," Leo retorted. "The less criminals there are in New York, the safer the civilians will be."
"Well, they sure don't feel safe. They're calling you a criminal, too."
"I know I am."
"...What?"
"I know killing people is wrong, even if I do have the best of intentions. But someone has to get their hands dirty in order to keep everyone else safe."
"Leo," Karai looked at him sadly and put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to stoop to their level."
"Apparently, I do," Leo looked at her with cold eyes. "Sure, I could turn them in. But what good would that do? They'd be back on the streets soon afterwards and continue to terrorize the innocent."
"I see your point. But still it's..."
"That's not why you came to see me, is it?"
She sighed and hugged her arms. "No, it isn't. Father is dying."
At the mention of his former Sensei and adoptive father, Leo's eyes widened and he bit his lower lip. But then he cleared his throat and regained his composure. "He is, huh?" he calmly asked. "How long does he have left?"
Karai closed her eyes. "There's no telling. And I know you can't forgive Splinter for what he did thirty years ago. I'm not asking you to, but I am asking you to come and see him one last time before he dies."
It was silent for a moment before Leo spoke in a low, cold voice. "Why should I?"
"I knew you would say that," Karai rubbed her temples. "Well, for one, it's what Mikey would've wanted."
"Don't," Leo glared at her and gritted his teeth, "talk to me about Mikey. What do you know? He wasn't even your brother. He was mine. And that rat sacrificed him to that...monster. Mikey didn't deserve to die like that."
"You're right, Leo," Karai softly said. "But I do know one thing about Mikey: he loved his family so much, and he'd be heartbroken to see you guys so broken and resentful toward each other."
Leo didn't respond and only looked down at the streets.
"And I know that, despite how much you may resent him," Karai continued, "you wouldn't want to deny a dying old man inner peace."
"He doesn't deserve it," Leo got up and started to walk away. "He can rot for all I care."
"Leo!" Karai ran after him and grabbed his arm. "Wait! If you won't do it for Splinter or me, then do it for Mikey, so he can rest in peace!"
Leo's expression softened as he thought about his late baby brother. How he threw water balloons at them just to ease the tension, even though he knew that he'd get a scolding or even a shell wedgie afterwards. How he cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for them and told jokes to brighten their day. How he'd give his family hope by remaining optimistic and reminding them that every cloud has a silver lining.
How he had always wanted to make his father proud of him.
Leo felt anger boiling in him once again.
"As a leader, you will learn that there is no right and wrong. Only choices."
"So you could have chosen any of us?"
"Yes."
"Even Mikey?!"
"No, that would've been wrong."
"You made a wise decision, Michelangelo."
"HUH?"
"Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say that, either."
"And what about Mikey? What are they gonna do to him up there in that freaky ship? Probe him?"
"First, we must destroy the black-hole machine. That is the priority. If we cannot stop this weapon, the entire world is doomed."
"I choose Michelangelo."
Leo growled and jerked his arm out of Karai's grasp. She gasped and looked at him with eyes full of hurt.
"Leo..." she begged.
He didn't turn to look at her. "Mikey mattered so little to Splinter," he quietly said, "because he couldn't live up to his expectations or focus more on the missions. He never said so, but it was obvious that Sensei viewed Mikey as an embarrassment to the Hamato Clan." She heard him sigh shakily. "But my brothers and I...we loved Mikey for who he was, despite all of his flaws. In our eyes, he was perfect."
When he turned his head to look at her, she saw unshed tears in his blue eyes. "But I guess that wasn't enough for Splinter. He didn't even consider how we'd feel about losing Mikey." He looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. "He didn't even watch...the coward."
He closed his eyes tight, a single tear flowing down his cheek.
"He's the reason Mikey's resting in the first place," he whispered.
Karai had never seen Leo cry before, and it absolutely broke her heart. She tried to control her own tears and took a deep breath. "Well, what...what would you have done if you were in Splinter's place?"
He quickly wiped his eyes and turned to face her. "If it were up to me?"
She nodded her head.
"I would have chosen you," he said without hesitation.
"...Oh." She tried to hide the hurt she was feeling right now.
Leo continued to speak with an impassive expression on his face. "You probably already know this, but I had strong feelings for you back then. But they weren't strong enough for me to choose you over any of my brothers. I'm sorry, Miwa, but that's the truth."
"I see," Karai said before she sighed deeply. "So I guess the answer's still 'no'?"
"What do you think?" he scoffed as he crossed his arms.
Her eyes brimmed with tears and she proceeded to walk past him, but she stopped for a moment to look directly into his face. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us."
He watched as she jumped onto the next rooftop and eventually disappeared into the night. He sat back down on the edge and pulled out his katana. He stared at his reflection off the blade.
"You should be enjoying your victory. You did a great thing tonight, Leonardo. You saved everyone."
"Not everyone. I tried to get Karai out of Shredder's control. I failed Sensei. I'm sorry."
"We saved her once, Leonardo. Perhaps we can save her again. And now you show great gifts as a healer. Being at the edge of your life gave you a power that few martial artists can tap. I am proud of you, my son."
Leo sighed and put the sword aside. He then looked up at the ever-bright moon in the sky.
He could feel the tears coming back again.
I'm still a failure.
"So he said, 'no'?"
Yes.
April sat at the kitchen table with phone in her hand. She came home with the hope that Casey had been able to convince Raph to return to New York. But as she had feared, the hothead refused to come back.
And now she was hearing from Karai that Leo had turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
Defeated, she covered her face with her hand and let out a sob.
April. April, listen to me. You tried. We all did. We'll...we'll get through this, okay?
"O-okay, Karai," she sniffled wetly. "Tell Master Splinter 'goodnight' for me."
I will. Goodnight, April.
She hung up and went upstairs to her bedroom where her husband waited for her.
Shadow yawned and rubbed her eyes as she went downstairs.
It was 2 am in the morning, and she was craving for a late-night snack. As she approached the kitchen, she heard a loud munching sound. She peeked in and saw a dark figure sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter.
"Dad?"
She reached for the light switch on the wall and flipped it.
She then screamed at the top of her lungs.
Uh-oh! An intruder! Who is it? You will find out in the next chapter!
Also, the quotes that I've borrowed from the show came from the following episodes:
Rise Of The Turtles Part 2
It Came From The Depths
Annihilation Earth
The Deadly Venom
Also, the grocery store part was inspired by a scene from the movie The Dark Knight Returns: Part 2.