Hello everyone! Back to our regularly scheduled program! I hope you enjoy!
Donatello bit back a harsh cry of pain, curling his body as tightly as possible around Mikey's slumped form. The youngest was frighteningly still, head lolling against the wall of the warehouse they'd busted an illegal weapon's deal in. Or, they tried to bust, but true to their turtle luck, it quickly backfired.
Just a couple hours earlier, Raphael, Mikey and Don had been returning from a night spent helping April at the shop. The human woman had called the lair that afternoon, explaining that she'd received a large delivery and was struggling to sort through the sheer volume of boxes. Donatello quickly volunteered, April valued the genius turtle's insight into some of the more obscure items, with Michelangelo following close behind, due to the youngest hoping for the discovery of any rare comic books. Raphael was pulled into service as he was the strongest turtle in the clan, and his brawn would be needed for some of the heavier antiques. The brawler complained, but only a little, as April promised pizza in exchange for labor. Leo was about to raise his hand to help, but was held back when Master Splinter reminded him of special leadership training that he needed to complete.
So, with a shrug and an apologetic smile, the clan's scion waved his approval that they go without him.
The afternoon passed swiftly, the younger brothers providing their aid making light work of the mountain of boxes. After a handful of hours, and a much appreciated pizza party, the night was still young when the turtles were finally released from service. This was when the night took its downward spiral. Michelangelo, scouting ahead while indulging in some rooftop parkour, had come to a stop, baby blue eyes narrow as he watched a sketchy looking van pull into an alleyway. After his brothers caught up, it had quickly become apparent that there was some serious lawlessness being conducted. Weapons, both human and alien in origin, were being unloaded and about to be sold to purple dragons. Before Donatello could say a word about waiting until after he'd called Leo, Raphael had already jumped down and begun pummeling all involved in the shady deal, which turned out to be a veritable army of thugs hiding in the shadows.
Needless to say, the brawler's plan didn't work.
They were ambushed, and the younger brothers quickly found themselves in over their heads. A literal wave of bodies crashing down on the turtles. Donatello barely had enough time to rig the van holding the weapons to blow, before being caught in a fight against an entire army. The genius tried to call Leo, but was never able to have enough space to make a grab for his shell cell. Thankfully, Michelangelo had been able to give himself enough breathing room to press the panic button on their shell cells, alerting the family mother hen of their predicament. Now, they could only wait for the cavalry to arrive. However, almost an hour of fighting later, Mikey had been knocked unconscious by a lucky shot, and Raph was nursing a broken arm. Despite the red banded turtle doing an impressive job of fighting one handed, given the circumstances, the scientist knew his offense wouldn't last for much longer. They needed their leader, they needed Leonardo.
Donnie grimaced, feeling his bones rattle as a gang banger broke a wooden bat on his carapace, prompting the turtle to curl ever more tightly around Mikey. The scientist was doing his utmost to protect the youngest, putting his shell between the baby's already battered head, and the rabid criminals intent on beating them to a pulp. However, he was unable to do more than clutch the orange banded turtle's limp form, his Bo staff long since broken in the fracas earlier. Raphael strained to stem the tide, but the brawler was quickly wearing down and his green skin was slick with sweat.
Donatello pulled in a stuttered breath, wincing as his ribs shrieked in protest. Popping his head up, the scientist could only watch as, finally, Raphael was overcome. His bulky frame slamming to the ground, rolling the last few feet until he was sprawled on the floor by his younger siblings. Stretching out an unsteady hand, Donatello grasped the trembling shoulder of his older brother, noting how the brawler was wheezing in ragged gasps. "Raphie," Don asked, giving the broad shoulder a shake, "Raph, you okay?"
At first nothing, just the heavy pants of the brawler as he fought for air, before the muscular frame slowly rolled backwards. With an agonized groan, Raphael pushed himself back until his carapace was pressed against Donnie's legs. "I'm sorry," the hothead moaned, "this is my fault, shouldn't of jumped in like I did."
Donatello opened his mouth to try and console his brother by saying it wasn't, only to find that he couldn't. Yes, this was Raphael's fault. Very much so. However, he also wasn't going to rub it in his brother's face by confirming what they both knew. Heaving a sigh, the genius rasped, "Be that as it may, why don't we have that discussion when we make it out of this alive? I'm sure Leo will be more than happy to give you the lecture you deserve."
Raphael gave a rueful grimace, but chose only to nod. He may be the hothead of the family, but Donnie had to give it to Raph, when he acknowledged a personal fault, he was willing to take the consequences that came with it. Their conversation was cut short though as a burly gang banger stomped his way up to them. Cracking hairy knuckles, the man sneered at the three terrapins, Donatello returned the gesture by giving their opponent his sternest snarl. The punk cackled, yellowed teeth bared, as he stared down at his quarry. "I always heard you were tough," he stated with a mocking laugh, "I was told so many ghost stories about you freaks."
The man crouched down till he was eye level to the fallen siblings, hands loosely hanging off his knees, "You don't look that strong to me, though," he sighed, disappointment etched into his features, "barely broke a sweat taking you down."
Donatello was a pacifist at heart, preferring to explore the wonders of the known and unknown universe through experiments. However, their circumstances did not afford them the luxury of living a life devoid of violence. Thus the reason why all four turtles endured rigorous training every day of their lives, and were capable of handling situations that many would categorize as hopeless. As such, the brothers were anything but weak, so Donnie felt a sting to his pride at the purple dragon's comment. They were stronger than this, they could have won, the amount of gang members here could have not been a problem. However, Raphael blasting through the front door without a plan, knowing they were one turtle down, cost them the crucial element of surprise that was key for a ninja.
Raphael opened his mouth to shoot back a fiery retort, but must have decided against it, choosing rather to clench his jaw in frustration. A calloused hand gripped the broken right arm, holding it against the scarred plastron, and after several heartbeats the brawler pulled in a measured breath, "Ya may have won because ya beat us through sheer numbers," Raph grumbled, tone low and dangerous, "but ya didn't take all of us down, and if I know him, any minute now yer about ta eat yer words."
The thug paused, confusion coloring his dark eyes, and Donnie watched his gaze bounce as he silently counted them, "There's only three here," he murmured thoughtfully, before turning to one of his cohorts, "hey, there are only three, didn't ya say that there's four?"
The man's question was cut short as the large warehouse suddenly fell into darkness, the lights whining as they powered down, leaving the warehouse completely dark, save what illumination filtered through the windows from the street lights outside. The gang of purple dragons punctuated the pitch black with startled gasps, many stumbling through the dark to grab a weapon, and then clutch it like a teddy bear to ward off the boogeyman. Seconds passed in silence, the terrified stuttered gasps of the criminals being the only thing heard as they watched and waited. Until, almost a minute after they lost the lights, a shrill scream exploded on the other side of the warehouse, but was cut off with chilling brevity. Donnie could only smile. The cavalry has arrived, and by the sounds of it, he's furious.
"Wha-what was that?" The thug crouching in front of them stammered, his features visibly paling, even in the gloom.
Another purple dragon standing nearby, a young thin guy, built like a runner, shook as a harsh shiver slunk down his spine, "The blue demon," he gasped in a horrified whisper, "he's here!"
"The what?"
Another cut off scream, then two, each one closer than before, marking the progress of the mysterious attacker. Raphael gave a small chuckle, battered body shaking softly in amusement from where he lay on the floor, "Like I said," he growled, "get ready ta eat yer words, punk."
Suddenly the air was rent with a cacophony of wailing cries and startled gasps, aimless cracks of gunfire giving an erratic staccato, each quickly brought back to a deafening silence. Oh yeah, Leo was very mad. Donatello grimaced, they were undoubtedly going to enjoy a lengthy lecture tonight, lengthy and very possibly accompanied by being grounded with extra training or household chores for a month. Ugh, Donnie bit back a groan. Knowing their fearless leader, he wasn't going to only punish Raph for jumping headfirst into a dangerous situation. They were all in for it when they got home. The scientist pouted at the muscular form of Raphael, taking advantage of the darkness to angrily stick his tongue out at the brawler. While he was glad that Leo was here to rescue them, this whole thing could have been avoided. They really needed to put their family hothead on a leash or something.
The thug in front of them snarled, fear evident in his wide brown eyes, "I'm not scared of you," he bellowed unconvincingly, "I'm not scared of a freak!"
"Maybe you should be,"
Leonardo's smooth tones was his only warning before a muscular figure melted from the shadows, merciless steel gleaming in the moonlight, it's keen edge resting threateningly against the thug's throat, "What?!" The thug exclaimed, sweat trickling down from his hairline as he gaped at the sword tickling the skin of his neck, "How'd you get in here, what are you?!"
"Depends on who you ask," Leo hissed, features veiled in shadow, save for the furious blue of his eyes, "some say I'm a demon from the pits of hell, some think I'm a creature from space, to others I'm just a freak," Leo spat that last word, lips curling in anger, "but for you? For you, I'll be the grim reaper, that is if you try to do anything I don't like."
Leo increased the pressure he held on the blade against their enemy's throat, causing a thin trickle of blood to slide down the man's Adams apple, and forcing the gang banger to whine in terror.
In that moment, Donatello could understand why the purple dragons called his brother the blue demon. Leo radiated ruthless fury, his sapphire gaze glowing chips of ice, that seemed to hold the brutal chill of the Alaskan tundra. The gloom of the moonlight in the dark warehouse did nothing to hide the carefully sculpted form of their leader's musculature, or his size, now quite intimidating what with their last growth spurt seven months ago. A dispassionate face completed the image, his features devoid of the warmth they were so used to seeing. This Leonardo was not the leader that they loved so well, no, right now he was an assassin; cold and calculating, holding life and death in his hands as if they were a toy for his pleasure. Donnie couldn't help the shiver of fear that danced down his spine, the urge to hide from those merciless eyes clenching his heart, prompting a whimper to breathe past trembling lips.
He'd forgotten just how strong Leo was. To be honest, they'd all forgotten just how strong their brother was, until moments like this. When the chips were down, and the younger brothers were in danger of being hurt or even killed. Then, suddenly, flashing like lightening across the desert, Leonardo would pull from the darkest parts of his heart, and become the blue demon that hunted the streets of New York. A cold phantom that haunted the rooftops and dealt out justice to those stupid enough to break the law on his turf. While some would think that he was behaving like Raphael in moments like this, they couldn't be more wrong. Temperament was the main difference between Leo and Raphael. The brawler's anger burned hot, but the leader's fury seared cold. Both opposite sides of elemental powers, one with a temper on a hairpin trigger, the other's fury a creeping slow thing that froze your blood in your veins and rendered you helpless. While the young warrior was known for his compassion, and praised for his wisdom in leading his small clan, in the times where his family was in danger, he showed just why his power and position as leader ought to be respected, and most importantly, feared.
Using the sword to tilt the thug's head up, Leonardo sneered at the man, "If you value your head, I'd suggest you step away from my brothers."
His voice was as smooth and even as velvet, but underneath the soft folds, there was a layer of steel that promised death to anyone not taking him seriously. The large purple dragon considered rebellion, angry gaze assessing the new threat, despite the fearful trembling afflicting his frame. However, he appeared to decide that it wasn't worth it, as Leo met the man stare for stare, cold sapphire against cautious brown. Putting both hands slowly down onto the floor, the thug shuffled backwards, escaping the cold metal defending the fallen terrapins. As the man moved away, Leo stepped between the gang and his siblings, his footsteps as graceful and silent as a ghost.
The purple dragon slowly stood, his bulky form more than ten feet away from Leo, not taking his eyes off the young leader. "You may have caught me by surprise," he spat, gaze burning with furious humiliation, "but that doesn't mean you're going to get out of here alive. We still outnumber you ten to one."
Leonardo gave a dark chuckle, the corner of his mouth twitching in a confident smile, "More like five to one, considering I took out the majority of your friends in the warehouse," he corrected, "and with odds like that, I assure you that I will be leaving here alive, and so will my brothers."
Donnie watched as the human's face flushed red in anger when Leo refused to give the thug his due respect through fear. The genius smirked at their leader's easy confidence on the field of battle. Leonardo, however, continued to stare at their opponent, before the green hand shifted its grip on his katana. The free hand reaching up behind to grab his second katana, pulling it from its sheath with a metallic ring. Once both blades were in hand, Leo lowered his body into a defensive stance, blue eyes pinned on the humans surrounding them. The bulky dragon chuckled softly, shaking his head in apparent disbelief.
"You're no dummy, are you?" He asked, "Already know what I'm thinking, huh?"
Leo merely shrugged, giving a mischievous smile at the human, "Not that difficult, considering all that empty space."
Donnie choked, one hand slapping over his mouth to stifle his giggle. The thug wasn't so amused. Lips curling into a snarl, the man cracked his knuckles, "You're going to pay for that," he growled, "first you, then your brothers."
The smirk fell from the blue banded turtle's face, "I'd like to see you try." He hissed.
"GET HIM!"
With a roar, the remaining gang bangers rushed forward, but Leo remained motionless until the last possible second, allowing them their charge. Raphael struggled to sit up, broken body shaking under the strain, trying to aid his brother, frightened that Leo would be hurt or killed but was quickly silenced. Right as their enemy was within arms reach, the leader threw down several smoke bombs, engulfing himself and his enemy in a dark cloud of confusion. Both the brawler and genius watched the carnage that unfolded, trained eyes able to follow their brothers silky smooth movements as he cut down his enemy with ruthless ease. Not for the first time that night, the younger brothers were once again in awe of their eldest sibling, and his prowess in the arts of ninjutsu.
However, something seemed different tonight. Donatello squinted his brown eyes, peering through the smoke and paying particular attention to Leo's finishing move. Was he…slashing their faces? Strange. Leonardo was never one to target his enemy's face with his katana, choosing rather to incapacitate by focusing on the torso, or legs and arms. Not only that, but from what Donnie could make out, the cuts were shallow enough to not kill, but deep enough to scar. Over and over, Leo sliced his opponents, with one or two seamless attacks rendering them unconscious, but then as he whirled around to face his next opponent, would deliver a decisive blow that left one or both cheeks gushing blood.
What was he doing?
Finally, as the smoke began to recede, Leonardo stood alone in the dark, the pack of purple dragons groaning at his feet, clutching their varying injuries. Their leader stood for a moment, muscles tense as he carefully analyzed his surroundings, waiting for any other attacker that might try their luck against the lethal terrapin. After several heartbeats, and very little movement, Leo gave a satisfied nod, and proceeded to turn around towards his brothers and step over their fallen foes. In just a few quick strides, the eldest was at his siblings' side, assessing injuries with worried sapphire eyes.
"How bad is Mikey?"
Don flinched at the clinical tone Leo spoke in, cold as a winter wind, something he never used in the presence of the younger brothers before, "He's unconscious," the scientist stammered in reply, "his heartbeat and breathing is steady, so he'll probably just have a concussion, but once we're back to the lair I'll give him a more in-depth physical."
The leader gave a stern nod, gently pulling Raphael's arm away from the brawler's plastron to get a better look. "Your arm's pretty messed up," Leo stated in a soft growl, but showed it wasn't directed at his sibling by following it up with a snarled question, "Who did this?"
Raph reeled back, topaz eyes wide in both startled surprise and fear, unnerved by the venomous hatred glowing deep within the sapphire gaze, "Uh, no one," he supplied with a forced careless shrug, "there was so many of 'em, I didn't see who did it."
Leonardo paused, analytical eyes glancing up at the brawler for moment, but then chose to accept Raphael's answer. Fetching a broken piece of wood laying on the floor, likely broken on Donatello's shell, the warrior removed his blue mask, using it to tie a splint on their brother's broken arm. Donnie released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding a silently as he could manage, unused to the chilly atmosphere that currently surrounded their eldest sibling. A brief shared glance with Raphael confirmed that the brawler felt the same, worry shining in liquid gold eyes, even as Leo gave disappointed clucks with his tongue over his younger brother's broken arm.
"Alright," the leader finally stated, tenderly patting the splinted arm with a firm nod, "you ready to move?"
"Y-yeah," Raph nodded, holding out his good arm so Leo could help haul him to his feet.
Donnie followed suit, draping Mikey's arms over his shoulders, and then shrug the youngest up into something resembling a piggy back. Michelangelo gave a soft moan, then with a sleepy mumble, proceeded to cuddle his head into Don's neck. The genius smiled fondly at their baby brother, briefly nuzzling the battered head, offering comfort along with a healthy dose of affection. Although unconscious, Mikey immediately responded to the touch, leaning into Donatello's cheek and giving a happy sigh. The scientist chuckled at the action, before turning back and finding Raphael on his feet, but leaning heavily on their leader. Don felt his breath catch as the unnerving behavior of their brother worsened as the eldest sent spiteful glares at the groaning bodies sprawled around them. Sparing their fallen foes a brief glance, Don remembered the odd thing he saw during the fight, and quickly opened his mouth to ask his brother to explain.
"Leo?" Their leader's head swung back around, a curious sapphire gaze waiting for Don to finish his question, "Why did you cut their faces after defeating them?"
If Donatello was hoping to draw Leonardo out from his odd mood, then his plan failed. The blue clad ninja's eyes narrowed, the air around him freezing as if it were infused with ice, "So they can remember," he hissed.
"Remember what?" Donnie didn't like how his voice quavered, he'd never been scared of Leo before, even when he attacked Master Splinter, but tonight had shown him a side of his brother he'd never seen before.
Leo paused, as if carefully piecing his words together in an effort to be understood, "To remember that I held their lives in my hands tonight," he finally stated slowly, "that I could have claimed their heads if I wanted to, I could have killed them all, without even a second thought. I should have, but unlike them, I believe that a warrior should have honor."
The young leader hesitated, mouth hanging open, before finishing his explanation in a savage rasp, "I also wanted it to serve as a warning, that if they ever try hurting my family again, next time they won't make it out with just scratches. I'm sick of it always being us who gets hurt, it's about time they walk away with some scars, so I thought if I left them with some, maybe they'd realize that death is closer than they think, and that alone would make them think twice."
Silence once again fell between the brothers, and Leonardo snarled at the ground, angry eyes once again sweeping to view their enemy, "I could have killed them tonight, it would have made our lives easier, and maybe I should have. Its past time that they learn that when they mess with what's mine, they'll get hurt."
Donatello shivered at the cold finality of Leo's words, not doubting even one iota if their leader meant what he said. No, Leonardo meant every word, and then some. He would not stand for anyone hurting his family. While usually a comforting thought, the genius couldn't deny feeling very freaked out by the eldest's fury. It was too close to when Leo was spiraling into that pit of anger that led him to being sent to Japan. It scared the purple clad ninja, making the scientist feel an overwhelming urge to make it go away. They needed to disarm this ticking time bomb of a mood, maybe bring the Leo they knew and loved back. The scientist wracked his brain on how to accomplish said task, but was coming up short of ideas. That was when a snort, followed by a soft snicker, exploded from Raphael's lips.
Casting amused topaz eyes on his leader, the brawler gave a mischievous smirk at their big brother. "Whatever," he scoffed playfully, "ya think yer actin' real tough, but I know ya only did that because we watched Princess Bride last night. Yer just tryin' ta be cool like Inigo, aren't ya?"
The chilly atmosphere immediately melted, lightening the mood and making the younger brothers feel like they could breathe again, like snow in a warm spring rain. The sapphire gaze widened to comical proportions, even as a blush colored the green cheeks of their leader, "No!" He squawked, tone panicked and indignant, "I was not trying to copy a movie!"
"Sure ya weren't," Raphie sent Don a grateful grin behind Leo's back, quite happy with himself at how flustered he'd gotten their leader, "yer face says different, though, bro!"
"I thought of that myself!" The blue clad ninja insisted, the tension draining from his muscles, making his features less cold blooded and more like the teenager he was, "I wasn't trying to look cool," he muttered.
"Of course, whatever you say, aniki," Donnie snickered.
Leo pouted, unhappy that his moment had been spoiled by his younger brother, before rolling blue eyes, "Whatever," he grumbled, "but don't think that any of you are getting out of the lecture of a lifetime for jumping into this mess. What even happened?"
"Look, leave Mikey outta this," Raph mumbled, "poor kid is gonna have one heck of a headache without yer lecture."
"I'll consider your request once you tell me how it happened." The leader snapped.
"Well," the brawler paused, considering how to tell the story without landing into more trouble, "we were on our way back from April's when Mikey noticed that van pulling inta the warehouse. We stopped ta see what it was and that's when Donnie saw it was an illegal weapon's deal with the Purple Dragons."
"And you just randomly decided to handle it by yourself?!" Leo was utterly appalled, features slack in distraught disbelief, "Why didn't you call me?!"
"I was going to," Donnie quickly joined in, trotting to keep up with his older brothers, "but before I could, someone thought it would be a good idea to jump in headfirst without a plan!"
"Traitor," Raphael muttered unhappily.
"Mikey pressed the panic button as soon as he could manage after we followed Raphie." The genius finished his explanation with an indignant sniff.
The brawler can call him a traitor all he wants, if throwing one's sibling under the proverbial bus got them out of a Leo lecture and being grounded, then under the bus Raphael would go!
Leonardo sighed, clearly considering his options. Donatello and Raph waited on pins and needles for the inevitable judgment. Both hoping that their injuries would help them gain a measure of mercy from their eldest, and extremely overprotective, brother. Finally the young leader gave a frustrated groan, "Fine," he said, "I'll consider tonight's lecture given, what with Raphie's broken arm, and Mikey's head injury. However, Raph, as long as you're in a cast, you're on bathroom duty, got it? Next time you want to jump headlong into danger, maybe you'll think twice and call for backup first!"
The brawler nodded meekly, not daring to complain and risk the grace being offered by their stern leader. Donnie grinned, opening his mouth to tease the red clad ninja, but was stopped when Leo shot him a playful glare, "Don't even try it, Don," he growled, "you push your luck, and you can join him on bathroom duty."
Donatello firmly shut his mouth, hard enough to make his teeth click, then dutifully turned back to face the street. Leonardo began the arduous journey of leading them back home, thankfully having forgotten about his previous cold nature. Their leader, though exasperated with his siblings' penchant for trouble, was once again laughing and smiling. The genius breathed a sigh heavy with relief. That night had been something of a roller coaster. What with the weapons deal, the fear of their brother being too late to save them, and then watching said brother rescue their sorry shells, all the while living up to the name given to him and whispered by the terrified lips of gang bangers across New York City.
The genius couldn't be more grateful that such a powerful fighter was their older brother and leader. However, Don also hoped he would never have to see the darker side of his sibling ever again. Not that he didn't think it was necessary. No, Donatello knew that Leo needed that terrifying, ruthless nature, as it was his shield to protect their small clan. He was certain that Leonardo had many nights wearing that mask of cold indifference, cutting down their enemies, and staining the ground red with the spilled blood of those that would try to hurt his loved ones. No doubt their leader had stories that would horrify his siblings, stories that spoke of doing what he had to, even if it meant becoming a monster for a brief moment in time, long enough for fell deeds to be committed and a lone ninja to melt into the shadows reeking with the stench of blood and death.
Donnie shivered at the thought, but quickly comforted himself by drinking in the sight of his laughing brother. He'd gotten a glimpse into a world that Leonardo, no doubt, never intended them to see. A side of their leader not meant for the public eye, even by his family. However, instead of dwelling on the terrifying sight of the true lethal nature that Leo could wield with the confidence of a master, Donatello would rather choose to focus on his brother as he was now, and leave that patch of darkness where it belonged. Behind them.
"Anybody up for a movie night?" Donnie asked, shrugging the youngest higher up onto his back, "After I patch up Mikey, I'm going to have to monitor him through the night anyway, so might as well make it a movie night."
Leo nodded, Raphael cheering loudly as a late night movie night usually meant no training in the morning, "Sure, why not? Like you said, you've got to keep an eye on Mikey, and I'm sure I won't sleep because I'll be checking in with you whenever you do. Might as well kill two birds with one stone."
Don grinned happily, "You're the best, aniki,"
The leader gave a warm chuckle, reaching over to give a tender noogie to the genius' head, "I try, otouto,"
Did you like it? I hope so. If you did, I'd love to see a review! Please?
