The Turtle Charm

Lovers' Quarrell

Working for Hueso had given me a lot of experience with both New York and the Hidden City, so I now knew my way around pretty well and was able to get to the Battle Nexus fairly easily. I found my way to the battle signups and I said, "I want to challenge Leo Jitsu."

"Ok, ma'am." said the Yokai jotting things down on a clipboard, "And what do you want me to put you down as?"

After signing up I made my way to the battleground's entrance and leaned against a wall as I watched Leo win his 11th victory. Two fires burned within me. One came from how pissed I was that this guy was doing something so stupid. On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel a bit hot at seeing him being so cool in battle.

As Leo's latest opponent was being dragged away in a stretcher as the turtle took a couple of gulps of water, the announcer said, "Amazing! Without even taking a break, Leo Jitsu insists to carry on, but will his next opponent break him?" I tossed the jacket I'd been wearing over to the side and pulled the face mask I'd built into my latest suit over my mouth, "Everyone, join me in welcoming our newest contestant. The Turtle Titaness!" I walked into the arena.

"Another newbie?" said Leo loudly as he turn around, "This should be over...Tina? Is that you?" His eyes widened as they met mine.

"'Leo Jitsu'," I said moving into a starting pose, sickle out, "I see you decided to actually use that stage name...You know I'll be expecting a cut of all the merch profits right?"

"Holy shell," he said looking me up and down, "You look amazing in that!"

"Thanks. I'm glad you like my latest suit's design." I had stitched together black and teal fabrics together to make my new ninja gear. I decide against spandex since I was limited to one size now, but kept the backless design to let my shell breathe. "Anyway, we'll talk money later. Surrender the shard to me now, or you'll be more black and blue than you already are."

Leo's hands gripped one of his pouches as he said, "No! No way! I am not fighting you and you are not taking it back. Get out of here now. You're still new to all of this and I don't want you caught up in the fight of Krang or his lackeys show up."

"What do we have here?" said a woman's voice over the arena's speakers, "A classic lovers' quarrel? Oh, they so remind me of me and my Louie-bo...How cute."

Leo seemed to shudder and said, "She just had to remind me dad's seeing her again," as his eyes glanced in the direction of the announcer's booth. In that momentary distraction, I had lunged at Leo, cutting the pouch from his belt with the sickle. "What the shell..." he said as he turned around to where I slowed down. It was really all thanks to the speed I now had with this form I got from him.

"Ha!" I said tossing it up in the air a couple of times and smirking at him, "Never underestimate your...Shit!" I said as a portal opened, catching the pouch mid-air and sending it back to Leo.

He opened another portal and tossed it in, saying, "Mom-I mean Big Mama, take care of this for me!" He shuddered again and muttered, "Ugg...I can't believe I actually called her that..."

I really was going to have to do this the hard way...I lunged toward Leo, trying to loop my sickle over his sheaths to throw him off balance, but he quickly caught my blade with one of his. "Give up!" he said, "I'm going to beat you anyway. I've been doing this kind of thing longer than you after all!"

"No mames, wey! I know what you're doing! You're not the first of your kind to brood!" I thought back to his other iterations. It seemed a staple in his character arches. "Look, I get it...You miss him," I said sighing, "We all do. But this is foolish! Raph would be against this!"

"Well, he's not here now is he!" yelled Leo before he closed his eyes and softly said, "And it's all my fault..." He used his free katana to catch the side of my top, throwing me off my balance and pinning me to the ground. My sickle was deflected a few feet away. He opened a portal with the other that would have sent me out of bounds if I hadn't freed myself in time, cutting my hand on the blade and pinning me down as I forced it away.

I kicked Leo in the gut as I jumped up and backflipped a few feet away, getting back my sickle in the process. As Leo recovered he looked between his bloodied sword and my hand saying, "Shit! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger," I said, as my teal energy stitched up the wound, "In fact, you could say I'll live a little longer." I chuckled at the funny I made. Leo's mouth didn't even twitch, but his eyes furrowed. "What? That was a good one," I said, "Anyway, aren't you supposed to be the quipper?"

At that second a portal in the ground opened between us. It wasn't one of Leo's, but it seemed familiar as a mix of chaotic orange light, stabilized by a teal one swirled around. And what came through was the Krangified Meatsweats, although he looked a little less Krang than before. He turned his head around, before looking in the direction where Leo sent his pouch and heading there.

It didn't take a genius to know what he was after. "Oh no, you don't, Menudo Meat," I said as I turned my attention to him, "That's my prize!" I jumped in front of him and punched his piggy snout. He cried out as he backed up a bit before roaring. I dodged a couple of tentacles propelling at me but was still caught in one. Like before, I felt my energy being drained.

"Tina!" said Leo as he rushed in, cutting me away from him and catching me in his arms. He rushed me several feet away before setting me down and turning to scowl at the beast who was enveloped in my teal energy and shrinking. Something clicked in my mind as Leo said, "I'm going to end you!" 

He began lunging at Meatsweats but I got in the way, catching his blades in the hook of mine this time, "Wait!" I said, "And sit still for a second!" I moved to hit a couple of nerves in the legs, making him collapse. It wouldn't last long, so I had to do this idea I had quickly.

I ran up to the snarling pig-man, saying, "Whoa, steady there, Chef. You're a five-star asshole, but there's still a mind that could be reasoned with in there right? I just want to help..." The creature paused and sat still as I placed my hands on his temple. Healing others was always easier with conduits, but I had enough drive to push myself to the limit if this was going to work.

Meatsweats gradually reverted back into the pig mutant he was before and it seemed once he was aware of this, he took a look at his hands saying, "I...I can think again. I'm...me. It was so...terrifying being that thing...But why'd you help me, Lassy?"

I looked at my hands and smiled. "With great power, comes great responsibility," I understood why Tio Cisco liked that classic line so much, "Even if it means helping out those who wronged you. Besides, now that I know I could do this, it gives me..." The next second, I felt a nerve strike I hadn't learned yet. 

Before falling to the floor, Leo caught me, saying, "Sorry, Tina. But, for your own good, I can't let you get in my way, so just sleep for now." A dark look in his eyes was the last thing I saw before blacking out.

I didn't quite know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I found myself in a pretty nice room. Facing the bed I was in was a sort of yokai tv projecting a battle Leo was having with Casey Jr. I jumped up and ran towards the door, wiggling the handle, but finding I was unable to open it. 

"Hm, I'd give up if I were you," said the voice of the same woman from earlier as gunk of webs hit the door as a warning, just a few inches from my hand. I turned to see a spider yokai transform into a pink collared woman who said, "The door's been mystically locked. Only I, my little Nexus Prince, and a few select others can enter and exit this room at will," she said indicating a marked laky with her. Smiling, she said, "We must keep his princess safe after all."

I hadn't ever met her before, but from all the stories the turtles told me, it was easy to figure out who this spider lady was. "Let me guess," I said, "You're the one they call 'Big Mama'?"