A red stone that Ancient Egyptians believed, if worn on a ring or other jewellery, could eliminate bad tempers, hatred, jealousy and anger.
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Raphael lands hard on his shell, his head spinning, his brain rattled. He feels blood trickle from his mouth and he groans, reaching to brush it away on the back of his hand. The black-clad female stands over him, her hair tied back in a bun and covered with a hood, the entirety of her mouth, chin, and neck covered with a mask. Her sleeveless top shows off the curling dragon tattoo on her bicep.
He grunts and pushes himself to his knees, baring his teeth, but the girl doesn't even flinch. She maintains intense eye contact.
"You're gonna pay for that, sweetheart," he threatens, gripping his sais tighter.
He lunges with a shout, but she dodges to the side and lands a forceful knifehand strike to the centre of his shell. He lands face first on the asphalt, dirt and ash mixing with the sharp iron taste in his mouth. Her eyes dance with amusement.
"Well, if I'm going to pay for something, at least I've got cash," she retorts smoothly.
The lights of emergency vehicles draw nearer and nearer, the sirens making Leonardo turn away from the battle. He knocks Hun off balance and scuttles backwards as the Asian also looks to the incoming noise.
"Everyone, retreat! Now!" Leonardo orders.
Raphael and the girl's heads move to the blue-masked turtle in sync while Hun's jaw clenches as he backs off as well. He snaps his fingers together sharply and his Dragons obey the command. The girl looks back down at Raphael as he rolls onto his back. Her eyelashes flutter with a type of laughter before she races away after her gang.
The Hamatos are already in retreat, all except the shell-shocked Raphael. Michelangelo races to his brother's side and yanks him to his feet, hauling him back to the ShellRaiser at a full sprint. Donatello and Sarina stay right on Leonardo's heels while Destiny is forced to stay behind the group, dragging Casey away kicking and screaming.
"Dude, she got you bad!" Michelangelo gasps, staring at the trickle of blood staining Raphael's lip.
"I'm fine," Raphael snaps, shoving him away as they reach the ShellRaiser. "Just caught me off guard, that's all."
They climb inside the giant vehicle, rejoining the others, and Raphael immediately flops down in his seat to wait. Within a few minutes, Destiny and Casey arrive. She still has him by the arm, a bored expression on her face.
As soon as they're inside, Casey wrenches himself from Destiny's grip, absolutely fuming. "I had that! You guys just had to interfere!" he snaps.
"You're the one who interfered with us," Leonardo retorts. "We were handling it before you came running in without a second thought."
"Bashing punks is my hobby, Leo! You're just keeping that from—"
Destiny lets out a snarl that shuts them both up before the argument can escalate. Donatello sighs and pinches between his eyes while Sarina's eyes flash.
"It was an honest mistake," Donatello says. "Casey does this, Leo. He finds the Dragons and he attempts to pummel them."
"We just so happened to cross our paths this time," Sarina adds. "It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances and now, we can go back to the lair, rest, and recuperate without letting this boil into something large and unsightly."
Michelangelo waves his hand and points at Raphael. "Raph needs recup...recoop—rest," he says.
"I'm. Fine," he repeats through his teeth.
YOU ARE READING
Non-Mutation (Book Four)
Fanfiction"You're weird too, Raphael. But...I like weird." Her anger has built over the years, festering inside of her like a disease with no cure. It is dragon fire with a heat that nothing can extinguish. She sees red, the colour that has always fuelled her...
