Under the Shining Lights

Bring Me Home!

"Agh!"

The hand clamped around Leo's throat released and he was able to quickly suck in a painful breath, his lungs burning and seizing from how fast he was trying to breathe it in. Slowly, the feeling returned to his body, prickles and soreness, making his muscles shake. As his vision returned, he realized he was caught before hitting the floor and was being held up by someone strong and warm. And that scent...

"I-Ichi?" He panted, looking up at the beautiful, gorgeous, handsome face of his boyfriend, which was unfortunately partially covered by a purple respirator. His fur was matted and flattened to his head, and his eyes burned with a righteous rage. He clung to Yuichi, his body shaking not just from fatigue but from the overwhelming relief flooding through him. Yuichi's grip was firm and reassuring, just as it had always been. "Yuichi, how...?"

.

Yuichi wasn't unfamiliar with stealth missions. Even as a samurai, he needed to know how to keep quiet. It was a new feeling to be on a stealth mission with this many people, a few ninjas that made his stealth skills look like child's play, and a former nexus fighter who hadn't the slightest clue how to be stealthy. Donny gifted Mona and him with high-quality respirators and stressed the importance of such a device, no matter how uncomfortable it was. Yuichi would have complained, but he didn't have time to make a fuss.

Not with Leo in danger.

Aurora had taught Donny how to find Vittoriano's mansion (which took much too long than any of them wanted), so that's who they were following closely now, lest they be lost.

"How much farther, Dee?" Raphael whispered urgently. From what Yuichi could tell, Raphael was the most protective of the siblings and the most eager to save his little brother. Given that he was the oldest, it wasn't hard to see why. He was almost exactly as Leo described, barring the judgment that Leo was so afraid of.

"We're close. Stick by me," Donatello answered, methodically tapping at his wrist. This brother, the older twin only by height, was cold and calculated. Just as Leo said, his rough outer exterior made him seem callous and harsh, when in reality, he is simply honest and blunt. Yuichi understood that quickly as he watched him work hard to locate Leo.

"I hope he's okay..." Mikey mumbled—the younger sensitive brother. Yuichi had a great respect for his ability to dispel tension and help others cope he could read a room well and take actions to control the environment. Leo adores his little brother, and Yuichi could tell why.

"We'll find him," Yuichi hummed, nervously fiddling with the hilt of his weapon, "Should we go over the plan again?"

"Easy, rip and shred," Mona (Raphael's girlfriend?) growled, methodically tapping the giant mace in her hands. Yuichi made a note to stay on her good side.

"Aurora is leading Madam Christel and Muriel to the front of the building," Donatello said, tapping at his wrist, "We go on the west side. It's the easiest to get in there. We look for Leo and the others,"

"Is that it?" Mikey pointed to a large mansion slowly coming into view, a looming, janky mess of a building. It looked like seven different styles of architecture haphazardly slapped together to form this sin against creation.

"Yeah," Donatello breathed, gesturing for the group to be quiet. They crept quietly up to the yard around the mansion, easily jumping the fence. A few beings were patrolling the yard, and things that Yuichi learned were spectres made by, and to serve, Vittoriano. Soulless and unfeeling, he remembered thinking that yokai seemed strange, almost puppet-like.

The group snuck in through a door used by the spectres, catching it just before it closed. The humidity was the first thing Yuichi noticed, the air already sticking his fur flat to his body. It was as uncomfortable as it sounds. The lights were dim and flickering, lighting up the back room the group found themselves in. Yuichi drew his weapon, getting into a defensive stance as Donatello did...something. All Yuichi knew was that he was mapping out the building.