Of Turtles and Lizards

You'll wish you'd never been born

Leonardo gently hefted his brother's thick, injured frame onto his shoulders. The light green turtle turned to the human teenager and nodded.

The lizard mutant followed as they made a tactical retreat into rearward space, aka left the building and ran off into the night.

Once he decided that the Krang had given up the chase, Leonardo stopped carefully laying his injured brother down on the roof. The eldest turtle examined Raphael carefully noting every cut, mark and bruise before he detected a fourth presence standing slightly behind him.

The lizard mutant moved to Raph's side and collapsed onto her knees, her long, thin fingers brushing gently, almost lovingly, against his cheek. Then she bent down and whispered something in his ear, so quietly that Leo couldn't quite make it out. She pressed her lips agains his forehead softly before pulling away to examine his injuries.

Mona Lisa was about to touch one of the cracks in his plastron when the older turtle growled. "Don't touch him."

Brown eyes glared at him. "I might be able to help if you would just-"

"Get your hands off my brother."

"Trust me-"

"No." Leo stated, barely containing his rage. "No. He trusted you and this happened. Trusting you will only bring harm to my family. I suggest you leave now. While you still can." His deep blue eyes swirled with the immense hatred and loathing he felt for her and the way she had treated his brother.

"You think I did this on purpose? You think I wanted this to happen?" The emotions raging within her surged like a giant wave, her control slipping as she desperately attempted to keep the tears in her eyes from rolling down her face in a moment of weakness. "You think I wanted him to take that missile for me?"

The blue-banded turtle recoiled in shock at her words. Raph jumped in front of the missile...to save her? "My brother is hurt because of you and your mocking attentions for him! He told me that he didn't trust you, that he wasn't sure he ever would, but whether he trusted you or not, Raphael was actually starting to believe you were telling the truth. I bet this is what you wanted all along isn't it? To earn his affection so you could easily pull him into your trap and use him as a decoy—a distraction—to help you get whatever it is you wanted from the Krang. To keep him as long as you needed his protection before tossing him into the gutter with yesterday's garbage."

"No, no..." Tears continued rolling down her face as she recognized the undercurrent of truth in the turtle's words. "All I wanted was vengeance."

"And you were going to use Raphael to get it." The silence following the statement told Leo everything he needed to know.

Casey stood on the edge of the rooftop on lookout. He'd already called Mikey and Donnie and they said they'd be there in a couple of minutes. The teenager witnessed the entire exchange, shocked both by Leonardo's ferocity and the girl's confession.

"Stay away from him." Mona Lisa looked up into deep blue eyes. "Stop trying to get his attention. You don't deserve it." He whispered, low and menacingly. "And if I ever find out you've been meeting with Raphael again, I will find you. You come within five miles of my little brother and I will make you wish you'd never been born." The leader's eyes were cold and icy, his threat hanging in the air like a heavy fog. Casey shuddered at the aggression the sheer hatred that was swirling in his friend's dark blue eyes.

The lizard mutant looked down at the red banded turtle lying vulnerable and in pain on the rooftop, and her eyes softened. She stood slowly and turned to face Raph's older brother, meeting the caustic glare without so much as a flinch. "That's for Raphael to decide." Mona stated evenly. And with that she hurled herself off the building, into the darkness of the night.

Leonardo growled and his eyes narrowed. Never. Never again will I allow him to fall into your trap.