Forbidden

Chapter 19 - The Clash of Clans

The moment that my body slammed into Shredder's tough metal armour, I almost felt the world shudder. I could sense the danger like a blind man to a metal pole, but something within me pushed to keep going. With the image of Karai's relieved face in my mind, I pushed myself further than ever before to finish off The Shredder, once and for all. But something told me that even with my brothers by my side, there was a high chance that he wouldn't lose.

Using everything I have in me, I try my hardest to fight off the Shredder. With Mikey trying to trip him up with his Nunchucks, Donnie working on bashing his head in and Raph working from behind to distract him, I was stuck facing him head-on. He grunts with every swing, narrowly missing me more than once.

Donnie attempts to knock his helmet - the Kuro Kobuto - off, but Shredder grabs his staff and snaps it in half instead, throwing it back at him. Donnie looks at the two halves, shattered and worried. "Oh man..." He says. "Stupid stick!" He's suddenly interrupted by a harsh kick to the plastron, sending him backwards. It's not too long before Raph and Mikey are also taken down, being tossed in a heap along with Donnie. That left only me.

Panting hard, I gather my strength. Shredder chuckles maniacally, sauntering towards me. "Give up now, reptile; and make your end honourable."

I growl. "There's no honour in letting your opponent win, Shredder!" His eyes narrow.

"Then I will destroy you." He suddenly charges towards me, and I ready my Katana's. His bladed armour glints in the sunlight, and it gives me an idea. I grab one of my Katana's, and configure the angle. If I can get it just right, I can make the light bounce off the blade and into Shredder's eyes, blinding him temporarily.

I jiggle the blade around frantically, Shredder's pounding footsteps making me feel queazy. Suddenly, the atmosphere goes darker. I look up, only to see that the sun has gone behind a dark cloud. Crap! Not now! I think to myself in a panic. A sudden punch to the lower half of my face sends me flying, hitting the concrete floor with a thud.

There's a high pitched ringing in my ears as my vision blurs and I suddenly start seeing double. Shredder saunters towards me, his menacing laugh making my stomach churn. My Katana's have been thrown halfway across the rooftop, and I can barely see straight, let alone run to pick them up. I can hear April's muffled screams behind me, urging me to get up and keep going; but I can't find the strength within me to even stand. My limbs are weak, and my eyelids are heavy. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am forced to admit defeat.

I watch, helpless and defencless, as Shredder raises an almighty blade above my head. "Finally," he says gleefully in his rough voice. "I will be able to do what I set out to do fifteen long years ago!" As he prepares to bring the blade down on my neck, I close my eyes and brace myself for my last moments before the impact.

Just when I think the cold metal has made contact with my skin, I hear a loud groan and a thud as I see Shredder go flying across the rooftop. I look up to see Splinter, clutching at his wound but still very much alive and ready to take on Shredder.

"Sensei...?" I say. He looks down at me, his eyes full of anger.

"Get back, Leonardo!" He says. "Let me deal with this." Raph and Donnie suddenly grab me by the arms and drag me backwards towards April and Karai.

"Why won't you die, vermin?!" Shredder roars, pointing a blade at Splinter.

Splinter narrows his eyes. "Because I have five amazing reasons to live."