Fantasma

Chapter 12: Crossroads

Dreaming wasn't something Leonardo had known of in a long time. On the nights following his transformation, when he found out that he couldn't asleep, he wasn't all too scathed by the lack of dreams. Too often he dreamt of his brothers, consumed by flame right before his eyes. Even on nights he didn't dream of them, he'd still dream of death- the deaths of random strangers he'd never seen before.

Leo was standing in a coniferous forest, early rays of sunlight easing through pine needles. The turtle looked around, his lips parted in mute surprise at the sights and sounds. Several feet away, sitting on an old stump whilst watching a deer a young man sat.

"Who are you?" Leo asked.

The man stared at him, with dark brown eyes that looked almost as black in the moonlight. "Mulder. My name's Vincent Mulder."

"Mulder, I'm Leonardo." The blue cladded turtle reached out his hand and the human shook it. It felt odd. The feeling of flesh against flesh was missing, but when he took the man's hand he felt something- a familiar energy, and then he suddenly knew. "You're like me."

Mulder grinned as he spread his arms out and said, "This... This is mine. I can do anything I want in dreams, and I can go into others' dreams too."

Leonardo nodded, impressed. "You can pull other people into dreams too, apparently. I haven't dreamt a night, not since..."

"Every night for the last three week, I've been coming here and calling out, trying to find the others- our kinds." The man grinned at him. "You're different than the others- a new kind of demon- something I've never seen before."

Even though it was morning in Mulder's dreamscape, the sun was full and the forest was well-lit. Leo followed the man down a path through the trees until they got to a lake.

"I also happen to be a mutant turtle," Leo commented, watching the moon's reflection in the water. "This is... beautiful. Your gift is amazing."

"Thanks. It is, I suppose." The man looked out at the water with the turtle and asked. "What can you do? Besides the standard?"

"Standard?"

Once again, Mulder smiled, this time it was wry. "You still have a lot to learn. All demons have standard powers that come with transformation. Telekinesis, healing, super strength, psychic... But we're all individually unique, with a sort of special power."

The blue-clad turtle let out a huff, shaking his head. "I suppose I haven't found mine yet."

"Oh?" The man looked at Leonardo oddly, "Then I guess you never will."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, and then he was drowning. Something had flung hi through the air so quickly, so violently that he couldn't draw breath before he hit the lake. Why would he have to, it was only a dream, it was only a dream...

Leo struggled against the water and swam back up to the surface. Mulder was standing on the shore, watching him.

"You killed Abigor." Mulder whispered, his eyes flickering azure.

The turtle's fear and confusion vanished instantly and his rage came flooding back, "You know of her."

The demon nodded, smiling. "I used to visit her every night- In dreams. She told me she had plans for me, but then you ruined everything." He laughed, "You know, it took me forever to figure out where you were. I found your brothers easy enough, but you..."