Author's Note! Just a bit of a warning, I'm not that good with writing fight scenes, so please bear with me. I tried to do what I can, though I doubt that it will be enough.

Disclaimer Notice! I disclaim the franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they belong to its respective owner. What I do own on the other hand, was the story twist I made. That's all.

BLAMES, TEARS, AND REGRETS

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fiction

Chapter Seven

Power Play

The rat hissed as he stared at the confident smirk of his opponent, as if the enemy was sure of his victory. Oh, how he wanted to take that smirk away from his face. Oh, and he would make sure that his so-called brothers would have the front seat when he showed them their eldest's death.

Casey gently settled the body of the great ninjutsu master who was once a human but now -- no matter how ridiculous or how unbelievable that is -- had turned into a rat.

"Check his pulse. See if he's breathing" Donnie called out from his right. He nodded and did as he was told. "His pulse was normal" he voiced out his findings loud enough for the worried turtle to know.

He knew how hard it must have been for the self-proclaimed doctor of the family. He darn couldn't check nor heal their wounds even if he wanted too. He had never felt so useless. Donnie knew for himself that his role in his family was the smart doctor-slash-scientist whom they could turn to when they are wounded or if they need some facts. He's not strong, nor is he a running balk of energy to keep the happiness and knot the family together. No, he wasn't any of those. Yet now, he couldn't do what he does best. Oh, how useless could he get?

"Stop now, you fake!" Leo spat those words like venom. "You had been defeated, admit it" he taunted as he charged again. As if having no weapon to defend him, Leo's enemy kept on dodging his every attack. Leo hissed. He was nearly approaching his limit. He knew he wouldn't keep this for so long. He had to act fast, now.

As if reading his thoughts, the rat grinned. "You had proven me yet again of how idiotic a mutated turtle can be..." He said as he somersaulted to dodge the attack aimed to slice his body into two. He turned his gaze and aimed two daggers to the real rat's position.

"No!!!" Leo screamed as he tried to intercept the two sharp objects flying fast towards his unconscious master.

His eyes widened when the sword stopped halfway and dropped to the ground. His eyes trailed to Casey, who held a triumphal smirk. 'How did he--?' Leo couldn't find better words to describe what he just saw. When did Casey learn magic? Magic?! 'What am I? Six?' Leo thought bitterly.

Taking his enemy's minor confusion, the enemy threw the same weapons towards him. Acted purely on instinct, Leo swift his sword to block of the attack. Some clanked at his words and fell to the ground while others swopped past through him and clashed to a nearby wall. His eyes grew wide when he realizes which wall it pierced through.

The fake rat's laughter fills the air as he contents himself with the look of horror on his opponent's eyes. 'Fascinating...' He mused.

"I'm sorry if this may sound offensive, but you were never the center of my mission anyway" he lied. Leo glared at him, silently formulating a plan to stop this maniac from completing whatever mission he has and get some information about it.

How he had managed to pass through their defense was unbelievable. He had to know how they did it, or he would forever be haunted by the thought that someone could pass through their walls and kill them, unnoticed. Oh no, he would never permit that. Even if it means forcing out those info out of the fake's mouth, he would take it.

After all, his brothers were not here to watch him stain his hands. He could always lie, right? It didn't matter if it would break their trust on him. It didn't. Right?

The rat smirked as he sees his enemy lost for a moment. Without warnings, he rushed towards him.

Leo's eyes widened as he saw his opponent rushing in to attack him, on its sides were sharp knives, ready for an attack. Leo shifted his stance into defense, oh, he'll be ready.

Except that the rat bypassed him through his right.

And aimed his daggers towards the wires that stabilize his brother's health – the IVs.

Leo was seconds too late as the knife cut off the dextrose of one of his brother - Michaelangelo. The rat smirked and threw knives to cut off the other two wires of his two remaining brothers.

He then turned towards his opponent, feeling like his victory had been secured. "Look at that, Leonardo. Without something to provide nutrients, your brother's body would react violently to the poison we injected" he mused.

"Injected?" Leo asked. His eyes wide, his lips slightly agape. "Oh? I said too much, didn't I?" The rat taunted with fake innocence.

"So, you were with the Foot all along?" Leo said, eyes narrowed as his mind processes the event that had transpired that day.

"Took you long enough to figure it out? How stupid could you turtles be?" The rat taunted, circling his blades, as if saying that one move of his could kill the eldest instantly.

"So, that's why! That's why you said you would take care of them," Leo said, growling in the process. When the rat had asked to take care of his brothers, he gave him the chance to do so. Forcing his doubt to disappear, thinking that the rat do care.

"Oh, and yes. You owe me a 'thanks' you know. After all, I was the one who provided that liquid to your brothers..." The rat charged again, throwing his sharp blades to his opponent.

Instinct is what again saved the eldest. Before his mind could even process his movements, his body reacted to the threat and immediately swings his swords to block the incoming blades.

But, that was never enough to stop the rat. He had to disarm him, then bring him down, with his katana on his throat. That's the only thing that could guarantee the safety of the family.

"Five minutes...your brothers only got five minutes to live" the rat said, holding out his fingers for the turtles to see. He knew that the others were watching, unsure if they had to fight back since when they tried to do so, it distracted their eldest greatly. And, they also knew that once he saw a hole, he won't hesitate on what to do.

Leonardo hissed and formed himself with another stance. This one was new. He hissed. He need to be on high alert, who knew what ideas was rampaging to that katana wielder. After all the weapons the turtles were using, they deemed the katana as the deadliest, and the blue banded to be the most powerful, though not the strongest. But, he was warned that if he had to engaged in a fight with the blue banded, he doesn't need to be fair, cause if he did, then his life would be the payment.

'It didn't matter what happened here, my brothers won't see...' Leo kept on repeating to himself.

He had come to the conclusion that if he had to win this thing, he had to unleash whatever he had kept hidden within himself. It didn't matter if it would be a repeat of that time, no one else could witness it beside them three.

The rat gulped as sweat started to pour down on his face. 'This is bad...' He though as he felt the intense aura the turtle was emitting. It sent shivers down his skin. He felt fear, the thing he didn't know exists within him. He twirled his sword and played dirty.

In order to distract his enemy, he launches his blades and threw them towards the real rat. But some of the blades hit the ground as he saw the purple turtle defending their master. Fortunately for him, one passed through. But instead for hitting the rat, it embedded itself on the human's arm, when he hugged the body closer to shield it.

The rat was about to attack again when he felt a sword coming to his way. He barely dodged it. The sword stuck from the place he was once standing over.

Leonardo's head was still bowed to the ground. His eyes shadowed, his posture relaxed. But let it not fool you. For it was the one they called: the calm before the storm. And the rat had prepared himself for it.

No way is he going down without a fight.

Author's Note! And that concludes the seventh chapter of the story. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment them below. J