#but i'll try to hold unto myself at the very least

[noxtivagus]

mood swings frfr 🥹🫶🏼

[hamatosami]

“Eternal Flame” TMNT FANFICTION

1| discovery

Notes: I'm so happy and proud to present my first finalized and edited chapter of this book! It feels good to finally put out something I'm proud of. Anastasia is a character I've worked years to develop. I'm so excited to share the rest of the story with you guys. The chapters may be longer due to the rewriting. I'm sure you guys won't mind.

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👈🏼 previous chapter 

     Never in my life did I believe that I would be fighting side by side against the one and only Eric Sacks. Although, I found myself helplessly agreeing to it and everything in my soul told me not to. I sloppily swirled my rocks glass around, suddenly not entertained by the idea of intoxication anymore. I let the ice water down my liquor until it was no longer desirable. No matter how many sips I took, it couldn't drown the bitter taste in my mouth. My heart rested in my throat, waiting to explode. Head leaning heavy against my other hand. I bit the inside of my cheek due to feeling on edge.

Eric is most definitely hiding something.

It couldn't be true. The idea of mutant ninja turtles. Although, I couldn't deny the pictures he showed me. I found my glass to be empty again.

"I'll have another." My voice sounded more rugged than usual. Eric's hand pushed mine back down unto the bar top.

"Actually, we'll just get the tab. All on one." I ruggedly gave him the death stare for shutting me off. "You've had enough." He concluded.

I dramatically flinched my hand away from his

"You're right. I have had enough." I began to walk away, heading towards the door and my bike after a pretty defeating night. Eric ran in front of me.

"You shouldn't drive Anna. At least let me take you home."

I laughed at his audacity. Surly he couldn't be joking.

"There's a mugging on 5th. I have to check it out." My ear bud rang in all sorts of information at just the right time, giving me the perfect excuse to leave the vicinity.

"I can't let anything happen to you." Eric took ahold of my arm one more time. At this point I was way past annoyed. Only because I could hear in his voice that he wasn't genuine at all. He took a frustrated sigh. "They call you the Hachiman." He said low into my ear.

"Who does?"

"The Foot. They're not very happy with what you've been doing."

"They need a better name." I pushed. Not taking this seriously.

"I'm just trying to help you." He positioned. Although, I could hear it in his voice that he wasn't being very truthful.

"You don't have to be nice to me Eric. No amount of kindness will ever atone for the years of abandonment and hate you projected onto Zayne, your very own brother. It was your job to look after him, but I ended up picking up every piece and holding him together while you bathed in your undeserving wealth." I walked closer to him now feeling suddenly sober. "I won't allow you to fix your guilt through me. That pain. That ache that just won't go away. You deserve to live with that." I huffed finding my fists tight. "Now get out of my way." I warned once.

Without saying a single word he stepped aside as I walked away to my bike. Leaving into my beloved city.

———————————————————

Ultimately, I woke up relatively early despite

going to bed so late. Mascara smudged from the night before and a pounding headache that greeted me the moment I opened my eyes. My heart sank deeper into my chest, heaving heavy with slow and steady beats.

God what the hell did I agree to?

The idea that I was about to singly handedly take down a robbery by The Foot tonight was strikingly scary. I couldn't understand why, it's not the first time I've tried to stop them. Shockingly, I've never been afraid of The Foot until now.

I guess the difference was that I was entrusting a person I've never trusted in my entire life. And the possibility of live, mutant ninja turtles... yeah that one I'm going to have to see to believe.

I was agnostic on most believes in anything mystical. I didn't believe in most things I couldn't see or touch. Religion? A made up fairytale. Even when I was a child I never once believed in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy. If it didn't make sense, I didn't believe in it. If there wasn't any concrete proof, I would deem it a made up story.

So why would I believe in mutant ninja turtles?

I got up and ready for my day, oddly feeling that I wouldn't return. Everything in my gut is telling me to stay home tonight, but I had to remember my purpose.

My fingers brushed against the framed picture on my nightstand of Zayne. I held it close to my chest letting a single tear fall to my ear.

I have to do this for him. His death has to mean something.

Taking a deep sigh as I threw my leather jacket over my shoulders, paying close attention to the silver buttons of the collar; I couldn't shake my nerves.

This was very unusual for me to feel. I very rarely felt fear and at times that I did feel fear, I would enjoy the adrenaline. But this time is different.

"Why do I feel like I won't come home today?" I whispered to myself in the mirror. As I loaded my pistol, I took special notice to the magazine. "Only 15 rounds."

Would that be enough?

I was going into this so blindly, I desperately needed something with larger capacity. And I knew exactly who could help me.

———————————————————

Knock knock knock

The door opened slowly and cautiously.

"Anna?"

"Casey." I said plainly. He scowled me up and down barley able to recognize me. A lot has changed since he last saw me. "I need to talk to you."

"Come in." Still looking astound he guided me into his apartment. "Anna you look so... well I haven't seen you since,"

"The funeral." I finished for him. I'm not shocked that he's surprised to see me. I went MIA after Zayne died. "I know I haven't returned any of your calls."

"I know." He was searching for his words. "I've been worried about you, I've seen you along the police scanners at work. I had to cover for you a few times."

"Thank you." I bit my lip. "I've umm, had a few life changes after he passed. I'm sure you can relate."

"Yeah by joining the police force, not dressing up and playing visualante every night." I laughed at his comment.

"Lighten up Casey." I patted him on the arm. "It's not like I haven't seen you with your hockey mask busting skulls."

"This is different Anna, you're going to get killed. The Foot isn't something you should be playing around with."

A smile grew to my face.

"You know about The Foot." I concluded looking deep into his eyes.

"More than I'd like to." He shook his head. "I started looking into them after Zayne passed away and I... it's a bottomless pit." He turned away from me.

"I believe they killed him." I took a deep sigh. "Which is why I'm here to talk to you." I pulled out the picture of the mutants Eric gave me. "Now tell me, what do you know about mutants." He hesitated to answer me at first, but I was delighted to hear his response.

"I thought it was all a myth."

"Eric Sacks believes these are the things that killed him. I'm... going out tonight to hunt them down." Caseys eyes reverted to mine wider than I've ever seen them.

"No you're not"

"I am... along with Eric."

"What and you trust the guy?! He has been nothing but untrustworthy his whole life. Remember all the times he would get aggressive with you?!"

"I'm well aware." I put my hands up defending myself. "I don't trust him which is why I need him right where I can see him. Look I'm going into this empty handed completely alone."

"Well don't. Because the last thing I need is another funeral to attend!"

"Then help me not die. And if not for me, do it for Zayne. He was your best friend, and this could give us real answers here." His hands ran through his hair daring to say anything.

"What would you need from me?"

"An assault rifle would be a start. And maybe someone to stall the cops around 8pm tonight so I have time to get close enough to the Foot."

"If I do this for you, just promise me you'll make it out alive."

"I'll try." I said with tears forming in my eyes.

He pulled me into a hug as I cried into his chest. Casey was my only friend left. I peaked over his shoulder of the three of us in a picture. I was more than ready to find some real answers. No matter what it took.

———————————————————

I arrived to Sacks Industries with a sudden chill down my back. It had been months since I've been here. And this would be the first time I've ever been here without Zayne.

Eric greeted me at the door.

"Anastasia. Welcome."

"No need to be formal." I raised an eyebrow looking around at his overpriced architecture. People in New York are starving and he's here swimming around in an unhealthy amount of wealth. The money he spends on something as little as his watch, could change a lot of lives. "I'm here strictly for business."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Right this way. There's someone I want you to meet." We went up his elevator to a room I surprisingly didn't recognize, but apparently you needed some sort of facial recognition to unlock the doors.

"Anastasia Hall." I was greeted by a US soldier. Dressed precisely in uniform. I was immediately thrown off. He greeted me with a warm smile and a firm handshake. "My God! 16 robberies, 35 assaults, and 7 murderers all single handedly stopped because of you. I must say Miss. Hall, it is an honor to meet you." His voice was warm and welcoming.

"Wait, what?" He laughed.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Steele, and I will be assisting you on our operations to fight against The Foot Clan."

I turned around to Eric quickly.

"Wait... this was your team you were talking about? The United States Army?!"

"Hey I figured if in told you, you wouldn't agree."

"You're damn right I wouldn't! Visualante work is illegal. I could go to prison for the rest of my life for this."

"Anna." He swirled his glass of scotch around with a sarcastic edge to his voice. "You might want to listen to what he has to say."

I whipped my head back around to the Lieutenant. Awaiting to hear his foreclosure.

Mr. Steele grew a smile only I could sniff out as fake. I knew in my heart I couldn't trust him.

"Please, Miss Hall. Sit." He motioned his hand towards a mahogany chair. I followed keeping my eyes stiff, careful of every movement and every word.

"Tell me precisely why the military is involved with this. And why you need my help."

He chuckled.

"A bit eager aren't we?" He began to pour a glass of wine. "Me and my men behind me are working in secret from the military my dear, so your fear of getting caught won't come true." He cleared his throat. "The Foot had managed to infiltrate into our military, our government and just about everything in between. They disguise themselves as normal civilians, making it harder to identify them. So me and a few of my trusted troops reached out to people who would be willing to help fund us, help us expose the foot for who they really are before things get out of hand."

"Things are already out of hand. Besides you're the military, why would you need someone like me to help you?" I questioned now at the edge of my seat.

"Because surprisingly Anastasia, you've been the one who's ever gotten the closest to exposing the Foot."

I snickered at his comment. My hands slapped against the table now leaning into him.

"I don't believe you for one second. You guys get all the funding in the world, you wouldn't need Sacks money. So what are you really up to?" My voice seethed lower.

His eyebrows raised. "Maybe, you'd believe me had Zayne ever introduced me to you." He reached into his pocket and pulled a picture out of him and Zayne together. "I'm his Uncle."

A lump formed in my throat as I leaned back into my chair. I took a large sigh.

"Okay..." I looked around suddenly feeling dizzy from this information. "If I do this I have some conditions" I said now shaking my leg.

"Anything." He sat back in his chair.

"25 thousand up front." I said to at too casually.

"No way!" Eric interrupted. "Now you're getting greedy."

"From the sounds of it, you guys are the ones that need me. I can continue my own investigation on my own." My eyebrows raised at him.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Any other conditions?"

"I want every tool, any weapon and piece of information you have. I also want the upper hand in every decision. I run the show here. Everything has to go by me."

Eric and the Lieutenant both shared a cohesive nod. And a smile grew to my face.

"Perfect." I pursed my lips now crossing my legs. "Now tell me everything you know about the Mutants."

Mr. Steele pulled out a file of pictures.

"Michelangelo." He stated plainly as he pulled out a picture. "The youngest of the four." I observed closely at the picture trying to remain calm. I still couldn't fathom the reality of what I was seeing. A real live mutant. "Not the strongest one, but the least predictable. Donatello is the one with the brains, his strategy will be his strong suit. Raphael is the largest and strongest, but sometimes this can slow him down."

I couldn't fathom that they all had names. Unique ones too. When I saw their pictures it was difficult to see them as scary, or enemies in any sort of ways. Their faces seemed so personable. My whole body froze when I saw the last picture.

"Who's that?"

"This one is Leonardo, he's the leader of the four Mutants and the most deadly. He has the other threes unique qualities. I would try to stay clear away from him as much as possible."

"What about weaknesses?" I asked as I studied the picture.

"There aren't many." He concluded very quickly. "I should also included that they're relatively bullet proof as well."

"Great. A suicide mission." I scoffed.

"That's why we're going to help you Anastasia. We've developed shock guns that should trap them enough to where we can catch them. Use them as proof that the foot exists and is evil, and then we'll be another step further for find justice for Zayne."

"Okay." I stood up. "When do we start?"

"Tonight at 8."

———————————————————

I met up in the abandoned warehouse where I was assigned to go. Geared up and ready as hell to go. In my pocket I slipped a picture of Zayne, just for good conscience.

"Anastasia." Eric greeted me along with the lieutenant. I kept my face straight as I strutted in. I was focused like a laser.

"Eric... Mr.Steele." I said not so pleasantly.

"Here's the map you requested." I opened the iPad they provided me which scooped all the rubbles of the cargo ships we were certain were getting robbed tonight by the Foot.

"They're either going to come from the sky or the water. They can't be seen at night." I analyzed. "We should steak them out from the roof to get a good view and then I'll follow them in."

"Perfect!" Eric exclaimed. "When you get to a good spot I'll have his troops follow after you." I laughed at his audacity. He slowly caught on. "What?"

"This is my operation Eric, you're coming with me."

"Are you serious?" He stuttered. "I'm not going with you."

"Well since I've been suspicious you of, I figured you wouldn't mind coming with me. I can keep a close eye on you. Besides you have to do what I say or else I'm out." I said with almost a complete smile in my face.

Mr. Steele nudged Eric.

"We promised to do what she said."

"Correct." I appointed. "I'll have the police force stalled at exactly 8:12pm tonight. We'll have about a 20 minute window. We'll also have to shoot the shockers from a distance. They'll kill us if they get too close."

"What's your plan once we get in there?" Eric asked.

"I don't have one." I said simply yet with such utter confidence.

"What do you mean you don't have a plan?" Eric now said with annoyance. Seeing him oh so flustered made me happy on the inside.

"I never have a plan Eric." I giggled. "Look, there's way too many unpredictable properties that could happen tonight. We'll start off with just you and me, we'll try to locate them and follow them and if we need help we'll call for help or retreat, but that's the best we can do given the circumstances. Also the map of the shipping container unit will help me a lot."

"Don't be afraid to send my men in." Mr. Steele affirmed.

"These are the nations most dangerous criminals. I won't use your men unless it's absolutely necessary."

I took another pathetic look at Eric.

"Gear up." I commanded.

"Heres your check for 25k. But no amount of money can subside for the amount of lives you saved and can save tonight." Mr. Steele gave me a firm handshake to which I noticed a pin on his right cuff.

"What a lovely pin. It doesn't look military." I observed. It was red, with a Japanese symbol I couldn't recognize.

"It was my father's." He said way too quickly for my liking. I made a mental note of that tiny detail.

"Hmm. Okay."

We geared up with a bunch of military grade equipment, along with the shockers that would supposedly trap the mutants. It was 7:50pm. Sacks and I climbed to the nearest rooftop so we could stake out the mutants.

We got to the top and I reached for my binoculars as I checked my watch.

"We have a clear view. We just have to wait."

Eric was out of breath already trying to keep up.

"You really don't trust me that much that you had to drag me along with you." He grunted as he sat down next to me.

"Correct. There's always that 1% chance." I said as I observed closely and quietly. "Just stay close and you'll be fine."

And right at that moment I saw a slew of Foot soldiers march their way into the shipping containers on the docks.

"Is that?" He gasped.

"Yup." I finished for him. "It's The Foot clan, but where are the mutants?"

"Shouldn't we be down there?"

"Shhh-" I cut him off as I checked my watch.

8:05

"Anna we need to get down there."

"Shut up." I whispered. My breaths were slow trying not to make a sound.

"What?" He whispered.

"Oh my god." When I finally saw it for my own eyes. I swallowed an uncomfortable lump in my throat. "There they are."

"Let me see... I wanna see for myself." He motioned for my binoculars. As he observed the same reality in which I just observed, a sadistic smile creeped along his face. "They're exquisite."

"They're murderers Eric. The murderers of Zayne." I looked at him in disbelief. Something was seriously off about him. I also couldn't shake my suspicion based on the fact that the mutants rolled in way after the Foot Clan did.

"Okay. We need to get past those two yellow parcels without being seen, we could climb to the top of one and get a clear shot there. We should probably aim for the leader first. Hell be the hardest to take down. Maybe use some tranquilizers as well."

"We should probably split up. In case the mutants do too."

"Good idea." I said as I stood up. "Lieutenant can you hear me?.... We have an eye on the mutants. Wait for my signal to send your troops." Eric and I slid down the fire escape and went our separate ways. I knew I had to save my guns for last because they could give away my position. I had to get passed as many Foot soldiers as possible without being seen or heard.

Lucky for me, I'm pretty small and quiet. I snuck to the top of a single shipping container and balanced myself on the end and peaked around to scope the area. I had completely lost sight of the turtles.

I have to get closer.

Feeling my heart beat into my ears I jumped as quietly as possible to another container, daring to put myself in more visibility. My equipment on my back weighting me down.

And then.

I saw one close with my own fucking eyes.

The tall one I caught scoping out the area as I was. I knew he was the brains out of all of them,  so the other three must have been on the ground.

I duck my head the moment I saw his head turn in my direction. If I give away my position, I'm toast. My left foot was barley balancing onto the shipping container. I could very easily fall.

As I ducked my head and body into one direction, I immediately heard clan members coming up right behind me, and I was in perfect eyes view.

I heard only two, and I had to decide in that moment who I was going to face. Either a giant mutant turtle or two clan members.

"The two people win." I said to myself as I hopped down to the other side of the container, completely exposing myself. The two clan members immediately attacked me. The one ran directly to me with a knife to which I grabbed his wrist and kicked him right in the stomach to knock him down and used one of my tranquilizers to immediately knock him out.

I had to be quiet.

The other one put me in a chokehold from behind to which I quickly snapped my head back to break his nose. I turn around quickly to inject him with tranquilizers in the neck knocking the second one out.

However as I pulled the body away I noticed a small red pin on the collar of the foot soldiers uniform. One that looked identical to the pin Mr. Steele had on the cuff of his sleeve.

"Oh my god."

Could it be? Could it really fucking be right now?!

I ran to the other foot soldier and had the same pin on his collar as well.

"That son of a bitch."

Anger rose to my ears, making me sweat from how livid I was.

I pressed into my ear piece.

"Eric we need to retreat." And I awaited a response and... nothing.

I tried again. "Eric do you hear me, we need to retreat."

My breaths became heavy as I realized my reality. Now I was trapped in the center of a foot clan operation. Outnumbered by ninjas and mutant turtles.

But worst of all, the biggest thing I realized was that it was all a trap. I had been fooled into walking into my own death.

But why would they do this?

That was an answer I didn't have time to think about.

No help is coming. I'm completely and utterly alone in this.

I took a long, shaken breath. Blinking hard as my fists squeezed so hard that I could probably make myself bleed. As I exhaled, I did everything I could to not shed a tear.

I rarely felt fear, but knowing I was set into a suicide trap terrified me even more.

I can't think about it, I just have to get out of here.

As much as I tried to shake everything that I just realized, I couldn't.

"Because surprisingly Anastasia, you've been the one who's ever gotten the closest to exposing the Foot." I replayed in my head.

Eric was apart of the Foot. And I got too close.

"This is my execution." I whispered to myself. Very well played of Eric's part. I knew I couldn't trust that bastard.

I don't understand. Why would he work for the same organization that killed his younger brother?

Or better yet, maybe I've been looking in all the wrong places.

Could it be that Zaynes death was actually a suicide?

No.

I don't want to believe that.

Breathing heavy and feeling my heart beat so hard that I felt it pulsate through my feet into the ground. I quickly shoved every emotion inside of me.

I have to get out of this mess and survive.

I peer my surroundings hearing every commotion of the robbery and remaining glued to my hiding spot. With utter frustration I bang the back of my head against the shipping container. My hand grips onto my dagger a little tighter.

As footsteps tread behind me, I inch holding my breath, daring to look. I saw the same woman that I saw at the bank robbery the other night. One of their "leaders" I suppose. I couldn't make out any feature of who she was because her face was hidden by a hanya mask. Hanyas were female Japanese demons from what I remembered. Very fitting for the job.

As I observed... for a slight moment, my fear subsided.

I knew in both my heart and my gut, that the Foot had something to do with Zaynes death.

I could either run away, or I could get answers.

On the count of three.

One.

I pivoted my feet and bent my legs ready to brace my run.

Two.

I pulled out my gun, already loaded and secured it in between both of my hands. I carefully and strategically picked my first victim.

I can do this.

Breath in, breath out.

Three.

As I made my first step forward someone beat me to it.

One of the mutants, banded in red, began to soar towards The Foot Clan.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself, softening my grip around my gun.

Why in the living fuck was one of the mutants fighting by against their own people?

I observed the brute in pure awe. His technique was flawless and when I say he was way larger in person, I meant it.

Raphael. The brute.

I recognized him from the pictures I was shown.

The second turtle summersaulted in the air towards the clan. He was so fast that my eyes couldn't keep up. I gave my eyes a quick rub to freshen my vision up.

Bullets flew at the speed of light toward him. And he fought each one off perfectly with his nunchucks without an ounce of fear in his eyes.

"Is that all you got bruh?" He even cracked a joke like it was nothing to him.

And he spoke... English?!

I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't trapped in a dream or a nightmare.

I can assure myself that I'm not dreaming...

The third turtle came to the left, the same turtle I spotted earlier with some sort of staff. He was loaded up with equipment and like the others, his technique in fighting was phenomenal.

In this very exact moment as I sit back and observe these fascinating mutants annihilating the foot ninjas, I also realize a few things.

One, that I was utterly and completely set up. For some reason Sacks wanted me to die tonight and also lied to me about the turtles.

Two, these mutant turtles were not my enemy. At least, they weren't apart of the Foot Clan and that was good enough for me at the moment.

Maybe the hope was that if I fight against the turtles, that they would kill me.

No, that plan is too complexed for even Sacks to come up with. However, my gut was telling me that it was true.

So what do I do now?

If I wanted to, I could retreat. Go back home and get my revenge on Eric Sacks. Or I could risk my life and join the fight.

I was located in the center of the docks. And there was no guarantee that if the turtles saw me that they would spare my life. For all I know they could just be bat shit crazy.

But I must have sat and thought too long... hand wrapped around my neck making me drop my gun. I was drug back and swung head first into a container. The corner of my head bashed into the wall and the thud was so loud that you could hear it a mile away.

My adrenaline kicked in fast.

Forget the pain... focus and get up!

A foot soldier charged at me as my legs wobbled up. I grabbed a led pipe beside me and knocked him in the head with it. Two more surrounded me. I put myself on defense with the pipe, not being strategic in any manner attempting to throw them off. I hit the one on my right in the stomach temporarily knocking him down. I pivoted my feet and wrapped the pipe around the second one's neck. I kicked him in the back and dislocated his spine.

I ran and hid to the nearest hiding spot. My hand flew to my head which was dripping in blood as my adrenaline wore off. I definitely had a concussion. I was seeing double. As I cornered into my hiding spot I peaked and saw all three of the turtles fighting.

"Where's the fourth turtle?" I said to myself.

The tall purple one was landed a perpetuates blow to the knee, which knocked him down. I admired how fast he recovered, but at this point he was surrounded by ninjas. He attempted to fight them, but they pinned the purple banded turtle down.

My heart sank immediately when I saw the fear in his eyes. His other two brothers being too busy to save him.

My dumb gut told me to help him even though I was injured. I could easily save him.

"Don't do it Anna..." I said to myself. I had to stay alive.

But just when I convinced myself not to, as the purple banded turtle was pinned down, another foot ninja came up with an ax, so I grabbed my pipe again.

"I'm so going to regret this." I rolled my eyes and ran to expose myself.

Yeah... instant regret. Now I was in the view of the turtles and the Foot clan. All for what?

I ran as fast as I could and with all the strength that I had I bashed the ninja holding the axe right in the back of the head. I knocked him out in one swipe.

I'm starting to like this stupid pipe.

In one swift motion I swung my pipe around knocking both of the ninjas out that were holding the turtle down and I set him free. I dropped the pipe and immediately reached for my hand sized pistol, shooting the ninja behind the turtle and knocking him down. As the turtle stood up well above me, I shook in my boots a little bit.

We both paused as we stared at each other, both seeing if the other one will make a move.

His free hand raised up in the classic "I'm not going to hurt you" stance.

"Thank you." He said. I choke on my breath again hearing him talk in perfect English. His eyes reverted above my head as he readied his bo staff. "Behind you."

I immediately ducked. As he beat up the ninja behind me. Another ninja came up behind me. I bashed him in the nose with my pipe and kicked his kneecap in dislocating his knee. He fell to the ground and I elbowed him in the temple knocking him out. A second ninja grabbed my arms making me drop my pipe trying to drag me. I managed to stamp my feet in the ground, whipped my head back as hard as I could right on his nose. Making his arms loose. I turned around and punched him in the throat making him fall to the ground.

I was completely worn out.

The orange clad turtle jumped in front of me and finished off the remaining ninjas.

Just when I thought it was over, I heard a familiar voice.

"Finish her!" I heard Eric say, but when I looked around there was no sign of him. I loaded my pistol and was greeted my three more ninjas.

"More of you?!" I annoyingly said.

I went to shoot, but my gun was knocked out of my hand. I went straight to street combat. I blocked every painful punch this guy threw at me. I pushed him back enough to blow him in the jaw, but that's all I was able to get. I was kicked beautifully in my stomach which made me fly back into something hard. I felt my back shatter in pain as I fell forward onto the ground. I landed on my shoulder harshly. The soldier then grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the container pressing directly into my trachea. I couldn't resist his pure strength as I fought for my breath, right when I thought I was going to pass out, the purple clad turtle knocked him with his bo staff and finished off the rest of the rest of the ninjas.

I fell to the ground gasping for air. I felt my entire body fuzz in pins and needles.

I cant believe the turtle saved me.

He lifted me to my feet. I could tell he was immediately checking me for injuries.

"You're okay. I got you." He sounded so utterly normal.

I caught my breath extremely fast noticing it was finally over. I somehow managed to survive.

"Donatello!" I heard a voice I did not yet recognize. And he walked over towards me. Even though I was just strangled a minute ago, nothing took my breath away as much as seeing the blue clad turtle for the first time. He walked slowly towards me, probably unsure if I was an enemy or not. I heard him slowly take out a sword.

I recognized him. This was the leader, the deadliest of the four.

"She's not an enemy Leo! She saved me." Donnie said. There wasn't much I was afraid of. I knew their intentions were good. I put my hands up to show I meant no harm. Leo came out of the shadows and the moonlight hit his body. I finally was close enough to be face to face with him. Oddly the closer he got to me the safer I felt. My heart slowed down. I looked into his eyes and instantly fell into a trace.

My heart stopped when I saw his eyes. So striking that it made me shake to my core. So blue that I'm pretty sure they glowed. They were like sapphires of light which peered through his opaque facial expressions. Through his eyes alone, I could see every bit of his souls. And this terrified me.

He observed me looking up and down.

His face was perfectly proportionate. His eyes were a striking blue that beautifully clashed with his dark blue bandana. He had a scar leading down his right eye. His skin reflected off the light and it was nothing like I've ever seen. My eyes trailed to his shoulder.

He had a tribal tattoo along his right shoulder and another tattoo that wrapped around his left bicep.

However, as massive and as intimidating as he looked, I wasn't scared.

"We need to get her out of here." My body felt a chill when he spoke. I've never heard a voice so smooth and rich before. I panted hard now realizing the extent of my injuries. I couldn't move. "Miss?"

Is he talking to me?

"Y-you... t-turtle." I stuttered.

"It's okay." He hushed. "I'm not going to hurt you. We're the good guys." I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand. My skin felt flushed and clammy. My breaths were shallow. I felt like I was going into both physical and physiological shock. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm sorry. I saw you guys were in trouble." I muttered as my legs shook beneath me.

I didn't answer the right question. My brain was just so fuzzy and confused.

"She's going into shock." Donnie spoke up behind him. Apparently that wasn't important to the leader in blue. He seemed just as confused by me as I was by the turtles.

He's smart I'll give him that. He's probably wondering why I'm here and what my intentions are.

Much like me, he was searching for answers. And in that way I could relate to him.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" He questioned me like a parent questioning their child. As my breaths became more shallow. I was certain I would pass out soon, but in the case that these turtles would choose to go against me, I kept my guard up.

"I was searching for the foot clan." I was completely honest with him. I probably should have lied, but the more I looked in his eyes, the more I felt I could trust him. My voice was shaken and raspy from being choked.

"Why?" He said simply, somehow expecting me to comply.

"Because they poison everything. They infiltrated my city and I'm pretty sure they took someone I love. I've been tracking them down for months and my apologies, but at first I spotted you guys with the Foot Clan and I assumed you were associated, but after seeing you fight against them, I realized I was wrong." I had nothing to gain by being honest with them. I knew all the leader was looking for was honesty to see if he could trust me. Him and I were off the bat very similar beings.

"You risked your life for my brother. Thank you." His eyes scanned my injuries, observing the bruises along my neck.

"She looks familiar." The red banded turtle said. "I think she's that other vigilante I saw running around the city." Leo lifted his hand to silence him as he kept scanning my body.

"We need to get her out of range before the cops show up." He said to his brothers. Then he directed his eyes to me. "You're hurt. Do you know where the nearest hospital is? We can escort you."

"I-" And before I could finish I felt a searing pain in my stomach followed by something warm and wet dripping town my body. I looked down. I was shot by an arrow by a left over foot clan member. I numbly pulled it out slowly. My body instantly became cold and weak. My vision blurred. I fell so helplessly, but Leo caught me before I hit my head.

"Raph get him!" he ordered. His voiced changed. His yell made me shake.

"There's more of them!" Mikey exclaimed. Leo immediately picked up my dead weight and carrying me to a safer spot.

"Finish them off!" Leo yelled as he applied a fuck ton of pressure to my stomach. I yelled from the pain. "I'm sorry." He said to me.

"She's bleeding out! We need to get her out of here!" Said Donnie

"But where? We can't go to a hospital." Leo said as he let Donnie take over in applying pressure. I started to feel tingles and coughed as blood went to my throat. All I could feel were the leaders warm arms cradling me.

"Oh no." The purple banded turtle observed the arrow I was shot with. "It's a poison arrow Leo. The ones with the toxic purple ooze."

"What are her chances Donnie?" Leo's voice rumbled underneath me, but I didn't hear Donatello give him an answer.

"She's going to die Leo. We did everything we could." I heard the red one say.

"Its fine. Just leave me." I muffled. My life wasn't important anyways. I always wanted to die anyways. I was just always too weak to do it myself.

If anything I'd get to be with Zayne. And that's all I would need to be content. After all, I had nobody.

"Are you crazy?" Leo said to me. It wasn't long until the pain settled in. It was excruciating. The pain was so bad that I couldn't even scream. My insides felt like they were being lit on fire and blood filled my throat and mouth. Leo tilted my head so I didn't choke. His attention to detail was incredible.

"I'm not going to make it anyways. Save yourselves before more of them come." I tried to convince them before I wasn't coherent anymore. I probably would make it if I was sent to a hospital, but I really just wanted to die. More than anything in this world. My vision blurred. I could tell they were trying to talk to me, but everything was muffled. Like what you hear when you're underwater.

I could hear they were arguing. I took a few shallow breaths and my vision went black.

"Now I will tell you what I've done for you

50 thousand tears I've cried

Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you

And you still won't hear me

Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself

Maybe I'll wake up for once

Not tormented, daily defeated by you

Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom

I'm dying again

I'm going under

Drowning in you

I'm falling forever

I've got to break through

I'm going under" ~ Evanescence

Thank you so much for reading!

As always if you enjoy my work, like, follow and comment your thoughts! It lets me know to write more!

Much love~ HamatoSami💙

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[A video is attached. The camera's movement is a little bumpy, but not to the point it is hard to see what's going on. Occasionally, the tip of a crobat wing briefly enters the side of the frame and then disappears again.]

[Fluttershy and Twilight are walking through Lumiose City, along a narrow and not very crowded street.]

Alright, it's right up here. Or at least it was yesterday.

Is that the new place? Donn's Traveling Gym Experience?

Oh! Yes, good, they haven't moved on already. I wonder what type the team is?

[Fluttershy walks up to the door of what looks like it used to be an empty building a week prior, with the handwritten sign labeling it hanging above the door.]

Hello there! Are you accepting new challengers at this time?

[The person who answers – presumably Donn – is a rather short human of indeterminate gender, dressed head to toe in pitch black robes accented only by hemming in gray and a desaturated violet. Their hair is bright orange, similar to Team Flare grunts, and hangs straight to just barely shoulder length. Apart from the noticeable hair color, there is no other indication that this person is actually with Team Flare, and Twilight does not appear to recognize them.]

Welcome. This is unusual indeed. I presume ye are Fallers?

Yes. I suppose it's obvious, isn't it. My name's Fluttershy, this is Twilight. Fallers or not, though, we're pokemon trainers just like you. I'm doing the gym challenge and noticed this place, and thought I'd check it out.

Hi there! Not aiming for Champion myself, but I do some battling just for fun.

I may grant unto you no badge, but my team are formidable – though my passion lieth truly in the raising of young trainers to guide their way onto the start of their journey, and in this event I do hold back. Do ye possess any badges already?

[As the gym leader speaks, they usher the two ponies into the building. They stand in a lobby room of sorts, though there is no receptionist at the desk, and nothing appears professionally installed. It is a traveling, temporary institution, after all. There is a door at the far side of the room.]

I have five badges so far.

Three for me.

Well. With such skill, ye may gain little benefit from mine opposition.

I'm interested to try anyway, if you want? You don't have to hold back.

If that be thy wish. Enter, then, and brave the gym challenge I have made. Should ye pass beyond and stand ready upon the field, then our battle shall commence.

[Donn gestures to the door on the far wall, and steps aside.]

I'll see you on the battlefield soon, then. Though, if you don't mind telling, what type do you use?

[Upon hearing this, the gym leader only smiles, and raises one hand. They snap their fingers loudly, and in that instant, all of the lights in the room turn off at once, leaving Fluttershy and Twilight in pitch blackness.]

Dark.

[Video ends.]

[kreiitsuuuu]

🌼 TIRED AND BURNT OUT

𖧷 in which; where zenitsu, giyuu, kyojuro, mitsuri, and kaigaku, comfort their tired and burnt out gn! s/o

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Drops whatever he was doing or stops whining to go on and check up on you.

As much as he loves you comforting him whenever he was in a bad mood or was injured, Zenitsu also loved doing the same thing for you

Either you were pushing yourself too hard to the point that everything felt like a chore and a burden to do, or you just didn't feel like doing anything due to tiredness.

He understands your current condition and will probably help you relax and get comfortable within his embrace :]

Cuddles <3 cuddles are always nice and warm with this boy. Perhaps chaotic also, on some occasions

Tells you how much he loves you so much, and how you literally don't need to push yourself too hard. I mean, you have him! If you needed help, he'd try his best :D

He'd whisper ridiculous, corny, yet enjoyable pick-up lines he made up on the spot to at least make a smile crack outta you, maybe even a laugh :]

Zenitsu would be the type of guy to run his hand onto your face, and then place a soft kiss to your lips without muttering a single word yet will also be the same person who would be red all over if you gave him a single compliment.

He's such a dork <3

Don't wanna get up and be productive? Will stay in your futon the whole day with you, if the two of you wanted to

As much as he was a loud, and annoying person to others, you had never treated him ill and that's what made him fall for you

His self loathing vanished, as your love helped him up and on his feet.

" Y/n, are you feeling alright now? "

" I always feel alright when I am in your arms, Agatsuma. "

Ok, that definitely caught him off guard which made him a flustered mess <3

Giyuu Tomioka

Giyuu isn't much of an active person himself, so seeing you all tired and burnt out worries him since he's used on seeing you so active and running around the place to do missions or just simple chores

Of course, being the kick butt awesome yet no energy boyfriend he is, Giyuu insisted that you rest.

There was no budging his words, as he was already pulling your hand to join him in your futon

As much as his face showed no interest, he really did love pulling you in his embrace. Glad and relieved you're alright.

Though, he will give you a few words about stopping once in awhile to rest. Everyone has their limits, even him.

I think he's not the one who usually makes the first move, but in this current condition of yours, he'll try his best to comfort you and make you rest to the fullest :]

Little forehead kisses <3

Hand holding!!! Reassures him a lot that you're still with him, and god he is so glad he has not lost you.

So much of his friends and family was lost, and he couldn't bare to lose you as well.

If you had a mission or just a random chore that you haven't done yet, Giyuu will go fulfill it in your stead.

Please rest haha he's very worried for your health :(

" I brought some soba for us to eat, come, I'll feed you "

" But.. I can feed myself. Plus, I'm not sick, Giyuu.. "

" No, I will feed you. "

Don't even try to fight him, he will be upset (and you don't want that) (probably)

Kyojuro Rengoku

The two of your were both suns who lights up eachother's lives but at this time, you were a moon and you needed the light of your life to be with you.

Kyojuro caught you as you were about to fall face first unto the floor due to tiredness

That would've been a nasty fall!

Very worried about your entire well being, but you assured him you'll be fine. Just needed a handful of rest

If you needed anything, he'll be just around the corner :D

Do you want food? He's already cooking!

Need someone to hold you? Well, he's always up for it!

Want to work and burn yourself out more? NO >:(

Your stubbornness can't win against him, well, you're thankful. Since you can go a little too far from your limits and end up hurting yourself in the process.

Honestly, Kyojuro was like a nice, friendly, daily message for you. To not over-do yourself, and have a little time for yourself from time to time.

Of course, the world needed saving from demons, but you can't save them now that you're not saving yourself now, hm?

OH OH It's like a normal occurring by now, but he always gives you a hug outta nowhere and then quickly peppers kisses unto your face <3

" Darling! Are you feeling alright now? If not, then I wish you a speedy recovery as always! "

msjfhdmmg I'm sorry but I swear this man would like hum you to sleep as you rest in his embrace like!? ₍ ᐢ..ᐢ ₎

Mitsuri Kanroji

Hear me out ok I swear

For what all I know, I seriously think Mitsuri would be the type of girlfriend who'd pamper and spoil you so much on a regular basis, and will still do the same to you if you were tired but more tame and comfy.

She isn't the love pillar for nothing

Kisses! So much! Especially on the lips! Mwah mwah <3

Will not allow you to do anything that'll tire you out >:( get some rest already

Cuddles are also a must, can't spend a single night without them :] it's always a need

FOOD. food. Where do I even get started

Mitsuri would literally buy you a mountain of food to eat.

You want ramen? Sure! Mochi? Already one step ahead of you! Dango? Like the mochi wasn't already a sign..

On a more serious note though, Kanroji would give you daily, friendly reminders to take care of yourself more.

Otherwise, who'd be left with her if you were to be gone :(

Take care of yourself! That's an order!

" Love! I already told you that I'm doing the dishes!!! >:( "

" .. But it's.. only one..? "

" I don't care! Let me do it instead, go! Shoo! Rest! Wait for me at our futon and let's cuddle :D "

Kaigaku

Man has already been tired of a certain blonde when he was human, now you're the replace for them

That's a joke, and Kaigaku cares for you and your health seriously. Especially since you were not a demon like him.

Instead of giving you a small, nice wording on how you should calm down and tone your work down, he instead – gives you a lecture.

Surprising? No, it was most likely expected.

Though, over his harsh and rude wording, he really does worry about your well being

He just gets a little tongue tied when talking kindly, so his usual resort to this is speaking negatively.

Kaigaku will stop, of course, and actually attend to your tired form now.

" You moron, what did I tell about overworking yourself to the goddamn bone? "

" What was it again..? Hm, I don't recall such things. "

" Y/n. I will drop you to the ground and you will wail in pain. "

Your teasing wasn't really a stranger to the raven haired male.

In fact, it was a welcomed action.

This man wouldn't really be the type to give affection, but on rare occasions like this, he'd give you a kiss or two on the cheek

Maybe even a peck in the lips if you played your cards right. This mostly makes him flustered, though.

Reassuring hugs were always his favourite, because he gets to hold you close in his embrace, all to himself

Selfish and peachy.. who would've thought you'd get yourself a power combo like this?

💌 A/N: school is making me go oonga boonga so i made this for myself haha im tired #sorrybutnotreally also check this fucking cool art my friend made me im crying look

𖧷 it's zenitsu and my oc (lemon) as a fumo plushie bye i love my friends so much

🌼 MASTERLIST [#1] | MASTERLIST [#2]

[texanredrose]

"No, I won't." Weiss shook her head, leaning into the embraces that were keeping her on her feet. "I'll mourn what I've lost, yes. I'll miss you. I'll break, like a mirror thrown against a wall. I'll no longer be a Schnee." She glanced to both sides, seeking out her girlfriends' gazes as a small smile graced her lips. "But I know I won't be alone when it happens. I'll have help putting myself back together, from two wonderful people who care about me deeply... (Not enough space to fit)"

Lord, Weiss’ speech near the end of Partners- okay, this chapter in general started my love affair with Winter as a character, because I really didn’t anticipate for her to be quite as big a presence as she ended up being. I mean, I wanted Weiss and Winter to interact, for them to clash a little and Winter to ultimately support her, but I didn’t expect for Winter to bluff like this or for Weiss to go all in as a response.

Partners, on the whole, became a monster unto itself after the second chapter. I had very little idea what would happen and how things would go; I just had some vague ideas for interactions, and the characters strung them together. So Winter barging into the room for this confrontation- I really expected a video call. But no. She decided ‘fuck it, I’m showing up personally for this shit’.

And Weiss rose to the challenge. This is probably the origins of how I understand and often depict the Schneesters’ relationship; Winter pushes, perhaps not the right way, perhaps too hard, but she does have Weiss’ best interests in mind. She’s trying to teach Weiss the hardest lessons the only way she knows how. And, at some point, Weiss is going to reach her limit. She’s going to put her foot down and say ‘you can’t teach me anymore; I have to teach myself now’ and this is that moment for this AU. She’s making her decision, to break away from all the baggage associated with her surname, to turn her back on a family that didn’t really act like a family to start. (This was all, of course, written prior to us actually meeting Papa Schnee and Whitley and the V5 short, so I’m glad to see that this is exactly what Weiss does and how the family dynamics work, just in a different format.)

But really, I think, what stands out to me about this speech is that Weiss is admitting her faults freely. Her insecurities, her weaknesses- she’s outright stating that, yeah, she’s not going to be okay after doing this. It’s going to hurt like hell- it’s going to break her. But it’s not the end of her world. She’ll rise up, with help from her girlfriends, and that for her, it’s a worthwhile trade. She loses her name, her fame, her wealth, everything she’s known, but what she gains is worth so much more. Because she can freely admit those faults and blemishes knowing that Blake and Yang… well, they love her for them. That’s not to say she doesn’t have some growing to do or some things to work on; it means she can be a flawed individual without being punished for being, ya know, human (and I mean that in the mortal sense). This is something that wasn’t present in Weiss’ life until she came to Beacon, until she fell in love with Blake and Yang, until she allowed herself to love them and accept their love in return. 

I do try to incorporate a speech like this into AUs where Weiss leaves behind her home life or her name. This is one of the unique cases, though, where Weiss is renouncing her heritage to Winter, whom she does hold in some esteem, so it’s not angry or biting like some others. She admits she’s going to miss her sister- and why wouldn’t she? They might not have the best relationship, sure, but they’ve at least tried being supportive for each other, which is more than the rest of the family can say.

I’ll be honest; I was just as proud of Weiss as Winter when I wrote this. I had no control over these three for the majority of the fic but watching them grow and come into their own? It felt so satisfying. When you’re writing a story and the character makes a speech like this, you kinda know that it’s directed as much to the other characters in the scene as it is to you, the author. It doesn’t matter what hell I conjure up, Weiss is going to overcome. Because she’ll do anything for her team, this family- with or without lovers- that she’s found.

This is as much an admission of love as it is a declaration of freedom. And I think, for Weiss especially, that it’s a powerful thing. That she’s sort of tied these two things together in her mind- because they both seemed out of reach, or limited, or just… not quite right. But now, she’s found both, and she’s going to dig in and never let go. And honestly? Fuckin, get it, girl.