𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗢 ✧ y! leonardo hamato

𝟎𝟏𝟎 . 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱❟ 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗼𝘄

"This is adorable!" Leo snarled, capturing a picture of the two snowmen you two made from his phone. For him, it was a sight to admire these snowmen holding each other close under the ember-kissed sky this winter, as if they were friends and possibly a couple.

"So, what are they?" you asked out of curiosity since he has been mentioning earlier that you two could make it a couple, but you protested they could be friends.

"C'mooon. I thought we were going to make them a lovey-dovey couple who were having the best winter of their lives," he recalled as he placed his phone inside his coat's pocket.

You observed the snowmen again, which made you unsure if they were really a couple. They were on each other's sides, the sticks resembled as their hands were intertwined, you've got the different decorations each snowman, and pebbles on their mouths as their smiles like some couple and friends would be. Both of you made them a couple, but they acted like friends, and vice versa. Maybe the good thing now is to consider each other's perspective. "Right. I'll consider that," you replied, and this brightened him up, finally having a mutual thought with you.

"Awesome. Now, the best part is, let's take a picture together with these snowballs!"

"Aren't they snowmen?"

"Yes, they're snowballs," he answered as he grabbed your wrist, pulling you closer to him to fit in the frame of the camera. When he captured it, Mayhem popped out and dropped between the snowmen, making the intertwined hands collapse down.

"Mayheeem!" April called out, approaching her pet on the snowmen, and Mayhem leaped away from it while Leo's lips were agape at the sight of the broken decorations.

"Oh, they have split up now," he mumbled, and you gently patted his shell. "They'll eventually get it back if we fix it, of course," you reassured with a chuckle.

As the sun descended below the horizon, casting a final golden glow across the landscape, the temperature plummeted, and the chill intensified, a silent herald of the encroaching night. The snow, once pristine and glistening, now exuded an icy aura that seemed to seep into every corner of the desolate place. With the fading light, the hidden dangers that lurked in the shadows during the day began to stir, their presence gaining potency under the cover of darkness. The tranquility of the snowy scene now held a foreboding undertone, setting the stage for the imminent emergence of perils that preferred the cloak of night.

The turtles, along with April and Casey, were on their way to achieve a mission now of attempting to bring the nogitsune to a halt with his vengeance as his cues scattered in the city again, causing disruption and chaos in the other sites.

You were on the sidewalk, looking for a safe area to avoid the prior events that had occurred those evenings. Of course, it was still haunting you, as this shadow with blazing crimson eyes would not stop cursing you with every step you took. You continued going home with your hands in your coat's pocket, melting the remaining cold in them. Then, the newspaper hit you in the face as a blast of wind blew.

The newspaper just covered your sight, and you huffed with grimace as you pulled the paper away, only to read in the headline that the shadow figure was causing chaos in some parts of the city and showing an alert to be safe. It didn't help your nerves to chill down, and just like it said, you have to stay alert as well. Then, you put down the newspaper and decided to focus your attention on your walk, but it shifted to a startling sight.

The shadow. It was in front of you from a distance.

Mischief was written all over his face, even in the fiery crimson in his eyes. The lights from the building around you made it clear what this figure looked like. It didn't appear to be human at all.

You were frozen in place, your heart beating in fear of coming into contact with this shadow. When you were going to flee, this shadow flicked up to you and grabbed your arm, pressing his claws into your skin. This made you hiss in anguish since the stinging edge was searing your flesh. "I finally caught you, human." The shadow melted into the nogitsune you'd seen before fighting with your turtle allies, and you knew this yokai was dangerous.

"No, let go!" Your instincts told you to take a leap of faith and pull away from his grasp, but it betrayed you as his claws dug further into your flesh to prevent you from escaping, causing a scratch to form with small blood leaking out as he pulled you in the air.

"Oh, no, no. You are not going to get away from me. You are destined to give your life away!" The nogitsune cackled and raised his other claws, glistening in the streetlights. Your body was trembling with dread, and you had to close your eyes tight to prevent seeing how your destination would end here.

A sudden, piercing sound echoed as the nogitsune's claws lunged menacingly in your direction. In a heartbeat, the metallic melody harmonized with a swift, slicing exhale as a katana met its mark on the nogitsune's back. The impact forced him to release his grip on you.

As your body dropped to the ground, liberated from the vise-like hold, your eyes flickered open just in time to witness a torrent of aggressive katana slashes carving through the creature's flesh. Blood and fur erupted, painting a macabre tapestry, while the once formidable creature now lay scattered and vulnerable beneath the dominating figure of Leo.

The unfolding spectacle struck you with such intensity that an instinctual force propelled you backward on the ground, a desperate attempt to distance yourself from the unnerving scene.

Leo's eyes, once familiar and steady, now harbored a profound madness. They widened, dancing on the verge of instability, as he relentlessly swung his swords with a ferocity that transcended reason. Each stroke carried the weight of a relentless determination, as if this were the culmination of a long-held vendetta. In the depths of Leo's gaze, you could discern a vivid imagination at play―an envisioning of the yokai torn asunder, its limbs severed, its head relinquished, and most of all, its tails vanquished beyond the reach of eternity.

The nogitsune, ensnared in a dance of cold, sharp steel, bore the aftermath of slashes, its cry of pain echoing through the frigid air. The yokai, overwhelmed by the relentless force inflicted upon it, yielded its last vestiges of power. Tossed aside, propelled by a gust of displaced air, Leo slid harshly across the unforgiving ground, a trail of snow now marred by the scattered remnants of crimson blood. Then, like the extinguishing of a flame on a matchstick, the yokai vanished into the ether.

As the red-eared slider groaned, marked by the stinging scratches on his skin from the impact, he rose from the wintry ground. Realization dawned―the yokai's disappearance signaled not an end but a temporary respite. His determination flared as he scanned the surroundings, finding no trace of the elusive fox. A surge of frustration clenched his fist, the icy air now matching the boiling rage within. The battle was far from over.

Nonetheless, he should settle down the fight in a while. His gaze turned to you, and you were there on the ground behind him, frozen in shock, breaths heaving, with each exhale forming ephemeral puffs in the cold air.

As your eyes locked with his, the earlier madness that had gripped him transformed into a palpable sense of relief. Concern etched across your features, you summoned the courage to release your voice after the startling episode, your shaky breath preceding the words, "You okay-" Yet, any further inquiry was abruptly halted as he enveloped you in a tight embrace, leaving no room for additional words.

The blood from his body imprinted on your clothes, saturating the fabric with a more visible hue as he enveloped you in a tight squeeze. "You're safe now, querida. You're safe," he reassured you in a hushed tone as he nuzzled his cheek against yours. He didn't even mind if you were comfortable with it. He was in such a state that he just wanted you to feel his presence right now.