Part seven! Things are gonna get sketchy pretty soon so stay tuned!

Trust

Leo followed Sukari for blocks. He was quiet as possible because he knew she had an abnormally sharp sense of hearing. She was walking slowly as if she was expecting something. She soon stopped next to an alley and turned to face it.

"You can stop stalking me now," Leo heard her say. A few men walked out of the alley and circled her.

"Hey Kari," one of them greeted.

"Don't you 'hey' me, Green," Sukari said, "especially after that stunt you pulled yesterday. I've told you, Josh has told you that you won't be getting into my jeans anytime soon. So what the hell? By the way, you didn't have to dig a freaking pipe into my side, either. I may be able to heal but it still hurts, you know."

"Alright, alright Kari. Calm da hell down. Damn," said the leader. "We just get a little lonely sometimes." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. She pulled out of his grasp and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me," she said. The circle around her closed in a little and the guy took both of her wrists.

"C'mon, baby, we just want a little fun," he said.

"Get off!" she shouted. She kicked his torso and the circle backed off.

"Alright, bitch. I won't do nothin'," Green said after catching his breath.

"Good," Sukari said. "I'd hate for Bishop to know anything about what you continue to try to do."

"Ya lecturin' me 'bout secrets?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ya don't think we know who you've been hangin' out with? Babe, we ain't that stupid. They're the damn turtles that you've been warned about. I'd sure hate for Bishop ta find out 'bout dat." Sukari challenged him with a look.

"You wouldn't," she said through clenched teeth. He bent down so his face was closer to hers.

"Try me, babe," he said with a sneer. He bent down a bit more to stare into her eyes. She looked up at him but looked back down. Green suddenly started laughing. "Are ya serious, Kari?!"

"What?"

"Ya fallin' for one of dem, ain't ya?" This caught Leonardo's undivided attention.

"Of course not!" Sukari shouted, a little too loudly. Her face gave her away, though.

"Yeah, right," Green said, "so which one is it?"

"It's none of them," Sukari cried. "You don't understand!" Green suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her against the wall. She cried out at the sudden contact.

"No," he said, "you don't understand. Ya think dat we'll pass up a chance ta get back at those damn freaks for every plan they've ruined for us?" Sukari struggled against his hold, but his grip got tighter and she cried out again.

"What do I have to do?" she asked silently so only Green could hear. He smiled and bent to kiss her neck. She allowed a few tears to fall. Green began to let his hands roam her body up and down. She suddenly thought of something that could save her. "Wait," she said. Green looked up at her, "Bishop takes me to a gynecologist every week."

"So what?" Green said in annoyance.

"I'd certainly hate for Bishop to know who took my virginity when he specifically ordered for none of you to touch me," she had a sly look in her eyes. Green looked at her with a warning gaze and scowled. "It would be just awful if he knew about it wouldn't it? I can't imagine the punishment that would await you."

"You bitch," Green growled.

"Yep," Sukari said with a grin she was trying to hide. Green pushed off of her. "It is your choice. You can risk it and be killed or you can keep a small secret and live to see next week."

Green started to chuckle.

"See guys, I told ya da bitch had some brains. Ya gotta deal sweetheart." He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her off the wall and down the street. "Betta be gettin' home." Leonardo was confused. Why would Sukari almost take a fall for him and his brothers? Was she protecting them or was she trying to protect herself? He began to head home. She was just fine. The only thing that troubled him was how tough she had been acting. It was as if she wasn't afraid like she usually was. Like… she was… bored, no, not the right word… cocky in some way. She was never that way at school when Josh was around. What made these guys any different?

Then it hit him. He remembered Donny telling him that Josh was Sukari's forced fiancée. He never hesitated to touch her or hurt her. She really was afraid of him. These guys, from what he had heard, tried to get her only once in awhile. She also had protection by Bishop. She didn't have a reason to fear them. But why did she want to keep her possible infatuation with Raphael a secret? This was all too confusing. He had to get home. He knew what he had to do. Sukari was just too unreadable for him to trust her. He ran on the rooftops nonstop until he reached home. The only thing that he thought about was his family's reaction to his decision; Raphael's reaction.

A Single Word

Leo walked through the door to the lair where Raphael was waiting for him. Raph walked in front of him immediately.

"Is she alright?" he asked. Leo shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "She apparently had arranged escorts."

"What do ya mean?" Raph asked.

"I was following her," Leo began, "and she stopped at an alley. Purple Dragons came out of the alley."

"Why didn't ya help?" Raph was practically yelling now.

"I didn't have to! She started talking to them like they were old friends or something. I'm sorry, but I don't think we can trust her, Raph."

"What exactly are ya sayin'?"

"I'm saying that I don't want you seeing her anymore." The lair was suddenly silent with tension. Donny started to slowly lead Mikey to his room. Mikey hated seeing his brothers fighting.

Raph was glaring at his older brother. Leo was mirroring his look.

"No," Raph whispered hoarsely.

"What?"

"Ya heard me," Raph said, "I said 'no'. I ain't gonna stay away from her unless she says so."

"No," Leo was fuming. He walked up to Raph and jabbed his chest lightly, "you're gonna stay away from her because I said so." Raph smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me," he growled.

"Raph when are you gonna understand that I'm just trying to protect this family?!"

"I don't need to be protected!" screamed Raph. "I can take care of myself, Fearless!"

"Right," Leo smirked, ears grating at the nickname he so hated, "that's why I'm always saving your damn shell!" Raph lost it. He reared back and punched Leo's jaw. Leo cried out at the sudden contact and fell onto his knees. He rubbed his jaw and spit out some blood. He looked up and saw Raph walking away from him. He stood up, glaring at his brother. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Raph replied through clenched teeth. "I'm goin' for a run."

"No you're not," Leo half-yelled. Raph whipped around and served his brother with the worst death glare he could muster.

"Ya may control this team, Leo," he said as nicely as he could at that moment, "ya may decide what we do in battle and in trainin', but ya sure as hell ain't gonna decide who I see; and definitely not who I love." A little blush came to Raph's cheeks but he ignored it. Leo's eyes went wide then narrow.

"How the hell could you love her after two days?!" he yelled. "You barely know her!"

"Why do ya care how I feel?! I love her and that's that!" Leo glared again.

"Fine," Leo growled through gritted teeth, "but don't you dare complain to me if she isn't who she says." Raph narrowed his eyes and walked out, ring on his finger and hell fire in his eyes.

So it Begins

Screams echoed throughout Bishop's facility and shook the sound-proof windows. Above the screams were the loud cracks of a whip. The screams came from the basement where Sukari was on her knees, facing and shackled to the wall, and her lashed, bleeding back facing none other than Josh; holding a bloody whip and wearing a scowl on his usually smug face. He reared back to make another lash, but was stopped.

"Enough," said a gruff voice. Bishop got up from his chair and walked over to Sukari who was shaking violently and crying soundlessly. Her back was swollen and her lime-green skin was tinted crimson. Bishop knelt beside her and grabbed her jaw and pulled it so she was forced to look at him. Bishop stared into her puffy red eyes before speaking. "This is the second night you have delayed in getting home. What have you been doing?"

Sukari stayed silent, anger building on pain. She wanted to then and there spit in Bishop's face to give him a hint of how much she hated him, but it would only make circumstance worse.

"And what is this I hear about you attacking Joshua?" Bishop asked. Sukari's eyes narrowed and her mouth ran away with her brain.

"There is a very big difference between attack and self defense, sir" she sneered the last word.

"Bullshit!" Josh intervened. After putting away the whip, he stormed over to the other side of Sukari across from Bishop. Bishop let go of Sukari's jaw and Josh grabbed a fistful of her hair. He jerked it back. Sukari glared coldly into his cruel, gray eyes that were narrowed behind sandy-blonde bangs. He continued to tug on her hair until the pain got to her and she bared her fangs and hissed at him. "My arms had ta be cleared of venom 'cause of you."

Sukari chuckled. She could only imagine what kind of damage she did with her venomous claws.

"What is so funny, Sukari?" Bishop asked. Sukari's eyes went from Josh's to Bishop's with a sly little gaze.

"What's funny, sir, is that Josh is fully entitled to kick me around all he wants to, but when I fight back, I get in trouble and he gets rewarded. Personally, I think you should renegotiate that arrangement.

"What da hell are ya talkin' 'bout?" Josh asked.

"You forced yourself on me in an alley, you fucking pedophile!" Sukari screamed and shook her head out of Josh's grip. He and Bishop jumped back in shock of her outburst. "You tried to strangle me with your hand under my shirt at school!" There was an odd, faint, creaking noise on the chains. The links were bending and the shackles were starting to melt. Sukari continued to stare forward at the wall, eyes blazing with her too-long-contained fury. The chains were thinning with each passing second. "Your damn friends attacked my friend without reason or remorse!" Her chains broke suddenly and she jumped on Josh before he could react. She straddled his abdomen, wrapped her tail around his ankles, and held his arms above his head. He struggled as hard as he could, expecting his little weakling to break and let go, but Sukari never budged. She held him down and stared at him coldly. "Sometimes I wonder, Josh," she said once he stopped struggling and could hear her, "if you felt the pain that I feel every day, would you continue to hurt me?"

"Fuck you, bitch! Get off of me!" Josh yelled.

"The funny thing is," Sukari continued, "though you may believe so, you have never been able to kill me, but I could strike you dead here and now without even blinking an eye." She placed both of his hands in her left hand, and with her other hand, she brushed her nails over his jugular vein with a gleam in her eyes. "All it takes is a flick of my finger on your throat and you'll bleed out in minutes." She suddenly felt a nudge on the back of her head. She turned slightly-still keeping her grip on Josh- and saw Bishop standing over her with a gun pointed at her head. She glowered at her master and her eyes did something strange. Around her pupiless brown corneas glowed a blood red circle.

"Sukari," Bishop warned. He knew what would happen if she got out of hand, "I'm warning you now; calm down and get off of him or I will kill you." Sukari merely laughed, but it wasn't her usual little giggle; it was something that was dark, frightening, and somewhat evil.

"Fool," her voice was deeper with a chilling little echo, "you cannot kill me even if you tried. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take his life now."

"Do you want this to end badly, Sukari? I can make that happen. You may not die, but I know that enough pain will take you down." Sukari's eyes glowed brighter and she scowled.

"Do you think I'm scared of you, Bishop? Why, you're nothing more than a power-thirsty human."

Bishop had enough. With lightening speed, he struck Sukari across the face with the back of the gun. She cried out angrily and jumped off of Josh. She crouched in a position like a tiger ready to strike. She hissed and glared, baring her sharp fangs. Bishop pointed the gun at her again.

Then Sukari did something she had never been brave enough to do. She backed up and stepped in the moonlight that shown through the small window.

"No!" Bishop shouted. He tossed away the gun and ran towards her, but was stopped by some kind of invisible force field. Her body began to change and her back started writhing.

"What's happenin'?!" Josh shouted.

Suddenly, Sukari was screaming. Her spine had been shaking and suddenly, down her spine, little spikes ripped themselves out of her already tender skin. To Sukari, it felt like knives being stabbed into her back one by one slowly. She started growing in size. Her screaming grew louder when her back-the spaces between her spine and shoulder blades- was squirming. Very quickly, out of her back, ripped through her tender skin were two wings. Her snout grew out into a beak and all of her teeth sharpened. On her body were black markings of every shape and size.

It finally happened. Sukari had finally turned herself into a dragon for the first time ever.

Bishop and Josh stared up at the creature in astonishment. She glared back down at them in bitter hatred. Bishop cleared his throat.

"Sukari!" She turned her head towards him. "You need to calm down and revert back to your humanoid form. You don't know how to use your powers and you could destroy many things!" Sukari stared at him for a minute and then her eyes glowed brighter red. She bared her teeth and roared as loud as she could. The sound wave force knocked Josh off his feet, but Bishop just stood. Sukari jumped towards the small window, busting through the wall. Bishop didn't move at all. Josh got up and took out his gun and pointed it at Sukari, but Bishop pushed his arm down, watching Sukari breakout.

Once Sukari was outside, she spread her wings, and with all her strength, she lifted herself off of the ground and flew away. Bishop turned to Josh.

"She'll change back at sunrise. Follow her until then. She won't leave the city. When you find her, do not hurt her in any way. Just bring her back."

"What if she sees me?" Josh asked as he put away his gun.

"She won't care. Now go."

First Flight

Raphael ran along the rooftops in the pouring rain. His hair was matted to his forehead, but he didn't care. No, he was too pissed off to care. How dare Leo accuse Sukari of manipulating them? He knew for a fact that she wouldn't, and even if she did, she wouldn't have a choice. The pain he saw in her eyes every day wasn't fake. It was weird, though. He had only met Sukari yesterday; so how did he love her? Why couldn't he get her out of his head? Just the very thought of her getting hurt tore him apart.

He suddenly heard something above him. It sounded like constant whooshes. He looked up and nearly tripped at what he saw. Flying above him was a large… dragon. His eyes went wide. The creature suddenly looked down at him. Raph stopped completely. The dragon dove down and landed in front of him with its ears down. Its eyes were brown, pupiless, and sad.

'Wait,' Raph thought, 'pupiless?' He looked closer into the eyes and gasped. "Sukari?" he asked. She purred in reply and put her head down in front of him. He cautiously reached out his hand and pet the top of her head gently. She raised her head a little moving his hand to her snout. Raph felt as if he were petting a horse when he ran his hand down her beak. He could feel the slight rumbling of her purr and couldn't help but smile. Sukari caught his eye and flicked her head back and crouched lower. "Seriously?" Raph asked in disbelief. She winked at him.

Raph walked to her side and climbed onto her back. She crouched even lower, spread her wings, and-Raph tensed-launched herself into the air once again. Raph yelled in excitement and held onto her with his arms gently around her neck.

They flew around the city many times throughout the night. Soon, though, the sun threatened to rise and Sukari changed direction and headed towards Central Park. They landed just as the sun began to rise. Raph got off of her and stepped back. She was groaning in pain as she shrunk in size and the spikes on her back sank back into her spine. Her wings went back in and the groaning gradually grew to screaming. Finally, she reached her regular size and the screaming stopped. She fell limp. Raph rushed over to her and gasped when he saw her bare back. It was covered in long scars that looked like lashes from a whip. He knelt next to her and she opened her eyes and looked at him as he lay down in front of her.

"Why is it always you?" Sukari asked.

"What do ya mean?"

"You're always the one I run into. I don't understand it. Why you?"

"Maybe 'cause I care da most," Raph admitted.

"Why would a guy like you care about a girl like me?"

"What do ya mean 'a guy like me'?" Sukari didn't talk. "C'mon, tell me." Raph smiled and lightly poked her ribs. She smiled and flinched. Raph sat up over her and started to tickle her ribs mercilessly and she laughed maniacally. "Tell me, Sukari, c'mon," he kept saying playfully. Sukari laughed harder until tears came to her eyes.

"Okay, okay!" she laughed out at him. "Stop! I'll tell you!" Raph stopped and lay back next to her chuckling like a little kid. "What I meant by 'a guy like you' was just my way of saying that I shouldn't be on your list of priorities. You're smart and fun and… and," she stumbled.

"And what?" Raph asked.

"Remarkably beautiful," she confessed, blushing, "the total opposite of me. You should be more focused on girls like Amy Hart. I know for a fact that she still likes you."

"Do ya know why I don't wanna girl like Amy? She's a total bitch ta anyone who doesn't fit her standards. Plus, I don't wanna listen ta da gossip and hear 'bout da latest lipstick color and all dat stupid shit. Dat would just drive me nuts." Sukari giggled.

"Didn't you date her for a few months last year?" she asked.

"Yeah, and it sucked," Raph said with a groan. "Need I say more?"

Sukari chuckled, and then sighed. Her eyes looked to the ground sadly.

"What?" Raph asked.

"Nothing, Raphael," she answered quietly.

"Something," Raph retorted.

"I don't want to tell you," Sukari said. "You'll think I'm stupid or something."

"Sukari," Raph said seriously, "tell me." She sighed.

"Ever since I first saw you when I came to the school, I liked you. On the outside, you seem so rough and mean, but inside, you're just as sweet and caring as…" she trailed off.

"As?"

"As my mother once was."

"Well," Raph said, scooting closer to her, "I ain't your mom, but I know dat I do like ya too."

"But we can't, Raphael."

"Why not?"

"'Cause she's taken," said a voice from behind a tree that made Sukari panic and Raph jumped up. He looked up to see who it was, though he already knew.