I Don't Need to be Saved (Sequel to 'Let Me Save You') ON HOLD

Chapter 1 - Time

I do not own 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' nor any characters affiliated with the series.

Chapter 1 - Time

*Shredder*

The Shredder lay uncomfortably in the stolen bed; the mattress was hard and the blanket was rough. Machines around him beeped annoyingly and he struggled to ignore the pain coursing through his body. There was a sudden knock at the door and it opened slowly as the doctor stepped in.

"Master Shredder?" He asked quietly, his voice shaking in fear. "The Akuma wishes to see you."

Shredder's eyes widened at the mention of the Akuma. "Have the scientists perfected her?" He asked with a very quiet and raspy voice.

"Yes. With the new scientists you've brought in they have been able to succeed where Sacks failed." The doctor replied.

Shredder chuckled softly then cringed in pain. "Very well. Allow her to enter."

The doctor nodded in reply and quickly moved back to the door. He opened it once again and nodded to whoever stood on the other side. A girl walked through. Her once long, curly, auburn hair was now a short, bleach blonde, and her eyes were a radiant blue to disguise their original hazel color. She wore a black tank top that showed off a bullet scar on her left arm and a scar from a previous wound on her collarbone.

She bowed to Shredder, her back straight and tense. "Master," she said softly.

"Akuma..." Shredder said softly. He nodded gently, giving her permission to approach.

She moved closer, her fear practically visible in her tense stance. "Master, I have come to see how you are feeling. The doctor says you are healing from your injuries."

Shredder nods slowly. "I am. It would go along much faster if we had some mutagen to help me."

The Akuma fell to her knees and bowed her head. "Master, allow them to take some of my blood and extract the mutagen from it. I would gladly do so in order to help your injuries heal."

"No," Shredder said sharply. "You will not give away even a drop of your blood, even to me. You are my prized weapon and I will not let you weaken yourself." He could see the disappointment in her eyes and thought of another way she could get him some mutagen. He did not want to reveal that he was still alive after all this time to Splinter and the turtles, but he knew of no other way to get some mutagen. Yes, he could go to the creator of the mutagen, but his men had lost contact with them awhile ago. "Put on a disguise that will make you look as though you are associated with the Purple Dragons."

The Akuma nodded sharply, understanding what he wanted her to do. "I will confront the turtles and get you what you need."

"Go, and do not fail me," Shredder said as he rested back against his pillow.

*Raphael*

Raphael stood at the edge of the building's rooftop. He scanned the streets below, his eyes open for any signs of criminals. Every night he came to the same spot, hoping for a Foot soldier to come through. He started near Shredder's old lair and would end up near the Purple Dragon's hangout. He would sleep on and off during the day so he could be at his peak at night. Raphael had grown distant front his brothers for the past three months. He'd become even more closed off than before Dani had been taken. The video she left behind haunted him everytime he closed his eyes. Dani rarely let others see her weak and defenseless, so to see her crumpled and in so much pain was something that twisted his stomach in knots. He still couldn't forget her final words of the video, how she couldn't even finish the sentence. Raph knew what she was going to say, but it still hurt.