Chapter Text
The fog was thick down at the harbor when Lavinia arrived, a suitcase in hand.
Moving past crates and piles of rope, she pushed her hat down to avoid attracting attention.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come.” Saki said, stepping out from behind a crate.
Lavinia ran into his arms and kissed him, “Nothing could keep me from you, Saki.”
“We sure are gonna try!”
The lovers parted at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, turning to see the turtles with Master Splinter in tow.
“I’ll be darned if we have to invite you over for Christmas, Shredhead!” Raphael continued.
“Sensei!” Lavinia said, clutching Saki’s sleeve. He, in turn, stepped in front of her, “Why do you continue to hinder my happiness, Hamato Yoshi!”
“You are not happy, you fool! You are under the influence of the very ray gun you tried to steal!” Splinter said, unsheathing a katana, “But do not for a moment think that I will go easy on you…”
“Master Splinter, don’t!” It was Lavinia’s turn to stand in front. There was a slight hint of tears in her eyes.
“Lavinia, come here at once!”
“I can’t choose away happiness, sensei! What about you and Tang Shen!”
“Forget that story! What I felt for Tang Shen was real, but you are not yourself!”
“But, I… I’m so happy,” it burst out of her like a sob, and Shredder held her shoulders.
“Sensei, I never thought I would be able to find someone who could love me! Even if this isn’t real, it feels real! Please, don’t make me give it up.”
Splinter’s grip on his katana loosened. The turtles stepped up to the plate, instead.
“I know it feels that way, Vinnnie, but I promise you, your brain is lying!” Donatello said.
“Yea, dudette, this is not you! Think about it!” Mikey said.
“B-but I…” Vinnie’s fingers braided into Shredder’s.
“No one’s been more dedicated to takin’ this clown down than you! Why would you fall in love with him out of nowhere? This is a Saturday Morning Cartoon, not Days of our lives!” Raphael said.
“Your brothers are right,” Splinter chimed in, “you are an honorable warrior, a loving sister, and the hardest-working student I have ever taught! Don’t throw all these things away for the sake of a criminal low-life!”
“How dare you, Yoshi! Lavinia is able to make her own decisions!” Shredder exclaimed, shrugging out of his coat.
“She might be, but YOU are not!” Krang appeared seemingly out of nowhere, flanked by Bebop and Rocksteady.
“I told you I was done with you, Krang.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Saki. We won’t be done with each other until we’ve split up this blasted planet into equal parts! And that won’t happen if you’re off in Japan, playing house with the enemy!”
“We’re not playing anything!” Vinnie cried, “If you want him, you have to fight me first!”
“Oooh, I was hopin’ you’d say that!” Bebop cracked his knuckles.
“Heh, yeah,” Rocksteady chuckled, “I haven’t knocked anyone’s lights out in hours!”
Lavinia also shrugged out of her coat, and she and Saki stood with their backs to each other, ready to take the others on.
As if on cue, they leapt up, delivering kicks to Bebop and Raphael’s faces.
From there, it devolved into chaos. The turtles had their hands full with Shredder, even with Master Splinter helping them. Lavinia, meanwhile, seemed fueled by her love for Saki as she delivered blow after blow to Bebop and Rocksteady, using them against each other in a final, painful headbutt that knocked them both out.
She barely had time to revel in her victory before Krang came at her from behind, and picked her up.
“Let me go!” she yelled, kicking into the opening on the robot’s stomach, hitting Krang in the face.
“IF YOU DON’T STOP THAT, I’LL SQUEEZE YOU TO DEATH, YOU -OW!”
“Krang! Bring her over here!” Donatello shouted.
It took all three turtles, and Master Splinter, but Shredder was momentarily subdued, the side of his faced pressed into the wood of the docks.
“La-Lavinia…” he said.
“No! No, let us go! You don’t know what you’re doing! Saki!” Lavinia struggled in Krang’s grasp.
“Ok, you two, smile.” Donatello said, pulling the gun out of his belt and blasting it.
“DONNIE, DON’T!” Lavinia screamed, landing one final kick into Krang’s face. This time, he let go, and Lavinia landed in front of Shredder, who managed to break free, just as a pink, glittery cloud covered them.
They embraced, and shared a deep, intense kiss.
Once the cloud faded, the two of them parted, staring at one another.
“D-did it work?” Michelangelo whispered, almost too afraid to speak at all.
“What…” Shredder mumbled.
“GET OFF ME, SHREDDER!” Lavinia yelled, punching him in the face, “What are you doing!”
“YOU kissed ME!”
“I did not! What a disgusting accusation!”
Master Splinter sighed happily, “Thank goodness…”
“You can say that again!” Krang rubbed the middle of his face, “Enough of this foolishness, Saki. Let’s go home.”
“I am going nowhere until we have beaten the turtles!” Shredder said, getting into a fighting position. Krang grabbed his cape and pulled him along.
“Wha- Krang!”
“You can thank me later. Right now, move! And get your stupid henchmen to wake up!”
The turtles and Splinter gathered around Lavinia, either hugging her or touching her arms, “We are so glad to have you back, Lavinia! How do you feel?”
“Like I just wake up from a dream, sensei.”
“More like a nightmare! You were this close to wind up in Japan, married to chromedome!”
“… I was?” Lavinia looked to Shredder, who was glaring at her over his shoulder before he disappeared into the fog, Bebop and Rocksteady lumbering after him and Krang.
The night was settling over the lair when Splinter knocked on Lavinia’s door.
“I just came to see how you were doing.”
“You and the guys have been checking on me since we got home! I promise I’m not gonna run off again.”
“That’s… not what I am concerned about, Lavinia.”
Splinter sat down on her carpet and looked intently at her, “You said something this afternoon that has worried me.”
She reddened, “Master Splinter, the gun made me…”
“You said that you thought you would never be able to find anyone who would love you.”
“Oh.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then Splinter sighed, “I must confess, I have feared for you and your brothers in this matter. We are different, and we will always be different from the humans you four fight to protect. That does not mean that I want you to think it is impossible for any of you to find love.”
Lavinia’s lips parted slightly, and she straightened her back, “Sensei…”
“We are part of strange events and chaos constantly, my student. The very least of which would be someone thinking of such a kind, clever and sweet person as you romantically.”
Lavinia became somehow even redder, and Splinter petted her cheek, “All I ask is that the next time you fall in love, it’s not with our arch-enemy!”
Lavinia tried to look offended, but both of them burst into laughter, instead.