Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

               “Casey, when you’re done saving the world, do me a favour. Grab a slice!” said Leo, shoving Casey back into the time portal.

Leo felt at peace for a fraction of a second knowing that Casey would do what needed to be done and would finally, finally be safe when it was all over.

That peace was jolted out of reality the instant he felt himself being yanked back by his scarf. Leo lost his footing and glanced back in time to see Casey disappear into the orange portal, his fingertips brushing Leo’s scarf.

Leo was enveloped by the portal, falling shell over heels back into it. Leo felt the warmth of the portal envelop him and saw the portal close the instant he was all the way through. Gravity was yanking him somewhere but he couldn’t tell what was up or down anymore. It was just a void of warm soft orange. Leo closed his eyes and just let himself fall. He felt the pulse of magic, of Mikey’s magic. It felt like him, and as Leo fell it felt as though Mikey was hugging him tight and falling with him.

He fell for what seemed like forever, and at the same time not long enough. Leo hit the cold damp ground with a thunk. It wasn’t a heavy fall, but the impact jarred his injuries and Leo winced. Slowly Leo eased himself into a sitting position, trying to keep the pressure on the wound at his side. With his eyes adjusting to the dark around him Leo could start picking out where he was. He was in the sewers, not too far from their first home. The one that Shredder had destroyed.

Suddenly Leo sat up straighter. It worked. It worked!

The sewers hadn’t all stayed intact once the Krang started invading. Their second home managed to last a few years, but this part of the sewers got destroyed in the first couple of weeks.

               “Mikey you fantastic magical genius!” said Leo with one of his first genuine smiles in years. It dimmed for a second as he remembered what this chance had cost. Leo blinked away his tears and ignored how his chest tightened. He didn’t have time for this. It wasn’t about him. They had to get the key.

Leo put back on a small smile and turned to the space next to him, “Come on Casey let’s find my brothers.”

Leo’s voice died down to nothing when he saw that the sewer around him was empty and the only sounds around him were the soft running of water and his own breaths that were growing harsher with every second.

               “Casey?” Leo called out again, louder this time, “Casey, answer me!”

Only the sound of water reached his ears.

Holding his prosthetic up Leo cleared any other information on the hidden screen and brought up Casey’s tracker. The screen beeped, but nothing showed. Casey’s tracker couldn’t be found according to the system.

His breaths started getting harsher and he could feel it in the wound on his side. Leo closed his eyes and clenched his fist forcing out a harsh breath and dragging one in, he did this two more times as he clenched and unclenched his fists. His nails scraped against the material of his pants.

Leo pushed back against the wall of the sewers and forced himself to stand, using his sword as a crutch.

Leo didn’t have time for anything else. He had to find his brothers and make sure the invasion was stopped. Casey was a tough kid. He could fend for himself for a little.

They had gotten separated when they fell through the portal. Casey disappeared before he did. Casey was probably just late. Or Leo was early. It didn’t matter. Casey would be fine.

Leo did not let his thoughts wander to the fact that Casey could be hurt, that his tracker could be damaged. That Leo could already be too late again.

Using the wall to support himself Leo started walking down the sewer towards their old home. It had been thoroughly destroyed by Shredder and the Foot, but Leo was pretty sure they left some medical supplies there and Leo needed to patch himself up before he passed out from blood loss. He wouldn’t be able to stop an apocalypse or find Casey if he was dead.

Making his way through the dark sewer halls Leo made it to one of the lesser used entrances to the old Lair. If Leo remembered right this one shouldn’t be obstructed by debris. Leo stepped into the Lair, then immediately whipped himself back around against the outer wall, his eyes wide. Leo looked at the other side of the sewer hall for a moment, then he took a breath and peaked around the corner. The Lair, his first home, was lit up in its warm welcoming lights. From Leo’s place on one of the upper levels, he could see that it was intact. There was no evidence of the Foot or Shredder ever having been here. There were some cracks and scorch marks in the walls from Donnie’s machines and large cracks from when Leo dared Raph to see how far he could throw a weight.

Leo stopped breathing.

He stood in awe at the Lair, his home. He was a fighter, he was trained to always be on the move, to always be ready for action, but in this second he couldn’t. The Lair sounded alive, he could hear the hum of the pipes and Donnie’s ventilation system. He could hear the sound of people moving and caught snippets of familiar voices. The tension in Leo’s shoulders dropped and he finally breathed. This was what it truly felt like to come home. He felt the warmth in his chest and the beginnings of a soft smile forming on his face. For a second, just a second, Leo thought he could feel the welcoming warmth of Mikey’s magic hanging over his shoulders.

Taking another breath Leo took his first tender step into his old home.

It was exactly as he remembered it from before Shredder's attack. Every crack, every drop of paint. Leo looked down from the second level hearing people talking in the living room. Leo’s heart ached to see them. It sounded like his whole family was there. But he needed to patch himself up first. This was before Shredder had destroyed their home so there was at least a month before the invasion, probably more. Leo had time. He could patch himself up then he could find out when in time he was and search for Casey. He could probably give his brothers some tips on dealing with the Shredder before he appeared too.

With a solid plan in place, Leo silently made his way across the Lair to the medbay. He stuck to the shadows and kept track of the people in the Lair. They all stayed in the living room, it was probably movie night and everyone was probably arguing over what to watch.

After ensuring that the medbay was empty Leo slipped inside and locked the door, then he got to work. Leo turned on the surgical lights and took a look under his hand. The side of his plastron was pierced and the wound went between a few ribs. It was deep, but Leo was unsure how deep. Leo grabbed all the equipment he needed, sat down on the medical cot and pulled down Donnie’s scanner. Leo let the scanner work while he positioned the mirrors, repositioned the light, put a thick piece of cloth between his teeth and got started on flushing out and disinfecting the wound. Leo gritted his teeth through the pain and tried desperately not to flinch.

The scanner beeped and Leo glanced up to see the results. The wound was deep, but somehow nothing too vital was hit. Mostly. A vein was nicked but a clot had already formed. Thank whatever forces for mutant healing.

Once Leo was satisfied that the wound was clean he inspected it himself using the mirrors. The wound was deep but not long. It was a piercing precision strike, one intended to kill him in one shot. But Leo had managed to move and grab the Krang’s tentacle with his prosthetic hand before it hit anything vital then severed it with his katana. Damage was done, but Leo could probably get away without having deep dermal sutures.

Leo prepared the needle and thread and started to pull his side back together. It was quick and precise. Leo had many years of practice under his belt, stitching others up and stitching himself up. Once it was tied off Leo padded the wound and stuck it in place with medical tape stuck to the edge of the hole in his plastron. Leo wanted to put plaster over his wound to reseal his plastron up, but he had to make sure the wound didn’t become infected and also needed to remove the stitches. He would take a bit over a week to heal, if he didn’t do anything too strenuous. Finally, Leo wound gauze around his torso to ensure everything was held in place.

Leo needed to replace some of the blood that he’d lost. Fortunately, each sibling had a couple of bags of their blood in case of an emergency. Easing himself up from the medical cot Leo collected a bag of his blood from the fridge. He really needed to eat something to help with his blood loss and some fluids would be good. But he couldn’t mix blood and IV fluids. So before Leo sat back down he filled a cup they had by the sink and took a big swing, then refilled it and sat it next to the medical cot. Leo sipped at the water as he set up the blood transfusion.

Leo was as careful inserting the needle as he could be, but he was inserting it into the crook of his left elbow and he had to use his prosthetic hand. As brilliant as Donnie was, he could never get it to be as great at fine motor movements as Leo’s own hand. He usually used his left hand for stitching and IV insertions. But in this case, he’d have to do his best. Leo took a steady breath then found the vein and inserted the needle. It wasn’t as smooth as he’d liked but it was good enough. He tapped the needle in place and sipped the water again before he lay down.

Leo let some of the tension leak out of his body. He could hear the faint sounds of movement in the main area of the Lair and familiar voices. This place felt like home and it was something Leo hadn’t felt in years. Leo closed his eyes, intending on only having them closed for a moment but before he knew it Leo felt himself almost fully submerged in sleep and Leo didn’t see a good enough reason to stay awake. Everything was fine. He was early. He could get some rest.

Chapter Text

Leo’s eyes snapped open and he glanced around the room from his position on the cot. Leo scowled as he saw an empty room. Everything looked exactly how he left it, but something had woken him up. The blood bag was two-thirds empty, which meant that Leo must have been out for at least a couple of hours.

Leo strained his senses as he slowly brought himself into a sitting position. Then he heard it. A rumble which shook the entire Lair.

Leo grabbed one of the loaded medical pouches and strapped it to the back of his belt before he snatched his katana from where it lay and headed to the door, taking the blood bag with him. He had taken one step towards the door when the Lair shook again, and again, and again. Leo reached the door and quickly unlocked it, practically kicking the door open.

The crashing sound of breaking concrete echoed up the Lair. Leo pushed himself forward and clung to the railing of the second level, searching for the source of the sound. It took Leo half a second to locate the sound, it was coming from the living room. It sounded like there was a fight.

Fuck.

Shredder was here.

Leo thought that he would have had more time. He should have checked. How stupid he was. They weren’t ready for this. He should have done something sooner. He shouldn’t have just been laying around.

The fight sounded like it was spreading, some of it had moved to the garage. Another crash sounded and Raph was flung out through the wall into the main space of the Lair. His big brother hit the wall with a heavy thwack, dust and chunks of rubble sprayed out from the impact. Raph slid down from the indent in the wall and stayed slumped against it groaning.

Donnie backed into the main area, dodging strike after strike from Shredder and barely managed to deflect some.

Leo had to force himself into action. He couldn't stop just because his brothers were alive again. He couldn't take a moment to take in the sight of them physically there. He had to move. There was no time for him. He had to save his brothers.

Leo took out his IV as quickly and as gently as possible. He put pressure on it for half a second as he stepped up onto the balustrading. Leo took in a deep breath and then dropped.

Shredder’s clawed hand was swiping for Donnie and it didn’t look like Donnie could block in time.

Leo landed on Shredder’s wrist, forcing the hand down to the ground and used it as a springboard to flip over Shredder and slash at the back of his neck. The slice left a shallow score in the armour. That wasn’t good. Regardless, Shredder roared and spun to face Leo.

Landing easily on his feet Leo started a swift series of attacks, Shredder blocked all of them, with his forearms or the malleable sashes attached to his upper back. The sashes’ movements blended effortlessly with Shredders. This was bad. They wouldn’t be able to hold off long, they needed to get out of here.

               "Leon?!" came Donnie’s surprised voice.

Leo didn't look away from Shredder as he answered while dodging Shredder's attacks, "Yes, but not your Leon."

The two sashes striked at Leo and he deftly avoided them as they embedded in the ground. Leo surged forward and aimed a two-handed upper sword strike at one of the weaker points in the armour. Slipping under Shredder’s defence Leo shoved his blade under the armpit and used his own momentum to get under Shredder’s arm and get behind him, pushing the blade deeper as he did. The Shredder let out a loud furious cry of pain as his arm was partially severed.

Leo had never realised till this moment how similar the Shredder and the Krang armour were.

It seemed that they shared some weak spots. He and his brothers were never able to kill any of the three Krang leaders, but they could slow them down.

Donnie, his Donnie, had suspected that Shredder and the Krang might be linked but he never had time to find the evidence to prove it.

Present Donnie jumped in with a series of smooth swings with his tech bo staff. Shredder effortlessly blocked them. Shredder struck out with a sweeping attack that Leo had to vault over and Donnie caught on his bo staff. Unfortunately, Shredder’s attack was stronger than Donnie could handle and he got knocked back. Donnie managed to position himself in a roll.

Shredder’s attack hit something near the wall and a bang shook the Lair. Flames started spreading from that corner. Some quickly jumped up to the second level, catching anything and everything remotely flammable.

Shredder’s attack continued and Leo was on the offensive, ducking, dodging and jumping over what he couldn’t block.

               “Leo?” said Mikey’s soft confused voice from the entrance to the living room.

It was a mistake, Leo knew he shouldn’t have, but he looked over towards his little brother while leaping out of the way of a flying sash. It was a mistake, but up until three or so hours ago, Leo had been talking to Mikey.

The sash Leo had been trying to dodge came at him from underneath. Leo just managed to catch it on his sword, but the force of the blow knocked him upwards with such force that it almost knocked the wind out of him.

               “Fuck,” growled Leo, as he twisted his body in mid air. Leo spotted the railings on the third floor he was rapidly approaching. Leo changed his double-handed grip to a single-handed grip on his sword and caught the third level railings with his prosthetic. His momentum swung him back onto the platform. Leo landed heavily on his feet, the impact jarring him for a moment.

Leo groaned. Under the prosthetic, his stump ached from catching himself that harshly. Leo shook his head to clear it and looked down just in time to see Donnie thrown away and Mikey following just after.

A blue portal appeared in the middle of the main room and a young Leo stepped out, his eyes wide as he scanned the chaos of their home.

Leo winced as he started to pull himself up with the railing, which was now indented with the force with which he’d been thrown and his prosthetic’s grip.

               “My odachi!” cried young Leon, after he just managed to scramble away from Shredder only to be caught and his sword shattered by Shredder.

Leo forced himself up the rest of the way and hopped up on the dented railing only to hiss in pain as his arm disagreed with being used again so soon. The prosthetic shifted and let out a gust of steam. The pain reduced slightly with the arm adjusting.

Young Leon was held by his head and was about to be stabbed by Shredder when Raph smashed his construction’s fist into Shredder hard enough to smash him through the arcade wall.

Leo rolled his shoulders then dropped, rolling as he landed to spread out his impact and keep his momentum. In a rush, Leo shot off after Raph and Shredder. He saw them smash through into the kitchen and saw Raph’s construction being held face down on the bench. Leo swiftly changed his stance and set up for a dash attack.

Suddenly Shredder looked up, “Karai,” he snarled before smashing his way up to the next level.

With a speed that spoke of experience, Leo bounded after Shredder, leaping deftly up to the next level. Gripping his sword in two hands Leo used his shadow cloaked airborne position behind Shredder to bring down a heavy strike directly onto Shredder’s back. Shredder howled in pain and struck out blindly as he spun to face Leo. Redirecting the attack with his sword Leo backed up further, inching back into the shadows.

Donnie’s tech that surrounded Karai surged forward as soon as Shredder’s attention was away from them.

               “Stay away from her! Booyakasha!” cried Sheldon as he and all of the other tech charged.

Shredder glanced behind him and effortlessly cut them all down with a few sweeps of his sashed.

In the time that Shredder looked away, Leo had used the opportunity to fully conceal himself in the shadows and change his vantage point.

Shredder looked back where Leo previously was and quickly scanned the area, “You are wise to run, pest,” he said before turning his attention back to Karai.

Summoning her energy Karai tried to bring her magic forth, but she was still too drained and she wavered.

Shredder lunged at Karai and Leo leapt forward from his position on the ceiling and went straight for Shredder’s side. Leo was about to shove him off course. Suddenly the wall behind Karai shattered. Red construction hands shoved their way through and collided with Shredder. Leo twisted and pushed off the shell of Raph’s projection to avoid the chaos.

Leo spared half a glance at Gram-Gram before he leapt out the new hole in the wall that Raph and Shredder crashed through.

As Leo was falling he saw Shredder snap Raph’s tonfas with his jaw and lean back for a strike against the undefended Raph.

Within the space of a second Leo came down, slicing his katana through Shredder’s still damaged shoulder, throwing off Shredder’s attack and causing that arm to hang limply by his side. Leo quickly scooped Raph up and dumped him over to the side. A blur of movement caught Leo’s eye and he turned just in time to see Shredder swinging straight at him.

Leo quickly raised his arms and grunted with the full force of the impact as he went flying back. He smashed against the wall, and his vision almost went white. His injuries screamed at him. He’d probably reopened his stitches with that hit, if he hadn’t already.

Leo almost managed to catch himself where he fell to the ground. At least enough not to slam his face against the crumbled floor. Leo used his mechanical hand to push himself up and it gave a hiss and a gust of hot air left its vents. His prosthetic arm had taken the brunt of the strong hit and Leo was glad for it, he wasn’t sure he could have taken it otherwise.

               “And who might you be, little turtle?” asked the Shredder as he took a heavy step towards Leo, one arm still hanging down by his side, pink ichor sliding down it.

With a grunt Leo used his sword to stabilise his kneeling position, “I, am Leonardo Hamato,” said Leo as he pushed himself to his feet, his eyes locked on Shredder, “And I will not let you hurt my family,” he finished in a low warning tone.

His family would never be hurt again, not while he was alive. They would never suffer any deaths at the hands of the Krang, or Shredder.

Shredder lunged for Leo and Leo dashed straight towards Shredder. Just before Shredder’s claws made contact with Leo, he used his speed to slide underneath Shredder’s legs and slashed his sword against it. Just like before the strikes against straight armour were not very effective. They needed to cleanse Shredder and bring Oroku Saki back. But no one was ready for that. Not yet. They needed to escape and regroup.

Shredder attacked again and while Leo managed to parry the first he couldn’t block the second. Leo managed to twist and avoid the sharp edge of the blade, but the force of the attack sent him flying back again. Leo spun himself into a roll, only to look up and see Shredder behind him sending another sharp strike. Almost faster than he could comprehend, Karai slashed Shredder’s uninjured arm and scooped Leo up, dropping him to the side with his brothers.

Karai squared up even as her body spoke of her exhaustion, “You will not lay a hand on my family.”

Karai threw attack after attack at Shredder, dodging his own. She moved like it was as easy as breathing, like she was the wind herself. She brought shattered pieces of the Lair down on Shredder, pelting him with a thousand and one attacks. The Shredder took heavy damage and roared in pain.

Leo rolled himself to his hands and feet as his brothers split their attention between him and Karai.

               “That’s the ninpo,” whispered Raph, awe obvious in his voice.

Leo knew exactly where this was going and it wasn’t good, “Gram-Gram, no! Stop! Take them and get out of here!” cried Leo, as he gestured to his brothers and younger self as he started to push himself up.

A pulse of power blasted out of the Shredder and his armour glowed as new pieces of armour materialised out of thin air. Using his newly repaired hands Shredder grabbed Karai by the head as the last of the damages Karai and Leo had done disappeared.

               “The Twilight Realm has made you weak! But it has made me strong!” exclaimed Shredder as he held Karai up before him, “You have failed, and now your power will be mine.”

               “If my power is what you seek, then have it!” said Karai, determination burning in her eyes as she pressed her hand against Shredder’s chest and pushed her power into him.

Leo’s heart clenched as he saw the same scene unfold. Before he knew it he was scrambling to his feet towards the two of them.

Shredder howled as his armour opened up and revealed his core. Leo gripped his sword as he ran around to the front of Shredder and plunged his sword deep into Shredder’s soul. The face and hand of Oroku Saki vanished the second Leo’s katana entered the core. Sparks flew and the core changed from a soft blue to a violent pink sparking with power. The sparks turned to frenzied arches of electricity that danced up Leo’s sword, lancing and stabbing their way through Leo’s prosthetic arm.

Pain burned his senses and Leo heard a raw spine chilling scream. It took him a moment to realise the scream was coming from him.

The orb pulsed, pushing Leo and Karai back. Leo hit the ground hard, for a second his vision whited out and his ears rang. When his vision returned the ringing died and was replaced by his heartbeat pounding in his ears. From his position on his back, Leo saw chunks of the ceiling start to drop. He immediately located Karai lying next to him, looking at his brothers and Leon. All of which were being dragged away by Raph with the Lair collapsing around them. Leo’s heart went to his throat as Donnie's tech bo caught the debris just in time to allow them to escape.

Cement came crashing down and Leo narrowly managed to roll out of the way. He tried pushing himself up but his prosthetic and what remained of his right arm felt numb. Leo glanced down at his prosthetic as he tried to move it. It didn’t respond. It just hung limply at his side. Shit.

The ceiling came down in large chunks which were falling straight for him and Karai. Leo rolled to the side and threw himself over Karai just before the crushing weight of the debris came smashing down on them.

Chapter Text

Leo dragged himself out of the dark void of unconsciousness with the help of someone softly calling his full name and gently patting his face.

               “Leonardo, Hamato Leonado, you must wake up,” called the voice.

Leo let out a long groan as he was brought further into consciousness and as such was made aware of all his aches and pains. His side hurt, his stitches were probably reopened. He hoped that the gauze and padding had managed to reduce his blood loss, he didn’t want to lose all the blood he managed to put back into his body. Most of his body was sore with the familiar aches and pains of being thrown around like a ragdoll. He couldn’t feel his prosthetic and his stump ached and sent sharp pain shooting up all the way into his shoulder. Leo felt a heavy weight on his shell and someone shifting under him. Someone was still gently patting his face. Slowly Leo cracked an eye open to look at the person beneath him.

Karai gave him a soft smile and her hand stayed on his cheek, “I am glad you are awake Leonardo.”

               “Are you ok?” he asked, his voice was quiet and rough.

He remembered screaming when he shoved his katana into Shredder’s core. With the way he was screaming he was lucky he had a voice at all.

Karai winced as she shifted, “I have had better days. But I am here, and I believe I have you to thank for that.”

Leo’s eyes widened as he looked at Gram-Gram properly. She was solid beneath him, and while she looked drained she was still very much there.

               “I- yeah,” said Leo as he felt his eyes sting and a small smile appear on his face. Leo quickly cleared his throat, “Let’s get you out of here. I think I know where they’ve all gone.”

Shifting his weight Leo managed to get his good arm under him and grunted with exertion as he started to push himself up, dislodging the large chunks of debris that had fallen on top of him. With the new space Karai shifted and slipped free from Leo’s prosthetic that was keeping her partially pinned. She braced against the largest chunk of concrete and helped Leo shove it off with a huff.

               “Guys? I’m coming!” called the familiar voice. Leo’s heart swelled and he felt a wave of relief. April was here.

The last pieces of debris were pushed off Leo as April approached.

               “Karai?” started in April, “And Leo?”

Leo groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position as April peered over the rubble he was obscured by.

April startled and pulled out her baseball bat, “You’re not Leo.”

               “I’m not your Leo,” Leo corrected, wincing as he sat up and immediately pressed a hand to his side, “Fuck,” he hissed. A fraction of a second later Leo’s eyes widened and his gaze shot to Karai, “Sorry Gram-Gram.”

Karai raised an eyebrow, “Cursing when in pain is hardly something new to me. You do not need to apologise for that. How are you feeling?”

               “I’ve had worse,” replied Leo with a smirk and a noncommittal shrug. Leo had to bite back a sound as a fresh wave of pain passed through his right shoulder.

               “We are going to come back to the fact that you’re not my Leo. But right now you’re hurt, and having it worse before doesn’t take away from the injuries you have now,” said April firmly, sliding away her bat.

Karai slipped under his prosthetic arm and slowly eased Leo into a standing position.

April looked briefly stunned by Leo’s size as she properly looked him up and down, “What happened to you?” asked April.

               “I stabbed Shredder’s core with my katana. Apparently, that’s a no no because it hurts. A lot,” explained Leo, “Wait, my katana. Have you seen my katana?”

Leo’s head whipped frantically from side to side as he tried to spot his sword. Leo shrugged himself free of Karai and took an unsteady step forward.

               “Leo, we need to find the guys and go, this place is unsafe. You can get another sword,” said April softly as she reached out to steady him.

               “No, no I can’t. I can’t lose my katana. Please I have to find it,” said Leo, his voice wavering as he pushed past April and started navigating the area where his sword might have been dropped.

               “Leo,” called out April, but he ignored her, his eyes frantically searching the rubble.

               “Leonardo, weapons can be replaced,” said Karai softly.

               “Not this one!” Leo snapped back as he grabbed a chunk of debris and pushed it aside.

               “Leo-” April tried again.

               “No!” shouted Leo, “I am not leaving it,” he said his voice shaking. Just then Leo saw something. He vaulted over concrete and slid down some debris. Poking out the top of some rubble was the crossguard of his katana. Leo let out a breath and quickly dug it out.

His heart sank as he pulled it free, “No,” he whispered as he held up his broken katana.

Leo looked over the remains of his sword as he pulled it free and his legs gave out under him as he saw an orange bandanna tied to the end of his katana. When did that get there? Did Mikey put it there? Tears pricked his eyes and his throat closed up as he choked on a sob. Leo tenderly placed the hilt of the katana in his lap and softly brushed his fingers over each bandanna. A cold empty feeling clawed at Leo’s chest and he felt tears hit his hand and saw them drip onto the bandanas. A silent sob shook his frame. Leo put a hand up to cover his mouth and tried to hold it back in. He couldn’t, there wasn’t time. He needed to help his brothers. But every time Leo looked at the orange bandana he felt that yawning pit in his chest grow wider.

He was the only brother left.

He was the only brother left.

He was all alone.

It shouldn’t have been him. He shouldn’t be left. He should be with his brothers.

               “Hey, Leo? You ok? What’s wrong?” asked April as she put a hand on his shoulder and came around his side.

Leo knew the exact moment she saw the hilt of his katana because she stiffened and a hand went to her mouth while the one gripping Leo’s shoulder tightened.

               “Oh no, no, no, no, no,” whispered April, the horror clear in her voice.

Leo opened his mouth and managed to force out some words as he looked up at April, “It’s- it’s ok April. Your brothers are fine,” Leo’s eyes drifted back to the hilt of his sword, “These are my brothers,” Leo’s hand ran across each coloured piece of fabric. Then he repeated the sentence, his words little more than a whisper, “These are my brothers.”

April’s hand released its death grip on Leo’s shoulder and slid its way around the back of his neck. April came around and gently brought Leo’s head into her shoulder, “Oh Leo. I’m so sorry Leo. I’m so sorry,” said April, her voice sounding thick and heavy with emotions.

Leo couldn’t help it, he instinctively reached up and gripped the back of April’s jacket. She held him just like this when they had lost Splinter, then Raph, then Cassandra and again when they had lost Donnie. He sobbed loudly into her shoulder, unable to hold it back. Leo pulled April closer and held her tighter as he cried. He couldn’t stop the tears, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. Leo felt truly alone. They’d only lost April six months ago and now he’d lost Mikey. Leo had somehow managed to lose Casey somewhere in time. He didn’t know if he would ever see Casey again.

Another palm rested on the back of his shell and Leo felt another person wrap him up in a hug.

               “I am so very sorry for your loss Leonardo,” said Karai softly, “I understand your pain. Anata wa hitori ja nai. I am here for you.”

The cold feeling in Leo’s chest lessened slightly and his sobs started to even out into something akin to regular breathing.

It took a few minutes but slowly Leo calmed down enough. He took one more shaky breath then eased up his tight grip on April’s jacket and pulled away slightly.

               “Sorry for-” started Leo only to be cut off by April’s hand covering his mouth.

April wiped away tears with her other hand then steeled her expression and posture, “I am going to pretend that I didn’t hear you trying to apologise for what I am pretty sure was you grieving.”

Leo looked at April for a long few moments, then he nodded his head. Oh, how he missed her.

Finally, Leo released April with an exhale. She kept a hand on his shoulder and Karai kept a hand on his shell.

               “We need to leave, it’s not safe here anymore,” said Leo

               “Is anyone else here?” asked April.

               “I don’t believe so. All the boys got out. Though I am unsure of Splinter and Draxum,” replied Karai.

               “Shredder has Dad and Drax,” said Leo as he tucked the remains of his katana into his belt. Leo shifted his weight to stand but he noticed how his prosthetic hug limply at his side. Leo scowled at it and tried to move it, but it didn't respond.

               “What would he want with them?” asked April looking at Karai.

               “Nothing good,” said Karai darkly.

Leo unwound his scarf then slung it around his neck, looping it back up and checking the length before tying a knot with one hand and his teeth.

               “He wants Hamato essence, and since he didn’t get what he wanted from Gram-Gram he’s going to take it from dad,” informed Leo while he slowly eased his prosthetic arm into his makeshift scarf sling.

“That is not good at all. We must find the boys,” said Karai with an urgent tone to her voice before she once again slipped under Leo and helped him up.

Leo stood to his full height and gave Karai a thankful look as he stood on his own, “They’re at Todd’s place. They’re safe for the meantime. Drax will be stalling Shredder, so we have some time before we need to get to dad. But we can’t take long.”

April’s eyes lingered on Leo for a moment and it was clear she had questions for him but her eyes flicked back over to Karai, “Is there anything you can do, you know with your mojo?”

               “Unfortunately not, my ‘mojo’ as you put it has been exhausted, I am using everything left to maintain my physical form. Until I recover or receive a transfusion of power I cannot stop the Shredder,” explained Karai her expressions pinched with worry and distress, emphasised even more by her exhaustion.

               “That’s fine Gram-Gram, you just need time to recover. Come on, I’ll give you a lift, you’re barely standing,” said Leo as he turned his shell to face Karai and squatted down so she could jump on.

               “I will not. You are injured.”

               “I can walk on my injuries and carrying you would be like carrying a bag of feathers,” said Leo but when Karai didn’t hop on Leo sighed, “Please Gram-Gram you look like a strong breeze is going to knock you over. I have enough strength to get us both out of here at least.”

Karai let out a sigh then she carefully stepped forward and climbed onto Leo’s shell. Leo tucked one of her legs between his arm and glanced back at her. Gram-Gram’s worried expression looked back at him and Leo wouldn’t stand for it. It would all be just fine. They did it before, they could do it again.

               “All aboard the Leo train, please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle,” said Leo with a chipper tone, and was rewarded when he saw a slight smile curl up Gram-Gram’s lips, “Alright April, which way?”

               “Wait, wait. How are we going to get to Todd’s? That’s the Cuddle Cakes Puppy Rescue at Long Island right?” at Leo’s nod she continued, “We can’t all fit on my bike. You alone won’t fit,” said April as she pointed at Leo.

               “Get me up there and find me an older model automatic car. I can do the rest,” replied Leo.

               “What are you going to do, drive?” asked April incredulously while waving a hand about.

               “Yes.”

April looked down at the ground and pushed at both of her temples with her fingers before her gaze snapped up, “Do you even know how to drive?”

               “I learnt a few things from Donnie,” he replied with a small smile.

April searched his expression, “Alright,” she said before she turned on her heels and started making her way up and out of the Lair, “The only reason I’m saying yes is because I’ve had less than ten hours driving. I have a crane licence but I haven’t had enough time to get my driver's licence yet. Though this makes me think I should make it a priority.”

Following April’s path, Leo huffed out a laugh, “You probably should.”