Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Donnie stared impatiently at the wreckage of what had once been the Krang ship, inwardly wishing he was any other place. By his side, his little brother was standing very close to him, trying to cover his body with the one in purple bandanas and refusing to take another step forward.

"Come on Michael, nothing will happen." he said trying to reassure him "It's not like you to chicken out like that, wasn't it you who begged Raph and Splinter, to come with me?".

The smaller one sent him a look of slight annoyance, but (fortunately) stepped forward filling with courage.

"I-I'm not afraid, it's just that this place really makes me uncomfortable" he said slowly lowering the volume of his voice, and turning to look at all sides, as if he expected some Krang to come out of the corner, ready to attack him.

Logically, Donnie knew this was impossible, with one of the Krang dead, the other taken away by the government and the last one trapped in the prison dimension, such an encounter would have a number of near zero level chances. But, that didn't stop a few strings inside his heart (which he liked to pretend was cold) from tugging at the terrified look on his little brother's face, prompting him to comfort him.

Donnie gave a very long sigh, bracing himself for the argument.

"If you don't want to be here, we can still go back, I can go back here alone without a problem" Donnie spoke softly to him.

Mikey frowned, but taking a deep breath he took a few steps forward.

"No," he said, "I'll walk with you."

He then took Donnie's hand, stepping fully into the rubble.

Donnie loosened his body to allow the younger one guided him. He saw everywhere the other parts of the Krang technology devices, if he was alone he probably would have stopped his walk to collect as much as he could, willing to understand and comprehend technology from outer space itself, as he had done in his lonely trips to that place.

But, on the other hand. Donnie watched the figure of his little brother in front of him, walking and doing his best to look confident. Donnie allowed himself a small smile on his face. He valued the company in that place that had given him so many nightmares in the past.

Donnie's eyes wandered to find his brother's hand holding his tightly, seeing again those bandages around his arms and feeling his stomach churn.

"After this, we're going to Barry's, right?" asked his brother with his face reflecting doubt.

"That's right" replied Donnie, grateful to have been snapped out of his reverie.

"It's good that you two are getting along, you know?" he said in an obvious attempt to relax "it's nice".

"I guess," Donnie replied.

"Although I think I'd like it better if only it were under different circumstances..." chuckled Mikey.

Donnie noticed something bright in the corner of his field of vision. Pausing he wrote something on his gauntlet.

"Mikey, I think we found it" he said staring at the artifact, not once turning to look at his brother.

As the eldest there were certain things Raph couldn't afford, one of them, was fear. His brothers depended on his stability, and for a long time, his leadership, he could not allow himself to falter for any reason, if he did not show that everything was under control, they would all panic. Those were the tacit rules, set by and for himself, that he was not to break for any reason.

Watching his little brother unconscious in his own bed didn't just scare him, it filled him with dread.

Raph took Leo's hand gently, trying, somehow, to calm his anxiety. Everything was going to be all right, everything would be all right. There was nothing to worry about.

If only he had been quicker, if only he hadn't gotten caught, or if only he had sacrificed himself instead, Leo wouldn't have had to suffer through anything that was happening to him, he would be his usual happy self, joking and playing with Mikey and teasing Donnie, everything would be fine, his brothers could be fine.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder reassuringly. Splinter was standing next to him, ears down, he was looking at Leo.

"I know what you're thinking Red..." spoke the older one giving him a worried look "you think it's your fault." Raph just averted his eyes, uncomfortable.

"It's not, it's mine" Splinter added, and continued "I should have fought alongside you, and not stayed home like a coward."

"We all know I'm a lousy father..."

"Don't say that!" said Raph looking at Splinter, who flinched.

Chagrined, Raph lowered his voice to continue.

"You've changed, you're more in our lives now, that matters" explained Raph, covering the earlier exclamation.

Splinter gave him a smile. He didn't look convinced, but spoke softly.

"Thank you, Red" he said "I appreciate it."

They both smiled at each other, and despite everything, Raph began to have a little hope that maybe everything was going to be all right, and that in a month or two he would have his brother in perfect condition and completely healed.

The cute father-son moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the den.

"They're back" announced the yokai-goat to the two people in the room. He had large dark circles under his eyes, showing perfectly how tired he was. Then he turned around to go back the way he came.

Raph gave a long sigh and going along with Splinter they both came to the living room, where the voices of their siblings could be heard.

"You should have told us you were here, we even went to your house!" he heard Mikey say.

"I was just checking on Leonardo's condition that's all" Draxum said calmly.

"If he found out you cared so much about him, we wouldn't stop hearing about it" said Raph joining the conversation.

"Good thing he'll never know" added Draxum, giving the three brothers a look.

They all nodded evasively and in the background Donnie could be heard sarcastically saying 'yeah, right...'.

Mikey interrupted the conversation with a small shout.

"Buuuut, we got what you asked for!" he exclaimed happily, showing off the small stone in his hand.

Donnie stepped forward beside him, giving them all a cocky grin.

"What you are about to witness, my dear family, is one of the most important historical events for the advancement of science, a device not only powered by electrical energy, but, also by mysticism" he spoke with his hands, using his usual dramatic tone.

Draxum took the stone from Mikey's hand giving him a thoughtful look.

"This should be enough power" Donnie spoke again, this time addressing the adult, who nodded in satisfaction.

"I still don't understand what you guys need that thing for" Raph spoke pointing to the stone, his stomach half churning.

"Nothing on the planet has the energy we need" replied Donnie.

"But... isn't it just some kind of surgery? In that case, why can't we occupy any other kind of battery?" asked Mikey genuinely confused.

Draxum was the one who answered him.

"Not exactly" he said frowning "It's more like a restructuring, a part of him stayed inside the prison dimension, a part that we can't get back. This because of your limited experience with what is your mystical energy" he spoke looking softly at Mikey.

The other saw his hands, now full of bandages, with guilt settling on his features. Beside him, Raphael put a hand on his shoulder, concerned.

"It's not your fault, Michelangelo" Draxum spoke, his voice soft. Approaching him, with a small hint of concern in his eyes.

Donnie continued speaking.

"This device should allow us to 'fix' Leo step by step" he said quickly.

"The preservation spell used on him will only last for a short period of time, so we must be quick" this time, Draxum spoke.

"And is that the only way?" asked Splinter with a face that reflected concern.

Draxum and Donnie looked at each other.

"It's the only one we could think of" said Draxum "I don't trust any human doctor to treat Leonardo (especially with all this Anti-mutant campaign in the city) and no yokai is really a specialist in what we need" explained this one, with wrinkles on his forehead.

"It's the best way, we understand" replied Raph, "we just wish he wasn't taken almost to fate".

"Neither do we" replied Draxum.

After a few more explanations and technicalities, everyone quietly made their way to Leo's room, except Splinter who refused to go in.

"I couldn't bear to see all that" he explained "I'll make something to eat, I know you'll need it after all that work" he said lightly, though the nervousness in his voice showed.

Donnie took the artifact and placed it on Leo's head, then placed the stone on top of it, in a small opening where it entered.

No one spoke, it seemed improper, watching the process intently, not wanting to miss anything.

A minute passed, then two, and by five minutes it seemed like nothing was happening, but by the half hour mark everyone was disappointed, not knowing what had happened.

"It must be the mystical energy" opined Donnie "maybe it wasn't enough...".

He said and then opened some small notes on his watch, watching it carefully while Draxum stood next to him.

Raph watched them both in confusion, frowning slightly.

It was the orange light behind him that made them all turn.

Mikey stood to the side with his hand on the device, looking completely terrified. The room filled with that light and a loud noise from the device began.

"I don't know what's happening!" shouted Mikey in confusion.

Draxum had a look of horror on his face.

"I need you to calm down, Michelangelo," the yokai said, watching Mikey intently.

Mikey's breathing lightened a little, more so his chest was rising and falling at an alarming rate.

"I can't peel my hand away" Mikey said quickly, fearfully.

Raph took a few steps toward Mikey to take his hand. When Draxum stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't touch him" he said "we don't know the repercussions."

"We don't know the repercussions?" repeated Raph incredulously "He's my brother! We helped him once and we do it again and that's it."

"It's not that simple!" shouted Draxum angrily.

Mikey's hands began to crack again.

Everyone watched this in horror, helpless.

Donnie looked around, searching for something useful. Finding his sedative gun on the floor, Leo had probably taken it to annoy him long ago and hadn't returned it, either way, Donnie pointed it directly at Mikey and fired.

His little brother fell to the ground passed out, the device already detached from his hand fell to the ground next to him.

Draxum and Raph watched Donnie speechlessly, both with varying degrees of surprise on their faces.

Splinter interrupted in the room, his eyes wandering from everyone until he reached Mikey.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Draxum ignored his question, in favor of looking directly at Donnie.

"Do you realize how careless that was?" asked Draxum in anger.

Raph made a sound of approval at the question, still shocked by the whole situation. Splinter watched them in silence, not knowing what to do.

"Did it work or not?" replied Donnie, irritated.

"It's not a question of whether it worked or not, a lot of things could have gone wrong."

"But they didn't" replied Donnie, looking at the unconscious figure of his little brother.

" Why don't you realize that-".

Draxum's sentence was interrupted by a groan that echoed throughout the room. Everyone stopped, startled.

They looked at the bed in shock. There, on the bed, Leo was touching his head, his eyes still closed, but obviously awake. They all watched as the teenager slowly opened his eyes, trying to get used to the light. When he finally did, he watched them all with confusion.

And Raph waited, waited for Leo to give them a smug smile and let out some joke or maybe something embarrassing like 'aww, you guys missed me so much?', he could even expect the youngest to smile at them in relief. That would have been so Leo, it would have been something perfectly normal and natural for him. What he didn't expect, was what he actually said.

"Who are you all?".

Chapter Text

The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't move. Not as if he was immobile, but rather as if his whole body was extremely heavy, without the possibility of making any movement. He felt tired and his body did not want to respond.

The second thing was the dampness, going through his skin, making him feel warm, not enough to be annoying, but enough to be uncomfortable.

The third thing he discovered when he opened his eyes, was a ceiling full of cobwebs, with a layer of dust that seemed quite impregnated, which, if his body wasn't so numb, would make him scrunch up his face in not at all disguised disgust (because eugh).

And finally, it was the incredibly loud voice that rang in his ear.

"Guys! Guys!" the voice said, with obvious concern "Come here!”.

He heard a few footsteps walking quickly into the room, echoing off the walls. So he could get a better look at the situation he was in (and why was he stuck in a tub? Was it even clean? He'd better think about that later), the room he was in, which if anyone asked him he'd say could be improved like by A LOT, and finally the voices around him accompanying him saying things he honestly didn't hear, and not being able to see them due to the angle he started to get a little uneasy.

But something wasn't right, he couldn't recognize these voices, he didn't know how he got here, or why he was in a bathtub in the first place! (Eugh).

He tried to raise his hands, his head, anything! But nothing wanted to respond, his body refusing to follow his commands.

"Take it easy, Leo" one of the voices spoke to him, the one he recognized as the first one he shouted.

And 'Leo', that name rang a bell, was that his name? Why couldn't he remember it, then? (He tried to, but quickly a pain began to settle in his head and he had to stop).

Someone helped him sit up in the tub, to which he was a little grateful, though also skeptical.

"How are you feeling?" asked one of the voices, and now yes, Leo was able to see it, if only a little.

In front of him was a mutant, perhaps a turtle yokai, with a red scarf around his eyes acting as a mask (the color reminded him of something, but he didn't know what), staring at him with concern (why did that feel so natural?). Leo blinked at him, confused for the most part. Behind this mutant were two others, along with two humans.

"Leo!" the orange-scarfed one shouted, suddenly hugging him.

He accepted the hug with surprise, looking at the little one for a while. Then he refocused his gaze on the one who had asked the original question. So, a smile came to his lips and he asked lightly (yeah, not at all uncomfortable out of nowhere, who did you think he was? He was super comfortable).

"Very nice and all guys, but who are you?".

They all stopped their actions (which boiled down to trying to interact with him), staring at him. Red looked devastated, purple thoughtful and orange just broke the embrace watching him in a daze. The humans in the room were fairly quiet, though equally shocked. Leo had to get all his willpower not to joke about their expression and ridiculousof the actual situation, he think that they would not appreciate that.

"Don't you..." began the red one "don't you remember us?" he asked with a frown.

Leo gave him a look with some pity.

"Sorry, buddy" he said awkwardly "I think I would remember seeing all of you."

"What's the last thing you remember?" the purple one asked, staring at him.

"I remember..." started Leo, but, something made him stop.

Actually, he didn't remember anything. No matter how hard he tried, the last thing he had stored in his mind was being asleep, he couldn't even remember his dream, so the situation was weird enough.

"Wake up? ..." he completed uncertainly.

The purple one watched him for a few moments, then turned to the other companions.

"I think, due to the stroke, Leo may have developed some sort of amnesia" began him, staring at everyone in the room (Was it even a room? Wouldn't the term bathroom serve better?).

"Amnesia?" asked the orange one "like in the movies?".

"Yeah... no" he said correcting himself "not exactly".

"Is it curable?" asked one of the humans, the one with the orange hair.

"In most cases yes" he said.

Then he sighed audibly.

"Look guys I'm not a doctor, I can't know if something is wrong with his head" he spoke wearily "this is just a hypothesis".

"But I think we could recover his memories with familiar things" he continued.

"I have an idea" said the red one.

Everyone watched him inquisitively.

It turned out that his idea was to show him a pair of old katanas and a blue scarf similar to the others. Leo just watched them curiously, looking at the others without understanding.

They had helped him out of that horrendous room, only to reach a room that looked no cleaner, giving him a kind of crutch at the moment his balance failed.

The red one had quickly gone to fetch those things, showing them to him with a look of hope never leaving his eyes. Just for that, Leo accepted them with a smile.

"Oh! Gee... thanks" he said feigning a happiness, which by the looks on everyone's faces seemed real. Then he took the handkerchief tying it over his eyes, realizing that it was easier than it looked.

"Wow, dude" said the orange one "You made it so easy! I thought you'd drop it, even once."

The purple one gave him a long look.

"It's called muscle memory, Mikey" he replied, sounding a little offended "That allows him, to know things he did often, without the need for memory."

"You mean his body remembers it?" the redhead asked.

"Yes, it does" replied the purple one, smiling broadly at her as he saw her glance at him. Leo thought it was an overreaction, but bit his tongue to keep it to himself.

"Mikey?" asked Leo to the others (why was that name so familiar?).

The one in orange bandanas turned to him at once, staring at him until he noticed the questioning in the sentence.

"Oh, yeah. That's me," he said with a smile, "Your favorite brother, Michelangelo."

Brothers. It was such an important piece of information, but so far away for him. He had brothers, he was sure (But why did saying they were his brothers make him feel so bad?).

"Right, you don't remember any of our names" said the purple one, looking at him again "My name is Donatello".

"Raphael" said the red one.

"And this is April O' Neil" said the pur- Donatello, watching her intently "And this is Casey Jones" this last with an exasperated look at the boy.

The faces didn't match the names, in his opinion (So what faces must they have had?).

Raphael began to stare at Leo, moving closer to him.

"And you" he began, putting a finger on his dungarees, pointing at him "You're Leonardo" he said staring at him.

Well, it was good that he now knew his full name, however he felt that 'Leonardo' was too serious a name for him, he preferred his abbreviation.

"I think I prefer Leo, or any other nickname really" he told them with a small smile "The other name seems to be given by a grandfather, don't you think?".

They all looked at him with surprise reflected on their faces.

Leo's heart stopped a little due to the incredulous looks from the others, had he said something wrong?

"I think your voice sounds different" Casey pointed out, he sounded uncomfortable, as if trying to change the subject.

"It was his throat wound" replied Donatello "It's possible that it's something permanent".

Everyone looked a little uncomfortable because of the implications of that.

"What happened anyway to end up like this?" asked Leo to everyone, pointing at himself in an exaggerated way.

Michelangelo opened his mouth, trying to answer, but a look from Donatello shut him up.

"Let's just say it wasn't any good," Raphael answered him after much silence.

Leo watched him awkwardly. Instinct told him to try to relax and make a joke, but something made him feel that this one would not be well received.

"Don't worry, big brother," said the one in red bandanas.

(And something in that sentence was wrong).

"You'll get your memories back and then we'll all train together again, you'll see" he told him with a confident smile, looking like he believed every word he said. But faltering at the end of the sentence, showing a bit of his uncertainty.

Leo tried to smile back, only ending up with a strange grimace.

Everything was wrong, his body was wrong. And despite feeling that everything was familiar in a sense, something inside him made him feel that something was missing.

"I think we should sleep, don't you think?" April spoke "To rest."

Leo wanted to say that he had just gotten up, but he couldn't find the strength to say it.

"Before we go" said Donatello "I almost forgot."

He quickly went somewhere, returning with a small vial filled with a strange substance.

"That's your medicine" he said with a proud smile.

Just looking at it, Leo wanted to throw up.

'What's the matter, Nardo, are you going to give up already?' someone whispered in his ear.

'Thank you, Tello' he replied instead.

Donatello blinked in surprise.

"Emm, you're welcome, Leo" he could only say.

To then just withdraw in silence.

Seeing the other's face, Raphael rested his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Good night, brother" he told him "Everything is going to be all right, rest assured of that".

Leonardo smiled at him, not believing his words, but appreciating the effort.

"Thanks b-brother" he said covering the 'big'.

Raphael nodded, and started helping Leo to carry him to his room, while the other felt a knot in his stomach.

Chapter Text

No one answered the question. All Raph could see was the figure of his little brother, looking confused but perfectly healthy. Tears of happiness and relief threatened to well up in his eyes. He took a few steps towards Leo, ready to give him a hug, but a shudder from the other made him stop, seeing how tense he was, he lowered his arms, hurt by the action.

It was Donnie who responded to the question with a frown.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a strained smile. “We’re your family.”

‘Leo’ shook his head.

“No,” he said.

“Who are you?” he asked again, more slowly this time. He brought his hand up to his shell, as if searching for something.
Splinter took two steps forward, slowly.

“Leonardo, my son… do you not remember us?” he asked quietly, looking devastated.

The other stared at him without saying a word. And something like pity came into his eyes.

“I…” he said without finishing the sentence, falling into silence. He watched everyone’s faces and actions, and when he saw that no one was acting hostile, he asked in a low voice, “Should I?

“You should,” Draxum said cryptically, “There’s the thing.”

Then the Yokai turned and left the room. No one followed him, no one would know what to do anyway, that was usually Mikey’s job.

Leo’ watched them all, attentive to every action they took, his eyes going everywhere, probably looking for another exit besides the obvious one. When his eyes came across Mikey’s unconscious body.

With a leap he jumped back onto the bed, fear and caution permeating his gaze.

The others glanced at each other.

It was Raph who took a few small steps forward.

“I know this all looks bad, Leo,” he said carefully “but I promise we can explain.”

“Actually, we can’t” Donnie whispered loudly.

Leo watched the interaction quietly (and wasn’t that weird?), watching the two of them, alert for any action they might take, his body trembling and his breathing seeming to rise and fall.

“Why can’t I remember anything?” he asked in a voice so low it was almost unheard.

“Donnie?” Raph asked his brother, giving him a sideways glance.

He kept his eyes on Leo. And he spoke slowly.

“I don’t know” Donnie replied, lowering his head.

Leo watched everyone intently. When he saw Mikey again, he spoke slowly, pointing at him.

“Why is he like that?” he asked carefully.

“It wasn’t us, not exactly,” Raph tried to explain, watching out of the corner of his eye as Splitter approached Mikey and tried to help him.

Donnie was the one who spoke.

“We had to neutralize him before he hurt himself.”

Raph noticed a small twitch in his brother’s hands, but didn’t know how to comfort him.

“That meant attacking him?” asked Leo. An unnatural look on his face, staring at the two of them, neither speaking nor smiling. It looked as if…

As if he was watching his enemies.

“You weren’t there,” Donnie dismissed, “how would you know?”

Raph tried to get between them, to keep them from hurting each other. When a piece of what looked like wood (or was it metal?) landed almost next to his face. A shadow quickly passed between them.

When he saw again, he quickly realized that Leo was no longer in his bed.

Well, sh-

Baron Draxum was stressed. He walked out of the room, straight home in a hurry, he didn’t want to deal with any of this, he shouldn’t have to deal with any of this.

All he wanted to do was lock himself in his lab and not come out until this situation was resolved.

Leonardo’s confused look when he saw them all, not recognizing them at all, made him feel a terrible knot in his stomach. To see his son so confused and lost, in such a vulnerable state.

Perhaps he had done something wrong, ingested a component that absorbed energy instead of releasing it.

But, Michelangelo….

No.

He shouldn’t think about that.

But he couldn’t help thinking that it was his fault. He knew Donatello, he knew that he would throw it on himself, he couldn’t let the kid get careless because he could have that misconception. He was the adult, the one who should lead and who authorized this dangerous idea.

Leonardo was his son. At first he didn’t see it that way, and now he regretted it. Sometimes he wondered if Leonardo had not survived his assassination attempt, Draxum would not have known the cunning and loving child behind it. All the effort he had made to gain his trust, to make them a family.

But none of that mattered now because he didn’t remember. Not the good, not even the bad.

He paused for a moment. It was true. Leonardo couldn’t even remember his own name, so he still hadn’t associated Draxum’s face with anything bad.

An idea began to form in his mind as he reached his home.

Leonardo was awake, he had only been there for a short time, but from what he could see, he was fine. Michelangelo had been knocked out, but they would help him, he would be fine.

Unlike Michelangelo, Raphael, or even Donatello, Leonardo hadn’t been able to turn the page at all, always upset about things that had happened, always questioning what he was doing.

Perhaps this was an opportunity. To put things right, to be the father Leonardo needed from the beginning. He could give him love and protection, always show him that he would never hurt him. And without his memories, he would not be able to see anything in those actions. He wouldn’t sabotage Leonardo’s recovery, but he wouldn’t actively help either.

Yes, he told himself. That’s what he would do. He thought and then sat down in his favorite chair. Recapitulating in his mind everything Leonardo liked. And make plans to keep an eye on his health.

Hidden behind some kind of countertop was Leonardo. Confused, he tried to recapitulate everything that had happened in such a short time.

Where am I?' was the first thing he asked himself.

He didn't know, and that was the worrying thing. Had they done something to him? How could he be sure that they hadn't?' he wondered.

How could he be sure that Leonardo was his name at all?

We are your family,' the purple one had said.

And how could he know if that was true?

The stress of not understanding what was going on began to give him a headache.

He didn't know who or what to believe. Seeing the unconscious Orange on the ground made his heart skip a beat. Something about this scene made him feel so bad.

His body ached and he was numb. He was weak. At any moment, one of them could attack him and he wouldn't be able to defend himself. He had to leave.

He couldn't stay in this house anymore. He had to get out and find out where he was and work from there.

Determined, he tried to get up. When he heard footsteps entering the kitchen.

He tried to hide in the shadows, not wanting anyone to see him, making contingency plans in case one of them decided to attack because of his escape and prayed that the giant wouldn't come in.

But all he could hear were small sobs.

Hidden, he watched the person responsible for them. It was the rat on the side of the refrigerator, crying bitterly but silently. Leonardo’s body stopped and stared at the scene in confusion.

The rat had his hands over his face, preventing him from seeing him, but Leonardo had a pretty good idea of what he looked like.

Nothing could be heard from where the rat was except for the whimpering. Almost as if he knew exactly how to cry without anyone noticing.

Leonardo watched in silence, uncomfortable. Then a small objection caught his attention. The rat was holding something in his hand, close to his face, it looked like some kind of paper, but valuable enough that he didn’t want to wet it even when he was crying.

Maybe it was money, he thought. It didn’t look like any banknote he’d ever thought of, but anything would help him at this point.

He just had to figure out how to get it from the rat without it seeing him. Something inside told him that was a bad idea, but he ignored it. The only way to get out of there alive was to take a chance.

Suddenly, the rat became completely still, without moving. Leonardo tensed and stared at him, waiting. Then he spoke slowly.

“I know you’re here, blue,” he said with a heavy voice, without moving his body.

Leonardo slowly came out of his hiding place, taking up a fighting stance, ready to fight if necessary.

He turned and stared at Leonardo, his expression calm compared to before, but his eyes were noticeably redder.

Neither of them made a move, staring at each other, attentive to every action of the other.

The rat picked up the paper and, under Leonardo’s watchful eye, held it out to him, handing over his possession. Leonardo considered not accepting it, but slowly reached out his hand and took the object.

It was not money. It was a photograph of all of them, including …..

Leonardo looked at his arms, noticed the same pattern as the turtle in the photo, then ran his hands over his face, feeling every little thing on the surface. That was him (wasn’t it?).

The rat held out his hand, but didn’t seem to want the photo back.

Leonardo slowly approached him and let him touch him. The smaller one took him in his arms, forcing him to kneel down, and hugged him tightly. As if afraid that the moment he let go, he would disappear.

Leonardo allowed himself to relax in the embrace, feeling safe for the first time since he woke up.

(He just didn’t understand yet what was missing. And why these arms weren’t warm enough).

Somewhere else, much farther away, an alarm sounded.

Chapter Text

Leo looked at himself in the mirror and stared at the face that was looking back at him. He watched it closely, and actually, he couldn't help but think....

Why was he so ugly?

No, really. He didn't understand how he could have given so little thought to his own image. He had a reputation to uphold! (at least for himself), and he couldn't do that by always looking like that, with that strange complexion and that tired look.

He thought for a moment about what he thought was wrong. Maybe his face should have something painted on it? Or maybe a mask a shade lighter? He didn't know, he just knew that something was missing in this picture.

He sighed in defeat, without much choice. Hands tapped on the door, alerting Leo to the time he had already spent in the bathroom.

"Everything okay in there?" asked Raphael from the other side of the door, impatience creeping into his tone.

"Just a minute," Leo yelled at him as he finished washing his hands and leaned back against the sink, his crutch at his side.

Leo was useless. He realized that himself within a few hours the next morning.

He needed help getting up and bathing and every other activity that came to his mind. It was exhausting and it made him feel very uncomfortable.

Of all of them, Raphael was the one most willing to help. With Michelangelo always busy with household chores and Donatello locked in his laboratory, Raphael's only obligation seemed to be to train, so he quickly began helping Leo in any way he could.

"Why the long face?" Leo teasingly asked Raphael, looking at him mischievously, "Don't you like taking care of this sweetie?" he said, pointing as best he could (considering one leg was useless to him) at his entire body.

Raphael gave him a strange look.

"It's so... weird to hear you talk like that," he confessed, looking at Leo like he was the strangest creature on the planet.

"Hmmm?" said Leo.

"So how am I normally?" he asked curiously, "don't tell me I'm... boring?" he spoke with dramatic emphasis on the last sentence, putting his hand on his head to add spice to the performance.

Raphael laughed in surprise. And smiled back at him in the same strange way. When he answered, it was calm, something rare for him (as he had already noticed when he had fought with Mikey as soon as they woke up).

"I guess you are, sort of," he said, "although I always assumed you were like that because you wanted to please Splinter," he added thoughtfully.

Then he fell silent, staring at the broken piece of wood on the floor, deep in thought.

Leo watched him awkwardly. He tried to imagine himself that way, serious and willing to do anything to please someone.

"Who's Splinter?" he asked, a shiver running through his body at the name.

Raphael reacted to the question, and maybe he didn't notice it himself, but Leo did, his shoulders lifted and his posture changed, looking less like a person and more like a soldier. And when he spoke, he even looked rehearsed.

"He is our sensei," he said, "he taught us everything we know about being a shinobi- a ninja," he corrected himself when he saw Leo's expression, "and about the world. He was our savior, we owe him our lives".

Raphael paused his explanation, as if debating what to say next.

"He is also our father," he added.

"And where is he?" asked Leo.

"We... we don't know," Raphael said, clenching his fists.

Seeing his reaction, Leo decided to change the subject.

"So..." he began, "you said you were the best in training," Leo said.

He then gave his companion a smile.

"Prove it to me," he said, challenging him.

A competitive smile came to Raphael's mouth.

Outside the barn there were many noises, Donatello noticed absently. They seemed to be caused by Raphael, as far as he could hear, so he was not alarmed.

It was actually quite common. To hear him training. It was the activity he was engrossed in because of Leo's loss.

Except there's no loss anymore, he's awake,' he thought to himself, confused by the implications of that. Something was wrong, Donatello was aware of that, but he still couldn't figure out what was missing in his reasoning.

Leo would know what to do, he thought. If one of them lost his memory, Leo would make sure that they all knew that they were still part of the team and that no matter what happened, everything would be okay. That was what his older brother was known for and what he was good at. Always acting more like a father figure than a brother.

He had to stop his thoughts right then. They would get Leo back, his memories would come back, and everyone would be happy, he had to be convinced of that. Everything would be fine.

He grabbed a piece of the device he was rebuilding when he heard it.

"Go get them, Big Daddy!" came Leo's loud but (by this point) recognizable voice, encouraging what sounded like Raphael's training.

Donatello approached slowly, half-opening the barn doors, and watched in fascination as his older brothers laughed and celebrated together while Raphael smashed things and Leo cheered him on.

It was the most bizarre sight.

"They're amazing, aren't they? You'd think they'd be fighting by now!" said a voice near him, making him jump.

There, there was Michelangelo. He was watching the two brothers having fun together.

Donatello gave him a look of slight annoyance at his shock, but his face quickly softened as he looked at his younger brother.

"It's true," he said thoughtfully.

He looked steadily at Leonardo and saw only a broad grin on his face and his free hand raised to cheer Raphael on. It seemed a relatively normal sight in his brother, what Donatello didn't understand was how he could show so much arrogance in just a few actions.

"It's even strange," Michelangelo added to himself.

Donatello watched the orange-robed one with confusion, glancing sideways at his other brothers (and noticing that Casey had joined them).

"Yeah, you know," Michelangelo said, "Leo seems more...happy."

Donatello blinked a little at Michelangelo, eyebrow raised. His gaze returned to his older brother, who looked confident and still wore his wide smile.

That... was true.

"I..." began Donatello, but stopped mid-sentence. What was he supposed to do with this information?

It wasn't that Leo never smiled, of course he did. But his smiles had always been more along the lines of 'I'm proud of you' or 'I love this show', not 'I think I'm better than you at this'. The arrogance and confidence seemed more Raphael's thing, never his brother in blue's (who was more socially awkward than he liked to admit).

"Is it his brain thing?" asked Michelangelo, eyeing his brother curiously.

"Amnesia, Mikey," said the latter, but to relax he added: "I'm really not sure, I'd like to think so, but I'm not very familiar with, you know, our heads."

Michelangelo's head twitched in confusion, just like an owl would.

"Why?"

And the question was so genuine and full of doubt that Donatello was silent for a moment, taking it in.

"Well... we're mutants, Mikey," he told him regretfully.

"We function differently than humans, so I guess in the brain we should, right?" he said uncomfortably, not looking at his brother.

"But... we act like humans," the latter said, confused.

"Most of the time, yes," Donatello muttered, remembering when they were children. Chirping and making turtle sounds to communicate sometimes, they could still make them, but they no longer had the same effect on them and seemed stranger to hear now.

(Perhaps they were becoming more human with time, gradually giving up those shameful instincts they all had).

Michelangelo was silent for a moment, as if weighing what to say.

"Do you think Leo will come back?" he asked Donatello, watching him closely.

Donatello looked at him in surprise, not knowing what to say.

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Donatello, "He's right over there," he said, pointing to Leo.

Michelangelo shook his head firmly.

"No," he said, "you know what I mean."

And Donatello did know, of course he did, but what was one supposed to say in situations like this?

To admit that something was wrong was to admit that he had done something wrong. And he wasn't ready to have that conversation. But Donatello couldn't help thinking that it was unfair, that everything was always his responsibility.

That everything was always his fault.

And he promised, he promised himself. That no matter what, he would get his brother back. The person who told him stories of ninjas and samurai, of love and hope, when they were children. The person who made sure they slept at night and didn't stay up too late watching TV or reading comic books. The person who defended them or took the blame every time they did something they knew would get them a harsher punishment from Splinter. The person who motivated and encouraged him in his hobby, his science. The person who never gave up on them, no matter what.

His brother would come back, he was sure of it. He would make sure of it.

He felt his back tense and tried to relax his shoulders.

"It's going to be okay, Mikey," he told him, "I promise," it wasn't said, but it was heard. His head was staring at the floor.

He couldn't even stand the look on his younger brother's face.

He was truly pathetic.

Michelangelo watched him calmly and gave his brothers another look, smiling.

"I think I'll join them, looks like fun," he said, then ran off.

All Donatello could do was look at everyone fondly. Hoping that maybe everything would work out.

"What?" came Leo's shrill cry, startling him.

Then he dramatically looked at everyone in disbelieving amazement, including Donnie.

"Why didn't anyone tell me I was unconscious for three months?" he asked, feigning pain.

Donatello blushed slightly in embarrassment, not believing he had forgotten to comment on that.

No one noticed the small bottle that Leo had accidentally knocked over.

Chapter Text

"So..." Mikey began, his voice sounding hoarse and his eyes completely red, just waking up from all the chaos that had happened the day before.

"This all happened while I was sleeping?" he asked incredulously, looking at his older brother.

Beside him, Raph smiled in relief.

"That's right, little- I mean- big man," he said, seeing the raised 'eyebrow' of his younger brother.

And he continued.

"We were really worried about you, especially your... you know, injuries" he said, pointing to the bandages on the smaller one.

Mikey nodded sadly and looked down at his hands. The nerves had already taken a long time to heal, so it was unfortunate what had happened. The repairs that had taken two months (and a few more to go) were now back to zero.

Raph smiled reassuringly at him, tense. That made Mikey a little insecure.

"And what about Leo?" he asked, "Where is he? Now that he's awake I mean..." he spoke worriedly.

"He's with Dad" Raph replied, looking down with the question, "He didn't want to leave his side at all" he spoke quietly.

Mikey frowned and watched his brother intently.

"So... he... he doesn't remember us?" he asked tense, afraid of the answer.

Raph watched him for a few moments, wondering what to say.

"No," he said, "he doesn't."

And Raph really didn't like the look on his brother's face.

"It's my fault" Mikey said, hugging himself.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, buddy" Raph said, looking at him gently.

"You're the one who brought him back, it's not your fault" he added, stroking the shell of the smaller one.

He had a guilty look on his face and stared at his hands.

Raph watched him with a knot in his stomach. Worried, he thought of a distraction.

"I have an idea," the one in the red bandana began, "why don't we go cook?

Mikey looked at him incredulously and gestured with his hands.

"I mean, I cook and you guide me, how about that?" Raph added proudly.

A look of uncertainty crossed the smaller one's face, but before he could say anything, Raph grabbed him by the shoulder and led him straight to the kitchen. Everything would be fine, why should he worry?

Why did it smell like something was burning? Donnie wondered as he stood in his lab. He was sure he hadn't left anything on, and his scans showed nothing unusual. It was probably his imagination, he told himself, dismissing the oddity almost completely.

A part of his head began to throb, but he decided to ignore it and took a deep breath.

He stared at the machine he was building, barely in the beginning stages. It didn't look grand or well decorated right now, but that wasn't its purpose. If he did everything right, this device would allow his brother to retrieve his memories, he just had to be precise.

(He didn't want to dwell on the fact that nothing was really certain, that it was all speculation).

As he continued to study the brain for hours, he thought of Draxum. Maybe he could help him with what he needed, couldn't he? But a part of him (the part his siblings usually kept quiet) told him that the adult wouldn't agree to help him so easily. After all, what happened was his fault, why would he want to help him?

His hands were shaking and his eyes were not focused. He hadn't slept at all for the creation of what they had taken to wake Leo up, the focus on other work was starting to take its toll on his body. But he had to continue, Leo needed him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, pausing to get a cup of coffee, when his phone rang.

He answered it with relative ease (of course he didn't stagger over to the phone), April's voice ringing in his ear.

"I know you did something" April said in a cold voice that sounded a little angry.

"I don't know what you're referring to, could you be more specific?" asked Donnie, dodging the accusation.

"Draxum came to his apartment and is doing his laundry, and you and I both know he doesn't do that unless he's stressed, and what's usually the cause of his stress?" she asked accusingly, "you!"

"Of course, because all of his actions are caused by us" Donnie said sarcastically.

"So you're telling me that you did absolutely nothing the whole time I wasn't with you?" asked April, suspicion in her voice.

Donnie was silent, weighing his options.

"Donnie?" asked April.

A tired sigh came from Donnie.

"If I tell you, you won't get too mad?"

Arriving in the kitchen, he quickly discovered the source of the smell. Staring at Mikey, who was berating Raph for destroying his kitchen, he went straight to the coffee pot to grab a cup.

Of course, April got angry, started yelling several things, and threatened to go over there alone to 'teach them a lesson'. And he was unlucky enough to have Casey nearby, so she just egged her on to yell louder. In the end, April walked angrily into the den, ready to tell them all off.

He took a sip of his coffee, ready to lock himself in his lab for a few more hours, when soft footsteps sounded at the kitchen entrance.

Everyone stared at the newcomer, the kitchen suddenly in silence

Leo had a look of uncertainty on his face as he stared at everyone.

"Hey" was all he said, an awkward smile creeping across his face.

"Leo!" Mikey greeted with a smile, staring at his brother.

Raph shifted his feet and began to fiddle with his hands, a clear sign of nervousness.

Leo watched him uncomfortably.

"I..." Leo began to Raph, "I just wanted to apologize for, you know, trying to attack you."

Raph looked at him in surprise, not expecting something like that.

"It's okay, don't worry about it" he told him with a small reassuring smile.

Donnie watched the whole interaction, glancing sideways at the door, ready to leave slowly so no one would notice.

"I also wanted to apologize to you," he said now, looking at Donnie, "for accusing you of something you probably didn't do."

Hearing Leo apologize to Raph was one thing, but to Donnie?

Donnie watched him with wide eyes, surprise written all over his face at his brother's apology. Leo was staring at him too, his eyes full of nervousness.

Donnie keep quiet. Silence began to settle in the room.

"Splinter asked you to apologize?" Raph asked Leo, breaking the tension.

Leo looked at him, a strange expression on his face.

"No, I came on my own," Leo said, "He's... watching TV."

It actually sounded like Splinter.

"Does he do that often?" asked Leo, looking at them all.

"Usually, yes," it was Raph who answered him with a nervous smile.

A small frown appeared on Leo's forehead. And as if he had barely noticed, he swept his eyes over the entire kitchen and saw it in its most chaotic state.

"What happened?" he asked with a slight tone of concern, although there was also a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Raph tried to cook by himself" Mikey replied, stating the obvious, "there's a reason he's not doing it" he added wearily.

"I can see that" Leo almost laughed, then looked at them all, "but... are you guys okay? No one's hurt?" he asked, the worried tone returning.

"Um, yeah, everything's cool" Raph said with a strange look on his face.

The tension in Leo's shoulders eased quite a bit.

"That's good" he said.

Donnie watched the whole interaction curiously. Raph caught his eye and asked him with his face if he was okay, to which he just nodded.

"Want to help?" asked Mikey, pointing to the 'food'.

'That wasn't a surprise,' Donnie thought, although it was for Leo, he could tell by his expression.

Everyone knew that Mikey and Leo were the only ones in the house who were remotely acceptable at cooking. Obviously, Mikey was a genius when it came to cooking, but Leo always took a step back whenever anyone wanted to acknowledge that skill. He let his younger brother be the deserving " chef " in the family. After all, he didn't like to cook, he knew how to do it, he just didn't want to.

So Mikey's spontaneous decision to let Leo help out was no surprise.

"I..." Leo began, not knowing what to say, looking sideways at everyone in the room.

Seeing Leo's uncertainty and Mikey's determination slowly boiling over, Donnie stepped forward to face Leo.

"If you want to stay away from this family so much, it's completely understandable. After all, it's just as hard for you to see us as it is for us to see you."

Leo's face showed surprise, but he quickly pulled himself together.

"I understand..." he said, "I guess it just feels strange and I thought..."

A look of uncertainty crossed his features, but he remained silent.

"I guess I'll go back to Splinter then," Leo said pointing to the exit, "sorry to bother you."

"No! No, it's okay," Raph said almost in a shout, giving Donnie a reproachful look, "you can help us if you want."

Leo's face lit up.

Donnie didn't know how he ended up here. The four of them were trying (and failing) to cook something decent. He had to get back to his lab, concentrate on his task. But every time he tried, he saw Leo laughing happily and unconcernedly (and he could pretend for a moment that everything was exactly the same, without the arrival of the Kraang or even Shedder, just them, playing with whatever they had at hand).

Eventually, Mikey had given up trying to keep his kitchen clean and joined the group chaos, unconcerned with what was going on, smiling along with everyone. Raph was at his side, no doubt proud of himself that they were all concentrating on things that didn't put them in danger, watching everyone intently. Leo was next to Donnie, smiling along with everyone.

It was so strange to see his brother so... quiet. Leo was never like that. He drew attention to everything he did, even when he slept; his snoring could be heard in different parts of the cave, and his brothers and he had come to the conclusion that he had undoubtedly gotten it from Splinter. But not now, his face was calm and he hardly seemed to be breathing.

Something was wrong with him, Donnie thought. And it was like a switch had flipped.

"I..." Donnie began, looking at them all. The others watched him intently, Raph and Mikey had no doubt sensed something was wrong with him as they looked at him seriously. "I think I should go back to my lab."

He pretended not to see the disappointment on his brothers' faces or the confusion in Leo's eyes. As much fun as they had together, this was something that had to be done. They would understand, maybe not now, but they would. It was something necessary.

"Donnie..." Leo spoke to him slowly, as if he was not sure what he wanted to say. The named one jumped at the voice, surprised that Leo was speaking to him.

"How long has it been since you slept?" he asked, as if that wasn't even more surprising. He looked at him with worried eyes, no doubt looking at the dark circles under his eyes.

"What's with the question?" asked Donnie cautiously, not really wanting to talk to him.

"You've been staggering around while we've been here, I think you'd better get some sleep..." said Leo with a furrowed brow, "I don't think it's healthy to go to your lab like that."

'The pot calling the kettle black' Donnie was about to retort when another voice interrupted him.

"I agree," Raph said, looking sideways at Leo. "Go get some sleep, Donnie."

Embarrassment began to grow in his stomach. He hadn't been awake that long, he would understand his brothers if it had been more than a week, but this was (in his opinion) deeply ridiculous.

"I'm fine," Donnie said to both of them, trying to walk between them, but Raph's hand stopped him.

"Don..." Leo started, it sounded a lot like the times Raph would scold one of them or Splinter would try to keep order.

His chest began to heat up with anger, how dare he try to lecture him? He thought offended. His twin of all people.

Just as he was about to retort in what would probably end up being a fight, footsteps sounded from the doorway.

"I'm here!" April called, suddenly opening the door.

She stood in the doorway, looking at everyone's positions and the mess in the kitchen, and spoke slowly.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, a hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow.

"No," Donnie replied, "not at all."

Then he walked past Leo and out of the kitchen. Walking quickly straight to his lab.

What a waste of time.

Chapter Text

He might not know these people very well, but Leo thought that in some way he did not dislike their company. A joke or two, some small talk, a shy smile.

In fact, the evening had ended relatively peacefully.

Donatello glanced at him from time to time, asking if he was all right, or if he was in any way uncomfortable. Michelangelo was amused, claiming that this ‘new Leo’ was much more fun than the old one (which helped his ego). And Raphael never left his side, always helping him with everything. Even the humans were pleasant, helping him to adjust in some ways.

They generally seemed more comfortable with his presence as the hours passed. Sitting together in front of the TV, he couldn’t help but notice that everyone was less tense than in the morning, making small talk and waiting for Mikey’s show to start.

So Leo decided to start the interrogation that had been on hold for a while.

“So…” he began, and everyone was watching him, attentive to every word that came out of his mouth (too much attention, wasn’t it? It was even a little uncomfortable), “what exactly happened to end up in this whole situation?

Of course, the reactions were similar to what he had imagined.

Donatello frowned with obvious doubt on his face, the human beside him stirred uncomfortably.

“Of course, let’s see…” he began with a small pause and a look of uncertainty in his eyes, “God, I don’t know where to start…”.

Raphael frowned and turned his gaze to Leo.

“You remember what I told you about Splinter, don’t you?” he asked, staring into Leo’s face.

(“Blue,” a voice said behind him. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the broken teacup on the floor).

“Amm, sure,” he replied with a certain amount of doubt, “you mean our pops, right?

He asked the last question and looked around.

Everyone gave him a strange look and Mikey put a hand to his face in an obvious attempt to hide his laughter.

Leo’s smile faltered at the reaction of the others.

“Did I say something wrong…?”

“No, I guess you did not,” Donatello replied, looking at him sideways, “although I have to admit it’s still strange to hear you talk like that…”.

“You mean the voice?” asked Leo, obviously trying to focus his attention elsewhere.

“Yes,” he replied, “something like that…”.

“Our… father, he had a family before he had us,” Raphael supplied. “A little daughter and a wife.”

Leo listened attentively. It didn’t matter that such an idea was very… strange.

“He lost everything because of this man… Oroku Saki, and devastated, he went to New York, where he found us for various reasons.”

Raphael pressed his lips into a thin line.

“We thought him dead a few months ago, now we know the truth, he is a threat…”

Donatello stood next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“You tried to confront him,” Donatello continued, “but that didn’t work very well, and now we have no idea where he can be found, neither he nor Master Splinter…”.

Leo felt a heavy silence in the room. Surely they must feel unprotected, without their father and with their brother completely amnesiac. An uncomfortable realization enveloped him.

A sound coming from the television distracted everyone from their sadness.

“Look!” said Michaelangelo, pointing happily, “the show has started!

Everyone relaxed their shoulders a little, ready to sit down and watch television with their brother. When a crackle of electricity went through the house and the power went out.

“Oh my…”.

“Are you kidding me?”

“My show!”

“Relax, it’s just a fuse,” Donatello’s voice was heard over everyone, in the direction of the lanterns.

The little light left by the fire in the fireplace went out after a short moment, leaving everyone with a dejected feeling.

“Now we need more firewood,” Raphael added.

So Donatello’s lantern went out, leaving only more grumbling.

Raphael left the house, claiming that he had to go get more firewood, while Donatello tried to change the fuse.

“It’s impossible,” he found himself saying, “for some reason it doesn’t light.

To prove his point, he tried turning on some of the lights, to no avail.

“Don’t worry,” April replied, “I’m sure Raph will be back soon and we can light the fire.”

The energy in the group was anxious, but they waited patiently. Leo watched as April put a hand on Donatello’s shoulder, comforting the turtle.

“Why isn’t he coming?” asked Michaelangelo after an hour had passed.

They all looked at each other anxiously and left the house.

When Raphael did not return, many turned their gaze to stare at Leo, who was slow to understand that they were waiting for directions.

Their confusion must have been reflected back to them, because the panic began again.

Leo took a few steps back, staggering on his bad leg.

Did they really expect him to lead them? An uncomfortable feeling rose in his stomach, this didn’t make sense.

Seeing his hesitation, Donatello was the one to step forward.

“I think we should split up,” he said unconvinced, looking sideways at Leo.

Leo relaxed a little, trying to shake off the strange feeling.

“Mikey and Casey will go together and I’ll go next to April.”

Michelangelo and Casey complained for different reasons, but Donatello ignored them.

“Who are you going with, Leo?” he asked, looking directly at his brother.
Leo opened his mouth to answer, approaching the group with his crutch, when a small stone caused him to stumble slightly.

His excitement quickly dissipated.

“You know what? I think I’ll stay here,” he said, trying to sound relaxed “I don’t think I’m much use in this whole situation,” he said, pointing to his bad leg.

Donatello frowned and gave him a pitiful look.

“It’s okay, you can stay and wait in case Raph comes back,” he said, giving an excuse to his pride.

“Exactly,” Leo said, “Have you seen Don? I knew you’d understand, being so smart and all,” he added with disdain.

A look of indignation crossed the face of the purple-headed turtle, but he was interrupted by the red-haired girl.

“Guys, we need to find Raph. In case you forgot.”

Donatello closed his mouth and nodded stiffly at her, gave Leo one last puzzled look and left, April following close behind. Michelangelo and Casey followed in the other direction.

So Leo was left alone.

It didn’t matter, did it? He could handle anything, his only job was to wait for the others to return. Easy.

Thoughtfully, he leaned back on his good knee. So, he ended up like this because of a fight against this Oruko Saki guy, right? The name sounded familiar and he felt a glimmer of hope that he might get his memories back sooner than he thought.

Because no matter how friendly everyone seemed to be, Leo could see how tense they were, how they saw him trying to find someone else.

It had only been a day since he had woken up, and yet they all expected him to take charge of the situations that came their way.

All in all, the picture didn’t look good for either of them, and Leo didn’t know how to feel about it.

(“We need to be together as a team!”).

Leo stopped halfway to the house.

He turned back to where he had heard the voice. Only to find a dense forest staring back at him.

(“Nothing I’m doing is working!” said another voice, deeper and angrier).

Leo felt his heart race at the sound of the voices. He knew them, how?

He took one last look at the house and in the direction the others had gone, then returned his gaze to that particular spot in the forest.

It wouldn’t hurt to check, would it?
He took a few steps into the vast, dark forest.

“I feel like we’re being watched,” April had dictated to Donatello after a while of walking, still without a clue. A severe headache throbbed in her forehead, which she felt was an omen of what was to come.

Donatello watched her with worry, glancing sideways at the forest.

“We need to find Raph now,” he said, uncertainty in his eyes.

“I agree, but it will be difficult—“
A loud shout echoed through the forest, his voice was recognizable.

“That was Mikey,” Donatello realized, pulling out his bō and running alongside April towards the problem.

April ignored the strange sensation running through her body and the terrible pain in her neck. Running alongside Donatello, they arrived at what looked like an abandoned hut.

“Let him go, creature!” yelled Casey, swinging his cane at what looked like a monster made of weeds. It was holding an unconscious Michaelangelo.

Donatello wasted no time in joining the fray with an angry expression on his face.

April drew her weapon and was ready to strike when the creature reacted.

It caught an unsuspecting Casey Jones off guard, grabbing him by the torso and throwing him toward Donatello. It approached while they were disoriented.

She could only watch in horror as it slowly knocked all of her friends unconscious, knowing that she was next.

She took a few steps back, still not giving up the fight. Swallowing her fear, she tried to attack it when one of its roots wrapped around her arms and legs. She fell to the ground, fear multiplying.

“Help! Leo!” she cried in desperation. Hoping that maybe the one in the blue bandana would hear her.

Then everything was filled with darkness.

“覚えて.”

Leo heard someone whisper in his ear.

He held his breath and turned his body slowly. He could almost feel the warmth of the other person, he just had to turn around to see who it was.

There was no one.

Where the mysterious individual should have been, there was nothing but air.

Leo’s heart quickened without understanding why. Something was missing, he could feel it.

He closed his eyes and tried to keep his composure.

“Leonardo…” a voice whispered to him from the trees beyond where his eyes could see.

“Leonardo…”

His feet began a new walk, towards the familiar voice.

“Help! Leo!” the cry was heard throughout the forest.

He stopped abruptly. He caught the tone of April’s voice.

Divided in his decision, he looked in the opposite direction, where their friend had called for help.

Strangely, the voice was silent.

Gathering his courage, he took one last look at the forest area of the mysterious voice and headed in the opposite direction.

His friends needed him.

The monster would not let them go.

Donatello tried everything, distracting it, attacking it, trying to scare it, but nothing seemed to work.

He watched the plant that was now the remains of his brother, helpless over its fate or what might happen to any of them.

Useless, useless, useless. He said in his head. The fear only grew with time.

The stress of this unreal situation settled heavily in his head. The worst part? Knowing that it was all his fault.

Because he knew that the mutagen from the city could not reach the forest, the only source was himself. The altar it had built for the medicine was more than obvious. The whole situation was all his fault.

Leo will never know what happened. He thought bitterly, gritting his teeth in anger. He looked around at his friends, still unconscious beside his brother.

He closed his eyes tightly, helpless.
The sound of something banging on the door drew the monster’s attention. His friends stirred and began to wake up.

Donatello seized his chance and tried to free himself.

“Hey! Ugly Thing! I’m calling you!”.

Leo. Donatello thought fearfully.

The monster’s roar rang in his ear.

“Really? That sounds very interesting, amigo” Leo said in reply.

He walked as fast as he could on his crutch.

The mutant followed him at an alarming speed, never letting him out of it’s sight.

He lowered his body as far as he could, dodging the mutant’s claws, which almost hit him. He ran away, the monster following him.

“All right, easy Leo, you got this,” he said, trying to calm himself.

Quickly he ducked to the ground, causing the mutant to trip over him from the suddenness of the change. Leo raised his crutch and buried it firmly in the mutant’s face.

The mutant let out an angry scream, trying to pull the wood out of his face.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Leo hobbled over to the small shed and quickly locked it.

“Leo!” the others shouted, relief in their tone.

His eyes landed on the small mound of dirt on the ground.

“What’s-?"

“That’s Raph, long story. Get us out of here first,” Donatello interrupted, sounding exasperated. Beside him, Michaelangelo stirred uncomfortably, hanging upside down.

“Yeah, bro. This place is horrible!”

Leo grabbed one of the gardening tools and cut and helped each of the chained with plants.

The monster’s roar came from behind the door, alerting everyone.

They raised their weapons and stared at the door. Behind them, the shed opened and the mutant’s head emerged.

“Get back!” they shouted as they tried to attack.

Leo staggered and grabbed the first thing at hand, which turned out to be Donnie’s medicine. He tried to throw it at the mutant when he saw it react in fear.

“Strange” Donnie began, “it seems to be afraid of the mutagen…”.

A plan began to form in Leo’s mind.

“Mikey!” said Leo, addressing the youngest, “I need that rope”.

Mikey smiled happily and took what his brother had pointed out.

“Whatever you say, dude!”

“All right, on my signal then…”

Leonardo took the bottle and pushed the mutant back as it tried to attack, unsuccessfully due to the help of the others.

He managed to lead it to a tree, where Michaelangelo encircled it with the rope.

The monster screamed and struggled, but was unable to escape.

Donatello took a few steps forward and looked at everyone with relief.

“That was close…”

Leo nodded wryly as he remembered something else.

“Emm, sorry to ruin the mood, but Raph isn’t going to stay as a pile of leaves, is he?” he gave a small, unfunny laugh.

Donatello frowned, almost as if a bucket of cold water had hit him.

“I’ll check him out,” he muttered and quickly left the scene.

Leo blinked. It was okay.

His eyes wandered to another part of the forest where the voice had called him. And he knew very well that hearing voices was not normal at all, but it had to mean something, he just knew it.

In the end, Donatello managed to remove all the mutagen from the monster’s body and put it back into Raphael’s body.

Everything was fine, it really was.

As things calmed down, everyone went back to their rooms and decided to get some well-deserved rest.

Lying in bed, in the house where he knew all his friends and family were, Leo couldn’t help but think that something was missing, something really important.

He slept with a feeling of loneliness permeating his skin.

(And he dreamed of a caterpillar and a hippopotamus. And a girl with a cheeky smile, high braids, and a yellow jacket. And he dreamed of another life that he would not remember the next day).

Chapter Text

Donnie's exit from the kitchen unsettled everyone, puzzled by his brother's strange attitude.

Mikey put his hand on Leo's shoulder, trying to cheer him up.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's not really mad."

Oh, yes, he was. It was very likely that Donnie wouldn't talk to anyone for the rest of the week, let alone Leo. But Mikey couldn't say any of that, so he smiled broadly.

Leo's face formed a small smile, but it didn't look sincere enough.

April grabbed Leo's shoulder out of the blue, next to Raph.

"I need to talk to both of you right now," she said, leaving no room for discussion.

And with that, Mikey was left all alone with his thoughts.

He felt... abandoned.

No. He had to concentrate on something else.

He took easy breaths, tried to calm down, and bent down carefully to pick up some of the mess that had landed in his kitchen. In a short time, and if he kept at it, the place would be clean. In the end, they might not have managed to make anything really edible, but they had had a nice time together, that alone was something he appreciated and that (thankfully) kept him from really losing his mind over all the dirt covering his walls and utensils.

Although he really would have liked to do some real cooking....

Mikey lowered his eyes and looked closely at his (mangled) hands, completely useless, ugly and even sad to see. He was aware (even if his family did not say it out loud) that as the days passed after the invasion, he had become extremely weak, so much so that Raph did not want him to go out anywhere, even accompanied. In order to go out with Donnie, Mikey had resorted to attacking both his father and older brother with insistent questions and random puppy dog eyes, and in the end they had given in to the pressure of seeing him angry.

And come on, he couldn't even draw! There was no way to relieve the stress, since all the activities he loved involved using his hands, which was a really bad idea.

He hated the pity looks he got. He hated not being able to do anything. The rag fell from his hands, for they were shaking. He closed them tightly and looked at them in frustration. He hated feeling useless.

Alone in the kitchen, Mikey wished, not for the first time, that this was all just a horrible nightmare.

Raph was undoubtedly nervous, April noticed belatedly. Leo stood between them. A slight look of confusion in his eyes. She frowned at the one in red, the feeling of betrayal from Donnie's call fluttering in her chest.

"Well," she began, "would someone please explain to me what Donnie told me?" she asked, gritting her teeth in an attempt to calm herself.

"Well... It all depends on what he told you," Raph answered her, trying to dodge the question.

"He told me that he and Draxum did something to wake Leo and decided to use him (without my presence, I might add) and it backfired, so talk," she said, crossing her arms.

Part of her anger was due to the fact that no one had told her about the situation, what if something had gone worse, which one of them would look her in the eye after what had happened? It made her feel helpless and left out.

"Yeah, that," Raph muttered, "We didn't want to worry you April," Raph tried to explain, "You're in exam season and we know this is all getting to you, we just didn't want you to be upset.

A sarcastic retort was about to come out of his mouth, but he stopped himself before he spoke.

Raph's eyes were very red, April belatedly noticed. A look of apology and regret adorned her younger brother's features, while weariness was clearly visible. April hesitantly put a hand on his arm, excuses slowly falling out of his mouth. His anger was still there, April thought, but at that moment, when Raph seemed to be on the verge of tears, words of comfort were on the tip of his tongue.

A small clearing of the throat interrupted the conversation. Leo was standing to one side of them, noticeably uncomfortable, watching them intently. His posture was odd, very tense.

She allowed herself to look at her brother friend, fully awake and alive. A strong feeling of relief washed over her and without being able to stop herself, she acted. April grabbed Leo's shoulders and quickly pulled him into a hug, relief and joy welling up in her chest, not wanting to let go of her little brother.

She felt the other's shoulders tense as he did not return the hug. Strangely (though painfully), she broke the embrace, watching Leo for a moment.

"Is something wrong, Leo?" asked April, seeing his surprised face.

"That's the other thing," Rapha said, clasping his hands in nervousness, causing April's alarm to go off.

"What do you mean?" she asked, letting go of Leo, who looked at her uncomfortably.

"Leo is... incapable of remembering us," Raph said seriously, looking into April's eyes.

"But," April replied, her voice breaking. She saw Leo's face, standing very still, staring at her. "This is a joke, right guys?" she said with a nervous smile.

"You're just teasing me, that's all, right?" she asked, looking at Leo, looking for an answer.

The one in the blue bandana gave her a pitiful look and just said quietly.

"Really, I'm sorry."

April's ears buzzed as her breathing stopped.

Donatello Hamato did not consider himself a foolish creature. Quite the contrary. He was a brilliant mind, a genius among geniuses, a being superior in cognitive capacity to anyone else who would inhabit the planet. Someone who was intelligent in every sense of the word.

Despite this, he himself could admit that for the most part, socializing with anyone who approached him was a challenge. Social cues were not his thing, he simply found it impossible to understand how to do so without inadvertently offending someone.

The only people who tolerated this part of him (for some reason) were his brothers, who were always there for him, even if they didn't quite understand him. Always keeping him from feeling left out.

Of all of them, the one who understood him the best (though mostly just used that knowledge to frustrate him) was his twin.

(And he would never admit it to Leo, because they were definitely not real twins. But every time the Slider referred to him that way, something clicked and made sense in his dynamic. Even if it wasn't biologically possible, they were.)

So when Leo went into a coma, he was naturally a little worried. After all, he was the only one who was really mentally challenging to deal with (it's not like he hadn't gone almost without food or sleep for weeks, not knowing what to do, hoping and praying for his brother). He and Leo were supposed to be inseparable, but that didn't happen because of the Kraang's arrival.

Now there was only an impostor in Leo's place.

This was not Leo.

It was simply not possible. After a few hours with him, Donnie had realized this painfully obvious fact. So why couldn't his brothers see it?

His brothers didn't understand. They really didn't. There was no way this was Leo. It just wasn't. Everyone's priority should be to get their real brother back, who Donnie was sure was trapped in the head of Leo's body, or worse.

That thing was absolutely not his brother and he had to prove it to everyone. Even if it looked like him and sounded like him, it was definitely not his twin.

Why couldn't anyone but him see it?

He arrived at Leo's room, ready to take the tranquilizer gun, not wanting to leave it with the impostor. He wasn't running away from the lab at all, after he'd found himself in a standoff.

(Because that would make him look useless, and he wasn't ready for that conversation).

He reached for the gun and glanced around Leo's room, his gaze landing on the empty bed. A sick feeling settled in his stomach. As he slowly walked out of the room.

He walked a bit through the lair, as he passed by Raph's room he heard the argument April was having with Raph and the impostor Leo.

"Easy," Raph said, "please breathe.

'Leo' was standing next to her looking worried, one of his hands cupped April's shoulder, concern written all over his face.

"I need you to breathe for me, okay?" said Leo in a soft, low voice. April copied the breathing sounds he made. He smiled reassuringly.

And Donnie's jaw clenched, because that was....

No.

He thought as the slider's eyes drifted in his direction, his face softening a little under Donnie's steady gaze.

Donnie's hands tightened on the gun and he looked away from the other in alarm.

Donnie took a few steps away, arriving at his lab, looking at the clock he realized it was quite late, but he didn't care.

He took his cell phone out of its case and started talking to Draxum.

This was not going to last, Donnie thought despairingly.

He just couldn't.

Leonardo had no idea what he was doing.

After a quick hug and goodbye (where April hugged him for quite a while, telling him in a faint voice not to worry, that his memories would come back and everything would be fine. And then promised to come back the next day), Raph led him to his room. The other one looked tired too, so he swallowed his questions and thanked him.

He gave him a strange look while muttering something.

"Is something wrong?" asked Leonardo with uncertainty in his voice.

"It's just, this is all so strange..." Raph began, "You haven't done anything you would normally do, you haven't even said any of your jokes or anything like that!" he added with some desperation.

Leonardo saw his face shake as he closed his eyes tightly.

I don't know what to do, I'm supposed to be the oldest and I don't know what to do," the Snapper said sincerely, "Donnie is angry (and I don't even understand why), Mikey is depressed, Dad won't come out of the TV, Draxum won't answer his messages, April is mad at me for not telling him, while I don't know how to tell CJ, and then there's you," he added desperately, "I don't know how to help you.

Leonardo felt his mouth tighten, not knowing exactly what to say. As a small feeling of déjà vu came over him, he couldn't help but notice a feeling of empathy towards the snapper as well. As he described it, it felt like a very heavy burden to carry.

(He tried to suppress the feeling of kinship with his situation, because it made no sense at all).

"I'm just so tired..." Raph added dejectedly.

A small, awkward silecio settled between them, so Leonardo plucked up the courage to speak.

"Well... I'm sure you'll figure it out, big bro," Leonardo said hesitantly, "you always do, don't you?

Something about that sentence made his head feel as if something was wrong, as if it was completely unnatural. But at the same time, his tongue seemed to appreciate the familiar syllables.

With his head in his hands, Raph let out a small laugh, relief showing in his tone. That was how Leonardo knew he'd said the right thing.

"Yeah, I think so," Raph said and gave him a small smile.

The moment was short as the older man stood and walked over to the curtain of his room. His steps faltered and he looked uncertainly at Leonardo as he could tell he was debating whether or not to leave.

"Sleep well, Leo."

The lights went out and Leonardo was all alone again.

If pretending was what this family needed to feel safe, he was sure he could do it without a problem. After all, they were his family, weren't they? They deserved the sacrifice (he ignored the small pang in his chest at the thought).

He sat on the bed and noticed how soft it was. Too soft for his taste, but he could take it. He scanned the room, his eyes getting used to the dim light. When he woke up, he hadn't really been able to pay attention to everything, but from what he could see, it looked like an average room, full of posters and trinkets that seemed useless.

He felt a little uncomfortable, like he was intruding on someone else's privacy. None of the things there felt like his at all. He lay back down, hoping it was all just a bad dream. Tossing and turning in bed.

(And ignoring the sense of loss he felt in his stomach.)

He saw the tangled wires on his desk, desperately trying to connect everything.

He had to be prepared, whoever had unleashed the anomaly, he didn't know what to expect.

Helping them was not an option, his only duty was to defend.

(Defend, defend, defend. He repeated the mantra in his head).

The shield would be ready in no time, he thought. Then no one would get hurt. Then his mission would be complete.

(Mission, mission, mission).

All he had to do was strengthen the defenses he had already built, that was all.

And maybe a new shield on top of the old ones would help. ....

His computer paused as he typed on the keyboard, a warning sign flashing in front of all the tabs

Incomplete Anomaly.
Restore required.

What?

He felt his vision blur with fatigue.

He had to deal with the anomaly. Desperation coiled in his stomach.

(Anomaly, anomaly, anomaly).

Well, he was fine. Everything was fine.

He had to find the source and then deal with it. Everything for the mission, everything to defend. He had to find the anomaly, whatever it took.

(Main mission: Defend)

(Set mission: Find_anomaly)

This should be easy, he thought and tried to calm down.

He opened another page on his computer and started typing again.

Everything would work out.

(Final mission: Protect).

Chapter Text

Someone or something was holding him down.

His heart pounded in his chest as he took in the surroundings. There were many lights and shadows, many distractions.

"Yes... give me the...".

This was important information. Something came out of his mouth, but he didn't know what, when he was released.

Neon lights went in and out of his vision, his breathing was rapid and his heart was pounding. All his attention was on that, while the only thing he could feel was the air rushing around his body.

I'm going to die. He thought and closed his eyes.

His vision filled with red. Everywhere and in every direction it surrounded him in an embrace. The ground came closer, but he was no longer afraid.

He was home.

Suddenly he got out of bed. The lower half was still sitting up.

He found himself back in this dreary room, everything exactly the same as the night before.

He calmed down a bit and replayed the strange dream in his mind.

It had felt all too real. His heart was still pounding in his chest at an alarming rate.

It's all right. He thought. Breathe.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

It was all right.

He closed his eyes for a moment. This hadn't felt like a real dream, more like a memory...

A memory.

His eyes widened as he reached for his crutch.

Donatello took some of what was left of the homemade medicine and placed it on a surface to examine it better. He had to be careful.

It had been a few days since the accident with the mutagen and he still felt like a failure. He watched and changed the formula, not wanting to make another mistake.

"You're my mutant, Donnie," April's voice rang in his head.

Frustration felt under his skin as he tried to think of something else.

When the sound of the barn door opening distracted him.

"Mikey, for the last time, I'm not hungry."

"Good thing I'm not him then, ha," another turtle with a different scarf smiled at him when he saw him.

A small silence fell in the room.

"Leo..." Donatello said, looking unsure.

His brother watched him smiling, leaning his full weight on the crutch. Discomfort washed over Donatello, what was he supposed to say?

"You're awake," he noticed.

"Yep," he said, sounding the 'p'.

"Why are you up at this hour? It's not like you."

Although nothing he'd done was like him.

"I was asleep, I just..."

Then, taking Donatello by surprise, he looked uncertain and embarrassed, obviously wanting to say something. Donatello blinked curiously.

"I... Donnie, when I came here, my injuries... are they from someone throwing me off a high place or something? Like a building."

Donatello's heart stopped.

"How do you know that? Did Raph tell you or something?"

Hope should not be moving so quickly within him, but he could not help wishing it....

"No, I... I dreamed it."

A telltale smile formed on his lips. He stood up quickly and grabbed the shoulders of a surprised Leo.

"That's very good, Leo!" he exclaimed happily, "Have you had any other dreams lately? Anything that felt familiar in any way?" he asked ecstatically.

"I..." Leo began, thinking quickly, "I guess so... I've been having strange dreams lately, but I can't seem to remember them when I wake up."

He felt a little disappointment, but it was fleeting.

"Never mind, I'm sure you'll get your memories back soon. Then we can forget this ever happened...".

Leo looked attentively at Donnatello, who seemed much calmer than usual.

"You all loved him very much, didn't you? You seem to need him quite a bit," he said, letting out a small laugh that seemed devoid of any amusement.

Donatello had a strong hunch as to what the other was referring to.

"Yes," he said, "I suppose so...

A slight silence fell.

"Can I... stay and watch?".

"Sure, just be quiet please."

Splinter was the person who cooked for them when they were all children, too young to even reach the stove. Despite what his siblings might believe, there were certain things Michaelangelo remembered about their lives. He remembered the uncertainty, the love, but most of all, the fear his father had. He almost never left the lair, always looking out for them.

But when the moment came when it was unbearable, Michaelangelo remembered his father's decision and the stern talk he had with the four of them. His father would go to the surface for days at a time, leaving Leonardo to look after them. But as much as he loved his brother, they all knew he couldn't cook by any stretch of the imagination.

Splinter needed someone to feed them what they had while he was away, and most of the time that fell to Michaelangelo, who vividly remembered the lessons he had had with his father, the man who would patiently explain to the youngest of his sons how to use an oven or stove. Emphasizing the necessary precautions for everything.

Cooking became both a passion and a necessity. And although they usually ate worms and seaweed, there were occasions when his father could bring things like bread or eggs, as well as simple ingredients. This led him to experiment with food himself, always trying to find the tastiest worms or the softest noodles, even if they were tasteless. A bad habit he still had to this day, even though he no longer lacked for food.

But despite all that, he remembered those lessons fondly.

He walked over to the stove and put the eggs into the frying pan one by one while he prepared the pancake mix on the other side.

His father always smiled at him when he did something he liked.

A small pot of water boiled, ready for tea.

That was how he discovered Splinter's favorite kind of tea.

He took out the small bag and poured the water into a blue cup.

Just like his brother's.

He flipped the omelet while he finished scrambling the eggs.

It was really necessary for Leo to rest. He couldn't go on doing cartwheels and watching his older brothers do all the work. Now he was doing the chores, helping his siblings in any way he could. It took that feeling out of him.

Because he was useless, useless, useless-

A small noise near him interrupted his train of thought.

Confused, he turned and looked in the direction of the sound.

It made no sense. Raphael was upstairs and his brothers were still in the barn, no one could...

A bright light came from under the closet door.

He blinked several times, watching this strangely, he wouldn't be asleep, would he?

The light got brighter and brighter, scaring Michaelangelo more and more.

"Raph? Is that you?" he asked, "Is this some kind of joke?"

He lowered him into the light and walked slowly to the door, not knowing what to do.

Something about this situation, as well as this strange light, couldn't help but feel so... familiar.

He reached for the doorknob, holding his breath.

What to do. He asked himself.

In a quick burst of courage, he opened the door wide, only to be greeted by flour, eggs, and some stale milk.

Confused, he looked quizzically at the cupboard. He could have sworn that .....

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from behind him.

Donatello looked at him strangely, with Leonardo at his side. When he saw his surprised face, he frowned.

"Did something happen?" Leonardo asked in a light tone.

Raphael's voice seemed to answer them.

"Most likely he was playing or fooling around."

Michaelangelo replied with annoyance.

"Of course I wasn't! I was making breakfast, but then this light appeared and I went to see what it was, but there's nothing there!"

Donatello frowned.

"A strange light? It couldn't have been a short circuit? Where did you see it?"

"Right here," he pointed to the empty closet.

Everyone blinked a little.

"I told you he was talking nonsense..."

"I'm telling the truth, you guys never believe me!"

Leonardo blinked.

"Well, I think we should hear what the big man has to say, no?" He said, "I don't think we're seeing the whole picture."

Michaelangelo paused. Everyone looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"You...believe me?"

Leonardo shrugged.

"With everything that's been happening to us these days, it wouldn't be so strange, you know?"

Raphael shook his head in an exaggerated gesture of disappointment.

"You probably don't know this because of the lack of memory, but Mikey is not to be believed. Most of the time he makes up what he says."

"That's not true!"

"How about we get some breakfast?" April asked, interrupting the future fight, "then we can see whatever this weird 'light' is," she said with air quotes.

Casey nodded at her side.

"Exactly! I'm so hungry..." he said, looking sadly at the plate full of pancakes.

"That seems like a very good idea!" replied Donatello, who just chuckled at April's uncomfortable face.

Michaelangelo turned to the eggs, which, though not burnt, were a little overcooked.

He finished serving the breakfast, strangely remembering the previous event.

He belatedly recognized the color of the light, a very distinct golden color.

A few hours later, the real task began, a deadly enemy to be defeated.

"Cleanup day," April said with complete certainty, looking around the rest of the room.

Everyone's face scrunched up a bit, frowning at such a task.

"I guess we could use a cleaning day..." said Donatello, unconvinced.

"Ugggh," Leo replied with obvious laziness, "is that really necessary?"

"Haha, even Fearless doesn't want to do it."

April frowned.

"Come on guys, I'm sure we can find something useful while we're at it."

"Fine," they all reluctantly replied.

They each grabbed something to start cleaning, Michaelangelo cleaned the countertops while Leo cleaned the windows. Raphael mopped while the others picked up things that were out of place.

As concentrated as they were, it was only when one of them picked up the carpet to clean it that they saw him.

"That's...a door?"

"I don't know," April replied worriedly, "I don't remember us ever having a basement."

They all looked at each other, drew their weapons and opened the compartment. Leo felt unprotected by his handicap, but without staggering down with them. In fact, he felt his feet were too big as he walked down the stairs.

Inside was a large laboratory, with strong neon and obviously electric colors.

Leo frowned in confusion.

"What is this?" he asked, looking at all the buttons.

"It's a Kraang lab, but I have no idea what it's doing under April's house," Donatello replied thoughtfully.

His heart stopped for a moment.

"Did you say Kr-?" A pounding headache stopped any coherent thought as his breathing gave out.

"Leo?" Someone near him asked.

He wasn't safe, at least not there. He had to run or it would find him.

A dark voice chuckled in his ear.

It came closer in his vision, looked at him mockingly. A blow, then another. He couldn't fight back, couldn't defend himself.

There was nowhere to run, no escape.

It came closer, it was in front of him, he was going to di-.

"Leo!" Raphael's voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Leo blinked at the interruption. There was no one but the three brothers standing in front of him, in varying states of concern.

"What... what happened?" he asked, confused.

"You started going crazy, dude," replied Michaelangelo, half surprised.

"You were ...blank for a second there," Donatello replied, studying him carefully. "Are you okay?"

Leo swallowed, still feeling the remnants of fear clinging to his skin. "Yeah... just got a little dizzy."

But in the back of his mind, the laughter still echoed.

He looked reluctantly into the big blue eyes of the smaller one, who looked at him in confusion.

'It is not right to hide your feelings,' a voice spoke to him.

"I think I remember... something."

They were all watching him intently, even April and Casey.

"Are you serious?" Raphael asked, a hint of something in his voice.

"Yeah," Leo said, the headache getting worse.

"I was in some kind of fight, I think, I'm not sure where it was. But I was... I was scared."

"Scared?" asked Casey, sounding uncomfortable for speaking, "Scared of what?"

Leo opened his mouth to answer.

"Of dying, right?" replied April, staring at him.

Leo watched her, stunned.

"You were very afraid that you wouldn't get out, that you wouldn't be saved. But you were even more afraid that they would get hurt."

"You were afraid of losing them."

They all looked at each other, Donatello muttered something to Raphael.

April blinked, coming out of the strange trance she was in.

"I... I'm sorry, I have no idea where that came from," she let out a nervous little laugh, "I'm so sorry, Leo. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," he interrupted, even though he felt exposed.

There was a sound of something being pressed.

"Mikey!" shouted Donatello, "Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?

There was the sound of a hatch as one of the strange pods opened.

Everyone drew their weapons, alert. Leo felt his hands sweat, but not under the weapon.

The mist as it opened was thick, but it dissipated, leaving a woman in the middle, looking half unconscious.

"Mom?" April shouted, her face showing only a huge surprise.

They all looked at each other in confusion.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since all the drama at the Hamato house, and Leonardo was still struggling to adjust to this strange lifestyle.

"What are you doing up so early?" asked Raph as he stood in what looked like a strange gym.

"I... just wanted to get some exercise. Don't you guys work out or something? You know... because of the ninja thing," he said, pointing at his bandanas.

Raph threw another punch at the bag and gave a curious sideways glance.

"No, haha, not really..." he replied. "I'm usually the only one who comes here, but if you want, we can train together this time."

Though sometimes his way of doing it made his brothers a little uncomfortable.

A groan of pain escaped from Mikey's mouth, who had fallen awkwardly off his skateboard while playing.

Raph started to get up, but Leonardo was quicker.

"Are you okay, are you in much pain?" he asked worriedly, inspecting his body for visible injuries.

Mikey blushed slightly, embarrassment on his face as a slight discomfort peeked through his gestures.

"I'm fine, Leo," he replied, slowly getting to his feet, wincing even more from the pain.

"Are you sure? I don't think..."

"Come on, Leo...you're being just as clingy as Raph," Mikey retorted.

A sound of indignation came from Raph's mouth.

"I'm not clingy."

"Yeah, right..." Mikey said in a sarcastic tone.

"I'm fine," Mikey added, looking at his two brothers.

Despite the answer, Leonardo couldn't shake the feeling that his protective impulse wasn't common between them. But this strange need to take care of them was still there.

He knocked on the door of the house without waiting for an answer, barely peeking out.

Inside, Donnie slept in front of a large computer, surrounded by several open windows. Not even all the coffee in the world could keep him awake much longer.

Leonardo sneaked in, careful not to wake his brother. After tidying up a bit, he started picking up the dirty plates and cups from the desk. He placed a plate of food next to the others.

Although Mikey had originally wanted to take the food to Donnie, Leonardo offered to do it instead. He just felt it was something he had to do.

Quietly he left the lab, making as little noise as possible, just as he had entered.

As he left, he sighed with relief, feeling that the small gesture was an accomplishment.

Of course, he didn't notice the eyes slowly opening at the sound of the door closing.

CJ was fine.

He really was. He was finally getting used to the chaotic lifestyle of this era, along with living alongside the younger versions of his mentors.

He was doing amazing.

Or at least, that’s what he thought before he got the call from Raphael.

He had been at a sleepover with some nice kids from his school, relaxing without worrying about any current or future problems (like the exams he was dealing with). Despite his initial efforts, he had quickly realized that making friends didn’t come easily to him. The guys and April (and even his mo—Cass) would often try to convince him to talk to more people at his new school.

Being the new kid was hard, but it was twice as bad when you were older than most of your classmates. If CJ was honest with himself, it wasn’t something that really bothered him—unlike his new family.

"I'm just saying, Casey..."

Master Michelangelo had told him one evening while they were on patrol.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to find new people to hang out with, it’s even expected!”

“The Comm—April spent her whole life just being friends with you guys, and she did fine,” CJ had replied, trying to dodge the topic.

“Oh, no, no.” Commander O’Neil had cut in before the conversation could go any further.

“I tried to make human friends. It’s just that luck never seems to be on my side,” she said, resigned, with a hint of bitterness.

“Just admit it, April,” Master Donatello’s voice came through the coms, clear amusement in his tone. “You’re just not meant to have a normal life. You’re a magnet for weirdness.”

Commander O’Neil frowned and responded with something not-so-polite before walking away from the pair.

CJ took that as the end of the conversation and moved on with the patrol. However, Master Michelangelo spoke up again, his voice softer this time.

“I just want you to try it, okay?” he said, his tone a little more serious. “I want you to experience *real* life here—and that includes friendships.” He sounded so sure of it.

CJ remembered the look in Master Michelangelo’s eyes, those big, hopeful puppy-dog eyes. A look CJ himself had given Master Michelangelo plenty of times before, and one he now regretted ever using. Karma really did have a funny way of coming back around.

“Alright,” he had said. “I’ll try.”

Master Michelangelo’s smile had made that promise worth it.

And as he sat with these boys of his age, he began to think that maybe it would be a good idea.

And well... he really relaxed! It had been all laughter and games since he arrived. Talking about everything and keeping everything from his personal life private (after all, most of his family members were literally mutants). And just chilling.

The night passed and when the next day came, it happened. Raphael started calling him.

Now, this was nothing unusual. After all, after joining the family and living with the turtles, he had learned about the strong protective instinct Raph carried with him and showed to his entire family. So far, CJ had never been a direct victim of this, as he was still considered very new to the family.

(Although the thought of it hurt).

So he answered calmly, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear. He wondered what the snapper wanted.

Raph's voice was his answer.

"CJ, you need to get back to the den. Leo woke up."

CJ's breathing was cut off.

"Are you okay?" one of the boys around him asked, seeing his surprised face.

"I... yeah, yeah, I'm fine," CJ said, trying to recover quickly, "I think... I think I have to go."

"Now?" one of them asked "We were just going to have breakfast..."

"Yes, and I am so, so sorry," he said, grabbing his jacket and quickly gathering his things.

"Yeah, no problem," the other said, glancing sideways at the other four in the room.

CJ didn't wait for their reaction, he finished gathering his things and headed straight for the door, leaving quickly.

Master Raphael was waiting patiently for him when he reached the cave.

"Hey... CJ," he greeted him with a slightly nervous smile.

"Where is he?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"It's been a few days since he woke up, so please don't be too rough," he said uncomfortably.

CJ paused for a moment.

"Days..." He asked questioningly, feeling a small pang in his chest. Did they really care so little?

Seeing the reaction, the tortoise was quick to explain.

"It's not that we didn't want to call you, it's just..." he gave a long sigh, "we were busy with something, I think it's wiser if I show you...".

Master Raphael walked beside him, arriving at the training room. CJ raised an eyebrow, ready to ask about the confusion of the situation.

The tortoise opened the door to reveal a very strange scene.

Leonardo was there, in all his glory. With the distinct difference that he himself was sitting on the floor, both hands on his legs. A clear sign of relaxation.

He was meditating.

CJ blinked in confusion. And frowned a little.

It was so ironic, if CJ had squinted a little, he could even visualize his Master. Tired and after a mission, connecting with his brothers through meditation.

But that wasn't a skill any of them knew about yet.

"He's been acting strange..." Raph whispered, his voice full of fatigue, "he woke up a few days ago, but we found out he doesn't remember any of us."

The moment was tense, almost grim. CJ watched as the eldest of the siblings collapsed with a face of concentration and pain.

The human looked back at the sitting tortoise, only to find it watching him curiously.

"Leo!" Raph said, trying to hide his nervousness, "How was your meditation?"

Leo blinked a little.

"Very well," he said, giving him a small shy smile, "all right."

This was really weird. CJ hadn't known that his Master was capable of such an embarrassed look, but there it was. It was equal parts surprise and awkwardness.

Leo shifted his attention from Raph to CJ.

"And who might he be?" He asked cautiously.

CJ smiled a little, ignoring the familiar twinge.

"Casey Jones, my pleasure," he said.

Leo looked at him confused.

"I thought the girl's name was Casey Jones, are there two of them or something?" He asked with genuine curiosity

"Yeah," CJ replied, "it's actually a bit complicated," he said, not really wanting to explain everything right now.

"Well," Leo said, "I hope it's not so complicated that you need a manual, Casey and Casey for Beginners."

The attempted joke fell to the floor almost immediately. The awkward silence that followed was only broken by a small, obviously forced laugh from Raph.

"Sorry, I just... that was really funny," Raph said, trying to keep up the facade as he looked away.

CJ watched the scene carefully. He didn't have to be an expert to notice that the joke hadn't been funny and that Raph's reaction wasn't genuine either.

To anyone else, it might have looked like Leo was smiling happily. But the shape of the corners of his mouth reminded CJ very much of when his master was dealing with a particularly annoying person and asked CJ with his eyes to lead him away.

It was an expression of discomfort disguised as patience. A smile that hid the tension of not knowing what to do or understanding why things were not going as he had hoped.

CJ looked away, preferring not to say anything. There was something about this interaction that felt strangely familiar, like an echo of another time that he didn't want to remember now.

"How about we go for a cup of tea together?" this one asked, looking at Leo, who looked at him with a strange feeling in his eyes, "so we can get to know each other better."

"Okay," the other one said, without hesitation taking the exit and standing up.

Raph blinked a little at the change of plans.

"I can join you if you want," the Snapper said in an obvious attempt to sound disinterested, but concern seeped into his voice.

CJ opened his mouth to reply, but it was Leo who did so.

"We're fine, really, big bro," Raph's shoulders relaxed a little more.

"You're right, ha," he said, "I... need to work out or something," CJ belatedly noticed how tense Leo was as they walked out.

"Are you all right?" He asked the one who saw him out of the corner of his eye.

"Perfectly," the other replied, walking briskly away from the spot.

CJ frowned slightly, debating what to do. He picked up a pot of tea and warmed it for both of them, feeling a pleasant sense of familiarity.

"It's absolutely amazing that you remember absolutely nothing," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

The other tensed up a bit more.

"Yes," he said, looking sideways at the other, "something you want me to remember?" he asked, looking somewhere between amused and resigned.

"Nothing important enough, no, haha," he gave a small, somewhat bitter laugh, "we really didn't know each other that well." That seemed to cheer the slider up a bit.

"Really?" he asked curiously, "I thought you did... with the familiarity you spoke with Raph."

"Well, I do know them, just not from the other side," he chuckled a little, with a light air.

"That sounds like a funny story," the other said with a small smile.

"You could say that..."

CJ poured the tea into the two cups and handed one to Leonardo. He and his master used to do this quite often, drink a nice cup of tea while they talked. Usually about past stories or upcoming steps, but sometimes they could even indulge in small talk like this. He appreciated the intimacy.

The latter took the cup delicately, took a small sip and made a small expression of surprise.

"Oh, wow, that tastes really good," he said with a bit of confusion.

CJ smiled at him nonchalantly.

"I thought you'd want something familiar, you may not remember, but this is your favorite tea."

"Is it?" the tortoise asked with slightly wider eyes.

"Of course," CJ replied, "I think after years of brewing it, I would consider myself an expert at making it."

Leonardo frowned slightly.

"Years...?"

CJ gave him a small sad smile.

"I knew all of you in the future, all of you. I came to save you, to avoid that terrible future, only to end the fight with you unconscious, no doubt it's something I sometimes feel is my fault," he spoke regretfully, as if memories flashed through his eyes.

"I don't think so," Leonardo said, looking at him attentively, "whatever happened, the guilty party would be the enemy, right?

CJ watched him intently, doubtfully.

"I guess it could be like that..."

Leonardo saw him give a small smile.

"I don't want to get into an outside issue, but I think you might be going a little too far, you know?" He said, looking at the cup in his hands, "Whoever I was to you in that other future, I'm pretty sure he'd be proud of you."

CJ took a breath and stared at him. It looked like he was looking at someone else.

"You really think so?" He spoke with a hopeful tone, similar to that of a child who had just been told that his drawing was beautiful.

"Of course, I have no doubt," Leonardo replied, gesturing in solidarity.

CJ wiped his eye and took another sip of his tea. A comfortable silence fell between them.

Chapter Text

The woman took a sip of tea with nervousness on her face, watching the others in the room, stopping several times at Leo and the brothers.

"You don't have to worry, Mrs. O'neil," Casey said, trying to calm her down, "they're good mutants."

"Except Donnie, he's an idiot."

"Yeah - hey!" shouted Donatello, offended by the punk's words.

"I...I don't understand," April began to her mother, "what happened?"

April's eyes flitted from her hands to her mother's face, reflecting equal parts confusion and sadness.

Her mother looked at her for a moment, in what seemed like a moment of reflection. She lowered her face to her mug, avoiding her daughter's gaze.

Leo watched the interaction closely. A feeling of something else in his stomach.

"It all started years ago," Mrs. O'Neil began her story, "with your great-great-grandfather....

The Kraang ship fell on this place long before the house was built. Your great-great-grandfather made the mistake of waking them. They rewarded him by making him their guinea pig. We have been their subjects for a long time.

And when you were born, April. We knew you were special, that they would seek you out. So your father and I ran away, or at least we tried to. I wasn't fast enough and they... caught me and froze me.

The woman closed her eyes, as if she could still remember the moment. Her shoulders shook and the cup threatened to fall over.

The silence in the room became thick, almost unbreathable. No one knew what to say to what they had just heard.

"How did you manage to survive in there for so long?" asked Leo in a strange tone "What human doesn't die at such low temperatures?"

"I..." she clenched the cup tightly in her hands and hunched her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I can't remember."

Donatello approached calmly, trying to reassure her. He shot a small reproachful glance at the one in blue.

"Don't worry, Mrs. O'Neil. No one is pressuring you."

She took a deep breath and lifted her head slightly, a smile on her face.

"You're right. The important thing is that we're together again, April," she said, giving the teenager a tender hug.

Michaelangelo frowned, watching the scene intently.

"Is something wrong?" asked Leo, noticing his expression.

"I don't know," Mikey replied with doubt in his voice. "Doesn't it seem to you that... she's faking it?"

His eyes bored into the woman. Maybe it was just a hunch, something unfounded... but deep down he knew.

Something was wrong.

"Pretending? Yeah, right..." came Raphael's sarcastic voice from behind them.

"Like you're one to talk," he muttered as he gave him a light pat on the head.

Leo said nothing. He watched silently. His eyes lingered on the woman, heavy with doubt.

She was still smiling, hugging her daughter as if nothing had happened. As if everything was fine.

Michaelangelo didn't look away.

He didn't trust her.

Earlier that evening, Leo had crept up to the door where April and her mother were talking quietly. He couldn't shake the strange feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

He ducked into some bushes and was just about to catch his breath when he found another body lying very close to him.

"Leo? " a familiar voice whispered. It was Michelangelo.

Leo jumped, but before he could react, a wave of coldness ran down his back. He felt another presence. When he looked up, April's mother was staring at them a few feet away. She was completely motionless, her eyes wide and a vacant expression that chilled the blood.

Despite being hidden, this one had a strong suspicion that she saw them clearly.

Leo frowned, not knowing what to do when he felt Michaelangelo's body rise and walk toward the two women. Alarmed, Leo raised his hand.

"Mikey, wait!"

"Get away from her!" shouted Michaelangelo with a determined look on his face.

April jumped to her feet in surprise.

"Mikey, what are you doing?" she tried to speak, keeping her body from letting the mutant get too close.

"Don't worry April, I'll protect you!"

The woman saw him completely terrified and took a few steps backwards, running in the direction of the house.

"He's running away!" shouted Michaelangelo alarmed.

"What was that all about?" April yelled at the mutant, "Have you lost your mind?

Michaelangelo watched her, not knowing what to say, she turned away in the direction of her mother, angry.

"Don't answer that question."

Leo came out of hiding, stunned. As Raphael came face to face with Michelangelo.

There was a loud click of a door closing.
Darkness, hay and a flickering lamp hung from the ceiling.

Michelangelo was sitting on a crate, looking nervous at the barn atmosphere. Leo leaned against a rafter, his arms crossed in thought. Raphael was pacing in circles. And Donatello was unusually quiet, as if waiting for someone to say something.

"So?" Raphael began, almost growling, "Are you going to say what happened to that number, or are we going to wait for it to open on Broadway?

Michaelangelo sighed heavily, but his face showed a strong defiance.

"I told you," this one said, "she's not to be trusted, just... I don't know," he said in frustration.

"Whew, great explanation, super helpful," Raphael said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I'm not making anything up, I swear!" this one said, "I just felt it, okay?"

"And your solution was to try to attack them? Great!"

Leo stepped forward, interrupting the crossfire.

"Hey, hey... does anyone feel like this is getting a little out of hand... or is it just me and my trauma-solving talking?

Everyone saw him right away. He gave a small smile as he tilted his head to the side.

"I'm just saying, Michael here doesn't look like the kind of turtle that does well on first impressions," he said, resting his elbow on the younger boy's head, "but I think we should listen to him, don't you?".

"You?" asked Donatello sarcastically, "support one of Mikey's crazy things?"

"You can't even remember what you had for breakfast yesterday!" Raphael replied, "and now it turns out that your instincts are worth more than anyone else's... why am I not surprised?

Leo raised his shoulders.

"Maybe I am confused, maybe I am not. But the fact that my only two brain cells agree with Mikey must mean something, don't you think?"

Michelangelo blinked hard, looking at the one in blue.

"You really believe me?" He exclaimed in surprise.

Leo tilted his body to look at him, unconsciously relaxing a little as he did so.

"I don't know what I saw, but I know how it felt. It was as if something was analyzing us from the inside. You reacted as if you felt the same way. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a very suspicious coincidence."

Silence.

"Or...I don't know. Maybe it was just existential air conditioning. It happens."

"Can't you take anything seriously?" Raphael grumbled. He looked a little down, though.

"I'm in a barn, listening to everyone yell while we try not to accept that something weird is going on with April's mom," Leo said, raising his eyebrows. “Of course I'm taking it seriously. That's why I make jokes, Raph. Otherwise, I start yelling."

"Well," Donatello began after the heavy silence that followed. "You may not be the same, but hopefully you understand your place as our leader—something you asked for. Focus on getting your memories back," he said with a hint of venom in his voice.

"We don't need another Mikey."

He and Raphael walked off, leaving the other two brothers alone.

Leo frowned, feeling something in his chest as he looked sideways at Michelangelo, who looked calm.

"We need to prove them wrong, don't you think?" The younger one said determinedly.

Leo nodded, understanding the younger one completely.

"But we must be very careful," said the latter.

"We don't want Grumpy and Little Grumpy telling us what to do with this."

Michelangelo raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his chin.

"What do you propose?"

Leo smiled broadly.

The sound of the front door opening alerted everyone inside. Donatello quickly went to the door, unprepared for the scene that greeted him.

"You really can't do anything right, can you?" Leo yelled, his voice cracking with frustration as he pointed at the person wearing an orange bandana. "I tried to defend you, and now you're mad?"

Michelangelo raised a finger in mid-accusation, but his expression was no longer just anger; it was hurt—deep and raw.

"Me angry? You're the one crying that it's all my fault now!"
His voice trembled with rage, and his eyes sparkled with something more than anger—disappointment.

Donatello froze for a second. It had been a long time since he'd seen Mikey like this.
He wasn't just screaming; he looked on the verge of breaking down.

"What's going on?" Raphael asked from beside him, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What's going on?" Leo repeated sarcastically, stepping forward. "Mikey won't stop being fanciful! I tried to defend him, and now it's all my fault for some reason!"
He turned to the others. "Now, it turns out he blames me because no one believed him!"

"It's your fault!" Mikey blurted, his voice on the verge of a scream, almost a choked roar. "You said you'd back me up!"

"I think we should calm down here," interjected Casey. His gaze darted from one person to another as if he couldn't decide who to walk away from first.

"What's the use?" Michelangelo roared, glaring at everyone. His breathing was ragged.
"No one here believes me anyway!"

His eyes scanned the room. Despair. Rage. Pain.
They finally stopped on April's mother's face. She had just walked in.
She was watching him, saying nothing.

"It never matters," she muttered spitefully. Without further explanation, he ran out, his footsteps echoing loudly as he descended the stairs to the newly discovered basement.

The silence was immediate. Almost uncomfortable. Everyone looked at each other, searching for words that wouldn't come.

"Well..." Raphael said, crossing his arms. "At least you understand by now that Mikey can't be trusted with such things."

He patted Leo's shell. Leo looked at him in bewilderment.

"I just... I don't understand why he startled," Leo said, looking down at where Mikey had disappeared.

"It's Mikey," Donatello said, though without much conviction. "He'll calm down in a while."

"I think they're right..."

April folded her arms, visibly tense. She sighed wearily, as if something inside her was cracking.

"I just... I don't understand. What would make him act like this?"

"Don't feel too bad, April," Donatello said, putting a hand on her shoulder. His voice was soft, trying to bring peace. "It'll be all right."

She gave him an unsure, small smile in return.

"Yes... I guess it will, won't it, Mom?" She asked, turning to where her mother had been standing.

But her mother was gone.

Raphael frowned and Leo narrowed his eyes. His mind was spinning at full speed.

"She..." Leo muttered, as if a piece of the puzzle had suddenly snapped into place. "She went with Mikey down there!" He's out of his mind right now. Something bad could happen if they're left alone!"

"Oh no!" April exclaimed, backing up a step, flustered.

Donatello didn't wait any longer. He darted toward the basement and descended the stairs quickly but carefully. The air seemed thicker with each step.

Suddenly, a shriek cut through the silence.

"HELP!"

But it wasn't April's mother.

Donatello descended the basement stairs with every muscle on alert.
The air was colder down there. Thicker. It was as if he were breathing something dead.

"Mikey!" he shouted, but his voice felt muffled, as if the walls themselves were swallowing the sound.

A couple of footsteps above him signaled that the others were coming too. Raphael. Casey. April. Even Leo.

Then, another scream. Weaker. More desperate.

"Don't come any closer!"

Donatello reached the bottom step and felt his stomach sink.

In the center of the lab, surrounded by neon lights, was Michelangelo. He was flattened against the wall, trembling, with a pale face and wide-open eyes.

There was something in front of him.

April's mother.

Or, at least, something that had taken her form.

Its skin seemed to melt and reform with every movement, as if its body couldn't decide on a single form. Extra eyes opened and closed in places where eyes shouldn't exist. Arms as thin as branches grew longer. The worst was its smile: spread too wide, with teeth that belonged to no human.

"April," the monster said in a soft, almost sweet voice. But it was a hollow sweetness, as if the voice came from inside an echo.

"Let's go, honey. Let's leave these things behind and go together..."

April stopped dead in her tracks, paralyzed. Her face was pure horror.

"Ma—" she started to say, but her voice broke.

The creature saw Michelangelo and turned its head toward him with a grotesque crunch.

"Stay away from him."
Leo's voice cut through the room like a knife. He had positioned himself between Michelangelo and the creature, ready to fight.

The monster's eyes narrowed.

Then, without further warning, the monster lunged.

Chaos erupted. Raphael charged straight at the monster, Casey tried to trap it in a makeshift net, April froze in place, and Donatello calculated how to immobilize something twice his weight in real time.

Leo and Michelangelo seemed to be in sync. Leo blocked the attacks while the other distracted the creature by dodging and shouting.

But the monster was faster this time.

With an inhuman shriek, it lunged at them, extending all its limbs with colossal force.

Before they could react, it caught Leo.

It was an instant. A flash of darkness and viscous movement.
The creature opened its torso like a grotesque flower and sucked him in.

Leo disappeared.

"Leo!" Donatello shouted.
Raphael cursed and lunged toward the creature but was stopped by a tentacle that pushed him violently away.
Michelangelo could only freeze.

"Give him back!" he shrieked.

But the creature only turned its face toward April. Its expression was almost sympathetic.

"April, honey, you don't understand. I just want to protect you, like I always have."

Its voice was soft and almost motherly, but there was something empty about it. Something cold.

April moved forward, trembling. Not out of fear, but pent-up rage.

"I don't know," she murmured. "I don't know what you are."

The monster reached an arm toward her and touched her.

And then it happened.

A burst of energy exploded from the contact, and a golden and purple light invaded the basement. The air trembled as if shattering into a thousand pieces.

Instinctively, Donatello covered himself, feeling the vibration run through him to the bone.

A choked scream emerged from the creature, one that didn't seem entirely its own. It was as if something inside the creature was screaming as well.

The creature began to disintegrate. It did not collapse. It fell apart. Like ash washed away by a storm.

When the light faded, the monster was gone.

Just smoke. And a faint creaking sound.

Then... Leo.

He fell to the ground, panting and drenched in cold sweat. His eyes were wild.

"Leo?" Michelangelo muttered, running to him.

Donatello knelt beside him and examined him. He was unharmed. But his gaze was lost. It was as if his mind was far from where they were.

Michelangelo hugged him tightly. Leo didn't push him away.

April collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. She wasn't crying, but her hands were shaking.

The atmosphere upstairs was heavy, as if the air itself were processing everything that had just happened.

One by one, they emerged from the basement. April led the way, still staggering. Raphael held her by the shoulder. Casey walked silently, looking at the floor.

Michelangelo came up right behind Leo. He didn't say anything. He was just taking deep breaths, as if each step weighed heavily on him.

Leo... Leo pretended nothing had happened.

"Does anyone else think that thing needed moisturizer badly?" he blurted out, forcing a laugh as he shook out his shell. "I mean, not even a mutant spa could have saved it."

No one responded.

Leo cleared his throat. "Too soon for turtle-eating monster jokes? Yeah, I felt it too...”

He plopped down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh and propped his feet up on the table, acting like it was just another Monday.

Donatello didn't say anything at first. He just watched Leo. Then he looked at Michelangelo, who wouldn't leave his older brother's side for a second.

There was something odd about the way they exchanged glances. Something too synchronized.

As if they knew something.

As if it hadn't all been improvised.

He replayed the scene in his mind: the fight. The exact moment when Mikey said, "Nobody believes me." Leo responded with exaggerated fury. The drama and pain were so loud.

Too loud.

Donnie narrowed his eyes.
A twinge of doubt settled in his stomach.

The fight was the trap.

Leo had provoked Mikey. Mikey acted hurt. They knew that if he was vulnerable, someone — that creature — would come down to get him.
They needed everyone to see it with their own eyes.

"I can't believe it..." Donatello muttered, barely above a whisper.

"What?" asked Raphael beside him, not raising his voice much.

Donnie shook his head, though not out of denial. It was more of a way to push the idea into the back of his mind where it could stay...safe. Quiet.

He didn't know whether to be annoyed.
Or impressed.

Maybe a little of both.

Chapter Text

Leonardo kept his eyes on the person in front of him, quietly watching every little movement — the way he changed out the parts, twisted the handle, and, finally (after nearly an hour), finished the job.

Next to him, Raph kept sneaking glances at Leonardo while trying to look casual, but the nervous twitching and that weird scent Leonardo was starting to get used to said otherwise.

“Thanks a bunch for fixing the sink, Draxum,” Raph spoke up as the older man stood. “Donnie hasn’t come out of his room at all.” There was a flicker of bitterness in his voice.

Draxum shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Wasn’t really that hard,” he said, bored.

He glanced at Raph — who made a face Draxum clearly didn’t get — but it seemed to mean something, because the goat-man started side-eyeing Leonardo like he was analyzing him. Leonardo shifted uncomfortably and looked down.

“Well…” Leonardo started, pasting on a polite smile even if he felt a little off, “Nice to meet you.” He offered his hand, trying to sound more relaxed than he felt.

Draxum stared for a beat — and Leonardo half-expected to be ignored — but then the man smiled back and shook his hand warmly.

“Technically, you guys already met,” Raph added dryly. “Raph remembers you being with Draxum when you woke up.” No shade, just stating it.

Draxum tensed, just barely.

“That’s true,” he said. “Though, if I recall, it was pretty chaotic at the time.” He raised a brow at Raph. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t remember.”

“Yeah, that checks out,” Leonardo added quickly, trying to keep the mood light. “Still, pretty cool to officially meet the big guy.”

He playfully bumped fists toward Draxum, who didn’t look impressed.

Raph let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, guess you’re right.”

Draxum paused, like he was thinking something over.

“Actually... I was hoping I could do a quick check-up on Leonardo,” he said slowly, glancing between the two of them. “Just to see if he’s really healed up. Make sure he’s okay.”

Raph exhaled, clearly relieved. Like, thank God, someone else said it first.

“Yeah, I’d really appreciate that.”

Draxum nodded and motioned for Leonardo to follow him to his room.

Leonardo glanced at Raph, who gave him an encouraging look.

“Good luck. I’m gonna go train a bit,” he said with an awkward laugh, scratching his head. “Think Mikey’s meditating in the training room.”

Leonardo chuckled.

“Don’t wear yourself out, man!” He threw him a lopsided grin — Raph’s shoulders eased a little, and Leonardo counted that as a win.

He followed the goat-man quickly, hoping to get this over with.

“So… Draxum, right?” he asked as they walked.

The man nodded.

“I’m Baron Draxum. We’ve known each other for a few years now.”

Leonardo had sorta figured that, but it still felt weird. Being around someone who knew everything about you — while you knew nothing about them — was... awkward.

“Well, that’s a long time,” Leonardo laughed softly, hoping it didn’t sound forced. “So… were we close or something?”

He saw Draxum tense again, and it made Leonardo wonder if he’d said something wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t joke with this guy?

“You could say that,” Draxum said, eyeing him carefully.

“We used to spend a lot of time together. You even came to my lab.” He chuckled, almost fondly. “But your brothers don’t know that. They think we hated each other.”

“Hated?” Leonardo asked, eyebrows raised. “Why would they think that?”

“Well... let’s just say we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot.” Draxum seemed kind of embarrassed — clearly not loving this topic.
“But you and Michelangelo were the first ones to forgive me. You, though... you were always more reserved.” His voice slowed, like he was repeating something memorized. “You didn’t want to tell your brothers.”

Leonardo could picture himself keeping secrets “for the greater good,” sure — deciding what info was “necessary” for the group. But why keep a good relationship under wraps?

As if reading his face, Draxum added:

“The connection we had… it wasn’t something they’d understand easily,” he said gently. “To them, I was always the enemy.”

Leonardo frowned slightly. The way Draxum talked… so calm, so confident. Something felt off.

“But Mikey knew too, right? You said he forgave you.”

Draxum tilted his head like he was explaining something to a child. “Yes. But Michelangelo is different. He’s always been more open — willing to look past... well, everything.”

Leonardo felt a small pang in his chest. He didn’t know if he believed Draxum or not. But something about this whole thing made him feel… conflicted. If they’d been close, why didn’t he feel anything?

“So, like… what was I like around you?” he asked, cautiously.

“You were hard to win over,” Draxum said with a small smile. “Always watching out for your brothers. Distrustful at first. But eventually, you let your guard down. You saw that I wasn’t the monster you thought I was.”

Leonardo looked away. There was something about Draxum’s voice that made it sound… rehearsed. Like he truly believed it. But Leonardo couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story.

“I guess… that’d be hard to remember.”

“Don’t worry,” Draxum said with a calm smile. “I’ll remember for both of us.”

Leonardo gave a tiny smile back, something warm — yet weirdly distant — blooming in his chest. Silence settled between them, not uncomfortable, just... there.

But as they neared the room, a thought hit Leonardo hard. He stopped and looked straight at the older man.

“So what exactly happened to me?” he asked, not holding back anymore.

Draxum paused at the door.

“None of your brothers told you?”

“They keep dodging it,” Leonardo muttered, annoyed. “I’m tired of vague answers. I wanna know what happened.”

His gaze was firm. If Draxum didn’t tell him now, no one would.

The older man took a slow breath, clearly weighing his options.

“Mikey won’t be happy I’m telling you this…” he muttered.

“There was… an incident. With something terrible.”

He paused.

“I wasn’t there when it happened. If I had known…” He trailed off. “From what I was told, you sacrificed yourself. You went with that monster to save them.”

Leonardo stared at him, completely thrown. He hadn’t expected that. But weirdly… it kind of felt right.

“The important thing is — you’re here now,” Draxum said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re home.”

Leonardo smiled at that. Yeah… he supposed he was.

(There it was again. That feeling — familiar, almost parental. Like the tall figure from his dreams.)

“You’ve been acting... different, though,” Draxum added, giving him a thoughtful look.

Leonardo forced a smile as the older man walked into the room.

Smile more, Leonardo, he told himself. That’s what you’re good at, right?

“I was thinking I could help with your recovery,” Draxum said, turning back to him.

“Help?” Leonardo asked, lifting his arm as the man examined it.

“Well, before all this, you guys used to go out on nightly patrols. It’d be downright reckless to let you out in this condition. So I wanted to propose something.”

Draxum frowned slightly at the large bruise on Leonardo’s neck, then locked eyes with him.

“I was thinking of helping you train. Especially with your ninpo. It’s… acting weird.”

“Ninpo?” Leonardo echoed, confused.

“A unique connection to your ancestors,” Draxum explained. “A power that links you and your brothers. It helps you fight — and feel each other, spiritually.”

Leonardo blinked. Ancestors? Powers? It all sounded completely nuts. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“You said it feels weird,” Leonardo said, staring straight at him. “What do you mean?”

Draxum grimaced.

“It feels distant. Like... you’re not all here. I don’t sense what I usually do. But I can see the mystical lines coming off you.”

He paused again.

“And your brothers said they can’t feel you at all. It scares them.”

“Feel me?” Leonardo frowned, deeply unsettled.

“You guys used to sense each other’s emotions — at least on a surface level,” Draxum said gently. “But now… they say you feel like a wall.”

Leonardo started piecing things together. Raph’s overprotectiveness, Donnie shutting himself in, Mikey’s anxiety…

They saw him. But they didn’t feel him.

“But… why?” Leonardo asked after a long silence. “Why doesn’t this ninpo work right?” What was he doing wrong?

Draxum looked at him seriously, hand returning to his shoulder.

“You won’t tell your brothers this, but I can see something’s different about you,” he said quietly. “I think your ninpo is changing — or maybe… something in your soul is.”

Leonardo’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” he stammered.

Draxum walked across the room and pulled something from one of his bags.

Two katanas.

“Are those…?”

“Your swords,” Draxum said firmly. “I kept them while you were unconscious.”

He handed them over without hesitation.

Leonardo took them carefully. They felt right in his hands — familiar — but also… wrong.

He ran his fingers over the hilt. The grip fit perfectly, like it was made for him. But no memories came rushing back. The guard was ornate, too detailed for a weapon. And the blade — the blade shimmered weirdly in the light. Faint cracks glowed across the surface, like glowing veins.

Leonardo swallowed. Something was off.

“Have they always looked like this?” he asked softly.

Draxum didn’t answer right away. He watched Leonardo closely, brow furrowed.

“Not exactly,” he admitted. “When I put them away… they didn’t look like that.”

Leonardo looked up, feeling a chill crawl through his chest.

“Then… what changed?”

Draxum was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed.

“You did.”

Leonardo gripped the swords tighter.

And had no idea what the hell to do with that answer.

Chapter Text

“Wow, that was really amazing, Leo!” spoke a young voice near him.

“I know,” replied the one with the blue bandana, swaying gracefully. “I’m starting to think I was born for this.”

One step, then another… balance was questionable, but his ego kept him upright.

The pizza boxes stacked on his head felt heavier than usual, as if the universe were conspiring to challenge his glory. But nothing mattered more than the chance to rub it in Donnie’s face.

“I really can’t believe you’re trying this, Nardo,” said a familiar-looking turtle on the other side of the rope, his silhouette glowing slightly, as if he wasn’t entirely there.

“Statistically it’s impossible for you to beat my record,” he added, his voice clear… but distant, like an echo inside a nerdy bottle.

“Ha!” exclaimed Leo. “Beat your record? Donatello, please…” he took the last few steps, the world spinning like it had been animated by a 3D beginner, “witness greatness!”

“I can’t believe this,” said the one in purple, with a mix of surprise and something swinging between “wow?” and “what the hell am I watching?”

“Leo! Leo!” shouted the youngest, his voice sparkling like a hyperactive bell.

Leo, clearly his own biggest fan, joined the chant without hesitation. He looked to his twin for backup. The twin hesitated, raised an eyebrow… but eventually gave in.

“Leo! Leo!” the three shouted, overflowing with joy, chaos, and Saturday night energy.

“Guys!” a more real voice interrupted them. More… solid. As if it came with the weight of gravity included.

Leo turned, still smiling… and his heart skipped a beat.

“I can’t believe this, fearless.”

That tone. That word. Something in him froze.

“Is this how you spend your time?” he asked. He had Raph’s face, yes, but the voice sounded… like a held-back punch. Hurt. Out of sync with the technicolor world around him.

“He’s right,” began Donnie, his voice distorted like it came from an old cassette. “You’re supposed to be our leader. What are all these games?”

Leo looked at them with a raised brow and a smile that didn’t fully lift. “Games? This is precision training, coordination, and showmanship, thank you Tell–.”

“Donatello, Leonardo,” Donnie corrected, with no trace of humor. Oof. That was cold.

“This is really great…” said Raphael, though his expression looked like it had been dragged through Photoshop with the warp tool. “Just what we needed, another Mikey.”

Leo blinked. The Mikey in front of him looked younger. More... serious. And he didn’t speak. Just stared, like he was waiting for something to fall into place.

“Guys… what are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to change the subject, Mikey,” Donatello yelled, his voice filled with anger, like a pressure cooker ready to blow.

“Seriously… all you do is ruin everything,” added Raphael, looking at him with a sadness heavier than any of those pizza boxes.

“I didn’t…” Mikey stepped back, shrinking like the words physically hurt him.

Leo reacted immediately, as if something in him activated without permission. He stepped in front, firm, protective.

“That’s enough,” he said seriously.

“Leo?” Mikey asked, his eyes shining with something deeper than surprise. “Is it really you?”

Leo tensed. The air... was thick, like he was breathing it with a spoon. The scene trembled at the edges, as if someone had opened the wrong file in his mind.

“Who else would it be, Michael?” he replied with a lopsided smile, though his eyes weren’t so sure.

Mikey stepped forward… and hugged him.

In that moment, a soft, white, enveloping light descended over them. Warm, soothing. As if saying: this is real, this matters. Donatello and Raphael vanished without a sound, as if they’d never been there.

“But wha–?” Leo began, but was cut off by sobs.

“Hey, hey, are you okay?” he asked, looking at Mikey, who was silently crying, clinging to him like the world would fall apart if he let go.

“I just… missed you so much,” he said, voice cracked.

“Don’t worry, little bro. If you keep that up, you’ll ruin your freckles,” Leo joked, gently patting his head.

Mikey paused, blinking.

“My what?” he asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Leo frowned. Something… didn’t fit.

Before he could answer, the world around him began to break. Like glass under the feet of an invisible giant.

And then he was alone.

Surrounded by a vast forest.

He looked around, confused, with a slight chill crawling down his shell. How had he even gotten here? And what was he doing before?

“Alright... whoever’s doing this, it’s not funny,” he muttered as he drew his katanas with a dramatic twirl. “And yes, I said that. Me.”

Laughter exploded in the air, intense, wild, engulfing. It sounded close and far at once, like it was coming from inside his head… and from behind every tree.

“Your mind really is a mess, huh?”

Leo squinted. “My mind? Chaotic, yes. But with style. Like a curiosity shop with free wifi.”

The voice laughed louder, with a tone almost childlike. Cruel.

“Maybe stepping out would help clear it up,” Leo said sarcastically. “Or… I don’t know, we could do a guided tour. ‘Welcome to Leonardo’s mental chaos, please don’t feed the memories.’”

“With you, it’s even easier,” added the voice, laughing harder.

Leo tensed but didn’t back down.

He just adjusted his katana grips, his expression serious… and ready.

A sharp pain hit him from behind, making him cry out in pain. The force of the blow sent him flying several meters from the enemy. When he looked up, Leo blinked, confused how he hadn’t noticed the giant beaver over him.

The other one started laughing at him, the mockery growing louder.

“You really don’t even know who you are, huh?”

“Ha! And do you?” Leo shot back from the ground.

The beaver just laughed as he kept hitting him over and over, laughing the whole time.

“Not really, but I don’t care,” he said, hurling the turtle straight into space.

Leo screamed, his body spinning among the stars. The beaver was getting closer and closer, ready to land a hard hit. Leo closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

Suddenly, music blared—his phone’s ringtone.

Both froze in the air, surprised.

“Well?” the beaver started, “aren’t you going to answer?”

Leo raised an eyebrow, picked up the phone, and put it to his ear.

“Hello?...”

“Leo! You have to wake up. Wake up!”

Leo frowned, not understanding.

“What are you talking about? I’m awake,” Leo started, “everything began when I was with the guys on the rooftop and now I’m fighting a giant beaver who–”

Leo stopped.

“Wait–” he didn’t get to finish the sentence, as the expected punch sent him flying straight into the sun.

He slammed into the pavement of a city, looked up, and saw many buildings that looked abandoned, with a sad aura all around. Something about this place felt like something was missing. Next to him were the others, all completely disoriented and dizzy.

“I think I’m dreaming,” said Donatello, looking around in awe.

“Then I must be dreaming you,” said Leo, lifting his head proudly.

“Where did all the candy go?” asked Michelangelo to the air.

Raphael looked around at them, confused.

“Guys, I think we’re all in the same dream.”

The four looked at each other, confused.

“Ha! The dream beavers have done it again!” said one of the creatures, laughing proudly.

“Did you just say dream beavers?” Donatello smirked, clearly amused by the ridiculous name.

A strange sound came from the beaver’s mouth, making the whole city start to shake. From the cracks forming in the ground, the dream beavers came out one by one.

The four beavers looked down at the four turtles, who were completely terrified.

“You thought this was a dream, but no, we—”

“Is that thing really talking?” asked Leo, staring at the creatures with an expression of absolute disgust. “Oh god. I think I’m gonna puke—”

“We,” continued the beaver, clearly offended by the interruption, “have inhabited the dream world all these years, and brought you here because we feed off human energy.”

“We’re not human!” shouted Michelangelo, frowning, confused by what he’d just heard.

“That’s why you’re more delicious,” replied another, licking his whiskers with a wet, disgusting sound.

“We’re gonna dry you up and then spit out your shells!” all of them exclaimed in unison, with such gleeful joy it sent chills.

The turtles shot through the air, screaming in horror, and landed in a strange place.

“This feels weird…” said Donatello, looking at his pixelated, flat hands. “It’s like we’re 2D.”

“I literally feel like I can fold like origami!” squealed Mikey, twisting his arm at an impossible angle.

Leo decided not to mention he felt weirdly comfortable in that form.

Michelangelo looked up at the sky.

“Guys?”

The beavers were right above them. They jumped and dragged the turtles with them to the other side, restoring textures and volume with a strange snap, like someone adjusting graphic settings.

The battle started immediately. Each turtle faced one beaver. Screams. Hits. Chaos everywhere.

One beaver laughed, looking straight at Leo.

“You’ll be delicious for sure.”

Leo tightened his grip on his swords, doing everything he could to keep those claws away from his face. The air was thick, heavy, like fighting inside a dream made movements slower… more deliberate.

If only…
...he could break this absurd logic.

A blue glow began to radiate from his skin. He flipped backward and tried something different.

The katana sliced the air and, in doing so, opened a blue portal, sparkling like wet neon light. He crossed it easily, appearing on the other side of the room.

“Whoa, dude,” said Michelangelo, watching. “Dream stuff is so cool! Let me try!”

Michelangelo closed his eyes and placed his fingers on his forehead, leaving himself totally exposed to the beaver he was fighting.

“Mikey, wait!” Leo shouted, running toward him.

But it was too late. The beavers were already dragging them somewhere else.

And this time, the ground felt like it was dissolving beneath their feet, like someone had flushed the dream down the drain.

They appeared somewhere else, and as they opened their eyes, they realized something terrifying: they couldn’t move their limbs.

They tried to speak, scream, move… but their bodies didn’t respond. They floated, paralyzed, like ragdolls trapped in a living nightmare.

Looking around, they saw fire crackling below them. A burning pit opened at their feet, and the beavers dragged them toward it with twisted smiles and drool dripping from their snouts.

The beavers laughed, licking their lips, ready to devour them.

Everyone started screaming in fear, their voices cracked and desperate. The tension was unbearable… until a bright light began to spread from the ground like a crack in the dream itself.

“It’s broken,” said one of the beavers, completely stunned.

One by one, the brothers opened their eyes… this time, for real.

And the first thing they saw was the familiar sight of the farmhouse.

They were safe.

“No!!” a strange voice cried out, full of horror.

“The Optraculum is broken… the beavers are free!” shouted a man, looking completely unhinged. His lab coat was torn, his hair wild, and his bulging eyes looked like they had seen a thousand nightmares.

“They’re free to destroy our world!”

“All is lost!” he shrieked, on the verge of collapse.

And as if the universe replied, a swirling vortex began spinning in one corner, like a storm made of pure energy. It sucked in air, furniture, even thoughts.
Bursts of laughter rose from the center, sharp and mocking.

Everyone jumped into battle mode, ready to fight. Swords, staffs, fists, and magic in position. Smoke rose, covering the entire room…

And when it cleared, silence fell completely.
The beavers were there.
Small, furry, with yellow fangs and chubby little paws. But in their eyes was the same twisted gleam from the dream.

Then, one spoke.

“What? Were you expecting Godzilla?” said one in a squeaky yet mocking voice. “It’s not size that matters, it’s the trauma.”

Another beaver hopped forward, wagging its flat tail proudly.
“We were giants in your mind… and that’s enough.”

The turtles stepped back a bit, not sure whether to laugh, punch, or scream.

“How are they still talking?” Leo muttered, gripping his swords.
“And why am I still scared?” added Donnie with a shiver.

The lead beaver climbed onto a fallen cushion and raised his little front paws, dramatically.

“Thanks to the Optraculum’s break, we are free! Not just free from dreams, free from your rules, your fears, your ridiculous physical dimensions!”

“But they’re so… tiny,” said Mikey, leaning toward one with a mix of tenderness and horror.

“And still more dangerous than your expired breakfast!” replied another with a maniacal giggle.

The crazed man—still unnamed, still without peace of mind—collapsed to his knees.

“Forty years. Forty years protecting the veil, feeding the Optraculum, seeing visions, talking to my furniture…”

He looked at the beavers, then the turtles, then the floor.
And stood up.

“This is too much for me. I’m gonna… I don’t know. Sell jewelry. Maybe open a donut shop.”

And without another word, he stumbled away, like his soul had been exorcised by pure absurdity.

The beavers, seeing no one attacking them, looked at each other.

“Well, that was fun. Time to go.”

One of them snapped his fingers (since when do they have fingers? thought Raph), and they all began to vanish into glowing smoke, like ashes dancing in the wind.

In the blink of an eye, not a hair, not a print, not even a beaver smell remained.

Just silence, the room in disarray… and the turtles, staring at each other, with the same thought hanging in the air:

What the hell just happened?

Chapter Text

Leonardo held his breath and raised his katanas in front of him. He furrowed his brow and began the kata once more, chasing that impossible sense of perfection.

Again, the blades grew hot in his hands, forcing him to drop them with a muffled grunt.

“This has to be a joke…” he muttered through clenched teeth.

Frustrated, he let himself fall to the ground. His eyes lingered on the weapons before drifting upward toward the night sky.

The warmth still pulsed through his palms, and something inside his chest tightened, strange, uncomfortable; as if a part of him didn’t belong.

“Seriously… not even you,” he murmured, frustration heavy in his chest. “At least let me have this.”

He lowered his gaze, studying his hands, then the rest of his body.

“I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

A sick feeling settled in his stomach. He felt foreign, almost misshapen. He couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror without disgust creeping in.

“But everyone here misses him, right?” His voice came out barely above a whisper, thick with sorrow.

“Why can’t I be him?”

His eyes returned to the swords, anger blazing behind them.

“Why? There’s something wrong with me, isn’t there?” His voice broke. “Something wrong with my soul.”

“They’re just damn katanas! This shouldn’t be so hard!”

He began pacing along the rooftop’s edge, talking to himself, letting each word fall heavy into the night.

“What am I missing?”

He stopped. The silence around him thickened, pressing close.

What was he missing? He was giving it everything, yet nothing ever felt right. Every interaction felt off, hollow. Even though they knew him, that loved him, all he could see in their eyes were strangers.

He didn’t even understand himself anymore. How was he supposed to act? Who was he supposed to be?

He pressed his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes hard, as if forcing a memory out by sheer will, a spark, a picture, a familiar voice.

“Come on… please… just one,” he muttered under his breath. “Anything. Something.”

But nothing came. Only the hum of the night wind, the lingering burn of the blades, and that unbearable emptiness inside his chest.

“Why can’t I remember?” he hissed, teeth gritted, rage and despair bleeding together. “What kind of person forgets his life? His family? Himself?”

He shot to his feet, pacing in tight circles, as if moving could keep him from falling apart.

“If I could just have one image… one voice… how do they expect me to *be* him when I don’t even know what he was like?”

His eyes drifted back to the katanas, as if they might hold the answers his mind refused to give.

“I just want to remember. Anything. I want to know who I was. I want to be him again.”

His voice cracked at the end, barely audible; but inside, it felt like a scream.

“Because if I can’t… then who am I?”

“That’s a big question, actually,” said a voice behind him.

Leonardo recognized it instantly. For a split second, he thought about pretendin ( like he always did, like he was supposed to) but he couldn’t. Not this time.

He looked up and met Donnie’s gaze. The other turtle’s brow was furrowed, his usual skepticism carved deep into his face. His eyes flicked between Leo and the swords, calculating, assessing, as if trying to solve an especially stubborn equation.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Donnie said, though the falseness in his tone was obvious, even in the rhythm of his breathing.

Leonardo’s gaze dropped to the floor, that familiar heaviness returning to his chest.

“You want me to play the fool too?” he asked, voice sharp with bitterness.

“Well,” Donnie said, raising an unimpressed brow, “you usually don’t ask… you just do. Quite irritatingly, might I add.”

Leonardo scoffed, frustration bubbling to the surface. Anger, helplessness, grief, they all blurred together.

“Yeah. That’s something he used to do, right?”

Donnie said nothing. His gaze stayed steady, cold enough to sting.

“You’re doing a good impression this time,” he said at last, his tone flat.

Leonardo blinked. “What?”

“It took you a few weeks, but you’ve nailed his tone. The way he slouches when he’s fed up. The timing of his sarcasm. Almost convincing.”

Leonardo frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“That you’re not him.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. A chill crawled down Leonardo’s spine.

“You’re joking.”

“I don’t joke. Not about this.” Donnie stepped closer, his voice tight with anger. “It’s not just the amnesia. It’s your fighting stance, your phrasing, your pronunciation…”

He paused, eyes narrowing.

“Your soul.”

Leonardo’s throat tightened. His hands trembled, but he forced them into fists.

“You’re paranoid.”

“I’m *observing*,” Donnie corrected sharply. “And so far, the evidence doesn’t add up.”

He stared hard at Leo.

“So I’ll ask you directly… who are you?”

Leonardo took a step back. His pulse thundered, more from fury than fear.

“I’m me! I’m Leonardo! I don’t have your damn data or theories, but I have these—” he lifted the katanas “—and I’m here. With you. What more do you want?”

Donnie held his gaze a moment longer, something fragile flickering behind his eyes. Then he straightened, his tone cooling again.

“I don’t know yet.”

With that, he turned and lifted off the rooftop.

Leonardo lunged forward, desperate to reach him, to explain, to prove him wrong. But as soon as his feet hit the concrete, the katanas blazed violently in his hands.

The scream that tore from him was raw and unrestrained.

This time, he didn’t let go.

“No,” he gasped through his teeth. “I am him. I can be him.”

The pain was excruciating, like unseen hands tearing at his muscles and nerves, trying to rip the blades away. But he held on, like his entire being depended on it.

And maybe it did.

In the distance, Donnie’s silhouette faded into the night sky, jetpack humming. No words. No backward glance.

Leonardo fell to his knees as the burning spread up his arms, his spine, his mind.

Something was changing. He could feel it.

Then he saw her.

Before him, drawn in light against the darkness, stood the figure of a woman, graceful, serene. Her eyes were soft, knowing, as if she recognized him.

She smiled gently.

“あなたは一人じゃない,” she said.

Leonardo stared, breathing ragged, pain flooding every thought. The world blurred at the edges. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the pain stopped.

Not suddenly. It eased, fading like an exhale.

And then, the forces that had been crushing him… shifted.

They didn’t drag him down anymore. They lifted him.

The katanas glowed with a new kind of light. They didn’t burn. They sang.

And he… floated.

Not clumsily, not as if suspended by something unseen. He rose lightly, as if gravity itself hesitated to claim him.

The blades trembled in his hands, humming in rhythm with his heartbeat. There was no agony now, only a deep discomfort, like something inside him was breaking to make room for something new.

The air stirred. Bits of gravel, scraps of paper, even a metal cap began to rise with him, orbiting slowly.

He drew a shaky breath. “This… this isn’t what I expected,” he murmured, wonder and confusion twisting in his chest.

He could feel gravity bending to his will, but it wasn’t natural, not clean or controlled. It was raw, unstable, a power still learning what he was.

A chill ran through him, not fear, but uncertainty.

He wasn’t supposed to do this. The Leonardo from the memories, from the recordings, he couldn’t fly. He could teleport, open portals in the air, vanish between spaces. But this was different. This broke every rule.

“What’s happening? Why is this different?”

His eyes moved from the katanas to the floating debris. The world felt lighter, as if reality itself was unraveling quietly around him.

No answers came. Only that shadowed feeling, slipping just out of reach.

The woman appeared again, distant but steady, her smile unchanged. Leonardo could feel her presence, not guiding, just there.

He thought of Donnie, of that cold, analytical stare.

Nothing made sense. Nothing felt safe.

Only one thing was certain: something inside him had shifted, and he couldn’t afford to lose control.

Something powerful was stirring, something foreign. Countless emotions flooded in ones he was sure didn’t belong to him.

Yeah, this definitely wasn’t going to be easy.

Mikey’s eyes flew open. He gasped, like he’d just escaped a long nightmare. His hands trembled; his chest heaved with a mix of relief and a fear he couldn’t name.

The candles around him flickered, their wax melted more than it should’ve been, a sign he’d gone too deep into meditation again. But this time, he didn’t care.

“That… that was Leo, wasn’t it?” he whispered, his voice cracking, the name sacred on his tongue. The presence, the energy, the familiarity. It had all been real. For the first time in months, he could breathe again.

Then, something else crept into his awareness. A second presence, colder, hollow, like an echo trying and failing to imitate what he’d just felt.

A chill of doubt ran through him. That new energy, it was off. Wrong.

Mikey stayed frozen, breath trembling, heart pounding. It felt like waking from a dream only to realize the nightmare hadn’t ended.

“What’s happening?” he whispered. “How can this be real?”

The mix of comfort and dread left him dizzy.

The room was silent, except for the soft crackle of the candles and the sound of his own breath.

Because if that was Leo…

Then what was the thing living with them now?