#there was a turtle who had a metal handle screwed into its shell so it could be picked up by the handle

[lethesbeastie]

YES YES YES YES YES

THIS!! THIS RIGHT HERE!!! THIS IS WHY I HAVE A PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST EVERY PET STORE CHAIN IN MY AREA—

I have written entire essays/poems/creative fiction pieces on this topic, because a lot of people do not see non-mammalian animals as living things. To the point that suggesting that the welfare of reptiles and fish in the pet trade be handled with the same level of scrutiny as the welfare of dogs or cats seems absolutely ludacris to some people. Reports of people mistreating their reptiles or fish are less likely to be taken seriously than those of other pets, and even when they are investigated, they're less likely to be dealt with unless it's a case of something like exotic animal hoarding.

I will say, this isn't always entirely the fault of the people who buy the animals. Yes, they should've done research before hand, but it's becoming harder and harder to find accurate and accessible guides to fish and reptile care that you can trust as ai-generated articles push out all the actually reputable sources in search engines (and this isn't just a Google issue. I'm on Firefox, and I use duckduckgo within the mobile application for basic searches. I can't say much for other alternative search engines, but you have to fucking dig if you want to be sure you're getting any sort of actually decent information). In addition to that, the pet stores will straight up lie! People will come in and ask what they need, believing that the stores selling the pets will have proper information (because logically, that's how it should work) but they don't! They will tell their employees inaccurate or wholly false information, and sometimes when employees do bring up accurate info, they'll get fucking reprimanded for it! Because the pet store makes more money when small animals die because most people just come back and buy another one! ITS A PURPOSEFUL BUSINESS TACTIC OKAY THE PET STORES DONT FUCKING CARE!

you will hear my strong opinions about the care and keeping of fish today by the lord

[remmushound]

Bay/rise 39!! @errorfreak88 @yarchurr @digitl-art-monstr @brightlotusmoon @sprinklestheditty @dakotafinely @sententiously-sarcastic

Content warning!! Mentions of Violence, Blood, and mental/body trauma!!

It was just dumb luck that Krang happened to look up and see them. Eight turtles staring down at him, white eyes glowing as they looked more like ghosts than mutants. Almost as if some avenging spirits had come out of hiding to enact revenge on the ones that did them wrong in life. Following Krang’s gaze, both Cassandra and Draxum looked upward as well.

“Complete the ceremony.” Draxum whispered to Cassandra before turning his attention to the turtles. “VILE CREATURES! What gives you the right to step foot in the home of my Grand Oni?! You will suffer for this injustice!”

“GET THEM!” Krang hissed, and at the command Shredder gave a roar and charged. He jumped up against the wall, the force of his strike making the technodrone shake as his claws dug into the metal.

“Master Krang!” Draxum pleaded quite suddenly, “You must keep Master Shredder in the circle for the ceremony to work! Please, great oni, let me handle the turtles!”

Krang watched him for a moment, and Draxum felt as if he might finally be called out for his treachery before Krang called Shredder to return. Shredder looked to Krang, and then jumped off the walls of the technodrone and landed right where Krang had commanded him to. Draxum smiled and finally stood to face the turtles. His thin vines shot out fast and tried to strike the brothers out of their hiding place.

***

Leonardo recognized what was happening almost immediately. Without a word to his companions, Leonardo jumped. His feet found holds on the whipping and swiping vines that carried him just as much as they tried to knock him over.

“LEO!” Raphael jumped after him, and under his bigger feet the vines grew thicker to support him. 

Michelangelo and Donatello were soon to follow, and Raph was more than ready to jump after them before Leo held out his arm to stop his brute of a brother.

“Can’t just sit here, Leo!” Raph growled.

“Just wait.” Leo whispered to his brother.

Leonardo reached the ground, and his brothers were right behind him. Raphael stood as equals with Leonardo, their other two brothers hanging slightly behind them. Leonardo flashed his odachi.

“Leo, what are you—“ Raphael went to say.

“Listen here, Draxum!” Leonardo declared loudly, “If you want my clan, then you’re gonna have to go through me!”

Draxum’s eyes widened just the slightest bit before he caught on, his vines wiping around him in a dangerous display of power as he played along. “Leonardo. Leading your brothers to die? How pathetic!”

“Leo…?” Raphael whispered softly.

“Just trust me, bro.” Leonardo said before quickly stepping up to stand before the full strength of Baron Draxum. “To get to my brothers, you’ll have to go through me first!”

“Very well…” Draxum narrowed his eyes. All at once, Draxum’s vines shot out at Leonardo.

With all the speed he could muster, Leonardo faced the attacks head-on in a charge. Weaving in and out and up and down and dodging the blows that were coming at him like they were actual attacks because they were! Baron Draxum never pulled his punches. When Leonardo got within danger-distance, Baron Draxum side stepped in a manner that Leonardo recognized immediately because he had just gone through the same thing with Leo! Maybe that spar had helped something after all...

Leonardo immediately knew what to do.

Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo charged to their brothers aid. Raphael’s eyes searched up at the glint of metal and he saw Krang first, and then the great monster beside him. Raphael’s blue eyes went wide, and then even wider as he pulled back and stopped his charge. He knew Shredder was going to be here, he had been warned of that, but now he was standing before the great beast that had shred through his carapace like it was paper. And he looked even bigger Raphael remembered him being. Raphael couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to!

Donatello stopped much the same. Imagining those claws coming down on him, breaking his brother in two. The sound of shattering bone rang in his ears and even though he knew it was only a memory, he had to look around to check on his brothers. To make sure they were whole! Michelangelo was the only one to continue his charge, his eyes screwed so tightly shut that no light could get through them. He didn't need to see to know where to go, he could feel it! And sure enough, his shoulder struck Cassandra hard and tossed her to the ground.

Leonardo did a flip, mostly just to show up, and made a portal on the ground on his way down. He made the exit portal a few feet above Draxum’s head. He used the force from his flip and fall and turned it into a stronger attack, flashing his odachi and preparing to slam it down hard on Draxum. The yokai’s ears gave the slightest twitch, and then he spun to face upward, balancing on one hoof as he grabbed one of his vines and it used it as a barrier to block Leonardo’s attack. Leonardo’s sword sank deep into the flesh of the vine, but Draxum still held strong, though sweating.

“I need to get the others out of here.” Leonardo said, “Can you help me?”

Draxum gave only the slightest grunt before tossing Leonardo carelessly. The slider landed hard but was quick to recover against the sting of his flesh and he scrambled to grab his disarmed sword. He grabbed it just in time for a large vine to come slamming down at him.

Raph was helpless as he watched, each passing second only serving to fuel him with even more anxious energy until he thought screw it! And he jumped from the platform without Leo’s command.

“Raph!” Donnie jumped after him, and then Mikey after Donnie. Leo, without much else of a choice, jumped with his brothers.

“RRRRR GET THEM!” Krang commanded, pointing at the brothers as they fell.

Shredder gave a furious roar and charged them like a cat, bounding effortlessly over the fighting below him as his eyes were locked on his target.

Raph’s ivy eyes went wide. “Oh… that’s guys a lot bigger than our Shredder. 

“STAY AWAY FROM MY SONS!” Splinter roared, struggling with all the might of his ten years of training. He started to gnaw at the vines that held him.

The eyes of Leonardo’s brothers, Cassandra, and Krang all followed Shredder’s movements, and Draxum saw his chance. He grabbed Leonardo quite forcefully around his plastron and spoke quickly.

“Portal now.”

He tossed Leonardo hard at the wall, but Leonardo cut his way to safety by the means of a portal before he could hit. Draxum charged after him, and the portal closed the second Draxum passed through.

Then they were somewhere cold and dark and, most importantly, alone.

“Where did you take us?” Draxum asked.

“Don’t ask me!” Leonardo said, “You said make a portal, I made a portal! It’s freezing in here…”

“We don’t have much time.” Draxum spoke urgently, “You have a plan, what is it?”

Leonardo went to answer but hesitated. “I have… a question.”

“Well then ask it!” Draxum spat.

“Hueso said you needed a sacrifice of Hamato blood to defeat Shredder.” Leonardo said quickly, “Does it have to be dad?”

“It must be Hamato!”

“I know that.” Leonardo put his hand to his chest and smile weakly, “But I am Hamato…”

***

The battle roared on upstairs. In Draxum’s absence, his vines disappeared, and Splinter dropped hard to the floor with a sickening crack. Leo hardly had time to process the heart-wrenching sound before Shredder was upon them, his claws flashing his fury at the invaders. With a quick-thought swipe of his bo, Donnie knocked all his brothers out of the way of the swipe and took the hit himself.

Leo prepared for Donnie to be shredded, but he wasn’t. Shredder swiped him like a cat with a mouse toy, pinning Donnie beneath the weight of his claw and lowering his head to look at the box turtle with a monstrous smile before wrapping his hand around the mutant and carrying him off. Leo swiped at Shredder’s feet trying to get him to drop Donnie, but Shredder delivered a simple, sharp kick to Leo that sent him flying far and hard. Shredder took his position back in the ceremony and waited.

In a flash of swords and vines, Leonardo and Draxum fell from high up in the technodrone. Draxum used his vine to soften their fall ever so slightly, the thorns slicing into him and Leonardo both and leaving long, jacked cuts across their flesh. Draxum landed on top of Leonardo, his hoof planted firmly on the slider's neck. 

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Draxum summoned up what remained of his power into a final, all-out strike that sent his vines flying outward and striking all turtles who dared make a mockery of his ceremony. Michelangelo was shoved off of Cassandra, and Raphael and Donatello were tossed into the remaining Mikey and Raph. Then the vines all pulled back to form a solid wall around Krang and his prisoners, Draxum, Cassandra, and Leonardo. “The ceremony is almost complete.”

His words were directed in equal parts to Krang and Leonardo as Draxum stepped back to help Cassandra finish her work quickly. Krang finally stepped up, his patience quickly worn thin, and he armed his blasters to fire.

“You were interesting for a time, but it’s time for something far more entertaining.” Krang laughed, “What do you think, Draxum? Should I let my new pet take care of him?”

“Your pet’s savagery knows no bounds.” Draxum commented with a laugh, “He would tear and rip all that flesh and its pretty patterns! Surely you’d want it more preserved if you plan to showcase him.”

“Fair point…” Krang smiled evilly. 

***

“NO!” The roar of both Raph’s sounded out.

Raphael charged the vines with all his force and tried to slam into them to no luck. He took his sai and both he and Raph tried to slash and cut at the ever-thickening wall. For a moment, Leo was stuck in his own shock and horror, still near the crevice his shell made upon his impact, before he recovered and charged to join. Each slash his katana landed was more quickly mended, but he didn't stop. Mikey and Michelangelo and Donatello all joined in as well, trying to hack and slash and cut away at the vines to get to their brothers.

Raphael was the first to back up. His eyes were like a sea, the shoreline receding in on itself to foretell of a tsunami about to break free. He knew something was up with Leonardo the minute they got there, and now that there was a wall between them and Leonardo was alone in that place with Draxum and Shredder and Krang, the cold truth smacked Raphael worse than any of the blows Shredder could ever deal to him. The tsunami spilled out of his eyes in the form of a torrent of tears and his sobs were like the howl of the storming winds the nature disaster would bring with it. He was the leader, it should be him in there, and if he had his mystic weapons, he could have just busted through those walls! He looked down at the bloody mess of his hands, torn open by the thorns he hardly noticed as he had punched the walls. His Hamato blood flowed out of the wounds and dripped down his knuckles. The faintest sound the drops made when they plopped on the ground were like the sharpest thunder in Raphael’s mind. Then he made two tight fists as the true tsunami made itself known.

He didn't need his tonfa! He was strong with them, sure, but he was just as strong without them! He had survived Shredder without his tonfa, and he had survived fourteen years of his life without the need for them! He didn't need them, but Leonardo needed him. Raphael felt a burning in his chest and at the base of his spine, and this time when his eyes turned white, he was still in control. His tears flowed just as openly as ever, but his lips betrayed them by pulling back in a roar that seemed to shake the very foundation of the structure at his feet. 

Eyes focused. Elbows locked. Stance low. 

***

“Before I preserve you, I have a show I’d like you to see.” Krang motioned to Cassandra as she eagerly held a blade to Yoshi’s neck, waiting for her cue to slice it.

“Is it Land Before Time? Because those movies? Awesome!” Leonardo risked a few steps forward. He tensed his muscles and grabbed at his wounds to try and make the blood flow from himself faster.

“You’re very obnoxious. It’s obvious your father taught you no manners. So, allow me to be you teacher.”

“You mean I have to stare at your bubblegum-looking self for eight hours Monday through Friday? No thanks!”

“Laugh while you can, little turtle…” Krang went to give the motion for Cassandra to carry through with the ceremony, but at that moment he stopped for some reason, and he looked at Leonardo. No, he looked behind Leonardo.

Leonardo turned in time to see the vines bust open and reveal a furious, almost floating Raphael. His feet just barely graded the ground, his chest emblazoned red with the Hamato Clan sigil, and his eyes glowing like white fire. The vines continued to try and tug and pull at him, resealing themselves behind him. He pulled the vines right back, snapping them in both his hands and his teeth.

“Woah…” Donnie gulped from where he was still in Shredder’s hand, trapped by the force of the great beast.

Raphael stood facing Krang for one long moment before charging. Krang charged up his blasters in preparation to meet Raphael in battle.

“RAPH NO!”

Then Raphael did the strangest thing yet. He stopped his charge, his eyes still locked on Krang though with no intent to attack him. Leonardo could see that now. Raphael slammed his fist down hard into the stone, his blood leaking out into the ceremonial markings and staining them red.

[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: Leo Alone

Morning came as the turtles and Hisako awoke from their slumber. It had been about a week since Karai had busted up their home. Since then, the Hamato clan had continued to reside in April's apartment. However, tension between the turtles was at an all-time high, and it all came to a head as Raph practically burst through April's window into the living room.

"I take it reconnaissance didn't go so well?" Donny guessed.

Raph kicked the coffee table in anger, sending his toppling onto its side and the tea resting on it flying. Hisako quickly caught the cups and the tea with her powers as Donny returned the table to its original position.

"That's a resounding no." Hisako replied, mentally placing the tea cups back on the table with the liquid safely contained.

"Those Foot goons are storming through the sewers!" Raph told them, flopping onto the couch with his arms in the air and crossing them as he landed. "Can't so much as breathe without one of those guys lurking around!"

"Just give them time, my son." Splinter told him from where he sat meditating. "They will eventually move on from their search. We must remain patient."

Raph growled, then looked over at where Leo was sitting. The blue turtle had been in deep meditation since they'd been driven from their home. He blamed himself for everything that had happened, and had been working to try and come to terms with his mistakes ever since. Unfortunately, Leo’s desire to meditate just pissed Raph off even more.

"We've been patient for a week straight!" Raph pointed out, sitting forward and glaring at Leo. "All because our fearless leader had a crush!"

"Raph, stop." Hisako told him, giving her brother a look that screamed ‘shut up’. "We can't afford to do this right now."

"Oh really?!" Raph snapped. "Because I think that I've been holding this in way too long! Leo screwed up, and he needs to man up and admit that he ain't the perfect ninja he thinks he is!"

Leo’s fists clenched and his teeth ground together. Raph noticed this and stood up, approaching his mediating brother.

“What’s the matter, fearless?” he snarled. “Did I hit a nerve?”

Leo’s eyes opened as he got to his feet. His face was contorted by an anger that seemed so alien on the blue turtle's face. He met his brother’s eyes, the two glaring at each other with looks that would have incinerated one or both of them if they had the power.

"What do you want from me Raph?" Leo asked infuriated. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?!"

"I'll let you know when you actually start saying it!" Raph exclaimed.

"Both of you!" Hisako exclaimed, physically trying to get in between the two turtles. "Stop this!"

"No! This needs to happen!" Raph yelled, pushing past Hisako and jamming his finger in Leo’s chest. "I'm done acting like nothing's wrong! We warned you Leo! We all did! And yet, you just tossed us aside like none of us matter to you! And now look where we are!"

"I get it ok!" Leo shouted, slapping Raph’s finger away. "I screwed up! I'm sorry! I feel terrible about it! I will try and find a way to make this right!"

"Is that so?” Raph questioned wryly, crossing his arms. “Because it looks to me like you're sitting on your shell in a corner feeling sorry for yourself, leaving the rest of us to clean up YOUR mess!"

"You want me to do something?” Leo demanded. “Fine!"

Leo broke away from his brother, making his way to where his swords were resting against the wall. Hisako’s eyes went wide as she grabbed the blue turtle’s arm, attempting to intercept him.

"Leo, wait!" she insisted.

"Let him go!" Raph jeered, turning away from Leo with a dismissive sniff. "We don't need him! We're better off without him! Go run away, you coward!"

Leo pulled himself free of Hisako's grip, grabbing his swords and stalking towards the window. Without so much as a backwards glance, he jumped through the window, disappearing into the setting sun. Hisako watched him go, then turned to Raph angrily. She grabbed him and spun him around, her eyes glowing and a few household objects around the apartment shaking.

"Roof." she hissed. "Now."

She pushed him back, then jumped onto the fire escape, making her way to the roof. Both Donny and Mikey, who had been watching the exchange from afar, slowly got as far away from the window as possible.

…

Raph barely had time to step onto the roof before he was surrounded my Hisako’s mental energy. He was yanked off his feet, then mentally thrown into the roof access door. He fell hard, his shell leaving a large dent in the metal.

“What the shell was that for?!” Raph demanded.

"That was for you being a complete and utter shell-head!" Hisako screamed. "Why did you go and say that?!"

Raph slowly picked himself up off the floor, brushing himself off as he met his sister’s gaze.

"You're defending him?" he asked. "After what he did to us?"

Hisako mentally lifted him again, slammed him against the door once more. This time, she kept him suspended there, unable to so much as twitch.

"He knows he screwed up Raph!” She informed him “He knows, and he hates himself for it! He's been agonizing over what he did all week! And then you go and say something like THAT!"

Raph struggled in her grip, then he felt her release him, allowing him to land flat on his shell. Before he could rise, her foot came down on his plastron, pinning him.

"When he gets back, you are going to apologize, and you're going to mean it, or so help me I will fling you all the way to Jersey! Got it?!"

She gave him one last shove with her foot, then left him to think on what she’d said. She dropped back onto the fire escape, disappearing from Raph’s sight and signaling that it was safe for him to get up. He did just that, thinking about what she said.

Hisako was right about Leo. He had been upset the past few days, and Raph had just been too angry to notice. Now that he thought about it, screaming at Leo had probably just made an already tense situation that much worse.

"Great." Raph grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. "Way to let your anger cloud your judgement, Raphael."

With a sigh, he made his way towards the fire escape so he could head inside. He’d do what Hisako wanted and apologize when Leo returned. He owed his brother that much.

…

Leo jumped from rooftop to rooftop, not really aware of where he was going. He didn't really care either way. He just knew he needed to get away from that apartment, away from his family, and away from the reminder of how stupid he'd been. He finally stopped on one rooftop to catch his breath. As he did, he saw his reflection in a puddle of water most likely left over from the rain. He turned away from the puddle and took out his swords. Spotting a newspaper caught on a nearby clothes line, he snagged it and tossed it into the air, shredding it to pieces.

"How! Could! I! Be! So! Blind?!" He screamed, each word punctuated with every swipe of his sword.

After he stopped, he just stood there as the shreds fell to the ground like black and white confetti, panting a bit from his run and from his exertion. Then, up on a rooftop not far from him, someone began to slow clap. He turned to see Karai perched on the edge of the building, dressed in all black and with a pair of swords strapped to her back. She even had a mask over the lower half of her face, one she pulled down so she could flash Leo a cruel smile.

"I'd give you an 8.5 for your technique." She joked. "Though your form was a bit off on the last two swings."

"Funny, you were the girl i was looking for." Leo told her, his voice laced with all the anger he felt.

"Am I?" Karai asked mockingly. "Oh Leo, you still care."

"Hardly," Leo countered coldly. "I just wanted first crack at you for everything you've done."

Karai chuckled, then flipped off the rooftop and landing right in front of Leo.

"Is that hatred in your eyes?" she asked, leaning forward in faux surprise. "I think it is. Would have thought that be Raphael's thing, he being the 'pompous hothead' that he is."

"Well I haven't been feeling like myself lately." Leo replied, tightening his grip on his swords. "So we gonna do this or what?"

Karai shrugged.

"While I would love a chance to spar with you, I'm under orders to, and I'm quoting here, 'find those meddlesome turtles and drive them from whatever hole they're hiding in'.” She replied, saying the quote in a deeper, more menacing voice. “So, that means I can't fight you, because it'd be over too quickly, and you'd be turtle soup."

She drew her blades.

"However, if you feel like making my job easier and just surrender, I'd be more than willing to let you." She offered.

"Over my shattered shell." Leo snapped. "Besides, I never took you for someone who took orders from anyone."

"What can I say?" Karai replied. "I couldn’t say no to a request from my father.”

“Your father?” Leo repeated.

“Oh yes.” Karai replied “And let me tell you, if you think I'm hard to handle, he makes me look like a kitten."

"You look more like a rat to me." Leo retorted bitterly.

Karai made a tsking sound, wagging her finger.

"What would your Master say about that kind of language?" she taunted. "Someone obviously needs to be taught a lesson."

She snapped her fingers. Just then, Leo turned to see the roof access door being kicked open, allowing for about a dozen Purple Dragons to come onto the roof. A few more began climbing up the fire escape, each of them armed with some sort of crude weaponry.

"Do whatever you want to him, but leave him alive." Karai ordered. "Lest you want to deal with my father."

With that, Karai flipped out of the way, perching on a satellite dish to watch the fight. Leo just glared at the opponents surrounding him. They then all charged at him full force. Leo took a slice at the weapons they were using, reducing them to pieces. He then kicked several into one another, sending them crashing to the ground. One grabbed him from behind, hoping to pin him long enough. Instead, Leo just leaned back and gained enough momentum to flip the purple dragon over him. He punched out one with the handle of his sword, delivering a spinning kick to the remaining three charging at him. He stood over his fallen enemies victoriously as they groaned and rubbed their heads in pain.

"C-come on guys!" One of the dragons called out. "It's just one of them! We can take him!"

"We’ll see about that." Leo told them.

…

Back at the apartment, April shuffled in from work, running her fingers through her ratty ponytail. As she walked into the living, she nearly tripped over Mikey, who was currently in the middle of a videogame session. Thankfully, Donny was there to catch April and save her from the oblivious tripping hazard that was the orange turtle.

"You know, when I said you guys were welcome to stay as long as you like, I figured you guys would at least have the decency not to try and kill me when I walk through the door." April commented, regaining her footing.

"Sorry April." Mikey apologized, not looking up from his game.

April just sighed, sitting down on the couch and removing her shoe. As she gave her toes a stretch, she noticed Leo was not in his usual corner.

"Hey, looks like Leo's finally stopped mediating the day away." she commented. "That's good, right?"

"Wrong." Raph answered. "We got into a fight, then he stormed off."

April winced, knowing all too well how arguments between those two usually go.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Hisako snorted.

"He told Leo that we didn't need him and that we were better off without him." She muttered, still more than a little miffed with the red turtle.

April's eyes went wide, then she stood up, walking straight over to the red turtle. He barely had time to look up at her before she hit him upside the head with an audible smack. Mikey winced at the sight.

"So that's what that looks like on the outside." He muttered.

"How could you say that to your own brother?" April chastised.

"I was angry." Raph explained, surprisingly not upset about getting smacked. "I wasn't thinking straight, and I said things I shouldn't have. But don't worry, I'll apologize to him as soon as he gets back."

"You better." April told him. "Or you're gonna be sleeping on the roof tonight, and it's supposed to rain buckets."

"I hear ya." Raph replied.

Raph then looked out the window at the gathering clouds, an ominous rumbling echoing in the distance.

"I hear ya..."

…

Leo knocked out the last Purple Dragon as the others made a full retreat, all of them nursing multiple bruises, and quite a few had broken bones. Leo put away his swords and turned towards Karai as rain began to fall.

"Well done." Karai called out, lounging on top of the satellite. "I must say, you made short work of those guys. No wonder my dad considers you a threat."

"I aim to please." Leo called back sarcastically. "So, you got more flunkies to dispense with or you gonna fight me man to turtle?"

"Ooh, that's a toughie…" Karai replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna have to choose flunkies."

She snapped her fingers a second time, and this time, an entire platoon of Motorheads appeared on the rooftop. All of them were armed to the teeth with swords, sai, spears, and all other manner of sharp weaponry.

"You always fight these guys as a family." Karai pointed out. "Let's see how well you handle them without your precious siblings."

She lifted her arm.

"Foot ninja, destroy!" she shouted, pointing right at Leo.

The ninja charged towards Leo as he redrew his swords, ready for a fight. He blocked one sword strike and delivered a kick to the stomach of the offending ninja, taking him out. Another came at him with a spear and Leo sliced off the blade end before jumping into the air, kicking him in the head. As Leo landed, another ninja came at him. As the ninja got to him, Leo rolled back, raising the ninja in the air with his feet, then launched him off.

"Is that the best you've got?" Leo asked, getting to his feet.

"Hardly!" Karai retorted.

Sure enough, with every Motorhead Leo managed to bring down, two more seemed to appear to take their place. Leo readied himself for the fight ahead, but he was really starting to think he was in over his head.

…

Hisako tossed and turned on the couch, trying to get into a comfortable position in an attempt to take a much needed nap. However, the action was quickly proving to be futile. Master Splinter heard the sound of her rustling from the armchair he was meditating in, opening a single eye to check on her.

"Is everything alright Hisako?" he asked.

Hisako sighed and looked over at her sensei, resting an arm on her forehead.

"I just keep thinking that Leo should have been back by now." she explained. "I don't know why, but I just can't stop thinking about that."

Splinter let out a small sigh.

"Leonardo's spirit it heavy with the burden of betrayal." Splinter told her. "He needs time to heal his heart."

Hisako gave a nod, then a low rumble went off in the distance. The rain had begun to fall, but from the thunder rolling in, it was clear that a storm was coming. A big one.

"I just hope he gets back soon." She remarked, turning on her side so she was facing the window. "It looks like it's gonna get real bad real fast."

…

The Foot were relentless, not letting up for even a second. But even with their seemingly endless attacks, Leo didn't give in. He sliced, kicked, bashed, and even head-butted every Foot soldier that came close. After he delivered a kick in the head to the last Foot soldier, he sheathed his swords and stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

"Getting tired there, Leonardo?" Karai taunted.

"You kidding?" Leo asked still panting. "I could do this all day."

"Quoting Captain America." Karai mused. "Never pictured you for the Marvel type. You always seemed to be more a DC person to me."

"Guess you don't know everything about me either." Leo retorted.

"Oh, I know everything about you, Leonardo." Karai quipped. "I know you're approximately 17 years old, that you've been studying ninjutsu since you could remember, and I also know that you don't like to lose."

"Well you're right about that last part." Leo admitted. "But where did you get that other stuff?"

"You have Baxter Stockman to thank for that." Karai replied

"Stockman?!" Leo exclaimed. "He worked for you?"

"Well, technically he worked for my father, but yeah."

"Then maybe since you met my family," Leo began. "I should have a little chat with your father."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid he can't see you right now." Karai told him. "But if you'd like to make an appointment, I suggest you take it up with his secretaries."

She snapped her fingers again, summoning a group of five foot soldiers. These guys, however, were not your average foot soldier. These guys were bigger, and had completely different garments. They were in dark grey uniform with light grey gloves with spikes on the knuckles. They had hoods that shrouded their faces and light grey mouth guards that covered the rest. The top part of their faces were covered by a mask that seemed to have some sort of night vision around the eyes, which seemed to give them the advantage in the ever fading light. They all stared at him, eying him with a ferocity that was almost animalistic. Ironically, despite the seriousness of the situation, a single comment slipped through Leo's filter.

"Nice hoods." He jeered.

"Joke all you want." Karai told him. "These are the Foot Elite. They're my father's most trusted lieutenants, second only to me of course. And trust me when I tell you, none of them will go down easily."

As she said this, the Foot elites all drew their weapons. One held a pair of hook swords, another a long spear, a third held a kusarigama, a fourth had a single katana, and the fifth had a pair of kamas. Leo gulped a bit as he drew his swords once more.

They all brought their weapons down on him at once, causing him to cave and bring his swords up in defense. He then shoved them off and engaged the elite with the katana head on. While Leo, had two swords and he only had one, the elite had no problem keeping up with his attacks. Just then, Leo felt something wrap around his arm. He turned to see the elite with the kusarigama holding tight to the chain as it constrained Leo. Leo turned back to see the elite with the katana and the elite with the spear charging at him. Leo quickly blocked the katana and used his strength to bring the chain close enough so that the spear would snap it freeing him. Once free he tried leaping at the spear elite, only for him to kick him in the chest sending him flying across the roof. He opened his eyes to see the Kama elite coming down at him.

…

As dinner time rolled around, Casey waltzed into April's apartment, balancing two pizza boxes on his palm and dripping more water than a leaky faucet. He had a bright yellow poncho on over his clothes, and the boxes were covered in plastic wrap, so thankfully, the food was still dry.

"Hey guys!" He called out. "I brought dinner!"

April grinned, pecking Casey on the cheek and taking the boxes.

"Glad you could make it." she told him. "I figured the rain would have slowed you down."

"Nah." Casey told her, pulling the poncho over his head and hanging it on a coat rack by the door. "Nothing slows down Casey Jones."

The pizza box suddenly vanished from April's grip, snagged by Mikey who was quickly tearing through the plastic wrap. Once that was done, and the wrap disposed of properly, Mikey set the boxes down on the table, which was set for eight. April and Casey took seats at the head of the table as the Hamato Clan spread themselves along the sides.

"I made sure I got your usual." Casey promised. "Deep dish, extra cheese with pepperoni, sausage, and black olives."

"Thanks Casey." Hisako said, just kinda staring at her plate.

Casey raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and placing his chin on his palm.

"You know, that's usually when you go 'You know me so well', then I do my thing.” He told her. “You feeling alright greenie?"

Hisako blinked, then turned slightly red.

"Sorry Casey." she told him. "I guess my mind is elsewhere."

"She's just worried about Leo." Mikey explained, stuffing an entire pizza slice in his mouth.

"He still hasn't come back after I yelled at him." Raph added, picking the black olives off his slice.

"Knowing Leo, he probably found shelter until the storm subsides." Donny rationalized, poking at his pizza with a plastic fork.

Despite Donny's assurance, it was clear that everyone was beginning to worry for their wayward brother and friend. They all stared out at the storm, hoping Leo would be okay.

…

Leo was thrown into the side of the roof access. He quickly brought his swords up to block the attack of the elite with the hook swords. Unfortunately, one of the hook swords was able to get under one of his hilts and flung it out of his hand, leaving him with only one blade to defend himself with. He shoved off the hook sword elite and narrowly avoided the side attack that came from the Kama elite.

"You're getting sloppy Leonardo." Karai taunted. "Starting to get tired? Or maybe you've finally realized that you're not going to win this."

At this point, Leo had enough. He leapt onto the head of the elite and jumped from head to head until he was close enough to where Karai was perched. Her eyes went wide as she immediately jumped off the satellite, narrowly avoiding an attempted swipe at her head.

"You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?" Karai asked. "If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were honestly trying to kill me."

"Stop hiding behind your flunkies!" Leo demanded. "Face me! Or are you nothing but a coward who hides behind lies and deceptions."

Karai paused for a moment, her face hardening. The Foot Elites moved in for an attack, but she held up a hand.

"No." She told them. "He wants to fight me, I'll fight him."

She turned to Leo and drew her swords.

"I'm going to make you regret those words." She swore.

Leo then leapt at her and the two clashed swords. Karai then shoved him off and the two exchanged one sword blow after another. Karai's strikes were swift and skilled, but Leo's fighting style had devolved into pure rage. Karai took notice of this and tried to find a way she could take advantage of his lack of focus. She noted that with every wide swing Leo gave, he was leaving his sides exposed. She took a chance and delivered a kick to the side. This sent him into a wall, but rather than deter him from continuing, it only enraging him even more.

"You really shouldn't have done that!" he yelled.

He then charged at her full force and punched her straight in the jaw. Once she fell to the ground, she looked up to see Leo standing over her with his sword pointing at her. She raised her sword to block, only for Leo to quickly disarm her, the sword clattering to the ground several feet away.

"It's time I put an end to this." he declared.

Karai looked nervous for a minute, then a shadow suddenly enveloped them both. Karai chuckled, looking over Leo's shoulder with an expression of pure relief.

"Father, you have the best timing." she said, her voice portraying her relief.

Leo turned around to see a tall figure dressed in what appeared to be a metal samurai armor, complete with a full faced helmet, the lower part resembling a tengu mask. Before Leo even had a chance to say a word, the figure lifted his gauntlet, which had two long metal blades attached to it, and brought it across Leo's face. Leo pulled back in an attempt to dodge, but he was unable to fully avoid the blow, receiving a fair-sized gash on the forehead. Karai took the opportunity to get up, reclaiming her sword.

"This is the creature that has been thwarting my operations?" The armored man asked, delivering a swift kick to Leo’s stomach. "Disappointing."

Leo coughed, then tried to get to his feet, ready to fight.

"Who…. the shell… are you?" Leo snapped in between gasps for air.

The man just chuckled, then backhanded him again, this time with his other hand. Leo fell hard, his head ringing and his vision slightly blurred. He tried to focus on the man, attempting to regain his senses before it was too late.

"For your last few moments of life, you may call me… the Shredder." The armored man informed him.

He then grabbed Leo by his throat, hoisting him into the air. Leo struggled in his grip, but his fingers found no give in the iron fist that now held him.

"Now, tell me where the rest of you creatures are hiding out." Shredder demanded.

"N...Never…" Leo spat.

Karai walked beside the Shredder, smiling cruelly.

"They may not be strong physically, but they've got nerves of steel." she commented.

"We'll see about that." Shredder jeered.

The Shredder lifted his gauntlet again, bringing it down on the blue turtle, who screamed in agony.

…

Hisako had finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep, her brothers all leaned against the couch in case she had a nightmare. April and Casey were working on doing dishes in the kitchen. Master Splinter sat on the easy chair, meditating peacefully. Unfortunately, that peace was very short lived.

A feeling of cold dread washed over Master Splinter, a sense that something was terribly wrong. His brow furrowed and his ears twitched. Over the pounding rain and the cracking thunder, he swore he heard a scream.

Splinter gasped, sitting forward and clutching his chest, feeling his heart pounding. The sound roused Hisako from her slumber, and drew the attention of the other three turtles.

“Something wrong, sensei?” Hisako questioned.

Splinter nodded, rising from his chair and taking his walking stick.

“I fear something has happened to Leonardo.” He replied. “I sense a dark presence around him.”

“Think the foot got to him?” Mikey asked, gulping hard at the thought.

“Doesn’t matter.” Raph declared. "I'm gonna go find him."

He turned towards the window, only for Splinter’s walking stick to come between him and his exit.

“We will all accompany you.” Splinter declared.

“Fine by me.” Raph replied.

Everyone grabbed their weapons, Hisako sliding her backpack on.

"Is Leo gonna be okay?" Mikey asked.

"While I am more than a bit concerned with Master Splinter’s premonition, I’m sure Leo’s fine." Donny replied in an attempt to sound upbeat. "After all, this is Leo we're talking about. I doubt anyone could lay a finger on his-"

Before Donny could finish his declaration, one of April's windows sudden smashed inward as Leo's body came flying through the glass. He bounced off the coffee table, reducing it to chunks of wood before hitting the wall hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall. There was a moment of stunned silence, then everyone converged.

"Leo!" Everyone shrieked.

Donny knelt down by Leo as everyone gathered around. The blue turtle was covered from head to toe in various dark bruises. His lip was swollen, and he had a fair-sized gash in his forehead. There was also severe bruising on his neck, most likely where he'd been grabbed. His shirt was torn and the plastron of his shell was visibly cracked. All in all, he looked like he'd been put through the ringer. The first thing Donny did was check for a pulse.

"Is he-?" Mikey asked.

"No." Donny replied with obvious relief. "He's still alive, but he's out cold."

Both April and Casey emerged from the kitchen, the former gasping in horror.

"Who could have done this?" April questioned, clinging to Casey in utter shock.

"Whoever they are, I'm gonna rip them limb from limb!" Raph screamed.

Hisako bent down and caressed Leo's face. As she did, she felt as if something was desperately trying to grasp at her, like a drowning victim trying to reach a life preserver.

"Leo?" She whispered.

Everyone paused as Hisako concentrated, sending out a mental life line. When the connection was made, Hisako's head snapped up, her eyes a solid green.

“He’s alive, but he’s weak.” She informed them all. “He was ambushed... by Karai and the Foot clan.”

Raph’s fist clenched audibly.

“I should have known it was that pink haired harpy!” he shouted.

The glow in Hisako's eyes began to dim, but she seemed to concentrate, trying to keep the connection.

“It wasn’t just her, Raph.” She declared. “There was someone else, the true leader of the Foot clan.”

"Who?" Splinter requested.

Seconds before Hisako lost the connection all together, Hisako managed to get one last piece of information.

“The Shredder.”