I sit in the main room reading one of my Modern Ninja magazines. I try to lose myself between the words, but my mind keeps drifting to Leonardo. After Elizabetta and I lost our tempers at him last night, he didn't turn up for three hours. We missed our last training session of the night because of his absence. I wasn't necessarily opposed to that, however; it was nice to have some downtime.

   But after he came back home, I noticed how upset he was. He looked so bummed, so fragile, so not like Leonardo. It was frightening.

   Even now, I'm still haunted by the dull look in his eyes. He didn't even bother to wake us up for training today, though I caught him practicing by himself in the dojo. His kicks were aimed by frustration rather than precision. That isn't like him, either.

   Now, I'm just waiting for someone else besides Leonardo to give me company. Donatello is busying himself in his lab, and I really don't want to hear a complicated break down of what he's doing, so I avoid him. Everyone else is still resting, or so I assume.

   Just as I start wishing to have someone to talk to, Elizabetta walks out of the spare room, blinking sleep from her eyes. She isn't my favorite being in the lair, but I can have a conversation with her, at least.

   "What time is it?" she mumbles as she walks toward me.

   "Late," is all I have to say.

   She looks at me in surprise. "Did I miss training?" she asks worriedly.

   "Nope," I reply, turning the page in my magazine. "Leo hasn't started it yet. He's just in the dojo by himself. I think he's moping around," I add with a guilty frown.

   Elizabetta mirrors my expression as she takes a seat beside me. "He must still be upset over last night, then. Training will be brutal," she says regretfully.

   I grunt in agreement.

   We both seem to silently agree that we were too harsh on the leader yesterday. We sit quietly for a long time, dwelling on our remorse.

   Within the next hour, Edmund, Donatello, and Michelangelo emerge from the other rooms. They greet me and head off to the dojo. Deciding we should follow, Elizabetta and I reluctantly head after them.

   Leonardo is sitting by the tree in a meditating pose. He opens his eyes as we approach and dully scans our faces.

   "So, uh, what moves are we rehearsing today?" Donatello asks after an uncomfortable pause.

   Leonardo studies us for a long time before answering, "We won't be practicing anything."

   Shocked, my jaw drops. He spent the past week drilling us to perfection, and now he's just going to give up. But as he starts to explain himself, I realize I'm wrong.

   "You've prepared yourself physically, but none of you are ready mentally," the blue-clad turtle continues. "We should meditate today."

   "Aww!" Michelangelo whines. "But I don't-"

   "If you're going to complain, you can leave now and not go into battle with us at all," Leonardo snaps.

   I blink. "Uh, trying to steal my thunder, Leo?" I ask in the most serious, non-sarcastic way I can. He's being really edgy, which is kind of my job.

   Leonardo's eyes flare up slightly as his gaze meets mine, but the flame extinguishes quickly. He's definitely still mad about last night.

   "Meditating positions. Now," he orders.

~*~*~*~

   I sit in the main room, eating dinner with my brothers, Edmund, and Elizabetta. Casey and April had stopped by as well and joined in on the meal. Only Leonardo isn't around. He chose to stay in the dojo and meditate longer. He becomes more like Master Splinter with each passing day.

   The soreness clinging to my muscles has finally released its hold. Spending the day meditating helped me fully recover from lack of rest. It also means that Elizabetta and I haven't had time to go to the surface, but neither of us complain. We mentally agreed it's not a good day to attempt that, with Leonardo being touchy and all.

   Michelangelo chatters away about one of his video games. All of us listen lazily, Edmund being the only one truly interested.

   "... But then the stupid Enderman hit me and I died!" His head droops in shame at his failure.

   "Why did you look it in the eyes?" Edmund ask, as if the orange-clad turtle lost his mind. "You know that's what triggers it to attack, right?" he presses on when the youngest turtle just stares.

   Michelangelo scratches the back of his head and puts on a wide, confused grin. "Uh, yeah! I knew that! You see, I, uh... I meant to die! Yeah! I've already beat The End a bunch of times, so I thought I should give the Enderman a chance to win!" He ends his explanation with an embarrassed laugh.

   Edmund facepalms.

   "You know that game will never get you anywhere in life, right?" Donatello says matter-of-factly. "It's just animated pixels designed to entertain you for hours, and to hopefully get you addicted in the process."

   "Joke's on you, 'cause I don't know what any of that means!" Michelangelo blows raspberries at Donatello and makes an 'L' on his own forehead with his fingers.

   Donatello rolls his eyes. "It's amazing you even know how to breathe," he mutters.

   All of a sudden, Leonardo comes racing into the room. "Guys! I just saw something while I was meditating!" the mutant turtle exclaims, his eyes wide with horror.

   All of us are on our feet in an instant. "What about?" Donatello presses.

   Leonardo's eyes are fixed on nothing and his mouth twitches with anxiety. "I think the Shredder is planning to launch his plan tonight," he gasps.

   His words shakes me. I knew the final battle for our lives was coming, but I didn't expect it to arrive so soon. My stomach starts to churn nervously, which is new for me since I love bashing heads in. It must be because we don't know what to expect. We never find straight answers for our enemies' plan, after all.

   Casey stands up and yawns. "I'll see you guys later. I've got my own problems to take care of," he says as he walks out.

   "Are you saying we need to head out right now?" Donatello asks his leader. His russet eyes are wide and attentive, ready to do anything he needs to.

   "Yes," Leonardo answers with a nod. He snaps out of his weird trance takes a deep breath. "We have to go now, before anything happens."

   "Wait!" Donatello races off to his lab. He returns a few seconds later, stuffing explosives into pockets on his sash.

   I snort. "As much as I would love to watch you fly around like a firework by setting those off, I have to know this: why do you have them in the first place?" I asks.

   "They've been coming in handy lately," Donatello answers with a shrug. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to bring some along."

   "It'll hurt if you get too close to a fire!" Michelangelo points out mockingly. I laugh and fist-bump him, while Donatello shoots us a vexed expression.

   We fall into a hushed silence as a large figure looms in the doorway.  I recognize tiny, round ears and glowing amber eyes.  A short snout and long beard extend from the newcomer, adding personality.  There's no mistaking the burning fire of intelligence in the figure's gazes.

   "Master Splinter!" My brothers and I gasp in astonishment.  We haven't laid eyes on him in so long that I was beginning to wonder if he was even real.

   "My sons," the chestnut rat mutant greets us with a nod.  He eyes trail over the remaining three in the room.  "April," he adds with another respectful twitch of his head.

   April's blue eyes are wide with wonder.  "Sensei," she responds with a tiny smile.

   Master Splinter glances at the two siblings. "Elizabetta, you are here," he comments, a thoughtful tone to his voice.  "I thought you had decided to depart from us."

   Elizabetta appears a bit nervous.  "I-I did, yes sir.  But I came back because of-" she starts to explain herself, but Master Splinter interrupts.

   "I know very well why you have returned," he replies briskly.  Something about the way he treats her confuses me.  He's never been too fond of her, but he's being particularly impatient now.

   "And who is this?" Master Splinter questions, leaning closer to Edmund and stroking his facial hair.

   "Edmund, sir," the teenage boy responds promptly, the grin on his face never failing.  "I'm Liz's brother."

   Master Splinter tightens his lips together.  Clearly, he isn't pleased that we brought another human into the lair.  But he retires from the idea of lecturing us and fixes Leonardo with a hard stare.  "Leonardo, you have witnessed what I have seen, yes?"

   Leonardo looks caught off-guard.  "I don't know.  I saw something dark," he explains.  "Something like a raincloud rolling over the city, but there was no rain. It was just... Darkness. Stifling darkness."

Master Splinter closes his eyes. "I was afraid of that." He pauses for a long time. Then he lifts his head up and looks at the rest of us. "The time has come for us to halt this darkness. We must use our abilities to destroy the Shredder's plan and save this city. I will accompany you on this journey," he adds suddenly, surprising us all.

"But Sensei," Donatello begins skeptically, his russet eyes flickering with concern. "Are you well enough to go with us? You've seemed ill for a long time."

Master Splinter's eyes glint with determination. "Stopping the Shredder is the only medication that will help me overcome this," he replies certainly.

I glance at the others. Everyone seems to be a bit frightened, but none of us question it. If anything, we should be grateful that our sensei finally came out of his room. And if facing the Shredder is what it takes to get him back, then so be it.

Leonardo is the first to reaction. He dips his head and takes a step back, motioning Master Splinter forward. "Lead the way," he says.

Master Splinter lifts his chin and heads for the exit, the rest of us padding after him.

~*~

"Where to, Sensei?" Donatello asks as we arrive on the surface. The darkness camouflages our surroundings, and the air has its usual bitter chill to it.

"The Shredder's lair," Master Splinter decides, earning surprised looks from most of his companions.

"We're going right to the devil's pad?!" Michelangelo asks. He instantly begins quivering with fear. "But goblins and demons live there!"

"We'll be fine, Mikey," Leonardo insists, defending Master Splinter as usual. "We're just going to go sneak in and find some answers. Hopefully, we can put a stop to these plans before they're set into motion."

"Can't we go somewhere else?" Michelangelo begs, his pupils large and round with anxiety. "Like, maybe New Jersey or something? I heard they have some really nice pizza toppings there! A lot better than us being turned into toppings," he adds softly.

"Knock it off, Mikey," Donatello scolds him sharply. "We're ninjas. This is what we're trained for."

Michelangelo stands behind Edmund. "Well, Ed isn't a ninja. I think I'll just stay close to him so I can protect him and stuff!" he replies, but even Edmund knows it isn't his intention. The turtle is probably going to cower behind him the whole time.

Leonardo chooses to ignore our dramatic little brother. "We'll stay on the ground," he decides with a swift glance at Elizabetta. Then he glances at Master Splinter. "If that's ok?" he adds awkwardly, obviously not used to having him around again.

Annoyed at him for going easy on her, I roll my eyes in response. He needs to stop acting like her guardian angel and start being a leader again.

But Master Splinter consents to this with a nod. "Stick to the shadows," he orders.

I switch to stealth mode and follow him as he slinks around buildings. I hate being on the ground; it makes me feel vulnerable. The only thing that keeps me sane is the clouds covering the sky, because it provides extra cover from curious eyes. Though it also promises one of my dislikes: rain.

My stomach isn't twisting with nerves anymore. It's been replaced with rage. Shredder isn't about to mess with New York and get away with it! I'm going to take his whole operation down, no matter what it takes. I guarantee it.

We stop beside the Foot building. We line against the wall while Master Splinter peers around the corner. After a few moments, he turns away and motions for us to huddle up.

"There are no guards," Master Splinter informs us in a puzzled tone. "There is not a single Footbot around. We may be wandering into a trap."

Michelangelo starts to back out of the circle. "Well, guess that's it then! Nothing we can do! Better get back to the lair where it's safe and warm and has cable!"

Leonardo and I elbow him. "Ow!" the orange-clad turtle complains, putting on a pouty face.

"Then what do we do?" April asks, bringing us back on topic. "We can't just stand here and do nothing. We have to go in there."

"She's right, you know," Donatello puts in after a pause, completely contradicting his earlier agreement with me.

"Whose side are you on?" I mutter with an irritated glare at him.

Leonardo thinks for a moment. "We should go in," he says. "If the residents of Lizzy's hometown are in there, we save them, shut down the plan, and get out. If we only have time to stop his plan, do that."

"Wait a minute," Elizabetta breaks in, her green eyes narrowed accusatively. "You're going to let four innocent people perish?"

"Only if we have to," Leonardo replies cautiously. "I'd rather not. But risking our lives as well as theirs isn't as bad as risking every life in New York City."

"They shouldn't have to die, either!" Elizabetta argues.

I study her. Normally, she obeys Leonardo without question. But something about him seems to have put a bad taste in her mouth.

That's when I remember: he almost killed her. He must have scarred her for life if she's still getting so worked up about it.

I groan inwardly. Their feud is not going to make the mission any easier.

"They won't die, if I can help it," Leonardo insists. He is losing his cool just as quickly as her.

"If you can help it?!" Elizabetta scoffs. "You can't help anyone if you can drop them off the side of a building! Which, now that I think about it, you've done to me more than once!"

I blink in surprise. More than once? What is she talking about?

"They were both accidents!" Leonardo argues. His face is crinkled into an outraged expression. "Why can't you just believe me?! I would never hurt you!"

Fortunately, Donatello interjects. "Uh, am I missing something?" he asks, his brown eyes clouded with confusion.

Michelangelo lets out a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm not the only dude that's lost," he says.

I glance at them and shake my head. "Trust me when I say that you don't want to know."

Leonardo and Elizabetta are glaring at each other so viciously that I half-expect them to attack each other. Blue and green have become a deadly combination.

"Enough!" Master Splinter whispers viciously. He doesn't usually get angry, but it's startling when he does. "We are on a stealth mission. This is not the time to act like children. There are more important things at stake than your pride."

Leonardo and Elizabetta both flinch backwards. Shame flushes their faces white and their shoulders droop. They avoid looking at each other, however; proving that they aren't quite done being mad yet.

With a flick of his rat tail, Master Splinter commands us to follow him. I head after him with an irritable snort towards Leonardo. This little crush of my brother's is going to be the end of him, if not all of us.

As we fall behind our leader, I hear Michelangelo whispering to Donatello,

"Yep, we definitely missed something."