Despite many one-man picket lines and stink pellets thrown into people's open windows, I do not own TMNT. Thanksgiving update 🦃

"Karai," Casey shouts in alarm over the roar of the flames.

April jumped in front of Karai with a pained yell as she shoved one hand forward, and the flames split down the middle blasting in opposite directions. Donatello and Casey both dropped to the floor, crossing their arms protectively over their heads as the heat of the flames loomed overhead. The swirling bursts of fire abruptly dissipated as Leonardo's arms fell to his sides limply, his heavy-lidded eyes swiveling around the room to land on Karai again. His lips twitched at the corners as they slowly pulled to form a thin, bloodless smile that stretched across his face, but didn't reach his stone cold eyes. Then he brought one arm upward again, as his free hand slowly curled its fingers around the hilt of one of his katana blades. He parted his lips to utter another incantation. And in that moment, the blue cladded turtle's eyes were the color of a dark rust blooming across rain washed steel, and narrowed into slits.

Karai coughs harshly, slowly lowering the arm raised protectively in front of her face to yell,"Well that's new! I'm guessing I shouldn't have come in unannounced?"

"Yeah, maybe," Donatello replies with a conceding cock of his head, cringing as he heard the familiar metallic hiss of a katana exiting its sheath.

"Still, a tad bit of an overreaction, don't you think," The kuniochi quips wryly, her teeth gritting into a strained smile.

April flinches violently, her eyes squeezing shut as her fingers twitch against her temples. "Don! S-something isn't right! H-his head...t-there's something in...in his head b-but I can't...!"

Then the mutant turtle turns his head and his mask nearly blends in with the penetrating darkness that surrounds them, and his once royal blue hues were a startling dark brown. They were a deep, earthy brown - the color of the earth after torrential rains. But there was something else in them, something frigid and still. Then the turtle's lips melted into a dark, malicious sneer accompanied by a cold laugh.

'My vision,' The human girl thinks internally, her hand slowly sliding down the side of her face as her lips part in silent shock. 'No, no, this can't happen - Not here, not now! I won't let it -'

"Leo, don't make me do this... Don't make me - I don't want to do this," April shouts as she throws her hand in front of herself.

The blue cladded turtle's lips are parted ever so slightly, then they slowly press to form a tight smirk, his cold brown eyes settling on her. He thrusts his katana in front of himself, before slowly easing the flat of the blade to rest in a straight line in front of his chest, his thick green fingers twitching in anticipation around the grip. He then raises his own arm in front of himself and he slowly spreads his fingers apart, a dull glow illuminating from the tips and spreading to his palm. He parted his lips to utter an incantation.

"April! No - No, Leo! Don't do it - Stop," Donatello shouts in alarm, his eyes widening.

"Watch it, O'Neil," Karai commands as she heaves her tanto blade from its sheath and charges at the mutant turtle.

Karai spins her tanto in her grip, slamming the pommel of the small blade into Leonardo's knuckles making his grip on his katana slacken as he cries out in pain. Donatello takes the opportunity, diving sideways, and slams into his older brother, making them both roll in a tangle of limbs across the floor. Then he ravels his long, sinewy arms around his middle to confine the latter's arms to his sides as they both crumpled on the hard concrete floor. Leonardo's breath escapes his lips in a feeble wheeze, and he shakily lifts his head, craning his neck to the side to face the hulking mass of purple cladded turtle keeping him confined to the ground. His blue hues stare at him wide and bewildered, his lips parted ever so slightly to let out weak, rattling breaths of exertion due to the substantial weight pressing down onto him. The purple cladded turtle's reddish brown hues glinted in the dull light above and he begin to shift his weight so that he was sitting on the edge of his brother's shell, still pressing his face into the ground and keeping his arms trapped to his sides.

"D-Don?"

Donatello nervously licks his lips as he questions dubiously,"L-Leo...? Y-you have to stop... Do you hear me? S-stop...!"

Leonardo sputters out, confused,"S-stop? Stop what, Don? You're the one about to squeeze me out of my shell!"

The purple cladded turtle blinks, then he slowly eases his weight off of the latter, and he hurriedly goes to his feet, standing over his dazed brother for a second, before he offers his hand to him. The blue cladded turtle glances upward with round eyes and a slight frown on his lips, then he reaches his own hand forward, allowing himself to be hauled upward by his younger brother with a grunt. The red haired girl exchanges a knowing look with the purple cladded turtle and she raises two fingers to rest against her temple, then she allows her eyes to flutter close. Giving the slightest flinch, her breath hitches and her eyes snap open, before she directs her gaze to the purple cladded turtle and she gives a him a slow, deliberate nod. Exhaling in relief, the younger turtle seizes his older brother's shoulders and hunches over slightly to meet his unfocused gaze.

"Leo? Leonardo," Donatello demands squinting at the latter as he surveys him. Donatello held onto Leonardo's broad shoulders with both hands, giving him a firm, but gentle, squeeze of reassurance

Leonardo blinks rapidly, his mouth agape. "I-I didn't...I didn't do that. I-I couldn't have done that... Don?"

"I-I...It's fine. Do you hear me? It's fine," The purple cladded turtle assures him,"You're fine."

The red haired girl confirms as she reaches a comforting hand toward the blue cladded turtle,"Whatever it was...it's gone now. I don't sense any other presence from you."

"N-N...No," The blue cladded turtle denies pathetically, jerking away from his brother and human friend. His head hangs low as he slowly shakes it back and forth,"N-No, it's not fine...I'm not f-fine! S-something o-o-or someone was i-in my head! I-I could f-feel I-it...a-and...I-I couldn't do a damn thing! I-I just...I just lost control!"

The purple cladded turtle reaffirms as he holds his hands up in a placating gesture and he takes a few cautious steps towards him,"Alright, let's start small then. You're in control now, right? This is you right now...this is your hand that I'm holding, okay? And you feel that," He frantically gropes his fingers around his older brother's hand, holding it up in his eye-line as he intertwines their thick green fingers together, and clenches them together in a crushing grip. The other mutant turtle takes an indrawn breath and winces, then he gives an affirmative jerk of his head,"Alright then. Do you see now? This is you, Leo. You're here, right now, with me. This is your hand in my own, and you feel it - you feel me. You're in control, right?"

"Yeah - Uh, yeah, I think so. I think so, Don," Leonardo repeats with a slight tremor in his voice and his grip on his brother's hand contracts instinctively. He stood in a sort of daze for several moments, his eyes fixated on his younger brother's reddish brown hues.

Donatello swallowed, his throat bobbing, and looked down at the hand that he was holding onto so protectively. "Leo? Leo?"

The blue cladded turtle hurriedly pulls his hand away, sniffing as he rubbed a hand over his mask, now a little damp around the eyes. With a deep breath, he forced a small smile on his lips as he utters,"You're right. Of course you're right...always are, huh?"

The purple cladded turtle laughed weakly and without thinking he brought a hand to his brother's face, swiping his thumb on the underside of his mask. He nods quietly, jerking his arm back down to his side quickly as he claims,"And don't you forget it. Just believe me, okay? Believe in me...in us...whenever you doubt yourself."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," The blue cladded turtle chokes out thickly. His eyes feebly flicker over to the kuniochi and he goes on,"Karai, I -"

The kuniochi cuts him off with a swipe of her hand,"Stop — Just stop it, okay? I can't listen to your usual martyr shtick, not right now."

"I could have hurt you - all of you - ! If I hadn't been stopped...!"

Karai gently pushes aside the purple cladded turtle, and stands tensely in front of the blue cladded turtle for several moments. Leonardo wilted under the human girl's stare, his shoulders visibly slumping and he stubbornly keeps his head bowed. The kuniochi abruptly steps close with her arms open and embraces the mutant turtle, settling her chin on his shoulder. With a hitched breath the blue cladded turtle melted into the tight hug, and the latter's slender hands stroked his shell gently. She buried her face deep into his neck, breathing in his scent of sharp mint and pine, and she closed her eyes once she felt the latter's large green fingers stroking the spiky tips of her hair. The mutant turtle winced when he felt little droplets of water dripping down his neck like hot oil and his own vision begins to blur with the sheen of tears.

Karai slowly pulls away, her arms still hooked around his shell and she smiles wetly, her brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I...I didn't think I would ever see you again. I-I...I was so afraid and I wanted to tell you - I want to tell you..." She raised one black gloved hand to his cheek, cupping it as she stroked her thumb on the underside of his jaw and she continues quietly,"God, I'm bad at this. But I just...I just wanted to tell you that, well, that I..."

"I know," Leonardo voices out through his strained laughter,"I won't make you say anymore."

The kuniochi snorts dryly, stepping away from the mutant turtle as she quickly wipes the underside of her eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again."

———

Karai sits on a stool at the kitchen counter and raises her cup to her painted red lips, softly blowing air against the surface of the hot tea. The liquid ripples and steam rises in tiny puffs as she continues to blow cool air into the cup, and after several seconds she takes a tiny sip.

Her hands gently grip the cup to her chest, and she tells her blue cladded friend,"I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you sooner. Much has happened since you... you've been gone, and I am currently dealing with the aftermath. And I was trying to tell you before I was, uh..." She quirks her lips and goes on,"...interrupted, someone new is trying to take over the Foot Clan. And he's after the Kuro Kabuto."

Casey pushes away his cup of tea, wincing as some of the scalding liquid sloshes over the side and splashes over his bare fingers. "So what," He demands as he frantically shakes his burned fingers,"Let the bad guys squabble over Shredder's stupid hat!"

Raphael abruptly stumbled in and leaned heavily against the doorframe as he spits out,"I'd usually agree with you, but it's lookin' like we don't have a damn choice. Just take a wild guess of who else is after that Kabuto, and you're not gonna believe why!"

"Raph," Leonardo exclaims, slamming the tea pot onto the counter as he takes swift strides across the kitchen to reach his brother. His blue hues skim over his figure worriedly, his hand resting on his arm as he continues,"Where's Mikey? Is he -"

"He's fine," The red cladded turtle quickly assured the latter, patting the hand against his arm,"But he took a bit of a beating, so I've got him laid out on the couch. Let me grab him an ice pack and I'll go into the details of what went down."

The red cladded turtle looks down at the table, and notices a small brown porcelain cup on a matching saucer. He ravels his thick green fingers around it, and brings it to his snout, sniffing the liquid gingerly. Green gunpowder tea and mint leaves with a subtle hint of sugar. He brings the cup to his lips and takes a sip. The liquid was still a little warm, but his tastebuds do not favor the drink and he has to suppress a gag as he slams it back onto the saucer. Something in his head goes off like a siren,'Damn Leo, never puts enough sugar in his tea!'

The blue cladded arranges his fingers on the edge of his cup and drags it closer to himself protectively as he scowls at the latter. "I'll fix you both a cup of tea. Still take it with a drizzle of honey and as you so eloquently put it 'a shit ton of sugar'?"

"Heh, you remembered, huh, but I'm gonna have to pass. I need something a little stronger," Raphael tells him as he waves him off and turns his back to him. He begins rummaging through the refrigerator pushing aside cans of soda and an expired carton of milk the lazy teenagers hadn't bothered to trash.

The blue cladded turtle asks innocently,"Coffee?"

The red cladded turtle's fingers were already twitching around a bottle of beer, but with a long suffering sigh he pushes the bottle towards the back, and grumbles in a strained voice,"That'll work." 

The purple cladded turtle smirks into his cup of tea, intentionally keeping his eyes on the table top. As the blue cladded turtle fixes him a mug of coffee, the red cladded turtle quickly recaps his and his younger brother's excursion to the surface.

"What," Karai shouts slamming her balled fist onto the table, rattling all of the cups,"They're going to use the Kabuto to bring Shredder back from the dead? Is that even possible?"

Leonardo shifts self consciously in his seat as several occupants of the kitchen direct their gaze to him. He hunches over, leaning the underside of his chin against his arm as he squints at his cup of tea.

Donatello is the one to answer after awkwardly clearing his throat,"Not probable, but it is possible, case in point," He adds after a beat his eyes quickly darting to his eldest brother,"Not to mention we're dealing with a dragon spirit from the underworld."

Leonardo, not glancing up, mutters under his breath, thoughtfully rubbing his chin,"...which holds his mental energy..."

"What's with the mumblin'? If you've got somethin' to add speak up, man," Raphael asserts roughly.

The blue cladded turtle raises his head and tells the group knowledgeably,"They're after the Kuro Kabuto because it holds his mental energy, and that is key in a resurrection. Without it they'd just be bringing back a mindless corpse."

"And when did you become a necromancer," The purple cladded turtle questions wryly, holding his steaming cup a few inches from his lips.

"Well, the dude has kinda had a crash course, Don," Casey reminds the purple cladded turtle.

Leonardo laughs lightly at that, shaking his head back and forth as he utters,"I guess I'm the closest thing to a professional on, uh, matters of the undead of anyone in the team, huh?"

Casey pats the blue cladded turtle's shell, agreeing with chortle,"I won't argue you with you there, man. It makes for a sweet title though, huh?"

"Maybe this Tatsu guy is in cahoots with Tiger Claw," Raphael suggests after taking a lengthy sip from his mug of coffee.

Karai informs the latter,"Doubtful. Tatsu seems to think he's the new Shredder."

"That's just what we need - Another Shred-Head! Now, another me..." Casey quips with a wolfish grin, nudging the red haired girl with his elbow.

Donatello turns Karai and inquires in a wary tone,"And I'm guessing you want us to help you keep both sides from getting the Kabuto so that you can have it? Still vying for the Foot, are we?"

"Would you prefer me to cede leadership to another homicidal maniac?"

April interjects,"I just don't get it! After all the Shredder did to you, took from you, why are you still wanting to take up the mantle?"

"You may have been granted the title of kuniochi by my father, but you still know very little of clan practice, O'Neil. Do not speak of what you do not know," Karai responds in a cold tone, regarding the red haired girl with a stony expression,"Tatsu will be coming after all of us. We have no choice but to take him down."

"Alright. That settles it for me. Guys, are you with us," Leonardo asks as he stands from his stool, splaying his palms across the table as he glances around the room.

Raphael gives a curt nod, propping his foot against the underside cabinets to propel himself forward from where he was leaning against the counter. "Kicking some Foot ass? I'm all over it," He says with a smirk as he crosses his arms over his yellow platted chest, nudging his older brother with his elbow,"You know I'm with you, sword boy."

"Aw, yeah! Looks like we're finally gonna get to bust some heads, Raph! No way I'm missing out on that," Casey adds as he offers his fist to the latter, who bumps his own against it.

April huffs, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she states,"It looks like I'm in the minority for thinking this is a bad idea," She lifts her shoulders and allows them to sag as she adds,"I'll stay to watch Master Splinter. But if things get messy, you guys know I'm only one call away."

"I don't like it, but it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice in the matter," Donatello concedes as he goes to his feet and turns to his older brothers,"Someone needs to bring the brain cell to share, so it looks like I'll be tagging along with you guys. But, I do believe that Leo should stay here with April."

Raphael barks out in a clipped tone, his eyes squinting at his younger brother,"What the hell are you talkin' about, tech-head? Ain't no way we're benchin' him!"

"Raph," Leonardo starts out tiredly, his hand resting over the edge of his snout.

The red cladded turtle objects once more,"No, man! This is a mission and-and we've gotta have someone to take point, and that someone is you, alright?"

Leonardo falls silent at the proclamation, his mouth still agape as if he were about to speak. The blue cladded turtle blinks at his red cladded brother with comically round eyes the size of saucers. Then his lips curve into a tiny fond smile as he snickers softly, making his two younger brothers and their human allies snap their heads in his direction and gawk at him.

The purple cladded turtle remarks,"Now that's a nice sound."

The blue cladded turtle's hands grasp his teacup as he guides it upwards to take a sip, and he gives a lengthy shake of his head, his little smile broadening to show a glint of his teeth. "I'm tempted to get Don to break out the camcorder because this is something I've got to have on tape," He notes as his snickering resumes and he ducked his head his fingers splaying over his lips,"My little brother, Hamato Raphael, begging me to lead. I'm guessing it's still a little too soon to joke about all of those times the term 'over my dead body' was thrown around -"

"Too soon," The red haired girl throws in.

"Give it a week and they'll loosen up. I've already got a list of 'em," Casey comments.

"Hey, lemme clear something up for you real quick. I ain't beggin', alright? I'm tellin' you that you're going, Fearless," Raphael interjects pointedly, jabbing a finger against his older brother's chest.

Donatello responds uneasily,"As touching as this display of what passes as sentiment for you is, my original stance on the issue stands. In light of recent events, I really don't want to pressure him in to going topside quite yet."

Raphael raises a hand to silence his younger brother as he demands of him, his voice thick and his green hues wide with poorly suppressed worry,"What the hell do you mean by 'recent events', Don? Did somethin' happen in the hour and a half we were gone?"

"Something did occur but I do not believe it is necessary to go into any further details on just what occurred. At least not right now," Donatello explains curtly as a line appears between his brows and his nostrils flare,"What matters is that it did happen and I don't want to endanger my older brother or anyone around him. But if he is insistent on going or if you won't button your lip about it, then I have to dictate some terms."

Leonardo presses his lips into a slight frown as he says in a soft voice,"Look, guys, I don't want to endanger anyone on the team -"

Raphael reaches forward, slapping his palm across the latter's moving lips, effectively silencing his older brother. Smirking, the red cladded turtle asks his purple cladded brother,"So what are the terms?"

Rolling his eyes as he suppresses an exasperated sigh, the purple cladded turtle states plainly,"Simple, we use this mission as a trial run and see how he handles it. While he is with us he'll be using a minimal amount of his newfound, uh, abilities and he won't be thrown into the heat of the combat unless absolutely necessary," After a beat he goes on to add,"Also, I want someone with him at all times. He is not to be left alone."

The red cladded turtle intentionally keeps his face blank as his older brother attempts to pry his hand from his lips and he gives a one shouldered shrug. "Sounds good to me."

The blue cladded turtle wheezes and loudly takes in fresh gulps of air as the latter tugs his hand away. "Why are your hands always so sweaty?"

"Oh, real mature! You licked me," The red cladded turtle retorts as he spots a wet spot of saliva on his palm. Groaning in disgust he rubs his palm in circles over his older brother's cheek as the latter squawks indignantly.

Leonardo swats his younger brother's arm. "Looks like you're all in agreement, despite my own objections. What's new," He asks himself aloud as he gives a lengthy roll of his eyes and folds his arms over his chest, then he continues,"I guess we'll come up with a plan. Karai, tell us all you can about Tatsu. Every detail, no matter how insignificant."

"Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Leo. You haven't counted all the votes yet," Raphael cuts in as he waggles his brows at the latter.

The red cladded turtle plucks the small tea spoon from his older brother's cup and walks across the kitchen, peaking his head through the entryway. He pokes his tongue out of the side of his mouth, squinting one eye as he tosses the spoon with trained precision to strike his youngest brother on the side of his head. "Oi, Mikey!"

Michelangelo yelps, dropping the bag of frozen peas he had propped on the side of his face. "Ow! Dude, can't a turtle just like veg out for five stinking minutes?"

Raphael shouts,"Yeah, yeah, Mikey. I'll write you an apology letter later, but first we've gotta head back topside and steal Shredder's stupid hat!"

"Ugh, dudes, I've taken enough hits. Can't I just tap out for the night?"

The red cladded turtle grabs the latter by his arms and begins to drag him from the couch, grunting out in agitation,"Come on, bonehead. You can stand to take a few more hits. Besides, you don't wanna miss out on this mission - it's gonna be a whole frickin' reunion!"

"Bonehead? Oh, yeah! Well, who are you calling bonehead, uh, you...you bonehead?"

Donatello snorts. "Oh, yeah, that got him, Mike."

———

Leonardo is crouched low, one arm situated over the sheathes at his back with his fingers twitching in anticipation just above the hilt of a katana. Then with a narrowing of his eyes towards his target, a billboard with a large target printed onto it that reads: Bullseye Cola, he does a graceful front flip through the air. As he lands on his feet, he catapults himself upward simultaneously drawing out a single katana and hoisting it in front of himself. He impales the blade into one of the many collapsing rings printed in a colorful array on the billboard, then backflips away from it and touches down on the gravel that is laid across the rooftop. He straightens, assessing the point where his katana blade is protruding from and he slouches, letting out an aggravated groan at the sight of the blade a mere few inches away from the center of the target. 

There's a rushing of air and the nearly soundless shifting of gravel that only trained ears would detect. The blue cladded turtle whipped his head around, his arm extending behind him to snatch his katana blade out of the billboard and point the tip threateningly at the new arrival on the rooftop. His eyes settle on the red cladded turtle, taking in his crossed arms and the haughty smirk that is drawn out on his lips. His younger brother is crouched on one knee and he uncrosses his arms, allowing his hands to hover over his twin sai.

"Leo, I don't know about all of them fancy moves," Raphael grunts out in time with his sai flying from his grip across the air. Spinning across the rooftop, the sai plants itself in the center of the target with a reverberating thud. He chuckles deeply, jumping to his feet and running across the rooftop, flipping towards where his older brother is standing, before jerking his sai out of its spot on the target," I prefer just getting the job done."

Leonardo sighs, holding his katana in front of himself as he utters lowly," Master Splinter always says that grace and form should flow together in beauty creating true power."

"Whoa, that's a little too intense, bro. You gotta relax a little," The red cladded turtle counters, propping his arm on the latter's shoulder as he leans in close. He moves away, propping a foot on the edge of the rooftop, before exclaiming," How about a little game of follow the leader?"

"And since when did you become leader," The blue cladded turtle demands playfully, a smirk pulling across his lips as he situates his hands on his hips.

Raphael sends him a wink as he points to himself, declaring boldly," Since right now," Then he spins on his heel, throwing himself off the edge of the rooftop and hurdling over to the next one," Later, Fearless!"

Leonardo chuckles in amusement, giving a shake of his head as he counters," Not for long!"

Leonardo front flips to the edge of the rooftop that is younger brother is running along with ease, but nearly stumbles off the rim as they reach the end and his brother does a sharp turn. He regains his balance with his arms outstretched to either side of himself, quickly turning and racing to keep up with his brother. The blue cladded turtle laughs aloud as he leaps over onto a slightly shorter building, his legs crouching in midair as his eyes flutter across the gravelly surface until they settle on the red cladded turtle. Just as he lands on his feet, his younger brother is gripping the edge with one hand and backflipping himself off the rim, his free hand in the air and his middle finger up. He lands on a water tower on the next roof, halting for a brief moment to take an exerted breath and then jumps off, seizing a laundry line that runs off it.

Raphael yelps in surprise as the line snaps in half, sending him hurtling through the air as he whoops," It's your friendly neighborhood turtle-man!"

Leonardo is suddenly swinging beside him on another line, his arms held above his head as he spins himself through the air and hovers in front of his younger brother. He places his feet on the latter's plastron, kicking off of him to send himself propelling forward as he quips," You look more like Raphzan, Lord of the Jungle to me!"

"What's that make you, huh? Jane," The red cladded turtle scoffs as he watches his brother soar a few feet ahead of him, the blue tails of his mask fluttering in the wind.

The blue cladded turtle tosses his head back and laughs, releasing the rope as he ducks and rolls across the final rooftop that leads back to their usual manhole cover. The red cladded turtle isn't far behind, landing on his feet with a soft grunt just a few seconds after his older brother. The younger saunters over to him, seizing his brother by the tails of his mask and spinning him around the face him. The latter has a blush creeping up his face as his brother backs him against the brick wall that leads to the rooftop access point for the building they're on top of. The back of his shell smacks against the brick, and the older turtle glances warily at the hand situated at the side of his head and the stockier, more muscular mutant turtle that was leaning into him.

"You know usually sore-losers don't get a prize," Leonardo points out, fidgeting under the immense weight that was pressing against him.

"You're about to be the sore one," Raphael promises as he lowers his head to nip at the latter's neck.

The blue cladded turtle clear his throat awkwardly, craning his neck to the side as he wonders aloud,"Oh, am I?"

The red cladded turtle cocks his head as his mouth twists and he gives in," So I don't even get a consolation prize or nothin'?"

"You've been watching too much television. Deal or No Deal is really starting to skew your vision of how the world really works."

"Oh? Is it now," Raphael inquires in mock curiosity, running his tongue across his lips," Do tell me, Fearless Leader, what's the lesson here?"

Leonardo's eyes lashes flutter as he meets the latter's steely gaze, and he leans against him, curling his arms around his neck. "Lesson number one: Only those that win deserve a reward," He jumps up abruptly, curling his legs around the latter's waist and pulling him close as their plastrons collide with a dull thunk," And I won."

Raphael sputters as his cheeks turn pink, his hands resting on the underside of his older brother's legs, keeping him propped up against the wall. "Fine, you want your prize? You get to stay leader," He murmurs, his hot breath beating against his neck as his lips hover there," That is until I win next time -"

A long, dramatic roll of his blue hues. "Dream on."

"And...And," The red cladded turtle smirks as he whispers into the latter's ear and he can practically feel the heat of the blush that burns on the entirety of his older brother's face," How's that?"

"G-good, er, very good," The blue cladded turtle responds, receding into his shell in embarrassment," I guess I'll let you lead then."

Raphael snorts as his fingers set to undo the buckle of the leather belt that holds his weaponry and he allows it to pool at his feet, his sais clinking softly against the rocky ground at their feet," Thought so. It's the only thing you'll let me lead on."

Leonardo is snapped out of his thoughts as he turns his head to his purple cladded brother. "Huh," He questions, having not heard what his younger brother had voiced," What'd you say?"

Playfully annoyed, Donatello repeated as he lowered his binoculars,"You just told me to keep my eyes peeled not five minutes ago, and you're the one zoning out over there."

"Oh, sorry. I was...I was just remembering something," Leonardo apologizes, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. His eyes briefly flicker to the fading billboard nearly a dozen feet away, before he raises his own binoculars over his eyes and redirects his attention to the warehouse.

"Are...are you blushing," Donatello questions, leaning closer to his brother, so that their shoulders bump.

The blue cladded turtle grumpily huffs as he sidesteps away from him,"Eyes on the warehouse, Don. I'm just flushed because of the...cold."

"It is a little chilly," The purple cladded turtle admits quietly.

After a brief beat of silence the purple cladded turtle remarks as his own eyes land on what had earlier occupied the latter's gaze,"Hmm, I remember us meeting up here for target practice when we got bored. We'd get a couple of pizzas, some sodas and we'd make a whole game out of it. It was so much fun," His reddish brown eyes scrutinize the indentations from their respective weapons scattered all over the billboard,"That feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

"It was," The blue cladded turtle states quietly, his blue hues slackening with a sudden sadness. He shakes his head and goes on to say,"We need to be quiet. Let's focus up."

Donatello flinches at the comment, bowing his head and the wind flaps the long ends of his purple mask against his neck. "You know..." His lips twitch at the sides as he attempts to conceal his smirk, and he raises one hand to his back to pull his bo staff from its sheath,"...we always wiped your shell at target practice, didn't we? It was one of the few things we could hold over you!"

Retracting the blade from his bo staff that converted it into a naginata, the purple cladded turtle lifts it high into the air before thrusting it in the direction of the billboard. The blue cladded turtle jumps at the sudden noise, his mask tails flapping wildly in the wind as he twists around the face his brother. He folds his arms over his middle and raises his brows at the latter as he sees the blade imbedded in the second ring around the bullseye. The blue cladded turtle scowls at his younger brother, setting his binoculars down to rest on the edge of the roof.

"What part of be quiet is so hard for you to comprehend," Leonardo scolds tiredly, but his lips betray him as they pull into the smallest of smiles. He ducks his head as he chuckles, settling his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound.

Donatello laughs along with him as he jokingly goads him on,"Come on. At least have the grace to admit it, brother mine."

"Admit what?"

"That you weren't always perfect. You always had to make the rest of us look bad, so I'll admit that it felt pretty good to see you mess up at something for once."

Leonardo tenses at the statement, but he quickly brushes it off, trying to mask the waver in his smile with another shaky laugh. "To be fair, a katana is hardly made to be a projectile weapon," He points out, before spinning around and pouncing to his feet, his arm whipping behind his head to unsheathe one of his svelte katana that cleanly whistles through the air," Mokuhyō!"

Donatello gives a polite clap at the sight of the katana protruding from the middle of the bullseye, then his eyes narrow at the dull glow around the blade. He directs his stare to his older brother and says," I've been meaning to give you the third degree about that. Aside from the healing hands technique Master Splinter taught you, I don't recall you learning any other mantras."

"Let's just say I got an upgrade."

The purple cladded turtle blinks at him, his mouth pulled taut in a thin line as he simply states,"Elaborate."

The blue cladded turtle, visibly uncomfortable, let's out a sigh and gives a quick explanation," I was able to tap into my spirit through death as I never could in life. Before I died, I'd barely scratched the surface at what I could do with my spiritual abilities as a ninja. Healing hands really was just the tip of the ice burg," He settles his hand over his abdomen, almost as if feeling the blades that had protruded from there, his face blank,"But when I died and came back somehow my spirit became even more powerful, allowing me to tap into the mortal soul as few others have been able to do."

The purple cladded turtle nods and asks," I'm guessing you didn't have the time to sit and take some online lessons? So how'd you learn?"

"...From the same being that brought me back, or, uh, helped bring me back. It gave me access to their knowledge so that I could fully use this newfound power," The blue cladded turtle holds up his hand just as the latter opens his mouth and he proclaims coldly," And don't bother yammering on any further on that subject because you'll get the same answer for every question - I have no earthly idea."

Leonardo and Donatello fall back into a tense silence for a few seconds. Donatello says,"I thought you knew me better than that. You know I can't do that."

Leonardo leaned back slightly to face his brother and his blue hues widen as they stare into his, "Don?"

"I told the others that I wouldn't ask, that I would leave it be, but if there's one thing I can't do it's not ask questions. I'm who I am today because of my refusal to do so," Donatello elaborates in a soft voice. His stare falters and the sadness in his voice made his words quiver as he went on to plainly state,"You were dead, Leo."

The blue cladded turtle opened and closed his mouth to respond, but no noise came out. Then he, at last, he says," I-I was... I was."

"You were," The purple cladded turtle paused and swallowed to try and keep his emotions in check, "Gone... For three months you disappeared out of our lives and now you're here—" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, glancing at the ground and looking back up to him repeatedly.

"Don...please..."

Donatello steadied his gaze as he looked at him, his eyes pleading and confused. "How?"

"I don't know," Leonardo responded quietly, dropping his head so as not to see his penetrating eyes," I just remember...dying...and...then I woke up. It felt like no time had passed but my body was whole again, if not a little worse for wear. And I've been having these visions from a thing, a woman. She calls herself...Heads up!"

"Wha -" The purple cladded turtle manages to fumble out as his eyes dart back to the warehouse as his hands scramble for his binoculars. His magnified eyes immediately land on a shadowy figure entering the warehouse,"Enter Tatsu stage right."

The blue cladded turtle lowers his own binoculars and inclines his head towards the fire escape leading down the side of the rooftop. "Remember stealth only. And stay alert, Rahzar and Fishface are bound to be lurking nearby with our typical turtle luck."

"And you remember the plan. Keep out of the thick of the fighting and don't go off on your own."

The blue cladded turtle doesn't respond as he hops down to the platform, quietly scaling the ladder with ease before back flipping from the final rung into a crouched position in the alleyway. The purple cladded turtle hunches beside his brother, rotating his head towards him as he awaits his signal. The second he sees the latter's head move upwards they're both leaning forward with their arms outstretched behind them as they break into a swift run across the street towards the warehouse. The blue cladded turtle's arm gently bumps against his younger brother's as they both press their shells flush against the cool metal of the warehouse walls, and in unison they begin to inch their way towards the entrance. The older turtle's fingers brush against the latter's knuckles, getting the younger's attention and making him twist his head towards him, his brows raised in silent question.

Karai jumps out from behind the dumpster in the alleyway, snap kicking the remaining two red cladded ninja in their middles, sending them sprawled out onto their backs. Leonardo jerks his head to Donatello, who in turn hurriedly darts towards the breaker box beside one of the garage entrances into the warehouse. Then the blue cladded turtle proceeds to join the kuniochi at the entrance of the warehouse. The purple cladded turtle pries open the box and immediately flicks every switch in the opposite direction, and the lights inside the warehouse immediately fizzle out, then he pulls out a pair of pliers from his belt and begins to fiddle with the wiring. The blue cladded turtle and the kuniochi were already scaling the wall, and the mutant turtle intertwined his fingers together to create an organic platform to boost her upwards into the open window, and a black gloved hand reached out from the window to haul him up.

"At last," Tatsu proclaims as his hands clasped the two half-moon handles protruding from the top of the crate, parting it down the middle to reveal ashen helmet,"The Kuro Kabuto. Now I claim my rightful place as true leader of the Foot Clan."

Leonardo and Karai stood on the metal rafters that arched upwards into the ceiling. The two ease their way across the platform, gingerly prodding their feet across the walkway to test the flooring for any loose or creaky panels. The blue cladded turtle abruptly unsheathed his svelte katanas with a faint metallic hiss, and he drew them to his sides, extending his arms in a wide arc. Then he threw himself forward, the kuniochi running at his side as the two dispatch the small group of ninja lining the rafters with ease. Karai twists her head to the latter, her mouth curled into a silent snarl as she gives him a curt nod. She whips out her tanto and she lunges from the platform with the blade raised over her head, and she intentionally cries out loud enough to get the man's attention. Unperturbed, the black cladded ninja calmly closed the crate containing the helmet and went to his feet. His head abruptly snaps in the direction of where the orange cladded turtle and the hockey mask wearing vigilante were attempting to ease their way out from behind one of the brick columns.

Creating a circle around the man, Karai, Michelangelo and Casey all attack in unison as Tatsu smoothly whips out the single katana strapped to his back. Karai dives forward with her tanto in one hand as Michelangelo brings his leg up into a high kick aimed for the underside of the man's jaw. Tatsu swivels his arm around in a fluid motion to seize his ankle and twist it, making the mutant turtle flip in the air and go flying across the room until he crashes into a stack of crates. Then the black cladded ninja used the coming blow of the kuniochi's tanto blade against her by suddenly pulling back and to the side making her lose balance long enough for him to strike her in the side of the head with the hilt of his katana. Then he kicked the masked vigilante in the way of the orange cladded turtle who'd come back from the heap of crates and was now attempting to charge him. They both fell in a heap at his feet as he jumped away from the two.

Whipping his katana blade to his side, Tatsu is about to unleash another flurry of attacks when the loud speakers overhead emit a high pitched squeal. The man cries out, his hands flying up to clasp his ears as he stumbles forward blindly. Donatello drops in from the open window, landing in a crouched position beside his older brother, flinching violently as the noise reaches his own hearing. Leonardo turns to his younger brother, squinting at him with his hands planted firmly against his ear holes. His younger brother quickly copies him as he huddled closer to him, quickly pulling out his ho staff. Then the two turn to each other, exchanging knowing nods, and they pounce from the platform in unison.

Donatello touches down behind Tatsu, a white membrane stretched over his eyes as he propels his bo staff against the underside of the latter's knees. The black cladded ninja stumbles forward in a daze, falling to his knees.

"Kizetsu," Leonardo incants, his eyes also white as he swings his glowing palms in an arc high above his head, before slamming them in a sideways position against the man's neck.

Tatsu fully collapses onto the ground, his limbs falling out from underneath him like a puppet cut of his strings. Leonardo turns to Donatello and gives him a quick up and down motion of his head, and the latter pulls a small remote control from his belt and presses a button. Immediately the high pitched squealing was cut off, the final echoes reverberating throughout the warehouse. Casey shakily goes to his feet, offering a hand to Michelangelo and patting his shell as he hauls him upward. Raphael and Shinigami choose that moment to come bursting through the entrance, weapons drawn as if ready for a fight. Karai stands, her brown hues immediately flickering over to land on the collapsed form of Tatsu and her painted lips crease into a sneer.

"How long will that stunning mantra last," Karai inquires of her blue cladded friend as she crouches down beside the man, and yanks off his mask, tossing it aside.

Leonardo answers,"It was a strong one, so it should last for around an hour. Do with him what you will."

"The Foot deserves a noble destiny—one with honor," Karai proclaims to the prone form of the man,"Men like you will taint this clan no longer!"

Stiffly, his lips barely moving, Tatsu grits out with saliva gathering in the corners of his lips,"Y-Y...You t-truly t-think...y-you...d-deserve to w-wield t-the K-Kuro K-Kabuto? Y-you ha-have...y-your m-master's arrogance."

"You'll find I have many qualities of dislike. Besides, deserve's got nothing to do with it," Karai snarls in response,"I will see you brought back to Japan, for I will not dishonor myself or the clan by taking the life of a wounded warrior. But you will stay there, and you will rot. The clan is mine."

Raphael steps forward, propping an arm on Leonardo's shoulder and leaning close as he declares,"See, piece of cake, Fearless. How was that for a test run, Don?"

"Foolish little girl," Rahzar roars as he pounces down from the rafters, sitting in a squatted position on an array of crates,"The Kuro Kabuto is worthy only of..."

Leonardo chokes out a startled breath as Raphael jerked him into a hug and spun them around, sending them both hurdling to the ground. Though he was saved from the brunt of the tackle, the blue cladded turtle still found himself groaning in pain as mutant turtles were not the softest of landing pads. The windows in front of them explode into thousands of little glass shards, blasting across the space with a gust of wind as a pair of furled wings burst from the center. The blue cladded turtle cranes his neck over his younger brother's broad shoulder to see the great leathery wings unfurl to reveal the glittering scarlet scales of the demodragon, and a low thrumming came from its jaw as wisps of smoke leaked from its nostrils. To the mutant turtle's horror, the nightmarish creature seemed even bigger than he recalled. His teeth and claws even looked sharper, and his scales seemed harder and rougher.

"...The Shredder," Kavaxas roars reverberated through the warehouse like a clap of thunder, saliva spitting out with each jagged word.

"Oh, you just a had to say something," Donatello shrieks shrilly at Raphael from his own crouched position on the floor, his hands folded protectively over his head.